Maria Clara Cafe

COFFEE shops are places where you can hang out, ergo, it’s not unusual to find people who stay in coffee shops for hours at a time. Of course, man does not live on coffee alone, so occasionally, the need to partake of a good sandwich comes along.

At Maria Clara Café, along Minoza St. in Talamban, just across the corner from the sports complex, coffee and sandwiches mix, and they mix particularly well. Maria Clara Café has brewed coffee, cappuccino, frappucino, and what they call “choco loco” which is coffee with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Besides the coffees, they also offer sikwate, or native hot chocolate. They actually played around with the sikwate, and they have four different kinds. It may sound pretty bizarre, but the sikwate with mango syrup and the sikwate with siling espada taste good. Different, but good.

A visit to the café is not going be complete if you don’t have at least one of their sandwiches. They have a nice variety of sandwiches, served with different kinds of bread. Bagel lovers should try out the pastrami and cream cheese bagel, a favorite among foreigners, while those looking for a more Filipino taste should give the humba pan de sal a taste. Meat eaters have two great-tasting items to choose from, the panini corned beef and roast beef on rye. The café’s salami submarine sandwich is also a great choice, and big enough to share with someone.

Aside from the coffees, native hot chocolate and sandwiches, they also have milkshakes, wines and imported beers like Tsingtao, Oettinger and Guinness Stout. Incidentally, the place also offers different kinds of breads, bagels, donuts and cakes, and an all-day breakfast.

With all the goodies they offer, from the beverages, to the sandwiches and pastries, the café isn’t just another coffee shop. It’s a nice blend of coffee shop, snack bar, diner and watering hole, but without the loud noises and other distractions commonly found in other establishments. There’s also a nice blend of sophistication and quaint, down-home goodness found in the cafe. As cafés go, Maria Clara Café seems to have everything in place, and most importantly, there’s that welcoming quality that you sense the moment you enter the premises.

+++I'm not sure if the original branch is still open, but I think there's a branch in front of USC in Talamban