My initial plan was that our Seoul trip was just going to be for hubby and myself. I was then armed with information on how to take the public transport from Incheon International Airport to Seoul. Incheon Airport is big, clean, and nice, and along with the one in Hong Kong, and Changi in Singapore, they’re probably the best airports I’ve seen in all our trips to some parts of Asia and the United States. I would have loved to loiter around if only we didn’t have just 5 days to spend in Seoul.
This is a shameless job ad for Monsees Cafe 
For those of you who don’t know yet, Monsees Cafe is a bakery/bakeshop/cafe/deli/resto located at 118 Katipunan Ave., Brgy. White Plains, Quezon City. It’s known for using only quality ingredients and baking the best Spanish bread. Guests rave about Monsees Cafe for their moist chocolate cake, grisini (or breadsticks), assorted pastries, doughnuts which some claim to even magically transport them to their childhood, hot meals, and pan de motsi and pasta. Monsees Cafe is also a total package because aside from the food, our guests also adore our interiors which they say are reminiscent of the bakery in Meryl Streep’s movie, It’s Complicated.
Now, we have good news! Monsees Cafe is expanding and is opening its doors for new members to its growing family! Monsees Cafe is currently hiring the following:
Just follow the links and you’ll be directed to our job ad posting which lists the qualifications and requirements.
Please share this job ad to your friends and I’m inviting you to come visit us at Monsees Cafe!
See you there
I remember that day when we were headed to the Singapore Flyer and upon alighting at the Promenade MRT Station, we realized that it was raining hard. There was nothing we could do but stay warm and dry at the PARCO Marina Bay which is just above the Promenade MRT Station. While there, we decided to have a leisurely chat about love, life, and travels, at a pretty corner cafe.
We spent a good hour and a half waiting for the rain to stop at The Gourmet Bakery Cafe in PARCO Marina Bay. It’s a bakery, cafe, and deli in one. It serves coffee and tea, breads, pastries, sandwiches, as well as salads, soups, pasta, and hot meals.
We got cafe latte and warm apple pie. I’m no coffee connoisseur but having been born in the Kapeng Barako (varietal of liberica) capital of the Philippines (Batangas, that’s right), I can tell that there was nothing spectacular with the coffee. In fact, the foam art was not even perfect and looked haphazardly done.
The warm apple pie was also so-so. I figured it was too sweet for me.
I did like the design of the dessert fork though
Food may not be exceptionally good and the price wasn’t cheap either, but we did not have any right to complain because the cafe gave us shelter as we waited for the rain to stop. That plus the wait staff were friendly and service was good. While I would not include it as a must-visit on our next trip to Singapore, I’m still glad we stopped by The Gourmet Bakery Cafe. At the end of the day, a cup of coffee is always good when it’s raining outside. And more especially so if the moment is shared with the one you love
Nestled outside Batangas City’s basilica and a few hops off from the city’s plaza is a little cafe that looks very pleasant and inviting. It’s called Cafe Milflores and it’s located along P. Dandan St. in Batangas City.
We went there a few months ago but we weren’t able to come in because they’re already closed. It’s sad because it’s a cafe and it was already closed when we got there around 9PM or so. Now you know how early people from the provinces sleep at night 
So if you check the place out, make sure you come in early.
The first thing you’ll see when you enter is the counter where displays of cakes, pastries, cupcakes, and cookies are up for sale.
In one end of the cafe is the sofa where guests can lounge in. I feel that the balloons are misplaced though
At the opposite end of the sofa is a nook filled with tiny souvenirs and candies.
It’s a small cafe and the chairs and tables are just sprawled in between the sofa and the souvenir nook.
So what do I think about the place?
I’m no expert when it comes to design and my tastes in cafe designs vary from time to time. Inasmuch as the cafe didn’t try to be just like the famous American corporate chain (yep, I’m talking about Starbucks and the like), I admire their choice of concept.
If I may digress, I’d just like to tell you that there is another cafe in Batangas City called Hot N Cold which I first tried last January 2011. That one follows the usual cafe designs we see and it would have been forgettable had we not looked for a place that has wi-fi in Batangas. Hot N Cold has wifi so we went there last weekend and much to our surprise, the food improved a lot since our last visit and they now show films/movies via a projector (well, they got plus points because they were showing Kung Fu Panda on the night we were there)
So, as I was saying, I felt that the design concept for Cafe Milflores was a great choice. It fits the place perfectly. However, there were elements that I felt should not be there. I mentioned the balloons. I know the pink and white balloons are cute but I don’t know why they’re there.
The place makes me wanna have an afternoon tea party there but I’m a little lost on how to connect the image of coffee which, for me is supposed to be strong and robust, vis-a-vis the cute and delicate interiors of the cafe.
I haven’t been to London and I don’t know how a typical English cafe looks like but I have clear images of cafes that I’ve been to and more or less, I can sense if there are elements that are not faithful to the general theme/design. The owners display family photos of their travels on the walls or on the tables and if I remember it well, I’ve seen one taken in Disneyland Hong Kong and another one in Senado Square in Macau. Well, that’s too far from London.
I guess a little fine-tuning of the details is needed but at the end of the day, I still loved the place and it made me smile. It’s a happy place to be in That plus the warmth of the pastry chef who went out of his way to offer us a great spot in the cafe.
Now, the food. I know, I know, I’m too ashamed to admit that I tried the desserts even if I’m in the Cohen program 
Hubby got the blueberry cheesecake and he was not impressed. I shared the same sentiment. If hubby and I were to pick our favorite cheesecakes, Junior’s and The Cheesecake Factory’s would always top our list. As for cheesecakes, I guess we’re hard to please Sadly, the blueberry cheesecake from Cafe Milflores disappointed us. It’s like eating gelatin instead of a cheesecake. The blueberry topping isn’t flavorful at all. Considering that we’re in Batangas, a slice of cheesecake above P90 isn’t cheap and it’s a waste spending it on this cheesecake.
Umma (mom in Korean ) got the Toblerone cheesecake. Again, this one is gelatinous in texture which is disappointing. However, I kinda liked it because it somehow felt like I’m eating chocolate mousse. It’s much better than the blueberry cheesecake but this is not to say that it’s a winner. Again, it’s not cheap and I think you’d get more worth for your penny if you just try a different dessert.
Appa (dad in Korean) got the Banana Cream Pie. Now, now, if we weren’t impressed with the cheesecakes, we were very happy with this one. I have a different version of banana cream pie and I’d say that this is another great version that I’d be happy to give a try. I like the chocolatey crust which blended well with the toffee, the vanilla cream layer, and the marshmallow-ey whipped cream top. Love love love this one… really. I may have been disappointed with the cheesecakes but whenever a dish pleases me, I’m a very proud and happy customer. And only because of their banana cream pie, I’m gonna recommend Cafe Milflores to all my friends
Their coffee is nothing spectacular. Actually, this one is just brewed coffee. However, there’s something about this coffee that makes me feel at home. I didn’t get a chance to ask if they’re using kapeng barako but my cup tasted just as good. It’s a great match for the banana cream pie. I brought my own sucralose but I like that they serve their coffee with muscovado sugar. And that’s another plus point for their coffee
All in all, despite some design elements I didn’t like and the cheesecake failures, I still enjoyed our visit to Cafe Milflores. I will be trying their other dishes next time. Finally, there’s a cute place in Batangas where we can hang out with friends and if ever you’re in Batangas, you may want to drop by this cafe too.
P.S. There’s royalty before the entrance and guess who’s there
Charlie Brown and Peanuts friends aren’t as popular in the Philippines as Mickey Mouse or Tom & Jerry. We do know Snoopy, though. But back when I was a child, I would always catch Peanuts in RPN-9 (although with much difficulty as I can’t figure out the show’s airing schedule exactly). My favorites were Charlie Brown and Lucy Van Pelt 
This is why I was so happy to find out that there’s Charlie Brown Cafe in Hong Kong. The first time I saw it was in 2006 but I never got the chance to go there. I always passed by it in my later trips but unfortunately, I never got to try their food. Last December, I was more than ecstatic to know that Charlie Brown Cafe is just right in front of our hotel!
