Toby's Estate. Coffee Roasters.

I thought that I have a photo of at least the paper "mat" but I must have deleted it after the embarrassing semi loud shuttering sound uttered by my camera phone so I only have the above indicating that I dine at Toby's Estate.

When I first entered the premises of this resto, I felt intimated at the same time amazed and feeling at home because of it's interiors:  communal and hydraulic tables, "Scandinavian designs", industrial but elegant and welcoming lights, succulents and cacti and coffee, sweets and food plus even though the crew is busy, they always flash their smile~ my favorites in one place but I feel out of place because it feels "sosyal" and I'm not hehehe.

I usually just order coffee or tea to go but the other day I got a little lucky (meaning I have excess money to be a little fancy), asked my sister to have a simple dinner date with me and I almost got all over the place and take photos of every corner of the place ahahaha.  Of course I didn't do the last thing I said :P

Let's get to the food!

I'm not a connoisseur, but I love cheese: cheese ice cream, cheese pop corn, extra cheese in my pasta and so on and so forth so it's natural for me to get a Grilled Four Cheese which has ricotta, emmenthal, mozzarela and parmigiano with garlic, thyme and pepper in ciabatta served with homemade potato chips and spicy tomato compote.  The cheeses are mild and the compote is actually not that spicy.  I wanted the ciabatta to be more grilled (as in I wanted the marks of the grill) but overall it's a perfect mate for the pasta we ordered.

Crumbled spanish chorizo with spicy tomato sauce and basil oil, that's Rigatoni.  This is a very flavorful meal, my sister said that it's too flavorful but it's perfect for me especially with the grilled cheese and the Iced Chai Latte that I'm drinking (first picture, and I'm very sorry about the photos~very low quality because of the downgrade of my phone but if you guys know where I can buy a battery for htc desire, let me know.  And I know that my HTC is an old model but it's takes great picture!) which I very much appreciate ever since I learned what it's made of and how it is made.  Main reason why I like going to Toby's for coffee and tea:  they are REAL not "overcoated" with sweetness and flavorings.

Last time I felt heaven with a strawberry cake, now I fell head over heels with Carmen's Ice Cream.

It's melting like a butter in my mouth, slowly making it's way to my taste buds~tinkling then attacking them like a machine gun.  We got the salted caramel and every teaspoon of it tasted and shouting SALTED CARAMEL, I wanted to have a teaspoon fight with my sister and be selfish but she's the one who paid for it.  After the experience, I wanted to try all the flavor's of Carmen's Ice Cream!!!

Will definitely date myself or someone here again :)

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Cafe-UK Co.

I may not have photos of the place (because it's awkward when my niece's classmates are around) but I still manage to play 2048 in the iPad attached in the coffee bar area which by the way is COOL,  Cafe-UK Co. is another cafe that I visited while being lost (well, just me since my niece know the place and I'm just a nagging auntie who keeps on saying "are we there yet") in the surroundings of UST (University of Sto. Tomas).

photo from www.cafe-uk.co

About Cafe-UK Co.

"Undeniably, coffee partakes a huge sum in one’s everyday routine. Be it on breakfast tables, to-go meals, business and casual meetings, afternoon snacks or even cram sessions; WE MUST HAVE OUR CAFFEINE!

Here at Café-UK, hooking you up with your daily dose of freshly vacuum-brewed “energy in a cup” isn’t just our priority but we strive to be your # 1 go-to place for your caffeine fix.

Our three storey café is decked with a multitude of bar stools, cushioned chairs, couches, electric outlets, and (drum rolls please…) 60 x 100 cm drafting tables for those who need to do their plates while enjoying their own cup of joe. Plus we also have a naturally ventilated smoking lounge.

Did we mention we embedded iPad units in our café tables too? Still not good enough for you? How ’bout we top that off with free 10 mbps Wi-Fi. Time to say goodbye to the hassles of buffering!

Hot, iced, blended, decaffeinated, or with an extra shot of espresso; whichever way you want your coffee, we definitely have something for your tastebuds. And if you’re not so much of a coffee person, we also have tea-based drinks. Choose from our wide array of cakes and pastries as well. All our products are patterned to your own liking, so just tell us how you want it and we got you covered.

So if you need a place to study or just chill, hit us up at the corner of J. Berlin and P. Noval street. Drop by anytime you want, we’re open 24/7."

Reese's Cheesecake P140

The dim light is enough for the students to read their books and enough for my eyes to chill out, not a fan of their music though but those are not the reason why I stop by the place.  I came to have a sip of frap and eat cakes.

I decided to get a Reese's Cheesecake (because I just love cheesecake) and I thought of something light and it seems like the lightest cake on the menu is Grandma's Carrot Cake. Although not overly loaded with Reese's, I still appreciate that the cheesecake taste like cheesecake and by that I mean I can taste cheese unlike others that are full with cream and sugar.  It's also pack and surprisingly filling and the sweetness and saltiness is balance enough for me :)

The Grandma's Carrot Cake on the other hand is too sweet and unfortunately, lacks a bit of a character.  If I'm blindfolded I wouldn't have guess that it's a carrot cake. 

Grandma's Carrot Cake P140

Of course, we needed some drinks and my niece and I are addicted with almost anything with peppermint, so we got Peppermint Coffee.

Peppermint Coffee P130 for tall

Through the years, my preference of coffee changed. I now like brewed, sometimes with creamer or milk or just plain good ole' brewed coffee (signs of aging?).  I'm a fan of frappuccino before but lately I noticed that the fraps in coffee shops are more like sugar, sweet flavorings, whipped cream and less coffee so I was shocked when my niece said that the drink we ordered is too "bitter" and only find it okay when she thoroughly mixes the drink with the whipped cream on top.  I on the other hand wanted more coffee from this Peppermint Coffee, I guess I should have asked the barista for another shot or I should have opted for their Vacuum Coffee which is their specialty in the first place (again; like when I visited Cafe Bene, I didn't do any research and if you happen to want to know the menu then go here (munchpunch).

Any coffee shop you fancy lately?

Till then, Arya

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Caffe Bene.

Caffe Bene is a korean cafe that my sister keep on bugging me to visit (and to treat her too) so after a long day of processing documents she finally led me somewhere in Makati; I really didn't bother asking her the exact location or direction, luckily Caffe Bene Philippines has a website.

From caffebene.com.ph:

"From Korea to New York, Now in the Philippines!

The Korea's leading Caffe brand is now here in Manila! 

Taste the difference, experience the goodness and walk into the lavish Bene space of Freedom. From our Specialty Caffe, freshly-made Waffle, Italian Gelato and other more Must-Try! Caffé Bene truly has a variety that can soothe and pamper your taste buds."

Now I didn't do my assignment and didn't research much as to what to try and their best seller drink didn't entice my taste bud so I just randomly ordered stuff and the one below just caught my attention because it's huge!

From their Honey Bread, my sister and I tried the Caramel Cinnamon Bread (P145).  It's a type of bread that is thick and has a crispy on the outside, soft in the inside idea fancy-ed with caramel, cinnamon and whipped cream.  I ogled at the display where these Honey Breads we're displayed because they're huge (cubed for easy eating) and around 2 inches thick with a pretty  aesthetic.  It was delicious and filling, the bread together with the "toppings" is sweet enough to satisfy my sweet tooth but I wouldn't dare eating the whole serving (I might puke and swear that I would never eat it again if I did eat the whole thing) so don't be selfish and share it with someone.

Under the scorching sun, of course we need a cold drink (though I think a nice hot tea or black coffee would compliment the Caramel Cinnamon bread best).  I got a Chai Tea Latte on Iced (P135) and my sister got the Blueberry Yogurt Smoothie (PP175).

My drink is disappointing in the sense that it's more like a plain black tea with milk rather than chai, seriously it's like the instant bubble teas that you can buy in malls for less than P100.  Disappointed, I sip my sister's drink and my hot blood regularized hehehe I find the Blueberry Yogurt Smoothie refreshing, just the right sourness and sweetness.

And because it's a very hot day (and we walk under it for like half an hour), we needed something that is really cold like a gelato perhaps?  Besides my sister still haven't tried any gelato hehehe.  So we got the Double Bene Gelato (P155) and decided to go with Green Tea and Dulce de Leche.

I think Caffe Bene specializes more with coffee? (hello Arya, it's a caffe) because their gelatos are not quite that great in my opinion.  Okay, I just tasted a bunch of gelatos once so I'm definitely no expert but the texture of these gelatos from Caffe Bene are not fine, it's not smooth (there are small pieces of ice in it).  The green tea is too sweet that it's give me the impression that too much sweetener is added to camouflage the bitterness of the green tea.  It's like condensed milk with a hint of green tea to me or maybe I just expected the green tea to be like the green tea that I make (but I asked my sister and it's too sweet for her too).  So it's a relief that the Dulce de Leche (which I thought would be overly sweet) has the the perfect balance of sweetness and milkiness.

If you think Starbucks is too crowded for you, then try Caffe Bene.  The interior of the shop is relaxing (and if you are a kpop fan, then you might recognize the shop's endorsers (they have a big standee in the shop)) and the people don't talk loudly and the menu is interesting, I should have tried one of the Bingsu and the Misugaru Latte.  Well, maybe next time.

Thanks for reading. Till then. Bye!

My Thanks with Coffee and Music

I checked my blog today while sipping coffee (after months of not drinking one) and headbanging to the tune of The Temper Trap and I am deeply surprised that there are still around 200 visits a day, wow thank you. The *ahem* blogger in me hasn't died yet, I still look into the products that I use as if I'm going to review them but everytime I log-in and start typing, no words can come out of my mind arrgghh. I also can't keep up my mind as to what template to use, so I usually waste 2 hours just browsing the net, looking for a simple yet fun looking template.

my headphone plus my frog stirrer :D

Oh I also already watch Despicable Me and the minions are really funny (I wanted to tell the story but of course I can't). I enjoyed the movie though I got a little nauseous because of the 3d effect (my first time).



photo from http://www.yebamedia.com/despicable-me-2-minions-songs-ymca-gru-and-lucy-wedding-song-with-lyrics-video_df378a0af.html

Thanks for reading. Till then. Bye!