Instagram and Tumblr got Still JavaJiving

Ah, the convenience of advancing technology and the new media. It's awesome on one hand, but on the other - it made posting my coffee pics and short reviews so easy, I just kept pressing the snooze button on this blog till I got such a pile-up of coffee experiences and photos I was planning to share.

I'm going to do a feature on the best ones (promise!), but in the meantime, I'll just let instagram (and tumblr), with my handful of followers, take the rap for my delinquency.

What I can do for now is share some snapshots that I first uploaded via those oh-so-easy sharing apps. Hang on for a bit, because I'll be a better java jiver. I have at least a couple of new coffee places I just can't wait to share with you, plus the rest of the pics that have piled up. Very soon.

Stackers in Eastwood Mall

Gourmet-to-Go inside Rustan's Fresh Supermarkets

Packaging helps a lot. A present from my friend,
from Siem Reap.

French Baker. I love the presentation and the brownie on the side.

RUB Ribs, no other pic, sorry.

Pancake House. Sometimes very strong, sometimes not.

Stacy's in Capitol Golf. Nice country/vintage-y place. 

Their chai tea is fabulous, and so's their coffee. Not bad at all.

Fleur De Lys, Tomas Morato, Q.C. Very strong brew.
You'll need all the powdered creamer that comes with it.

Brewed Coffee from Le Maison, Cebu City, Cebu.
Strong brew, lovely restaurant.

18 Days in Cash & Carry, Manila. More about this stall later.

Solaire Hotel. Hotels should ALWAYS have good coffee.

IHOP's refillable brew. Diner-ish.

Il Padrino in Robinson's Galleria. Very affordable for good coffee.

Good way to end a hearty meal. Batangas Brew
from Corazon, East Wing of Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong.

North Park. Yes, they have coffee. Already with milk,
served with simple syrup on the side.

MoMo, Eastwood Mall. Very strong, full-bodied,
almost cocoa-ish.

Chateau 1771. Sugar and cream needed, added,
and it's still that dark.

Sci-Fi Cafe. The experience of dining in the midst of
all those superheroes was better.

Soy Gingerbread latte, my first Starbucks Holiday2013 coffee.
Nutmeg powder beat the coffee into my mouth. 

Organic Pour-over Coffee at Wild Flour, the Podium Mall

Finally, Wild Flour opened somewhere a bit closer to where I live. It's easy to spot - right next to the ground floor escalators, where Cafe (Deli) France used to be.

A bit small, if you ask me, considering how the Wild Flour restaurant in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, is always packed (each time I pass it).

The good thing is that the place is so fabulously decorated, it doesn't feel cramped. More like cozy. You won't hear what the people next table are saying, and you won't have servers' elbows hitting you as they whizz by. A bottle of cold water gets regularly replaced, so you won't feel like they're rushing you to make room for the next batch of customers. That was great because I was there with a good friend and we had lots of catching up to do.

It was bustling with a quick turnover of customers from 4pm onward. Fortunately, we scored a table for two inside. We shared a grilled gruyere cheese sandwich which came with an arugula salad on the side, and we also each got a glass of merlot. Fab and light and perfect for our overloaded list of topics for the day *happy sigh*

Now for the coffee. My friend, who was coffee'd out for the day, got a decaf, and upon her recommendation, I ordered one of their pour-overs, the Organic brew.

Okay, I don't know if the barista actually poured the hot water over the freshly-ground coffee beans (hence the name, right?), but the coffee was served in a tall stainless steel (or silver?) french press. One order had enough for a refill, which I loved! Just to add a bit of sweetness, my friend and I shared a large chocolate chip cookie.

The coffee was very good: just the right strength and color. I almost always take my coffee with a splash of creamer, milk, or soya, but after a sip, I thought it could do with just a drop for color (to trick my mind, haha). I loved the place, the experience, the food, the wine, and the coffee. Another visit is absolutely called for. Now I have a new favorite place.

All about coffee... and tea ;-) A huge coffee machine sits on a place of honor on the beverage prep bar.

Leading to the stairs. Unfortunately, no 2nd floor
for more diners; just a stock room.

A lot of wall art on coffee even if they have
quite a selection of wines lining up the walls, too.

I asked the barista what coffee he used.
He presented me with this pack to photograph.

More to come!

Here's to another year of coffee loving and java jiving. Praying and wishing for more and better times to stop a bit, take stock of what's happened and what's to come, what could've gone better and what more can be done, and just being grateful for being alive (and for coffee)!

Vietnamese Coffee,
Cocktales in Trinoma Mall (same floor as Topshop/Topman)

Exotic coffee, pressed in Fred's Revoluccion Bar (CubaoX)

Barako/House Brew at KKK (Mega Mall/MOA)

PS Cafe, Paragon Mall, Orchard Rd., Singapore

Ya Kun Kaya Toast Kopi C, Takashimaya, Orchard Road, Singapore

Brewed Coffee, Mom & Tina's, Regis, Katipunan Rd.  

Toast Box Kopi, Greenbelt 5/Trinoma Mall

Brewed Coffee, Dulcinea

Brewed Coffee, a stall in Universal Studios Theme Park, Sentosa, Singapore

Brewed Coffee, Fely J's, Greenbelt 5

Brewed Coffee, UNO, Scout Fuentabella near cr. Tomas Morato, Q.C.

Americano, Marco Polo Hong Kong, Canton Road, Kowloon, HK

Brewed Coffee, Mandarin Hotel, Manila

Kopi, Orchard Road (restaurant), Mega Mall

Grande Reserve Malongo Coffee at Borough

Borough is a restaurant we've always planned on trying out. I believe it's been around for a couple of years, tucked into a corner of the Podium Mall's ground floor. You'd have to seek it out. In the evenings, though, its side door invites late night urban crawlers (or call center peeps, which I guess the side door, open long after the mall closes, was designed for) to unwind or have a one-for-the-road drink if not something warm to prepare for a long drive home. We haven't been going to that particular mall a lot the past months, so we just never got around to doing it.

So I had this opportunity to check it out when an assigned interview was held there the last weekend before Christmas. Since we were set-up in the closed-off 2nd level section of the restaurant (off-peak afternoon hours), I just had to content myself with enjoying the warm interiors, especially the dark green walls filled with framed pictures of anything and everything (I didn't have time to figure out if there was a theme, if it was all about NYC, since it was called Borough, something I associate with the state), and..

... a cup of coffee, and thought to myself that I would try out the food if I was still there close to dinner.

Loved the coffee selection and the coffee did not disappoint. I've heard good and bad reviews of this place, but based on the coffee, which was true to what was promised in the menu, I'm excited to go back and try out their food and more of the coffees in their menu. 

I needed to get out of Ortigas Center before the Holiday rush traffic got really bad, so the food taste test will happen on my next visit, which is all set for the 2nd week of January. Looking forward!

Americano at Cafe del Sol, Boracay

After that amazing omelet and great coffee find at Real Coffee, we had just a few hours left before flying out of Boracay, our white sunny, white sand, clear sea haven for the last 3 days. I thought I was done with coffee, but after all the shopping and sunbathing there was just this one more stop I wanted to make. Cafe del Sol. We'd passed that conveniently-located cafe so many times, whiffing the inviting aroma along the way, it would be a shame to not even have a taste of their coffee.

Although all the pastries looked so delectable, I could still feel my breakfast, so I opted to pass. What could they have that I couldn't get in Manila, anyway?

So coffee it was going to be, and coffee it was... I ordered an Americano, thinking I could sit outside and bask in the sunshine one last time, but all the tables were filled, so I plopped down the comfy two-seater couch at this one and only table inside the place to take a breather before heading back to the resort for a quick nap before packing up.

I ordered an Americano to-go, just in case we didn't find a seat.

My coffee, creamed-up.

While not the best I've tasted while on this particular vacation, their coffee had the right strength, flavor, and temp. I liked it enough to linger and enjoy, Ok, those are three sharp moves this place has made, and it's no wonder they're a hit in station 2.  Too bad I was leaving soon after.  I love Boracay, and I'm glad Cafe del Sol does, too *wink*