COCONUTS HOT SPOT – I love discovering cool new restaurants, coffee shops and hangouts – and keeping them all to myself. So I am not sure why I am writing about a special place I’ve been keeping “a secret” for over a year now. Maybe I want to help the owners get more customers – and money. Maybe the place is just too good I want to share it with others. I don’t really know. (Oh! Maybe there is nothing to write about – and I really need to write about something.)
Of course, it’s not a top secret. Whenever I go there, I am not the only who’s there. Their Facebook page has an impressive number of fans. They’ve even been featured in some magazines and blogs.
Anyway, before I change my mind, let me introduce to you one of my favorite coffee shops/hangouts: Subspace. Located on the ground floor of Grand Emerald Tower in F. Ortigas Jr. Road, Subspace is a little box that may not look special form the outside, but once you get past the door, you are instantly transported into another world.
It’s actually hard to describe the aesthetics of Subspace. The walls are unpainted. Posters of K-pop stars and Korean-looking Pinoys are plastered everywhere. K-pop items are on sale. A “chandelier” of bulbs and chairs can be found when you look up. Chairs and tables regularly change. Tchotchkes abound: chair-shaped cellphone holders, action toy figures, old phones. Actually, there is no need to categorize the aesthetics of Subspace because there is only one word to describe it: beautiful. It’s so pretty it doesn’t matter where you sit – you can take a photo and it will always turn out FB/Twitter/Instagram-worthy.
Now on to the food and drinks. Actually, just the drinks, since I’ve never really tried any of their food (but I know that they do offer sandwiches, cakes and waffles).
Their most popular drink is the Purple Potato Latte, which, of course, is purple in color. The impression is that it is ube-flavored coffee, but when you close your eyes and take a sip, it doesn’t totally taste like purple yam. But it’s not totally just purple-colored coffee, too. But it’s really good. It’s so good I’ve stopped wondering about its flavor. I just get it all the time. Apart from this bestseller, there are also other must-try drinks, such as the Peanut Butter Latte, the Iced Lemon Green Tea, and the Dark Choco Mint.
Another good thing about Subspace is that they have an interesting bunch of baristas. There is only one female barista (very “Coffee Prince”); the guys on the other hand are loaded with charm and personality (there are crushable ones even). The owners, Wilmer and Thor, are usually there. They are warm and accommodating, but not showbiz/plastic warm and accommodating – thankfully.
Subspace also has all of these gimmicks, from free Wi-Fi and film showings to discounts and other promos.
So there. Part of me wants you to go straight to Subspace after this. Another part doesn’t want you to (at least when I’m there). There’s one thing I am sure of: even if I didn’t publish this piece, more and more people will discover it and be regulars. Subspace has all the right ingredients, making it such a cool and addicting hangout.
Now if only they opened a branch near my place…
Subspace
Unit 103 GF Grand Emerald Tower, F. Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center, 1606 Pasig
