One bite and it takes hold of me. This humble cinnamon bun suddenly fills my mouth with buttery tenderness and spice. It was unexpected, the taste and my desire for it. But it was so damn good. Good with a strong cup of house blend coffee. Good any time, any day.
You walk into this coffee place and you find the Buddha on the wall. The mood is mellow. This is the place to make friends and enjoy long conversations. This is also the place to fall in love. Bona Coffee, after all, is all about love- sweet, guilt-free love.
Candace Schmidt-Gonzalez and Luis Gonzalez are the loving couple behind the Bona Coffee Company. They started it about a year ago, opening their first branch in a quiet area in Parañaque before opening another one inside Westgate Center in Filicity, Alabang. It stands right next to the couple’s own Indian/Tibetan furniture store called Bohemian Nation, which is tucked inside Westgate’s Serenity Place, Candace’s own concept of urban relaxation.
“It was a split-second when I saw it, a place where people can buy good furniture, have good coffee then go to the spa and salon,” explains Candace excitedly. And with the Ayuverdic spa and salon soon to be completed in their serene enclave, Candace and Luis watch every day go by over something delicious to munch in this cozy coffee place that they very much call their second home. Fact is, the couple is currently expecting their first baby. And Candace is very much enjoying her pregnancy, eating happily and eating only the healthiest goodies from Bona Coffee.
At the Bona Coffee Company, what’s good for you would never have to taste like cardboard. Candace, who started a cheesecake place called Rose Garden back in Canada when she was 18, has now sworn to live a healthy but tasty lifestyle. And in this coffee place, she guarantees you will never go hungry or fat.
“I make my own fruit purees for my muffins,” says Candace proudly as she digs into one of them. Have a muffin for breakfast, she’ll tell you. Have a muffin for dessert if you can’t get enough of it. You have a choice of blueberry muffins with lemon, pumpkin orange loaves, West Coast birdseed muffins, Great Canadian bran muffins, zucchini pineapple muffins, and much more. They are every bit addictive, moist, crumbly, and oh-so-flavorful. They are the most honest batch of muffins you’ll ever sink your teeth into.
Aside from the muffins and official Bona cinnamon bun, another sweet treat at the Bona Coffee Company is its very own sour cream coffee cake, which is served during certain days of the week. And if that’s not enough, how about the breakfast fruit yoghurt muesli, filled with fresh fruits, granola, and yogurt?
You can also order something hearty. How does the robust roast beef sandwich served with good mustard and Swiss cheese on rye sound to you? There’s also the Buddha belly sandwich, which has crabstick, mango and cilantro as well as the comfort food classic, Mrs. Schmidt egg salad sandwich.
For something lighter, there’s a variety of whole wheat mini sandwiches, including the Spanish sardine and onion sandwich and turkey Jack sandwich. All of these mini sandwiches are served on Bona’s very own whole wheat pandesal, including that little sandwich treat that everyone loves, peanut buttah banana almond sandwich.
Expect rainy days to be warmed by Bona Coffee’s very own bowl of chili.
Now, dessert is a medley of pastries baked with flavor but not much fat. There’s Bona Coffee’s lighter version of tiramisu. And how about trying some of Bona’s drunken desserts? There’s blueberry ice cream served with a shot of vodka or some calamansi sherbet with a shot of tequila. You can also have some low-fat, low-cal vanilla or chocolate ice cream doused with a shot of your favorite liqueur.
From the fresh fruits, make your way to freshly made smoothies. Candace personally recommends Bona Coffee’s tofu banana honey smoothie — it’s creamy, dreamy, and good for you. Try the mango strawberry vanilla smoothie, too. Or better yet, go for the non-fat fruit yoghurt smoothie and pick out the fresh fruit that gets deliciously blended into your smoothie.
For something with a bit more kick, try some of Bona’s for-adults-only delush-cious drinks like Mandarin Orange, Bloody Dawn, White Russian. and Lavertini. Bona’s got its own kiwi beer, brewed right before you.
Bona Coffee uses earthy and flavorful Philippine coffee beans that come all the way from Benguet and Bukidnon. The result is a brew that is strong but definitely smoother than Sumatra, says the coffee-proud Candace.
Other heartwarming choices are the pumpkin spice chai, hot chai, hot chai latte, cocoa loco, dutch hot chocolate, and hot ginger tea.
Pretty soon, Candace and Luis say they will also be serving Rwanda coffee, which is known for its fruity undertone. “I think Philippine and Rwanda coffee will go well together. We’ve started this campaign where it’s not just a cup but a just cup!,” says Candace. Determined to help ease the impoverished situation of people in Rwanda, Bona Coffee has started selling cute gorilla stuff toys at only P400. Indeed, dining in Bona Coffee is a unique experience — tasty, cause-worthy and healthy.
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The Bona Coffee Company is located at Westgate Center’s Serenity Place. Coffee is always good, WiFi is always free. Visit bonacoffeecompany.com for more details.