MANILA -- As a Korean living in Manila, I find myself craving for a Korean café with its distinctive atmosphere and menu. So I was quite happy to have discovered Café De Seoul near the De La Salle University-Manila campus.
Cafe De Seoul serves coffee and food influenced by Korean traditions and taste. Opened just last March 1, most of its customers are La Salle students, who stay in the café to study, hold group meetings or simply chat with friends.
As early as now, the café's owners are already thinking about opening more branches around Metro Manila.
Interiors
The first thing customers would notice when they enter the café is how modern and clean it looks, simply decorated with a black-and-white color scheme.
Since students are the primary customers here, visitors won’t find couches in the café. Instead, tables and chairs are provided, which are perfect for meetings and study groups. Café De Seoul also provides magazines and books for customers who just want to enjoy their time in the café.
Students can also enjoy WiFi, printing services and charging stations for free. Some tables are even equipped with with Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1s which customers can use, also for free.
And unlike most coffee shops, Café De Seoul is a full-service restaurant.
Some of the online reviews of noted that the coffee here is little bit expensive. Prices are on a par with those at high-end coffee joints like Starbucks and The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.
Drinks and coffee
Café De Seoul serves coffee-based drinks, mocktails, teas, juices, yogurt and various cakes and pastries.
It is particularly proud of the quality of its coffee beans as these are imported from South Korea. The beans are sourced from various coffee-producing countries and include Brazil Santos No.2, Guatemala SHB, Costa Rica SHB, Tanzania AA, and Kenya AA. These coffee beans are nourished, pruned, picked and perfectly roasted from the best selection of beans, which is why the café's coffee-based drinks are famous for their outstanding flavors.
Ddalgi Sonagi is one of the best-selling beverages in Café De Seoul. It's a colorful drink since it is made from kiwi and strawberries. The Korean term literally translates to “strawberry rain,” which is a fitting name for this refreshing drink, especially on a hot and humid day. Customers can also choose from other fruit-based beverages from the menu.
The café also serves different kinds of Korean tea but the most famous one is the Honey Yuja. It is a healthy, traditional Korean drink that is good for digestion and helps relieve hangovers. The tea consists of thinly sliced Korean citrus fruit and infused with sugar and honey stirred in water. It has high calcium and vitamin content and is also helpful toward relieving blood pressure. The taste is somewhere between an orange and a lemon with touch of sweetness.
Desserts
Café De Seoul also serves a variety of desserts such as cakes, cookies, rice cakes and breads, but the most recommended one here is the Korean rice cake.
Café de Seoul’s rice cakes are modernized versions of the traditional Korean rice cakes and tailored for Filipino customers. With 10 flavors, the rice cakes is made of pounded chewy rice and filled with a mix of fruits and sweet bean paste, making it the perfect to pair with the cafe's teas.
There’s also a special item called the Seoul Bing-Soo, which is like a Korean halo-halo. Normally, it is an ice dessert topped with red beans and rice cakes. The Seoul Bing-Soo also has these but with the addition of gelato and sliced almonds on top. There are also other flavors of the Bing-Soo here, such as green tea, strawberry and wine.
With its cool ambiance, generous service and interesting mix of drinks and food, Café de Seoul is an opportunity for Filipinos to experience a modern Korean coffee shop.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
