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| coffee & cake at Biksa |
I chanced upon an article by spot.ph listing down 10 Must Try Cozy Cafe In The City. It's already an old online article dated way back in April of last year. However, I was really looking for a coffee shop that I've never been to before and was hell bent on veering away from the usual suspects (e.g. Starbucks, CBTL and SBC). So when I've read about Biksa Coffee on that article (which is just a few blocks away from Tapsi Ni Vivian), I immediately set out a plan to visit the cafe here in Marikina City.
However, my first attempt to visit Biksa proved to be nil. The coffee shop was closed that time because of the road construction happening on that long stretch of Gil Fernando Avenue. Sullen, I just decided to go elsewhere.
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| cushion sofa |
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| dining area |
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| counter |
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| Halloween caricature |
Until just recently, Biska finally announced on their official Facebook page that they're back in operations and the roadworks on the intersection of Dragon Street and Gil Fernando were over. I saw this as a perfect opportunity to meet up again with my friends Gael and Henry. We met up at Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall and regaled them of my rants and raves on the Filipino movie that I just watched, Tik-Tik: The Aswang Chronicles as we walked our way to Biksa.
We were quite impressed with the cozy ambiance of this coffee shop. Quite spacious, too. Gael and I longingly eyed the very comfy looking chaise lounge. We even thought of trying it out through coffee however we just ended up staying at the al fresco area that night right after gobbling our meals.
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| tuna carriaterre |
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| a steak dish (the actual name of which escapes me) |
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| spaghetti Bolognese |
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| pizza al funghi |
Although we find the place cozy, the total surrounding of the cafe was poorly lit. If that's to keep up with the cafe's Halloween theme decorations or to save electricity since there's no customer in sight when we got here, we really don't know. When Gael asked if we could have some light, we were just given small candle inside a plastic orange jar with a cartoonish face on it. Cute, but what we're really asking is real light to fully appreciate what we're eating. And for me to take better pictures.
The savory part of our meal was really nothing to rave about. It's filling but would definitely not a reason for me to take a return trip to Biksa. I finally see some light at the end of the dark tunnel when our coffee and dessert orders were served.
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| choco unleashed |
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| blueberry cheesecake |
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| carrot cake |
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| almond caramel mocha frapp |
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| almond caramel mocha hot |
I would say the coffee and dessert selections offered here truly speaks of what Biksa Coffee is all about. I also find it refreshing to learn that they call the sizes of their drinks "Executive" and "Tycoon" instead of the usual "Grande" and "Venti". I so much enjoyed the Choco Unleashed (Hot) drink that I ordered. It's Biksa's own version of cafe mocha, I believe, although the chocolate flavor on this drink was more like a suggestion. The more pronounced flavors that I detect were milk and a strong slap of good coffee. There's nuances of saltiness as well provided by the slivers of almonds that dotted it's foamy top. I admired first the intricate details of the latte art before I took a sip, then I almost felt myself in a trance. It's really good. My friends got the same drink although prepared differently: Henry got the frapp version of the Almond Caramel Mocha while Gael had the hot version of it placed on a stout ceramic mug.
We all enjoyed the cake slices that we ordered. The Blueberry Cheesecake was silky smooth with a crumbly graham cracker crust and a sweet-tangy blueberry sauce on top. Gael, who swear not to eat anything with carrots on it 'cause she find this particular vegetables quite bitter for some reason warrants herself more than one forkful of the Carrot Cake. A super moist cake with a delightful cream cheese frosting.
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| another look of the Choco Unleashed drink |
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| menu |
I would definitely go back to Biksa but would just stick to their coffees and sweets. I could imagine myself sitting in one of those comfy cushion seats sipping my coffee adorned with a very pretty latte art as I while away my time. Again, I thank my friends Gael and Henry who's always there during my not so flattering moments and also during moments of felicity such as these. Besitos! :)
18 Gil Fernando Ave., cor Dragon St.
Marikina City
682-6912/585-4200
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