Hollys: Pecan Tarts, Tiramisu & Sweet Potato Frappes

For a long time now, a friend of mine wanted me to try this new coffee house out which she discovered in one of her random adventures. We never seem to find the time for our schedule to work out until today.

Hollys is one of the coffee shops that line Taft Avenue in Manila. It’s cozy and has a somewhat modern-retro vibe. I think the effect was accentuated by the numerous lamps that looked like orbs quoted in what seemed like frozen glass hanging from the ceiling like stalactites. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get pictures.

There’s a lot that’s different from this coffee shop than the usual. For one, instead of having your name written on the cup and having it called by the barista once ready, they have these UFO-like discs that are actually buzzers with digital number at the side, indicating how far you are in the queue. It vibrates and makes a sound once your order is ready for pick-up. This is not the first time though that I saw this device used in the food industry. That spot, at least as far as my experiences are concerned, belongs to Chatime, which I first tried while passing by their stall between Landmark and Glorietta.

In the coffee business however, this is probably the first of its kind - among others. 

Aside from offering free wi-fi service, for example, they do have free internet available complete with desks and computer units. It’s an internet café within a café.

Even the menu offers something quite different from what we usually see. For example, there is this Korean specialty – Sweet Potato Hollyccino. 

I wasn’t exactly floored by it but for uniqueness' sake, it's something new to the palate and probably needs a little getting used to.

The Pecan tart however, kind of swept me off my feet. You can never go wrong with nuts. I just love, love, love, I can go nuts without them. Wehehe!

The Tiramisu is ok. It's not bad, neither is it exciting. This despite having reduced it to almost nothing, as the bottom-most photo shows.

All in all I think some offerings require some tweaking. But I see that there’s still a lot on the menu we are yet to experience. 

The place’s cozy, relaxed atmosphere however, is something worth coming back to.

Till next time then :-)