In the Philippines, coffee shops are big and Filipinos love their cup of Starbucks, Gloria Jeans, and Coffee Bean etc. But as coffee establishment are striving to package themselves foreign brands, our local market is suffering with a wrong perception that we cannot compete with the global trends. Our efforts to build appreciation for our local brands by packaging them as conventional or traditional further aggravates colonial mentality, by creating an impression that our products are inferior compared to the bigger and more popular brands.
Braving this dilemma is Alvin Lim, President and CEO of Serye Café Filipino, with the new addition to his chain of restaurants in Sucat, Paranaque. Alvin's stay in Europe inspired him to bring the “coffee culture” in the Philippines, without the usual European or American flavour but with the same urban flair as that of the café bistros in France.
According to Alvin, the idea of putting up a café that is dedicated to Filipino Fare has been sitting around for 12 years, but because of resources constraint, he has not been able to put it in place. However, his visit to France opened his eyes to how much the French appreciates their own desserts and coffee and Alvin thought that the same attitude could develop in the Philippine café scene. This young entrepreneur believes that Filipino coffee, desserts and dishes can be at par with the rest of the globe, if only resto's and café owners would present their products in tune with the global market.
Perfect Combination
“There's nothing more sumptuous than the taste of the familiar.” This is how Alvin describes the wide selection of Filipino desserts and coffee that Serye Café Filipino offers. The 12 years of planning generated a menu that can proudly be called Pinoy but can still be comparable and maybe even better than international brands.
Serye's signature drink aptly called Mocha Manila is a combination of Arabica coffee from Baguio, Cordillera and Sultan Kudarat and our very own cacao chocolate tablets or tablea from Davao del Norte, one of the largest cacao-producing provinces in the country.
Combining yema confection, a popular Filipino candy made of condensed milk and sugar, vanilla ice cream and coffee, Serye's Yemma Frappe will easily become another bestseller. The right amount of sweetness and bitterness provides a harmonious blend that is perfect for a relaxing afternoon with friends.
Another drinkable dessert exclusively available at Serye is Café on Sorbetes. To give it the all-Pinoy taste, Alvin made sure that their supplier is a home-grown ice cream manufacturer, even if it means shifting from their former suppliers. Alvin said that this is also their way of supporting the local industry.
Tablea seemed to be one of Serye's favourite ingredients, it being the main flavour in most of their mouth-watering dessert.
Tablea Cheesecake, Tablea Coffee Pie, which is made of tablea, butter cream and cookie crust and Gateau Mocha Manila which is five layers of chocolate cake, chiffon cake, chocolate mousse and coffee buttercream with praline, are all bursting with the bitter-sweet flavour from premium cacao beans from Davao. Not to be disregarded is the rich and creamy chocolate dip called Fondue Filipino, which is an imitation of the Swiss Chocolate Fondue, but which uses native chocolate. Fondue Filipino is served with Pinoy most popular merienda, crunchy Turon which divert from the traditional fried banana. Serye's Turon comes in three varities, banana-langka, mango-sago and buko-pinya. For these delicious treats, Alvin relies on the skills of his wife with desserts.
Coffee Table Art
Only on Serye Cafe Filipino you will find Pinoy art served with your coffee. The “Gallery on a Table” concept of Alvin completed the all-Pinoy touch in Serye's interior. Three famous young painters were commissioned by Alvin to create table veneers which the Philippines café scene.
Mark Andy Garcia, who admitted of not being a coffee drinker himself, created a series of paintings of his observations of how Pinoy enjoy their coffee. His first painting closely resembles the way I enjoy my own cup, over some good music, a good book and a cigar, in a comfortable spot where I can see the other people inside and outside the store. Mark Andy has been a constant winner in different art competition including Art Petron, Metrobank and Shell.
Jaime Gubaton's piece puts a romantic hint in his painting of a couple sharing a story over a cup of coffee in a mall where a family also happens to pass by. Jaime's painting reflects the current popular way of the yuppies crowd in getting to know their prospective partners, over a cup of coffee and a good conversation.
Another couple, this one obviously on a sort of lover's quarrel was depicted in John Paul Antido's acrylic creation. Using his signature jeepney as the coffee table, John Paul tried to show how cosmopolitan couples sort out their differences, over a cup of brewed coffee.
These furniture will soon be available in all of Serye Café Filipino's four branches - Quezon Memorial Circle (in front of Quezon City Hall), Santana Grove, Sucat Road, Paranaque, Level 2 Festival Walk - Festival Supermall in Alabang and at Eastwood City, Libis
Alvin said that like in France where coffee shops are becoming the melting pot of culture, arts and politics, he wants Serye Café Filipino to become a place for Filipino culture, art and even politics. He strongly encourages poetry clubs, photographers and writers to hold their events at Serye.
And to keep up with the recent trend among coffee shops, Alvin is also planning to set up free wifi connections in all of Serye's branches.
True Café Filipino
The dream of being an all-Pinoy coffee shop, which took 12 years to fulfil has indeed became a milestone in Philippine's coffee industry. Alvin has always believed in the quality of Filipino coffee beans, which during the 1990's was the fourth most exported all over the world.
“What Serye Café Filipino intends to do is to serve and promote local specialties prepared with global sophistication relevant to today's globe trotting Filipinos yet still keep it very familiar and close to our hearts. We want Filipino urbanites to enjoy authentic local desserts comparable to how the rest of the world enjoys their own,” said the proudly Pinoy owner of Serye Café Filipino.
