Cafe Shibuya, UP Town Center: Oishii!
Home to the world's most busiest pedestrian crossing (and the Hachiko statue), Shibuya, the shopping and entertainment district of Tokyo is the center of youth culture. We could say the same with newly-opened UP Town Center, located near well-known universities along Katipunan Avenue, with a cafe where one's appreciation of the said district is embodied in its food.
Japanese food is one of my favorite cuisines but I haven't really delved into their デザート (dezāto/desserts). Luckily I was invited to try Cafe Shibuya!
Interior-wise, it's traditional-meets-modern because of the natural finish, bright lights and various typography done on chalkboard. There is ample space between tables. At first look I'd love to spend time here to study, read a book or catch up with friends!
Say hello to my guest, Elaine! We share the love for coffee and Toblerone White Chocolate! :D
Warning: food adventure ahead! We shared the table with my fellow food loving bloggers Hana, Jam, and Robin, and agreed to share the food :)
Savory Toasts
[caption id="attachment_443" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Shibuya Benedict (P255)[/caption]
Best seller savory toast, Shibuya Benedict, is the cafe's take on the breakfast classic (poached eggs over bacon and toasted buttered muffin). You might be wondering where's the poached egg in the picture above.. it's deep-fried! The dish was poured with Japanese mayo cream sauce and topped with shitake mushrooms.
[caption id="attachment_444" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Tonkatsu with Mango Mayo (P235)[/caption]
I'm a mango person so it was natural for me to love the Tonkatsu with Mango Mayo savory toast more than the best seller. The drizzled with mango mayo sauce and mango relish that reminds me of BRGR Project's mango salsa.
Pasta
[caption id="attachment_445" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Mentaiko (P265)[/caption]
Mentaiko (明太子), their best seller Japanese-style pasta dish, is new to my taste buds. The mentaiko is actually the pink meat you see in the picture, which is the marinated roe (fish eggs) of a cod/pollock. It added a slight saltiness and spicyness to the dish and goes well with nori (Japanese seaweed). They used what I presume is Angel Hair pasta which is ideal for sauces made with olive oil.
[caption id="attachment_448" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Truffle Cream with Prosciutto (P265)[/caption]
We ordered another pasta dish for comparison. Truffle Cream with Prosciutto uses Fettuccine pasta, the sauce was light but very rich in flavor and made more tasty with Italian ham (prosciutto) and shitake mushrooms. I honestly can't choose which pasta I love more!
Dessert Toasts
We were feeling full already but as they say at Cafe Shibuya, "Dessert is always a good idea"! Well, we ALWAYS make room. Haha! :P
We have been frequenting a Korean cafe in Eastwood, but it was here that I was introduced to the popular honey toast dessert. I guess the Japanese thought that "bread is practically cake so let's make it one!" -- fresh+soft toasted loaf, topped with ice cream and drizzled with honey syrup. Like they don't know that Filipinos eat ice cream with bread instead of cones :P
[caption id="attachment_426" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Original Shibuya Honey Toast (Baby / P145. Regular / P175)[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_428" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Foreground: Cheddar Cheese (Baby / P175, Regular / P225)
Background: Nutella (Baby / P195, Regular / P245)[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_429" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Tiramisu (Baby / P185, Regular / P235)[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_427" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Mango Caramel (Baby / P185, Regular / P235)[/caption]
All dessert toasts above are 'baby' serving size AND this is just five of them! The Original Shibuya Honey Toast is no doubt #NoOrdinaryToast (honey + vanilla ice cream anyone? *drools*). It's the only dish that comes with a jar of honey, but you can request for it to go with any of the dessert toasts for an small charge. Everything else follows and what stood out for me is the Mango Caramel (again, the mango addict): fresh diced mangoes and vanilla ice cream on top of Graham cracker crust! Yum!
What makes these special is the bread that was baked perfect, which you can see for yourself when you pull it apart. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. :)
Drinks
I typically end a meal with a glass of lukewarm water or hot cup of green tea. Cafe Shibuya offers iced, frappe or hot coffee and non-coffee drinks. I couldn't possibly pass up on that, neh?
[caption id="attachment_435" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Below Zero Chocolate Frappe (P155)[/caption]
I love my green tea and despite the cool weather/air-conditioning, chocolate won this time. I tried Below Zero Chocolate Frappe (mine's the one with whip). Made from premium Ghirardelli cocoa, the drink is their own twist to frozen hot chocolate. It kinda lacked a little more chocolate flavor and sweetness to it, but has a lot of potential. If you're familiar with Lindor chocolates, Ghirardelli is a subsidiary of Lindt.
[caption id="attachment_436" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Matcha Green Tea Latte, Hot (P135)[/caption]
Elaine ordered a hot cup of Matcha Green Tea Latte and said she liked it very much. I took a sip and the green tea flavor was very piquant. A must order for me on my next visit :)
Menu
Found our new hangout place! The food is awesome, the service is great (very Japanese I say), the ambiance is perfect! Don't forget to bring a friend or two! <3
UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City
Operating Hours: 10 AM-12 AM (Fridays and Saturdays), 10AM-10PM (Sunday to Thursday)
Find them on Facebook
Hashtag: #NoOrdinaryToast #CafeShibuya
I like their toast! it's really delicious and buttery.
ReplyDeleteI like the dessert part! :D *thumbs up* will try this.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy! Let me know what you think about it :)
ReplyDelete