A Memorable Lunch

When I realized what today was, I immediately waxed nostalgic.

It was three years ago today when I had my first meal at the fantastical Sci-Fi Café at Robinson’s Galleria. After meeting an online friend for the first time, we headed there to eat. Being geeks of different levels and members of various fandoms, the place had an instant appeal to both of us.

They had wall-to-wall displays of figures from comics, novels, TV series, and movies. There were even some that hung from the ceiling – spacecrafts from the Star Wars and Star Trek universes – but I never got around to taking even one photo of any of them. The place was just overwhelming with so many details! It was almost a veritable museum.

Have a wrecking good time with these guys!

The cafe front

Whose side do you pick?

If you leave the room, they might come alive. XD

Not the Batcave but close enough?

When there’s trouble, who you gonna call?

“Look at this stuff! Isn’t it neat?”

Live long and… stay away from Chucky?

Of course, we were there for food. The immense number of eye candy was just a great bonus!

In the darknest night, thunder will roar?

Just some stuff mutants left behind.

The heart and the head together again

Elven swords. Nuff said.

You’ve found the armory. Congratulations!

Roll out? Transform? Move?

Where is the quiver and the arrows?

Who has the jar of dirt?

Can you pass?

So, while waiting for our food to arrive, we fooled around with the wearable pieces. There were whole costumes but, frankly, there was a subtle smell to them so we just took the ones that had less odor. Captain America’s Shield was still offered for customer use (and not hung over the door), just like Harry Potter’s Nimbus 3000, which we found on the floor.

As much as I loved to have Gizmo from Gremlins for company, he had to stay within the glass walls. So it was just Ted who sat with us at our table.

Gizmo is still and won’t dance.

Sci-Fi Café’s menu items were also inspired by titles or names from popular fiction. For lunch, we had Total Recall Cheesy Chick, soft, moist chicken that was drowned in cheese; Fantastic 4 Cheese Pizza, slices of cheesy goodness; Steve Rogers’ Burger, big, tender, juicy beef patty served open-faced; Jaba the Hotdog, pan seared cheese franks with BBQ sauce and mayo in a roti paratha; and for me, Ube Pastillas Shake, because I couldn’t resist.

Total Recall Cheesy Chick, Php 240.00

Fantastic 4 Cheese, Php 340.00

Ube Pastillas Shake, Php 150.00

Steve Rogers’ Burger, Php 340.00

Even though I’d love to meet other friends there, that’s no longer possible. Just before 2014 ended, Sci-Fi Café closed.

Screen grab from Sci-Fi Café’s facebook page

The sad news broke many hearts. A number of them posted photos of their times at the restaurant. It’s been two years since that happened. I still become wistful at the mention of the name. And I remain thankful for a memorable lunch.