Have at you!

I’m a big coffee person. I seriously am. Lately, I’ve learned to appreciate drinking it without milk, cream and/or sugar, but there are still times when I enjoy it with them. It’s not a big surprise then that coffee shops are one of the places I love hanging out at. It doesn’t matter if it’s a big coffee chain or a small independent café. As long as it has a relaxing ambiance and offers a list of good drinks and desserts, then I’m satisfied. 🙂

When my family and I finished our Sunday dinner and decided to grab some coffee afterwards, I was so excited! We went to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s  branch at the Shangri-La Mall’s East Wing. Upon entering the place, we went straight to the counter to order our drinks and desserts. That was how we did it in all the other CBTL places we’ve been to anyway. We were surprised when we were informed that the servers will be getting our orders at our table and will be serving the food to us. No self-service thingy. That’s the only time I realized that we entered The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s 26th St. Bistro and that a place like that actually existed!

I loved their menu cover! It reminded me so much of those pretty photos I see whenever I browse other food blogs.

I wish I could eventually improve my photography skills and take nice-looking ones like these.

Anyway, on with the food!

One of the main reasons why my Dad has never complained whenever I tell them that we should visit The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf was because they have this cake on the menu: the Guiltless Chocolate Cake (Php135.00 per slice). This yummy cake is made with the use of Splenda, so it was a friendly choice for Dad. Even my non-diabetic friends like this too! 

Dad also wanted to have a bit of salad, so he ordered a serving of Salmon Fishcakes and Green Salad (Php345.00). We requested for the vinaigrette to be served on the side, just so that if it was sweet, Dad would still be able to eat the greens.  It was good that Dad was able to enjoy the salad, because he ended up disliking the tomatoes and the fishcakes. He said that they were too fishy. He also said that he felt like eating canned fish meat which went straight into the fryer after being covered in a bit of breading. Nothing was special about it.

While my Dad decided to go with the “healthier” alternatives, I thought of getting something to make up for my disappointing dinner. My first thought was to try the Rum Caramel with Toasted Pecan Pancakes, but then Mom said she wanted me to split whatever I was going to have with her. I know my Mom’s aversion to anything remotely alcoholic (even if it’s just in the name of the food), so I ditched the idea and went with something safer and more common. The photo above shows the Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes (Php225.00), which I ended up ordering. There were a lot of chocolate chips in it and it wasn’t very sweet either.  Two thumbs up! 

Prior to ordering these, I was honestly a bit hesitant because most restaurants in Manila have this strange habit of serving really, really thin pancakes. Yes, this includes restaurants who claim that pancakes are their specialty (How frustrating is that?!). I was really happy when the CBTL Bistro staff served this beauty to us and that it was really good enough for sharing (2 to 3 persons, in my opinion)! By the way, each order of pancakes already includes a 12-ounce cup of coffee or tea (your choice!).

My brother and sister-in-law shared a serving of the Toblerone with Salted Caramel Pancakes (Php235.00). I think from the looks of it, they really enjoyed this one too. I was able to try a bit of the syrup and it was good. I wouldn’t mind ordering this for myself. 🙂

If I’m not mistaken, the first CBTL Bistro is located at the ground floor of the Net Lima Building in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. It’s at the intersection of the 4th avenue and the  26th Street. I haven’t been there before, but I’ve read and heard news that it’s a beautiful place. Something I should keep in mind for the time when I find myself in the South. 🙂