Spinelli - Tea Break

I had a "Balinese" massage today at Elements. It was done by Florence, and she is pretty good. Sometimes I think when a massage is not so painful, you can actually relax and enjoy the soothing, rhythmic strokes. That is important as the muscles will have a chance to loosen up. When the massage is hard, the muscles will tend to bunch up and "fight" against the pressure. While a hard massage will get rid of the tension, a gentler but firm massage can lull one to sleep.

Because I felt so relaxed and languid, I decided to just continue to chill by reading my book at a cafe instead of going to the gym for yoga.

I hopped over to Forum Shopping Center, scouting out the possible joints. Coffeebean, Starbucks, MacDonalds, Hard Rock Cafe, California Pizza Kitchen, Secret Recipe and finally Spinelli. It was either Coffeebean or Spinelli as Starbucks just doesn't have very nice cakes (not that Coffeebean has either). I decided to go for Spinelli as I rarely patronize it.

It was close to 2pm and I was wondering if I should have some food too. Choices. Salads, sandwiches, stews, soups, cakes, muffins, scones...all that you can think of. It sure looks more appetizing than Starbucks or Coffeebean. In the end I decided to try the new item on the menu "Pumpkin and Chicken stew", and maybe dessert if there is still room.

The stew is thick and creamy, with chunks of chicken and pumpkin. There are also cabbage, onions and some other veggies which I can't differentiate. It is accompanied with 3 pieces of toasted bread with rosemary/thyme sprinkled over it. It is a substantial meal, but it is not outstanding. The clam chowder soup from Soup Spoon is way better.


An hour later, I decided to have my dessert. I had the chocolate rumba and a cup of mint tea. The cake is good, more than good. It is heavenly. The top layer of dark chocolate mousse just melts in your mouth, definitely orgasmic-quality. It is followed by a thin layer of sponge cake, then the mousse again and the sponge. There are also bits of rum-soaked raisins, giving a bit of texture and burst of alcohol infused flavor to it. It is topped with white and milk chocolate shavings, over the chocolate frosting.

The Moroccan mint tea is refreshing and prevents the cake from being too cloying for the tastebud. I think I will be going to Spinelli more often now.

Contact:
www.spinellicoffee.com