Cute Coffee Art at Kape Isla

Saturday nights are usually capped off with a favorite drink at a popular coffee joint (yes, that one). One night, we deviated from the norm and took a chance on a newish cafe  in the city called Kape Isla. Situated in a relatively obscure corner of Serendra, this little green coffee shop doubles as Echo Store, an organic shop that sells, well, organic stuff.

Coffee art!

We ordered our drinks and while waiting, we took a look around the shop which sells environment-friendly items (like bags made from recycled paper!). The entire place had a very eco-friendly feel to it, with its wooden furniture and green color theme. When our drinks arrived (in mugs instead of disposable cups), we were pleasantly surprised (and not to mention highly amused) that each one had a different "design".

Kape Capuccino (p85)

What's better was that the shop wasn't crowded at all on a weekend (I had gotten used to needing to wait in line to get plain coffee). This is possibly because from the outside, you really wouldn't know that it's a coffee shop until you take a closer look (I'm really glad we did).

Hot Chocolate (p85)

Also, we were expecting to spend more than usual because of the shop's location (Serendra isn't exactly known to be cheap). For a pretty decent-sized mug, they charge less than your average coffee shop. When you're in the area, try Kape Isla instead of the more crowded coffee shops. They serve reasonably priced coffee with very cute coffee art. Make sure to check out their environment-friendly goods while you're at it.

Kape Isla / Echo Store
Location: Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Contact info: (02) 901-3485
Other info: Kape Isla Website

Fantastic Food Finds at Mercato Centrale

Food markets have gained popularity recently, what with the success of long-running markets such as the weekend Legaspi and Salcedo markets in Makati, the widely known Ortigas night hangout, Banchetto, and the huge Sidcor Market in Quezon City.

The newest one to jump in on the bandwagon is Mercato Centrale at Bonifacio Global City. The market is open every Saturday starting at six in the morning until two in the afternoon. I had the chance to visit last weekend and had a very interesting nom-filled morning.

Mercato Centrale is divided into three sections- "Savory and Sweet", "Fresh, Organic and Healthy", and "Hot and Grilled". The first two tents are airconditioned while the last one is open, it also serves as the dining area. We started off with the "Savory and Sweet" tent where rows and rows of cakes, patries, and various sweets greeted us.

Azuki mochi (p70)

This is a mochi ice cream ball from Mochiko. A mochi is a Japanese dessert made from glutinous rice and molded into balls. They have an assortment of flavors but we chose the Azuki (red bean) one. Typical of Japanese nomz, the flavor is subtle and the serving is light. At 70 pesos a piece, the price is a bit steep for a little ice cream ball but this refreshing sweet treat is worth a try.

The "Fresh, Organic and Healthy" tent had booths that sell teas, organic rice grains, and milk. We got us some fresh cow's milk and some tea from Teaology for drinking while taking a look around. The third tent and final tent had the grilled nomz and the tables where you can eat. It was just in time for lunch so we parked ourselves on some chairs and enjoyed our nomfinds.

Piri Piri's Portugese chicken (p180), Offbeat's Ensaymada Burger (p180), Squidy Corner's Squid Calamari (p60), and Mad About Spuds Cheesy Potato (p40)

Making up our interesting lunch were some Piri Piri's authentic Portugese chicken (which was a tad too salty), Offbeat's Ensaymada Burger (which I talked about some time ago), Squidy Corner's Squid Calamari (that tasted like Ersao squid <3), and some potato balls from Mad About Spuds. I recently got wind of the news that Midnight Mercato has already started and it runs every Friday night until Saturday morning, 10pm-3am. I can't wait to go and try out the nomz this Friday!

Mercato Centrale
Location: 9th Avenue corner 30th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Contact Info: rache@diaz.ph
Other Info: Open at 6am-2pm, Saturdays; Official Website

Shiok Lah!

At Bonifacio Global City's Stop Over parking lot (the one beside Shell gasoline station) is a tiny restaurant with a brightly lit sign that reads Shiok. It caught my eye one night as I walking from the car to the nearby Yogurt Nation to get some fantastic ube yogurt. 

A dinky outdoor parking lot seemed to be an unusual place for a restaurant, most specially because a few steps away is a complex of eateries of all kinds. I then resolved to eat there when I had the chance to see what they had to offer. That chance came up last week after work when I was in the area looking for somewhere to eat and remembered this little place.

Shiok, it turns out, is a Singaporean-Chinese restaurant with a menu that caters to office yuppies around the area looking to have an affordable dinner somewhere close by before heading home. Skimming through the menu, I find out that the prices aren't as cheap as I was expecting for a tiny eatery in the middle of a parking lot. No matter, I wanted to try their nomz anyway.