Of Bagels & A Perfect Cup Of Cappuccino

my orders at LES Bagels

I have not explored this part of Taguig so whenever I'm in McKinley Hill, I make it a point to savor it as much as I can.

glass wall branding

Lower East Side or LES Bagels is one of those bakery cafe that I'm yearning to visit for the longest time. When I finally found the guts to go to McKinley Hill, this is the very first place I sought for.

assortments of spread to smear to your preferred bagel

sweets and pastries

I was a bit floored with the choices of bagel variants and the cream cheese spreads to smear your bagel with. I consulted the guy at the counter which one he could recommend, he said the bagel that has Everything on it. So I obediently followed his advise. But for the cream cheese, it was a toss up between Jalapeno Cheddar and Lox. I ended up choosing the latter. I'll try the jalapeno cheddar next time.

Bagels are hard to come by. And the only bagel that I enjoyed prior to this visit to LES Bagels are those offered at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. But I must say that the bagels offer are truly noteworthy of the hype. Very chewy while remaining a crusty exterior. And I'm all crazy with the Lox cream cheese spread. It's quite filling, too.

I couldn't say the same with the Egg Creams drink I ordered (I chose the Vanilla variant). From what I've read, it's a famous drink from the Big Apple but the intrinsic concept of this drink still eluded me somehow.

coffee, donut and a blondie

I also tried some edible goodies from LES Bagels, namely the White Chic Butter Bar and a glazed mini donut with a strawberry filling. All good. I chased it all down with a searing hot cup of milky coffee.

Tuscany Residences
Upper McKinley Road
McKinley Hills
Taguig

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food at Black Canyon Coffee

Black Canyon Coffee has its origin in Thailand and it's very much evident with its menu. When I sauntered over here from LES Bagels, I only intended to have coffee here but the enticing pictured menu made me think otherwise.

cranberry frappe

pork chop steak w/ gravy

Tired of the usual flavored frappes, I decided to try something different. What about a Cranberry Frappe? It doesn't sound appealing, does it? I was kinda worried, too when I tried this frappe variant but my fears were thankfully unfounded. The drink is pleasantly sweet and creamy with the fruit notes of the cranberry lingers with each sip. The whipped cream crowning the drink was further studded with the fruit if you wanted to nibble on it in between sips. Now, whoever says that cranberries would never work as a coffee drink?

For my main course, I tried the Pork Chop Steak w/ Black Pepper Mushroom Gravy. The pork chop were literally doused with the gravy but since I do like saucy dishes, who am I to complain? The side salad and fries made my plate bursting with colors. A steal of a meal this one is.

cafe latte

Floored by the intricate latte art that was presented on their coffee menu, I ordered a Cafe Latte. But was thoroughly disappointed when it arrived deprived of any latte art. What's on it instead in replacement where lots of microbubbles. My disappointment even translated to the coffee itself. It wasn't as good as I hope for.

cappuccino

I was ready to leave but I just couldn't bring myself to haul my ass up from my chair. Guess I didn't want to leave Black Canyon Coffee unsatisfactorily and not enjoying its "full potential" as far as their coffee is concerned. So after inhaling and exhaling deeply, I hailed one of the staff and asked for a Cappuccino. Never mind if this would be my third cup of coffee for the night; and not worrying that the amount of caffeine my body have absorbed so far might cause sleeplessness later that night. Coffee really doesn't have that effect on me. I could always sleep with or without caffeine on my system.

I was happy with my decision to stay since the cappuccino arrived glowing with its crown of a beautiful latte art. It reminded me of a garden of flowers in full bloom. The coffee was much better also. The smoky notes of the beans more pronounced and the lingering sweetness made me sip my coffee in quick succession, which made me almost believe the coffee I ordered prior to this one came from a totally different cafe. 

Well, it's getting late now and traffic in this area can be a hellish one and don't want to be caught by it. So, I quickly finished my coffee and finally left. Glad that I gave Black Canyon and their coffee a second chance.

Tuscany Residences
Upper McKinley Road
McKinley Hills, Taguig