Alain's Exploits: The Tea Republic

Waiting is a tedious task. It's unproductive and mind-numbingly boring. I've never been a fan of waiting (just ask Anne) so when I  went to an interview, I went very early. I was presented with the problem of how to ease my mind while waiting for the set schedule. Then just like a lightbulb lighting up in old cartoons, I was presented with a counter-action plan of my own: Eat!

I was quite lucky since I was waiting at the Enterprise Bldg Tower 2 in Makati, which is home to several  cafes and restos. I spotted The Tea Republic, a place I rarely go to.

*Looks at lower right* Perfect!

The place itself is cozy. The lighting and the decor matches the furnitures, the wall and the floor. The chairs are comfortable and the place is airconditioned. There is WiFi if you have a WiFi capable device (smartphones, tablets, netbooks, notebooks, etc). If you're waiting for your date, this place will be your Nirvana.

Classy Almost.. foreign.

This was early in the morning (around 8AM) so I opted for their breakfast sets. Being in Makati, which is probably the biggest business center in the Philippines and where a lot of foreigners are, I tried some of the American Breakfast meal. It is made up of waffles, bacon and egg. I partnered that with iced tea (not American but still foreign).

If you weren't hungry before, you're hungry now.

It's no wonder this combo is very popular in the US and in many restaurants pretending to be from the US. The combination itself is excellent. The sweet sweet fat from the bacon compliments the egg's taste and coupled with the oil absorbing properties of the waffles, you enjoy the trio with no problem.

This is probably also because the bacon and waffles they used were of top quality. I'm a fan of bacon and I'm not afraid to admit it. Anne doesn't like me liking it but I do and I know when a bacon is very good or very cheap. The waffles had a slightly sweet taste which you can enhance with the honey, although, overdosing it with honey is not recommended because it will taste weird (I tried it).

A close up: Are you hungry now?

I have to say this is the best American breakfast I've tasted EVER.

Ratings:

Place: 4.5/5

Food: 5/5

Drink: 4/5

Another Japanese Dinner @Tokyo Cafe

Iced Chocolano @Tokyo Cafe

We got stuck in Megamall as the car was coding that day. Bored, tired and dizzy... hypoglycemic perhaps, we decided to check out Tokyo Cafe. We had enjoyed their pizza there, but the last time we ate in their SM north branch was perhaps a year ago. It can be noted that there had been new additions to their menu and thus we decided to check out their Omurice. It's obviously a rice dish with a chicken ala pobre, topped with scrambled egg. Apart from that, we also had his favorite chicken trio, which is basically 3 pieces of fried chicken with fries, and for our drinks, Iced Chocolano, which they've recommended as their best tasting choco-coffee based drink.

Omurice @Tokyo Cafe

Chiken Trio @Tokyo Cafe

Location: Tokyo Cafe, SM Megamall

Food Ordered: Omurice, Chicken Trio, and Iced Chocolano

Cost: Omurice-P140; Chicken Trio-P210; Iced Chocolano-P133

Can't wait to feed my hungry tummy...

She says...

The cafe still has the same ambiance. I like their couch. It was really comfy. The staff were also courteous and attentive. Waiting time though was quite long, about 20 minutes but their free wifi internet access made waiting slightly more pleasant. For the food itself, the omurice was really tasty.The garlicky sauce blended well with the scrambled egg. Their fried chicken does not have any remarkable taste. Just your usual breaded fried chicken. However, I really like how crispy it is. The meat was juicy, but I did not notice any oil dripping out of it as I take on the meat. That's perhaps what made me appreciate their chicken. As for the iced chocolano, it looked lovely. The whipped cream on top was very sweet, but it did blend in with the slightly bitter choco-coffee drink. If you want the drink to be sweeter, a syrup was served alongside. adding a drizzle gave the drink a boost in flavor.

She rates: Omurice-5/5, Chicken Trio-4/5, Iced Chocolano-3.5/5

He says..

I first saw this shop at SM North-EDSA and as with all food stories go, we got curious and hungry. We were very happy with the food.

Sometimes, though, different branches of the same franchise produce different taste even tough they have the same menu so we thought Why not try the SM Megamall branch of this the great food store? I'm glad to report that this is not the case here. Their taste is the same for both branches.

The chicken tastes as juicy and soft as ever and the Omu rice, to my surprise, was even more delicious than the Omu rice from my other favorite Japanese restaurant. The same goes for their Iced Chocolano. I like the part that they give you a separate container for the syrup so you can control how sweet your chocolano is gonna be.

He rates: Omurice-5/5, Chicken Trio-5/5, Iced Chocolano-4.5/5

Afternoon Coffee at CW Lifestyle Cafe

It was a rainy afternoon when we dropped by at One E-com Center in Mall of Asia. After conducting our business there, we were set out to go home but with the heavy rain and no umbrella on hand, getting wet was not a very good option. Thus we decided to drop by at the CW Lifestyle Cafe since it's been a while that we've just been walking passed this shop when we visit this One E-Com.

The ambience was nice. It was quiet and cozy with very comfy chairs. The man behind the counter was warm and friendly.

We ordered a slice of Belgian Chocolate Cake, a slice of San Francisco Cheesecake, a cup of hot latte macchiato for her, and a glass of iced cafe mocha (one of their best sellers)for him.

latte macchiato @CW Lifestyle Cafe

Location: CW Lifestyle Cafe @One E-com Center, MOA

Food Ordered: San Francisco Cheesecake, Belgian Chocolate Cake, Latte Macchiato, Iced Mocha

Cost: Cakes:P80-P100, Coffee: P80-P100

She says...

The chocolate cake looked yummy. The icing was thick, however the cake itself was rough and dry. When it comes to chocolate cakes I always like it moist. As for the San Francisco Cheesecake, it was good, although it did not bear any significant taste that would differentiate it from a New York Cheesecake. The coffee, however, was not remarkable. It didn't have the strong macchiato flavor. It was watered down milk and coffee combo. Thanks to the two packets of brown sugar that somehow helped add taste to the coffee. Did I just order the wrong coffee? Not really sure, but a sip from his iced cafe mocha tells me that this just ain't the coffee shop that suits my taste buds.

She rates: 2.5/5.

He says...

I guess it's no surprise that this cafe only exists in one place. Their items aren't really that remarkable. Their iced cafe mocha had no signature taste. It tasted and even looked like the iced cafe mocha that I usually order at a certain bread store that recently changed its name.

Their cakes were moist but the flavor was lacking. I (my taste buds) had fond memories of the phrase "Belgian chocolate" but this cafe certainly ruined that with their Belgian chocolate cake. I also had a taste of their San francisco cheesecake and it was a bit sour. Scary.

The place was comfy enough though. They even provide a free WiFi if you purchase beyond PhP 150 which is not bad. At least it wasn't crowded like all the other more popular coffee shops out there. They're reasonably priced too.

He rates: 3.5/5

Over-all Rating: 3/5