Noriter: 'Kitchie Nadal' Meets Coffee Shop

The morning after Hollys, I was again talked into having coffee (and to have my brunch at the same time) in another coffee shop that incidentally has Korean roots too – Noriter.

Noriter, I learned, is Korean for “playground”. And true to its name, the place smacks of everything childish - from toys, art works, even graffiti.

There’s no Korean food here though. And it’s not a place where you can indulge in good food either, as their offerings lack that certain quality.

For what it’s worth however, it’s the one place you can really feel relaxed and chat the time away with friends. So relaxed you can take your shoes off and sit on the elevated wooden floor as they have designated areas for such – no chairs, only short tables.

I ordered their Clubhouse sandwich, which is really just your typical clubhouse (I think Tropical Hut's tasted better) and my friend ordered Tuna sandwich, or more appropriately, lettuce sandwich with tuna, as attested to by the amount of green, leafy stuff (seen in the picture) and with the tuna almost nowhere to be found J

Clubhouse Sandwich

Tuna Sandwich

I was supposed to scribble some graffiti on the wooden floor but the guard gestured me not to. Tsk! What a shame.

Anyways, I just love that this place has so much kitchie-ness going on J  

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 :-)

Love at First Bite

Photo courtesy of hazelillustrisimo.blogspot.com

If I would make a list of my favorite things in the world, one of them would be BreadTalk.

Until a few days ago, I wouldn’t think twice holding off eating at this place despite the super delicious aroma of the unique, eye-catching and mouth-watering creations they produce here.  The practical side of me would nag about spending for something I can buy in a local bakery for much less.  I always thought it would hurt my wallet.

Until one boring day, I decided to go to the mall to do some sightseeing-slash-contemplation. I couldn’t decide where to eat despite the smorgasbord of food one could have in such a place - a veritable food haven. Ever since I was diagnosed with diabetes, I found it harder and harder to look for food that would really suit my diet. At that time I was thinking if I should seriously commit myself to a strict whole grain, low sodium, low fat, and of course, low/no sugar diet. Taking medication would’ve been easier but I wanted to know if one could make it through without the meds. The last time I took the tablets was almost a year ago and I haven’t been better since. Lately though, I feel my blood sugar levels rising again, ergo the contemplation.

But I digress.

There I was standing in front of the BreadTalk store that’s gleaming in what seemed to me as immaculate whiteness, an impression borne out of the general whitewashed motif; all the while exuding heavenly aroma only freshly baked bread could offer.  Breads of different sizes, colors and textures invite you, each one with its unique character, most notable and popular of which is the floss monster (see picture at the top). And since I’m in the mood for some coffee, I thought what better way to enjoy it than with delicious bread? At that time I was thinking of something like in the line of croissants or similar, something flaky, which I could dunk in my coffee.

So there I was looking all excited for ‘that’ bread that would satisfy my cravings. After several rounds of circling the bread counter, at the same time imagining the type of bread (think savory but not heavy) that would complement my coffee, at last I was able to zero in on two: the ‘Beckham & Cheese’ and the ‘Eggstraordinary’. Together with kapeng Barako, the "trifecta", if you will, is now complete. Coupled with the store’s modern/contemporary chic ambiance and cool/relaxing sounds, it doesn't get any better. Truly, love at first bite.

I've actually been to the store for like five times already since the above took place about more than a week ago. Every time I would try a different type of bread, and for each of those times it would not fail to impress, as every creation is good and delicious in its own way.

This could truly be the start of a long-lasting love affair - that is, as long as my blood sugar permits.