The Museum Café is one of Raintree Restaurants’ good, casual yet elegant restaurants serving Modern Asian Cuisine in an enjoyable environment day in and day out. It’s located right beside the Ayala Museum in Greenbelt along Makati Avenue corner Dela Rosa. If you have to book for an early business meeting or just want to start the day right with delectable breakfast, this place can seal the deal. M Café opens up at 8:00AM daily and closes at 12 midnight. Apart from the food, the pretty ambiance plus free WiFi here can make you forget half of your life problems for a while. 😉
Review of Museum Café (Greenbelt 4, Makati City)
Ambiance: ★★★★★
The Museum Café is a noteworthy dining-out option in the heart of Makati’s commercial business district. Dining halls are wide and spacious, in both the first and second floors. The lights? Lovely. Decorations? Exquisite. The counter, the floor and the walls are filled with elaborate touches making up for an upscale theme. It’s essentially like eating at a rich aunt’s home. M Café is bright, personable and compelling as a restaurant serving Asian food with a twist. Outside, tables, stools and a bar counter with alcoholic drinks displayed set the mood for the nightlife.
The Museum Café extends to Kabila, another Raintree Restaurant, on the other side of the room. Kabila is a Filipino bistro which occupies the space formerly known as the Ayala Museum gift shop.
Service: ★★★★☆
One star went away because I witnessed how a couple of customers walked out of the restaurant after not being heard or seen when calling the servers’ attention. It was very early in the morning and they were among the first customers who entered after me. Most staff were stationed at the counter area fronting the entrance only adjacent to where the customers were seated. This was probably why notice was not given immediately within supposed waiting time.
When the space became busier later, the servers were spread around the place. They delivered food and drinks with speed. I hope they show the same attentiveness and grace to heighten any diner’s experience anytime.
Food: ★★★★☆
M Café tops its Pancakes (PhP 250) and Waffles (PhP 250) with ripe mangoes, watermelon and granny smith and serves them with maple syrup, butter and peanut butter. These are staple breakfast items that are good for sharing because they’re heavy on the stomach. They’re buttery, crusty on the outside and still soft and hot on the inside. I tried drizzling peanut butter onto the waffles and pancakes for the first time and the result was so good, surprisingly. Peanut butter as a substitute was a little more sophisticated than the usual maple syrup or butter. If you find yourself trying to decide between the two, let me help you make that decision—get the waffles, please. 🙂
Impeccably presented, the M Benedict came in two variations: Jamon Excellente (PhP 375) and Smoked Salmon (PhP 375). Both were served with poached egg, hollandaise arugula and grilled cherry tomatoes. These were certainly interesting as the combined tastes of the fresh ingredients worked very well together. The Jamon Excellente reminded me of Christmas. The dry cured ham was above average. Still, I thought the smoked salmon was better. One bite did more than getting the job done for me. The taste of salmon stood out and hands down, it was delicious.
The Anise Scented Beef Congee (PhP 295) arrived hot in a bowl with flavorful and hearty broth that’s almost creamy except there was no cream added. Not too thick, the beef congee was tasty and had the right amount of salt. I felt glad that not a lot of meat was put into it, else it would ruin the simplicity of this good comfort food.
Topped with spring onions, shiitake mushrooms and shimeji mushrooms, the Hainan Chicken Noodles (PhP 350) was a modest-looking dish but tasted far more vibrant than it looked. The chopped chicken was gloriously moist, swimming in the noodle soup that tasted good even without the chicken meat. This course may not be exactly what you’d expect to crave here at the Museum Café, but the hot soup is a good choice to find warmth on a cold day.
Accompanying our orders of the congee and noodles, the option to choose among three pieces of siu mai, shrimp dumplings or shark’s fin was given. We had the siu mai and the shrimp dumplings. The siu mai consisted of plenty of pork goodness waiting inside, while the shrimp dumplings (har kow) got points for being especially good as they were very dense and stuffed to the brim with tasty shrimp meat. Yummy! 😀
Finally, we found ourselves queuing up to the Omelette Station. We watched as the staff cooked and prepared the omelette according to the ingredients we dictated. Mushrooms, bell peppers, leafy greens and onions were available. Cheese can also be added per request. I wondered why it took long before the omelette was done. The scrambled egg came out moist and soft. I liked it but wouldn’t order it more than once. I mean it was nothing different and spectacular.
Take a look at Museum Café’s breakfast menu here.
Price for Value: ★★★☆☆
For all our orders, the portions were just right. Food tastes and textures were good but not enough to have me neither eye-rolling nor heart-clutching for being extra pleased. Prices are considerably high so I’d recommend Museum Café if you want a spot for a big group outing (e.g. birthday dinner or celebration variety). This is also a nice restaurant to bring a date. You’ll be sure to enjoy a special meal with great decor and an innovative menu in a homey/romantic atmosphere.
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