The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® (CBTL) has sprouted a new leaf with its open kitchen concept - Kitchen by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®.  The Kitchen by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® was pioneered in High Street South amidst the pandemic - October 2020, serving all-day breakfast, gourmet dishes, specialty coffee and teas and pastries for dine-in, take-out and food delivery.

Followings its success, the Kitchen by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® will be rolled out on more CBTL stores soon!  In fact, the Kitchen by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® just opened in SM Megamall B.  Can you see its minimalist signage?

We really liked the bright, clean and spacious dining atmosphere of Kitchen.

With this concept, the mainstay of CBTL - a place for coffees, tea and pastries is still there.  Yes, its passion for coffee and tea since 1963 lives on.    You can order drinks and displayed pastries from its typical counter. 

In addition, after your drink or on a separate occasion, you may opt to explore its expansive food menu that offers a wide range of dishes served hot and fresh from its open kitchen.

Food

If you've tried 26th St. Bistro by CBTL before like we did, you'd notice that your old favorites with the same generous sharing portions are offered here at a lower price point.  

 

Salads

California Cobb (395 php)

We had the California Cobb is a large salad plate with fresh romaine lettuce, grilled chicken breast cubes, sliced hard-boiled eggs, corn kernels, diced tomatoes, mozzarela strips, avocado cubes, almond slices and ranch dressing.

♥ Shrimp & Pomelo (395 php)

The Shrimp & Pomelo is a Vietnamese inspired salad with romaine lettuce, cilantro, mint leaves, poached shrimp, pomelo, roasted peanuts, dessicated coconut and coconut lime dressing.

 

Mains

♥ Steak Chimichurri (675 php)

We especially enjoyed the Steak Chimichurri with extremely tender slices of top blade steak with chimichurri served w/ chiptotle rice and fried potato basket. 

Pastas

Carbonara (365 php)

The Carbonara is the classic and homey kind of pasta you miss once in awhile.  The rich and creamy carbonara sauce is complemented by the savory bacon slices and creamy umami-rich poached egg yolk.

Sandwiches

♥ CBTL Burger (455 php)

The  CBTL Burger is worthy holder of its namesake. Biting into the tender and juicy double USDA beef patties, romaine lettuce, sliced tomatoes, cheese & caramelized onions is simply heavenly!  This burger meal is a wholesome and filling one with the soft and thick oatmeal buns, double patty and french fries on the side.

Pizzas

♥ Proscuitto (595 php)

The Proscuitto is a thin crispy crusted pizza topped with the finest ingredients - proscuitto, argula, tomatoes and mozarella.  

Desserts

♥ Tostones with Vanilla Ice Cream (195 php)

 

The Tostones with Vanilla Ice Cream which is a double-fried thinly sliced flower-shaped bananas served with vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel sauce was such a pleasant meal ender.  The precision in the cutting and frying process which gave each tostones a crispy coating and chewy banana filling is commendable!

Coffee & Espresso

 

♥ Matcha Macchiato and Caramel Macchiato (215php)

 As previously mentioned, the best part is you can enjoy your favorite CBTL along with your food.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict

Dining at Kitchen by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® reminded us of what we missed during the pandemic: 1.) premium quality and well-presented dishes (for sharing) served hot and fresh from the kitchen, 2.) bright, spacious, safe and clean ambiance, 3.) friendly and accommodating service staffs and 4.) a wide selection of drinks and dishes to mix and match.  With its reasonable price point considering the generous portion of fresh and premium quality ingredients in its dishes, good service and the cozy CBTL ambiance, we highly recommend this place!   

It has already been six years since I first tried Zark's Burgers at their pioneer branch.  Zark's has gone a long way since then.

Would you believe that from a hole in a wall it has around 20 branches now?  I can now enjoy it even at malls like the last time I was in SM Megamall. 

Food
We love Zark's and we love its American burger concept.  But, at the back of our minds, we secretly wish that it would be a bit closer to our Filipino preference like having some rice dishes.

Asian Curry (149 php)

So I'm very happy to try Zark's new signature burger steaks.  I wasn't expecting much but when the the Asian Curry was served, I was impressed.  Look!  So bongga!  Based on visual presentation, this matches Japanese curry shop items that are worth twice as much.  How about the taste?  Hmm... For the price, not bad!  A bit on the salty than peppery though. 

♥ Garlic Mushroom (149 php)

If you ask me what's my favorite?  Its the Garlic Mushroom!  This is comfort food at its finest!  Yum yum!!!

♥ Chipotle BBQ (149 php)

Second runner up is the Chipotle BBQ.  I love the sweet and flavorful blend that makes me want to indulge into this with more rice!  

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Zark's has done a great job with their Signature Burger Steaks!  I find this a bang for the buck choice with a generous serving of rice and sauce to complement the burger steak.  I especially appreciate it being cooked fresh upon order.  I will definitely order these again when I'm in the area.  The service at Zark's is superb as well considering it doesn't even have a service charge.

Tip: Tomorrow May 28, 2018 is Zark's Jawbreaker Day! 

The family rarely goes to the South so our wish list is barely accomplished.  Butamaru has long been on our list so imagine my excitement when I heard it has opened at Ortigas Home Depot.


I truly admire Butamaru for making its way from the South to North.  It gives us the chance to try their 16-hour tonkotsu broth and their special noodles.  I heard they learned the art of making noodles from Master Artisan Sugimura-san of Menko Noodle Company in Oita, Japan who had 40 years of experience as a noodle supplier for ramen shops.

Since I haven't been to their Alabang branch, I wouldn't dare to compare.  All I know is they have spacious dining area especially on the second floor.  And, they have bar on both floors as they wish to implement an izakaya concept to cater to Ortigas' night life loving people.  They are open until 1 am!

Food

♥ Curry Gyoza (150 php)

The Curry Gyoza is a must as a starter!  With or without dip, this is good!

 
I think what makes their gyoza really good is that they make them fresh upon order.  I got to try making some but my work isn't as masterful as their staffs.  I have to admit that the experience made me appreciate a gyoza more.

Katsu Gyozayaki (160 php)

This is my first time to try something like a Katsu Gyozayaki.  It's a hybrid between a gyoza and a katsu.  I still prefer the gyoza but I could have this instead of a katsu.

Kushiyaki

♥ Buta Bara (120 php/2 sticks)

The Buta Bara which is pork belly skewers is another well-executed dish.  You can tell by the looks that it is succulent and soft right?

Curry Tantanmen (370 php)

You can choose mild or spicy for the Curry Tantanmen.  I chose mild because I wanted to taste the flavor of their curry.  I wasn't impressed with it.  I kind of regret not having tried their 16-hour tonkotsu broth because I chose this.  But, it is true that their noodles are indeed good!

♥ Kaisen (380 php)

On the other hand, the Kaisen or seafood which rich taste of bonito and other ingredients mixed in.  I find this reasonable because of the huge tiger prawn served on top.  It tastes sweet and fresh.

Extra

♥ Ajitsuke Tamago (50 php)

If possible I always order the Ajitsuke Tamago to test the cooking skills of the chefs.  I would have to say that Butamaru's chef passed with flying colors!  This is the best Ajitsuke Tamago I've tried yet.  Ah the gelatinuous egg white and the wet, slightly grainy and mushy yellow egg yolk is to die for.

♥ Chashu (150 php)

And since my order didn't have any Chashu or roast pork, I ordered one as an extra.  You can tell just by the nice greasy look at it has the nice amount of fats that melts as soon as you put it on your mouth.  And, the char and sesame brings a soothing fragrant flavor that complements the rich pork and fat goodness.

I can't have a verdict for this yet until I try their Tonkotsu based broths.

But I'm quite sure that it was the interiors that lured me to try another time.




Food

Savory Souffle

♥ Japanese Beef Curry Souffle (550 php)

I wanted to make sure I get the best out of my experience at Le Petit Souffle.  So I what better way to do that other than trusting their name?

Japanese Beef Curry Souffle (550 php)

Clearly, the name indicates that "souffle" is their specialty.  When I glanced at the menu, I thought what an expensive dish.  But, when it was served, I realized it was a hefty serving for two or more.

♥ Japanese Beef Curry Souffle (550 php)

Our server advised us to mix our Japanese Beef Curry Souffle  for optimal experience.  She even volunteered to do it.  But, I wanted to do it for myself.  So... here's the mess I made.  It was messy but really delicious!  This is a must try!

Noodles

♥ Le Petit Carbonara Souffle (385 php)

I got smarter and asked for the Le Petit Carbonara Souffle to be split into half.  This is one of the most umami rich pastas I have ever tried.  The souffle is just right to tone the rich flavor a bit.  The texture of the fettucine is a perfect al dente.  To sum it up, this is heavenly!

Souffle Pancake

Matcha Red Bean (325 php)

I had to decide between the Matcha Souffle Pancake and Matcha Red Bean.  I chose the latter since it sounded more extravagant.  The price is almost double too.  I liked it with the Creme Anglaise.  The maple syrup and matcha souffle pancake seems a bit odd for me.

Souffle Glace

♥ Pistachio Dark Cherry (200 php)

What we fell in love with is the Pistachio Dark Cherry.  The pistachio richness is on point and the smooth and silky texture that massages the tongue in every teaspoonful is sensational.  The dark cherry sauce is a great compliment.  

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
We definitely loved all our orders at Le Petit Souffle.  We would definitely love to come back and order the same orders again especially the Pistachio Dark Cherry!