Café Fleur, Leh-Leh & Babo: Best Restaurant in Pampanga (2016)!

As featured in PAMPANGA: Top 10 Most Awesome Restaurants in Pampanga! (2016)

CAFÉ FLEUR is a 3-restaurant concept reflecting Chef Sau Del Rosario’s passion for food and travel. On the ground floor is the Café that serves cakes, smoothies, and casual food. Across it is LEH-LEH, a Thai-inspired eatery; and on the topmost floor is BÂBO, a more sophisticated dining area reserved for traditional Kapampangan cuisine.

While the establishment overall has a shared menu, it’s highly recommended you try dishes according to their category. For desserts, sweet drinks, and casual meals, visit the Café; if you want Thai food, go to Leh-Leh. You can eat all Kapampangan specialties at Bâbo to complete the ambiance!

Here’s what to expect in the best restaurant in Angeles City, Pampanga!

CAFÉ FLEUR BY CHEF SAU
L-463B Miranda St. Brgy Sto. Rosario, 2000 Angeles City
Operating Hours:
Tuesdays to Sundays: 11:00 am to 10:00 pm
Telephone: 045-304-1301
Mobile: 093-5761-6550
Facebook: cafefleur.ph
Instagram: @cafefleur.ph

CAFÉ FLEUR

THE CAFÉ FLEUR MENU: Appetizers & Soups | Salads & Noodles/Pasta | Sandwiches & Mains | Beverages | Leh-Leh Menu

The Café is a homey place that caters more to the millennial audience for its laid-back ambiance, hot or cold beverages, baked goods, and casual meals.

Tinapa Truffle Mousse (P225). Capers, dill, cream and white wine, homemade pandesal.

If you want something light, yet delicious go for the smoky Tinapa Truffle Mousse. What made this so memorable was just how well it went with the homemade pandesal.

Tamales Pampangueña (P175). Coconut cream, ground rice flour, annatto, quail egg, and peanuts.

Traditionally, Kampampangan Tamales are wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. This deconstructed snack gets its rich, buttery texture from the fresh coco cream and fine rice flour.

Spicy Tuyo & Caper Pasta (P285). Herbs, parmesan, tomatoes, camias, and chili oil.

We loved how the salty-sour notes of the capers complemented the savory Tuyo—filling and flavorful all at once!

Tsokolate Batirol Drinks (P125 each).

Enjoy refreshing Tsokolate Batirol drinks, made with Davao Cocoa Beans, served hot or cold. Check out their menu of Tsokolate delights.

Smoothies (P175 each). Flavors: Pineapple-coconut, Strawberry, Banana-Peanut Butter, and Tsokolate Batirol Smoothie.

The best smoothies were the Pineapple-Coconut and classic Tsokolate Batirol Smoothie—great for hot, summer afternoons.

Salted Egg Bibingka Cheesecake (P125/slice).

The savory notes of the salted egg enhances the sweet and tart flavors of the cheesecake

LEH-LEH

Leh-Leh, meaning “beside” in Kapampangan, is directly across from the café. Born from Chef Sau’s love of Thai flavors, he pays homage by serving his take on the country’s most popular comfort foods.

The restaurant’s interiors evoke a certain street food charm with its handwritten menu and stainless steel dinnerware. On cool days or nights, servers will cook your food outside and serve you right through an open window.

Tom-Yung Goong (175). Hot and sour soup with prawns and aromatic spices.

The broth is very clean-tasting and a less pungent compared to other Tom Yum recipes. However, this soup does its job and is one of the most authentic ones we’ve come across. Great for rainy days!

Pad Thai (P325). Rice noodles sauteed in a sweet and sour mix of vinegar, fish sauce, and tamarind sauce. With Tofu, Bean Sprouts, Egg and Shrimp.

We loved the customizability of the dish according to personal tastes. Tip: the tamarind sauce is quite sweet, so don’t overdo it—too much sweetness drowns out the subtle flavors of everything else in the dish.

Pandan Chicken (P175). Boneless chicken wrapped in Pandan leaves and fried.

The Pandan flavor really seeps into the perfectly tender chicken—eat this with rice!

BÂBO

Bâbo, literally meaning “above” in Kapampangan, takes traditional recipes and “elevates” them in a contemporary way. The ambiance is a little less casual, but still maintains a touch of personality with the colorful paintings and murals.

Crispy Okoy & Shrimp (P175). Papaya and cassava fritters, green mango, spicy vinegar dip.

This is a great appetizer. Best eaten when hot, as the fritters will go stale if left to cool!

Swam Mais (P175). Savory shredded corn soup with chili leaves.

The corn soup itself is very balanced and comforting (we particularly like it ultra thick and a bit sticky), while the Chili leaves adds a subtle peppery taste to the soup.

Sisig Ala Chef Eric (P250). Chicken liver, onions, pork cheek and belly, prawn crackers.

While this isn’t the traditional preparation of Sisig, the essential flavors of salty and sour are there. Burst the egg on top before eating.

Crispy Pork Belly & Truffled Macadamia Kare Kare (P375). Eggplant, sitaw, rice.

The Macadamia Kare-Kare sauce tastes sweeter and richer than the traditional peanut. Its uniqueness is brought out by the fattiness of the meat and salted shrimp paste.

Lengua (P475). Beef tongue, cream, peas, carrots, mushrooms, and olives.

The beef tongue is tender, flavorful, and melts in your mouth—a must try!

Creamy Rellenong Bangus (P325). Stuffed bangus, tomatoes, cream sauce and rice.

We enjoyed Chef Sau’s more sumptuous take on the humble Rellenong Bangus, which typically has no sauce. This dish is perfect for fish lovers who don’t want to deal with fish bones!

Chef Sau’s personality is evident in the way he approaches his food—fun, colorful, international, and traditional, yet modern.

Go here with a budget of at least 600/head. To cool down, grab yourself a sweet treat at the Café proper with Tsokolate drinks and decadent desserts! For some tasty Thai comfort food, drop by Leh-Leh right across and get the Tom-Yung Goong, Pad Thai, and Pandan Chicken. Experience contemporary Kapampangan food at Bâbo and order the Crispy Okoy, Swam Mais, Sisig, Kare-Kare and Lengua.

Congratulations, Chef Sau! You’ve successfully cooked your way into our hearts!

Live an Awesome Life,

Team Our Awesome Planet

Disclosure: Our experience was courtesy of Chef Sau. We wrote this article with our biases, opinions, and insights.

(This article is sponsored by AZURE NORTH, an amazing, tropical-inspired residential project featuring a man-made beach in the heart of San Fernando, Pampanga! Developed by Century Properties who clearly know that Pampanga, with its delightful food and hospitable people, is a place really worth living in. Check it out: www.azurenorth.com.ph)

P.S. What are your other favorite restaurants in Pampanga? We may possibly feature them in our next Angeles Food Tour!

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