Back when we were little kids, life was slow and relaxed.  I still recall when my little sister would cheat our siesta time and play as soon as our yaya would step out of our room.  Oh, how we miss those days when we were the ones refusing to sleep and now it has become a luxury we could barely afford.   And caffeine  become our allies in coping with our responsibilities.  We grew to love coffee and tea.  My little sister even admits her coffee addiction.

After our pleasant experience at Akiba Cafe's first branch in Megamall last year, my little sister and I were quite excited to try the wider selections at their second branch at Ash Creek.  Ash Creek is just on the opposite side of Madison Square in Greenhills. 


The store is very visible along Ortigas Avenue.  It has adequate parking too.  According to my other little sister, it's more convenient to drive through and grab a quick drink here in the mornings before going to work. 

The place was spacious and cozy.  It has lofts and a bar type table on the side too. 

Drinks

Classic Hot Kohi

Tokyo Cappucino Regular (110 php)

Little sis ordered the Tokyo Cappucino which she loved before.  Being particular with coffee, she told me that it wasn't as strong and aromatic as she remembered.

Flavored Hot Kohi

Mt. Fuji Kohi Regular (140 php)

Craving for more caffeine, I ordered a Mt. Fuji Kohi for little sis because she raved about it before.  But since this had more cream than the Tokyo Cappucino, it was lighter. 


Caffeine-Free Chiru

♥ Black Sesame Chiru Regular (140 php)

While my little sis is loyal to the familiar drinks, I opted to try something new with the Black Sesame Chiru.   I've always been a black sesame fan.   I've tried black sesame mochi,  mochi ice cream (Mochi Creme and Mochiko), ice cream (The Cake Club and Hongkong Roast) and macarons.  But, this is my first time to try it as a drink.  Upon first sip, I instantly fell in love with the perfect blend of texture and flavor from the crushed sesame and cream. 
 

♥ Cookie Butter Chiru Regular

Ever since the Cookie Butter became the latest food trend, many have dared to infuse cookie butter to every form thinkable such as doughnuts (Krispy Kreme and Go Nuts Donuts), cookies, brownies and all sorts.  But, none have dared to go as far as making it into a drink like Akiba Cafe's Cookie Butter Chiru.  I have to admit, I expected it to be thick and heavy but it turned out to be silky smooth and effort-less to gulp.  You haven't enjoyed the best of Cookie Butter until you've tried this!


Trifle Drinks

♥ Matcha (Green Tea) Trifle Tea Regular (110 php)

Although I was delighted with the new chiru offerings, my heart will always belong to Akiba Cafe's Matcha (Green Tea) Trifle Tea.  It's a must order for me in every visit.


Katsu Donburi

♥ Tori Katsu (325 php)

Little sis tried the Tori Katsu and loved it!  She let me try so I could join in with her on her gleeful episode.   Indeed the crunchy golder brown coating and the tender and succulent chicken meat was impressive.

♥ Rosu Katsu (325 php)

The Rosu Katsu was also to rave for!  The crunchiness is as sensational as the Tori Katsu.  The pork meat was chunky yet juicy and tender.  Little sis said she liked this compared to Katsu Cafe's Pork Katsu which was obviously made out of grind pork meat.
 

♥ Tamago (25 php)

Who doesn't love egg?  This umami rich food is captivating in whatever way it is prepared.  But, never have we been overwhelmed with eggs until we tried Akiba Cafe's Tamago.  It has the fluffiness of cotton candy, puffiness of marshmallows and yet, runny yolks!  Seriously, my home-cooked scrambled eggs is nothing compared to this.  I can't help but wonder how they make this!

Classic, Teriyaki, Japanese Curry, Garlic Wasabi, Seaweed and Parmesan (55 php/additional sauce)

I personally find the plain katsu a satisfying viand on its own.  But, the sauce made it even more irresistible.  Every sauce had its own flare but we had our favorite pairings.   For us the best match for the Tori Katsu is the Teriyaki while the best match for the Rosu Katsu is the Japanese Curry.  We're guessing that the Garlic Wasabi, Seaweed and Parmesan would definitely complement the Sakana (Fish)  Katsu well.

Cakes
s

♥ Banoffee (80 php)

♥ Banoffee (80 php)

I've been wanting to try their Banoffee so this time finally gave it a try!  I usually find a Banoffee too sweet for my threshold but this one swooned me over.   The rhapsody of texture of the light and smooth cream, slippery and mushy bananas, thick and chewy toffee, heavy and crunchy crust is superb. 

Japanese Cheesecake (120 php)

Too bad we couldn't share the same enthusiasm for the Japanese Cheesecake.  Our expectation of a Japanese Cheesecake would be soft, light and creamy like that of Mother's Crepe or Tokyo Cafe.  Instead we got this... It was hard and not in a good way like that of my favorite Sarah Lee Butter Pound Cake but in a stale kind of way.  And, the thick crust was even harder.  Little sis didn't want to eat another spoonful of it so I had to gobble it up on my own which was not a problem for me thanks to the of delicious drinks. 

♥ Sweet Potato Cake (130 php)

Little sis will never forgive me if we ended with that so I suggested that she try the Sweet Potato Cake was one of my favorite cakes at Akiba second to the Green Tea Cheesecake.  As expected, she loved it and we were all smiles as we went on our way home.  


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Akiba Cafe has always been a great choice for drinks and cakes.  Now, it got even better with its delicious meals.  That's what I love about Akiba Cafe.  There's always something worth coming back for.

Well, I've heard a lot of rants about the promo but it was a really good deal for us.  Based on my little sister's experience, she lined up at Robinson's Place Padre Faura Branch at around 4 pm and then by 5 pm they ran out of doughnuts but the staffs were very apologetic about it and still accommodated all those who lined up until 6 pm by letting them sign up and claim the doughtnuts 1 or 2 days after.  Thus, we were able to buy a box of the Original Glazed Doughnuts for only 76 php. 

Availing the 76 peso per box for Krispy Kreme's 76 years blow out a few weeks ago, reminded the us on how much we missed Krispy Kreme.

When we noticed that Krispy Kreme had two new interesting variants, as they too join the Speculoos Cookie Butter craze, we just couldn't let the chance of trying it out pass.

Dark Chocolate Vanilla Cookie Butter (45 php)

The Dark Chocolate Vanilla Cookie Butter has a rich belgian chocolate top layer with bits of french biscuit bits. 

Dark Chocolate Vanilla Cookie Butter (45 php)

The combination of the rich and smooth belgian chocolate and french crisp is a great mix match of texture in every bite.  But, what made me indulge in it more is the vanilla cookie butter filling that adds comfort to the its soft dough.  As compared to the spread, the filling did not have the thick consistency and instead it is pretty much light like their other shelled doughnut fillings.

I like my Krispy Kreme doughnuts warm so I popped some of this in the microwave and it become even more awesome as it delivers its signature melts in your mouth sensation. 

White Chocolate Vanilla Cookie Butter (45 php)

The White Chocolate Vanilla Cookie Butter is a shell doughnut dipped in white chocolate and topped with Belgium chocolate chips and caramel crunch. 

White Chocolate Vanilla Cookie Butter (45 php)

The White Chocolate Vanilla Cookie Butter is sweeter than the Dark Chocolate Vanilla Cookie Butter due to its white chocolate coating and toppings.  I guess that is the reason why I've always been an advocate of dark chocolate than the white ones.  I enjoyed the chocolate chips but the caramel crunch bits were hardly noticeable.

Original Glazed Doughnuts (42 php)

The Original Glazed Doughnuts is still my favorite!  Nothing can beat the classic.  I always add in these in every box.  But, I'm want to try their other variants like the Salted Caramel too.

A few weeks ago, I spotted the new Go Nuts Donuts Cookie Butter Donut while chilling out at their Market Market branch.

It's been awhile since I took home some donuts for afternoon snack (merienda) so I thought the new Cookie Butter Donuts would be a great option. 


Looking through the chiller, it was the first one to catch my attention especially since the Specloos Cookie Butter craze has spread all over the social media like a wildfire and yet, I havn't tried it.

Upon ordering, it was prepared quick and reliably.

Cookie Butter Donuts (285 php/dozen)

When I reached home, everyone was excited since I rarely bring home goodies these past few months.  As we opened the box, we saw the Cookie Butter Donuts still in the perfect condition with its nice presentation.  Well, some part stuck on the box, but I scraped them clean too because its really good! =)

Cookie Butter Donuts (285 php/dozen)

My family has always opt for the classic Amazing Glaze because they find the other flavors too sweet.  At first, they where expecting this to be sweet.  But, upon first bite, everyone of them gave a thumbs up for approval.  It didn't even take long before everyone had their second share.  I love how the flavorful gingerbread taste and smooth creaminess of the Speculoos Cookie Butter has fused wonderfully with the Amazing Glaze beneath it.  As I was impressed with Go Nuts Donuts' Pizza Donuts before, this innovative creation has made me a fan.  I wonder what products Go Nuts Donuts will come up with next!