Thursday, July 14, 2016

Vine Cafe by FNS

John 15:5: "I am the vine and you are the branches.."



Welcome to Vine Cafe by Fat and Skinny Desserts!
Vine Cafe
Vine Cafe only opened its doors to the public on October 8, 2015, but it actually started out as an Instagram shop named Fat and Skinny Desserts in late 2013. Erica dela Paz and Rejoice Ondoy wanted to pursue their passion for baking and making pastries, so they sold assorted cake jars online and even joined bazaars where, at the end of the day, they'd always sell out.
Vine Cafe
To cater to the increasing demand, they decided to open Vine Cafe and offer not only pastries, but paninis, pasta, and frappes, as well.
Vine Cafe
With the help of ARTipolo, a group of artists from Antipolo, they were able to create a one-of-a-kind cafe that's filled with art, books, food, and most importantly, love.
Vine Cafe
Vine CafeVine Cafe
The owners wanted to inspire love - not just romantic love, but also friendship, brotherly love, spiritual love, etc.
Vine Cafe
Tim and I took our time exploring the different parts of the two-storey cafe.
Vine Cafe
All the tables were painted with Bible verses.
Vine Cafe
The same goes for the chairs.
Vine Cafe
Even the restroom doors were painted beautifully.
Vine Cafe
Vine Cafe
Vine Cafe
More artwork from ARTipolo.
Vine Cafe
Screenshots of Instagram photos displayed on the walls
Vine Cafe
Vine Cafe
Vine Cafe
The best part of the cafe? The reading room.
When I saw a photo of it, I wanted to go to Vine Cafe immediately!
Vine Cafe
Vine Cafe
This room has so many books in it, there's definitely something for everyone!
Vine Cafe
After all the photo-taking, we couldn't wait to eat!
We started off with their newest drink - the Freak Shake (P160)
Vine Cafe
It's basically a chocolate banana shake with various chocolatey snacks like Cloud 9 and Stik-O on top, whipped cream, sprinkles, and two kinds of syrup. It isn't as heavy as it looks; the drink itself was actually pretty refreshing - it is once you start eating the toppings that you'll feel guilty about this crazy concoction.
Vine Cafe
For the appetizer, we went with their Buffalove (P180), which was highly recommended by Erica.
Vine Cafe
It was spicy, but not that spicy, so both Tim and I got to enjoy it (but Tim finished most of it).
Vine Cafe
Compared to other restaurants, I thought Vine Cafe's wings was quite affordable. It's great for those on a budget. Extra rice nalang kulang. Haha! Best paired with the cheese sauce!
Vine Cafe
For the mains, you can either order pasta (P150) or panini (P95), or a combination of both. If you want to go for the combo, they have two kinds - the Fat and Skinny. For the Fat Combo (P250), you get a full-sized pasta and panini of your choice. For the Skinny Combo (P150), you get half-portions. Oh, both combos come with a glass of iced tea!

First, we tried their Sisig Me Softly pasta with Three-Cheese Panini.
Vine Cafe
Vine Cafe
Vine Cafe
I just loved how cheesy the panini was. The sisig pasta wasn't as oily as I thought it would be, so that was good. It was actually my favorite pasta out of the three we tried.
Vine Cafe
Next, we had the Eat Me If You Kare (Kare-Kare Pasta) with Kani Panini.
Vine Cafe
Who would've thought that kare-kare sauce on pasta would be so good? For this one, they make use of Erica's lola's recipe. They topped it off with some bagoong (shrimp paste) and normally, I'd feel grossed out, but it actually works so yay! 
Vine Cafe
Favorite panini goes to this one!
Vine Cafe
I like the flavors of the kani (crab meat), cheese, cabbage, and mayonnaise combined. It's like the Japanese kani salad, but different since it was more creamy and cheesy, which I really enjoyed.

And finally, here's the Mi Amor (Spanish Sardines Pasta) with Bacon and Cheese Panini.
Vine Cafe
Though the sardines pasta wasn't as unique as the first two, it wasn't bad. It tasted as you'd expect sardines pasta to taste. The same goes for the panini. I think out of everything, these two were the most common, so if you don't feel like experimenting, these are good choices for you (especially if you like sardines and bacon!)
Vine Cafe
Of course, we couldn't leave without trying the desserts that started it all - the cake jars! 
Vine Cafe
Vine Cafe prides themselves in offering desserts that are "healthier" in the sense that they contain muscovado sugar, rather than white sugar. It's still sinful, but it's not as sinful as other desserts, if that makes sense.
Vine Cafe
Here's their chocolatey offering - the Chocolate Lasagna.
Vine Cafe
It's layers upon layers of chocolate, but to my surprise, it's not overly sweet! I ended up bringing this home because we were too full to finish it. It's perfect as an after-meal treat; it's the kind of dessert that you take out of the fridge for a spoonful or two, then save the rest for later because you don't want to run out of it too quickly.
Vine Cafe
The Blueberry Cheesecake was amazing. Unlike other blueberry cheesecake offerings, this one contains pure cream cheese. It's not gelatin pretending to be cheesecake, so it was kind of sour (as it should be!)
Vine Cafe
I dug in with my spoon and got this. Beautiful, isn't it? I'd totally go back just for their cake jars.
Vine Cafe
Happy kid right here! I felt right at home, seriously! :)
Vine Cafe
Vine Cafe is located at 4A P. Burgos Street, Malinao, Pasig City.
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Vine Cafe by FNS Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato