My friend and I visited Strangers Reunion on a Sunday at around 3pm. There was a very long line when we arrived and the waiting time was around 30 to 40 minutes. We were starving by the time we arrived and were utterly shocked by the crowds even at 3pm! We had no other choice but to wait.
We finally got our table, and it was a long wooden tall table shared with other diners. I love the ambient of the cafe as it was all white and bright. I love the table flowers and the sticker on the water glass bottle too! (Let's make love, coffee, and magic. - Did you get the pun?) How pretty!
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| Let's make love, coffee, and magic (yeah I got the pun, did ya?) |
I ordered the Corn & Zucchini Fritters ($18), and my friend ordered the Florentine ($17.9).
I was excited to order the Corn & Zucchini Fritters as it was a unique concoction I never found somewhere else. When the dish came to the table, I was pretty disappointed as I thought the serving was not enough for a main course. Taste test. The fritters tasted okay: under-seasoned, soggier than my liking, but the corn and zucchini bits in the fritters were cut into the perfect size. The poached egg was a total failure: it felt like I was eating a vinegar-seasoned egg, just nothing but sour. Best part of the dish was the tomato salsa, only if the amount was tripled. I ran out of salsa even before I finished half of the dish.
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| Corn & zucchini fritters: avocado, poached egg, spicy tomato relish |
My friend was not satisfied with the Florentine either. The smoked salmon smelled fishy, the poached eggs tasted like vinegar. Two of the main components of the dish failed to pass the bar.
For drinks, I ordered the Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow and my friend had a glass of Freshly Squeezed Juice. I would have to say that perhaps the coffee at Strangers Reunion is good and worth trying, but I could not verify my hypothesis as I did not drink coffee. I was, however, satisfied with the presentation of my hot chocolate. Taste wise, it was not the best hot chocolate ever, but definitely was a good one.
After we finished our dishes, we were still hungry so we decided to order a small plate to share. Once a Minnesotan, I insisted on ordering the Spam Fries ($10.9), and still strongly believe that they were first invented in the Juicy Lucy bar back in Minneapolis. The Spam Fries was essentially spam cut into sticks and then fried, without any additional seasoning. It was served alongside a mayo dressing with what I believe a Kaffir lime leave infusion. When the dish came to our table my first impression was the poor, yellowed, wilted, cilantro. How could a restaurant still kept and served the wilted cilantro as a "garnish". I would have thrown such cilantro away if I were cooking at home. Sadness. Other than that, if you have never tried Spam Fries ever before, this dish is worth ordering.
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| Florentine: ciabatta, smoked salmon, spinach, hollandaise, poached eggs, mixed greens |
For drinks, I ordered the Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow and my friend had a glass of Freshly Squeezed Juice. I would have to say that perhaps the coffee at Strangers Reunion is good and worth trying, but I could not verify my hypothesis as I did not drink coffee. I was, however, satisfied with the presentation of my hot chocolate. Taste wise, it was not the best hot chocolate ever, but definitely was a good one.
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| Hot chocolate with marshmallow |
After we finished our dishes, we were still hungry so we decided to order a small plate to share. Once a Minnesotan, I insisted on ordering the Spam Fries ($10.9), and still strongly believe that they were first invented in the Juicy Lucy bar back in Minneapolis. The Spam Fries was essentially spam cut into sticks and then fried, without any additional seasoning. It was served alongside a mayo dressing with what I believe a Kaffir lime leave infusion. When the dish came to our table my first impression was the poor, yellowed, wilted, cilantro. How could a restaurant still kept and served the wilted cilantro as a "garnish". I would have thrown such cilantro away if I were cooking at home. Sadness. Other than that, if you have never tried Spam Fries ever before, this dish is worth ordering.
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| Spam fries |
Overall, our experience at Strangers Reunion was disappointing. The cafe certainly did not live up to the expectation or up to the line and crowd it portrayed. We would not come back for more.
Hey, I dont get the pun!! :/
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