at a glance
'Cafe Fresco Chillout Sessions', $5 pasta menu, half-priced wines, and toys and games for kids; every night only at Cafe Fresco Boeung Keng Kong.
on the web
Cafe Fresco.
Take up the wine.
That's the latest mantra emanating from Cafe Fresco in Boeung Keng Kang. The idea behind the phrase is something of a happy hour for restaurants, or what Cafe Fresco is calling "The Chillout Sessions."
Aimed predominantly at working parents, The Chillout Sessions translate into relaxed, no-fuss meals for the whole family. Or for those without little ones in tow, The Chillout Sessions simply offer a clean, comfortable place to relax after work and, as the name implies, chill out.
For adults, the attraction of The Chillout Sessions will be the specialty pasta menu and half-priced wine selection. For children, it will be the playroom, with tons of toys, and Cafe Fresco's standard line of cakes, cookies and ice cream. (A children's menu is also available, with items such as chicken nuggets and ham-and-cheese sandwiches.)
"I just dropped my daughter off for a Khmer lesson," says Bill Irwin, an account executive for the online news magazine Ka-set, on a recent Monday. "I came in to have a glass of wine and relax for an hour."
THE PASTA
The pasta menu is unique to Cafe Fresco BKK. The dishes are unavailable at other locations.
- Rigatoni with meatballs and smoked tomato dressing
- Spaghetti with roasted cherry tomatoes, olives and grilled goats cheese
- Penne pasta with roast pumpkin, rockets, pinenuts and feta cheese
- Linguine carbonara with bacon, herb cream dressing and poached egg
- Spaghetti with clams, chorizo, chilli, white wine and herb sauce
"We wanted to offer something light and healthy," says Michelle Duncan, FCC operations director. "Pasta was the natural choice, and it goes great with wine."
Pasta dishes are $5.
THE WINE
To compliment the pasta, Cafe Fresco offers a selection of FCC house and specialty French and Australian wines. The FCC house wines include the FCC's own special line of fine Australian varietals.
The house red is "FCC Director", a proprietary 2008 Australian cabernet sauvignon shiraz petit verdot.
"It's quite good," says Irwin of the red with a warm grin. "I'm definitely going to have another one."
The house white is "FCC Correspondent", a 2008 Australian Chardonnay.
Both the make perfect compliments to the pasta dishes.
The specialty wines change from week to week. The list includes a refined selection of excellent imported wines, many from France.
The Chillout Sessions' wines are available for half price and start from $2.50 per glass.
THE PLAYROOM
The Cafe Fresco playroom offers plenty of toys to keep kids entertained. In addition to blocks, puzzles and games for preschoolers, the playroom also has a big-screen television, a DVD player and a library of new releases.
A large magnetic white-board with letters and numbers and lots of table space provide plenty of space for eating and playing.
In addition to the playroom, Cafe Freso's selection of cakes and cookies is always a hit with children. And even the adults.
"I love the chocolate brownie," say Oanh Nguyen, who was there on a recent weekday with her 5-year-old son Jet. "They're delicious."
WIRELESS INTERNET
For those who must stay connected, free wireless Internet is available upon request.
The Chillout Sessions take place every night at Cafe Fresco Boeung Keng Kang from 6 to 9 p.m. Cafe Fresco is located on the corner of streets 51 and 206.