Philippines – Page 3

Feb 12, 2020 Manila Philippines

Flower Ranch

Destruction and romance, rough and soft, industrial and organic — these contrasting elements make Flower Ranch Cafe a uniquely beautiful space. Chipped cement walls, brick, repurposed wood and metal sitting against delicate blooms and soft pastel colors seem like they shouldn’t go well together but here you see that they do.

Flower Ranch is first and foremost a flower shop and has been around for quite some time now. They recently rebranded and redesigned the shop, adding a coffee bar to the mix. Customers who come to have floral arrangements done can now enjoy a cup of coffee while waiting. But anyone can also just come for the coffee and enjoy the charming space. Sounds like a perfect Valentine coffee run, don’t you think?
Though Flower Ranch does not have enough space to accommodate couples going on a date this Valentines Day, they will be busy selling beautiful blooms and coffee for take out.

Feb 04, 2020 Philippines

Cafe Dia

Everything is Korean except for the coffee. This is what we learned about Cafe Dia. The owner literally filled an entire container van with furniture, tableware, decorative articles, books, fixtures and a coffee roaster from Korea then shipped them to the Philippines to set up what we now find to be a very pleasant and inviting coffee shop in Angeles City, Pampanga.

And because Korea does not grow their own coffee, it makes more sense that they source their beans locally. They serve single origin Mt. Apo which they roast in-house. There is a section in the store where the whole roasting process takes place and it is easily visible to customers so anyone can actually take a peek into the process and see the roaster in action.

A bowl filled with lightly-roasted coffee beans.

A closeup shot of coffee beans in a glass bowl, in front of a latte serving as the background.

It is definitely an interesting experience walking into an undoubtedly Korean establishment (even their power sockets are of Korean standards) in Pampanga and drink a cup of Philippine coffee, which, by the way, they prepare quite well. It sends a positive message of merging cultures as they serve not only to Filipinos but to a good amount of Koreans and tourists.

A latte with a rosetta art sits in the foreground, with a desk and a chair serving as the backdrop.

Cafe Dia is in Angeles’ budding K-town area, right near the entry to Clark.

Feb 02, 2020 Philippines

Limbo

When you ask the bartender for something he’s proud of and he gives you a negroni, that’s a good sign.

A glass of negroni sits on top of a wooden table in the middle of a room fully-saturated by red light. The walls of the room are adorned with three paintings. Welcome to Limbo.

They describe themselves as a “Midnight Gallery and Bar,” and this is Limbo. On the night we visited, they had a display of fine art photography on display and some excellent DJ music (courtesy of @missbadkiss) to drive the vibe. Though the negroni definitely hit the spot, it’s also perfectly fine to enjoy the music, the art, and the company with something as simple as a bottle of local beer. It’s a bar that people seem to live in. And the staff act a little like you’re all just visitors in their living room. Case in point: a bartender was continuously playing rounds of cards with a guest at the bar. If that’s your speed, this bar is a must.

Find Limbo on General Luna in Makati Poblacion and follow @limbo.ph on Instagram.

Jan 29, 2020 Philippines

Realizing Coffee’s True Cost

We climbed a 60-65 degree mountain face last Monday. The trek was made with a team going to track our progress in a coffee origin project that I’m working on, something separate from what we’re doing at www.dailydrinkmag.com and HoneycombManila. This 60 degree climb went straight up for at least 70 feet, the way in to see one of the coffee growing areas that’s part of our project.

There’s definitely treasure at the end of the journey, though perhaps the hike itself was the most educational and interesting part of the entire trip. At some point when we were scaling that mountain face, a member of our party, Mark says to the person at the head of the climb line, “hey, you know if you fall, it’s just a snowball effect for all of us.” It was at this point when I looked down and realized that we were now about 40 feet from the nearest landing. Yikes.

Several times, we would be walking through sections of the rain-forest that had no real trail and it was a sort of Russian roulette as to whether or not you were actually gonna put your foot through the under-growth onto solid ground or some sort of hole or slippery mud. This was particularly concerning for me because for 70 percent of the hike, we were only about a meter from the edge on our left. This meant that picking a lot of these coffee cherries involves hanging out over drops to reach the branches with fruit on them. There’s no razed plantation of neatly and conveniently lined up coffee plants here. It’s bio-diverse, integrated into the rain-forest, and it is wild. In this environment, you are really existing under nature’s terms and that means that there’s real risk involved. I don’t think I really felt safe for any of it. And that’s really something to think about.

When you drink a cup of coffee — especially an ethically sourced, re-forestation, fully-organic, shade-grown one such as this coffee is — you don’t really realize that someone actually climbs up and down these dangerous paths, lugging kilo upon kilo of cherry every day. As my brother, Kiddo Cosio of El Union Coffee says, “People just look at a spreadsheet or a grading number and decide what a coffee is worth. But you have to remember that there’s a real person on the other end of that equation.” It’s something worth pondering that next time you have a great cup of coffee. It’s a particularly good thing to think on too, if you’re in the coffee industry as a green-buyer or roaster or cafe owner.

I think that we’ve been pretty lucky so far in our test harvest for the 2019-2020 season. We just started out, and the coffees are already very delicious. Even if you made your green-buying decision based on that spreadsheet or grading number, I think you’ll be very pleased. But more than ever, as someone who has always wanted to support farmers and producers who are doing great work, I find myself closer than ever the other end of that equation.

I hope that we can serve these people well, I hope we can build a positive future for the community we are working with, both financially and in terms of social impact. And I don’t imagine that that will be a walk in the park either. That itself may be a steep, uphill climb through wild terrain. May we find real value at the end of that journey as well. May our growth as a community always bio-diverse, symbiotic, integrated, organic, and — in it’s own beautiful way — wild.

Kayo Cosio
Editor in Chief, DailyDrinkMag.com

Jan 28, 2020 Philippines

Masa Bakery and Cafe

A cup of fragrant coffee and freshly baked bread — what could possibly be more comforting? Masa Bakery and Cafe in La Union is pleasing the senses and making customers feel right at home with their baked goods that remind you of childhood and growing up in the Philippines. They built on the idea of a friendly neighborhood panaderya (bakery) and improved it by not skimping on flavor, quality and preparation.

A shot of the predominantly-grey interior of Masa Cafe. One wall of the cafe (left side of photo) is made with the same smooth concrete as the cafe floor. The wooden bar can be seen near the center of the photo. A bicycle is parked beside it. Hanging plants and basket-wrapped lamps hang from the ceiling. Two people having a conversation serves as the foreground of the image.

A top shot of a basket with a selection of Masa Bakery's pastries. On the center of the basket is a small cactus in a pot, surrounded by four plates of varying sizes and colors. One each plate is a different kind of pastry. In between two of these plates is a glass filled with beverage.

Follow @masabybarefoot on Instagram.

Jan 23, 2020 Manila Philippines

Enzo Luna, Run Rabbit Run

Pulling up at a popular bar right after dinner has its benefits. For one, a bar like Makati Poblacion’s Run Rabit Run is usually packed in the evening. Arriving a little early at 8pm, we had the pleasure of chatting with the man at the bar: Enzo Luna.

Enzo is one of the city’s most personable bartenders, and that’s saying a lot. Since we had the opportunity to talk with him, we asked Enzo what his favorite thing to talk about with his guests is.

“Asking about their day is the most used opener,” says Luna. “And from there stems different interactions.” This is the key to both great conversation and great bar service: opening up discussions and listening.

“Mostly the ones I enjoy are knowing what they do as a career or hobbies they have… I get this feeling of wonder hearing stories from different paths and backgrounds. Especially if it’s from different industries.” He goes on to say that various people bring different points of view to the bar — and that’s OK. “People in business and banking to people in environmental protection. Basically, it’s knowing that everyone has their own experiences to share and learn from.”

Keep up the great work, Enzo!

Jan 18, 2020 Manila Philippines

Blind Pig

It’s been eight years since the first speak-easy cocktail bar concept opened up in Manila. Hidden in Legazpi Village is a bar called Blind Pig. Unlike many speak-easy bars, this one actually does have a sign, but it’s written in Braille. Go up to the door and knock.

The bar is dimly lit, and in the dark, you may miss some of the finer details of the space. Walls and ceilings are paneled with metal paneling. Lamps have hidden notecards inside of them. All of which tell a story that’ such longer than. Just eight years. You feel like the founders built a location that was “what they always wanted.” And perhaps that’s why. Little has changed here over time. It was already what they wanted it to be: a secluded and quiet spot in an office district where to sit for hours sipping straightforward, fine cocktails with friends. Sounds good to us.

Ordering off of the menu, we had “The Vision.” Gin, Cointreau, black sesame syrup, celery bitters, egg white, and a little bit of citric acid from a freshly squeezed lemon. From the menu description, it would appear that the recipe actually called for calamansi. But as the bartender explained, they always serve their ingredients fresh at Blind Pig. That means that a freshly squeezed lemon is a better option than batch-squeezed calamansi that was prepped before the start of the evening’s service.
The drink itself was delightfully complex. Balanced and creamy, with acidly hits peeping out from under the black sesame flavors and aromatics. It was also surprisingly strong. A drink that can give you an almost immediate buzz, especially if you’re visiting the bar before having dinner.

All in all, Blind Pig fits into that “oldie-but-goodie” category. Which is perfect. It’s for old-souls. It’s non-sensational. But really? It’s pretty darn sensational.a

Jan 16, 2020 Manila Philippines

Habitual Coffee

Habitual Coffee has been hard at work, raising the standard of specialty coffee in Manila. Over the years they’ve grown in experience, skill, and excellence in service. The owners have kept themselves very much involved in the process of building and expanding the brand from the very start.

Throwing back to 2015. It was a simple coffee bar in the front section of an interior design and lifestyle accessory store in the home depot area of Pasig. And though Habitual did have baristas, it was very much owner-run. Pictured here is Kaye Ong and her then boyfriend, TJ. Two of the brand’s three founders. The third is Raph Garcia, who is the partner who handles Habitual’s day to day business until today. Did we mention that this coffee bar was Aeropress-only? For those who have come to know and love the brand all these years later, know that the dream started like this. It’s very true to the fighting spirit of the Aeropress, that little brewer that could.

Today in 2020, Habitual has three branches. One in Quezon City, one in BGC, and the flagship store in Salcedo Village Makati. You can still order a pretty mean Aeropress brew.

Jan 15, 2020 Philippines

Evening Star at PDT HK

A PDT drink that you can’t get in New York. That’s what I was told when the bar manager recommended this beverage at PDT Hong Kong. Short for “Please Don’t Tell,” PDT New York was the tip of the spear for the speak easy and craft cocktail revolution that’s been running for the past decade. Many who visit for the first time are looking for that authentic PDT NY experience. So it’s interesting to get recommended a recipie that’s unique to Asia.

And what makes it so special? Apparently, it’s a sake — namely, the Senkin “Modern Muku” Junmai Daiginjo Sake — and a plum, which are difficult to acquire stateside. The drink also features a Belvedere Lake Bartezek Vodka, and the Yagi “Tsukigase no Umegenshu” Umeshu. It’s basically inspired by the Vesper, the drink that James Bond “designs” on the fly in Casino Royale, except with a plum and sake twist. The name “Evening Star” is actually the Latin translation of “Vesper.”

Just like a Vesper, it’s strong and packs quite an alcohol punch. The plum notes are very present, rounding out a traditionally aggressive drink, and you taste all of the elements in layers and in harmony.

Jan 12, 2020 Philippines

Clarified Piña Colada at The Shrine of Satisfaction

The piña colada is a staple for any respectable beach side bar. But a special bar deserves a special take on the classic, and this is exactly what La Union’s The Shrine of Satisfaction brings to the table with their Clarified Piña Colada. All the flavors you would expect are present: the rum, the cream of coconut, and — of course — the pineapple, but it appears that all of the ingredient have been through some sort of clarifying process in order to engineer a fully transparent cocktail. It also tastes tighter than a traditional Piña Colada, a traditionally long drink. What does it pair well with? The scent of the fresh sea breeze.

P.S. Also a must try is the Tanqueray Gin and Tonic.