Wednesday, October 17, 2007 New brew By Jigs Arquiza
AS their marketing slogan goes, "Something's brewing up north." Good news then for coffee lovers in Mandaue and all points north looking for a place to hang out.
Café Volere, at the ground floor of the North Road Plaza along the National Highway, offers customers not just the regular cup of java everyone's used to, but a whole lot of other brews. Besides being just another coffee shop, Café Volere also caters to both food and dessert lovers. Kingsley Ko, the proprietor, explains, "My family is also into the baking and pastry business, so we thought it would be a practical move to combine it with a coffee shop.
At Café Volere, we have pastries, cakes, and of course, coffee."
Following the trend in most popular coffee shops, Café Volere serves a selection of hot coffees, like ordinary brewed coffee, cappuccino and moccacino; however, they also have iced coffees for those who prefer their caffeine fix cold although this is where the similarity ends. The café's iced mocha, while very flavorful, stops short of being too chocolaty that it becomes too much like a chocolate drink.
On the other hand, their iced hazelnut coffee refrains from being too subtle that the drinker feels shortchanged, not being able to taste anything. Instead, it just bursts with the flavor of hazelnut, giving the customer exactly what he or she wants in a cold cup of flavored coffee. Those not into a caffeine buzz won't feel left out, as blended drinks, such as Café Volere's strawberry or cookies and cream smoothies, are available. For those who love to eat, pizza, lasagna and baked macaroni are available as well as a variety of desserts, like tiramisu and chocolate mousse.
Unlike most popular coffee shops though, the café isn't a place to see and be seen. It's actually a little off the beaten path, away from the malls and commercial centers, but that is where it's main attraction lies. Its calm and tranquil atmosphere is perfect for coffee lovers who just want to enjoy their coffee without any distractions. It's also a great place for dessert lovers to just hang out in, and pig out on a slice of choco-strawberry cake or two.
Intellectuals may find the place conducive to a quiet discussion of art and music, sports, politics or the latest movies. For lovebirds, the place can be an ideal rendezvous for a few moments together.
So whether you're a coffee lover, a certified foodie, an intellectual, a lovebird, or whatever, take a short trip up north, and find out what's brewing. )
