Brewed Coffee, Sonia's Cupcakes

oops, missed taking a shot while the froth was still set

Nothing can be worse than a pastry or confectioner's shop serving bad coffee, or none at all. That's a fab detail Sonia didn't leave out. I wouldn't have dared having any of Sonia's delectable-looking cupcakes with their choice of toppings, had I not noticed the choices of coffee they had on their menu board. (Great job!)

So I tried their house brew. They serve Lavazza coffee and the blend and variant they served was just so good. The right strength and flavor to go with the sweetness of their specialty cupcakes. Great idea!  so got one teeny-tiny cupcake -- not the ones with butter icing *shudder* or whatever else they top most of the cupcakes with, but a cheesecake swirl (sorry, couldn't remember what it was called) to compliment my coffee. If you haven't tried the pastries or even visited the place, Sonia's Cupcakes is at Serendra, The Fort, Taguig. You'll have to burn all that sugar, might as well join the runners in that area after.

Philippine Mountain Coffee/The Charcoal Roasted Coffee

Tiendesitas is along C5 in Pasig

In the dining area of Tiendesitas, the sprawling split-level open-air shopping, leisure, dining center that boasts of local specialties, is a stall proudly selling brewed coffee and bags of coffee beans.  For their brew, they offer three variants sourced from different mountainous parts of the country:

1. Mild coffee from Malay-Balay, 
2. Medium-strength from Tagaytay
3. Strong from Kalinga 

I've tried both the Tagaytay and the Kalinga coffees, brewed on the spot with a drip-type coffeemaker, and served in a no-nonsense mug with matching ceramic jars for powdered creamer, brown sugar, and plastic stirrer. 

Although lacking in presentation and customer service, I thought the coffee can stand on its own -- each cup fresh, hot, and full-flavored.  Yet, in spite of the good beverage in front of me, I sat sipping forlornly in one of their upholstered metal garden-type sets, because it was a humid day, I was surrounded by pet stores and dogs "malling" with their proud owners, therefore sniffling with allergic rhinitis, and Tiendesitas' dining area was noisy (which is common). I suddently sort of longed for the lively banter and eye contact one could always count on from chirpy and expert baristas. I guess after sampling which coffee variant you'd like more, I'd say get a pack to go because this coffee is best brewed and enjoyed at home.