When this cafe opened in town, it became the locals' favorite. Even those from the city would come and visit this place. For me who lives close has never tried it until my partner and I decided to try it one time when we were looking for a place to eat.
I liked right away the food that we ordered. It's right for my taste, the price is affordable and the serving is plenty. It's a great deal. So we went back and also with friends.
The place has limited seating and sometimes the wait is long so we had to go find some place else to eat. The last time we went back, they have extended their dining area to accommodate more people.
Business is doing good.
It was therefore a surprise when they announced in their social media page that they are shutting down. It was then evident that the place that they were renting was bought by another company who built a commercial building on the spot. There were lots of complaints about that company online but that's another story.
So it was with delight when we learned that Half Cup is opening again but at a different location this time, farther from the former spot.
Me and crazybeautifulfurmom decided to check it out.
The cafe was located at the third floor of a department store. There was no elevator so one would have to be prepared to take the steps.
There were signs on each floor encouraging you to go up just a little bit more and you'll get there.
This sign will greet you when you reach the place.
They were not fully functional at that time for it was still a soft opening. They announced in their page that the soft opening was a week before we came so I'm surprised that it was still their soft opening when we went there.
I guess they do need a lot of preparation.
Back in their former shop, they had printed menus that they hand out to you once you are seated. This time, all are written on this board for the meantime. It was late afternoon when we got there so most of the food are not available. We then chose the familiar food that are available.
It was pay as you order set up that time so after paying for our orders, we went ahead and find a place to sit.
This place is huge! It occupies the entire floor. The ambiance is pleasant. You can choose to sit by the windows so you can enjoy the view. There were plenty of seats. We decided to stay in the pen where you can sit Indian style.
These are the rules when inside the pen. Of course one must remove their footwear and place them in the racks by the entrance to the pen.
I like how they repurposed these palettes and crates and turn them into tables. We need more innovative and simple concepts such as these so that we will lessen our wastes.
These booths are where you will get your orders. There are also booths for utensils, service water, books and games. It is pretty much self-service.
Sitting inside the pen is not a good idea. Our orders would be prepared separately so when one order is done, you have to get it from the designated booth. It is a hassle to keep putting your shoes and then taking it off again.
What I did is to sit in one of the chairs outside the pen and waited for our order and then pass it along to my friend. When all our orders are complete, that's when I finally went back to our table.
This is a cupcake that is smaller than it looks. This is a bite size cupcake but what I like about it is that it is not that sweet. Even the vanilla ice cream is just the right amount of sweetness. If only the cupcake is bigger, then the price would have been just right.
There fries are well cooked. The toppings consist of lots of cheese, beef and freshly chopped tomatoes. These are then served in small dish. Maybe to make it look like there's a lot of serving? But one serving is enough for two. The juice of the tomatoes makes the fries soggy though.
Banana hazelnut waffles are perfect combination. Those compliment each other. I can do away with the cream but it's all good. This is my favorite of all the things we ordered.
For drinks, we only had water which is located at the other end of the room. They should add more booths for water where it is strategically placed where one can easily get it.
Since this is a self-service cafe, then you better clean as you go. There are also designated racks and trays for every used plates, glasses, utensils and leftovers/trash.
This is printed on a wall. What can you say about it?
There are also merchandise for sale such as these that are displayed in front of the counter.
Their tagline says that nothing is half-baked. However, this is not the same taste that we have loved and kept going back when they were still in their former location. The fries and cupcakes were a bit of a letdown. I guess we expected too much. I did commented to one of the staff that the food didn't taste like the way it was before and she replied that they did make some slight changes. These changes made me wonder whether I should go back again. However, they do serve other food so I'm still willing to give it another try.
This visit was two years ago but we haven't been back since.
After traveling, it's time to recharge and do some food blog. I haven't done a food blog in a long time. While remembering this was a bit easy, some of the details are still hard to recall.
However, I do remember that I was not satisfied when I left the place. There is that feeling of not wanting to dislike put trying to find what did I like about the experience. Hopefully, next time, it will be better.
Wow it looks like a great place to hang out! I think just by going there one can be whole and not just half of what we can be. Hahaha. But it's probably true, we are too lazy to be the best version of ourselves. Only those who exert effort become the best among the rest.