Like I said in many previous blog posts, my workplace in the Tomas Morato area is blessed to be in such close proximity to milk tea shops. This makes the object of my current food obsession so easily accessible to me in practically all of its possible iterations.
Take Infinitea, for example. Established in 2010, this milk tea brand already has over 200 stores in the country, one of which is located along Scout Borromeo, just a few minutes walk from my office.
Milk tea fans will be happy to know that here, they can expect drinks made of 100% loose-leaf teas freshly brewed everyday.
Aside from milk teas, Infinitea also serves a wide variety of drinks which include original teas, frappes, fruit teas, lemonades, ice-blended, soda pops, and even hot beverages.
However, my mission here concerns only satinh my craving for milk tea with salted cream. It is made with Nai Cha (original Hong Kong-style milk tea made from black tea and milk) and topped with a mixture of heavy cream and sea salt whipped together. This concoction only costs Php100: Php75 for the Nai Cha and Php25 for the salted cream.
I found this drink smooth and full-bodied, and at 75% sugar level, it has just the right amount of sweetness.
I would have preferred it to have boba pearls; alas, none were available during my visit to the store and cooking a fresh batch would take thirty minutes.
By the way, it is also quite filling.
Well, I guess my universe of possibilities for my milk tea breaks just got bigger.
This Infinitea branch is located at 26 Scout Borromeo, South Triangle, Quezon City, open daily from 10am to 10pm. For inquiries or to order your drink for delivery, call +63 2 3734887.
I heard someone say that Cafe Mary Grace is the go-to place of “titas.”
Well, based on a brunch experience I had here (prior to a bowling game with my officemates!), I would have to agree.
As a newly-minted #TitaOfManila (or having just accepted that yes, I am already a tita), I would say that Cafe Mary Grace’s Eastwood Mall branch does qualify for top three criteria of a tita brunch place, which include:
One: Comfortable and IG-worthy surroundings
Cafe Mary Grace grew out of the baking business of the cafe’s namesake, which started from joining Christmas bazaars to establishing mall-based kiosks to finally setting up full-service cafes.
This Mary Grace Cafe branch in Eastwood Mall has the homey and welcoming atmosphere that exemplifies Mary Grace’s essence: the Goodness of Home.
It premises look like an extension of a sprawling and idealized country-style kitchen where wooden chairs and tables provide ample and comfortable seating, personal bric-a-bracs are artfully arranged on shelves and personalized notes are inserted on tabletops.
Furthermore, an IG-conscious tita like me can take her pick among the various photogenic backdrops for her #CoffeeIsLife or #EatingForTheGram post of the day.
Two: Tasty well-loved dishes
You can’t go wrong with the classics and Cafe Mary Grace has classics a-plenty.
Take the Toasted Vigan Longganisa (Php442), for example. Rising and shining won’t be a problem with this all-day breakfast item which consist of links of garlicky Vigan longganisa, two sunny-side up eggs and garlic fried rice, with homemade pickled mangoes, tomato-wansoy salsa and vinegar available upon request.
In the Spanish Sardines and Olives Pasta (Php378), on the other hand, an aglio e olio infusion is enriched with Spanish-style sardines and topped with olives and tomatoes.
Titas often crave for something sweet after (or before, or during or within 24 hours of) a meal. Fortunately, Mary Grace’s all-time favorite Lemon Bar (Php58/bar) sates the sweet tooth with its moist, buttery texture and slightly tangy sweetness.
Lastly, the Mary Grace Hot Chocolate (Php184), made with premium Belgian chocolate, is a rich and comforting end to the meal.
Three: Prompt and friendly service.
Words to the wise restaurateurs: don’t keep a tita waiting. Show some good ole’ fashioned friendliness, a willingness to help and some initiative, you might have just won a loyal customer who wouldn’t hesitate to nominate your place for the next #TitaConvention with her friends.
Cafe Mary Grace seems to keep this adage to heart with its crew of well-trained and accommodating staff who are quick to assist with inquiries and requests.
So fellow titas, the next brunch time is at Cafe Mary Grace, yes?
This Cafe Mary Grace branch is located at Ground Floor, Eastwood Mall, Libis, Quezon City, open Mondays to Saturdays from 11am to 11pm and Sundays from 10am to 11am.
Other branches are located at:
Pasig: SM City East Ortigas, Rockwell Business Center, Ayala Malls Feliz, Estancia Mall
Quezon City: Robinsons Galleria, Gateway Mall, UP Town Center, Trinoma Mall, SM City North EDSA, SM City Fairview, Ayala Fairview Terraces
Marikina: SM City Marikina
Mandaluyong: Shangri-la Plaza
San Juan: Unimart Greenhills
Taguig: Uptown Place Mall, Serendra, St. Luke’s Medical Center, One Bonifacio High Street, Venice Grand Canal Mall
Makati: Powerplant Mall, Steps Dance Studio, Century City Mall, The Enterprise Center, Greenbelt 2
Manila: SM City Manila, SM City San Lazaro, Lucky Chinatown Mall
In the last sweltering days of summer, just before the rainy season began, I met up with some friends at Greenhills’ Promenade Mall to go on a milk tea adventure.
A new milk tea place has just opened in the mall, another entrant into the already crowded milk tea category.
Also originating from milk tea’s motherland of Taiwan, Xing Fu Tang’s claim to fame is its brown sugar milk drink. Chewy boba pearls are cooked in brown sugar syrup prior to being placed in a cup which is then filled with milk tea. You will recognize this trendy drink by the “tiger stripes” along the sides of the cup.
Still, Xing Fu Tang has a lot more going for it than just brown sugar milk. The Greenhills store, for instance, has a wooden Chinese fortune chest. You open the drawer that matches the characters in the bamboo stick you selected from a bunch, then you can read your fortune. It’s a fun and novel way to pass the time, especially when lines get long.
Xing Fu Tang’s beverage offerings that our group sampled include:
Brown Sugar Boba Milk (Php120).
Mango Smoothie and Rabbit Panna Cotta (Php145).
Brown Sugar Boba and Herbal Jelly Milk (Php130).
Matcha Boba Milk (Php120).
Grapefruit Green Tea (Php120).
Soda and Handmade Jelly (Php120).
I find Xing Fu Tang’s approach to its drinks whimsically creative in presentation, taste and mouthfeel. The addition of a rabbit-shaped panna cota on top of the mango fruit drink, for instance, is a conversation piece in itself. The combination of the fizzy soda with the hand-made jelly spheres, on the other hand, made for an interesting drink.
I’d love to come back and try the other drinks soon!
This Xing Fu Tang branch is located at Ground Floor, Promenade, Greeenhills, Shopping Center, San Juan, open Mondays to Fridays from 11am to 10pm and Saturdays to Sundays from 10am to 10pm.
Another branch is located at Fifth Floor, The Podium, ADB Avenue, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City, open Mondays to Fridays from 11am to 10pm and Saturdays to Sundays from 10am to 10pm.
Sometimes, people you have no relation to can seem like family. By working together, sharing stories and spending time with them, you sow the seeds that blossom into strong friendships.
Lately, with all the changes in my workplace, the team decided to have a get-together at The Fat Seed Cafe + Roastery, a place we deemed suitable to hang out with our work friends, reminisce about old adventures and look forward to the new ones we will undertake.
These stories are the seeds that germinate into respect, affection and friendships.
The Fat Seed Cafe + Roastery also germinated from something small: the seed of an idea that a cafe that offers a different take on the Filipino coffee experience will prosper – grow fat, that is – from the knowledge and passion poured into it.
Even the store’s premises are filled with eclectic works of passion: from artistic murals that adorn the walls, furniture made of reclaimed wood to the artful displays of coffee paraphernalia on the shelves.
During the team’s storytelling and bonding session, we were fueled by concoctions that The Fat Seed makes from premium ingredients and hand-crafted into our chosen drinks which include:
Coffee Cubes (Php150). Steamed milk is gently poured into cubes of frozen espresso – adding sugar syrup is optional – creating a creamy cold beverage that still has a strong espresso kick.
Belgian Hot Chocolate (Php140). A steaming hot mug of rich chocolatey goodness, perfect for long conversations.
In between funny anecdotes we regale each other with, we filled out tummies with The Fat Seed’s signature dishes which displays the store’s penchant for whimsy and experimentation:
Mushroom Fritters (Php175). Deep-fried oyster mushrooms served with homemade ketchup. One of the stories that will live on from our time here was how one of us thought he was munching on chicken skin the whole time instead of the crunchy and expertly cooked ‘shrooms.
Spinach Artichoke Dip (Php265). A yummy dip made of artichokes, mozzarella, garlic and parmesan which made each bite of crunchy baguette slices simply amazing.
Tartufo Pasta (Php310). Freshly cooked pasta noodles tossed into a cream truffle sauce along with porcini, prosciutto and parmesan cheese.
Aglio Olio Chorizo Pasta (Php270). Sauteed garlic and spicy bits of chorizo are tossed into pasta noodles then topped with a plump poached egg.
Grilled Cheese with Tomato Cream Soup (Php285). Four different kinds of cheese are grilled inside a buttered brioche bun, accompanied by a bowl of creamy soup made with Italian tomatoes and pesto then topped with fried basil.
Kimchi Fried Rice with Maple Bacon Slab (Php315). Fried slabs maple syrup-flavored bacon and sunny side up egg on top of kimchi fried rice and garnished with spring onions and nori shreds.
And to cap our meal with some sweet stuff, we split Revel and Brownie bars among ourselves.
With people who are really close to your heart, a few hours spent talking, laughing and teasing can be little seeds that grow into deep friendships.
Here’s to more time to spend nourishing friendships!
The Fat Seed Cafe + Roastery is located at Ground Floor, Phase 2, UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City, open daily from 10am to 10pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 9362113.
Did you know that if you and a friend ordered 2 drinks at The Fat Seed Coffee + Roastery, you can get the same 2 drinks free via Zomato Gold?
Zomato Gold provides members with 1+1 (Buy 1 Get 1) deals on food or 2+2 (Buy 2 Get 2) deals on drinks.
My obsession for boba milk teas is showing no signs of abating. No doubt it is helped by the abundance of milk tea shops where I can sate my cravings.
In Tomas Morato near my workplace, for example, is a branch of Dakasi, a milk tea brand originating from Taiwan. It offers a wide array of drinks made with fresh ingredients, with little to no additives. It prides itself on its own recipes for cooking tea, boba (tapioca pearls) and sugar, resulting to its own unique taste in drinks.
Over several visits, I have tried several of Dakasi’s drinks, its Creme Series in particular. Dakasi’s creme drinks are topped with a thick foamy creme made of fresh milk, whipped cream, sugar and salt. This adds a whole new dimension to the drinks which I do heartily welcome.
The drinks I have sampled include:
Creme Chocolate (Php140 for large). One of the series’ non-tea-based drinks, it has a rich chocolatey taste which holds its own against the creme topping.
Creme Okinawa (Php140 for large). Another non-tea-based drinksweetened by muscovado sugar, well complemented by the creme topping.
Creme Hokkaido (Php150 for large). Made with brown sugar syrup and fresh milk with crushed Oreo cookies for added texture, its flavor further enhanced by the salty-sweet creme topping.
Aside from its expansive array of drinks, Dakasi also serves food items that can be ordered along with drinks. So far, I have sampled:
Cheesy Beef Quesadilla (Php130). The slightly spicy grilled beef quesadilla goes very well with the cold drinks.
Tiramisu (Php95). An Italian dessert made of layers of coffee-soaked sponge cake alternated with cream and cheese filling and powdered chocolate. I found this a little bit dry and I would prefer the cheese filling to be richer.
So if you have a craving for milk tea while you’re in the Tomas Morato area, do check out Dakasi!
This Dakasi branch is located at the Ground Floor, M Place Condominium, Mother Ignacia Street, South Triangle, Quezon City
Other Metro Manila branches are located at: Level 2, Trinoma | P. Tuazon, Cubao | Level 1, Festival Mall | 207 Banawe Street, Quezon City | Shell McKinley, Forbes Park Makati | 1177-A Dapitan Street, Sampaloc, Manila | G/F Bellagio Residences, 2450 Leon Guinto Street, Malate, Manila | 522 UN Avenue corner Maria Orosa Street, Ermita, Manila | G/F Dela Rosa Carpark, Makati | Level 1 Market! Market! BGC, Taguig | Level 2, SM BF Paranaque City | Ground Floor, Main Station, Tutuban Center Mall, Manila | 2nd Level, Ayala Malls. Loverleaf, Balintawak, Quezon City | G/F Ali Mall, Araneta Center, Cubao | F120-F121 Ayala Malls, Marikina Heights, Marikina City | Level 3 Ayala Malls Feliz, Marcos Highway, Dela Paz, Pasig City
It was a sunny Sunday and two intrepid titas – Jen of Sand Under My Feet and myself – are out for brunch.
But do note that we are not braving weekend traffic and the after-mass influx of people in the Rockwell area for just any, run-of-the-mill brunch.
Oh, no… We’re there for a special kind of dining experience that only one of the most trusted names in the metro’s culinary scene can provide.
We made our way to Chef Jessie Rockwell Club for a deluxe brunch.
And as to why two titas decided to spend their late Sunday morning here, well, read on…
One: It’s a beautiful place to have a meal.
Situated inside the posh Rockwell Club in Makati, Chef Jessie’s recently renovated restaurant is infused with a modern colonial design that provides a lush tropical-themed haven for food lovers.
Floor-to-ceiling windows let in a lot of natural light, as well as a view of the goings-on in the nearby pool area. The green-grey walls, highlighted by large potted plants make it seem like the garden outside found its way into the restaurant and suffused the space with freshness and calm.
For us titas that already deal with office stresses during the weekdays, entering this welcoming and relaxing space is a treat.
Two: Every dish is a work of art.
Chef Jessie Sincioco is a legend among foodies. Having won the Great Maya Cookfest in 1983, she was offered a special training course at Hotel Intercontinental Manila which paved the way to her becoming the first-ever Filipina pastry chef in 1990.
Chef Jessie brings her considerable culinary expertise into play in bring dishes that provide a feast for the senses: beautifully presented and masterfully prepared to achieve the best in taste, texture and aroma.
During our Sunday brunch, Jen and I feasted on Chef Jessie’s tasty offerings which include:
Fresh Juices:
Dalandan (Php195) and Banana Shake (Php160).
Starters:
Freshly baked breads served with butter and herb vinaigrette infused olive oil.
Salads:
Salad ala Judy Ann (Php450). Mesclun and micro greens tossed with bits of fruits in season along with slivers of brie and bleu-cheese in a raspberry vinaigrette dressing.
Salad ala Joe Mari Chan (Php450). Slivers of ubud (heart of palm) molded into a circle together with alugbati (local spinach) in a sampaloc (tamarind) vinaigrette.
Soups:
Classic French Onion Soup with Gruyere Cheese (Php395).
Cream of Carrot and Pumpkin with Shrimp and Mango (Php350).
Entremets:
Dalandan Granitas (Php195) to cleanse the palate in preparation for the main course.
Mains:
Certified US Black Angus Beef Tenderloin (Php1,895) served with sauce bourguignonne, buttered vegetables and potato gratin.
Grilled Lemongrass Chicken (Php895) served with garlic rice and atchara.
Desserts:
Chocolate Souffle (Php350) and Mango Jubilee Ala Mode (Php450).
Cafe Latte (Php180).
Truly, this was a feast that any tita would find rewarding after a hectic work week!
Three: You get treated like the queens you are.
From the time we were ushered to our table to the time we left, we were assisted by the friendly staff. Plates were efficiently cleared after every course, our water glasses immediately refilled, and our inquiries on the food items sufficiently addressed.
They even gamely agreed to our multiple requests for pictures!
So whether you’re a tita, a tito or just a foodie looking to treat yourself to an amazing meal, head on to Chef Jessie’s!
Thanks to the Chef Jessie staff for the great food and warm service during our brunch and to Jen for sharing her GC!
Chef Jessie is located at Ground Floor, Rockwell Club, Amorsolo Square, Rockwell Center, Makati, open daily from 11am to 11pm. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 2 8906543 or +63 2 8907630.
Did you know that my taste for milk tea started with Chatime?
It was among the first Taiwanese milk tea brands to set up operations in the metro nearly ten years ago, giving Pinoys their first taste of the pearl milk tea (PMT), wherein chewy tapioca pearls (also called “boba” or bubbles) are added to the drink.
I recall that my officemates and I were so enamoured of Chatime during its early days that we would pool money together to have a driver go to the nearest branch almost two kilometers away just to get our orders, in exchange for a free PMT gor himself.
Today, Chatime is present in 38 countries worldwide, operating over 2,500 outlets, one of which, thankfully, is near my home at SM City East Ortigas.
Aside from the kiosk where milk tea lovers can order their drink of choice, the store also has an area where they can sit and enjoy their chosen concoctions in comfort.
During my recent visit to the store, I mixed up the old and the new by ordering a classic Pearl Milk Tea (Php95/Php105) and adding Mousse (Php20), a layer of creamy, cheese-flavored foam that gives the drink an added dimension in flavor.
I’m looking forward to trying Chatime’s other mousse drinks on my next visits!
This Chatime branch is located at Ground Floor, SM City East Ortigas, Ortigas Avenue Extension, Bgy. Santa Lucia, Pasig City, open daily from 10am to 10pm.
Being a foodie, dining out and the discovery new and tasty dishes are synonymous to having fun.
But what if the food was only part of the fun?
At Grid x Griddle Gastrolounge and Gaming (also known as GxG), diners can enjoy delicious Asian-Western fusion dishes while enjoying their favorite board or card games.
Together with my foodie friends from #WeLoveToEatPH and #SaanSaPH, I visited GxG to check out its food offerings.
Opened in 2017, the restaurant is owned by avid board gamers. Its name even gives a clue to this fact: “grid” comes from the network of squares found in boardgames, while “griddle” refers to the flat metal plate used in cooking burgers, bacon and pancakes, among others.
Step inside and you will enter a world where gamers reign supreme. (Note: By gamers, I mean analog ones who use cards and boards, rather than those who use consoles or PCs.) The first floor is dominated by the bar and a high shelf of games, while the second floor give the diners a choice between dining and gaming on the floor seated on colorful cushions, or at regular tables and chairs. Either way, you have access to an expansive array of board games and card games, some of which were part of the owners’ private collection while others were acquired specifically for the resto.
To play, each person just has to order one dish (not including soups, salads or desserts) or pay Php250 consumable.
Curious about the grub available here? Check these out:
Truffle Mushroom Soup (Php170). Sauteed mushrooms in truffle-flavored cream. Its rich truffle aroma got us salivating.
GxG Fries (Php270). Crisp deep-fried potato fries topped with gently swaying bonita flakes, an American dish cooked and presented in a Japanese way.
Calamari (Php275). Strips of giant squid marinated in salt and pepper, lightly battered then deep-fried to a beautiful golden brown and served with GxG’s own house-made bagoong aioli and vinegar.
Longganisa All-Day Breakfast (Php290). Flavorful links of longganisa from Isabela served with two sunny-side-up, garlic rice, buttered vegetables and iced tea.
Sweet Basi Adobo Glazed Chicken (Php340). A juicy quarter leg of chicken cooked sous vide glazed in GxG’s special adobo sauce made with basi, an alcoholic beverage originating from Ilocos made from fermented sugarcane, and served with garlic rice, vegetables, demi-glace sauce and strips of mango which provide a sweet-sour counterpoint to the salty adobo.
GxG Pasta (Php250). The pasta dish with a decidedly local flavor due to the salted egg and tinapa (smoked fish) incorporated in the sauce.
Truffle Pasta (Php290). A creamy truffle pasta topped with bacon and parmesan cheese.
GxG Pizza (Php260). Native ensalata ingredients such as dilis, eggplant, tomatoes, onions, bagoong and ripe mango on top of a crisp thin pizza crust. This is (surprisingly!) best enjoyed when dipped in vinegar.
Durian Espresso Ice Cream (Php150). The infamously odoriferous fruit is only (thankfully!) subtly hinted at in this house-made frozen confection. What really stands out is its coffee flavor, well-complemented by a generous drizzling chocolate sauce, as well as crushed graham crackers and polvoron for added texture.
GxG also boasts of coffee- and non-coffee-based beverages such as Chocolate Frappe (Php140), Dark Hazelnut Latte Frappe (Php160) and Cafe Mocha (Php140).
If you’re looking for a refreshingly cool drink to go with your meal, you can’t go wrong with the Fresh Lemonade (Php80) or Iced Tea (Php70).
Whether you’re here for the games or the grub, you’re definitely in for a good time.
Thanks to Chef Gerard Martial and the GxG staff for the warm welcome and the good food!
Grid x Griddle Gastrolounge and Gaming is located at The Hub, Mayflower Street, Greenfield District, Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City, open daily Tuesdays to Thursdays from 11am to 12 midnight, Fridays to Saturdays from 4pm to 2am, and Sundays from 4pm to 12 midnight. For inquiries, reservations or to order food for delivery, call +63 927 8794686.
Disclosure: Together with my fellow foodies, I attended a foodie meetup held here. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.
Get ready to change the way you eat lunch each and every day with the Vaya Tyffyn lunchboxes! Now available in the Philippines, the Vaya Tyffyn was designed by a team of highly seasoned professionals all across the globe. Vaya seeks to improve the way people take food on the go with a product that is stylish, durable, and travel-friendly.
Lunchboxes as a Way of Life for All Generations
In the Philippines, the lunchbox brings up memories of childhood and meals that end up cold and runny; edible, but not quite as satisfying as it could be. At its worst, the food inside can spoil before consumption.
The practice of carrying a lunchbox often continues into adulthood, with many taking a packed lunch to work in order to enjoy a healthier and fresher meal. Yet, despite the efforts at re-heating food, lunches never taste as fresh as it should be.
A Lunchbox Full of Innovation
Enter: the Vaya Tyffyn. The design defies the conventional approach to pre-packed meals by providing consumers with the option to pack a multi-course meal every day instead of the typical combination of
rice and a main dish.
Vaya Tyffyn is a truly unique lunchbox with key features such as:
A collapsible handle
Vaya’s proprietary Vacutherm Insulation technology that keeps your food hot or cold for 6 hours
A sleek, stainless steel body that easily fits in your bag
Leak-resistant lids with integrated gaskets
Partitions that can carry more than one dish in each container
The Vaya Tyffyn comes in three different sizes for all appetites; 600ml (two containers), 1,000ml (three containers), 1,300ml (four containers).
A New Approach to Meal Prep
Whether it’s a quick lunch at the office or a day-trip with your friends, the Vaya Tyffyn is sure to become a staple in your life. Safe, sleek, and sustainable, the Tyffyn ensures your food stays fresh and warm; ready to enjoy at your own convenience. Experience a new and exciting world of freshness with Vaya.
The Vaya Tyffyn is now available online at vayalife.com.
About Vaya
Vaya is the coming together of seasoned professionals from across the globe, driven by a visionary zeal to significantly improve people’s lives. The company intends to bring an emotional component in everyday life through the concept of total user experience: a combination of innovative, carefully designed, high-quality products, and smart, useful, friendly services. Vaya actively markets and sells its products in the Philippines and 15 other countries.
With the frequent bouts of rain and various roadworks contributing to the infuriating traffic jams in our part of the metro, it’s a wonder we Easterners can even manage to drag ourselves to any place in our pursuit of work, recreation or good eats.
Fortunately, we don’t have to travel far just to have a tasty breakfast in a comfy setting.
W Cafe, located near the Cainta Church along Bonifacio Avenue, is the place to be for dining out, hanging out with friends or simply passing the time while reading a good book.
From the outside, you would think the cafe is nondescript but, upon entering, you will be pleasantly surprised at its airy yet cozy interiors. A colorful mural adorns one wall while vintage items such as a dial radio, light fixtures, art deco prints and coffee table books scattered around add personality to the space. Oddly enough, the LCD screens touting menu items do not detract from the welcoming and relaxing atmosphere of the place; instead, they provide some dashes of color and light.
The cafe is the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Joseph and Wilda Galvez, an outlet for Wilda to pursue her love of food while managing her medical practice. The cafe is also where Joseph applies his business know-how which developed from his years in the banking industry. Together, they conceptualized the menu and the store’s theme, and set about making their vision a reality.
(And if you’re wondering why this resto is called W Cafe, the name was actually taken from Wilda’s initial.)
Together with my foodie friends from #WeLoveToEatPH and #SaanSaPH, I visited W Cafe to try some of its breakfast treats which include:
Best-Sellers
Clubhouse Sandwich (Php160). Thick slices of wheat bread encase generous servings of grilled bacon, ham, scrambled egg, cheese, lettuce and cucumber.
Tomato Sardines Pasta (Php110). Fresh tomatoes and garlic cloves sauteed in olive oil then tossed together with freshly cooked pasta and topped with spicy Spanish-style sardines.
Fish Fillet Pomodoro (Php160). Italian-style tomato sauce and sliced black olives tossed into freshly cooked pasta and topped with pieces of breaded fish fillet.
Chicken Pesto (Php130). Made-from-scratch pesto sauce tossed into freshly cooked pasta along with tender and juicy slices of grilled chicken.
Breaded Porkchop Rice Meal (Php140). Breaded porkchop deep-fried to a golden brown and served with garlic rice, a sunny side up egg and some atchara.
Latte (Php70) and Chocolate Chip Cookies (Php40). The latte was made from strong Batangas coffee with steamed milk and topped with a cute latte art. It goes perfectly with the chocolate chip cookies. (Chocolate lovers, take a look at those huge chocolate chips!)
White Chocolate Creme Frappe (Php95) and Java Chip Frappe (Php125). W Cafe blends its own signature frappes that add sweetness to our day or perk us up for the day ahead.
Not-yet-on-the-menu.
Our group was also given an exclusive taste of some of the new dishes that will be launched soon.
Executive Breakfast. Go big or go home! Well, definitely go big for me! Who can say no to hearty servings of waffles, bacon, sausage and fried eggs?
Lechon Kawali. This dish’ secret weapon is the pesto-based dip that accompanies it. Smear that dip onto the deep-fried pork pieces or anything fried. It will make you come back for more! (How I wish the owners would bottle this stuff so I could buy some by the jar!)
Beef and Chicken Shawarma. Slices of marinated and grilled beef and chicken wrapped in pita bread along with cucumber strips and lettuce.
Banana Walnut Bread. A fluffy banana loaf with topped with walnut halves. This also goes well with the coffee.
Okinawa and Chocolate Milk Teas. W Cafe brews its own creamy milk teas with tapioca pearls and grass jelly sinkers.
A lot of care has been applied to the interplay of flavors within each dish, the appetizing plating and the generous servings of food. I’m looking forward to my next visit here so I could check out more of W Cafe’s all-day breakfast meals and sweet frappes.
Thanks to Erickson and Wilda Galvez, as well as the staff of W Cafe for the warm welcome and the great eats!
So Easterners, avoid the traffic jams and just check out W Cafe, our local cafe in Cainta.
W Cafe is located at Second Floor, Euros Commercial Building, 242 A. Bonifacio Avenue, Bgy. Sto. Domingo, Cainta, open daily from 11am to 11pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 4045015.
Disclosure: Together with my fellow foodies, I attended a foodie meetup held here. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.
Jellybeans in the City 