Movie Stars Cafe

Last week, Mark asked me out on a "Fridate" at Movie Stars Cafe in SM Mall of Asia. I love receiving invites from Mark but I actually wasn't excited when I knew that we were going to SM MOA. I'm from Antipolo while Mark is from Caloocan, so meeting halfway at Quezon City has always been our practice for our weekend dates. Okay I'll admit, I just hate having to drive around busy streets, stroll around crowded malls, and most especially having to ride a public transportation while braving the traffic and the crowd! :p

Mark has been raving about how cool the place seems when he saw it online. When I checked it, I also got excited and so I just tried to let go of the brat in me and gave in to his invite! :D It is very rare that Mark and I go out on dates outside Quezon City, but whenever we do, Mark makes sure that we go to places that are worth our effort and time. Plus, Mark and I both seemed to have built a penchant for themed restaurants and hotels, like Pan De Amerikana and Segara Villas and Suites, and Movie Stars Cafe is a great addition to the list. :p

We were half an hour early for the cafe's opening so we both agreed to just have our lunch at SM MOA, go watch some movie, and just get back to the cafe afterwards. After watching OZ The Great and Powerful, we headed to the Movie Stars Cafe along Seaside Boulevard, which is a few walks away from the mall.

Mark and I were already delighted, like little kids, right when we saw the logo of the restaurant from afar.

The restaurant's facade which was like a Motion Picture Studio with all its flashy lights and movie memorabilia tickled the child in both Mark and I.

They have life-sized statues of famous movie superheroes like Spiderman and Batman.

They also have this huge King Kong head mounted on the wall.

After taking some photos of the restaurant's facade, we got in and were welcomed by their friendly waiting staff. We were ushered by our server who also asked us where we wanted to sit. We chose the table at the center of the cafe, near the entrance, which gave us an ample view of the whole place.

The outside was already very interesting, more so was the restaurant's interior. The area is surrounded with four big screens plus hundreds of monitors which play movies simultaneously. Also very evident are the lights, just like the ones used in production sets and shootings, which add up to the cool and playful ambience.

There weren't a lot of diners yet, so after we placed our orders, Mark and I continued to check the rest of the place out.

Another attention-grabbing piece at the restaurant was this life-sized T-Rex head which was made to look like it smashed into the ceiling while growling down at the food in their "Dino Buffet". :p

I was supposed to checkout the food at the buffet table, but since we were still too early, Mark decided to just fool around with the dinosaur. :p

Also positioned on the walls, at the back of the couches, and on the couch head boards were movie memorabilia, movie posters, and signed portraits of famous movie stars.

There were also these life-sized figures which Mark and I definitely loved!

We didn't actually notice how long it took for our orders to be served because we were busy enjoying the place. I guess Mark and I actually took more time in choosing from the menu because there were a lot of interesting dishes. Most of their "Special" dishes were very tempting. Based from the variety of food in the menu, they offer a combination of American, Italian, and Japanese cuisine.

Mark and I while waiting for our orders. :)

It was just 4pm, and we were way too early for their 6pm buffet, so we decided to only have light meals. We had pizza and pasta for merienda. Although I didn't mind the serving time, I just didn't like that our orders weren't served all at the same time. Our drinks were served first. I had their Iced Tea Shake while Mark opted for their Fresh Pineapple Shake.

Fresh Pineapple Shake and Iced Tea Shake - Php 199.00 each

Both drinks were refreshing. Mine was a little too sweet though but I loved the tangy taste with just the right amount of acidity from the lime.

Mark already got to choose which pizza to have, so I was tasked to choose the pasta. I was choosing among their Creamy Carbonara, Pesto De Scampo Pasta, and Oriental Chicken Pasta. Since I've already tried having carbonara and pesto countless of times (in other restaurants), I chose the Oriental Chicken Pasta. Good thing I didn't order another one (was actually thinking of also getting the Pesto de Scampo :p) because the pasta is already good for sharing and for those with big appetites.

Oriental Chicken Pasta - Php 399.00

The dish wasn't too oily. The chopped parsley and spring onions definitely gave an interesting contrast in color as well as an added texture to the dish. The pasta was cooked al dente and it was able to absorb that distinct herb taste. The generous amount of savory chicken strips gave the dish the right amount of saltiness while the shiitake mushrooms added a hint of sweetness to the dish. The dish also comes with slices of focaccia bread.

I honestly haven't tried an authentic oriental pasta dish, but I think the dish is lacking some flavors, although adding more parmesan cheese to it actually made it taste better. I don't know but I kept comparing it with Yellow Cab's Charlie Chan, but this one was a little less stronger in flavor, a lot less oily, and definitely not spicy. Mark and I both agreed that the dish is good, but not something to rave about. He even said it just tasted like pancit canton.

We got one of their "Special" dishes, the Star Wars Pizza. The real thing looked a lot more appetizing than the picture in the menu. The one in the menu seemed like pancakes to me haha! :p It comes in two 10-inch pizza, the Cream Cheese Pizza and the Spicy Pizza.

Star Wars Pizza - Php 699.00

The presentation of the pizza was really playful. Each pizza was cut into a star and the round-edged cuts were interchanged so that each pizza plate contains the two flavors.

The Cream Cheese Pizza was really good. It also had mozzarella, mushrooms, and onions. Simple pizza yet bursting with flavors! The saltiness of the cheese was a right combination with the sweetness of the onions and mushrooms. Mark and I both loved this flavor! I loved the thin yet crispy crust too!

Star Wars Pizza - Cream Cheese Pizza

The Spicy Pizza on the other hand, although it looked a lot more appetizing than the Cream Cheese Pizza, was, uhm, spicy! Well I would be biased because I don't really like spicy dishes. Well, Mark and I both don't. But I guess for the rest of you who do, this will be perfect! There are pepperoni slices and red chili bits plus onions and mushrooms on top of melted mozzarella cheese and rich pizza sauce with tomato chunks. Although the combination of flavors from the toppings plus the sourness of the tomatoes worked well altogether, I just wasn't able to take the spiciness. For me, it was a bit strong. I was even telling Mark that maybe they used hot sauce instead of pizza sauce haha! :p

Star Wars Pizza - Spicy Pizza

Mark initially ordered the Japanese Cheesecake for dessert, unfortunately is wasn't available that time, so he settled for Matcha Ice Cream. I've actually heard of matcha and though I haven't tried one before, all I know is that it's green tea.

This glass of goodness got me drooling! I wasn't really planning to have some desserts, but since my mouth was still burning from the Spicy Pizza, and although Matcha would be something new to me, I gave in. :p

Matcha Ice Cream - Php 199.00

If there's one thing that makes the restaurant's food stand out, it's the generous serving! Even their dessert was huge. The combination of colors were perfect and pleasing to the eyes. Four scoops of matcha ice cream, topped with whipped cream and a slice of strawberry, with chocolate-covered bread sticks and chocolate fudge, this glass was such a fun sight. Mark and I started to dig in as soon as I finished taking a photo of it.

The ice cream was delicious! It wasn't too sweet and was very creamy. It actually tasted like avocado, which is my favorite! Digging deeper into the glass, there was a pool of melted matcha ice cream, chocolate fudge, and corn flakes! Corn flakes in ice cream actually worked! The corn flakes gave texture to the dessert. The crunchiness of the corn flakes and the creaminess of the ice cream were heaven on my palates. I also enjoyed scooping the ice cream using the chocolate-covered bread sticks.

Mark and I both enjoyed our dining experience. The food may not be something to rave about, but the fun experience was priceless. To think that there are still a lot of things in Movie Stars Cafe which we have yet to try. :)

Diners were already pouring and the queue to the buffet table was already up come 6pm. I wasn't able to check out the buffet but I'm definitely trying that out when we get back. Another thing that Mark and I would love to experience is the live band and the performances of their staff wearing costumes from famous movies. Yup, the restaurant turns into a more fun and exciting place when staff and servers dress up to be like Spiderman, Optimus Prime, Tinkerbell, Snow White, and many other characters from famous movies. Here are a few of them. :)

With a unique and playful ambience, good food with huge servings, very friendly and attentive waiting staff, Movie Stars Cafe is definitely fun place! Definitely worth our time and effort! :) Perfect for movie junkies, kids, and the kids at heart! So will we be coming back? Definitely! :D

MOVIE STARS CAFE