Akiba Cafe

Have you heard of the name lately? Yes, it sounds new to me as well and I was pretty much surprised when I saw the exact location of this shop which is just at the heart of SM Megamall Bldg. A 2nd floor. You might notice that I'm glued to Megamall lately, I guess I'm becoming practical on places I go especially if it's near my home and work place. 

Anyways, this oriental cafe was established in 2011 and currently, this is the first and only branch they serve. They do have limited seats but is eye-catchy to passersby considering that it is open-spaced. Curiosity led me to search what Akiba meant so here's what I got:

Akiba-kei or Akiba-chan is a Japanese slang term similar in meaning to otaku. Akiba-kei literally means "Akihabara style," referring to a district in Tokyo filled with stores selling electronics, manga, anime merchandise, and other products designed to appeal to the otaku subculture.

It sounds odd to me but looking at this cafe is not weird at all so I think it's worth a try. I was accompanied by my colleague that day (who also happens to be my tag partner on the iButterfly event where I won this GC), and we have no idea of what to order that time. The staff gave us a brief introduction of their menu, seems like he really knew the product so well. It was kinda warm in Manila that day so we tried the Iced Kohi drinks. 

This glass display of cakes is so inviting you to give into your sweet tooth. The banoffee pie looks good and it's overflowing for the price Php85 only. (Sad to say but I did pass that day)

This one below is quite pricey and looks too sweet because of the icing? Are those lines Hello Kitty whiskers? ^^

So here's what we got. We chose Iced Macadamia and Iced Mochaccino. Tood bad, they ran out of whipped cream so it's just purely iced coffee. 

The glass is so tall that it made me finish it for more than 30 minutes. It's good that even if it's an iced coffee, it wasn't that cold at the bottom so I didn't get brain-freeze. The coffee was just about right, doesn't have a strong aroma and neither chocolatey. I'd probably enjoy it more if it was creamier. I heard that their Triffle teas are commonly known so I still look forward to trying them one of these days. 

They really have a friendly staff to take a pose for me. Even the guy who took our order is full of good vibes.

This is a nice place to hang out with friends and taste the desserts so I hope they can find a cozier and bigger place in the mall. Somewhere a little bit private, I guess. Their drinks aren't that expensive either so it's highly recommended to try. 

Sharing my IG photo. ^^

Much Love,

OneGutyMom

One Sunday at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

Mom and I usually take late lunches whenever we're out to the mall but we were still full at this hour so we decided to just settle for something cold and sweet. I suddenly thought of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf which is just within the Atrium area. Two reasons that made me decide - it is not crowded so sure seats are available for a quick rest and I'm always in love with their ambiance. This is truly one of my favorite coffee spots. Also, I am particular on shops I visit when I'm with my little one as I don't want to stress her with a big group of strangers. She has this tendency to freak out when faces close to her don't seem familiar.

So there, we ordered White Chocolate Dream and Pure Chocolate ice blended drinks. I also added Tomato and Herb Linguine and Chocolate Fudge Cake on the side. Notice that they do have a variety of cheesecakes.

I admire coffee shops with neat counters. I easily get turned off with disorganized ones.

A pleasant smile should be natural in this area. 

1963 is when Coffee Bean started to give their customers the best coffee and tea available.

Mom was just 6 years old by then.

Here is where the waiting game starts. The staff is courteous enough though to serve our orders to our table. I forgot to read what those laptop locks are for.

  

Espresso machine. One touch, one perfect cup.

Who doesn't want to have this at home? 

Pasta al dente. I always welcome herbs and fresh tomatoes in my pasta.  

This guiltless Chocolate Fudge is best when re-heated so you can feel the moist.

Not a cheat day for me. 

I am now refreshed. This is also my first time to see my daughter enjoy sipping a drink, she tried the White Choco Dream. Looks like it's time for sippy cups. 

  

Hope you had a joyful Sunday!

Much Love,

OneGutsyMom

Foodspotting: Cafe Amadeo

I decided to load up some caffeine after work yesterday. My body only felt the stress a day after all my deadlines have been delivered. Sort of an aftershock or could also be a delayed reaction. I didn't opt to go somewhere far from the office as I really want to make use of my time to have a good rest. I then realized there's a coffee shop just outside the building of California Gardens. What a relief!

Once you've entered the shop, you would immediately notice the strong aroma of their coffee. The shop is exactly called as "Ala Eh! Cafe Amadeo", meaning the shop probably originated from Batangas (from the expression Ala eh), a place commonly known in coffee industry.

Funny but when I went to the counter, I first asked if there's milk tea available. See, I'm really weird. I settled for Hazelnut frappe though. For the price of Php110, similar to an almost venti size in Starbucks, that's way better right? Although it was kind of disappointing because my frappe lacks sweetness, I was even waiting for this bitter aftertaste in my mouth but there was nothing. I've been there for several times and it was OK before so maybe the barista wasn't in the mood when I had my hazelnut. I wanted to try their pastries too but there's nothing displayed.

Anyway, the best thing is that I don't need to take a cab going home. I should even be grateful that we have shops like these in our place. Some are dying to have them. If there's one thing remarkable in Cafe Amadeo, that would be their ceiling with good lights. Overall, I'll rate them 2 out of 5.

Ala Eh! Cafe Amadeo
California Garden Square, Libertad St.,
Mandaluyong City