Coffee, baked goodies abound in Cebu

Cebu has finally discovered the authentic coffee bar in its very own shores. Until recently, with the exception of a few, noisy cafes have been the only venue for any serious caffeine connoisseur searching for a sleek and stylish ambience. Today, following what the Cebuanos consider the gourmet coffee revolution, chic cafés are continuously springing up throughout the province.

Rustan’s Coffee Corporation, the authorized licensee of Starbucks Coffee in the Philippines, has joined the band wagon with the opening of its 56th Starbucks outlet in Cebu.

For anyone who still thinks coffee choices are limited to just black or white, cream with or without sugar, takeaway or drink in, the Starbucks selection is mind-boggling. It offers customers a refreshing change from the archetypal American bottomless cup by introducing guests to espresso, cappuccino, café latte, mocha or Americano and every variation one can possibly think of in between.

"Corporate social responsibility plays an integral part in the way we do business," says Rustan’s Coffee Corporation president Jun S. Lopez. "As we open our first store in Cebu, we also join Cebuanos in their commitment to uplift the community by giving back."

In line with their guiding principle to contribute positively to the community and the environment, two worthy charities, in close proximity to the store, were nominated as recipients of a monetary contribution as well as the donation of barely-day-old-but-still super excellent pastries and bread on a regular basis.

The first proposed partner is the Cebu City Task Force on Street Children, headed by Cebu First Lady Margot Osmeña. The second is the Philippine Business for Social Progress, where the generous financial donation will contribute to its Area Resource Management Program, an environmental conservation program located on hilly lands to improve water conservation for the urban population.

On my first visit to their Cebu location, I opted for an espresso. All I can say is olé for it brought back pleasant memories of tasas y mas tasas of it during my seven-year residency in Madrid. There are other exciting add-ons to perk up my future cups – flavored syrups, such as vanilla, hazelnut, almond, caramel, mint, raspberry and Irish cream. The selection does not end here. The condiment bar offers more choices of spices and sweeteners, such as nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla and mocha powder.

It is no wonder Starbucks Coffee Company is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in the world, with more than 7,000 retail locations in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim.

So, for true coffee lovers who somehow can’t get through the day, or perhaps the night, without cups of the stuff, it is worth to remember that Starbucks does a rich brew exactly as you like it. Believe me!

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Few people can ever resist the temptation of having pastries and sweets.

So, in happy compliance to commitment and service to their discerning guests, the Cebu Waterfront Hotel and Casino opened recently the city’s newest and a hard act-to-follow patisserie and boulangerie, aptly called Madeleine.

Madeleine offers cakes, such as cheesecakes, tropical chocolate mousses, everybody’s favorite chocolate cakes, pastries, petit gateaux, croissants, muffins and ensaymadas. These specialties, labeled Waterfront Gold Selection, which are highly recommended, certify the quality of taste that is distinctly only Waterfront.

In addition, freshly baked breads, ambrosial coffee and a wide variety of teas, plus refreshments and sodas, are likewise served.

Doing away with the traditional ribbon cutting, guests of honor Marlinda Tan and Rosario Utzurrum happily cut the cake, created by master chef Dietmar Dietrich, to formally open the pastry shop.

Toward the end of a delightful tea party, hotel general manager Marco Protacio, who conceptualized the patisserie, presented each guest with a small, rich, shell-shaped cake, intrinsically French in character, called the madeleine.