DINING | Restock Coffee and Curiosities

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Coffee, art, and what have you at Restock.

I'm not really one who seeks out new places to dine, have coffee, and the like but last month I finally found myself at Restock Coffee and Curiosities with Kwittiegirl. Located along Guijo Street in Makati City, it's not really a new place although it's still less than a year old. You might have been here already or heard of it at least. If not, then read on.

Interiors and ambiance
In contrast to its gray exterior (but which I really like), Restock's interiors are painted all white, providing the perfect backdrop for everything else in this cafe, er, gallery, er, store, er, whatever it is they want to call this place.

Anyway, it's one rectangular space filled with a mishmash of different furniture, artwork, and a medley of all sorts of stuff for sale. It looks a bit cluttered but it's all intentional that evokes a hip and relaxed vibe. There's a mural you see upon entering that just deserves recognition. It's nothing but text and a few accents but all that effort in painting an entire short story on a wall is just awesome. It's also beautifully executed, I must add. Talk about the writings on the wall.

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I'm loving the gray walls outside.

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The view upon entering the door. I'm gonna have to read that story on the wall next time.

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The view from the other side.

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That huge glass window is definitely an asset to this space.

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The charm of mismatched furniture everywhere.

Restock attracts a fairly young crowd and we were the only oldies in sight that afternoon. But who cares?

The coffee and food
There's not much to choose from on the menu, which lists mainly coffee, coffee-based drinks, and other beverages like tea and hot chocolate. Prices go from as low as Php 100 while the fancy ones can go as high as Php 360.

A minor letdown for me is that they don't really have pastries to speak of. Maybe it's just me but don't they go hand in hand with coffee? There's cheesecake and cookies, though, and surprise, surprise -- pizzadilla! I find it odd to to see what essentially is half a pizza on the menu board but nevertheless it's good. Even if I was hoping for some sandwiches, the pizzadilla did great in satisfying my hunger.

The coffee here is also good. I think it was a long white that I had. When I felt the need for another cup I was offered an off-the-menu item. It was a delightfully strong brew their boss got from Japan, an order I certainly did not regret.

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The barista's counter.

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Pizzadilla and coffee -- a rather odd combination. Individually, though, they're both good.

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More coffee, served in some hipster containers.

"Curiosities"
The artwork on display here are primarily paintings, some of which are mixed media. Now as to what the other "curiosities" are, there's a bunch of different notebooks and writing stuff; organic soap, oils, and whatnot; hipster mugs and other contraptions; and a selection of magazines not available in most bookstores here. There's certainly something to pique anyone's curiosity here.

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If art doesn't interest you, something else sure will.

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Tin mugs. It's called "sartin" in Cebuano, only these ones are stylized.

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In hindsight
Nice place, good coffee, and lots of other knickknacks. Restock is a place I don't mind going to again. It's just not a great place if you want to enjoy some quiet time because it can easily get a little noisy in here. Or maybe I'm just too old.

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Tito and Tita hanging out at a youngster's spot. Hehe.

Restock is located at 7635 Guijo St., San Antonio Village, Makati City. It's hard to miss because the exteriors, as well as those of its next-door neighbor 12/10, are painted gray.

Open Mondays to Saturdays from 12 noon to 10 in the evening.

https://www.facebook.com/restockph

Comments

  1. Looks like a lovely place and those dishes are pumping up my appetite :D

    Pablo
    www.fungiexpress.com

    ReplyDelete

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