Chelsea Market and Café: Gourmet Fine Dining Restaurant | Bar & Restaurant

Bright. Spacious. Comfortable. Relaxing. Welcoming. HOME. These are just some of the words that freely come to mind at the sight of Chelsea Market and Cafe.

Chelsea Market and Café first opened its doors in April, 2007 at Serendra. Its market café concept is a combination of the gourmet food market, freshly baked breads and pastries, neighbourhood coffee shop and hip city bistro inspired by the trendy, cosmopolitan shops of the Chelsea district of New York.

Countless times in the last ten months I wanted to try out this restaurant as I heard that gourmet food there is such a treat, but I could never get a seat without having to wait in a long cue. The average waiting time is about an hour and one can get a seat only if he arrives just before the place opens at 12 noon or makes a reservation at least 2 days ahead of time. So, when I received an invitation for lunch at Chelsea Market and Café, I did not think twice about accepting.

By the time I arrived at Chelsea Market and Cafe at half past 12 noon on a Thursday, every table was already occupied. Gourmet food was already being served on the tables. I could not help but notice first how efficient the servers, pristine in their black uniforms, were busily moving about the place to make sure that all their patrons were happily enjoying their gourmet food.

Next would be how the sunlight seems to perfectly accentuate the room and make it appear bigger than it truly is. Finally, it can’t escape the eye the way the whole interiors were designed to set the ambience for its patrons to savour gourmet food in the company of family and friends.

My initial impressions of Chelsea Market and Cafe were right on the dot.

The gourmet food “bestsellers” certainly kept the place packed. I started off with the Grilled-Roasted Herb Chicken & Crispy Bacon with baby romaine lettuce, toasted almonds and Grandma’s Caesar Dressing. What a treat this salad was with its light creamy dressing of just the right blend of anchovy, oil, and spices flowing over every inch of the fresh crispy greens. Now, if there’s anything that can truly ruin a good salad, it is running out of dressing. In this case, there was enough dressing poured into the serving to ensure that with every bite comes the mix of texture from the meats, nuts and the greens accompanied by their own version of the classic Caesar salad dressing.

This is one salad dish you cannot miss when you visit Chelsea Market and Cafe!!!!

Next on the list of my new gourmet food favourites is the Moroccan-Style Lamb Shank in a Tagine which was slowly cooked in a flavoured basting liquid such that the meat would break up on its own as it was very tender. This was topped with dried fruits and nuts which provided a contrasting flavour to the meat’s own juicy taste and were accompanied by roasted organic vegetables and tabbouleh.

And for a seafood entrée, the hands down choice of gourmet food would be the Herb Walnut Crusted Chilean Seabass served on a bed of mashed potatoes and topped with braised asparagus. Around the serving dish, there is generous amount of Rosemary-Orange Beurre Blance sauce which compliments the very distinct fish oil taste of the seabass. This gourmet food dish is light to the lips and hips but definitely filling.

The menu items at Chelsea Market and Café are quite affordable and the servings are so generous that one should order with sharing in mind. This is not so bad really because it allows everyone in the party to have a taste of the very special gourmet food which the owners together with its chef, Sau del Rosario, painstakingly work on and continuously improve.

Chelsea Market and Café is one “MUST VISIT” restaurant. With that first try, you will undoubtedly insist on coming back to have a taste of their gourmet food and other dishes, as well.

See you at Chelsea Market and Cafe!!!