A Cafeño visit would be very easy to squeeze in the itinerary.
Walking distance from Alps bus terminal, just across Petron gasoline station.
This summer season I seem to have put my quest for quirky, cozy, and inexpensive coffe shops to a rest. Not because of summer being hot and all, coffee is a staple for me no matter how unbearably scorching summer gets. exagg? :P It's just that these days I've been allocating the funds on beachineering, huzzah! hahaha With my recent escapade to Batangas, the land of kapeng barako, it would be a sin not to have a sip of the trademark drink though; hence, the sidetrip to Cafeño before going back to the concrete jungle.
We did not just chance upon the place. I saw it in a blog and thought that the place looked familiar even though I've been to Laiya just once, and seven long years (or so) at that, hah! Too bad, I wasn't able to salvage pictures from Friendster days. The then and now images would have been nice. But here's how the cafe looks now:
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| The sign by the door says: home made ice cream :) |
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| Know your barako... |
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| How do you like them sweets? |
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| Cafeño mugs for sale |
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| Antique sewing machines adorn tables, or rather tables were antique sewing machines so handle with care. |
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| Because coffee is our fuel... |
Anyways, other reviews did not clue us in on how much to shell out, but it seemed budget friendly (and if this is the cafe I've been to way way back, then it IS budget friendly) so into the itinerary you go Cafeño. ^^ And I believe the girls enjoyed that we did drop by.
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| The aftermath...pardon the messy table. hahaha |
We left Naambon on full tummies so we just planned on having light meals here. And, here's what we had:
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| Almost half of us ordered pasta of the day: Puttanesca P90 |
Quesadilla with Eggplant P100
Eggs Benedict (with rice) P135
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| Barako Float P135 |
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| Barako Condensada P85 One shot of Kapeng Barako + condensed milk = love in a cup |
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| Halo-Halo P150, good for sharing What would summer be like without you, halo-halo? hehehe |
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| Chicken Burger P120 |
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| Grilled Cheese Sandwich P85 |
They also have an art gallery which, by the time of our visit, was closed. We were told by staff that it houses works of local artists, and said paintings were already sold. Great for these artists, too bad none for us to see then. hehe
I don't know when I'll be beachineering in San Juan again but I'm sure there's one place my sixth sense (coffee sense.haha) will be pulling me ~ Cafeño. Hope to see you again next summer! :)
Cafeño
9 Gen. Luna Street
Poblacion, San Juan, Batangas
budget per person: P250
