With Serenity Comes Serenitea (and vice versa...hahaha)

Some people say that tea is for old people. We beg to disagree. You know, a little sip of this hot drink can actually cleanse your internals. And it's not only good for the oldies, it's also a great drink for us young 'stressed out' people.Some food establishments serve it hot. Some serve it cold. Either way, we can't remove the fact that tea is good for you. In fact, there's a place in Metro Manila that we think you will surely like, not just because of the cool business idea that they put up, but also because of the healthy product of theirs that is tea.

The place we found is at San Juan, in an area called "Little Baguio". The tea place known as Serenitea may be a small one, but the drinks they serve do pack a punch. What's cool about this place is that they maximized the potential of tea, making it a cool and refreshing drink with the healthy factor of tea still present in it. Younger ones wouldn't have doubts on giving this drink a try, since it's like a healthy version of your favorite Zagu (Yep, minus the sugar, minus the calories hahaha). In spite of the fact that it's more of a newer version of tea, it's still good for our old folks. Regardless of what age you have, you'll definitely want to have a try of Serenitea's drinks. Aside from tea drinks, they also have their delicious Taiwanese Chicken Chops that you can munch while you're there. You should go and give them a try as well.

We noticed that a lot of people are big fans of the place (people just keep pouring in). We also noticed that a lot of people order drinks to-go, probably because the place is not that big to accommodate a lot of people. The place, though, has an incense-like aroma. It really would give you that refreshing and detoxifying feeling.

You can experiment with your drink (this is what we both loved hahaha) in as easy as 3 simple steps. First, you have to choose your tea (that's obviously a given). Next, you have to choose how sweet you want your tea to be. You can choose if you want 100% sugar in your drink, 50%, or all the way down to no sugar at all. Of course, the 0% sugar has the least sweetness, but it is the healthiest version. Lastly, you have to choose your sinkers or your add-ons as we know it such as crystals, black bricks, or pearls, depending upon your preference. Whatever you choose and however you mix and match your drink, we guarantee it'll be a great one.






Here's what we tried:

Choco Milk Tea, 75 php (small), 85 php (medium), 95 php (large)


Glutton Guy: We were with a friend when we tried Serenitea, and this is what he ordered. He allowed us to try his drink (for blogging purposes hahaha). He ordered his drink with 100% sugar, so it was sweet and chocolatey. It was not too sweet, which is good since you can still assure yourself that it's healthy despite it having 100% sugar. You can really taste the chocolate taste, and I think that you will still be able to taste it without any sugar. It's like your normal chocolate drink, plus the health benefits. : )


Glutton Girl: I also tried my friend's drink. I was a bit skeptical about it having 100% sugar, since I think that the health factor is being removed. Nevertheless, after tasting it, I was assured that it was still a healthy drink. It wasn't overly sweet, not like the usual cold teas and juices we drink at restaurants. The chocolate flavor is really good as well. The next time I decide to stop by at Serenitea, I think I'll have this one.

Hokkaido Milk Tea, 75 php (small), 85 php (medium), 95 php (large)


Glutton Girl: I ordered this drink since the lady taking orders said that this is one of their bestsellers. It was a delicious drink for me. Not too sweet as well (probably because I made mine 75% sugar) yet it's not too bland. It had that delicious coconut taste, which was really good. I added some black bricks to my drink to have that coffee taste. Overall, for me, it was a really delicious and refreshing drink. Thumbs up for Hokkaido milk tea!

Okinawa Milk Tea, 75 php (small), 85 php (medium), 95 php (large)


Glutton Guy: According to the lady taking orders, another bestseller is the Okinawa milk tea. I decided to give this a shot with....get this...25% sugar (Unbelievable, right? hahaha Talk about being healthy hahahaha). Well, it's not that bad having a drink with almost no sugar. In fact, I think that it's very delicious. At first I thought having 25% sugar would be pretty courageous of me. But, I have to say I actually enjoyed my drink, especially because of the fact that it's healthy. It tasted somewhat like the usual Nai Cha, but a better version of it. I think that regardless of how much sugar you put in it, it would still taste as delicious as mine. The crystals worked perfectly with the drink itself. For me a medium sized drink would probably be enough. But, if you really want more of this refreshing drink, go and order a large one. : )



The greatest thing about their drinks is that they're light on the pocket. Serenitea's drinks are very affordable and are worth the price, not just because the servings are big enough, but also because of the health benefits you'll get. It's not like the usual drink products that we find in the market who promise us healthy benefits but never really deliver them. For Serenitea, it's real. What they say is what you'll really get. Aside from milk teas, they also have other teas such as tea lattes, fruit teas, and grass teas. So, if you're up for a refreshing and delicious drink that has all the health benefits that you're looking for, then Serenitea is the drink for you. There really is no harm in saying that Serenitea is not you ordinary cup of tea.

Rating: Buddhalicious!
(Serenitea has 3 branches: 1. G&L Building, J. Abad Santos Street, Little Baguio, San Juan, 2. Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, Paranaque City, 3. N. Roxas Street, Banawe, Quezon City.)

Blacksoup Cafe+Art Space: "Arty" Meals for Hungry Peeps

We first heard about the art-cafe Van Gogh is Bipolar from the review in Philippine Daily Inquirer. It sounded like eating there was a quirky experience -- visitors are required to take off their shoes, to pick their own teapot and may write random scribblings on a red wall.

However, this is not a review for Van Gogh is Bipolar. That's for another post. It was closed when we got there, because they were shooting their new restaurant menu. So, we tried Black Soup Cafe+Art Space instead, which is owned by the same owners.

The place was a treat to look at. Photographs of landscapes were spread on the walls. There was a photo tree behind the counter. Even the rest room was decorated with photographs. The chairs were mismatched, and so were the tables. There was a spread of used books, DVDs and mix CDs, the latter with personally mixed selections by the owner. A guitar and a piano was on one side.

The service was really slow, as there was just one waitress/cashier, and one chef. Our food took about 30 minutes to arrive.

Here's what we tried during our visit:

(Oh, can just give special mention to their water. We really like the bottle idea. It's like we're drinking champagne or wine. It's super unique and cool. ^_^)

Lemongrass Tea, 30 php

Glutton Guy: It tasted ok for me. It's not the usual tea that is being served elsewhere. But I also think that the it tasted kind of weird. However, for 30php it's not so bad. It's nice to try something different once in a while anyway. I would recommend that it still be served as a hot tea rather than a cold tea. I think, at least for me, that it's more refreshing and soothing that way. : )

Glutton Girl: I also ordered lemongrass tea. Just like Glutton Guy, it was kind of off for me. It wasn't what I expected it to taste like. This lemongrass tea could be more flavorful. It really tasted bland for me. In my opinion, if it's iced tea, it should be more tasty. This, however, was not. You still have to try it though to see (or taste) what I mean.

Nachos, 85php

Glutton Guy: It was just like ordinary nachos with additional ingredients. Yep, this is a delicious appetizer, especially because of the tomatoes, onions, and balsamic vinegar. The nachos were crunchy and the beef was cooked really well. The tomatoes and the onions give the nachos an added kick. The cheese was just heavenly an it blends perfectly with the nachos. It's one of those dishes that even though you've already tasted a version of it somewhere, you just have to try their version here.

Glutton Girl: I super love the nachos a lot! It has a big serving, and a lot of tasty toppings. It's really worth the price for you food addicts out there. Why not go and try it out next time you go out with friends? It's really one of their must-tries.

Chicken with Basil and Cheese Stuffing, 150 php

Glutton Girl: I ordered chicken with basil and cheese stuffing. It didn't taste as good as I expected, although it was decent. I didn't have to go to the restaurant to taste something like that, because we already buy frozen chicken cordon bleu from the supermarket that tasted somewhat like it. The marinade on the chicken was okay... but I just was expecting something special and out-of-the-ordinary from a place like this.

Adobo Flakes Pasta, 130php

Glutton Guy: Well, it wasn't the best pasta I've tasted, but it's worth the try. The waitress did say it was one of their best-sellers, so I gave it a shot and ordered it. However, it did not excite me that much. Sure, it was different. But, there's just something about it that didn't quite hit the spot. It did not have a lot of flavor, so I had to add some salt and pepper to make the flavors work. And believe me, it took quite a lot of salt to finally get the taste I wanted. Still, I would have to say that you still have to try it out for yourself. I think that not being able to taste this or any other pasta would make you miss the Blacksoup experience. : )

Pasta Ala Victoria, 120php

Glutton Guy: This wasn't my order because we had a friend with us that time. He ordered Pasta Ala Victoria since I think it is another best-seller of the place. I got the chance to taste his food and it was just the same comment as my pasta. It also needed some more flavor since what I was tasting wasn't enough (That is, if I was really tasting anything). It was like carbonara, but with carrots, grean peas, and corn. With regards to the pasta, it was cooked nicely. It wasn't overcooked so it wasn't too soft. It was a little bit dry, though. Why not try it out? You might have a different opinion from mine. : )

Grilled Tuna Sandwich, 40php

Glutton Guy: This was also our friend's order. But, I also got the chance to taste it. For me it was just like normal tuna sandwich. Nothing special about it. Just normal tuna spread (I think they made this) in two bread slices then grilled in a saucer. It tasted good, though. Well, probably because I'm a tuna sandwich fan. : )

Guyabano Shake, 60php

Glutton Guy: I have to say, this is one unique and delicious shake. I've never tasted Guyabano shake before. My friend had me taste this drink of his and it really was good. (I would gladly swap my lemongrass tea for this hahahaha) If I had known that their Guyabano shake was this good, I would've ordered some for myself. This is a must-try for you guys out there, especially during hot times like this coming summer. : )

Go to this cafe for the novelty of the place and, well, if you want to be somewhere different, but if you're craving for food that's more than "pwede na", go somewhere else. We will try Van Gogh soon and report if it's any better.

Rating: Buddhalicious!

(Black Soup Cafe+Art Space is sneakily located in the courtyard of a yellow building on 154 Maginhawa St., Sikatuna Village. It's just before you pass Good Burger.)