Hello Hiveans! Do you like going to coffee shops and restaurants just to do nothing, sip some drinks, or write your next Hive post? That's what I've been doing for these past few weeks.
The life of a digital nomad has suddenly become so appealing to me. However, there are important things that are grounding me right now. I'm still finishing my Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering and I've been involved with a research project on desalination that will end in 2023. But who knows? I know I'm replaceable. Maybe in the next few years when HIVE finally breaks the $1 roof. In the meantime, let me share with you a place that I've been frequently going to. I'd say it's my new favorite restaurant.
THE PLACE
The place is called Sip Café. I'm not sure why it's called like that but I think the name is referring to the act of sipping a drink. The place is a restaurant/coffee shop/apparel store. It's located in Streetscape, a mall in Cebu City (Philippines) with only two levels that features new restaurants, establishments, and shops. I first encountered the place on social media. Their online marketing was aggressive. I knew I immediately wanted to go to the place after I saw it online.
The place looked small but that didn't matter because it looked cool and appealing. The first I went to the restaurant, I was with my girlfriend. She wanted to try the dessert restaurant that was also in Streetscape. I suggested having our dinner at Sip Café.
The place was indeed small. But there was no one else inside the first time I went there (except the staff, of course). The place was located at the far end of the mall so that might affect their accessibility. I like how they had wooden furniture. I always remember my mother telling me once we have a bigger house, she'd want our furniture to be all made from wood. And when I get to sit on or see wooden furniture, I would think to myself that my mother would like it.
I arrived first and I took in the well-lit interior. The walls were white and I immediately noticed the clothes that were hanging on the side. There were also accessories on the other side. They were for sale but they were all for women, so I didn't pay attention to them anymore.
There was a sign on the table that said they were still on soft opening but I thought they seemed fully opened to me. Their menu was a piece of paper that also served as a table placemat. I thought that was smart. What set me off were the plants. They were plastic. We have a lot of plants at home and I thought I could easily donate some of our surplus plants to them. But maybe they did not want to worry about taking care of plants.
THE DRINKS
Their placemat menu was only for food. They had a separate menu for the drinks. On my first visit, since I was still waiting for my girlfriend, I thought I'd order coffee. I got an iced latte. They served it with sugar syrup on the side. I tasted it without sugar and I thought it was fine. But I didn't want to put the syrup to waste. I added in a few amounts but later poured everything. It had just enough sweetness. The drink was only P100 ($2) which I think is cheap.
On my third visit to the restaurant, I ordered a hot latte. It had this cure latter art. I've seen better latte arts before but I'm not particular about it. They served it with a packet of sugar. I let the coffee cool down and when I drank it, I almost gulped the entire thing. It's not the best but again, it's cheap so I'm fine with it.
On my second visit, we ordered hot tea and we were surprised with how it was served. It came in a glass teapot with an infuser. There was also a glass teacup. The cup was so small that my friend found it funny that I was drinking from it.
We had a liquor ban in the city for some time and that meant restaurants were not allowed to serve alcoholic beverages. It's been lifted and Sip Café has announced that they'd be serving cocktails again. Maybe I'll try them the next time I go there. I will also be trying their milk tea.
THE FOOD
The restaurant had a full line of appetizers, soup, salad, mains, pasta, and desserts. I'd say they were going for a fusion of (east) Asian and Italian food. The prices of the food were not cheap. For the most recent time that I went there, a friend ordered the mozzarella balls. The plate looked good. I expected to bite into the balls and be able to stretch the mozzarella inside. But sadly, that didn't happen. I didn't enjoy it. The tomato dip was really good though.
When I had dinner with my girlfriend at the restaurant, we ordered the bibimbap and pizza. It's strange to see those two dishes together but we didn't want to order a lot of food. We thought those two were going to be enough for us. We wanted to leave room for dessert. The service of the bibimbap was big and I quite enjoyed it. The pizza though was a bit small and it was quite expensive. It tasted good but it was not enough for me.
Their menu only had three desserts, a homemade gelato, a chocolate fudge cake, and a banana Croffle. The cake and the Croffle had ice cream on top. I've tried all of the desserts and I like the Croffle. I didn't know what a Croffle was before I had it at Sip Café. I like how the waffle was crunchy (because of the croissant texture). It goes well with the caramelized banana and the gelato.
NEW FAVORITE
The comfortable and well-lit interior, the delicious food, and the accommodating waiters make the place so appealing to me. I know I'd be coming back. I just hope it won't become crowded. I enjoyed my time at the restaurant with the people I was with. I know it would be one of the places I would consider when I'm thinking of where I could bring some of my friends or loved ones for dinner or coffee.
That's it! I am happy to be able to share my new favorite restaurant here in Hive. I think I'll be writing more about the place after I've tried the other food on their menu. For my next food blog, I'll be continuing my Food Memories Series and I'll be sharing the delicious cakes and desserts that I've had in the past. Be sure to look out for that.
See you in my next post. Cheers!
