CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN: More than Pasta and Pizza: It's memories.

I wouldn't have missed it for the world. That is how I thought about trying out CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN's Newest MENU. Yes, I love CPK and as such, I have been a fan of them from the start. This time around, they are back in SHANGRI-LA MALL better than before. 

 Pizza and Pasta and Salad. These are the things that brings my family and I to CPK. My family and I have been fans of CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN ever since it first opened its doors in SHANGRI-LA MALL years ago. We would always go up the ramp and seat at our favorite booth by the window.

Years into the future and now the present, CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN in Shangri-la mall has opened its doors in the new EAST WING MALL. One step in and everything reminds me of the first time I tried them. From the hospitality of the staff to the pizza oven, it was a turn back in time.

 With their new look, CPK has introduced a new menu. They brought out dishes that would spell delicious and yet be healthy. Well, sort off.

Combo Shakes are their combination drinks of fruit shakes. I tried out their APPLE-GRAPE (195Php) and it was refreshing. The apple blended well with the grape taste.

One thing came to mind when they said that would be offering salad. Their version of the CEASAR SALAD. Oh how I miss that. Since new things in the menu were there to try out, the MEXICALI (275Php) was first placed on the table. Roasted Corn and black bean.

It was actually a great way of going for the taco feel salad. A lot of avocados and salsa coming your way.

 More to my liking is the FRUIT and NUTS (275Php). Mixed fruits, avocado, walnuts and almonds in a orange herb vinaigrette. The mix of the fruits made it a bit sweet which definitely made me a happy fruit eater.

For pasta, CPK started going a little healthy and added a couple to their repertoire.

The PUTTANESCA (295php). Tomato sauce, black olives, roasted garlic, capers, and cherry tomatoes. It was a little spicy but not to the point that it would hurt your mouth. Since I'm into puttanesca, I enjoyed their version. 

Another pasta dish that actually surprised me was the VEGETABLE PRIMAVERA (275/495Php). Zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, yellow bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes in sun-dried tomato oil. Needless to say, i moved the veggies to the side and tried the pasta. It was surprisingly good. I guess the sun-dried tomato oil alongside the juices from the different veggies gave it a neutral and tomatoey taste. Yummy and cooked perfectly.

As the name suggest, CPK specializes in pizza. Usually, these pizzas are thin crust but they pack a lot of flavor.

For bacon lovers, the CARAMELIZED APPLE, BACON and GORGONZOLA (225/375Php) would be the top pick. The apple slices worked well with the bacon and the cheese. It gave it a sweet and savory touch. Who doesn't love bacon and cheese?

A crowd favorite, was the BAJA PIZZA (545Php). Mozzarella, red onions, tomatoes, avocado and jalapenos with either chicken or shrimp.Although a little Mexican in flavor profile, the use of the baja sauce with the mayo-chipotle dressing gave it a nice zing.

Definitely my other pick, The STEAK MUSHROOM and TRUFFLE PIZZA.

That says it all. You could smell the truffle oil a few booths away. The steak meat was tender and perfectly cooked. Delish!

Another pizza that was just created right there and then was the WORKS.

Basically sort of like a pepperoni pizza with the everything.
This will be one of the first CPK pizza that isn't thin crusted. It has a little bit of bite. They would have this come December.

I'm not really a fan of dessert so I just took a small bite of the SALTED CARAMEL CAKE with CARAMEL SAUCE (245Pp). It's all right. Maybe, they could have made it more moist.

One fork full of the QUESO DE BOLA CHEESECAKE (350Php) made me oooh with delight. It has the right amount of moisture with the perfect creamy texture. Not too much, just right. This I like.

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CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN comes full circle with this new healthy but delicious offerings. From the salads to the pizzas to the pasta and yes even the dessert, you could be assured of the quality and the taste with each bite. I'm sorry if I sound so head-over-heels with CPK. You see great memories were made with CPK. From family get togethers, to a blind date and even to a lonely snack. Yes, CPK has a place in my heart and in my tummy as well. I miss their mac and cheese.

CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN
Mid Level 2/3 East Wing Mall,
Shangrila Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City,
Metro Manila
www.cpk.com.ph



Disclaimer: was invited to try out the new menu of CPK.