First Sip: Luna Specialty Coffee

To cap our impromptu BGC food crawl, C and I decided to head to Luna on the ground floor of NAC Building for a nice cup of coffee. It was raining then so it was the perfect last stop. 

Hello, Luna Specialty Coffee!

The place was quite packed around 5:30 pm so we opted to sit by the bar. It wasn’t really a bad idea as it had the best lighting and we could watch the baristas in action. 

Since I was full, I was a bit fickle-minded. After a few questions, I settled with the limited edition Ethiopia Wild Cherry (PHP200) thinking it would be interesting to blog about a limited offer. But I came to my senses and went with the bestseller The Luna Brew (PHP130) instead to be paired with my Inutak Ube (PHP65). C went with Flavored Latte with Honey (PHP150) and Leche Flan Yema (PHP65).

Our drinks and kakanin shots were served within 10 minutes and after a few snapshots here and there, we started to indulge.

My cup of coffee was quite strong that I had to put a few teaspoons of muscovado in. I was worried that it would make me acidic as I just had gastroenteritis a few days ago. 

But despite its strong taste profile, this cup of coffee didn’t make my sensitive tummy grumpy. 

It also complemented my kakanin shot. 

First Bite: Coffee Project

I love adorable cafés. I really appreciate it when owners invest time, money or both in designing their coffee shops. And when I saw a few reviews about Coffee Project, I knew that I have to visit this place! 

Hello, Coffee Project! 

The very feminine coffee shop is screaming beautiful in every corner. I just have to take snapshots of the overly yet tastefully decorated ceiling and hallway before placing my order. 

Since we were expecting to visit a lot of restaurants, I opted to share a breakfast rice meal with R. We ordered Garlic Beef Tapa (PHP295) and I ordered a glass of Caphe Sua Da (PHP155) for my drink as I badly needed coffee yesterday. (I only had 4 hours of sleep the night before.) 

After placing our orders (or was it before?), J and I had fun with our mini photoshoot by the corridor towards the quaint washroom of the establishment. This is the perfect spot if you want a new profile picture! 

First served was the Caphe Sua Da. It was served with the condensed milk at the bottom of the glass and the dripped coffee on top of it. There was also a separate glass of ice where you pour the sweetened coffee after. 

It was good though I find it too sweet. It would have been nicer if they put the condensed milk in a separate glass or container so that I could control my drink's sweetness. 

Our food arrived within the acceptable 15 minute mark and first served was Abe's and Jai's deconstructed 3 piece Garlic Longganisa (PHP295 each). It came with two sunny side up eggs, half of a tomato and garlic rice. Surprisingly, they didn't feel that there was not much longganisa for the rice. I guess serving it deconstructed is a nice way to portion your viand well. 

First Sip: Where's Marcel?

Pearl Drive was my place to be back in college because my alma mater is located there. I’d frequent a few establishments that offer pocket friendly dishes and I would occasionally splurge on a meal or two when I feel like I deserve it after a gruelling long exam. Fast forward to present, I would still find myself being a stingy foodie. But I wouldn’t scrimp on a cup of coffee especially if it receives a lot a good reviews. And that’s how I found myself in front of Where’s Marcel.

Hello, Where’s Marcel?

Why is everyone looking for Marcel? And more importantly, who is Marcel?

Well, for those curious, the coffee shop is named after Marcel Ruggieri, a coffee enthusiast who often wanders off to Costa Rica and Columbia, two popular coffee regions to look for the perfect beans. It takes pride in being a strong supporter of local businesses and engage in direct trading with farmers. The crop-to-cup concept has developed Where’s Marcel as an establishment that is more community-based. And this Melbourne born shop decided to have Manila as its first location offshore.

Aside from its expansive coffee menu, it also offers a bunch of savory dishes such as sandwiches and pasta. But since I planned to have dinner elsewhere, I settled with one Revel Bar (PHP55) and a cup of Marcel’s Dirty Chai (PHP170, 12 oz). 

The place was pretty empty on a Saturday night so it was a perfect place to hangout and catch up with friends. The place also offers WI-FI so this place could also be a nice spot to do those term papers. 

First served was the revel bar and it was delectable.

The oatmeal gave the snack a lovely chewy taste and the melted chocolate chips made the bar sweet yet not overwhelming. For PHP55, it was a pretty good find. 

Love at First Sip: United Coffee

Now on our last stop, simply because the establishments in the area were getting ready to close, we decided to go for a nice and quiet place to chat. The coffee shop in the Nav compound made me curious and after our meal at Diner on 16^th, we opted to look for it. And thanks to the shop’s signage, finding it was a breeze. But the climb up wasn’t due to my aching knees. >.<

Hello, United Coffee.

There were only two other tables occupied when we arrived. The interiors reminded me of a humbler Yardstick—warm and cozy. We settled in one of the window seats.

The place is still on its soft opening, having opened its doors last December. Menu is not very extensive but since I was already full and slightly sleepy, none appealed to me. The friendly server suggested their bestseller, Espresso + Milk + Mocha (PHP160) and as a sucker for bestsellers, I gave it a try. I wanted to try the S’mores cake but I just do not have space for it anymore. T_T

First Bite: Paper Moon

Several months back, social media was raving about this quaint pastry shop known for its crepe cakes. Available in flavors such as original, chocolate, mango and strawberry, kids and adults alike flock to the shop like bees toward honey. But since its first shop was located in Makati, its sweet aroma did not reach me till… it opened a branch in SM Aura.

Hello, Paper Moon!

Finally, after so many months, I could now sink my teeth on those soft, delectable layers of thin crepe!

I was rushing to go home when I made a quick stop here and unfortunately had to wait for my turn as the server was busy with a group of indecisive diners. It gave me some time though to take snapshots of the place.

I wanted to get strawberry because strawberry is LOVE but they ran out of slices and I was not willing to splurge PHP350 for a mini cake. (I was still not sure if it’s worth PHP350 so I hesitated.)

I ended up buying a slice of mango crepe (PHP225) and had it prepped to go. (And the server was nice to accommodate my request to have my slice wrapped first as I really had to go home ASAP.)

After giving my tummy some time to digest my heavy dinner, I started to plate my crepe cake and…

Second Bite: Unit 27 Apartment Bar + Café

Manila is turning into one big foodie destination. With several restaurants opening here and there, it is so hard to decide on where to eat. I am already getting frustrated that I am finding less and less time to explore new restaurants and the fact that for some reason, fats find its way to chill on body parts I wish they would never find. Curse you slow metabolism! Anyway, I got so giddy when R mentioned that his Chichi group will meet up for dinner last Monday because that means dinner out! (Yay!) I was so excited with the idea of eating at Genki Sushi since that was what R recommended. But come Monday, it was decided that we’ll have dinner at… Unit 27 Apartment Bar + Café.

Hello again, Unit 27 Apartment Bar + Café!

This time around, I got to see the third floor of the restaurant/bar. The third floor, unlike the set-up on the ground floor, was definitely more of a bar with its neon light wall décor, dim lighting and actual bar. I didn’t take photos of the place since it was quite dark and I was more interested to listen to R’s Chichi friends’ stories. (Yes, connected to the real world!)

Hungry, R already knew what to order—Pinoy Steak & Egg (PHP380). I went with Bagnet Breakfast (PHP395).

It’s so fascinating though how restaurants service slows down when you’re very hungry. It happens to me most of the time. And Unit 27 was no exception. Our food arrived after 30 minutes! It took them that long to prepare our food. >_< We were so hungry that it made me exert extra effort to take quick photos of the food.

After a few clicks, it’s dinner time!

My house dried pork belly was quite good. It wasn’t overly dry that would make my throat itch. I loved that it was crunchy all throughout and no part was chewy. I alternately dipped it sukang Ilocos  and Unit 27’s homemade lechon sauce. 

First Bite: The Coffee Academics

Whenever I visit a different country, I always ask locals for recommendations as I believe that they know the best ones around. And during my trip in Hong Kong, R’s friend C, recommended The Coffee Academics. Since I’m in love with coffee, I asked R if it’s okay for us to have brunch there and when he said yes, my tummy twirled for joy. And so one morning, we headed to…

The Coffee Academics

The place is very charming with its warm interiors. 

The wooden fixtures made the place homey and ideal for casual meet ups with friends.

Soon, we ordered the following: Slow Poached Eggs Benedict with a cup of cappuccino (HK$98) and 24-Month Aged Iberico Ham Croque Madame (HK$108).

First to arrive was my cup of coffee. It didn’t have a strong kick but it was a good way to start the day without upsetting the tummy. It was also great for those who are starting to learn how to enjoy coffee without sweeteners.

Love at First Bite: Café Seol Hwa

This is probably one of the longest summers ever! The intense heat is too crazy that it makes me lethargic on weekends. But the heat didn’t discourage me to head out to grab a nice cold treat.

Hello, Café Seol Hwa!

I have been drooling over this Korean dessert place for months. Since the desserts at Café Seol Hwa seem to be good for sharing, I opted not to visit on my own. So one Sunday, before my mom and sister could drop me off, I asked them to visit the place with me. And they agreed. Hooray for captured market!

Café Seol Hwa was packed when we dropped by. My mom though was one wise diner and approached one of the servers and asked for a table for three while we order.  And we got one right in less than 5 minutes! Oh yeah~

While waiting in line, noticed that the place is decorated by trick eye wall paintings. Too bad though that the place was too packed for us to pose with each one.

I chose Pat Bing Su (PHP190) and Mango Bing Su (PHP170) for sharing while my mom ordered Mochachino (PHP155).

First served was my mom’s drink and it was chocolatey yet not too sweet making it still a refreshing drink.

Restaurant Love: Magnum Manila

This summer heat is getting crazier and crazier. It’s making me fat too! I don’t want to move at all and I lost all of the motivation to be more active. All I want now is ice cream. And last Sunday was a perfect day to get fatter for we had lunch at…

Magnum Manila!

This time, I tried Magnum Manila’s savory dishes. We ordered Kabocha Pumpkin Soup (PHP180), Spinach Cannelloni (PHP350), Seared Chicken with Arugula and Sundried Tomato Pasta (PHP280), and Make my Heart Melt (PHP350) to cap our meal.

The pumpkin soup was not as creamy as I thought but it had the sweet pumpkin taste that I love. The contrast of sweetness of the pumpkin and the saltiness of the bacon cream and bits was delightful as well.

The Spinach Cannelloni was a bit too creamy to the point that your palate will get tired of it. I guess this one is great for sharing. (The server asked us if we want to have some shaved chocolate on top and it tasted… weird.)

Second Bite: K&L Café

Summer is here and the intense heat is driving me crazy. I want to walk around especially during food trips but the sun wants to fry an egg on my head. So when J and I went on a White Plains food trip, we try to escape the heat by having saba con yelo (hielo) at Pan de Amerikana (and brewed coffee and pandesal for a sasaw sa kape afternoon treat). And after a bit of cooling down, we were game to visit our last stop… K&L Café.

Hello again, K&L Café.

It has been quite a while since I last visited the adorable K&L Café.

They were busy setting up for a mini gathering when we arrived so we were requested to dine at the second floor.

The second floor is pretty cute too. The wall ornaments and the frosted window with the logo of the shop made the place homey.

After checking the menu, we went with the following: Longganisa Locale (PHP219), Mozz-Ham-rella Sticks (PHP195), and Ultimate Red Velvet Pancakes (PHP295). We also got Strawberry Calamansi (PHP95) and one of their new drinks that I forgot to take note of.

First served were our drinks. I loved J’s drink as it was sweet yet citrusy. Mine, on the other hand, was a bit too sweet and wasn’t much of a thirst quencher.

The mozzarella (with ham) sticks were served next. Served warm, the stretchy mozzarella with bits of ham was a great appetizer. I’m sure cheese-loving kids would love this dish.