Casual Dining + Great Coffee

They say that a cup of coffee after a heavy meal helps in digestion and eases the heavy feeling that one may have. But almost always, since restaurants don't really serve a diverse selection of coffee concoctions, and most coffee shops are limited to cookies and pastries, patrons would have to go to two places to indulge in a gastronomic feast and to finish it up with a steaming hot shot of espresso or hot tea.

Mocha Blends promises to change all that.

For six years since Mocha Blends opened in Metro Manila, it has changed the way Filipinos dine and enjoy their coffee. For Mocha Blends, good coffee also means good food.

In 2006, Mocha Blends opened their first branch in Cebu at Asiatown IT Park in Lahug. As they are open for 24 hours, they enjoy a loyal following among call center agents, who are in abundance in the area, it being the hub of offshore outsourcing companies.

Surprisingly, Ann Go of Ciekro Food Corp. revealed that Mocha Blends' customer base is not exclusive to call center agents. "At first we thought that most of our clients would be call center agents but it turned out that there are also families and other groups who frequent the place," she said. 

The success of the franchise prompted Mocha Blends franchiser Ciekro to expand the business to a venue with more foot traffic - the mall. And with the opening of the new posh venue in Cebu, The Northwing at SM City Cebu, Mocha Blends expects to have more diverse customers who will surely enjoy both their coffee and food.

Offering a wide variety of dishes, Charmaine Mara Young, manager of Mocha Blends, said that costumers would expect a different coffee shop experience the moment they sit in any Mocha Blend shop.

"Unlike in other coffee shops, here you sit down and we take your orders and then we serve it to you. Its more like semi-fine dining," explained Go.

Their signature hot drink, the Mocha Blends Cappuccino with perfect dome-shaped foam generously sprinkled with ground cinnamon, is reflective of the extra care that the baristas place in every cup of coffee.

And it is not just the coffee, mind you. I was told that they also serve the best Baby Back Ribs, but then again, I can't vouch for that as I have been off red meat for quite sometime now.

For the green minded, they have Caesar Salad and Mexican Nachos. And then there are the specialty burgers (which is the most generous I've seen, so far), sandwiches (I'd go for Tuna and Crab Melt or Rocks Chicken Sandwich) served with chips and salad, and pasta (the Seafood Marinara is a bliss) with garlic bread.

The outlet in IT Park has more variety of food selection in their menu, including rice meals and breakfast meals, served 24-hours a day! What would you expect? Call center agents take their breakfast at midnight!

But unlike its IT Park counterpart, Mocha Blends at the Northwing is open during mall hours only and they don't serve rice meals, as well. But then again, a full Mocha Blends meal is best enjoyed in a restaurant ambience. Even so, the selection of food items in their menu at the Northwing outlet is enough to fill your stomach during your whole day stint in the mall.