Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Lipa City

I visited CBTL - Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Cafe in Lipa City yesterday.
There were 4 of us and we spent Php 735 or about $20 - still cheap by western standards however I think quite pricey already for regular salaries of Pinoys.

The chai latte was a stunner - Php 125 - a small cup. That's about $3 only.
I ordered a mocha latte, small size - Php 110 - $2.50 I think (all quoted in AUD).

Cakes were around Php 125 to Php 140 so around $3 to $3.50 per slice.

In terms of taste, the mocha latte was not exceptional... though I can sense more flavor in it compared to the regular mocha latte I get from Starbucks in Lipa.  The cakes were nice but everyone knows cakes are never healthy. Still to their credit, it's good and I think better than the pastries in Starbucks in Lipa or in Cafe de Lipa by a mile.

The biggest problem in this place even if it offers free wifi is the glaring sun. Hot Philippine weather and hot glaring gray skies hurt my eyes! This makes this coffee shop unappealing to me as I prefer something which is cosy. That being said, I think this place though is design more for casual business meetings instead of peer hangout or pocket book readers.

Will I come back? Well  maybe... with a few conditions:
1. If I have to pay for their coffee, I really would like to have a more relaxing atmosphere. A few in-house plants, fresh flowers would be nice.
2. Some shade and more relaxing music will help.


Perhaps next time, if I don't have a choice, I would order their meals... eggs benedict and some pasta. :-)



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My less than $3 Starbucks Coffe

The only Starbucks in my known world which sells $3 for a regularly sized cafe mocha drink for less than $3. This is exactly Php 125 in Lipa City, Batangas, no whipped cream, non fat milk.

Is it a bargain? Not really. While it is relatively cheaper than the $4 mocha drinks I have in other countries for regular cafes, this drink is quite expensive in the Philippine setting.

However, there isn't much choice of boutique and cozy coffee shops especially in provincial areas in the Philippines.


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Cafe Ysabel, Lipa City

This is such an underutilized cafe. It's a pity. The place can be improved. The place attempts to be a cafe but it is not cosy at all. The furniture are wrong. The ceiling is too high. In short, the interior is all the over the place. You get confused if you are inside a lounge, a cafe, restaurant or going to watch a band or if you're in a canteen, or if you're in a hotel lobby due to the ultra large chandelier.

The waiters are trying their best to be attentive to the customers. That's much appreciated... then again, I don't know if they were very service oriented because we were the *only* customers.

The food and drinks seem very cheap though. I only had a coffee so I can't vouch for the taste of the meals.

Would I go back? Probably not... that ambience isn't just what I expect.

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