Spencer Williams, Contributor
Cannonball café, situated in Loshusan Mall, is the third of its kind. The sister cafés are in Manor Park and New Kingston. I have frequented the latter and popped in to the former once or twice, which I might add is very 'cool and cosy.' However, it seems to me that the owners jumped the gun a little by opening a third location, especially one so large and impersonal, before ironing out the wrinkles in the other two.
While I see the attraction to expatriate ladies, I feel that hungry-belly men like me are not really getting what we pay for. Every time I eat there it seems as if half my meal is missing. The wraps, though reasonably tasty, are a complete rip-off. Think about this - one flour tortilla laid out on a plate with a filling of salad, and smoked marlin, ham or chicken in the middle. It is then rolled into a wrap and cut in half. For $350/$300 you get one half! One only has to go into the supermarket next door, do a little mathematics and see that the mark-up on this is ridiculous. You know I wouldn't mind if the serving was enough to curb my hunger, but it really isn't.
The melts are not much better on the bargain front either. Barely filled with mozzarella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and a choice of ham, chicken or smoked marlin, the small toasted sandwiches don't even come with a garnish of salad items, and these are a hundred dollars more than the wraps. Would it bust the bank to place a little lettuce and tomato on the plate? And, on a side note, I have a problem with the advertising of the menus on the tables. They claim that the wraps and melts cost $300 and $400 respectively, when in fact if you order smoked marlin ones, you are charged another $50 on each. It is deceptive, and unfair to the customers.
Reheating in a microwave
It's a great idea to offer lasagnas and quiches as hot and heavier options, but at $600 a pop a man could sit there awaiting a second helping and get very disgruntled when the waiter doesn't come to offer more 'on the house'. And a word of advice to the servers - pastry does not reheat well in the microwave. A toaster oven would be a worthwhile investment so as to avoid a soggy quiche, and it would be an improvement to other things like the scones and pecan pie if customers would like these to be served warm as well. It's hard to tell the true quality of these items when they're being heated up in a microwave.
The breakfasts are probably the best buy for your money. You can get a mighty good serving of waffles or pancakes with syrup and crispy bacon for the same price as a (half) wrap, or omelettes, fried or scrambled eggs, served with bacon and toast if you're looking for savoury options. The coffee is not something to snub your nose at either. A small cafeteria filled with deliciously strong Estate Blue Mountain coffee is enough to be shared between two people.
Overall, people will say that the food at Cannonball Café is quite good, but there might be differing opinions over the prices. One thing is for sure though - both you and your wallet will be losing weight if you make this a regular!
Cannonball Café, Loshusan Mall, Barbican round-a-bout, Kingston 6.
Monday-Friday: 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Saturday: 8.30 a.m.-7:00 p.m. Sunday: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Look to spend: $200-$250 on small soups, $300-$350 on wraps, $400-$450 on melts, $600 on quiches & lasagna, $150-$250 on desserts, $300 on breakfast, $240 on coffee.
