Tully's Coffee Now Brewing in Manila

Tully's Coffee Now Brewing in Manila
by Nicole



A new brew has come to Manila and the Manila Foodistas was invited to be one of the firsts to taste it!

November 3, 2011 was Tully's Coffee launch here in the Philippines. The fun kick-off happened in their first store in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Tully's Coffee 

Established in 1992 by Mr. Tom O'Keefe nicknamed "Tully" (hence the name of his coffee shop :D), Tully's Coffee is a specialty coffee retailer and wholesaler based in Seattle, Washington. They've got more than a hundred stores all over the U.S and have also branched out here in Asia, where currently the market is :D - in Japan, South Korea, Singapore and now, here in nuestra patria adorada, the Philippines!

It was my first time to attend a coffee shop launching and I didn't really mind that I was alone. Muwahaha! You see, I was thinking that if I go there alone, that would be the best way to find out if the people are going to be welcoming and friendly and boy, I was not disappointed because INDEED THEY WERE!

Tully's Coffee in Taguig is VERY easy to find (I swear you gotta consult an eye doctor if you don't see it) - it is located in between St. Lukes and the Deutschbank building. When I got to the place, I first registered at their booth and then was given a paper bag with stuff in it. I wanted to check the place out as soon as I got there so I didn't open the bag until I got home :)). I was ushered to the media room and for the first time, I felt like a journalist ha ha! A very lovely lady told me she's going to get me a drink so I just waited at the room. While waiting, I was looking around and saw this on the wall:

Our Promise: Your experience should be perfect. If it isn't, please let us know and we will make it right. 

 Thumbs up on their promise!

Tully's Iced Tea

My first drink came and it was an iced tea. I was expecting a cup of coffee but it didn't matter really. I was thirsty and was really pleased that they gave an iced tea first. Man, I liked their iced tea! I asked the baristas how they made it and was told that it's their special blend. Their iced tea is composed of black tea, honey and lemon.

Inside the media room came Mr. Daniel Francisco, the General Manager of Tully's Philippines. He then talked to some media people and when I saw that, I grabbed my pen and paper, approached their circle and also started asking questions :D. Mr. Francisco talked about expanding Tully's here and I'm just glad to know they're putting up one in Ortigas soon! Then also in Makati, Quezon City, Manila and Alabang. When asked what separates Tully's from other coffee shops, Mr. Francisco emphasized on the people in Tully's - its friendliest staff. After the conversation, off I went out the media room and explored the coffee shop!

It sure is a packed house!

I'm not a coffee drinker to be honest but since I was already at a coffee shop and it's a new one, I told myself that I should try and so I did. I approached the counter and to be frank, I was clueless on what to order so I just asked the staff. Okay a major pause there: the staff were indeed soooo friendly and very helpful too! I don't know if it's because it's their launching day so they're compelled to be super friendly but you know, you can always tell a fake smile from a real one as well as if you're having a fake conversation when talking to someone, right? Tully's staff are all nice and friendly - I like them!

Now to help me with my drink, they told me that I should try their Bellaccino - they've got the espresso, and mocha. I like strong flavors so I chose the Bellaccino espresso. The whipped cream on top has vanilla so it did not taste bland. The espresso blend is something special for me because it did not taste like shockingly bitter espresso. Tully's Bellaccino espresso is not a bitter tasting drink, at least for my taste buds. And as for the milk, they use low-fat and--oh just in case you're calorie-conscious--they use regular whipped cream (low-fat soon please :) ).

Tully's Bellaccino Espresso

As I was sipping my Bellaccino Espresso, I tried listening to people talk about their opinions on Tully's Coffee. One thing that stood out from all that I've heard was a comment from one lady. When asked how the coffee she's drinking is, she commented that it was just okay and it tasted the same as any other coffee. She went, "Pare-pareho lang naman 'yan sila, nagkaka-talo lang sa ambiance."

I pondered on what she said and first I thought, if it doesn't taste somehow like others, then it's no longer coffee that you're drinking. They're all serving coffee hence you get and taste coffee so somehow they're all the same because you've got a common denominator which is coffee (okay, scratch that if it doesn't make any sense). Now second, I agree with the ambiance factor. We can always make our own coffee at home but why still go and spend time at coffee shops? Human beings have this nature of wanting to be bosses - we all want to be served, treated well, so we go out and find a place that does what we're looking for.  I primarily go to coffee shops when I want to be somewhere quiet where I can read, do my homework while have something unique to drink (I remember seeing a pumpkin drink on Tully's US website. It would be cool if Tully's PH would serve it too :D)

So now to wrap it all up, Tully's Coffee launch in Bonifacio Global City was fun and I was glad that I went there - thanks to all the very friendly people I met. Thank you Tully's for inviting Manila Foodistas! I will be back most definitely! (I want to see how Tully's is like on a normal day :D)

 

P.S. Their pastry is provided by a local bakeshop and if I remember it right, they'll be serving sugarless treats soon! YEHEY!


Address and Phone Number
Tully's Coffee Philippines
Bonifacio Global City, The Fort, 
1630 Taguig, Philippines
(02) 661 77 23

Kracie: たのしいおすしやさん

Kracie: たのしいおすしやさん
Tiffy in Japan
Grocery shopping

I first saw this video when my sister, Therese, shared it on her facebook. I wanted it. I was talking to my boyfriend about it and he told me that you can buy it in the grocery. And I was like, why haven't I ever seen it!? So when Therese's Japanese classmate in Taiwan went back to Japan for a vacation, we asked him to buy some for us. But he couldn't find some. So then we all thought that maybe it would only be sold in Tokyo because that's where most foreigners go and they're probably the only ones interested in buying this.

But no! I went grocery shopping for dinner and saw... these:

Boo ya! I bought the sushi kit for 248 yen per box--around Php 124 a pop.

158 yen for the ハンバーガーやさん one on the left.

168 yen for the おえがきグミランド on the right.

I can't wait to play with these when Therese comes back from Taiwan during her winter break! 

Lunch at the Soul Shop

Lunch at the Soul Shop
by Nicole




Yesterday, Sunday, I was not really in the mood to eat (especially after learning about Narayanan Krishnan - what he's doing hit me big time.)

Tic, toc, tic, toc. . . it was already way past lunch time and so, as a human being, I got hungry. Awesome thing, I was at my favourite place, Crossroad 77! After browsing books and buying one at the bookstore in C77 called the bRoom, I had my lunch at the Soul Shop, one of my favourite places!

It took me a while looking at the menu because I couldn´t decide which one to order since I wanted all of  'em - they've got different types of pasta, rice meals, burgers and sandwiches, vetegarian food, and of course teas and coffee! After so much deliberation in my head, I then ordered the fish kare-kare! :D I haven't eaten this before so I thought, this should be interesting. I ate it with brown rice.

Fish Kare-Kare with brown rice (Php 170)

Boy oh boy oh boy! The fish kare-kare was sooo goood! My reaction after tasting it was like that of Anton Ego, the food critic in Disney's Ratatouille (you know the scene after he had tasted Remy's ratatouille?) I felt like I was teleported to my mom's house and was eating her version of kare-kare! YUUUM! Soul Shop's fish kare-kare is the best food I had since I started working! It's creamy and it's definitely NOT like the usual tasteless or too salty kare-kare. It's one of a kind because it's the first time I've had a fish kare-kare and  the fish was perfectly cooked! I forgot to ask what kind of fish was it though - but I'm pretty sure it was not bangus nor tilapia.

Kare-kare is ALWAYS served with bagoong. I was kind of hesitant at first to put the bagoong with it because I was thinking that it would ruin the taste but I was wrong! The bagoong went perfectly well with the kare-kare. Hands down, I just had one of the best lunch ever! :D By the way, as for the dessert, I didn't order anymore because I was already full.

Next week I'll be coming back to try their pasta! And oh, I will introduce you guys also to the Jojiberry healthy food shop (also in Crossroad 77) where they have raw superfood smoothies! DELICIOUSLY GOOD!

Soul Shop, Crossroad 77

Crossroad 77 Bldg, 77 Mother Ignacia Ave cor Sct Reyes St 

Quezon City, Metro Manila

Philippines

(02) 374-4811     

Su: 8:00 am - 7:00 pm

M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

P.S.

Soul Shop is not your ordinary café because they not only serve good and healthy food, they also sell interesting Filipino souvenirs!

Therese in Taiwan: Flavors of Korea 韓國口味

Since I live with my relatives here in Taipei, I don't really have the opportunity to eat at the restaurants around my school because my aunt feeds me. However, because of the recent move, the house is still in disarray so much so that we always have to eat out.

When my girl friends (a Korean and a German) and I were planning on having lunch together, our teacher suggested that my Korean friend take us to this Korean restaurant outside National Chengchi University (the university I'm currently attending).

From the main gate, you turn right and then you'll see Watson's across the street. Keep walking until you see this electronics store (if I remember correctly), and the Korean restaurant will be beside it (on the 2nd floor). Cross the street to get to the restaurant.

They have 2 areas - the main "outer" area and the secondary "inner" area. The former has more or less 9 tables. The latter only has 2 tables, and you get to sit on the floor (on top of pillows of course!) This area is only used when the former is full.



Each person gets an appetizer and unlimited soup for each meal ordered. You could choose from a variety of side dishes. My friends went for the sweet potato and I went for the bean sprouts.

We didn't have to wait long before our orders arrived. My Korean friend and I both got the 소고기 덮밥 (sogogi deopbab), which is a beef rice meal, and my German friend got the vegetarian version of the 돌솥비빔밥 (dolsot bibimbap). Bibimbap is rice topped with vegetables, egg, and beef. This one came without the beef.

소고기 덮밥 (sogogi deopbab) | PhP 180

돌솥비빔밥 (dolsot bibimbap) | PhP 150

I don't know if this is how it's done in other Korean restaurants, but in this one, you add the chili pepper paste yourself. I guess it's so that people who don't like spicy food can regulate the amount of the paste.

We also had the 해물 부침개 (haemul buchimgae), or otherwise known as seafood pancake. We liked how crispy and thin the pancake was, and how big the seafood was.

해물 부침개 (haemul buchimgae) | PhP 180

The second time we went there, my German friend and I ordered the same thing we ordered before, but our Korean friend went for 신라면 (sinlamyeon) because she was craving for noodles. She said that in Korea, this dish is typically served spicy, but that because most Taiwanese aren't accustomed to really spicy food, the level in this dish has been brought down.

신라면 (sinlamyeon) | PhP 135

We like this restaurant so much that we're going back there soon. If you ever get the chance to visit Taipei, or find yourself around the vicinity of National Chengchi University, be sure to try this place out!