Something Old and Something New at CPK

Something Old and Something New at CPK

Thursday, December 1, 2011

CPK Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad
A tribute to new dishes and some old favorites at CPK.

I'd like to believe that due to my blog, my family has somewhat become more adventurous when it comes to ordering new dishes at restaurants. Never mind that one may argue they didn't actually have a choice, seeing that I make it a point to have them avoid dishes that have previously been taken food photos of and published here in FRM. The crucial thing is, we have gone from ordering the usual to foraying into new gastronomical fares. But then again, there are simply favorites that are too good to pass up even for one meal. So, here we go - some things old and some things new...

CPK Roasted Duck Salad
As the server gently laid down the platter of Roasted Duck Salad (P235), it was pleasantly surprising to see it covered with tons of shredded duck meat. Initially, it looked a bit dry with sesame seeds intermittently scattered all around. Peeking from underneath the pile were lots of greens, sliced celery, some green beans (dare I say edamame?), ribbons of crispy wantons, and a scanty serving of hoisin sauce. Tossing the salad proved to be profitable as the sauce sufficiently besmeared the duck tatters. Its sweet taste coated and moistened the meat -- a pairing so obviously good, you just have to take another forkful. A loud crunch was heard on the second bite; the wanton strips retaining its crispness even under the sauce and vinaigrette. The vegetables provided a little cleansing for the sweetened palate, preparing it for more salad consumption.

CPK White Pizza 2
The White Pizza (personal P195; regular P290) consists of an olio of cheeses -- mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, fontina and pecorino romano (drooling yet, cheese lovers?). A blanket of this medley partially covers leaves of sauteed garlic spinach. There's something inviting about the unevenness of its crust, slightly tanned from the brick oven, with shades of white from the baking powder. The small blocks of melted ricotta cheese a stark contrast to the dark, green spinach. And the taste, oh the taste. The different types of cheese furnish various layers of flavor. Sweetness from the mozzarella mixed with a faint acidity from the ricotta, entangled with a bit of saltiness from the pecorino and the sharp taste of parmesan, all fall into a harmonious fusion that tantalizes the palate.

CPK Baja Fish Tacos
The Baja Fish Tacos (P295) I didn't enjoy much. The finger-thin sauteed cream dory was hidden beneath a rubble of chopped green and purplish red cabbage, which made up three quarters of the tacos(!). Biting through the soft tortilla bread blemished by brown burnt spots was rather challenging as the ranchito sauce made the soft taco flaccid and limp.

CPK Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad 2
I like cranberry -- in my juice, on my baked chicken and even in my frappuccino, so the Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad (P195) was a welcome treat. Charily sitting in the middle of a sliced focaccia bread were chunks of grilled chicken, dried cranberries, walnuts, chopped celery (?), slices of tomatoes, onions and lettuce, all slathered with mayonnaise. A sizable portion of caesar salad rests on the side, with bright green Romaine leaves and garlic-herb croutons mingling under a precious few shavings of parmesan cheese. The sandwich was graciously abundant; the hodgepodge of ingredients had a surprise flavor with each chew, from the robust grilled chicken to the sweet cranberries, and all the savory and acidulous stuff in between. I'm a fan of their caesar salad mainly because of how the leaves retain its crispness plus the shaved parmesan, the sharpness of which is an acquired taste, one that I've never had until recently.

CPK Baby Clam Linguini
Two kinds of sauce were available for the Baby Clam Linguini (personal P195; family P385) -- the light lemon cream sauce or the tomato basil sauce (which we chose). I twirled a few strands of linguini around my fork and my mouth closed in on a tomatoey sauce with a spicy undertone towards the end. I pierced a piece of baby clam out of its shell, its meat providing more texture than flavor to the dish, but I don't complain. The sauce was flavorful enough and appetizingly good for the dish to merit acceptance and appreciation.

CPK Portobello Mushroom Ravioli
And finally, my favorite CPK dish -- the Portobello Mushroom Ravioli (personal P315; family P595). It's a dish I could finish off on my own; bring on the family size, I'm game! Just look at those plump, globular pasta, drenched (some even fully immersed) in a sensuous garlic parmesan cream sauce and sprinkled with finely chopped herbs. Enshrouded inside each ravioli pasta is a generous amount of minced mushrooms, its earthy flavor harnessing the luscious cream to bring about a taste so yearn-inducing, a few pieces won't be enough to satiate it.

California Pizza Kitchen (CPK)
Spot: 2/F Activity Center, Alabang Town Center (ATC), Alabang Zapote Rd, Muntinlupa City
Contact No.: 850.5771
Website: cpk.com.ph
Facebook: facebook.com/CPKPhilippines
Twitter: twitter.com/CPKPhilippines

12 comments:

kaoko said...

I love their ravioli too, but I usually go for the tomato-based one. Di ako makarami pag cream based :P

Guia Obsum said...

Oh yeah, they have the tomato-based one. I'm so addicted to the cream version, I've forgotten about that one. ;p

[pinkc00kies] said...

i wanna try the pasta and white pizzA! i love their kung pao spag, chicken bbq salad & pizza and the thai crunch salad :D i miss cpk na.

Guia Obsum said...

Next time, I'm gonna try that Thai Crunch Salad. :)

Adel said...

I am craving right now, I like baby clam linguini the most, I op I can taste it this Christmas.

Zero Dramas

angsarap said...

That pizza looks great, I will definitely make one of those at home.

Madz said...

How would duck meat taste? Is it similar to chicken meat? I havent' dared try eating it yet. I know, weird for someone who blogs about food :D

Guia Obsum said...

Duck tastes mostly like chicken although sometimes more firm and the meat a little darker. It's quite good, especially the cooked peking ducks from chinese restaurants dipped in plum sauce or hoisin sauce. :)

Gita Asuncion said...

ive tried their bbq chicken salad... sarap nga yan... but i wanna try the ravioli! looks so goooood!

Shalum said...

Drooling on the Cranberry Chicken Salad :9

Diana Alexandra said...

I like how you describe food. You always use the perfect words for each one that allows the readers to imagine something in precision.

Plus your photos are so sarap!

Guia Obsum said...

Thanks so much Diana! Your words warm the heart and are very much appreciated. :)

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