Strawberry matcha anyone? Muji opens second cafe at Shangri-La Plaza
MANILA, Philippines — Almost a year since Muji Philippines opened its first Coffee Counter, it opens its second branch in the middle of the metro with the introduction of three new matcha infused drinks.
Those who reside in the Quezon City area, the nearest Muji Coffee Counter experience is now at the 4th Level of the East Wing of Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City. Similar to the first Coffee Counter at Central Square in Bonifacio Global City, the newly opened cafe is also located inside the expansive store of Muji in Shangri-La Plaza.
Muji shoppers and diners alike can easily spot the cafe at one of the side entrances of the store.
"Due to the demand and requests of customers, we decided to open a second Coffee Counter here in the middle of the metro, which is in Mandaluyong," said Muji Philippines Marketing Manager Cristina Dagdag to Philstar.com.
"We've seen a lot of clamor from our customers who say they would love to see a Coffee Counter inside a Muji store," she added.
The menu is simple. Coffee Counter has sandwiches, breads and cookies. For sandwiches, they offer the Japanese katsu (breaded pork) sandwich, Beef Yakiniku Sandwich, and the ever-popular Ham & Cheese combination.
Their breads are a mix of savory and sweet with the likes of Salted Butter Bread, Sausage Roll, Pizza Toast, Cinnamon Roll Danish and An-Donuts. The cookies are mostly combinations of chocolates and almonds, with the exception of the Matcha Cookie and Fruit&Nut Belgian Chocolate Cookie.
The newest Coffee Counter also offers its bestselling Ichigo Coffee, which features strawberry as its name in Japanese suggests.
Muji Coffee Counter has been using two kinds of beans, one is locally sourced from Benguet, while the other is from the Rainforest Alliance, an international non-government organization that fights against deforestation and climate change.
Ichigo or strawberry is also among flavors infused in three new Matcha flavors introduced for the cafe's opening weekend promo.
Non-coffee drinkers can order a cup of Ichigo Matcha Latte, which is a matcha-based drink mixed with milk and strawberry syrup.
Coffee lovers can either opt for the Dark Matcha Latte with a matcha base and a shot of espresso or the Caramel Matcha Latte with a shot of espresso and caramel sauce.
The store also features a free water refilling station just like the ones in other Muji stores.
Since opening their first Coffee Counter in Central Square last June 2022, Muji has seen the patronage of mostly families on weekends and office workers from businesses located in the Taguig business district.
"I think what they like about it is, of course, the coffee. Secondly, I think it's the new, unique experience of dining inside a Muji store and being surrounded by Muji merchandise. We'd like to offer our customers a serene environment where they can enjoy good coffee and good food," said Dagdag.
Free cookies will be given with every order of medium hot or large iced drinks from Coffee Counter from May 12 to 14, 2023.
Apart from Central Square and Shangri-La Plaza, Muji has stores in Greenbelt 3, Power Plant Mall and Mall of Asia.
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