Its amazing how the Philippines is fast-growing in terms of the food industry. We Filipinos like to eat and explore different culinary cuisines from other countries that those food and restaurant chains often find such a good market for it here in the country.
And just like fashion, we also like trends when it comes to our food. When Starbucks came here 15 years ago, it brought with it the coffee craze. Soon dozens of coffee shops popped up and it was here to stay. Then came the fruit smoothies, frozen yoghurts, and last year’s milk tea craze.
The Philippines is generally a coffee drinking country, especially now that Starbucks is a staple in almost every working class Filipino diet. But there are those, like me, who prefer its more dainty cousin – tea.
At the time where the fitness and health craze is here to stay, tea shops are slowly making its way to the Filipino cuisine. There is a market for it here as there is still those that don’t drink coffee – like me.
My fellow foodie and officemate Mia invited me for tea after our regular service day in the Fort. We went to Da.u.de, located along 4th Ave cor 26th St in Bonifacio Global City.
Its the first Tea lounge to be established here in Manila, launching back last August. It was soon followed by other tea lounges such as TWG.
Its a quaint little restaurant tucked in the business district of Bonifacio Global City. I liked it bright interiors and perfect to spend a semi-cold January afternoon.
They offered a wide array of tea selection that I was actually overwhelmed on what to select. Although I am a tea drinker, I am not the adventurous sort and mostly stick to green and chai teas. So I decided to stick to my usual and got a green tea option for the meantime.
It came on a cute tea dispenser where the tea just flows down to your cup when you place the dispenser over it. And I thoroughly enjoyed the tea despite being just regular green tea. It was pleasantly fragrant – I could detect some hints of flowers mixed into the tea and the taste was smooth and not surprisingly overpowering like some green teas served in coffee places. And theres no weird bitter after taste!
I am definitely curious about their other tea choices but I might still stick to green tea or other less decaffeinated options since its the caffeine that makes me not drink coffee in the first place.
Mia went for their iced tea option, which is their more fruit based tea and ordered the skala fruit tea. I liked how it looked in her glass, using chipped ice instead of regular cubes and the waiter gave her options on what straw to use. True to its very healthy mission, the straws they used were made of paper and came in cute designs. Mia chose the polka dots in honor of new year.
Teas range from about P100-200 depending on the type and size of the drink. Hot tea comes with unlimited hot water. I had a second cup.
It also wasn’t just a tea place where they served drinks only, but it was also a restaurant, offering gourmet sandwiches such as Bah mi (pulled pork) and salads. Since we needed to shed pounds, Mia and I shared a grilled chicken salad. I just loved the presentation, with fresh greens in the middle and the chicken and dressing served artfully on the side. And it was really good, the sauce was creamy and just right to mix with the salad. The separate option made it easy for me to control how much I placed on my plate. The greens were fresh and crunchy, served with parmesan cheese on top, which Mia declared to be deliciously pungent. The meals range from 300-400 per plate.
I really enjoyed our little tea adventure with Mia and was thrilled that this type of craze has finally hit Manila. I was wondering if the tea habit of the British would be accepted by Filipinos and surprisingly the restaurant had patrons despite the odd hour. Only time will tell.
Hooray for tea!
Viva La Vida! 