I'm not the biggest fan of Korean barbeque or Samgyeopsal, but I wouldn't say no to a P299 KBBQ.

If you're a local of Cainta or Rizal, there's a plethora of hole-in-the-walls, mom & pop restaurants, and cafes. K-bbq places are also much more accessible than before when they first came to the scene. Unlimited pork, chicken, and sides (banchan) for less than P399? It's a bit questionable, but I'll try anything once.

I don't know about everyone else, but I think coffee started slowly becoming a thing after that first viral wave of 'dalgona' coffee. Then came 'viral posts' and reviews of international chain coffee shops, then pop-ups and kiosks then finally the local 'mom-and-pop' start-ups which seem to always have picturesque furniture, walls, art, drinks and  foodstuffs. 

NOTE : I know coffee has always been here, and it's always a thing (I see you fellow coffee addicts) but I believe, the coffee craze really picked up at the start of 2020 and it never really died down.

These local coffee places/cafés don't always looks the same or have the same 'aesthetic' but most if not all, look great in pictures.

Kaulayaw Coffee 

This initial visit didn't impress. The monte cristo while good was laughably minuscule. The coffee was watered down (stayed at the pass too long probably). The small bowl of tuna pasta was expensive for what it was. The service from the staff was poor (we waited too long to get a menu, for each dish as well as the bill). We eventually came back but to a different branch, and had a much better experience.

First of all, I'm ecstatic and proud that we have local businesses thriving under normally difficult circumstances. It's also quite refreshing to know that most of these are run by people around my age- younger even. It speaks to the mindset of people that having one's own business is the same as or even better than going the corporate route.

Now, I've tried a number of these local shops to date, and more and more keep popping up on my feed to try (don't worry I'll visit you all!) I noticed something interesting.

Kaulayaw Coffee - The food and coffees were good. The view was stunning. A bit pricey though. Definitely worth a visit.

The more photo-op friendly the place is or the more 'ig-worthy', the more 'meh' the menu will be. These cafés all have good to great coffee. The coffees are also priced appropriately, some could knock off the price to like 10 to 15 pesos less, but I digress. But the food accompanying these coffees is, let's just say, not worth the price I pay.

So I'm no expert in the food and beverage industry nor am I a restaurateur or coffee/café connoisseur but I think I know when some prices just don't jive well with the end-product I receive.

My family has always had businesses involving food so yeah I have a deeper understanding of it than maybe a regular-shmegular consumer.

Coffee Rush 

Not sure if this will be visited again in the future. The coffee was ok. The food was a big no and overpriced. The service could be better, but I can't fault that since they seem to be new, or at least they act like they're new. The place though is big, gorgeous, and can pack quite a number of people. Perfect place for events.

Cafés with 'overlooking areas/view' tend to have not the greatest food. There are outliers that I actually do recommend (some are mentioned in this post), but some are just made to be photographed and posted on your feed. Most times, the coffees are really the only thing keeping me as a patron.

Now I'm aware that maybe the cost of gas, the ingredients to make certain things compound etc, but I don't just say it just to be a cheap-ass. These café/restaurants with 'a view', in my opinion, really overprice their food, and paired with sub-par service (cold food, basic menu, inattentive staff) it really is the final nail on the coffin. You're left with the realization that it was the view that you actually paid for, not much else.

Okay, the view is great, to keep things positive here. And the pictures that you take there are bound to turn out quite pretty. But I don't know about you, the thing I came for was a good experience, and that tends to include the food and drinks, not just the pictures I can post on my feed.

Kape Natividad 

The coffee was good. The food was delicious. The price was great. The view was lovely.
I recommend the pizza :) I only go for either black or lattes so regardless of the cafe, my coffee will be pretty standard. Highly recommend this place. Try not to go during peak times as this will be packed and service will be slow.

I think I've ranted long enough. Which cafés and restaurants don't you like because of the price or service? As for other cafes I love to go to, Little Flour/Wildflour has my heart and SOUL as well as Kape Natividad. Oild would be here but they closed their one and only store :( . For more well-known stores, Coffeebean & Tea Leaf is *chef's kisses* and I'm a slave for Mickey D's and Dunkin's coffees. I would put Starbucks here too but lately, I'm liking it less and less.

Read my experience with another local cafe here: KAULAYAW COFFEE RIZAL

PS. The photos I used are mixed with the good cafes that I like. So not everything here was 'bad'. Also, I made a post YAY! You have no idea how great this feels to post something again here.

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Ice cream in the Philippines is a year-round dessert. It's never too cold, windy or stormy to enjoy this cold and sweet treat. With many go-to brands in the supermarket why not try brand that's a little more local and friendly towards our locally grown ingredients?

Papa Diddis is a Filipino ice cream parlor that make delicious flavors using carabao's milk and other ingredients that are locally sourced like barako beans and cookies.

Their 7th branch which opened last Dec 29th at Eastwood Citywalk and I was privy to their latest offerings this Holiday season.


Classic Christmas Flavors by Papa Diddi's

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Some people avoid this like the plague but my family loves this to its core. The quintessential figure on the hapag every Christmas and New Year's is the Quezo De Bola. This delicious ice cream melds the creamy and delicately sweet carabao's milk with bits of salty edam cheese.

You can choose to have your ice cream scoop or scoops (let's be real) in a regular cup, in a rice crispy bowl or 'nest (above)' or like the next flavor Brazo De Mercedez (below) sandwiched between two cookies.


Sandwiched between two hard cookies (made for ice cream so it doesn't get soggy and wet easily) the Brazo tastes like the real deal. The top cookie is oatmeal and the bottom one is chocolate and chips.

Last but not the least, White Christmas. If you're a vanilla-is-my-go-to type of biss, this might be your jam. With caramel bits, this may be 'plain' but don't dismiss it just yet, it holds itself up well in the flavor department.



What I like about Papa Diddis most is that they contribute to the local community by utilizing our products and showcases them in the ice cream flavors. Whatever is in season will be extensively researched and used to make new flavors.



You can locate their newest branch near the citywalk cinema at Eastwood City, Libis QC.



Their affogato was delicious. 💖

Trivia : The name Papa Diddi's is the name of the owner's father, a pro-bono lawyer, who used to hand-make ice cream for his kids (including the owner Paul). Because of that Paul studied ice cream making at Penn State where the owners of popular US brand, Ben and Jerry's also studied.

You can have your scoop with any kind of toppings you prefer. You can choose from marshmallows, cookies, lengua, coated chocolate bits, chocolate chips, sprikles and more. I'm partial to no toppings.



Branches :

📍168 Maginhawa QC
📍4F Eastwood Citywalk 2, Libis
📍GF The Annex, SM North EDSA
📍UGF SM SouthMall
📍Pobstacion,Valdez St Poblacion
📍The Community Kitchen

Most recently they just opened their 7th branch here at Eastwood City Citywalk! (cinema area). Along with this newest branch, they unveiled their newest logo, that encapsulates their history more as well , at the same time!



Have you tried this local brand before? Kudos to the owner Sir Paul for inviting us and Aileen for arranging this event!

xx,
CJ

https://www.facebook.com/papadiddis/
https://www.instagram.com/papadiddis/
https://www.facebook.com/PapaDiddisPintClub/

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Get your goggles and don your lab coats because this ig-worthy chemistry-lab-inspired milktea shop is both unique and delicious...or rather, as their tagline goes, scientifically delicious.

This is my second time visiting this unique milktea shop. I've previously mentioned them here purely because of the concept and cute interiors (there's not a space in here that's not picture-ready).

The industrial/utalitarian-esque design with lab and science inspired food presentation is a welcome change from the usual coffee shops I frequent.


Lab Cuterie - P270

Labwiches
Classic labdog - P140
Chicken Slaw Croissant- P160
Ham and Cheese Croissant- P150


The ham and cheese croissant was tasty as well as the sausage/franks on the charcuterie plate aptly named 'lab cuterie'.



Lab Treats (P75/ea)
Mango Muffin
Chocolate Muffin
Red Velvet Muffin
Choc Chip Muffin

Chocolate chip cookies - P35/ea

As far as chocolate chip cookies go, I'm the hard + chewy cookie combo type and their cookie hits the spot especially since it's not overtly sweet. The Red velvet and Choc chip muffins are soft, moist and as with the cookie, just the right amount of sweetness.

Creme Brulee Series
110 Medium
120 Large

Creme Brûlée Frost (Cbx)
Mango Brûlée Frost (Mbx)


Labtizers
Super Nova - P260
Tic-Tac-Tots - P230
Tri Potato Medley








Tea
Original Earl Grey
Mango and Strawberry
Tea and Infusions
Green Tea
Rose Tea

As always I'm a sucker for brewed leaf teas so I quite enjoyed this as well as the teapot and tiny tea cups it came in.



Their milk teas and hot teas are delicious by the way. I vividly remember their Assam and Earl Grey that I tried during my first visit. They also adjust the ice and sugar to your liking which is a big plus for me.


A Lab Minute
Belgian grid cake - P145


Not to be confused with the usual light and fluffy waffles, this grid cake is a little more dense and tightly packed. It was cold when I got to try this unfortunately so I don't have the most glowing review of it. Hope to try this again but fresh off the grill with the butter sliding off because of its warmth.





The usual patrons are of the younger 'school'-age crowd so there are lots of people studying, reading, researching on their laptops. But in my experience, the sounds are still quite muted as there's a general respect to everyone's space.


The owner Carl giving us a little history quiz on Bubba Lab's beginnings as well as what's in store for the near future.


The nice attendants of Bubba Lab : Lamp Quarters. Thanks for lending us your lab coats for our impromptu photo op. Haha


Had fun with the rest of my blogger I mean lab mates. 'Til next time!



Thanks for having me Bubba Lab! And to fellow blogger Aileen of Aileen Loves to Eat who extended the invite to try Bubba Lab!

xx,
CJ

PS. Have you tried this place yet? What do you look for in a milktea/coffee shop?

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Location : Lamp Quarters, Gil Fernando Avenue, Santo Niño / C&B Circle Mall Marikina Heights / Graceland Plaza JP Rizal
https://bubbalab.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BubbaLabCafe

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MARIKINA — Known as the shoe capital of the Philippines because of the long history of quality shoe making, I find that in the recent years it has steadily begun to be known more for something other than their leather craftsmanship —their food.

Or more specifically their local bistros, restaurants, pubs, cafes and of course food parks. With eateries popping up here and there it still amuses me (a non-local) that there can even be 'secret' restaurants within subdivisions and in between residential houses.

With the holidays nearing comes the numerous parties/inumans/coffee dates get-togethers you want a place you can gather comfortably. Here are some spots in Marikina to help you narrow down your choices.

For tea/coffee dates

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Bubba Lab
This 'scientist's lab' inspired cafe is total ig fodder. Bubba Lab's industrial feel, the indoor plants, the kitschy decor and the wooden furniture accents give something a little more different than more popular tea joints in the metro.

Tip: Skip the food and desserts. It's nothing to write home about. Just head straight to their drinks.

Price : 65 - 180 per person
Location : Lamp Quarters, Gil Fernando Avenue, Santo Niño / C&B Circle Mall Marikina Heights / Graceland Plaza JP Rizal
https://bubbalab.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BubbaLabCafe