COCONUTS HOT SPOT — Coffeeshop culture, if not coffee culture, in Manila has gotten to the point where it’s not enough to just serve good coffee and snacks anymore.
Epic Cafe on East Capitol Drive in Pasig City offers a perfect counterpoint to the chain coffee shops that have popped up (with some since closing down) on every corner of Metro Manila’s caffeine-addicted cities.
More than just the excellent espresso and selection of home-made cakes (which are reason enough to visit), Epic is the kind of place for people to have coffee and talk (or not talk, if they prefer).
A friend describes it as “a place you go when you want to be alone but not lonely.” That is probably why Epic has become a favorite among med school students and doctors reviewing for the US Medical Licensing Examination. With just a handful of tables available, noise is kept to a minimum, and, it is hoped, meaningful interaction at a maximum.
The brick and finished concrete walls and the unpainted wood counter are a refreshing change from the antiseptic vibe that many chain stores give off no matter how friendly their baristas are.
The walls are decorated with prints of photographs and a quote from Albert Einstein written in chalk instead of the usual framed jazz posters and pop-art coffee beans. True, there were vintage coffee posters on the walls, too, but they seemed put there as a testament to how much the owners care about coffee rather than as a decorating gimmick.
Parking is a bit difficult and the wireless Internet could use a double shot or two of espresso, but the lack of bossa nova in the background more than makes up for these.
102 East Capitol Drive, Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig City
