An Introvert Visits Bialetti Caffe

A former old heritage home, Bialetti Caffe's new location breathes equally new life to the brand and the overall ambiance of the cafe. It's small, painfully so, but the interior decoration and intricate Spanish-styled panels beautifully make up for the space.

Despite it being a small cafe with only a few choice pastries for sale, their frappes and iced coffee were great. The pastries themselves, on the other hand, I wasn't very fond of. There were only three I could choose from upon my visit and I wasn't feeling up to spending my afternoon eating commercialized sponge and carrot cake so I settled with the Chocolate Mousse which was surprisingly really good.

Best of all was that I found this quiet little corner despite the cafe's size.

Bialetti Caffe closes earlier than most, only up until the early evening so be sure to get there before then! It usually isn't as packed but visiting in the evenings on weekdays is a preferred time. The staff are nice and quiet enough and they have WiFi, every introvert's best friend! (or a good book)

An Introvert Visits Chocoreich Cafe

If you love the smell of raw chocolate, Chocoreich Cafe is for you. Located in a quaint corner in Tagbilaran's center, you wouldn't expect to find such a sweet get-away to blow your senses with chocolatey promises.

Being Tagbilaran's first artisan chocolate shop, it was an instant hit amongst teens and young professionals. Not only do they make their own chocolates, which is 100% Filipino-made, mind you, they also serve an all-chocolate menu.

From hot dark chocolate drinks to white chocolate smoothies, there's something for everyone; even spotting some older customers enjoying a hot cup of chocolate in the late afternoons.

Granted, the place is still quite small and, during its peak hours, barely has any seats left for late customers which makes it a huge downside for the more quiet-loving people such as myself.

The good thing about this, though, is that the cafe owner herself is quite an introvert and knows the value of a good book and a peaceful corner anywhere. With that in mind, she plans to expand the space soon to cater to all types of chocolate lovers. I'm excited to see what they do with it so I've decided to leave off the full-blown review for the cafe until then.

Overall, Chocoreich Cafe is without a doubt a great place to hang and just enjoy the taste and smell of good chocolate. For optimal relaxation, I suggest visiting the cafe during weekdays or during late afternoons and evenings. They just recently opened so inflow of customers are sporadic.

Sweet Home Cafe An Introverts Café Review

Sweet Home Cafe
Corner J. Borja & Remolador Street 
Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines 
Mon – Sun: 7:00 am - 12:00 am 
Downtime: 2-4 pm on Weekdays 
Sweet Home Cafe Facebook Page

First Impression

When I first walked in, I immediately felt the cozy and comforting ambiance surrounding the cafe's beautiful interiors. I approached the counter and was greeted with a warm smile coming from the waitress in front.  An array of delicious looking sweets and pastries were laid out and displayed, showing their glistening textures and expensive prices.

I couldn't really decide which one to get so I had that weird look on my face and apparently the lady behind the counter seemed to notice. I was relieved to know that she had somehow read my mind and was nice enough to give me suggestions. She started enumerating the popular orders and then ended with her own personal favorite.

After a few short glances at the gestured sweets, I was ready to place an order.  The next thing I wanted to do was to find the perfect introverted place to lounge and relax. I chose the lower right corner of the room near the huge glass pane window and settled down on the couch. I took a minute to take in the surroundings and appreciate the soft jazz tunes playing in the background.

Eventually, a waiter came in to serve my order. My Cookies n' Cream Shake and Sweet Revenge Cake arrived in under 5 minutes and it was great. They were perfectly set on top of the coffee table and I must admit that it tasted very delicious.

Look & Feel

The cafe is right beside the Mang Inasal fast food chain and it has two floors, the bottom one is an air conditioned room while the floor above is open air. I personally prefer to stay below since most of the days here in Bohol have incredibly hot temperatures but if you decide to go to the cafe at night, staying at the top floor would be nice because you can be greeted with refreshingly cold evening air.

But of course, the space upstairs is larger and that means it can accommodate more people but the only downside to it is that the second floor of Mang Inasal is also directly aligned with the open air balcony of Sweet Home so basically, it can get pretty noisy when a lot of people are around. I'm not one for coffee drinks and cappuccinos but if you're craving for some then Sweet Home definitely has something to offer for you.

They have a variety of hot and iced frappe drinks as well as coffee based shakes you surely cant get enough of. For non-coffee fans like me, you can also order shakes, smoothies and milk teas and decide to match it up with their yummy cakes and pastries. Not only do they offer these great choices but they can also serve you heavy meals too.

Ranging from burgers, sandwiches, spaghetti, and even steaks, your stomach's happiness is guaranteed. Although the price range may be a bit more expensive compared to other cafes, their servings are surprisingly bigger than what you'd expect them to be so I guess the cash you spent was worth it after all.

Staff

Surprisingly, they weren't a bother at all. The staff were very sweet and approachable, perfect for shy introverts like me. One thing I really liked was when after I placed my order, the waitress immediately told me the password to their wifi and it was like she read my mind again (which is incredibly awesome by the way).

Introvert's Corner

To be honest, I couldn't really find that "perfect" spot but I just chose the area in the bottom floor and sat in one of the corners of the cafe that had comfortable looking couches. Beside me was a huge glass pane window that clearly showed the people passing by so it kind of made me a little bit uncomfortable since you get unwanted stares. But nonetheless, the place was pretty nice and I'd love to go back there again.

Downtime

If you've read my Introvert's Introduction, you may already know what this means. But for the sake of the viewers who have not gone to check it out yet, I will be giving a brief definition just for you.

Down Time is basically that time of day wherein a certain cafe has the least amount of customers currently spending their time there. This is a good sign for introverts since they enjoy being alone and left alone. No unnecessary noises, no talking, no one else pacing around, its just you.

For Sweet Home, its downtime would be around 2-4 pm during weekdays since most students wont be around at that time because they have classes to attend to. After 4, it can get a little bit more rowdy since most of them eat at Mang Inasal and that's bad news for the people staying on the second floor of Sweet Home.

Conclusion

Sweet Home has this comfortable and pleasing ambiance that every introvert will love. Their staff is also just as equally as amazing because it seems like they can read your mind. The food is good, the drinks are good, I don't see a reason why you shouldn't go there really. The only problem I had was looking for a spot to stay in without having to attract unwanted glances.

Rating