I LOVE the name of the newest coffee shop in town, Coffee Project, by the new All Home Store in the LKK area. Yes, when you’re a busy mom, shared coffee cups with the girls become some sort of “project” that you squeeze in your busy schedule. Mothers are known to be crafty jugglers—with work, kids, hobbies, and life in general making days pass by in a frenetic blur.
The truth is, moms don’t always have it perfectly put together; and there are moments when our mojo fizzles. There are days wherein responsibilities become too much to bear, and we just have the urge to drop everything to feel like the carefree “me before the kids”. This popular adage is so true: sometimes, all you need is coffee with your best friends. Having coffee with my friends really eases life’s stress away as we laugh out loud together—the buka bibig, yugyog bilbil kinda laughter. Nakakabata!
It is essential to find people who will be together with you even on your most bleh, i-hate-the-world days. When life gets overwhelming, I hope you have someone who has got your back to show you that the world is still beautiful. I am thankful for my mommy friends who always make time for me. Being able to do this with them at least once a week is a blessing.
So this week, my forever bff Weena said, “C’mon we have to get you to the Coffee Project. You’ll love it there because the cheesecakes are like from The Cheesecake Factory in the US but better. Their cakes have the same generous servings but less sweet. It’s something you can write about kay dili ta maulawan!” She even enticed me and my friends with a take-home cheesecake she brought to the gym for our gang to try.
She really knows me well. We got the usual suspects together—Elsa, Noemi, and Joy. Too bad Ching wasn’t available. We felt really happy we bumped into Alyssa there, too. Because we are open like that...the more the merrier! And truly, coffee dates like these are great pick-me-ups for the harried soul. Being with my girls is always mentally recharging. Coffee indeed tastes better when shared amongst friends. Food also tastes better when you have to fight for it; just like we always do when all of us share one slice of cake. It’s not that we cannot afford more, but it’s just more fun this way.
Coffee Project is like Starbucks, a bit on the expensive side. But I find their offerings to be more extensive and worth the price. They have pastries, pasta, sandwiches, and rice. They also don’t just have the usual hot and cold coffee blends, but they also have healthy fruity shakes. I enjoyed the refreshing apple cucumber drink I ordered. I’d also be more inclined to burn my money in a homegrown, local company like them.
And just like my bff told me, their cheesecakes are indeed to die for. Not too cloyingly sweet, just the right amount of tartness from the cream cheese, and light as a feather. We got to try the ube and strawberry. We also ordered the ube macapuno cake, which we demolished in 20 seconds. It had a generous layer of halayang ube unlike the other stores’ ube cake, which is just ube ‘cause it’s purple. I was also able to bring salted caramel and rocky road brownies for my kids, which they loved.
Overall, we had a great time in the store. Coffee Project has high ceilings with a cool, grey theme perfect for quiet conversations. It’s also stylized within, adorned with flowers, funky light fixtures, and other birc-a-brac that really sets the mood. So, c’mon over and chill with your family and friends! Check-out their FB page with the same name.
In this complicated world, it is really vital to find someone who pays attention. Someone who knows how you take your coffee. Someone who can tell you’re having a bad mood even if you haven’t even said anything at all. Someone who’s familiar with your quirks and notices the smallest details you thought no one ever would. Someone who loves your imperfect self perfectly. And then, when you find that special someone...
Be his/her someone, too.