Read. Sip. Dine. at Book and Borders Cafe (Tomas Morato, Q.C.)

My Facebook post for my sister, dated 17 June 2015

The very first time I heard about Book & Borders Café was thru a Facebook group I am part of. That very moment, I messaged my sister thru Facebook as well, because I am such a big bookworm and both my sister and I love to eat as well. We, including my bookish friends have wanted to check this cafe, but I guess fate has its own way of rewarding me.



Last Tuesday, I was one of the blessed attendees to the grand opening celebration of Book and Borders Café, located at 281 Tomas Morato, Quezon City.




Entering the cafe, I was in awe at how beautiful it looked inside - definitely a bookworm's dream. There are lounge seats for comfortable seating, as well as a long table for big groups who are about to review or just enjoy a time together reading their own books.

I wasn't able to fully browse Book and Borders Cafe's book selection, but those I have browsed, I am pleased to see that they grouped together books based on their genres and authors. They have a wide selection of YA fiction, which will definitely attract more high school and college students, but they also have a good selection of adult fiction, as well as some children's books, to satisfy people of all ages. Aside from letting customers enjoy a good read while having snacks, they also provide book stands to those who need it, making reading and eating easier to do at the same time.

{More after the jump...}




The grand opening celebration was attended by the people behind the cafe, together with brand ambassadors Karylle Tatlonghari-Yuzon and Benjamin Alves, as well as other celebrity guests and friends. I got to see beauty queens Ara Arrida, Venus Raj, and Winwyn Marquez, who also joined different activities throughout the celebration.



Activities for this event included a coffee-making contest, with Ara Arrida and Venus Raj together with their blogger partners, a book-reading activity with Winwyn Marquez and Ben Alves, and dessert tasting/matching game.

Book and Borders Café is not all about the ambiance and the aesthetics, they also serve good food as well. Members of the media - both from traditional and online media were given a selection between pasta and sandwiches, and some of the food we had include --


Chicken Penne Pesto
My food. Actually, I ordered their Tuna Garlic with Lemon pasta, but for some reason, my order seem to be lost, that everybody already had their food and I still didn't have mine (considering that our table was one of the first ones to be asked for their choice). Anyway, fellow bloggers just told me to accept this food, and I was glad I did. It tasted good, the chicken had a good flavor, and the pasta was cooked al dente. I still am wondering how the Tuna Garlic with Lemon Pasta tastes like, so when I get back there, I will surely order it.


Pasta Bolognese
This one is so flavorful!!! It had the tartness mixed with the subtle natural sweetness of the tomatoes, and the chiffonade of basil added another dimension to its flavor.


Truffle Mushroom Fettucine Pasta
The cafe's best seller and the most ordered pasta during the grand opening. I only had a tiny taste of it, but I found it really tasty. Plus points to the generous amount of parmesan cheese!


Quattro Cheese Pasta
Very rich, very creamy, and very cheesy!


Fried Tuyo with Kesong Puti
My favorite among the pasta dishes they serve. I was kinda expecting this to be straight-up oil-based pasta, but the hint of tomatoes actually provided a great twist to the dish. The kesong puti was not that salty, so the ingredients complimented each other very well. I highly recommend this dish!


Salted Hot Chocolate
We were given the option to choose between this or the Iced Mocha drink, and I chose the Iced Mocha, but my picture was so blurred, it wasn't blog worthy. Fellow bloggers chose this cup of Salted Hot Chocolate, which they compared with Champorado because of its thick consistency as well as the addition of salt.

As for my Iced Mocha, it was so rich - just the way I want. The interesting thing about my drink was the two ice balls, which actually helps in retaining the consistency of the drink while keeping it cold for a long period of time.

Book and Borders Café also serve sandwiches and fresh salad that suit every one's needs. As for their drinks, if coffee and chocolate are not your choice of drink, they also have a selection of smoothies.



Desserts
Some cafes actually focus more on pastries, which is a great partner for coffee and chocolate drinks. I am very grateful that cafes now offer a wide array of pastries - including cake slices - because years ago, my friend and I actually wanted to do a cake tasting party, but couldn't do such because pastry shops only offer cakes as a whole.

Anyway, they laid out a dessert buffet for us and as much as I loved the cakes, my favorite were the doughnuts. They were just the right size, but was packed with lots of filling. One thing I noticed about their pastries was that it had the right sweetness. It satisfied the sweet tooth, but wasn't at all overwhelming. When I go back, I will try their other cakes and muffins.

Whether you're an avid book reader, or someone who wants to eat a very satisfying snack, or someone who needs a quaint, place to stay and hang out, this is a very good place, indeed.

Book and Borders Café is located at 281 Tomas Morato, Quezon City. If you are not familiar with the place, you can take the "Pantranco" / "Tomas Morato" jeep from EDSA Kamias. As soon as the jeep turns right to Tomas Morato, you will see Book and Borders Café from the right side. Landmarks... it is just across Amber and Project Pie, and is next to 7-Eleven.

To learn more about Book and Borders Café, please follow them on Instagram (@bookandborderscafe) or Twitter (@bookandborders), or like their Facebook Page. For more inquiries, you may call them at +63932 871 7856.

*** Jenn ***