A little cafe that is pleasing to all the senses, just opened in Malabon! Visually, the place is bright and full of life as their walls are designed with hand-painted art. Our ears enjoyed the music that they played as it almost made us feel like we were chilling in a lounge. Upon trying out some of their food and drinks we notcied that it smelled oh so good. And you know what, whether it be hand held snacks or food eaten with utensils, we definitely think that the flavors we got to try out really had potential. Let us tell you about a new little affordable cafe called Masafrappe!
Pain Turned to Success
This cafe along the streets of Victoneta Avenue, Malabon City, was actually the product of a person’s painful experience. According to Erick, the co-owner of Masafrappe, there are 2 ways that he thinks people normally deal with pain. “First is to take revenge or even attack. The second way is to look for a positive, healthy or maybe even creative outlet, that can ultimately free a person from the negative emotions that they feel.” Basing this on his own experiences, he continued by saying that “Option two can even help make the person better along the way. That’s actually what I did. I let all my pain and anger out through expressing my creativity in this business and exploring my passion.” He pushed himself to take a risk, was very hands on and finished everything without any regrets.
The “Why” Behind the Cafe
When the co- owners were brainstorming about a business that they could put up together, they immediately knew who they wanted their market to be. This is because they studied their location. They noticed that there were barely any cafes or restaurants in Victoneta Avenue, despite the fact that a college was situated in that area. They saw how students wanted more quiet spaces to just study or chill in during their breaks, so that is what they gave them. In line with this, they also made sure that their food and drinks were as student- friendly as it could get. With grit, guts, and passion, they’ve successfully been pretty packed almost every single day since they opened
During our visit, we noticed that Masafrappe’s menu contained a number of dishes and drinks that seemed to highlight certain Filipino ingredients. This is mostly evident in their frappes and lattes. They’ve used tinapa, chocnut, yema, barako and brazo de mercedes, all of which we will talk about later. When we asked why, we were told that it is because of how they take pride in what is made right here in the Philippines.
Local products highlighted, a need addressed, and a hurt heart healed. That has been the magic of Masafrappe in the short amount of time that it’s been open.
Fun fact: the food items on this wall includes everything that they hope to be able to serve one day.
What’s “Masarap” in Masafrappe?
We were glad to have been given the chance to try out some of their best sellers and new products. Here’s what we have to say about each.
Tuna Carbonara
Price: 85 Php
Rating:
Comforting. That’s the one word that we can use to describe exactly how we felt when we were eating this dish. We think that in the future, if we suddenly feel sad and just happen to get the chance to pass by Masafrappe, this is what we’d order to make ourselves feel better.
The sauce had just the right amount of cream. Not too thick, nor too watery. It was just right. We liked that it was a little spicy and that the noodles were good. The serving size was enough for the price, as we think that it’s the kind of dish people would deem as “worth it”. We’ll definitely be back for this.
Tinapasta
Price: 135 Php
Rating:
This is spicier than the carbona. We noticed that the kick came after every bite like a spicy after-taste. We enjoyed the dish very much because of the fact that the tinapa was being highlighted, something that not too many establishments seem to do.
Vietnamese Spring Roll
Price: 75 Php
Rating:
This is where we can fully say that the sauce makes all the difference. Eating the fried spring roll on its own tasted ordinary, but when we decided to dip it into the slightly sour sauce, the taste was instantly elevated. We hope that in the future, they could also find a way to cook the egg better and evenly since the sides were a little burnt.
Tonkatsu
Regular: 90 Php
King: 120 Php
Rating:
We thought that the serving size was pretty good, and that the sides went well with the tonkatsu.
We did have a few issues with the dish. First would be the fact that when it was served to us, it looked very heavy. This is mostly because of the sauces that were all readily placed on the dish. We suggest that the these be served in small cups or saucers instead, to make it more pleasing to the eyes.
It was pretty crispy, something that people might enjoy, but it was just a little hard to cut through because of the thick outter layer. We think that the pork cuts should be thicker and not equal to the amount of breading so maybe this is something they can consider working on. Also, in line with this, we hope that they can find a way to make the dish more tender.
Coffee and Lattes
Yema Latte
95 Php
Rating:
On August 14, 2017, they will be launching this drink as an official part of their menu. What’s so great about it? Well, the fact that it’s your typical brewed coffee with a unique flavor from a Filipino favorite – yema! You can now enjoy a sweetened version of your morning coffee!
Iced Americano
Small: 95 Php
Large: 105 Php
Rating:
If you’re a hardcore coffee lover, and you prefer your coffee black, you’ll enjoy this until the very last sip! Their Americano takes 24 hours to extract as they use the Dutch brewing coffee method. After the process is finished, they let it sit for 4 days, then serve it to their customers on the 5th day. A lot of work for a drink? Well it’s worth it as their coffee comes out very smooth and rich in taste. We liked how the ice made it refreshing too. This thing is gonna keep you awake for sure!
Frappes
Just a heads up, most of their frappes have coffee, but if you don’t like that, you can always request that they serve you a milk-based one instead. Be sure to do this upon ordering.
Barako Mocha Frappe
Small: 135 Php
Large: 150Php
Rating:
They get their Barako delivered straight from Batangas! This drink was one of our favorites in the Frappe options that we got to try out. It was the right amount of sweet and bitter mixed together. It also had tablea bits which made every sip a little more interesting. What a treat. We would surely go back for this.
Chocnut Frappe
Small: 135 Php
Large: 150 Php
Rating:
Chocnut was a childhood favorite of ours, so you can only imagine how happy we were to see it as the star of a drink. We’ve never tried out a chocnut drink before but upon tasting it, we can say that we really did enjoy it. We felt like it gave us a blast from the past. Also, can we just say that the serving size of this frappe surprised us, as it was bigger than we expected it to be. This is one of their newest products and we were happy that they added it to their menu.
Nutella Frappe
Price: 170 Php
Rating:
We were not surprised when we were told that this drink was one of their best sellers because of one magic word – Nutella. We liked the snacks on top because we didn’t think it was too much. Just a stick-o, a pretzel, a pocky, a few chocolate chips and tiny marshmallows, most of which were good for neutralizing the sweetness of the drink. We liked the pretzel as it didn’t get soggy fast and the saltiness mixed well with the sweetness of the chocolate. This was playful and cute. Not our first choice but nonetheless was pretty good.
Snacks or Desserts
Brazo de Marcedes
Price: 54 Php
Rating:
We loved this cake so much! The outer layer was fluffy and the filling inside was so soft and thick. All of the filling was equally distributed but could have been neater. It is served in little cupcake holders which we think is smart, especially since many people look to buy snacks that they can hand hold when they’re in a rush. Honestly, If we weren’t so full, we would have ordered an entire roll to bring home to our families. Such a treat!
Churros with Yema Dip
Price: 110 Php
Rating:
What sets this apart from all the churros that we’ve eaten in the past was that it was crispy on the outside but very soft on the inside. We were glad to see that the churro itself was so simple because the yema dip was sweet. Any extra sugar would have made it too much.
Overall, we enjoyed our experience at Masafrappe, a place that is pleasing to all the senses and has a backstory that stands as the perfect example of how people can get back up when they are feeling down. So if you want to hear inspiring stories, to study, to work, to take nice photos, to chill, or just to fill your empty tummies, head on over to Masafrappe, right across La Salle Araneta!
Masafrappe Across La Salle Araneta
Address: Stall #4, No. 50 Victoneta Avenue, Potrero, Malabon City
Facebook: @masafrappe
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact Number: 0917 667 3583
