Did you know that many great occurrences in world history started in coffee shops? It is said that the French revolution was brewed in Café Foy. The New York Stock Exchange was steeped in the old Tontine Coffee House. Caffeine must have perked up something in the minds of those folks; the same way it added a couple of IQ points when we used to cram for exams.
When we saw the sign Café Mesa in the perimeter of Clark Field, we decided to stop and give it a try. Maybe we’ll use the same cup used by a famous person…. At the very least coffee would be decent, right?
Usually, it is not a good sign if you find yourselves as the only customers, especially near dinner time. But at least you can choose the best table in the house and of course expect good customer service from the staff.
After our orders were taken, I happily went around and took pictures. The barista even invited me to take pics of their coffee-making contraption. I asked her candidly why is Café Mesa named as such and she said… “It is because of the different tables we have”. Like in the cartoons, a light bulb suddenly lit up on top of my head. Geez, how could I have missed that?
We did not wait long for the food to arrive. Wanting something light, I ordered a sandwich-salad combo. The house sandwich was actually good. It is not something you would describe as gourmet, but anything with ham, bacon, egg and cheese is good in my book. The Midsummer Salad is something we would not try again. The greens are fresh, but the spicy homemade vinaigrette dressing just didn’t work for me. The chicken topping was also overcooked.
Second to arrive is the café’s version of Aglio e olio. It was delicious and the pasta was cooked just right. Our only suggestion is the shrimp should have been taken off the pan a bit earlier. Dry overcooked shrimps don’t give joy to anybody
The hands down winner was the Quesadilla. It was not the usual anorexic Mexican cheese pie. Café Mesa’s quesadilla is well fed with ground beef and cheese. Top it with arugula and the sauce and you are set. It was so heavy that we were only able to munch a couple of slices each.
Being suckers for anything cold and with whipped cream, we decided to order Iced Hazelnut. No complaints here…
At the end of the meal, the nice staff approached us and offered 2 cups of UCC coffee for FREE (btw, they only use UCC beans). Of course we accepted! The complimentary cups gave our dinner a nice perky ending.
Next time you are in Clark and wanting to have a cup joe, do give Café Mesa a try.
Cafe Mesa
Building 2078, Cardinal Santos Avenue,
Clark Field Pampanga
Yes i do agree with Mr. Barnes comments my family been there several times (dinner) always unsatisfied, worst scenario is when i paying our bills i had a chance to spot a bit in the kitchen & it was gush,!!!failed in sanitation,,,goodbye cafe mesa
Posted by Rick dela fuente at March 20, 2010, 11:28 pmHello Rick and Jun,
Thanks for sharing your experiences. Maybe we just got lucky since we had the place all for ourselves for quite a bit, before the evening guests arrived.
Thanks for visiting and do come back. I am about to jump start this blog…
Happy eating.
Posted by optimuspride at March 31, 2010, 8:03 amWe eat at cafe mesa on a regular basis and I know the owner. I’ll talk to him. Thanks for the comments 
My friend and I decided to try out this restaurant when we chanced upon this area on eafternoon. We ordered iced/whipped coffee and it was ok. The waitresses, though, could’ve been friendlier… to think that we were the only customers that time. Tall as they may be, I felt that they needed to be more pleasant when serving their customers.
On the interiors, I liked the old American feel, but come nightfall, I wished they could’ve brightened up the place a bit, as it was a tad too dark inside when my friend and I were chatting that we had to move to the veranda to experience more light.
Had another chance to eat there for a business meeting. The wait staff took a while to attend to us, and the manager even had to be called in to welcome the customers — despite the prior reservations made. Some 40 minutes passed before the first round of orders was served. My colleagues commented that the soup was bland, and they also claimed that the main dish were overcooked.
I go around Clark regularly for business lunches and dinners, and I must say that I’ve had better experiences in other restaurants than Cafe Mesa.
Posted by OC at November 17, 2010, 8:20 amAll comments are moderated. Your comments will not appear here unless approved by the blog owner. Thank you.
Yes I had a chance to eat at cafe mesa several times. The food was great but I think their service sucks. The waitress although looks stunning and tall they are a bit grouchy and unpleasant in dealing to their customer. I noticed this everytime my family or some of my geust comes there. If only their owner can teach those waitress to be more pleasing to their guests.
Jun Barnes
Jbarnes@mm.com
Posted by Jun Barnes at March 9, 2010, 1:22 pm