Cộng Cà Phê - Gateway Mall 2 — Restaurant in Quezon City

on my first time here, really enjoyed their coffee with peanut butter cream. despite the long line, we had time to kill as we were still waiting for a friend. the nutty taste really stood out, which does not overpower the coffee and balances each one out perfectly.

i wanted to try lots of items, but they were sold out quick of smoothies and banh mi. that was around 3-4pm on a busy weekend, to be fair.

so fast forward to my second visit, i was invited for a drink by cong. i did order a few items myself like their banh mi finally!!! it was currently on a promo deal with your choice of coffee.

coming here in the morning with less people and no queues is best. i got in at 11am. if you’re looking for a cafe conducive to work in, it could also be here with their earthy wood vintage interiors, mall wifi, sockets, and big tables.

while my favorite is still their coffee with peanut butter cream from my last visit, this time i got to try: •coconut mung bean — a cooling drink with a bit of mung bean grain, perfect for the hot weather these days. it literally puddled on the tray as i brought it to the table, so it’s definitely filled to the brim with its mountain of coconut slush. it’s like your ginatan sans the bilo-bilo and saba but make it drinkable! •passion fruit kumquat mountain tea — very refreshing! 10/10 with the right balance of sweet and sour citrus from the passion fruit + kumquat combo. passionfruit drinks tend to be too sweet in other stores that sell them, so this is a good shake up from the more common blends. •pork banh mi + iced latte combo for P280 — not sure for how long this promo will go, but it’s worth it! i’ve wanted to try since my first visit and happy to say i’m super satisfied. while the bread is thick compared to the meat and filling when it comes to the ratio, the flavorful liver pate, carrots, cucumbers, and cilantro (all my favorites in these bites!!! 🥹) more than make up for it. so it’s a good pick-me-up snack when you haven’t eaten, with chicken and beef options too—washed down by their strong coffee blend, here i got an iced latte. you can choose this and decide whether you want to have it iced or hot as well.

overall good experience with my visits in cong. i just wish they’d have more stock daily, so they’re able to serve their signatures until closing time. this is the only reason i’m rating down for service. both my visits, there were out of stock items like sodas, fruit juices, smoothies, banh mi and this is even despite coming in early. otherwise, their staff is really nice and accommodating and despite the long queues the past few months, they’re managing to pull through.

but to be honest, i’m still waiting for when i get to try the coconut green rice. that still hasn’t flown, cause i haven’t chanced upon it available on any...

[Coffee] Unique coffee—something new compared to the usual coffee chains. I usually drink my coffee fast but somehow not for these—maybe because of its strength compared to what I usually have? But definitely because they taste great.

[Savory food] Not a fan of the filling-to-bread ratio of the bahn mi though, and the bread gets a bit tough if you don’t eat it immediately. 😔 Also if you don’t like cilantro maybe skip it hahah.

[As a workspace] They have sockets but just a few! A lot of people come here so despite having lots of seats, some might not be able to dine in. Some people are willing to share tables, which is nice. 🙂

[Other] Only one POS terminal so the line can get long and it may take a while to place an order. 😔 Orders are picked up when they activate your given buzzer, water is self-served, and CLAYGO is practiced here! They also sell merch, tea sets, snacks, and instant coffee/tea bags. 🙂

(Sorry for using some of my old photos but it’s still the same don’t worry hahah i just decided to leave...

we tried the Vietnamese-latte & white coffee. No wonder why the white coffee is a best seller. It's so good! on my taste, its a perfect balance of sweetness and coffee flavor. The Viet Latte is good too! As acidic person, this doesn't feel acidic and no "after taste" feeling.

I like the atmosphere. It's very calming and i like the dim lights!

i just don't understand why you need to go to each person and making them transfer to another table (see last pic). I get it if it's peek hours or it has a long line outside but no, there's a lot of space. Maybe you should put a sign that you can't seat in the long table & those 4 seater if you're only 2. You should also consider adding 2 or 1 seater and not just a stool chair as a table. We end up rushing to drink our coffee to give our seats because just looking at it makes us uncomfortable. (BUT IF SOMEONE CAN EXPLAIN...