Bonifacio District — Faustina Center, Cebu City
Opens daily from 10AM–11PM
Published on Thursday, September 29, 2022
Tablea in a cake? Is that even a thing?
If you have yet to introduce yourself to Tablea Chocolate Cafe, we firmly encourage you in discovering what you've been missing.
Written by Veronica Aldaba, Dea Gamara, and Kerstein Rosal
Photos by Allysa Bontilao, Bridget Condia, and Rizbelle Lim
Contents
1 Presentation and Appearance of the Cake
2 Staff / Employees
3 Store Ambiance
4 Cleanliness of the Place
5 Parking
Among the products that they offer, we tried two varieties of their luscious Tablea Chocolatey Cakes. Let's take a look at the reviews of our conscientious critics.
1. Presentation and Appearance of the Cake
Cake 1: Tres Tableas Layer Cake
If you are on the lookout for a smooth chocolatey cake with generous hints of natural tablea, Tres Tableas Layer Cake is a strong contender (P120/slice). As the name suggests, the cake features three mouthwatering components including the slightly embellished tablea meandering drizzle, melted cocoa coating, and its rich succulent sponge.
Presentation-wise, the cake is served on a stylish achromatic platter which reflects the colors embodied within the café. At first glance, the cake appears to be heavy on the tongue given its dark chocolate pigment but to our surprise, the coating isn’t overly-sugary and it didn’t overpower the cake itself, just the perfect balance of sweetness and whiff.
Three ideal words to describe this luscious treat: moist, tender, and fudgy. To point out, it embraces a modern local flavor that leaves you wanting more. Just one bite of this exceptional cake will leave you with nothing but "mmmmmm".
Cake 2: Tablea Layer Cake
Tablea Layer Cake (P140/slice) is drenched with a bittersweet dark chocolate icing that is topped with grated Tablea or simply roasted, ground, and molded nibs of fermented pure cacao. The presentation of the cake on the plate undeniably tempts your eyes, making you want to taste it.
For its appearance, the cake itself is soft, chewy and has another chocolate filling in the middle. The gustatory sensation of the chocolate filling and the bitter sweet taste of the grated tablea complement each other. Needless to say, aside from having a different level of chocolate flavor, this cake is really moist and fluffy as well. Indeed, the grated tablea made this slice a beauty to behold, but looks aside, it is the type of cake that we want to come home to after a long and tiring day.
Overall, heavenly moist and exquisitely tasty, it just undoubtedly hits the spot. If you're serious about chocolate cakes and consider yourself a tablea devotee, this one has your name all over it.
2. Staff / Employees
A friendly and accommodating crew at your service.
Good service by the employees does not only signify welcoming the customers with a joyous look or a simple “thank you” and “please”, it's certainly far beyond that. Talking about Tablea’s service crew, they were absolutely great and fast. We just cannot get over how helpful the staff members were and how amazing and dedicated they were in serving the customers and the company they work for. Indeed, Tablea’s staff created great working environments, thus increasing their overall productivity.
3. Store Ambiance (store layout, product display, music)
Great atmosphere and air conditioning.
Aside from Tablea Chocolate Cafe’s flavorful baked products we’ve just critiqued, it is also equally important to point out the interior and atmosphere within. With the café’s artsy design, who wouldn’t be drawn in? Cool floral-based murals can be found as well as sketch decors that will really tell you intriguing and thought-provoking stories. Their store layout is very straightforward and customer-friendly, especially because you can
easily help yourself with their refreshing service water.
The interiors feature basic textures and contemporary hues. Tablea’s product displays complement the rest of the elements in the space: brownish floor, black and white tiled ceiling, rustic light bulbs, wooden furniture, high and low chairs, and several potted plants, both real and artificial. In terms of a good playlist, they definitely have it along with great air conditioning, which is good enough for casual meetings or intimate meet-ups with family and friends.
4. Cleanliness of the Place
Cafes must go above and beyond to provide a clean dining experience. To do this, Tablea stays committed on providing customers with a safe and clean dining experience. The cafe has a well-kept dining area, which helps to create a cozy and warm ambiance that reflects the brand. Despite the high number of customers, the cafe's table clearing service is excellet. Tables are immediately cleared as soon as customers who have finished their meals make the table available. Tablea is, indeed, taking all the necessary precautions to keep the cafe clean and safe for all.
5. Parking