Wednesday, August 29, 2007 European flavor By Jenara Regis Newman
IN opening Kaffee Rafael, Switzerland–based Diego Sandiego says he is introducing “coffee service” here: coffee the way it should be served, at one’s table and not at the counter where you place and get your order.
The coffee shop is near Cebu Doctors Hospital and is located at the ground floor of the Sandiego Building. It was designed by Diego’s Swiss wife, Bianca, to give it the ambience of a continental coffee shop, a place where one can relax and take one’s time in enjoying one’s choice of brew.
The coffee served here is Italian, Libretto. But the coffeemaker, the cups and saucers, the flatware, all come from Switzerland.
Chocolate drinks are also served, and these are from Switzerland with the brand name, Caotina. The furnishings have been sourced locally, chosen not just for comfort but also for style that would give Kaffee Rafael the look of a “European brown café.”
The café opens out to an outdoor patio where smokers can drink their coffee the way they like it best, with their cigarettes. And here on its wall is a large photo mural of Diego’s father, the late Rafael Sandiego, for whom the café is named because, to quote Diego: “He loved to drink coffee throughout the day.”
The place has a function room, which seats 15 to 20 people, for meetings or conferences. This is furnished with Philippine antiques. The main coffee shop seats 28 while the patio can seat 35.
And yes, the shop also serves as a pasalubong outlet for all the yummies one goes to Carcar for, like chicharon and ampaw. Located at 79-D F. Ramos Extension, the coffee shop is the latest destination for coffee lovers.
It is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and serves breakfast, pastries and sandwiches, mostly made by Diego’s mom, Luz.
