When in Manila, one of the things one often does after a stressful week is to meet up with an old friend to chat over good food and drinks. And heck, that’s exactly what I did. I don’t know about you, but July was crazy! Not only was I bombarded with household chores, but work and my school org had me running around in circles! I was seriously on the verge of losing  my mind, so when my good friend, Kai Jimenez, asked if we could meet up, I enthusiastically said yes!
Now, with all the restaurants popping up here and there all over the Metro, we had quite a long list to choose from, but we settled on a little cafe nestled in Ash Creek Center, San Juan City called Akiba Cafe.
Occupying the space that was formerly Starbucks, Akiba Cafe serves a variety of hot and cold beverages, and has recently added Donburi meals to the mix. I was looking through the menu on their Facebook page and was excited to try out everything from their Cookie Butter Chiru (yeah, you read right, they have a Cookie Butter drink!) to their Japanese Beef Tapa meal.
Come Saturday, Kai and I made our way to Akiba and was greeted by a flurry of people! There were people lining up to have their orders taken and there were more people seated at the tables! In fact, it was standing room. The guard had to bring in the cafe’s outdoor tables so that the customers could be seated. After having our orders taken and chatting for a few minutes, our drinks and food were finally served! Here’s what we had:
Longanissa Special. Delicious longanissa bursting with flavor accompanied with vinegar to dip in. Take a look at the egg! I was amused with it, it was puffed up so that when you cut into it, you cut through fluffy egg white and get yolk oozing out.
Japanese Beef Tapa. This dish was delicious and is definitely one that I’d recommend. The thins slices of beef were tender and easy to chew, none of that “must rip apart with my teeth” chewing.
 Donburi (pork) meal. The Donburi meal has a chicken and fish variant with the chicken Donburi being their best seller.
Now, what would good food be without “equally-as-good-if-not-better” drinks, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Akiba Cafe’s Cookie Butter Chiru! Basically, it’s a blended Cookie Butter drink that DOES NOT skimp on taste! It was rich and sinful, but very much worth the calories and is budget friendly!
We also had dessert, slices of the different cakes: (clockwise) Green Tea Cheese cake, Oreo Cheese cake, Chocolate Mousse and Puppy Cake.
What the Puppy Cake looked like before we took a “slice of it’s face”. Mwahaha!
I enjoyed the meal thoroughly and had to have some of the food wrapped for take-out because my friend and I were stuffed! The food was delicious, and although it may have been preferable to drink a hot beverage during a rainy afternoon, the Cookie Butter Chiru was worth every sip! I look forward to coming back again and trying out their other meals and beverages! So when in Manila, and looking for a place to chat with a friend over a quick bite and good drinks, do what I plan on doing and head on over to Akiba Cafe!
Akiba Cafe
G/F Ash Creek Center
Ortigas Ave, corner Madison St.
San Juan City
(Donburi meals only served in this branch)
SM Megamall 2nd Floor Building A
Mandaluyong City
Akiba Cafe: Chatting over Good Drinks and Donburi Meals
