This Cafe Is My Compadre, My Padrino

coffee and cake at Il Padrino

A new coffee shop is brewing in Robinsons Galleria. I noticed Il Padrino Coffee when I attended a service in Victory Church a few Sundays ago here. I checked out the board menu situated right at the entrance of this rather "very open" coffee shop. The menu is limited but compact. Pastas, pizzas, some salads and sandwiches. But the main attraction here is, of course, their coffee selection, and quite a number of desserts, to my heart's content.

An Epic Coffee Experience

cakes and coffee at Epic Cafe

There's a new cafe that opened in Kapitolyo with a rather unique set up. The coffee shop has bicycles parked inside which possibly denotes the owners' active lifestyle or penchant for biking activities. I first heard about Epic Coffee Roastery (also called Epic Bike Cafe) from food blogger Lori Baltazar when she mentioned it on Twitter. She was even impressed with the coffee paraphernalia displayed at the counter where I was able to see firsthand when I set foot here just recently.

A Cafe Of The Highest Order

coffee and cake at Cafe 1771

I adore cafes more than anything else. Nothing beats the experience of sipping a good cup of coffee while forking your way through a wonderful slice of a decadent chocolate cake. A good, savory dish is a plus but my preference would always be searing hot cup of coffee and a dainty slice of cake.

The Best French Macarons Ever

the best macarons one could have at Chez Karine

This could possibly be my newest favorite dessert place of the moment. I've been wanting to visit Chez Karine Bakery and try their much heralded macarons which was said to be Pierre Herme calibre. Herme is a renowned French pastry chef known for his macarons and was dubbed by Vogue Magazine as "The Picasso of Pastry" with whom Chez Karine owner, Karen Yang, has undergone training in Paris. But due to it's popularity and frequent rounds on other online sites, I felt if I went here right away I might have some difficulty nabbing a seat and making myself comfortable. Discomfort could easily rob me of my enjoyment of the food that I'm eating, no matter how good the taste is. So I waited till the hype went down a bit. And the wait did paid off.

A Secret Coffee Shop in Marikina Revealed

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.

These Cupcakes Do Make Me Blush

sweet treats at Blushing Cupcakes Cafe

Working in Eastwood has a lot of perks, especially when it comes to food choices. A week wouldn't go by without me hanging out to any coffee shop that I fancy or going to a convenient store for a just quick snack before going home. It could be as straightforward as a Peanut Butter Cupcake and a cup of White Mocha Coffee at Gigi while people watching through their glass paned wall or a simple as having a Magnum Choco-Cappuccino at a Mini Stop store to cool down a bit. But learning about the existence of another dessert shop near my office really got me so excited. It means there's now more choices for me to choose from.

What It Was Like To Be In The Room Upstairs

desserts & coffee at The Room Upstairs

It's quite obscure location in Reposo, Bel-Air, Makati was the reason of this much delayed visit to The Room Upstairs. As I've mentioned on this site quite a few times, I'm very directionally challenged truth be told. I would really need to review the layout of the place via Google Maps especially if I haven't been to that area at all. Asking for directions would only confuse me more. I would have to get a clear picture (visually) of the sideways and hideaways, the nooks and crannies of the thoroughfares that I would need to slip through to get to the place I wanted to visit. Inevitably, one fine sunny Saturday afternoon, I finally decided it's time for me to visit The Room Upstairs.

An Italian Espresso Bar

food at segafredo zanetti

The heat of the afternoon sun is starting to get unbearable. Our feet already felt tired because of constant walking. My mind is on a chaotic state, listless and ambling to and fro with no clear direction. I looked at my two other companions, grim-faced and sweltering under the beat of the sun. Not sure if they also share the gale of emotions I felt at that moment. But one thing remained paramount, we need to be fed.

Chillax Over Coffee At Tully's

bellaccinos at Tully's

I would never have known the existence of this quaint new coffee shop in BGC had it not for the tweet of food blogger extraordinaire Lori Baltazar on Tully's Coffee. When I finally had the chance to go to BGC, I initially wanted to try dine first either at Serendra or The Strip before going to Tully's. However, I want to know first where Tully's location really is. (It's actually located at the ground floor of McKinley Park Residences right next to Kitchen's Best Home Patisserie, another restaurant favorite of mine) Once I finally found where Tully's actual location, somehow I find it such of a hassle to go back to either The Strip or Serendra to eat and then walk back here to get my coffee fix so I decided to dine at its nearby neighbor, Shi Lin.

It's More Than Just A Coffee Shop

sumiyaki coffee

I observed Ueshima Coffee Company or UCC Coffee shops are not really frequented as much or not as popular as the U.S. coffee shop franchises like Starbucks or CBTL. Especially by the youths. On the few times that I've been to this cafe, its always the middle aged business men or women chitchatting about stocks, market movement, agriculture and livestock or people already closing the gap between middle age and old age chitchatting about the activities of their grandchildren or the tides of the time; that I had the pleasure of seeing and even to eavesdrop on some of their conversations if I got bored checking the updates on my Facebook wall or I couldn't find something of interest to read on the coffee shop's magazine rack. Since, I've been to this coffee shop quite a few times and enjoyed every visit, does that mean I now belonged to this age group? Me wanting now to have the ability to astral project and travel back in time. ;)

My Love Affair With Reuben & Tryst With Toblerone

reuben sandwich

One rainy evening, I found myself here in Apartment 1B. It would have been perfect if I'm here for a romantic rendezvous. But, no. I'm dining solo tonight. I didn't feel bad, though, because I'm not the only one dining by myself at this cozy restaurant in Salcedo Village.

Why I Love CBTL

CBTL's hot cocoa, desserts & swirl rewards card

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is my ultimate go-to coffee place when I wanted to relax with a hot cup of brewed coffee (or their Ice Blended drink, depending on my mood) and a dessert. As compared to the more popular Starbucks Coffee (yes, lets name names, shall we?), its always less busy and the hush ambiance is more palpable which makes this cafe more conducive to a relaxing coffee experience.

My Starbucks Christmas

dessert and pastry

Christmas is in the air. Even people with the spirit of Ebenezer Scrooge can't deny this fact. I especially love the Christmas season among all the other Holidays and special occasion that we celebrate all year round: The glitzy Christmas lights and decor, the different kinds of Christmas trees, midnight Christmas sale at the malls and of course the food. Its all about the food. There are a number of food establishments in the metro who do tweak and tinker their menu a bit exclusively for this Holiday season. And Starbucks Coffee is one of them.

Dome Cafe & Cafeccino By Dome: Luscious Moments

two exceptional cakes

(Note: This is more like a continuation of my previous post. )

Right after our satisfying meal in Cookbook Kitchen, we (Jhen, Darlene & Diselle with two of her office mates) all decided (I might add, with much apprehension) to try out this horror house propped in the middle of Eastwood City Walk. The horror house was inspired by the hit movie Zombadings: Patayin Sa Shokot Si Remington by Jade Castro (who also directed the critically acclaimed Endo and My Big Love), thus the horror house was aptly named Shokot House.