I2 Building Asiatown IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City
Opens daily from 9AM–12AM
Published on Thursday, October 6, 2022
A feast for the eyes and the taste buds, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is surely the place!
Let’s just say that if you want to try appetizing cake flavors that can razzle-dazzle, captivate, and deliver in taste then order from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Their captivating cakes are a sure delight to have, to eat, and to behold!
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 four varieties of their cakes. Let's take a look at the reviews of our conscientious critics.
01 Presentation and Appearance of the Cake
Cake 1: Blueberry Cheesecake
To all blueberry cheesecake lovers, this one's for you! There isn't much in life that you love more than the magical feeling you get when you take your first bite of blueberry cheesecake and savor its scrumptious and rich taste. And the blueberry cheesecake from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf didn’t fail to give that magical feeling (P155/slice).
The delectable dessert features a crumbly graham crust with a soft, creamy cheesecake filling that is topped with a glossy blueberry sauce and garnished with sliced blueberries. The graham crust complements the fluffy cheesecake filling so well that you'll want to devour it over and over again. Its luscious blueberry sauce adds a delightful touch to the creamy cheesecake, giving it the perfect balance of sweet and tangy flavor. And the sliced blueberries on top bring a wonderful contrast to the creamy layer, providing a burst of flavor on your tongue with each bite.
Cake 2: Strawberry Shortcake
Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s Strawberry Shortcake is surely a pretty in pink stunner (P205/slice). It’s actually simple to glance at but visually captivating simultaneously, it is like deriding you to cut a bigger chunk so you can appease your strawberry shortcake cravings. It is crowned with a strawberry slice and a generous amount of strawberry syrup on top. Every layer of the sweet chiffon cake is laid out with a delectable strawberry icing that is mixed with small strawberry slices. This heavenly red and pink rich vibe cake is a sure delight to have, to eat, and to behold.
Cake 3: Chocolate Crumble Cake
Here at Pastryque Cebu, we express our honest sentiments about the services of the shops we feature as well as some of their pastries. Unfortunately, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s Chocolate Crumble Cake is such a MISS! (P155/slice). The chocolate cake itself is devoid of any real chocolate flavor. But before delving into its texture, taste, and whiff, this pastry’s main highlight is its dark glossy coating. It’s probably one of the most polished chocolate cakes we have seen so far and it really gives out a 4-star impression along with its powdery-looking layers of sponge and thick begrimed frosting.
In our verdict, it is an actual representation of the quote, “looks can be deceiving”, it tastes almost nothing as it looks. Despite its exquisite appearance, deep down it’s just a very simple, old-school neighborhood confectionery-style chocolate cake with no element of surprise whatsoever. “Although the cake looks dark and chocolatey, it tastes of dry sponge with bland frosting and disappointment.”
Cake 4: Double Decker Cake
There’s nothing like too much chocolate! With layers of moist chocolate sponge cake and creamy chocolate mousse, topped with dark chocolate ganache, the Double Decker Chocolate Cake from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf isn't overly sweet, yet it's light enough for dessert (P165/slice). This decadent treat is perfectly light and starts with a chocolate sponge base, filled with a chocolate mousse. The chocolate mousse filling adds a soft, creamy texture that complements the dense chocolate sponge cake layer. Finished off with a rich chocolate ganache and garnished with grated chocolate, this is the chocolate cake you won't be able to resist digging right in.
Overall, this Double Decker Chocolate Cake is a chocolate lover's dream come true. The delicious combination of moist chocolate sponge cake, creamy chocolate mousse, and dark chocolate ganache will keep you coming back for a second bite.
2. Staff / Employees
Customers feel valued, welcomed, and appreciated.
A friendly atmosphere leads to a healthy environment of trust, where customers feel valued, welcomed, and appreciated. CBTL employees were all very friendly, approachable, and would always check if you already had everything you needed. From the time you walk inside the café, until the moment you leave you are made to feel safe and that you are an appreciated customer.
3. Store Ambiance (store layout, product display, music)
Shades of black, white, wooden materials, and touches of greenery.
The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is suffused with shades of black, white, wooden materials, and touches of greenery as well as colorful tints on the counter. They have a great store layout as well as product displays that will definitely invigorate you to order more.
We really love their artificial wall plants all the way up to their beautiful mezzanine which has amazing lighting and modern touches on the ceiling. Speaking of their mezzanine, they have this range of bulbs which definitely stood out of all the features within the café – perfect for quick Instagram shots.
Additionally, the level provides more solace and seclusion for individuals aiming to be productive or even for intimate meet-ups. To point out, we weren’t really focusing on their playlist when we got there since most customers were filling up the place, doing the usual. Overall, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf certainly has a standout aesthetic.
4. Cleanliness of the Place
Ensuring a clean and safe establishment is more significant than ever in these trying times. CBTL has a clean and polished place but what amazed us the most about CBTL is that they have welcome mats outside their vicinity. The welcome mats made us feel safer and more comfortable the second we walked into the establishment considering it was raining outside. The mats provided us a good area to wipe our wet feet before entering the store. So, kudos to CBTL for having welcome mats!
5. Parking
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