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Relaxing Cafe with Classy Ambiance to Chill Out
2013-08-09 68 views
Where else can you go on a lazy Sunday afternoon but a cozy cafe to chillout with friends or a book? Cali Cafe tucked in the brand new Rochester Mall is a perfect place to unwind, away from the hustle and bustle from the horrible weekend crowd in town. Situated just beside Ben & Jerry's, the Cali Cafe is a California cafe/bistro that serves up a good variety of main courses, drinks, finger food and pastries perfect for the office crowd on weekdays and residents/shoppers who prefers to enjoy th
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Where else can you go on a lazy Sunday afternoon but a cozy cafe to chillout with friends or a book? Cali Cafe tucked in the brand new Rochester Mall is a perfect place to unwind, away from the hustle and bustle from the horrible weekend crowd in town. Situated just beside Ben & Jerry's, the Cali Cafe is a California cafe/bistro that serves up a good variety of main courses, drinks, finger food and pastries perfect for the office crowd on weekdays and residents/shoppers who prefers to enjoy the finer side of life on a weekend.
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 Upon entering Cali Cafe, I was enticed by the artistic paintings hung up on the wall. It changes the atmosphere with a chic and laid-back feel. The place was very clean, comfortable and it is definitely better than the crowded and noisy Starbucks cafe nearby. I was greeted by the friendly waiter who was so attentive to serve us ice water, taking note that it was a hot afternoon out there.
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 I didn't know what to order initially as I had a filling lunch before that. Hence, he recommended me to go for their Afternoon Tea Set ($8.50++) which comprises of a cup of coffee/tea and a slice of cake. Great news that it is available from 3-6pm daily, unlike many other cafes which afternoon tea sets are only available on weekdays!

The waiter whom is also the staff preparing the drinks, recommended me Cafe Latte, Cafe Mocha, Cappuccino... I thought those are really common and I made a special request to have something nutty and ordered a Macadamia Cappuccino. Without any hesitation, he agreed to my special order without any additional cost or questions asked. Bravo Service!!
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 There were 2 choices of cakes available and the staff mentioned that they are imported from France. I had the Extreme Choc Cake as he mentioned that it is made using dark chocolates (my weak spot for dark chocs). Hence, I had that and I am sure fans of chocolate will be so in love with it. Rich, smooth and creamy with a nice wafer crunch in the middle. This is surely not for the faint hearted. It becomes overpowering after a few mouthfuls so it is best to share the love around.
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 My friend had the Triple Berries Cake. The outlook of it looks attractive and colourful unlike my choc cake. I thought the blueberries and cranberries within gives it a good citrus burst of flavour but the sponge layer was a tad dry and tough to the bite. The cake could have been frozen for too long, hence the lost in texture. If you like something sour and tantalizing, this will make a good choice though.

Overall, the ambiance and service was great but the food can be further improved as the price point for the a la carte items on the menu is slightly higher compared to other casual dining cafes like Beanstro and TCC.
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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Spending Per Head
$10 (Tea)
Recommended Dishes
  • Macadamia Cappuccino
  • Extreme Choc Cake
Level4
263
4
A re-visit for yet another wonderful meal
2013-06-11 43 views
It was a public holiday when I decided to visit Cali cafe again...this time to bring my hubby to try the food here as I absolutely loved it during my last visit. There's no lunch special sets available today so we just ordered from their ala carte menu. The place is really nice for chilling out. We helped ourselves to the magazines available for browsing. I chose the food & travel mag (and it's this month's issue) while my hubby chose a tech mag....good choices available which are just right fo
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It was a public holiday when I decided to visit Cali cafe again...this time to bring my hubby to try the food here as I absolutely loved it during my last visit. There's no lunch special sets available today so we just ordered from their ala carte menu.

The place is really nice for chilling out. We helped ourselves to the magazines available for browsing. I chose the food & travel mag (and it's this month's issue) while my hubby chose a tech mag....good choices available which are just right for our interests.
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 - Magazines available for browsing

You can really taste lots of mushrooms used in their wild mushroom soup which was very tasty. Unfortunately the piece of bread that came with it was burnt. Which was too bad because the bread was good too. Well, I was in a zen-like mood and did not want to kick up a fuss, so I just scrapped away the burnt bits on the toast. Ain't I a nice customer? (well, just for today at least)
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 - Wild mushroom soup ($7.50)

I enjoyed my platter which had rather good quality sausages (mixture of bockwurst, bratwurst and italian spicy sausages, all mostly from pork - which I found out after inquiring with the staff) although some were a bit on the salty side. The mashed potatoes and salad were very nice too.
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 - Grilled Bratwurst Sausage Platter ($18.50)

We also tried their signature dish, the napa hanger steak. My hubby ordered it medium well. On hind side, we should have just ordered medium or even medium rare...but anyway, we still found the steak good. I loved the red wine caramelized onions which had an intense red wine flavor. My hubby preferred the mustard hollandaise which I also loved. The fries were thick and fleshy, nice!
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 - Napa Hanger Steak ($24.50)

The place was rather quiet, so we took our time to have a relaxing lunch here.


Prices are as listed on the menu, there's no further service or gst charge that will be added to the bill.


(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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Date of Visit
2013-05-24
Spending Per Head
$25 (Lunch)
Level4
1.3K
0
Breakfast
2013-04-28 34 views
Whenever I feel like having a very fulfilling and satisfying breakfast, I will always come to this restaurant with my family members. Here they served really delicious food with quite big portion too. I enjoy having the their chicken sausages which are very chewy and thick in texture. The scrambled egg is very smooth and soft, full of the milk fragrant in it. The fried potato is slight crispy and not too oily too. Service is good and polite too.
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Whenever I feel like having a very fulfilling and satisfying breakfast, I will always come to this restaurant with my family members. Here they served really delicious food with quite big portion too. I enjoy having the their chicken sausages which are very chewy and thick in texture. The scrambled egg is very smooth and soft, full of the milk fragrant in it. The fried potato is slight crispy and not too oily too. Service is good and polite too.
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(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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Date of Visit
2013-04-07
Spending Per Head
$25 (Other)
Recommended Dishes
  • sausages
Level4
1.9K
12
Veg Wrap
2013-04-06 27 views
Healthy and yummy food can be found at this cafe. Especially enjoy having their vegetable wrap with nochos. The wrap skin is very thin and not too dry. Love the different types of combination vegetables that are wrap in it which make it very crunchy and healthy. THe nachos are also very crunchy and not too salty as well. Have it with a cup of the english breakfast tea or coffee will be even better.
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Healthy and yummy food can be found at this cafe. Especially enjoy having their vegetable wrap with nochos. The wrap skin is very thin and not too dry. Love the different types of combination vegetables that are wrap in it which make it very crunchy and healthy. THe nachos are also very crunchy and not too salty as well. Have it with a cup of the english breakfast tea or coffee will be even better.
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(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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Date of Visit
2013-03-17
Spending Per Head
$20 (Other)
Recommended Dishes
  • Veg wrap
Level4
263
4
Really Good Western Set Lunch!
2013-04-05 20 views
This cafe is located on the first floor of Park Avenue Hotel & Suites, under Rochester Mall. It's just next to Ben & Jerry's which you can easily spot along the main road. I like the white and blue setting in the cafe, which gives off a nice care-free vibe. From where I was seated within, it was just greenery outside through the glass windows - a very relaxing setting There were a few choices for the weekday set lunches, which includes a starter (choice of soup or salad), main dish and a cup of
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This cafe is located on the first floor of Park Avenue Hotel & Suites, under Rochester Mall. It's just next to Ben & Jerry's which you can easily spot along the main road. I like the white and blue setting in the cafe, which gives off a nice care-free vibe. From where I was seated within, it was just greenery outside through the glass windows - a very relaxing setting


There were a few choices for the weekday set lunches, which includes a starter (choice of soup or salad), main dish and a cup of coffee/tea.

I was pleasantly surprised by the generous portion of my Caesar salad. I'm actually very glad that there was no bacon but fruits instead. There were fresh strawberries and peaches, very nice buttery & crunchy croutons, slices of boiled egg (just nicely boiled, not overcooked) and plenty of fresh lettuce all topped with a Caesar sauce that was not too heavy but just right in taste. One of the best salads I've had for a while
Actually I was pretty full by the time I finished my salad
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 Caesar salad - wholesome & tasty (highly recommended!)

For my main, I had the oven-baked chicken thigh. This is another winner! The chicken was well-marinated with herbs, tender & juicy. The skin was roasted to a nice crisp - even I could not resist stealing a bite from it haha, which I did not regret though. (I usually don't take chicken skin). The accompanying mushroom sauce was nice & the poached vegetables done just well. Not to forget the tasty, smooth whipped potato too.
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 - Oven baked chicken thigh

My dining companion ordered the grilled sirloin with fries which were crisp & fat, the way I like them. I did not try the sirloin but my friend felt it was quite good. Although slightly charred outside on some areas, the middle was slightly pink.
Hence I'm showing the picture of the dish as well for your viewing pleasure.
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 Grilled sirloin

For our sets, they were priced at $16.90. I was prepared to pay the $20 (including service charge & gst) and was again pleasantly surprised that the sets were actually nett prices. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal here and feel it's really worth it for the price.


(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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Date of Visit
2013-04-05
Spending Per Head
$17 (Lunch)
Recommended Dishes
  • Oven baked chicken thigh
Level2
13
0
Worth going again and again and again
2013-01-28 18 views
Located at Rochester Mall, beside Ben and Jerry's, this quaint cafe serves western food, hence their name.They have a make-your-own salad, which I adore! Super reasonably priced, and so yummy!Main courses are also priced reasonably, and the quality of the food is not bad.Went there on a weekend, hardly any crowd. Not so sure about weekdays though.Service is so-so, will go back again!
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Located at Rochester Mall, beside Ben and Jerry's, this quaint cafe serves western food, hence their name.

They have a make-your-own salad, which I adore! Super reasonably priced, and so yummy!

Main courses are also priced reasonably, and the quality of the food is not bad.

Went there on a weekend, hardly any crowd. Not so sure about weekdays though.

Service is so-so, will go back again!
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(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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DETAILED RATING
Taste
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Recommended Dishes
  • Make Your Own Salad