San Francisco Coffee - Hot food and free wifi

There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but thankfully there�s free wifi. That�s probably one of the reasons for San Francisco Coffee�s renewed popularity. The caf� used to be located in Town Center, where Tony Roma�s is now. Unfortunately it didn�t last very long (aside from the stiff caf� competition in […]

Mrs. Fields Cookie Cafe and the Blog and Soul Movement Launch

I suppose I must be in denial. (See, even my admission is half-hearted!) I constantly declare that I�m not a sweet tooth� only I do love cookies, ice cream, and all manner of pastries and desserts. Well, alright, alright� maybe I am a sweet tooth.
Last night�s joint event�a preview of the second branch of Mrs. […]

Coffeaberry Blends - Cozy cafe in Pilar Village

While Pilar Village is also becoming highly commercialized, unlike BF, there are few comfort food places here. The most popular stores are car washes, water refilling stations, and laundries, which we take to mean that residents are having a tough time with water, though thankfully the water situation hasn�t gotten as bad as BF�s yet. […]

Dunkin’ Donuts - Still worth the trip

Dunkin’ Donuts and I go back a long way. Back when I used to live in my grandmother�s house in Manila, we (my sister, mom, and I, all students in UST at the time) would pass by one of the nearby branches on our way to or from school. My favorite doughnut, as you might […]

Go Nuts Donuts - That good ol’ doughnut store…

When I started writing this post on Go Nuts Donuts, I did a quick reconnaissance of similar articles already floating around the internet. I already expected the usual indignant comments about misplaced hysteria for something as simple as doughnuts. Recall, if you will, that when Go Nuts opened their doors around four years ago, they […]

Mrs. Beans: Both kinds of brew

Sorry, this establishment is no longer operating. :( They were supposed to transfer to a new location, though this has yet to be confirmed. We’ll keep you all posted.

A few years ago a friend and I went out for snacks at a café: I ordered a coffee drink, and he asked for a Coke. The […]

The Taj of Tagaytay - Indian cuisine with a view

Less than an hour ago, I was hot, sweaty, and sticky, getting crankier and crankier by the minute as we languished in that awkward state that’s not quite hot and cheerful summer, but not quite cold and wet tag-ulan. Now here I am, sitting at a pleasant balcony in a restaurant along the Tagaytay Ridge, […]

Diabetic Duo! Krispy Kreme and Cupcakes by Sonja

I have this running debate with myself as to whether Fort Boni (more properly, Bonifacio Global City) is in the South or not. For the most part, I feel that it is: after all, Taguig is south of Makati (one easy way to split Metro Manila is to go north or south of Makati, which […]

Xocolat - Great chocolate, great food

I just love a good panini. The feel of your teeth crunching against the hot lined crust and sinking into soft melted cheese and wholesome veggies is one of the greatest food sensations in my book. One of my greatest frustrations with places that serve panini, however, is that they’re often not grilled adequately, or […]

More Tagaytay Classics: Good Shepherd, Bag of Beans, and Ilog Maria

Nothing like a new perspective to shake things up a bit. Skipping out on a company outing somewhere in Batangas, my cohorts and I make a run for Tagaytay (I hope I don’t get anyone in trouble with that little revelation, hehehe). From the Star Tollway, we take the Sambat exit and make our way […]

Back to Bag of Beans

I feel like I’ve pretty much grown up with Bag of Beans. Years and years ago, perhaps even before the year 2000 (gee, can I actually use the phrase “at the turn of the century?”), we discovered the small shop that sold English pies and freshly baked bread by the side of the national highway […]

The Java Man cometh!

The Java Man not only cometh, it has arrived! After almost two months of eager anticipation, the BF branch opened its doors this week. My sister and I dropped by this weekend for a light dinner: a green salad for me, and chicken for her. I was thoroughly pleased to find the menu exactly the […]

Lanai Kapiteriya - Quiet moments amidst the busy mall

Yes, I’m a mall rat. I admit it. I go to the mall just to wander and hang around. In the days when I was still working in Alabang, I could be found every night wandering Alabang Town Center or Festival Mall. I rarely go to Southmall (bad traffic). Mostly I frequent Festival Mall, generally […]

Domo Coffee Express - Another new find in the South

Hidden somewhere out in the wide open expanses of Italia 500 at the end of BF Resort is a new commercial building with an equally new café. We checked out Domo Coffee Express this evening, alerted to its presence by a tarp banner near BF Resort’s gate (you see? Advertising works!).
 

Domo is very easy to […]

Coffeenista: More comments from the karaoke front

Here’s Nick’s take on Coffeenista. This time we came around for the food. Read the intro and my take on the place too. -ed
 

Coffeenista. Sounds like �Communista�. Or �Sandinista�. This coffee shop�s name makes one think it�s a meeting place for subversives in the south. It is, though, part of the club […]

Coffeenista: No need to “Cofeeoke”

This post on Coffeenista is another old relic we dug up from The TIC Blog. This was back in the days when we just went there to have some drinks; I also included another post with Nick’s take on the place, after we’d tried having dinner there as well. -ed

I am so not […]

Seinfeldian moments at Cafe Borough

Sorry, this establishment is no longer operating. :(

BF is a proper town. I like that I can go out on my mountain bike and get to the places I need to go to in a matter of minutes. We have groceries, small restos, churches for the major denominations, a seemingly inexhaustible supply of internet cafes, […]

BoNa Coffee - The cafe that feels like home

Move over Starbucks and Corporate Coffee. There’s a new player in the café market, and it’s become a fast favorite.

BoNa Coffee is a small café just off Elizalde Avenue. It’s located beside Cardinal Ceramics in the Banco Filipino Building. The interior of the café itself has around five or […]

Have a Caf� Francais Christmas

It�s Christmas! After the hectic weeks of jam-packed tiangges, pre-dawn Simbang Gabi masses, office parties, and malls stuffed with last minute Christmas shoppers, it�s time to relax, enjoy the season, and celebrate with loved ones.
While some of us are able to carry on the Christmas tradition of hosting large family gatherings at home, most […]

Snippety snip… Where to have breakfast after Simbang Gabi

Southbound is almost a month old! That’s a big deal when you’re just starting out (witness how new couples celebrate their “monthsaries”), and we’re just as excited about it as any lovestruck couple. So we’d like to introduce some new features to liven things up a bit.
First off, you’ve probably noticed that we do regular, […]