Introduction
It all started with an accident on a Saturday
afternoon at Yardstick Coffee. Thanks to that incident, I was able to discover
the third wave of coffee bars around the metro—and some new notable contenders
from abroad. It would be sad not try several of them...
In that nutshell, I am here
once more for another coffee review! Let's start!
Brief Overview
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| The Curator's idea of personalizing! |
The Curator Coffee
& Cocktail (or The Curator) is
located at 134 Legaspi Park View
Condominium, Gamboa corner C. Palanca Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City,
a minute walk from the Yardstick Coffee. Unlike its nearby neighbor, The
Curator is somewhat intentionally hidden in plain view. Even though it has a modest-sized
sign, you'll think twice to enter since The Curator's outer appearance is quite
misleading. As its name suggests, they offer coffee (7:00am to 7:00pm) and
cocktail drinks (7:00pm to 1:30am) from Monday to Saturday. They have a
standard coffee and cocktail menu but guests have the option to personalize
their drinks to suit their taste buds!
...you'll think twice to enter since The Curator's outer appearance is quite misleading.
Ambiance and Accommodation
The Curator's ambiance is well-balanced for a bar that
has two faces. The overall lighting in its coffee bar appearance conveys the
right cozy and relaxed atmosphere—dim it even further (the way I see it done)
and The Curator transforms in its alter ego. I like how they treat the roughly
finished unpainted wall as a canvass to write their menu creatively. Seats are reasonably
enough; seats for two to three near the entrance, group seats at the center and
single seats at the bar area. There are no magazines or newspapers but they
compensate on good background music, engaging coffee baristas—and a guitar.
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| Inside The Curator |
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| Group seats located at the center. |
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| A creative way of using the wall. |
The baristas were very hospitable. I was able to chat
with the guys, in particular Myka, Wilmer and Jeff. I do admire how the
baristas assure that every coffee served is perfectly made. I can compare them
to detail-oriented chefs, constantly fine-tuning parameters to bring out the
food's flavour potential!
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| Myka and Wilmer at the bar area. |
The Coffee Itself
I ordered Espresso
with milk (Php 140.00). I like how they departed from the usual "coffee
in a cup" presentation. In terms of taste, I can say that their coffee is
good! I think they concentrated on the (coffee) blend's flavour rather than imitating
the familiar taste that most people knew. If you like your drink sweet do not
fret, The Curator has several syrup options to choose from, playfully placed in
test tubes.
 |
| Espresso with milk (Php 140.00) |
Midway with my coffee (and some chitchat with Myka and Wilmer in between), I was also able to sample two cold press juices in
their line-up: Trapple (made from
Apples) and Burning Green (made from
Ginger) which costs Php 120.00 per order. Wilmer, the barista who made my drink
told me that the foreigners love the Burning Green. For me, both of the drinks
taste really great!
...they concentrated on the (coffee) blend's flavour rather than imitating the familiar taste that most people knew.
My initial plan was to order a single cup but their Kenya Wakulima blend drew my attention (its pamphlet was the nearest to where I
sat). It says that it has "...Caramel sweetness with a long intense finish".
I guess I should try this as well!
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| Jeff almost done with my second cup! |
They have four coffee blends to choose from, two of
these (Kenya Wakulima and Panama Carmen Estate blend) have particular brewing
methods (about four). In total, that's about ten coffee options—milk and syrup
extras were not taken into account yet!
 |
| Kenya Wakulima blend |
My second cup was Kenya
Wakulima blend brewed via pour-over method (Php 120.00). It was fun
watching Jerry (my barista for my second cup) make my coffee while explaining
the specific process and its respective benefits simultaneously. I am not a
coffee guru so it was hard to decipher the flavours that I was experiencing.
Good thing that Jerry was there to guide me in each taste levels! It turns out
that the blend of the day (or BOD in The Curator's terminology) was also the
same—the reason for the prevalent coffee punch of my first drink. I ended my
stay by answering their e-survey!
Conclusion
The Curator fares high marks on bar concept, lots of
coffee choices and friendly staff. I like The Curator's idea of a coffee bar as
a "private retreat" in the middle of the city. Finding it may be a
bit of a chore, but the reward will be coffee with substance. The selection of first-rate
coffee here are comprehensive, which will surely entice any coffee lovers out
there! Besides having by far one of the most sociable staff that I met, The
Curator's baristas also imparts to their guests the joys of brewing and
drinking coffee!
The Curator Coffee & Cocktail
134 Legaspi Park View, Gamboa
corner C. Palanca Street,
corner C. Palanca Street,
Legaspi Village, Makati City
Monday-Saturday 7:00am-1:30am
Coffee from 7:00am-7:00pm
Cocktails from 7:00pm-1:30am
Website: thecurator.com.ph
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all the
staff of The Curator for the warm welcome, good company and the usual picture
taking!
Please support the third wave of
coffee bars nearest you! I hope that the all the people behind this movement
will continue to explore new ways to blend and brew caliber coffee!
Please look forward for my next blog
entry! Ikimashou!
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