interior – Page 2

Aug 07, 2019 Taiwan

East End

East End is a proper lounge hidden inside Hotel Proverbs, situated in a fancy part of town in Taipei. It’s dripping with cozy vibes, making it an excellent bar for an intimate night out.

There’s a minimum order, so expect to drop a pretty penny. The aesthetic of the bar is refined and spacious and their choice of furniture is fitting for a fancy hotel bar, with underlit counters, silver-plated walls, copper-fitted lamps, and a well-lit back bar wall, resulting in an overall classically sleek look. It’s a highly-rated place, with the collaborative minds of big names in the cocktail industry curating the overall concept, including Nick Wu of Bar Mood in Taipei and Hidetsugu Ueno of Bar High Five in Tokyo. By focusing on service and luxury paired with an outstanding sense of design, they’ve both managed to make East End a familiar name in different top bar lists in Taipei and around Asia.

Follow @eastendbar on Instagram.

Aug 05, 2019 Manila Philippines

Narrative

Cafes that heavily focus on slow brewing are not so common. The urban lifestyle is typically fast-paced, so it’s natural that coffee shops be compelled to match that speed. All the more reason to admire Narrative Coffee Company and their efforts to create a space where guests are unhurried and able to savor conversations.

Since day one, they’ve successfully been operating as a slow bar, brewing every drink thoughtfully by hand. Even if though they recently acquired an espresso machine, they make sure to provide customers with the same experience. Having this set up in the lobby of an office building in of one of the busiest parts of Manila allows for people—mostly professionals and corporate workers—to push the pause button, take a breath, and enjoy a moment before jumping back into the grind.

It is a brave move and an excellent culture that we believe should spread.

Follow @narrativecoffeeph on Instagram.

Aug 04, 2019 Taiwan

The Tender Land

The Tender Land in Taipei has an incredibly unique and peaceful lounge vibe with modern interiors, the majority of their seating stretched along the wide bar. It’s the type of place other bartenders frequent to get drinks after their own shifts because it closes at a later time compared to most bars in the city. Even deep into the night the train keeps running and they stay on track, serving drink after precise drink.

Tender Land is a very quiet bar (a plus since it’s situated in a residential area) making it the perfect spot to wind down and end your day with a proper nightcap. It’s a haven for everyone who knows about it, whether they’re in the beverage industry or not. They also have incredible food inspired by Taiwanese dishes, and like most serious cocktail bars in the country, their respect for the local culture is evident in both the style of service and choice of ingredients. Before you know it, it’ll be 5 a.m. and you couldn’t be happier about it.

Hanging from a carefully designed meat hook hanger system, The Tender Land’s library of liquor and spirits is a beautiful centerpiece to this brutally and beautifully minimalist cocktail bar. Also incredible is the small plates of traditional Taiwanese snacks, such as sesame noodles that you can order with your fine cocktail. And it’s awesomely open until the wee hours of the Taipei morning.

Follow @thetenderland_taipei on Instagram.

Aug 02, 2019 Vietnam

L’usine Dong Khoi

Through a Vietnamese alleyway and up a staircase, L’Usine in Dong Khoi is hidden in plain sight. It’s on the second floor of a building directly across the Saigon Municipal Opera House. This is a historical part of town, where international news reporters were based during the Vietnam War (sometimes called the American War locally). L’Usine’s big arched windows in the front allow natural light to pour through onto the retail section of the cafe, and a window added into the ceiling of the coffee bar section in the back allows light and air to course through as well. There’s also a beautiful mural behind the bar which reinforces how style-forward the entire space is. Despite being very much frequented by expats, their retail section and bar menu are quintessentially Vietnamese. Much of their retail items are locally made and a majority of their coffee are classic Vietnamese styles like dark roasted coffee with condensed milk. It’s a taste of Vietnam’s history in a stylish setting.

Jun 27, 2019 Philippines

The Giving Cafe

The Giving Cafe has a focus on storytelling. The interior features hints of the family’s business origins, like the abaca ropes on the ceiling. They started out as one of the few abaca rope manufacturers in the Philippines before growing to become one of the biggest coffee companies in the country. Another way they are starting true to their roots is the food menu, which mirrors a classic Chinese tea house, serving up dishes like fried rice and lemon chicken.

If you want a bang for your buck, TGC’s tasting flight is quite a bargain. It’s basically three pour overs for the price of two. The cafe is also a smart way to learn about different coffees. Baristas here are well trained, with roaster Adrian Vocalan being a National Latte Art Champion, and owner Michael Harris Conlin recently awarded as the 2019 Philippine Barista Champion.

This is probably the only place you can get food like Taiwanese fried chicken along with a shot of espresso in Manila. The Giving Cafe’s meals are mostly comprised of comfort food. Eating here is something we always look forward to, mainly because of how the food pairs with the complex flavors of their coffee. We always try a different meal every time we visit and it never disappoints. On the right is their lu rou fan with Taiwanese fried chicken—it’s a crowd favorite and at 300 pesos you definitely get your money’s worth. (Just look at the serving size, the meat doesn’t even fit in the bowl!). Next is the salt and pepper spareribs, a rice-bowl that balances nicely with the sweet and fruity note of their espresso and the salty flavor of the ribs. It’s a surprisingly good combination. Since their espresso offerings vary in taste, it’s always a good idea to ask the well-informed staff about what food best pairs with which coffee.

Jun 16, 2019 Taiwan

Congrats Café

Tucked away on a quiet Taipei side street is this beautiful cafe with a very simple concept: we serve coffee. No bells or whistles and barely a chair to be found, the barista and owner made very consistently delicious drinks in either their La Marzocco Linea or via hand-brewed pour overs. An interesting observation we made is that the barista was not using a scale for the pour overs. “I know this coffee,” she said when asked why. “I will make 40 more cups just like this this afternoon.” The brews were indeed perfect. This is a great place to come to even if you are alone. People who visit this cafe are as friendly as the staff is, so have a chat with them!

Sandwiched between city buildings, you’ll find Congrats Cafe on the second floor of a brick building that looks like it’s almost falling apart but it’s so much of the charm of what makes Congrats Cafe a truck hidden gem. The hand painted gold signage on the glass and vintage furniture that’s seemingly piled up all around the shop send a very clear message. It’s offbeat but it’s welcoming and warm — which is unusual. Often times, eccentric concepts just come across as strange, but the way that they pull the experience together by embracing the vintage nature of their surrounding architecture and expanding on it into the food and beverage service makes for a comfortable vibe.

We really like how the interiors connect seemlessly with the culture of the baristas. How they make their coffee, and how they talk to all sorts of people.You’ll also end up meeting all sorts of people too. When you go in and out of this door, you’ll feel like you can spend the whole day here. And that’s something really special.

The only thing missing from this photo is the immensely comforting aroma of freshly ground and brewed coffee. In Congrats, every cup is made individually, adding that extra personal touch to an already very personal — though still very welcoming — space. Striking an excellent balance between inconsistent furniture and seating sets, the cafe feels both like a home and like a coffee shop. It’s the sitting room you always dreamed of, with the cup of coffee you always crave.

Jun 13, 2019 Singapore

The Glasshouse

Entering the Glasshouse, you are immediately taken by the intelligent use and selection of furniture pieces and indoor plants. It is indeed beautiful, managing to have a thematic concept without being at all gimmicky. The beverages were excellent. As a multi-roaster concept, they are able to serve coffees from some of Singapore’s finest roasters such as Nylon and Common Man Coffee Roasters. Have two or three espressos, or maybe a longer drink that you can enjoy with a book and the beautiful, natural sunlight streaming in and reflecting off of the clean wooden floorboards.

Immediately after walking into this cafe, at the Chijmes complex in Singapore, its beauty strikes you as Instagram worthy. (It’s 2019 after all, we all think this way now.) The natural light that floods through their large windows speaks to the coffee being served, which also has a bright and fruity flavor. All of it combines to lighten your mood. Their multi-roaster concept, where they source coffee from different roasters across the country, frees up their focus, allowing the team to focus on serving high quality food and drinks. Their food is mostly snacks that pair with coffee, like open face toasts and pastries. And they offer dairy alternatives like oat milk, which are important to lactose intolerant folks and vegans alike. All in all, Glasshouse gives you a holistic experience and is a great place to start your day right.

May 31, 2019 Vietnam

Klasik Coffee Roasters

There’s a lot about specialty coffee that can be confusing. It takes an understanding of different tools, origins, and the identity of flavor notes. What we like about Klasik Coffee is that the baristas are super open and friendly, offering a deeper relationship with the cafe. For them, it isn’t just about serving a cup of coffee. It’s about helping us to understand the preparation process, where the coffees come from, and ultimately why they taste so good; that final point being a key detail too often left out.

May 24, 2019 Philippines

Cartel Coffee Deli

Fans of Cartel Coffee Deli, rejoice. What started as a single deli with a coffee bar in Salcedo Village now has a second location. Just across a main strip in Makati, this new Legaspi Village branch features a slightly different menu and vibe, but should still appeal to longtime customers. Salcedo is full of rough, unfinished surfaces and painted in orange and black, while Legaspi is purple and white with smooth wood finishing. Yardstick Coffee will continue to handle the coffee bar duties, and they still carry high end, specialty groceries—so you can be sure to expect the same standards of quality at both.

May 14, 2019 Philippines

El Union Coffee

Dreams do come true. When people dream about opening a coffee shop someday, those fantasies usually involve a tropical paradise, an easy going crew, and — if you dream a little bigger — a global, cult following. This fantasy is a daily reality for the free sprited people of El Union Coffee of San Juan, La Union. Known as “Surf Town, LU” in the Philippines, there’s a whole different vibe in this coffee shop. People often enjoy conversations, making new friends. And this is why El Union has become the purveyor of La Union’s now famous surftown vibe. As one of the pioneering shops in a recent boom for the area, they created and influenced a community of adventurous and simultaneously easy going people. Visit them on weekdays so you can enjoy your cup and apprieciate their interior better. Visit on weekends to enjoy the rush and buzz of the crowds flocking in for that must-photograph “Dirty White.”

Breakfast is an exciting time in the surf town of San Juan, La Union. One of our go-to spots is El Union Coffee, where they serve a number of our childhood favorites. Buttery grilled cheese, sweet s’mores, fluffy pancakes, and waffles that are pretty close to perfect. These pancakes are paired well with their cafe mocha. Or for a cold drink option, go for their own version of horchata. Grab brunch after a sunrise surf session and enjoy a conversation with their friendly surfer baristas.