One of the pioneers of specialty coffee in the Philippines, Magnum Opus is home to barista champion, Jonathan Choi. What we like most about Magnum Opus is that feeling of comfort you get staying inside their shop; tucked away on top of a building inside a neighborhood village. And as a neighborhood cafe, it is always filled with regulars from the area. The intimate vibe is perfect for working alone or bringing a date.
The aesthetic of Ometesando Koffee is locked in with precise lines and sqaures, giving the coffee shop an organized and calculated vibe. You feel that the baristas are real technicians because every recipe is dialed in with basic questions about your desired sweetness and milk quality. Finally, their design aesthetic is also evident in their selection of equipment, such as this Kalita Wave in copper. Omotesando is clearly an espresso bar but their consideration for the quality of their pourover equipment also stands out. The best thing about Ometesando is that their branding matches the coffee, when you taste it you feel the excellence in preparation and the precision in brewing. It’s a holistic approach to both style and taste in all sense of the word.
Tucked away in an alley along Maginhawa Street, you’ll find a three story gem called Driftwood Coffee. It’s the first born of business and real life partners, Louise and Michael. They decided to pursue their passion for both coffee and baking by merging them into a cafe. Their goal is to build an informed community of regulars by educating costumers about specialty coffee and offering short course workshops such as sour-dough making and coffee cupping. There’s a lot going on in this cafe but we find their approach to food and drinks simple, straightforward, and easy to like. Definitely one of the best places in the metro to pair freshly baked sourdough bread with coffee, ideally something similar to this latte which had a tasting note that reminded us of dark chocolate coated blueberries.
Well respected as one of the standards for great coffees in our hometown of Manila is Yardstick Coffee. Most days, you can find them serving their signature Legazpi blend, named after the village they hail from. It’s a comforting cup of coffee, especially good when had in a milk beverage. When you walk in, you’ll notice that the cafe is often populated with some variation of the same group of regulars either having a discussion with friends, or hunkered down into a laptop. Yardstick is a great place for both. Open until 11pm, it’s an awesome place to wait out Metro Manila’s traffic.
When waffle cravings strike in Metro Manila, Yardstick is the go-to stop. This fried chicken and waffle, served with a beautiful maple butter is an excellent painting for the clean pour over black coffees on bar. The Ethiopia Kochere we had alongside was perfect on its own, and the pairing opened up the experience and made for a pretty delightful brunch.
