CCA Cravings' 3rd Anniversary

Three's company 

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte 

The new Cravings Center celebrated its third anniversary recently by converging its three differently-themed foodstops in a single location. The consolidating move fused together the group's varied cuisines, upgrading, in the process, its salad bar plus an extended menu; affording villagers of the Katipunan community a one-stop-shop dining experience. Simply dubbed “CCCelebration,” the event brought together the sumptuous fares of Cravings, The Coffee Beanery (TCB) and C2 in one dining outlet.

“Each brand has its own strength and loyal following. Now, with the Cravings Center in Katipunan, a customer can have the best of three in one sitting. He or she can have appetizers, soup and salad from Cravings; then order main course such as Pan-fried Tilapia in coconut emulsion or Crispy Kare-Kare from C2; then cap the meal with coffee and local sweets from TCB,” said Badjie Guerrero-Trinidad, CEO of Cravings Group of Companies. 

 Matriarch Susanna “Annie” Guerrero had the keen foresight of buying a dump in Marikina and converted it into a vegetable farm that now provides the greens for their outlets' salad bars. In turn, the kitchens recycle their waste into compost and fertilizer for the farm. “Customers will get to enjoy some of the usual merienda treats with a twist, plus comfort appetizers like pork barbecue, chicken inasal wings, squid balls wrapped in bacon, dinuguan, puto pao, sisig empanadita, turon, okoy, maruya and bam-i as well sweet treats such as sago’t gulaman and buko pandan,” declared Oliver Gascon, head chef of C2 Classic Cuisine. 

C2 is a modern Filipino cuisine, presented differently for gourmets. Delight in their tasteful plate of Crispy Kare-Kare, a 450-gram serving of tender deep-fried pork's thigh with bagoong, banana blossoms, string beans, eggplant and pechay in peanut sauce. “This fusion concept started with our Eastwood outlet. There, you get to sample Continental dishes with an Asian twist: pasta, sandwiches, lamb plus more French and Italian options,” shared Miguel Pacheco, Chef de Partie for Eastwood. Families can easily share their platefuls of food with each other. Ample servings of main courses abound; such as Tilapia fillets in a bed of julienne potatoes, carrots and turnips with achara and fried camote tops on the side. Or the pan-seared Dory served in a bed of mixed cabbage & greens, Nori strips and Japanese seaweed smothered in Miso sauce. 

The Coffee Beanery (TCB), on the other hand, is an all-Filipino coffee shop with all-day meals like rice toppings and their delectable pastries. You simply have to try their Laguna Cheesecake with quesong puti and latik sauce. Yummy! 

Savor, too, their Bibingka Souffle, a light and fluffy blend of coco custard, salted egg, quezo de bola shavings and toasted coconut. Simply delish! 

The new Cravings dining area is made more sunnier now with its open theater-type kitchens. Early morning diners can likewise partake of all-day breakfasts in all the food outlets. For a thirst-quenching refresher, try their Green Apple Cucumber Lime drink as well as their Ginger Pandan, the latter for those with a proclivity for something steaming hot. Of late, the Cravings Group took over the F&B of the Summit Ridge Hotel in Tagaytay. Aside from its Asian School of Hospitality Arts (ASHA) students, their restaurants also accept culinary students from St. Benilde and the Lyceum as part of their Practicum courses. 

Conveniently located on 287 Katipunan Avenue in Loyola Heights, Cravings Restaurant offers catering services as well as function rooms for various occasions and celebrations. For more inquiries, simply call 426-6681 or 426-6567 (Katipunan), 635-6087/ 88 (Shangri-La Plaza Mall), 470-3500 (Eastwood Mall, Libis), 815-4269 / 71 ( Fraser Place, Makati), 426-9736 (Tomas Morato) and 850-4437 (Festival Mall, Alabang). You may also visit their Web site, www.cravingsgroup.com.