Latitude Bean+Bar — Restaurant in Manila

spontaneous chat over coffee time with friends in the office on a friday night bc it’s just a couple of kilometers away from where we were. one might miss the chance to spot this cafe if your mind is wandering around bc even though it is conveniently located on a quiet neighborhood away from the bustling night life of the city it morphs well as a part-commercial part-residential building. its simple storefront signage may hardly be noticed but at least it illuminates by dusk. as for the interior design it felt as if it we were transported to a cozy retro bar complete with its dim ambience. the first floor (though angel told us they curated a co-working space upstairs but we didn’t tread going there) can get cramped inside since tables and chairs are so close to one another but in our favor we visited on a relatively slow evening than usual. we ordered all three of their pasta dishes on the menu and a focaccia pepperoni pizza bread aside from our drinks of choice: affogato for elij (which looked equally sumptuous as it was advertised in ig); matcha caramel latte (my order!! nothing special really but i do appreciate it tasted like authentic bitter matcha which explains its less economical price); and house blend spanish latte they call ‘malate’ (witty af) for angel (with a solid rating 8.25 of 10 from her - a considered must-try!); also i cannot forget jorie’s cereal soft serve that she absolutely loved. sure enough, high points outweigh the weaker aspects on our two-hour-ish stay: flavorful drinks, excellent ice cream texture, swift service, jazz and a bit of instrumental overhead music (saw they have a dedicated playlist on spotify), quirky mushroom table lamp with a range of colors for the vibes, cashless payment options, friendly staff and baristas, and an available comfort room. as for mid-low points i can only nitpick a few: uncool room temperature, intermittent telco signal, and average food (in retrospect the ones we ordered are not their bestsellers so we might try their more popular ones next time) {verdict:...

Been on the hunt for a Banana Pudding Matcha Latte in Malate, and I finally found a café that serves it! I was already impressed when they agreed to serve the banana pudding separately upon request—big plus for that flexibility.

Lately, I’ve been drinking Marukyu Koyamaen’s matcha, so my standards are pretty high. Before adding the pudding, I tasted the matcha latte on its own—and it passed the test! Smooth, clean, and unsweetened, which I appreciated since the banana pudding is sweet enough on its own. It seems like they’re using high-quality matcha powder, and I noticed they even use a chasen and chawan, which shows a nice respect for the craft.

Once I added the banana pudding, the flavor did shift a bit. The sweetness of the pudding slightly overpowered the delicate matcha notes, but overall it still worked. A bit of balance adjustment would make it perfect.

Still, I genuinely enjoyed it and will definitely come back. If you’re a matcha lover looking for something a little different, this one’s...

the food and drinks are average, but the ambience and staff are great. perfect for when you feel like having a quiet brunch or some afternoon coffee.

their bestseller coffee (malate) was good, but their oatmilk coffee tasted more milky than coffee. their matcha drink, too, had the same problem of tasting too milky, as we barely felt the matcha flavor. the truffle parmesan chips are good, but i suspect that it's just plain Lays chips sautéed in some truffle oil sprinkled with parmesan. also, their angus lasagna was more cheesy than meaty, so that's not really worth the price. i personally loved their kouign amann though, and for this beloved pastry i will keep coming back to this place.

the bathroom is very clean and the place is generally Asian mom friendly (and they start serving alcoholic drinks after 5:30pm). i only wish that it opened earlier, maybe around 9 to 10am because it is a café after all and so opening at nearing noon time lowkey drives away...