During this morning's homily, I heard Father Gerry say that heaven can be found in simple contentment. He's right. I always find bits of heaven in simple joys--a sincere and comforting hug, a welcome visitor, spending time with a loved one, meeting old friends, pigging out to good food, and hanging out at a coffee shop.
I found all those in one lovely Sunday afternoon such as today.
Tad had been kind of busy with Madonna Brava and Flores Para Los Muertos that we haven't spent much quality time together, let alone drop by my house for a visit. He's been feeling kind of down and out lately that sometimes he could get pretty cranky, even though it was his birthday last Friday, so I persuaded him to come visit so he can let out some steam, chill and basically just hang out. I told him I wanted to check out Peaberry Cafe, this coffee shop that my friend Ronelli had just opened here at our village, and I thought that we could go there as my belated birthday treat for him.
I knew Ronelli from the first year Playshop opened an Alabang branch, as we were both in Tita Menchu's musical theater workshop. I haven't seen her in years, so this was a good excuse to see her. I've seen photos of Peaberry on Facebook, and the place looks pretty promising. It sort of reminded me of Central Perk from Friends, plus the "Kopihaus" from Kopihaus # 8 (Drei and Nicco's thesis).
Thankfully, Ronelli told me that Peaberry was open today even though it was a holiday, but when we got there, I actually thought that they were closed (even though the sign out front said that they were open) because there was hardly anyone there except for this middle-aged lady sitting in one of the couches, and one of the employees behind the counter. Oh well, they're open anyway, so Tad and I each ordered ice blended coffees, then sat at a table outside so he can smoke.
I got the ice blended black forest while Tad played it safe with a white chocolate mocha. Thankfully the black forest was sweet enough for my taste, because I don't like it when drinks get too sweet. Tad thought thought that the white chocolate mocha was pretty OK as well, though I knew he was looking for a certain taste. While we were sitting there, a group of girls arrived and also sat at a table outside. Finally, more customers, hahaha. I guess we just came at lazy hour during a holiday, which was why there wasn't anyone there. Anyway, when I saw the other group order a plate of mini tacos, I was dying to try those as well, but I stayed put. But a few minutes after Tad had finished his drink along with a couple of cigarettes, he wanted to order another drink, hahaha! We waited for a few more minutes then he stood up to order the mint java chip this time. I, on the other hand, was curious about their cheeseburgers, because the photos and comments on their Facebook page sounded so appealing.
No sooner after the cheeseburger (that came with a side order of French fries) arrived, a car pulled up right in front of the cafe. It was Ronelli and her husband Paul. Man, it was great to see Ronelli again! Haha, when she saw the cheeseburger (which was untouched because we were still on the fries), she affirmed that the cheeseburger was their best selling item on the menu. Once she stepped inside for a while, I let Tad have a go at the cheeseburger first before I did. And yep, it really was awesome. The burger patty was thick and juicy, and the entire thing was bursting with flavor. No wonder it's their best-seller. Yummy.
Ronelli sat with us for a while and talked and caught up on news as we finished off our food and drinks, so she got to know Tad a little more. Haha, Ronelli from my past world of theater and Tad from my current. I love it when worlds like these collide. Tad was a little tongue-tied because Ronelli spoke straight English most of the time, but they were in the same wavelength when we started talking about different kinds of coffee. Hmmm... maybe some time, after a few more visits, maybe Ronelli can teach me to do latte art, hehehe. Plus we could definitely hold a Playshop MT '99 reunion there.
We never got to hang out inside the cafe as we chose to sit in the smoking area, but I have to admit, the interior of the cafe is really gorgeous and had that cozy, homey feel. We'll surely come back and frequent this place, because it's got a lot of promise, from the coffee, the food (I have yet to try their pasta), the ambiance, and of course, the friendly owners.
Shamless plug... If you guys (especially the ones in the South) want to check it out, Peaberry Cafe can be found at 511 Capitoline Hills, BF Resort Village, Las Pinas City. They're open everyday from 11:00 am until 11:00 pm.
No comments:
Post a Comment