Waffle Cravings Satisfied at North Coffee Bean

I actually visited North Coffee Bean three weeks ago, but I only had time to focus on blog-writing this Sunday (May 1). Apologies for the late post!

Anyway, I remember thinking that I could have ordered waffles from the nearest shop, but since I had a goal to visit one cafe in each municipality of Rizal per week, I decided to have them in North Coffee Bean in Teresa, Rizal.

How to Go to North Coffee Bean

From any point in Ortigas Avenue Extension, ride a jeep with an Antipolo-Tanay signage. Tell the driver to drop you off at St. Therese Hospital. If you are a sigurista who doesn’t want to get lost like, open your Google Maps.

North Coffee Bean is in the second floor of Kastilyo 1 Building near St. Therese Hospital. You will see the cafe as soon as you go down the jeep.

What to Expect in North Coffee Bean

North Coffee Bean is a simple al fresco cafe with a couple of tables for dine-in customers. Along with their menu, their products—which includes local coffee beans, mugs, and tumblers—were displayed at the front of the barista spot.

By the time I arrived, numerous customers were already in line to order their waffles and coffee for takeout. North Coffee Bean seemed to have a good reputation in Teresa.

What to Eat in North Coffee Bean

I ordered their nutella + peanut butter waffle (PhP 55) and iced hazelnut cafe latte (PhP 70). Their waffle wasn’t toasted; it was soft and was better eaten warm. Honestly, I was thinking of eating somewhere else for lunch since they didn’t have meals and I hadn’t taken lunch, but to my surprise, the waffle sandwich I ordered was enough to fill my empty stomach.

For more information about this cafe, visit this post by Kape Tayo, Rizal.

Favorite Picture

North Coffee Bean
6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Kastilyo 1 Bldg. 2nd floor North Coffee Bean Coffee Shop, Teresa, Philippines
https://www.facebook.com/northcoffeebean/

Baras and Pililia Escapade: RXpresso Cafe and Bulawan Bistro Cafe

One last municipality to go before I complete my cafe hunting tour in Rizal! Yay. Huhu, but search engines only returned a few results, so if you know cafes in Jalajala, let me know.

Below are the cafes I visited in Baras and Pililia: RXpresso Cafe and Bulawan Bistro Cafe.

RXpresso Cafe

Usually, I would only go to coffices, resto cafes, and casual coffee shops so I could thoroughly blog about their interiors and meals. This was the first time I visited a roadside cafe in Rizal, which can be found in the municipality of Baras: RXpresso Cafe.

How to Go to RXpresso Cafe

From any point in Ortigas Avenue Extension, ride an Antipolo-Tanay jeep and tell the driver to drop you off at Baras-Tanay boundary. You can easily locate RXpresso Cafe using Google Maps.

What to Drink in RXpresso Cafe

This roadside cafe offers various iced and hot drinks, including their best-selling flavors: salted caramel, dark mocha, and their signature mix. I ordered a 22-ounce iced dark mocha for PhP 110, and I tasted mocha the first sip.

For more information about this cafe, visit this post by Kape Tayo, Rizal.

RXpresso Cafe
Baras, Rizal (near Tanay-Baras boundary)
10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
https://www.facebook.com/RXpressoCafe

Bulawan Bistro Cafe

I had a hard time finding coffee shops in municipalities beyond Binangonan coming from Cainta such as Baras, Jalajala, and Pililia. When it was my turn to visit Pililia, Google Maps would usually show “temporarily closed” cafes or cafes that were unresponsive to queries. Good thing Bulawan Bistro Cafe was able to respond to me through text and was able to answer my inquiries regarding directions.

How to Go to Bulawan Bistro Cafe

From any point in Ortigas Avenue Extension, ride an Antipolo-Tanay jeep. You know you have reached the end of the trip when you are already in Tanay terminal.

In the terminal, look for the line going to Quisao, Pililia, and tell the driver to drop you off at Bulawan. You’ll see Bulawan along the highway, but when you’re in doubt, use Google Maps.

On the way home, there were already a few jeepneys returning, so I had to ride a tricycle going to the market. The tricycle driver kindly dropped me off at a jeep with an Antipolo-Crossing sign.

What to Expect at Bulawan Cafe Bistro

Their more well-known business is the Bulawan Floating Restaurant, and I honestly didn’t know they had a separate cafe. It was as beautiful as the restaurant⁠, and it had an outdoor and indoor dining.

If you’re looking for a spacious cafe that would fit twenty or so people, Bulawan Bistro Cafe would be perfect. Aside from their beautifully designed interior filled with indoor plants and rattan lights and mirrors, you would also love their glass windows that would allow you to have a glimpse of the windmills.

Their fully furnished wooden tables are perfect for tita-tito gatherings. My favorite part was the wall filled with rattan mirrors, in which I took plenty of selfies.

Below are pictures of what Bulawan Cafe Bistro looks like at six in the evening.

The cafe does not have its own toilet, so if you need to pee, you have to go to their restaurant. At least you’d be able to get a glimpse of their restaurant, which is just as beautiful as their cafe.

What to Eat at Bulawan Cafe Bistro

I ordered their truffle infused kabute pasta (PhP 195) and iced caramel macchiato (PhP 105). I must say both are must-trys! I badly wanted to taste their pizza, but I went there alone and had no one to share with. Maybe next time.

For more information about this cafe, visit this post by Kape Tayo, Rizal.

Favorite Picture

Bulawan Bistro Cafe
Km. 59 National Highway, Pililia, Rizal
7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
https://www.facebook.com/bulawanbistrocafe

One of San Mateo’s Nook Coffices: Cafe Ditto

Another nook coffice in Rizal is Cafe Ditto, a cafe in San Mateo. Thanks to Facebook, I was able to check this coffee shop out. I would like to apologize in advance for not being able to write this immediately, as I was busy with a lot of stuff these days. I could only write blogs if I have spare time on a weekend.

How to Go to Cafe Ditto

It was easy to go to Cafe Ditto. From Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall, cross the bridge until you get to the road where jeepneys going to San Mateo and Montalban are waiting for passengers. Ride on and tell the driver to drop you off at Guitnang Bayan 2.

Unfortunately, the jeepney driver took another route to avoid traffic. Good thing my Google Maps was open, and when I knew I was near Cafe Ditto, I told the driver to stop and followed the directions on Google Maps.

What to Expect at Cafe Ditto

Cafe Ditto is one of the nook coffee shops with free Wi-Fi and available-to-use sockets I found in Rizal, making it a legit “coffice.” Their walls are decorated with brick-design wall stickers while warm lighting illuminates the whole place.

A perfect place for barkada catch-up, Cafe Ditto allows their customers to play with their board games as long as you return them properly. They also have BTS and Harry Potter figurines that fans might like.

Their place also extends to an outdoor dining if there a tables inside the cafe are already occupied.

What to Eat at Cafe Ditto

I had a unique cafe experience with Cafe Ditto because they served siomai (PhP 25) and gyoza (PhP 25), which were foods rarely served in cafes. Since I hadn’t had lunch yet, this was a blessing in diguise since I only planned on eating their choco waffle (PhP 45). Their iced mocha (PhP 165) is a must-try.

I stayed there for a long time to finish my last four hours of work and then start another chapter of my current ongoing novel. When I bought their best-selling cheesy tuna (PhP 35), the lady gave me a free iced latte. Thank you po!

For more information about this cafe, visit this post by Kape Tayo, Rizal.

Favorite Picture

Cafe Ditto
Monday to Thursday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday to Sunday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
2nd Floor New 323 Old 130 RGG Building, General Luna Avenue, Brgy. Guitnang Bayan 2, San Mateo, Rizal
http://www.facebook.com/CafeDittoPh/