First Bite: Manna & Golde

The crazy influx of new restaurants could be overwhelming for most of us. We'd often find it difficult to decide on which restaurant to try. And with most establishments heavily focusing on online marketing, those with more humble budgets are left to be discovered offline. One restaurant/café I've recently found was Manna & Golde. 

Hello, Manna & Golde.

Located along Kamuning Road, this café is rather away from the bustling streets packed with restaurants. However, one thing I loved right away here is that it has parking for guests.

Revisited: Paper Moon Cake Boutique and Café

It's not every day that you get to a chance to meet a cake artisan who is known and respected in the culinary industry worldwide. And so, when I got an offer to get acquainted with one, I quickly said yes. Needless to say, it was one memorable afternoon.

Hello, Paper Moon Cake Boutique and Café. 

Paper Moon has been in Manila for quite some time now. It has been raved by many and became a staple treat to tea parties and all sorts of gatherings. Despite its steep price compared to other cake shops, people with discerning taste didn't mind as they know that they are paying for quality. 

Though I enjoyed its Mango Crepe Cake, I was quite unaware of the history of this brand and the wonderful person behind it till last Tuesday when I was fortunate to be a part of the intimate group to meet Madam Kazuko Emy Wada. 

First Sip: Cafè Barbera

Italians are known to be particular with what they eat and drink. To some extent, they can be what millennials describe as savage when they eat anything non-Italian. I can't blame them though as they have been spoiled by the finest ingredients. However, not everything that Italians love and rave about is well received by the local market. But for something universal as coffee, it's a different story. 

Hello, Cafè Barbera.

This Italian cafè has been around for over a century and has grown from a small street coffee vendor on the streets of Naples to a global franchise. You'd think that this place would most likely have the best coffee. After all, espresso is something deeply rooted into the Italian way of life. 

First Sip: McCafé BGC

Remember all the buzz about McCafé when it opened mid 2000s? All of a sudden, McDonald's is a lot classier and attractive to caffeine addicts. Price-wise, it is close to how the famous siren charges for her cup of joe. But the popularity of McCafé didn't last long as it didn't offer one thing the siren is known for... ambiance. Fast forward to present, McCafé made a comeback and this time, it made sure to give what caffeine lovers want. 

Hello, McCafé! 

First Sip (and Bite): Backyard Coffee

My foodie college friends and I decided to roam around San Juan and pig out. We had a game plan ready. Sadly, a few of the stops on our list were closed as it was a Sunday. I was running late (thanks to the crazy Uber surge) and my friends were getting hungry. They then decided to go to a coffee shop nearby named Backyard Coffee.

Hello, Backyard Coffee. 

The coffee shop was quite full at 10:30 a.m. with studious youngsters. It was actually pretty quiet there and seemed perfect for those group studies. For a coffee shop, I didn’t get a whiff of coffee beans. 🤔

I approached the counter and read the menu. Since we plan to have around four to five stops, I decided to just have a Grillled Cheese Sandwich (PHP200) and a cup of Cappuccino (PHP120). I had to call the server for my order who was just sitting and texting or tinkering with his gadget. After placing my order, I asked if I have to pay there and he said yes and that was pretty much it. He didn’t even repeat my order or tell me how much I have to pay. Yes, it was just simple math but isn’t that some sort of SOP? In short, customer service sucks! 

At least my cup of coffee and sandwich arrived in less than 10 minutes. 

My cup of cappuccino had a light taste. I feel like I was drinking half a foam of milk. I was only able to gulp down the slightly bitter coffee when my cup was almost half empty. Nonetheless, it was a good drink if that’s the first thing you’ll drink in the morning. My tummy didn’t hurt at all! 

The Grilled Cheese Sandwich was something else though. I loved it!

Love at First Bite: Single Origin

It's rare when I get to roam around BGC in the afternoon on a weekday and when I do get a chance, I make sure I get to eat something yummy. And a few weeks back, I got to visit... Single Origin. 

Hello, Single Origin.

Dark hues of brown greeted me as soon as I stepped in. With predominantly wood interiors, this place exudes a warm and welcoming ambiance.

I wasn't exactly hungry when I visited and after seeing that the dishes offered do not exactly fall under the "wallet-friendly" category, I opted to just order a a pot of Black Onyx using Hario V60 Pourover (PHP165) and Cappuccino Lava Cake (PHP295).

The server warned me that it takes roughly 20 minutes for the cappuccino lava cake to be ready. Since I was not in a hurry, I still ordered the bestselling dessert. 

In less than 10 minutes, my pot of coffee was served.

The Hario Pourover version is the cheapest among the coffee methods but it was also the one the smallest serving at 12 oz compared to others at 15 and 20 oz. 

Familiar with the taste of Black Onyx as I ordered it before when I visited Refinery, I took a sip without any sweetener. But my unsophisticated taste buds found the coffee slightly bitter despite it being one of the sweeter coffees available (as it highlights deeper caramelized sugars and notes of dark chocolate). In short, I ended up adding sugar. And it tasted a lot better.

After a couple more minutes and half pot of coffee gone, the lava cake finally arrived and... it was so mouthwatering. 

Love at First Bite: Alley

I think the Year of the Monkey is my foodie year. Just last weekend alone, I managed to visit 5 restaurants in my must visit list. Among the restaurants I have been eying and finally visited is Alley, one of the new players at The Grove.

Hello, Alley!

This adorably designed restaurant serves several light snacks. Or so I thought.

It opened its doors just a few days ago but I am already familiar with its offerings thanks to my stalking skills. (Okay fine, it was because of Chef Angelo Comsti’s mouthwatering photos of Alley’s dishes.)

I went here after finally visiting Asakusa since I wanted some sweets to cap the night. I was a bit disappointed though that they only have two desserts to choose from, Financier (PHP229) and Caramelized Banana Bread (PHP249). I went with the latter because “house-churned cashew ice cream” sounds so delectable. (I was warned by the server that the banana bread is huge. It made me wonder if it’s because I smelled like tempura or if the phrase YOU-MUST-DIET is plastered all over my face.) I also ordered a cup of Cappuccino (PHP139) to balance the sweetness of my dessert.

First served was my cup of cappuccino and it was lovely. I got regular instead of decaf and it was still not that strong making it “night-friendly” if there is such a term. I didn’t get to appreciate the aroma though as I was about to get sick that night. Also, serving size is a tad too small for the price.

My dessert was served right after and the server was right. It was HUGE and definitely good for at least 3 hungry fellows.

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.

Sweet Stop: Lucca Bakery

It’s always fun to be around my college friends. I witnessed the growth and maturity of our conversations. From homework and theses to household chores and banking and from crushes to… well, more crushes (but older). Okay, perhaps not all topics evolved to something more. But it has always been filled with laughter and at times some “kilig” too. And a few weeks back, we all met to celebrate our dear K’s birthday and shared some sweets at…

Lucca!

It has been a while since I last visited Lucca. It was still crowded and the menu didn’t change so much. And since it was packed, we opted to eat outside to avoid waiting for a table. But to our dismay, the tables were sticky and stinky. R who has a sensitive nose sure did not enjoy it. (And who would anyway?)

We decided to go for a slice of Hazelnut Indulgence (PHP145), S’mores Cookielato (PHP195) and Twix Cookielato (PHP175). R also ordered a glass of Green Tea Frappe (PHP145) while I got a cup of Cappuccino (PHP115).

First served was the slice of hazelnut indulgence and it had a weird rubbery or synthetic taste. We asked the server to replace it with another slice as it tasted really off. And the replacement slice tasted the same. We told the server that the weird taste was still there but I guess she got frustrated with us and began to raise her voice. (Uh oh!) Anyway, we soon discovered that it was the base that had a weird taste so the girls just ate the creamy part of the cake.

Restaurant Discovery: CO/OP Manila

I just love quaint coffee shops. It never fails to make my heart skip a beat. Well, that and too much coffee.

After a quick and blooper-filled S&R trip, V and I decided to have coffee somewhere. V recommended CO/OP and I recall M mentioned that place when I asked for food stops for my San Juan food trip (which became a White Plains food trip). I quickly agreed and off we go to San Juan.

The place was slightly hidden (or was it because it was dark?) so you need to be somehow familiar how to get there. A big CO/OP sign though will greet you so you’ll know when you’ve reached your destination.

I instantly fell in love with the place. A huge MANILA signage was at the porch which serves as a cute backdrop for a few tables and chairs for the al fresco diners.

The counter is the first thing you’ll see once you open the door. With a simple menu, it wasn’t hard to decide what to order.

Since we were still full from our pizza, chicken and fries, we opted to have the Dessert in a Jar (PHP175), Cappuccino (PHP110) for me and CO/OP Iced Tea (PHP80) for V.

While waiting for our orders, we checked out the cute stuff CO/OP carries.

At first, I had the impression that the items they were selling were NGO products. Apparently, these items are from other countries like US and Australia. Most are priced about PHP900.

Restaurant Discovery: Hillcrest Wellness Café

Since we were already in the area, V and I opted to walk around Teachers Village and look for an interesting place to have dessert after a filling meal thanks to Cocina Juan. After a short walk, V noticed a coffee shop with a bookshelf and that attracted him like a fly to light. So, we found our dessert place.

Hello, Hillcrest Wellness Café.

It has a modest café set up that gives an impression of a school lounge of some sort. The menu is quite simple too but the Moringaccino (PHP120) sure made me curious. Moringa with cappuccino? I’ve never heard of that before. And so, I just have to order that one. V, as a person who doesn’t drink coffee (*gasp* I know!), opted for Strawberry Banana Wellness Shake (PHP145). We also ordered a Banana Mango crepe (PHP185). It was a good thing that they have Moringaccino to distract me as the person manning the counter could not answer any of my questions except which one is their bestseller.

My coffee tasted a bit like matcha. It had a strong “green” taste. It tasted healthy though so I didn’t find finishing the cup sinful.

Love At First Bite: Paul

I find it really amusing how I get to reconnect with people this year. With food. Food truly brings (hungry) people together.

K bought some vouchers to this Chinese restaurant a few months back and realized that it will be expiring soon. Knowing that E and I are gluttons, K invited us to have lunch with him so that he could finally use the will-expire-in-two-weeks vouchers.

The lunch was filling but it did not satisfy us. So we decided to have coffee at Paul. (And I was so excited as I wanted to visit this place for months but the place is always packed!) That Sunday was not an exception as we had to wait for roughly 20 minutes to get a table.

Hello, Paul. *giddily smiles at the menu*

I forgot that I was full when I started to browse. I wanted to buy some savory dishes but K and E were focused on desserts so I pretended I was just looking at the sweets as well. I still got all hyper though with all the tarts, eclairs, cakes and macarons! Was I in heaven?

K and E settled for the Café surprise (PHP280) and I ordered the same but I also ordered Eclair aux fraises (PHP170) and Tartelette Chocolat (PHP210).

 

First to arrive was my eclair and it sure looked mouthwatering. I needed high EQ just so I could avoid attacking it right away. But I did get a bit of the cream while waiting for E and K's orders.