GT Cafe - our neighborhood's first coffee and dessert shop

Time was when we had to go to the mall if we wanted to eat in a restaurant. But these days, cafes and restaurants have mushroomed, not just in plush communities but even in middle to lower class residential areas such as ours in Manila. Well, that just goes to say how much Pinoys love to eat and now, drink coffee, too. And it's the younger ones who now drink coffee more than the oldies do - thanks to those yummy cold coffee concoctions  

Last June, my kids and I were thrilled to see the very first cafe open in our neighborhood - GT Cafe. GT stands for G. Tuazon, the street where it is.  And it wasn't long before we tried it. One Sunday night, we were there after dinner for dessert and coffee. 

We had: 

Oreo Surprise

Banana Split

Mocha frappe

L-R; Mango Shake, Mocha Frappe, Peppermint Tea

Peppermint Tea with milk

Brewed Coffee

My coffee being siphon-brewed

This was how the counter looked on our first visit

The interior of the cafe is nothing to be impressed about. It's bright and quite cheery because of the dominating yellow color but everything is simple including the Monobloc (plastic) chairs. There's a huge map of our district on the wall, which, for a minute got me engrossed finding our street. But what I was truly impressed about were the prices of the drinks that they offer here from tea to coffee, frappes and fruit shakes. They come really cheap - only half the figure in other coffee shops and restaurants. A mocha frappe, for instance, costs a mere P50.! 
A cup of Twinings tea is only P30. 
Can't have those drinks at that low prices elsewhere. 

My brewed coffee, on the other hand, was P40, while my youngest son's mango shake was P45. Considering the serving size (they use tall glasses!), not bad either.The taste was another thing - made us happy, too! Everything, though low-priced, tasted good! Their coffee is siphon-brewed - quite strong and rich in flavor - just the way I like it. In one popular Chinese restaurant near our office where I sometimes buy siphon-brewed coffee, a cup costs P90. 
But here in GT Cafe, it's a steal at only half of that price.

The desserts don't come as cheap, though. The Oreo Surprise and Banana Split were a hundred peso each order, if my memory serves me right. Anyway, since that first time in July, I've visited GT Cafe three times and their menu has expanded a little. They now have sandwiches with savory (Spam, corned beef, sausage, ham) and sweet (peanut butter and fruit jams) fillings. I really wish, though, that they'd also offer simple rice meals and pasta. 
On my latest visit together with our dependable househelp, we had:

Brewed coffee and corned beef sandwich for me, Cookie Monster frappe and sausage sandwich for my companion

Cookie Monster frappe

 The counter on my latest visit. The menu board has changed.

GT Cafe on G. Tuazon St near corner Vicente G. Cruz in Manila

But even if GT Cafe still has a simple menu, it's a big hit among students, such that it's always packed and seeing a line of waiting customers is a common sight. And it's even open 24/7. Well, GT Cafe has hit it big with its low-priced but yummy frappes, smoothies, coffee and tea. Pay this cafe a visit if you're in Manila.
Happy eating!