Upon learning that Miss Charen will soon grace us with sayonara, I immediately thought of an initiative for us to meet one last time. Miss Charen is one of my co-workers when I used to work in the media, right after I took a break from the academe.

She's one of the most down-to-earth and hands down, one of the most passionate people I ever met. Witnessing her dedication to work, and how she looks at life makes me feel more empowered. Though it saddens me to say goodbye to her, I am more than happy for her and I can only wish her all the best that Japan has to offer. Yes, the madam is going to Japan. hehe >.<

 MOshi-moshi Charen-san! <3

To wish her some luck, a colleague and I bought her a cute neko figurine. The cat decor has a bell on it, so when we gave miss Charen our gift, we told her that if there's something that her heart desires, all she needs to do is to ring the bell and whisper her wish. lelz Don't belittle her lucky charm because it did the charm a few hours after we gave it to her! haha

I wanted to see Miss Charen for the last in a wonderful place so invited her for an afternoon soiree along with our two other previous colleagues, Miss Joy and Miss Camille. I recently heard of an amiable patisserie within Cebu named Marisse Patisserie. I haven't been visited the place prior to our afternoon affair, so I just fervently prayed that the place would not disappoint, and fortunately, it didn't.

The patisserie offers a visual feast of grand cakes, tempting cookies, savory prepared foods, and various breads to enjoy. Coupled with its shabby chic interiors, the place is enough to make anybody's dainty dream come to life.

 I couldn't agree more with the phrase above :) hello friends!

 Pappy's Banana Guava Cake

I wanted to try something different so I chose the banana guava cake that Marisse offers. The cake gave us so much emotions which fill our hearts with laughter as we try to answer the question: who is Pappy?

haha A very important question and we had the craziest possible answers. It was only last night when I found out that it was inspired by the owner's father (Pappy) who, according to Marisse official website loves to eat a banana treat with guava filling.

I love how soft the cake is and I like the fact that Marisse has taken some twist with the regular banana cake without turning it into something boring. Adding a guava filling into the cake made it a little bit more interesting. What I'm trying to say is that they didn't pull off a twist on it for the sake of being weird. The cake itself tastes good though the four of us agreed that the guava flavor is barely there. There were times when we throw questions at each other looking for a distinct guava taste. lol

 Chocolate Dacquoise

We used to have culinary and baking classes in high school, but I've never heard of dacquoise within my years of study. It was only when I visited Marisse that I was able to know what it is and how it taste like. And though,I know that it has a French origin (judging from its spelling), I wasn't quite sure on how the word mus be pronounced. Luckily, Miss Charen is to the rescue! haha so dacquoise is pronounced as da-kwaz and by definition, it is a dessert consisting of baked layers of nut-flavored meringue with a cream filling, sometimes with the addition of fruit, served chilled.

Among the four cakes that we've ordered, the dacquoise is the softest and the fluffiest one. It can easily glide in your tongue in similar way a Shakespearean sonnet can enter your heart.

 Red Velvet Cake

 Matcha Sans Rival Cake

Matcha for me is a flavor created by the gods. The moment I saw matcha variations on Marisse's menu, I immediately had my eyes on their matcha sans rival cake. What happens when you combine matcha with sans rival is a match made in heaven. The juxtaposition of matcha's bitterness and sans rival's sweetness created a distinct taste that captured my soul.

At frist I was a bit hesitant to try it having tasted some variations of Sans Rival. Though Sans Rival is a beloved dessert, I find some of its variations too sweet for my liking. Surprisingly, what Marisse' has has the right amount of sugar. The added nuts on the cake made the dessert's texture more interesting in every bite.

Strawberry Matcha Cake

Pecado Mortal

"Sin on a plate"
Lemon Blueberry Cake

Miss Joy's choice of hot coffee and  cinnamon bread <3

We were wondering what animal is in their latte art, whether it's a dog or from Miss Joy's perspective, a pig. hahaha

We opted for a regular caffe americano and tea to match our delightful desserts.

From their picturesque interiors to their impressive collection of hearth-baked foods, there's nothing that I did not love about Marisse Patisserie. You may check their menu ahead online should you wish to save time upon your visit. Their service, including their bathrooms, which I am quite particular about also didn't make us feel brokenhearted. I am ecstatic that my co-workers and I had the wonderful time together before bidding farewell to Miss Charen.

Just as I did, you can also spend your precious time at Marisse Patisserie. The dainty place is located at 32 Sanson Road at the Rockwell, Cebu City. You may ring them a bell at 0917 708 3853 | (032) 406 3099, should you have any questions or visit their official Facebook account. The patisserie operates during Friday & Saturday - 8am-11pm | Tues-Thurs and Sunday 8am-10pm. It is closed on Mondays.

love lots,

Tin

A colleague of mine once asked me what's the best place for a foreign tourist to visit within the metropolis of Cebu. I told her that somewhere which translates the history and culture of the Cebuanos would be nice. My answer might be biased because I based them on my interests. My colleague didn't give any comment on my response partly because we might have the same answer if I were to ask her the same question. Right after I gave her my prompt response, she went ahead and asked me if I know somewhere good, but is not tainted by false popularity. I pondered deeply to give her an answer, but I couldn't think of any place at that time. 

In the very occupied Gorordo Avenue, I discovered a whimsical place that sat humbly unmindful of the passing cars. I have introduced some of my favorite cafes in my blog before, but this one's the sweetest so far. Named Presents & Such, the family-owned gift shop turned cafe and tea room offers several services which will give their customers an idea of how sweet life can be. Regardless of its limited space, customers can shop, eat and read inside the quaint shop.

Its overall facade will paint a picture of the modern English countryside inside your head without leaving Cebu.

Fanciful handmade gift items such as figurines, jewelry boxes, card holders, and tea cups are available at a very affordable price. Rare book collections by Cebuano writers are also available inside the shop. Some of the books were written by the cafe's owner who is also a writer.

Their menu changes from day to day except for their bestseller Apple Pie A la Mode which is available daily. What does the pie taste like? I want to try it, but it was already sold out when I visited the place. I hope there would be a slice left for me the next time I'd visit the cafe.

They don't have so many items on their menu as well, so if want to enjoy several food items for your gastronomical adventure, then the cafe won't be the best for you. Though I believe that their menu is enough for everybody to have a wonderful eating experience.

Let's take this time to appreciate the tea box where they store their tea bags.

How cute are their teapot and tea cups? I wish to own a similar one, but they aren't for sale.

I didn't have my lunch yet when I visited the cafe, so I ordered their rice + dish menu of the day which is their Pork Stew. What they have is inspired by the traditional Callos recipe, but with an added twist which is a brainchild of the owner.

For my dessert, I had Presents & Such's very own Blitz Torte cake which tastes like a dream. Its equally lovely and light texture will satisfy anybody's sweet tooth. Its rich and creamy filling will also melt anybody's heart. It melted mine and I'm willing to have my heart melted by their fancy-looking yellow cake again and again. It felt like the time when I first fell in love. chaos! Since they do accept orders, I'm thinking of ordering a whole cake for my birthday next month. 

All my love in one photograph <3

As I have mentioned earlier in this post, one can also enjoy reading inside the cafe. The owner put up a bookshelf that houses some different books on different interests. I grabbed a health book about the art of aromatherapy, a delightful book that contains informative notes on how aroma therapy oils can help us improve our overall health.

A page in the book shows how to use oils as facial moisturizers. The book made me wanna buy oils!

Christmas is in the air at Presents & Such cafe!

Hi there!

Presents & Such Tearoom and Cafe is a sweet place that enables everyone to experience how sweet life can be as one enjoys reading, shopping, and eating. If you're feeling down and bitter from all of the worries brought by this pragmatic world, go ahead and visit the cafe. I'm not feeling blue right now, but I can't wait to visit the cafe again. See you there! :)

love lots,

Tin

*Note:

This is not a sponsored post. I am not in any way paid by the cafe to write about them. Neither do I work for them? All photos above are taken by me using my cellphone's camera. Pardon their qualities. Thanks!

If you are searching for a new place to experience comfort and good coffee, you won't have a hard time if your search is within the metropolis of Cebu. With the city's fast-paced way of living, a number of new establishments can answer your needs in just a matter of time.

One of the newest players in Cebu's food industry is Q Cafe which is now brewing good vibes for every Cebuanos. It wasn't that long since the cafe opened its latest branch at A Pelaez St, Cebu City. I was lucky to be able to visit the place last week, and here are 5 five reasons why you should visit and love the cafe as much as I do.

There is definitely no reason for us not to unleash the inner artist within us. Widely celebrated artist Pablo Picasso once said that every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. 

Wide all the advancements in this digital world, it's easy for us to get caught in the pragmatic ways of living and neglect art. Art has been considered as a therapeutic way to get rid of stress and all the dramas in our daily life. What better way to celebrate art and create one with good coffee? Q Cafe provides what we long needed by going beyond just a simple venue of relaxation. The cafe allows their customers to make art using their used coffee grounds. It is indeed a great way to kill some time  while waiting for your orders (though the cafe doesn't really let you wait that long) and to bond with your friends. Plus, you can bring home your artwork as a souvenir if you want to!

Aside from their creative way of recycling their used coffee grounds by letting their customers turn it into artworks, Q Cafe proves their love and concern for nature by using environment-friendly food containers. 

For most of their food choices, they are using starch ware containers. Starch ware containers are 100% biodegradable and eco-friendly containers which are completely compostable. Plastic containers made out of starch can decompose by itself as early as two days.

Who else loves match latte as much as I do? Q Cafe achieved my desired taste of matcha. Their latte isn't too sweet and not too bitter. Just enough sweetness to enhance the tea's rich flavor.

Aside from various beverages, the cafe also offers a good variety of food items. Q Cafe is bound to release their very own Beef Salpicao with Pasta - a ready to go flavorful bowl that can satisfy anybody's cravings. 

Q Cafe has dope ass cupcakes. I had the chance to taste one of them and it didn't disappoint my palate. Topped with rich chocolate frosting, the cupcake is moist, soft and is definitely baked to perfection. I'm really going back for their pastries and you should try them too.

Q Cafe understands the importance of treating their customers right. Because of that, they trained they staff well in serving their customers. During my stay in the cafe, the servers were very nice and accommodating. They practiced basic hospitality skills such as asking their customers about the food and the service. A good service definitely means success for any business. 

Some of our fellow Cebuanos who are working on a night shift need a place to stay in and relax for awhile. The cafe doesn't want to exclude them to their service and other offerings so they cater to everyone everyday! The cafe is located in the heart of Cebu so it's not a difficult place to go to.

Q Cafe is spacious enough for everyone to sit comfortably.
Bonus: each of their tables have hooks below where you can hang your bags or other belongings. I've never been to any cafe in Cebu which has that kind of furniture. I believe it is something unique in Q Cafe.

Aside from the food and beverages in their menu, Q Cafe also sells go to snacks and delicacies. The cafe is the perfect place for anyone who wants to study, read a book, catch up with friends or grab a meal or a cup of good coffee. If you are craving for any of those, drop by Q Cafe at A Pelaez St., Cebu City right beside USC Law Bldg . If you find it difficult to get there, you may ask where Golden Valley Hotel Cebu is located. The cafe is right within the hotel's area. For more info. feel free to visit their official Facebook account.

love lots,

Tin