Birthday at Starbucks Reserve Makati

During my birthday, hubby and I went to try the Starbucks Reserve in Valero St. corner Rufino St., Makati, to claim my birthday cake and for a coffee experience different than the usual Starbucks Coffee stores. This branch is located specifically at the ground floor of Signa Designer Residences.

A Starbucks Reserve store is more high-end than the usual store. Aside from the usual cakes, cookies and sandwiches, a Starbucks Reserve store also offers scones and eclairs. It also offers what they call as exotic coffees on their menu. We got to try their Panama Coffee, which they brewed on the Clover Brewing System.

When we arrived, I asked if I could claim my birthday cake, to which they cheerily said “Yes!” and told me to choose the cake flavor that I prefer. I chose the chocolate cake crepe, which I have yet to try. We also ordered hazelnut praline eclair. From the two, I like the chocolate crepe cake better, which literally melts in your mouth without the sugary sweet after-taste.

The staff is very warm and accommodating, they even asked me to watch how they brew the Panama Coffee that we ordered.

There’s my birthday cake. The baristra on the Clover brewing system

Before she brewed my coffee, the barista even showed me the fresh Panama coffee beans which she would grind and brew (the aroma is irresistible). She also explained the difference when coffee is brewed using the Clover system. It’s as if coffee is brewed to perfection. 🙂 Only Starbucks Reserve stores use this brewing system.

brewing

And so, here’s the brewed Panama Coffee that we ordered, grande size.

Since it’s brewed coffee, I need to add sugar and milk so that I can appreciate it more. Hubby got to taste the Panama Coffee without sugar and milk and he loved it. On the other hand, I like it better with milk and sugar. 🙂 It’s a refreshing change from the usual cappuccinos and lattes that we order at Starbucks. I’d like to believe that indeed their brewing system created that perfect cup of coffee for us during that special day. 🙂

We’ll surely come back to taste the other exotic coffees and scones. We lingered at this branch for almost two hours as the ambiance is very relaxing; we love the high ceilings and the wood furnishings. It’s definitely a better coffee experience.

‘Til our next coffee session at Starbucks Reserve. 🙂

 

 

Biking spots in the city: Pasay

Biking in Metro Manila might seem impossible, due to heavy traffic, over-populated areas, air pollution, and the likes. But, aside from the classic biking areas, there are also new bike zones in the metro. Let us start with Pasay city.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Complex is among the classic biking areas in the country. It seems as if childhood memories of both 80’s and 90’s kids are embedded with biking adventures at the CCP Complex, or what was then popularly known as Philsite.

The picture below was taken at the parking lot of CCP Complex, where many bikers can be seen every Saturday or Sunday mornings.

I prefer biking at this area, since there are no moving vehicles. As I’ve mentioned, this is the parking area located at the back of the CCP. The area is very spacious, perfect for bikers like me, who try to avoid biking alongside moving vehicles. LoL!!

I prefer folding bikes. The Atomic bike that I’m using is a gift from hubby during my birthday. And obviously, my favorite color is Orange. 🙂 My hubby’s bike is a classic Trek city bike. But he’s now thinking of buying a folding bike for himself when he saw how portable and convenient a folding bike is.

Not far from the CCP Complex’s parking lot is Harbour Square, an area near the Manila Bay filled with restaurants, cafes, and bars. Biking is not allowed inside the area, but bikers are allowed to walk their bikes in the area. 🙂 Below is a selfie that we took using our camera with a tripod.

Selfie with our bikes.

From there, we rode our bike towards SM Mall of Asia. This is a big challenge for me, as I am scared of biking alongside moving vehicles. But hubby reassured me that there are biking lanes.

Here’s a picture that was taken at a bridge somewhere along Macapagal Boulevard.

We coursed through biking lanes and sidewalks, as I am terrified whenever buses and big vehicles pass by. At long last, we arrived at the SM Seaside, which is a big area where you can bike all you want, with a beautiful view of the bay. 🙂 This area used to be the terminal for the Supercat bound to Orion, Bataan, which is no longer in operation.

Seaside.

 

Biking is not allowed inside the mall premises, but we were able to ride our bikes at the parking lot. We walked our bikes at SM by the Bay, with the happy and colorful view of the MOA Eye, children’s rides, restaurants, crowds, and the bay.

at SM Mall of Asia

And biking is made more convenient and enjoyable when using Sanuk, our favorite footwear. 🙂

This was taken when we have just bought our Sanuks. 🙂

we love SANUK.

 

 

Afternoons at Kaffe Caffe in Banawe, QC

There’s this coffee shop in Banawe, Quezon City where we frequently stop by after attending hearings at the National Labor Relations Commission. It’s such a homey coffee shop where you can drink good coffee, surf the net via free wi-fi, and my favorite activity, reading a novel on one of their couches. You will find old books and magazines neatly piled on their reading nook.

Christmas-sy decorations, we had hearing at NLRC during the 3rd week of December

Hubby and I love the cafe’s House Blend coffee. I also tried hot Mocha. Their coffee costs less than 100 pesos.

The cafe have plenty of tables to choose from, whether you prefer a big table where you can place your laptop. Or like me, I preferred lounging on the couch while reading one old Cosmo novel, which got me hooked for more than an hour.

So nice to have your foot propped up on a velvety couch

This cafe also offers hot meals and pasta.

Behind hubby is the coffee press display

Kaffe Caffee seems like an old house renovated into a coffee shop. It’s found on Banawe corner Ma. Clara St. in Quezon City. You would easily see this two-storey coffee shop at the corner, painted with earth colors. It’s what attracted us in the first place as the colors  of the cafe looks warm and inviting.

Picture taken from my laptop camera

Once inside, you can’t help but appreciate the view  outside. You would see tree branches softly rustling, vehicles passing by.. In fact, it’s hard to believe you’re in Metro Manila since trees are scarcely found in the city.

View from where I am seated

This is the view from the couch when I was reading at Kaffe Caffe one afternoon. I can’t help but take a picture of the view, as it depicted a perfect afternoon for me. It’s not too hot and the tree branches swaying outside has this almost calming effect. Plus add brewed coffee, a novel for light reading, and a soft, velvety couch, and I’m good and contented for a few hours. I literally felt detached from the busy city outside. It’s as if I am on stay-cation. 🙂

 

Lunch plate + brewed coffee at The Pearl Manila Hotel

Lunch plate at PhP99.00

The Pearl Manila Hotel is located right smack at United Nations Avenue corner Gen. Luna St., in Ermita, Manila. The hotel is conveniently situated near the LRT station, Medical Center Manila, Emilio Aguinaldo College and the long stretch of Taft Avenue.

While in the area, a poster advertising the hotel’s lunch plate caught my attention. And so I went inside the hotel’s restaurant. Among the choices for the viands are roasted chicken, fish fillet, and pork Kare-Kare. The lunch plate consists of a cup of rice, viand, soup, vegetable side dish, dessert, and iced tea, reasonably priced at 99 pesos.

I ordered Kare-Kare. It was such a good choice. The kare-kare is a bit creamy. I love the creamy version of Kare-Kare, it definitely went well with peanut butter and the other ingredients for this dish. Overall, I am very much satisfied with my lunch plate. I also love the chicken noodle soup, it’s the perfect appetizer before a huge meal.

I ordered takeout for my hubby as he was then at the Medical Center Manila taking care of his uncle. For my hubby, I ordered fish fillet. I also ordered to-go brewed coffee.

The brewed coffee is surprisingly good, for a mere price of 45 pesos. I only used one sachet of brown sugar and cream, and that’s it, no more need to add another sachet of sugar, as I used to do on the other brewed coffees that I have tasted.

It was a quick lunch, a spontaneous decision to try the hotel’s lunch plate. It was a short trip to the Pearl Manila from the hospital, but I really had a leisurely lunch. 🙂

The Pearl Manila Hotel’s lunch plate is also offered at the Medical Center Manila’s coffee shop. 

Brewed coffee at the Medical Center Manila

Throwback Thursday: Bar review at UST

This was taken in the summer of 2009, when I was just a law graduate aiming to pass the September 2009 bar examinations. Since I was then a resident of Sampaloc, Manila, I enrolled at the UST Faculty of Law Bar Review (which is walking distance from our place) even though I am a graduate of Arellano University School of Law. The five months that I was in UST is such an unforgettable chapter in my life. I fell in love with the university and became closer to God. It was during these moments that I could not believe that I would ever be a morning person. This picture was taken by one of my best friends and then review buddy, Atty. Juno Concepcion. 🙂

It’s January 23, 2014 (Thursday) as of the posting for this blog entry, but the date that appears is January 22. 

Wildflour Cafe sans the Long Line of People

Wildflour Cafe, The Podium branch

I have been on a blogging hiatus last October. Such a busy month for me, especially for the criminal cases that I’m handling. Now I’m catching up as there is much to share that have happened this October and November. 🙂

Last October, after our hearing in Pasig City, hubby and I decided to drop by at The Podium to try the famous croughnuts at Wildflour Cafe. And what else would be the best partner for croughnuts, but coffee?

Capuccino, chocolate and dulce de leche croughnuts

When we arrived, we were expecting a long line of people. Surprisingly, there was none. We sat at a corner table and was about to order when the waitress told us to go to the counter to order, as they have just loaded a fresh batch of croughnuts.

Freshly baked

We ordered chocolate and dule de leche flavoured croughnuts. Plus cappuccino to set off the sweetness of the croughnuts. 🙂

The croughnuts were a bit pricey; the price of the coffee is more reasonable (below PhP100). The ambiance is great. Even if the cafe is crowded and people kept coming in, you would feel relaxed and feel the atmosphere of a European cafe. Water is served and contained on wine bottles.

A friend told me that she was at the cafe earlier that day, but she decided not to risk joining the long line of people waiting to buy croughnuts. I guess when we arrived, the croughnuts have just been sold out. We were lucky to take the first dibs on the fresh batch! 🙂

Malugay Street Gems: Rocci Coffee & Chocolate and JT’s Manukan Grille

From the name of the cafe itself, Rocci Coffee & Chocolate is a haven for coffee and hot chocolate lovers. You would not miss this gem along Malugay Street, Makati, as the cafe looks really inviting from afar. My hubby and I dropped by to try their hot beverages, after having dinner at JT’s Manukan Grille, also found at Malugay Street.

Inviting.

When we arrived, we saw small, red notebooks placed above the coffee tables. Rocci Coffee & Chocolate aims to know customer feedback by letting customers to write freely on the notebooks. Interestingly, a quick browse at the notebooks would show not just the impressions on the cafe, but also the customer’s feelings in forms of poetry and haiku. 🙂

This is what I wrote. Kinda cheesy with the heart part. 🙂

I ordered Caffe Mocha, while my hubby ordered hot dark chocolate. The price of the hot beverages is reasonable, considering the rich taste of coffee, especially the hot choco. You would love the thickness of the hot chocolate, without being too sweet or bitter. I got to taste both beverage and between the two, the cafe’s specialty is definitely hot chocolate. 🙂

You would enjoy reading customer feedback (and poetries) while drinking hot beverages

As I’ve mentioned earlier, when we dropped by at Rocci Coffee & Chocolate, we were already full since we just had a hefty dinner at JT’s Manukan Grille. That was our second time to had dinner at JT’s. We kept coming back. 🙂

“JT” stands for Joel Torre, a prominent Filipino actor. It is no wonder that his restaurant business became such a hit, since he opted to serve “Ilonggo” dishes, to which he has an edge being an Ilonggo himself. As what i said, we kept coming back, and it’s because of the authentic dishes being offered by HT’s Manukan Grille.

Chicken inasal (pecho) and Batchoy 

You would not go wrong by ordering uniquely Ilonggo dishes like chicken inasal and batchoy.

While so many chicken inasal restos are scattered all over the city, I can say that JT’s Manukan Grill serves the best chicken inasal in Metro Manila. 🙂 If you order the pecho or breast part (which is huge), you would definitely be ordering an extra rice. Make that extra garlic rice. 🙂

The garlic rice is sprinkled with generous amount of chopped garlic and drenched in chicken oil.

An order of batchoy is already good for two. Perfect especially for cold, rainy nights. 🙂

Daing na bangus

During the first time that we dropped by at JT’s, my hubby also tried the daing na bangus, which is really huge that it’s also good for two. It’s quite tasty and also perfect with garlic rice.

You would also see movie posters of epic films to which Joel Torre starred in.

 

As of this writing, I am craving for another of JT’s Manukan Grille’s chicken inasal. 🙂 Drop by and get a taste of authentic chicken inasal. 🙂

 

 

Hot beverages at Chocolate Fire

After having dinner at Joel Torre’s chicken inasal resto at Malugay St., my hubby and I spent the rest of our Friday night last week at this chocolate haven found at the corner of Leviste St. and Rufino St. in Makati City. 🙂

Aside from couches and coffee tables which can be typically found on cafes, what Chocolate Fire boasts is its delectable display counter of mini chocolate bars, cakes and pastries. Taking pictures of these items are not allowed but to summarize, I would say it’s a choco-feast.

Being a coffee lover, I ordered the Vienna Coffee, which is topped with a fancily decorated whipped cream (which crumbled after taking this picture). 😀

Vienna Coffee

 

On the other hand, my hubby ordered hot dark chocolate, as he says, it seems as if a visit on Chocolate Fire would not be complete without tasting what is evidently their specialty–Chocolate.

Hot Dark Chocolate

 

While I was really content with my Vienna Coffee and its rich taste, my hubby told me to take a sip of his cup of dark hot chocolate. And voila! After one sip, I   forgot all about my coffee. Chocolate is truly the house specialty.

Hot chocolate is a bit pricey, as compared to hot coffee. But, once you take a sip of the hot choco, you would agree that the price is worth it. It’s sweet without being overboard, with just right foamy thickness. There are add-ons free of charge, such as cinnamon flavor. The price of other add-ons ranges from 30-40 pesos.

My hubby really enjoyed his hot chocolate (though I stole a few sips myself). 🙂

Since we were full from our dinner, we just ordered hot beverages while we were there. From the menu, we saw that there are also available hot meals and all day breakfast.

And of course, the seemingly endless chocolate bars in various shapes and sizes. 🙂

 

 

The firefighter’s coffee shop at Ongpin: Cafe Mezzanine

Firefighter’s hats lined up on the ceilings

Ongpin St. is known for authentic Chinese restaurants, charms and crystal havens, and food shops selling delicacies like hopia and tikoy. Among the gems found on Ongpin St. is a coffee shop dedicated specially for volunteer Tsinoy firefighters. This is Cafe Mezzanine, owned by Gerry Chua, a volunteer firefighter himself and a descendant of Chua Chiu Hong, the person behind the famous  “Eng Bee Tin” hopia. Last month, my hubby (who is a Tsinoy) brought me to this place and highly recommended the cafe’s unlimited coffee. The cafe offers unlimited coffee, named “Mezza Blend”, which my hubby ordered. On the other hand, I ordered one of their flavored coffees. The cafe also offers iced coffees and other sumptuous dishes which would go best with coffee, such as sandwiches and dimsums. Any coffee lover would love the bottomless coffee offered by the cafe. It is not too strong so as to discourage a 2nd or 3rd cup. 🙂 The place is very interesting. Perched on the walls are fireman’s hats and awards and recognition to firefighters. The cafe is found on 2nd floor, above the Eng Bee Tin Chinese Deli. 🙂

The oldest Chinatown in the world.

Green Halo: An artsy cafe at Cubao X

When you’re tired of the malls dominating Cubao, Q.C., take a walk at Cubao X, the area’s “artist center”. 🙂

Green Halo is an artsy cafe located at Cubao X. Their specialty is food for the health conscious. However, we were already full when we visited this cafe so we tried their coffee instead.

The menu and an ancient telephone.

Kape de Bohol sounds interesting, so my hubby ordered one.

Kape de Bohol

On the other hand, I ordered the “Chocnut Coffee”, which, as explained by the waiter, is Kape de Bohol mixed with Chocnut. 🙂

Chocnut Coffee

We both enjoyed our coffee and its distinct taste. My Chocnut Coffee has a generous serving of chocnut which made it sweet but not too sweet that you get sugar-high. 🙂 And the price is very reasonable.

As mentioned, the cafe serves healthy and organic food. You will not see a “pork” meal on the menu. From the menu, we saw that they serve veggie meals and pasta, and chicken meals.

You would also love the interior of the cafe. Everything is done in the colors of golden yellow and brown.

All photos taken by my hubby, Thaddeus Chu. 🙂

The paintings hung on the wall are for sale. 🙂

The cafe is a bit small, but it’s worth the visit again. Especially since the cafe is surrounded by thrift shops, bars, and restos.

A trip at Cubao X is definitely a trip down memory lane. 🙂

Flashback: 2009 Bar Exam Results

Just recently, the Supreme Court released the results for the 2012 bar examinations.

Congratulations to the new lawyers!! 🙂

March 26, 2010. It’s been three years since the results for the 2009 bar examinations.

If only I could rewind over and over again what I could say is one of the happiest days of my life. 🙂

To my new panyeros and panyeras, embrace that wonderful feeling after passing the bar. It is definitely priceless.

 

Dark Mocha from Kape de Pasig

There is a darling little cafe located inside the vicinity of the city hall complex of Pasig City, named “Kape de Pasig”. It’s near the Justice Hall of Pasig City, a very convenient stop over whenever I have a hearing in Pasig. I love their hot Dark Mocha. I also recommend their Chicken Alfredo. 🙂 And the view is a green scenery.