A Sumptuous Take Two: Coffee 8065

Date: Sometime in March… (forgive my memory lapses)
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Told you I’ll be back for more. 😉

Well because the coffee shop’s very near from our place, my sister and I decided to have our lunch here after an hour of “walkajog.” And oh, this is the cool toy shelf I mentioned in my previous blog post:

Nice, right? It really adds a “home-y” feel to the place. There are also great paintings displayed on their wall. You know, it would be really nice if you check it all for yourselves. *super wink*

(A doodle made by my niece, Eurich)

Anyway, for our lunch, we tried some of their paninis: the bacon and ham panini. And for my drink? This time, I had a mug of caffe latte for a change.

The latte’s a relief compared to the last drink I had here. 🙂  The espresso’s just right (not a bad shot!), and its blending with milk is so awesome. The coffee didn’t overpower the milk and vice versa. The temperature’s not too hot anymore; plus, they’ve done a latte art! Super additional points for that! 🙂  Hope they can make my face out of the foam next time. Lol.

Now for my lunch. The ham panini’s such a delight to my tastebuds! It’s freshly made with greens on the side. What more can I ask for a lunch? 🙂  The ingredients are superb— the crisp bread binding the ham, melt-in-your-mouth cheese and pesto (spinach) together… fulfillment to my digestive system. I also love the salad with nuts; it’s like the perfect contrast yet effective combination. 🙂

Same goes with the bacon panini— it’s equally tasty and great based on my ever trusty tastebuds. 🙂  In fact, I can finish both paninis in one sitting!

This experience is definitely not the last. Like I said on my previous post, you might just spot me sitting on one corner. Yes, expect me to be one of their regular customers. 😉  See you all there!
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SPOON RATING:

FOUR SPOONS! YAY!

“Still awesome and got more awesome when I tasted their paninis and latte. I say ‘more!’” – Lexy

Accessible Caffeine Bliss at its Greatest: Coffee 8065

Coffee 8065, located at 2nd Floor Veca bldg., Estrella St. cor. Chino Roces Ave., San Antonio Village, Makati

Date: Sometime in March (I can’t remember! :O)
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What’s up, guys? 🙂  I’m so excited to share this place with all of you, for it’s my awesome hangout from now on.

It’s Coffee 8065 (or 8065 Coffee Shop, dunno which is which (though their FB page’s name is Coffee 8065, so…)), an “extension of the 8065 legacy,” as their brochure says. Created by the same people behind the very successful 8065 Bagnet, this newest coffee tambayan in town is, actually, just like any other coffee shop which offer different beverages and pastries. But what makes them stand out from the rest: the ambiance itself.

The place is just so cozy; you can fall asleep on the couch. It’s a little bit deserted when we went there, and the baristas said that the place doesn’t get too crowded with customers often. It’s normal; the coffee shop just opened last January, and it doesn’t have enough recognition yet. So, I hope that with this blog, the shop can gain more people. I’m telling you, it’s so cool!

(Look! You can also doodle on their cups here, and they will surely display your masterpiece on their shelf!)

Anyway, the shop has that “acoustic” vibe. Dim lights and a guitar and chair on the corner… it’s just like an acoustic bar in there. True enough; sometimes they have bands playing for the customers. So rad! 😉  Also, when you get to visit the place, check out the extensive display of toys on the shelf! It really adds extra coolness to the place. (Picture to be posted on the next post… yes we definitely came back for more Coffee 8065 moments!)

Okay, moving on… (hahaha) This place offers the basic beverages you can find in other coffee shops. They also have pastries such as cakes and cinnamon rolls, and they also make paninis and pesto pasta. Plus, you can eat your bagnet dishes there. Since the shop is just a walking distance from the original 8065 Bagnet, they can deliver the savory bagnet to you even if you’re in the coffee shop. Less hassle (since the restaurant is oftentimes crowded) + chill atmosphere = superdy duper great, right?

(Oh geez… just too many cinnamon rolls to handle!)

For our first visit there (which was 10 in the evening, with my sister and niece), we ordered nice cups of hot chocolate and caffe mocha, and slices of blueberry cheesecake and chocolate mousse cake.

(Caffe Mocha)

Well, I have to say: their caffe mocha is good! My sister liked it so much (better than Starbucks, she said. Lol), though it wasn’t that hot because of the whipped cream. Nevertheless, the blend tastes good and the espresso really mixed well with the chocolate. *thumbs up*

(Hot Chocolate)

Now I hate to say this, but their hot chocolate wasn’t exactly how I expected it to taste like. It’s a bit watery and bland. The flavor is not that strong (I mean I barely tasted the sweetness of the chocolate) and it’s too hot, in fairness. It actually left the tip of my tongue sore for the next two days. I’m not that satisfied with my order, but it doesn’t diminish my amazement to this place. 🙂

(Blueberry Cheesecake)

(Chocolate Mousse Cake)

These cakes are the perfect combination to any drink. The Blueberry Cheesecake tastes just right and the Chocolate Mousse Cake is not too sweet— not so nakakaumay for us cake lovers. Plus, their slices are really reasonable! *another thumbs up*

This place really hit the right spot for me. Aside from the fact that it’s super near our place (meaning I can hang out here almost every day), they have free and super fast wi-fi! How’s that for the coolest coffee shop ever?

I must say, I will really keep coming back to Coffee 8065. It’s comfy, the service’s good, the baristas are super friendly (as in I mean it), and the whole place just screams “awesomeness” in just a glance… and let’s not forget the free wi-fi. 😉  Plus, their prices are really affordable! Click this for the full menu!

(Yours truly, enjoying her first buys at the coffee shop. *thumbs up*)

(With the super duper friendly and accommodating baristas, Shane and Nick… and my niece Eurich, too. Lol)

Definitely more awesome moments to happen and be done in this coffee shop. 😉  Who knows? You might just spot me there, writing another blog entry for this crazy site!

Visit 8065coffee.com for more details about this “kewl” coffee place!
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SPOON RATING:
FOUR SPOONS! YAY!

“The hot chocolate’s the only glitch here, actually. But the overall package— food and drinks, ambiance, free wi-fi (I can’t get over it!), service— is soooo worth another try! Definitely coming back!” – Lexy

Teasing again

Hi guys! It’s all about coffee this coming April 🙂  Unfortunately, I won’t be able to post Meeka and I’s Cucina Andare food-venture and my Yoshinoya visit for now so… let’s just stick with my coffee trips, okay?

And oh… let’s not forget my Zark’s comeback with our first ever guest food critic. Who? Stay tuned!

Will post later so don’t go anywhere! 😉

♥ Lexy

Announcement, guys!

Dear EAT.BLOG.EXERCISE: The Meeka and Lexy Project visitors/readers/followers/likers/supporters…. err, everyone:

We just want to inform all of you that we have taken our Tumblr account (meekalexyproject.tumblr.com) down due to personal reasons.

It was quite a tough decision to make for us, since it was where all of this started. We created our original blog in Tumblr, so this sudden resolution will forever linger in our minds… and stomachs.

So there; this WordPress site will be the ONLY blog site that we’ll use to post our food-ventures and fitness stories from now on. Let us all take a minute of silence for our closed Tumblr account. (bows down)

Anyhoo… watch out for our stories this April! 🙂

Sincerely,
Meeka & Lexy

Are you READY?

Again, my question is… are you READY?

(Yes, we’re back at Zark’s!)

Brace yourselves for four mouth-watering stories… coming this last week of March onwards! 😉

And oh, after experiencing the most-loved zombie run three times (though I wasn’t able to run in the first Outbreak as I was giving out magazines and flyers that time… but look I was there! Lol.), I will be joining (again!) the Outbreak BGC 2 on April 13 for their 1st anniversary! Yay!

(Yep, already registered!)

I will be running with my friend Mad (yes, my running companion during the United Colors of 88 Run), but I already told Meeka to join as well! This will be our first run together, if ever! 🙂

So yes, I’m so excited for the coming days. Are you excited as well? If yes, let me hear you say “yeah!” (Lol, sorry I’m being so hyper)

To those who will also be running away from zombies on April 13, see you all there!

♥ Lexy

All Things Sinfully Sweet and Cute: Vanilla Cupcake Bakery

Vanilla Cupcake Bakery, located at 2/F Glorietta 4, East Dr. Ayala Center, Makati, and in Trinoma.

Date: January 18, 2013

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LEXY SAYS:

I think I finally found the perfect cupcake heaven for me.

For our first stop during our “food trip reunion,” Meeka introduced me to Vanilla Cupcake Bakery, a super cute and adorable cupcake shop situated at the newly-renovated Glorietta 4 (near the passage to SM Makati). At first, it kinda reminded me of Sonja’s Cupcakes (just the ambiance, ‘cause I haven’t tasted their cupcakes yet) and I found it really home-y and gentle to the eyes. You know, I think most girls like all things that are cutesy and oh-so-charming.

(Don’t you just find these little details super lovely? I wanna take them home!)

(Cute chairs! Just… cute chairs!)

The place itself is worth 5 stars already, but we really came for the food, so…

There is a wide array of delectable pastries to choose from. Aside from their delectable cupcakes, they also serve cookies, cup-cake (cake in a cup), and muffins. It’s a good thing that visitors can easily spot their offerings, because they’re displayed near the entrance.

But, of course, we weren’t able to try them all at once, so we just picked the bestsellers (of course we asked, LOL): Red Velvet (P85) and Vanilla Pink (P75) cupcakes.

(Yummy Red Velvet cupcake!)

(Soft Vanilla Pink cupcake!)

Honestly, what I’m going to say about them are pretty much the same: not too sweet (which is so good!), super chewy and not so crumbly (therefore so easy to eat), and most important of all, they don’t have that umay factor. 🙂  Both simply melted inside my mouth and, for the first time (I think?), I experienced cupcake heaven.

I’ll admit; cupcakes here are a bit overpriced for me (seriously, I can have a full meal at P75), but who cares? They’re simply irresistible… just the right amount of sugar and flavor. Plus the wooden fork is super cool!

Bottomline: We. Wanna. Go. BAAACCKK! 🙂

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SPOON RATING:

THREE SPOONS! NICE JOB!

“I am soooo looking forward to my second trip here! This place has proven that cupcakes don’t need to be super sweet to be adored. Simplicity (and cuteness!) is sweet enough. ;)” ­- Lexy

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Leaving a Colorful Trail: Color Manila Run

(Photo: pinoyfitness.com)

Date: January 6, 2013

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[OBVIOUSLY A SUPER-DUPER LATE POST]

 Happy 2013, guys! 🙂  How was the start of your year? Mine was awesome because I won free race kits to this year’s first colorful run: the Color Manila Run!

I saw this run on pinoyfitness.com last year, and seeing that the registration period has already ended, I didn’t consider this anymore. And just as I was about to give up on my search for a cool run for January 2013, Gala magazine announced that they’re having a race kit giveaway for Color Manila Run. I immediately grabbed the opportunity and, fortunately, I won two race kits! 🙂  I shared it with my little sister Joy, who helped me win the contest by sharing my comment to her friends. Thank you sis! :*

Anyway, the run was so awesome! It was my first time to experience such a happy and super colorful race. Each color stations– where we got sprinkled with different color powders– were amazing and, in the end, we emerged untidy BUT super duper colorful! 🙂  Never mind the long hours we had in the shower afterwards; the important thing is that we were able to run with big smiles on our faces… and five happy colors on our bodies. 😉

Plus, the cute finisher medal and freebies made the run more rewarding. Ahh, the joys of running and burning fats while getting cool stuff from sponsors!

Here are some snappies from the run (just because I can’t purely talk about it anymore… it was just so freakin’ colorful!):

(Me and my clean white Color Manila Run shirt before it got splattered with lotsa colors!)

(On board the Color Manila Run jeep!)

(Yes, many people participated in this multicolored run. And this pic shows the 5K runners only.)

(Now the fun starts! First color splatter: calm blue!)

(Jolly as ever at the sunny yellow station!)

(My hair got sprinkled with my favorite color at the blooming pink station!)

(Enjoying the color burst all over the place at the cool green station!)

(Free hugs at the posh violet station! Lol.)

(My sister and I after the run… check out the medal!)

(Yours truly, showing off her beautifully-stained shirt, colorful body and her rockin’ medal! Yay!)

An equally awesome sequel to this run, the Color Manila Nite Run 2013, was announced on this day. Sadly, I wasn’t able to participate. 😦  Too bad I missed it… this time LED lights were used instead of color powders!

But hey, Meeka got the chance to run in this bright and colorful night run! 🙂  Stay tuned for her kwento about the Color Manila Nite Run 2013!

(This run was organized by Proactive Sports and KangaROOS.)

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SWEAT RATING:

FOUR SWEATS! SU-WEET!

“It was a nice break from the usual stiff and mainstream runs. It was super enjoyable! Running should always be this fun!” –Lexy

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All For One: United Colors of 88 Run

Date: November 10, 2012

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Another run without Meeks. Sad. 😦  Anyway, I had a new running buddy with me, so it’s fine. Lol.

It was just a simple fun run… with lots of people from different participating schools. (I even saw Robi Domingo, hehehe) I totally like the singlet because it’s black (you know, hides all unwanted bulge… kidding!) and guess what? For the second time, I got a finisher’s medal at the end of the run. 🙂

I know the medal doesn’t mean that I was one of the top finishers, but for me, it meant something more. You see, being able to finish a 5-kilometer sprint from BGC to EDSA-Buendia then back again to BGC is already an achievement for us beginners. We may not be able to run as fast and as skilled as those who chose to take the 10K or 21K barefoot, but we know that we have already conquered a fairly-long distance.

(Finished another 5K… awesome!)

By the way, the freebies were fantastic. 😉  Ice cream, coffee, donuts… we even got a burlap-like backpack from Puma. Yay!

(Guys, meet Mad, my running buddy for this one :P)

All in all, the run was splendid. The important thing is we got to sweat out really good. The loot bags and other cool stuff were just bonuses. 🙂

(This run was organized by Greentennial.)

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SWEAT RATING:

THREE SWEATS! NOT BAD!

“Really brings out a good sweat while enjoying a beautiful morning view from BGC. ;)” –Lexy

More posts this February!

Yay! 🙂  So far, I’ve managed to post three late updates this month despite my busy college schedule (har-di-har-har). Not bad, not bad. *Obama meme*

But I still have a lot of pending posts here in my laptop (and brain), so watch out for them this coming month of hearts!

I really hope I can squeeze some time to share these fun stories with you guys. They’re really awesome. 😉  So don’t give up on us and hang on real tight!

♥ Lexy

Taste of Yesteryears: Pan de Manila

 

(Photo: citydelivery.ph)

Pan de Manila, with over 30 branches nationwide. (Website: http://www.pandemanila.com.ph)

***SPECIAL PALATE EXPERIENCE***

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Ever since my dad bought us our first ever pandesal from Pan de Manila, I’ve always craved for it. It was love at first sight, first sniff, first touch, and first taste. I’ve always been amazed by how large and chewy every pandesal is, and although my first encounter with this awesome bread was so long ago, I can still remember the satisfaction I got when I took my first bite.

And recently (uhm, late 2012?), I discovered something as amazing as the bread itself: their Spanish style chocolate mix, the Chocolate con Leche.

Ever since I had my first authentic hot cocoa drink in 2011, I’ve always adored hot chocolate drinks, especially the bitter ones. When I tasted my first Tsoko.Nut Batirol drink (if you want to read my post about that, click here), it strengthened my desire for cocoa. And now that I’ve discovered this, my pandesal moments will surely be more awesome!

As you can see, it has another variant: the Chocolate Blanco or the Spanish style white chocolate mix. I’ve tried it, and it’s just as good as the Chocolate con Leche. 🙂 *thumbs up*

But the star of the show (or post) here is the pure chocolate drink. 🙂  I’m just a sucker for smoking hot chocolate drinks. I’ve loved Milo as a kid (until now, actually), and my favorites as of the present time are Starbucks’ Signature Hot Chocolate (with lots and lots of chocolate sprinkles on top), Beanhoppers Coffee’s Hot Chocolate with marshmallows (looooove!), Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s Hot Double Chocolate, of course Tsoko.Nut Batirol’s Tsokolate Ah, and Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate & Dark Chocolate mixes. My quest for my next favorite hot choco drink is not over, though. 😉

Guys, try Pan de Manila’s Chocolate on Leche now and I guarantee you, you will be transported to the awesome era of 1800s to 1900s! 🙂  Its rich aroma and authentic flavor are enough reasons for you to fall in love with it, too.

And oh, for those who are always on-the-go, they have it in cups! Just add hot water and voila! You now have yourself a really classic chocolate-y drink while in your car or everywhere!

If you want to take a break from your usual coffee beverage, give Chocolate con Leche a sip and let’s see if you don’t buy another one afterwards. 😉

P.S.: Pan de Manila also has a 3-in-1 coffee mix! Check out one of their branches to discover more of their offerings!)

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SPOON RATING:

FOUR SPOONS! YAY!

“Really, every purchase at Pan de Manila just takes me back to the old years. :)” – Lexy

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