Breakfast Joints: SV

If you learned about the reason why I’m doing breakfast joints in my very first post here, then I regret to say that it's just half the truth. :P So, allow me to tell you a story about my SV discovery.

It all started one Monday night while I was waiting for my late yoga class at 830 and I decided to walk around the workplace doing location scouting for shoots. It’s been months since we moved to the other side of Ayala in a temporary workspace and I haven’t familiarized myself yet well with our area. Well, to be honest with Makati city in general. Somebody made me realize this cold hard truth when I ran out of dining suggestions on a date.  Oh please don’t give me that look. Yup, it all started with this guy. Ugh. *facepalm*

As a foreign guy living in another country, of course he has to know his city.** And with friends who are quite the foodie type, then I think it was a mistake to date him. Lol. He used to come here twice a month for work and always always relied on me for post work dinners. To be honest, I kinda like it when the guy is in control but in this case, he’s in my city and I guess I should be the one in charge (?!?!)

So that night along with Toby’s Estate discovery and all its neighboring restaurants, I could only be too happy to discover this village. I was like, so this is Salcedo Village!!! I knew he’d like it as he isn’t a fan of dining at the malls. I had no plans of stopping by then but Toby’s Estate is just so inviting that I had to stay and order something non-caffeinated. In between sips of my beverage, I eagerly report ed to him about our new hang-out place on his next visit. He was indeed pleased with the area in general.

Fast-forward to the present with two more follow-up breakfast joints report here and here, I’m still not claiming that by now I’m already an expert in Makati but Salcedo Village has become one of my favorite hang-outs for breakfast, work breaks or even dinner. It’s just geographically behind the office so what’s not to love? And every now and then, it delights me to see 3^rd wave coffee joints, restaurants or gyms opening up in this area. The most recent one would have to be Cartel as seen below.

As for the guy? He never really liked coffee (seriously, why did I even date him? Lol). We are friends. (Hmmpp, showbiz. Haha!) Okay, just a funny story. During that entire period of dating him, I also happened to discover a Dutch restaurant somewhere here since he badly craves for home dishes and they’re not available in the country where he is living now. One morning, we decided to meet there for breakfast and a few minutes before we arrive, I called up the restaurant to find out that it is closing ON THE VERY SAME DAY. Wow. I guess it’s one of those “signs” that it’s simply not meant to be. (Observe observe din ng signs kasi para hindi nahu-hurt, Cakes. Lol!) And that is the reason why, he may be gone already but my love affair for coffee and breakfast joints continues. :P

Toby's Estate

 

Dress: Unbranded; Belt: Topshop; Shoes: Mango

Cartel

Vest/ Belt: Mango; Dress: Dorothy Perkins; Shoes: CMG

3rd Wave Of Coffee

"Life's too short for bad coffee..."

Yardstick Coffee

I can't believe that I totally missed this roastery and their neighboring restaurant Your Local while I was still working at the building on the next block some two years ago! But then again, if I hadn't gotten myself into this Breakfast Project in Makati, I wouldn't know since I'm pretty sure I passed by this street couple of times before and thought they're just ordinary corporate buildings. Both of them don't carry any signs or something.

Stepping inside, I felt like I was in some kind of furniture shop or warehouse. It's pretty spacious and I love the natural lighting that floods from the windows. Very IG-friendly. :P Yardstick and The Curator below are part of the Third Wave of Coffee movement and to make things simple - it's simply coffee as culinary. Another characteristic of this movement is transparency so you can actually see your coffee prepared from the coffee machine right infront your very eyes or an actual experience of brewing your own as I've read in many blogs.

I love coffee and I usually like it paired with something. So as I was pretty hungry from the heavy traffic that rainy morning, I ordered their Barista's Breakfast with their Black Magic coffee (basically an Americano with chocolate syrup at the bottom). I loved my breakfast combo! :)

Top/ Hat: H&M; Pants: Unbranded; Shoes: Mango

Barista's Breakfast/ Black Magic Coffee

The Curator

For someone like me who's so helpless when it comes to maps, locating The Curator in that 7AM call time morning with friends is actually considered a mini feat. Haha. I was about to reach the end of Palanca street when thankfully I noticed their sign on a white board at the bottom of their door. It's almost as if they really wanna go undiscovered. :-/

Stepping inside makes you feel like you've entered someone's basement, a scientist maybe (?!?!) since the first thing that will catch your attention is that rack with what looks like chemicals in it. They even have their sweeteners served in test tubes mind you. On to your right though, you'll see the cocktail bar setup which just made me sad that I didn't get the chance to bring someone here before. :-/ They're included in the top list of obscure Makati bars for secret dates. Oh well...that's Curator for you - coffee shop by day and cocktail bar at night.

Dress: J Crew; Cardigan/ Shoes: Mango; Sunnies: Ray Ban

I like how their menu isn't so overwhelming with not so many options so I went for their "We Love Legaspi for Breakfast." And since I'm a coffee novice, I just simply had to rely for the barista's reco. What I read about their excellence in customer service is really true. The barista did explain to me a lot about this Dark Matter Theory Cappuccino (a crowd favorite) with a strong cacao taste. It was truly enjoyable but for someone like me who from time to time suffers from acid indigestion, I found it too strong and shamefully had to request for additional sweeteners.

We Love Legaspi Breakfast

I like how their ambiance is a bit of contrast to that of Yardstick. A dim breakfast setting for a change.

Breakfast Joints II

Welcome to the breakfast joints series! If you're a new reader, you may read up on how this started here. But basically, it's just exploring what Makati has to offer for a semi-foodie like me. *grins*

Wildflour Cafe + Bakery. Okay. You'll often find me bringing my dates here. Lol. Not only it is so close to my workplace, the ambiance is very pleasant too. is very One time, I made him choose between The Wholesome Table (blogged here) or this and it was a good weather to be seated alfresco so he made this choice. I'm a bread lover so I really love that I can always get my cronut-craving satisfied. Dulce de Leche flavor, please? :P I also love spotting celebs here from time to time. Lol.

Top: Unbranded; Skirt: H&M; Shoes: Mango

Top: Zalora; Skirt: Topshop; Cardigan/ Shoes: Mango

Crepe Amelie at A Venue Mall has this rustic interiors that really looks inviting as seen outside through its glass panels. I'm not actually a fan of crepes for desserts but a breakfast crepe with eggs in it? Yeah you got my attention. Lol! I ordered the Crepe Madame and it's so surprisingly good and filling. I was so full again before work that day and as usual I burned it off by walking for 20 mins to my workplace. That's how bad the traffic situation is in Makati Avenue in the morning. But I will definitely be back here for the crepe cakes! It's intriguing from the other food blogger's posts. :P Let you know soon ;)

CaseStyles: White Wide-Leg Trousers

Whenever I think of the most appropriate bottoms to be used in the workplace in the trousers category, I couldn’t think of anything better than the wide-leg ones in plain colors. It’s so classic and simple and very flattering for my frame. When done right, it can elongate the legs, make a tiny waist, balance proportions, etc.

My favorite as of late which is perfect for summer/ spring is this high-waisted flowy ones which I’m making a case in today’s post.  Here’s how I styled them in three ways, particularly in white on white fashion:

Top/ Sandals: H&M; Trousers: Mango; Hat: Zara

Top: H&M; Clutch/Trousers: Mango; Shoes: CMG

Top: Zara; Trousers: Mango; Hat/ Sandals: H&M

Breakfast Joints

Extra gig means extra moolah to spend, right? I got myself a regular gig in one of the gyms near the office as a dance instructor so I thought as a reward, I should treat myself to nice restaurants every now and then. My goal for now is breakfast joints since this project Makati has led me to discover some few interesting places during oculars. :)

First stop, The Wholesome Table in one of my favorite villages near the workplace. I saw their posh interiors one night upon passing (was killing time before my yoga class) and when I checked their menus about organic food, I was SOLD. I made the decision right then and there that I MUST TRY it one day. Haha. And boy, I did. ;)  Though it took me weeks to finally make time since you know, it involves waking up early in the morning. Haha.

Top/Sunnies: Mango; Skirt: Bugis in SG (also here); Shoes: H&M

Second one, Early Bird Breakfast Club. It’s a pretty charming place alright with too many details all in one: chevron floors, multi-colored upholstery, bright murals, etc. It’s like my favorite styling technique – mixed prints. Haha! This one’s located at the ground floor of one of my favorite least crowded mall though I think it was a very unfortunate morning for commute since I couldn’t find a cab to get me to work. FACT: What used to be a 15-min walk took me 30 mins in that heels. Ugh. Oh well, atleast I already had my morning workout. Lol.

Blazer: Mango; Top/ Skirt: Topshop; Bag: Balenciaga (from here); Shoes: CMG

Fuchsia

In the Philippines, we have a joke that if you say the color fuchsia and you were asked to spell it, the common response is "Pink na lang" (I'll spell pink instead.) Lol! But here's a better trivia about the color's etymology as picked up randomly from today's article, haha!

The vivid red-purple of fuchsia, the color, comes from fuchsia, the flower, which is in turn named for 16th-century German botanist Leonhart Fuchs. (His last name, by the way, comes from the German word for fox.) And if you think fuchsia and magenta are the same color, you're closer than you might think: Magenta was originally an aniline dye named fuchsine, named after the fuchsia flower. The name was changed in 1859, the year it was patented, in honor of the French victory at the Battle of Magenta. That apparently helped the dye become a stunning success. 

So the next time somebody asks you to spell fuchsia, better tell the etymology instead. :P Haha! Meanwhile, enjoy this post below highlighting this fuchsia top I got from Topshop. :)

Top: Topshop; Trouser: Mango; Shoes: CMG; Bag: Aldo

Portraits and Interviews

Portraits and interviews. In one of the world’s most amazing city. It seems like the Humans of New York author has the correct recipe for success. But it’s not like character diversity is only present in that city. We have that too here in Makati, for the backdrop of my style post today. :) This exhibit is by Xyza Bacani, a street and documentary Filipina photographer who rose to fame after using photography to tell the stories of OFW human rights victims in HK. 

Since I didn’t get a chance to blog or micro blog even about it, I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about my brief encounters with humans of New York. I wish I had more time to people watch or interact with them but on few occasions that my friend and I would stop to consult our maps, these humans would approach us and ask us if there’s anything they can do to help us. Imagine, how many times would you hear the word “Can I help you?” from a stranger. That’s too seldom, almost never. Too good to be true and yet that warm feeling they gave me will forever be remembered. At one point, when we gave up looking for the subway in Little Italy, Soho, this store owner gave me a paper flower before leaving. Amazing people, I wish to get a chance to go back someday. :)

Incoherent already on its own but I just couldn’t help end this post with a question. If Xyza or any other street docu photographer approached you, what story would you give them?

Top/ Shoes: Zara; Skirt: Apartment8 Clothing