One of my little sister's friend from college is a Buddhist Taiwanese and he has long been recommending Caffe Dolce.

So one night, my mom once against drags as all out just to have some dessert and coffee there.  If you've been reading my posts... that is usual for my mom.

We were surprised upon reaching the mezzanine level that there is a cute and coffee cafe hidden therein.  


And despite being late for an ordinary night, there were numerous couples and groups who seem to be enjoying the comforts of the serene place.  Caffe Dolce also has an Al Fresco area.
While waiting for our orders, the family had fun taking photo ops with these teddy bears.

Cafe Selection

Marshmallow Caffe Hot (135 php)

The Marshmallow Caffe was enjoyed by my little sister.  The marshmallow adds a mellow tone of sweetness and a lovable puffy and creamy texutre. 

Rose Caffe Latte Hot (135 php)

My other sister chose the Rose Caffe Latte which she loved till the last sip.  It's fragrant rosy flavor and aroma complements their coffee well.

Caffe Jelly (135 php)

I had the Caffe Jelly which passed my picky standards.  The froth and jelly brings a liveliness to the coffee coffee.

Saint Petersburg Selection

Chamomile with Apple Hot (120 php)

Their pot of Chamomile with Apple is good for sharing.  I loved the combination of the real apple bits and refreshing chamomile tea.

Classic Tea Selection

Iced Pomelo with Peach (109 php)

My youngest sister who isn't much of a coffee and tea fan ordered the Iced Pomelo with Peach.  We were all thrilled when she finished this.  She rarely fully consumed what she orders.


Honey Toast Selection

♥ Chocolate Green Tea Honey Toast (209 php)

A must order for me in every Taiwanese Cafe is their honey toast.  My majority vote, we got the Chocolate Green Tea Honey Toast.  It was good but not the best we've tried.  The toppings were great but I guess it was the honey toast which could be better.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
When you're in the Banawe Area and looking for a place to relax, definitely give Caffe Dolce a try.  Their ambiance and drinks offers a unique cafe experience.  The price is affordable too.

Being tea lovers, 1837 TWG Tea Salon & Boutique has long been on our wishlist.  Naturally, we're scheduled it to be on our agenda one time.

We've seen the different 1837 TWG Tea Salon & Boutique branches and we all agreed that the one in Shangrila East Wing is the best because of its wide area. And, if you're lucky like us, there was an orchestra performance that night as our musical background.


As we approached the entrance, we were immediately assisted and ushered to our table.  We passed by their very enticing gift shop section, which we came back for on our way out. 

Of course, 1837 TWG Tea Salon & Boutique is also famous for their macarons.  This is a must buy in every visit.  Before, we dined here, we've long been purchasing these.  And, do note that every Macaron Day, they are offered for a discounted price.

There's a bar and a dessert chiller where you can view the cakes that are available.

And, of course, the dining area where we can pretend to be sossy like the English.  It has big cushioned seats with table a table covered in super clean white linen.

Food

Complimentary French Brioche

The Complimentary French Brioche was served crunchy on the outside and warm and soft in the inside.


Main Course

♥ Pan-Seared Sea Bass (795 php)

The Pan-Seared Sea Bass is a fillet of sea bass served with pumpkin risotto and asparagus drizzled with a Red Chai Tea infused cream enhanced with notes of citrus fruit.  It tastes as glamorous as it sounds.  Even my mom who isn't too fond of risottos was enchanted by the nice citrus taste that enhanced the light Red Chai Tea infused cream.

New Creations

♥ Scallops Pasta (395 php)

The Scallops Pasta is scallops, shrimps, cherry tomatoes, shallots served with linguine pasta and a cream sauce infused with Silver Moon Tea.  This is our favorite dish for the night as this was executed perfectly.

♥ Oven-Roasted Chicken (400 php)

The Oven-roasted Chicken is infused with Silver Moon Tea served with spinach fettuccine and capsicum button mushrooms, shallots with tea-spiced chardonay butter cream sauce.  This is a sophisticated dish which we all enjoyed.

Desserts

TWG Tea Patisserie Collection

♥ Sugar-free Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake Infused with Earl Grey Fortune (220 php)

I have to admit, chocolates cakes are my least favorite when it comes to cakes.  But, my gosh this Sugar-free Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake Infused with Earl Grey Fortune is to die for!  It is dark rich and bitter-sweet.

♥ Sugar-free Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake Infused with Earl Grey Fortune (220 php)

It is coated in smooth velvety chocolate ganache.  Followed by cool, silky chocolate mousse cake with fudgy moist chocolate chiffon center.  It is so good that I could finish this all alone in a snap.

Tea Ice Cream & Sorbets

Earl Grey Fortune (120 php)

The Earl Grey Fortune has rich notes of black tea, bergamot and chocolate ice cream.  It was delicious too but the Sugar-free Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake Infused with Earl Grey Fortune gained most of the spotlight.


TWG Tea Macarons
And, of course, we bought some macarons.

Napoleon Tea and Caramel (55 php),  1837 Black Tea and Blackcurrant (55 php), ♥ Matcha (55 php) and Moroccan Mint Tea (55 php)

We got the Napoleon Tea and Caramel,  1837 Black Tea and Blackcurrant, Matcha and Moroccan Mint Tea.  But, my favorites are actually not available such as the ♥ Earl Grey Fortune & Chocolate and ♥ Bain de Roses Tea.

Tea List

Exclusive Tea Blends

♥ 1837 Black Tea (195 php)

The 1837 Black Tea is bold yet smooth in delivering its spiced flavors.

♥ Sweet France Tea (195 php)

The Sweet France Tea is a sweet white tea rose.  If you like sweet floral flavors, I recommend this.


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
1837 TWG Tea Salon & Boutique is a must-try not just for tea lovers.  I'm sure any foodie will find their tea-infused menu quite interesting.  Everything we ordered is splendid. 

A little over a month ago, my friend Justin and I discovered Mrs. Graham's Cafe along Scout Rallos in Quezon City. 

The lighted sign is visible from Tomas Morato if you have a good eye-sight like my friend J.

The facade looks like a cute Parisian cafe I've seen on post cards. movies and television shows.  Upon the sight of it, I knew J was so excited to take his fashion shots there.  Yes, in case you don't know yet.  J is a very popular male fashion blogger with lots of followers under his wing.

That's my handsome date J right there!

It occupies two floors but the second floor was closed during our visit.  Everything is just so cute...

even the lighting see... And, I don't usually mention this but their rest room soaps are also shaped like macarons.  We're told that everything was hand-crafted by the owner herself.  She sure has a handful of skills. I'm envious!

I've first encountered Mrs. Graham's at the Electrolux Discover-E Food Festival last year.  Back then, they didn't have a stand alone store.  And, now I'm happy to see that they don't only offer macarons but other pastries too.


The macarons available are displayed on their chiller.  That got me really excited since I'm always in search of interesting macarons to try.

They also sell other gift items.

They also have some games you can play.

Food and Drinks

Jade of Africa (110 php) and ♥ Bibingka Macaron (60 php)

J had the Jade of Africa and he said it was a bit watered down.  We split the Bibingka Macaron and we really liked its tickling salted egg twist .  The texture of the macarons was really good.  In fact, it's one of the best macarons in terms of consistency I've ever encountered.

Cappuccino Milk Shake with Extra Shot of Espresso (120 php + 40 php)

For my drink, I had their new Cappuccino Milk Shake.  Because I really like my coffee strong, I ordered an extra shot of espresso.  As a stand alone coffee drink, it was too light for me.  But, I appreciated its lightness and milkiness as it didn't overpower the unique flavors of the macarons.

♥ S'Mores, Tiramisu and ♥ Bittersweet

The S'Mores was fun to eat.  The Tiramisu was a great macaron rendition of one of my favorite cakes.  But, the winner among all the macarons we tried was the Bittersweet.  It was rich, moist, bittersweet, crunchy and fudgy all at the same time.  It's just amazing!

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Calling all macaron enthuasists like me!  I highly recommend Mrs. Graham's Macaron Cafe for its unique flavors.  The quaint and cute macaron-theme of the cafe also makes it worth suggesting as a chill place. 

I got to try some drinks at Black Canyon Coffee and International Thai Cuisine one time.  I noticed that they had some food offering which garnered international awards so I vowed to come back and try their dishes.  

P.S. In the past I've been focusing more on the Bonifacio Global City side.  A few months ago, I got to try Amici in Venice Piazza and noticed that there are also a lot of restaurants blooming in McKinley Hill especially in Tuscany Estates.  I'll probably try more of the new restaurant concepts here next time because parking is FREE! XD
Since I rarely go out with the family, I am usually the one who gets to choose where we should eat out.  So one time, I decided to go finally revisit Black Canyon Coffee.  The family didn't seem convinced that they have any interesting dishes because the "International Cuisine" part on the sign is almost negligible and the place looks like a typical coffee shop.  

This poster on the outside is the only hint that they served food

Upon stepping in, we were asked if we're dining in and then ushered to a table on the first floor.  She then handed the menu which implies that the counter would probably be for take out of drinks and cakes.  What about for drinks and cake orders that are dine in?  


We passed by a chiller with some cakes.  But, these cakes are not on the menu so we forgot about them as soon as we were seated. 


The first floor has a casual dining area with black tables and chairs.  There are loft-type seats on one side and typical lounge or coffee shop couches with small tables by the window side. 

The second floor is more of a cozy-type.  It's closed since we've been told that its used exclusively for functions but I happen to pass by just for the restroom. 

Food


Salads

♥ Grilled Black Pepper Salmon Steak Salad (242 php)

We tried to order those recommended on the menu but there's just so many of them. XD One of them is the Grilled Black Pepper Salmon Steak Salad.   This is a sensational salad because of the perfectly grilled salmon that's almost pillow soft and oh-so-flavorful!  Although I've had grilled salmon so many times in my life, I never thought it could be as awesome as this!  You can Choose your salad dressing: Japanese Sesame Dressing, Chilli Lime and Salad Cream.  We chose the Japanese Sesame Dressing which was a great complement.

Curries/Soups

♥ Spicy Prawn Soup (Tom Yum Goong) (230 php)

The Spicy Prawn Soup (Tom Yum Goong) is marked as being internationally awarded for many years.  It is well-deserved!  It's has spiciness brings out the various flavorful spices instead of overpowering it.  It's got generous portions of soft prawns and mushrooms too.

Ala Carte

♥ Stir Fried Curry Prawn, Chicken, Mushroom and Chilli (256 php)

Another recommended dish is the Stir Fried Curry Prawn, Chicken, Mushroom and Chilli.  This is my favorite dish among our orders!  We all loved this. 

Stir Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts (Gai Pad Med Ma Muang Himmapan) (226 php)

The Stir Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts (Gai Pad Med Ma Muang Himmapan) is my mom's favorite dish so she picked this out.  This has a bit of a spicy kick which I loved. 


Noodles

♥ Thai Style Fried Noodles with Prawn (Pad Thai) (232 php)

The Thai Style Fried Noodles with Prawn (Pad Thai) is another internationally awarded dish.  This is one of the best pad Thai we've ever tried.  Like their other offerings, the flavors of the spices are really brought out and harmonize with each other.


Rice Dishes

Fried Rice with Shrimp Paste (194 php)

The Fried Rice with Shrimp Paste is also very good!  I just wish they had a bigger serving size because we're not used to order fried rice individually. 

Hot Coffee

♥ Cappuccino (120 php)

My brother ordered the Cappuccino.  It is served with a beautiful leaf latte art, cookies and a cup of jasmine tea.  Having tried almost all coffee shops in the Metro, I have to declare this as one of the best we've had!

Caffe Latte (120 php)

Like the Capuccino, the Caffe Latte with rosy latte art, cookies and jasmine tea is just as splendid.  My little sis is more than pleased with this.



Iced Coffee

♥ Black Canyon Iced Coffee (140 php)

The Black Canyon Iced Coffee has a distinguishing rich, bold, roasted and nutty flavor.  I loved it!

Coffee Frappe

Black Crunch Frappe (150 php)

The Black Crunch Frappe is more on the sweet side and lighter coffee flavor.  Although I'm an Oreo fan, I wished the coffee flavor was a bit stronger like the rest.

♥ Cranberry Coffee Frappe (150 php)

The Cranberry Coffee Frappe has the rich blissful blend like the Black Canyon Iced Coffee but with cranberries and whipped cream.


Iced Tea

Iced Lemon Tea (65 php)

I got the Iced Lemon Tea as a freebie for my first foursquare check-in.  Now, this is one of the rare moments where I'd be raving about a house brewed Iced Lemon Tea.   This had a soothing citrus flavor which is not sweet at all.

♥ Cha Thai Yen (Thai Iced Tea with Milk) (90 php)

If you enjoy Thai milk tea like I do, their Cha Thai Yen (Thai Iced Tea with Milk) is a good option.

♥ Green Tea Frappe (140 php)

Among the Iced Tea selections, my favorite is the Green Tea Frappe.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Black Canyon Coffee and International Thai Cuisine offers brilliant dishes and blends making it a great dining, meeting or hang out place.  Did I mention they have a fast and reliable WiFi?  The staffs are very accommodating too.  They also have promos and special menus so avail of that for more savings.  I find their pricing scheme for the food is quite odd because they are not exact.  I also noticed that this branch has higher pricing than their first branch in SM South Mall.  They also have a 5% service charge even for drinks when dined in which is not usual for typical coffee shops.