Hello Hive!
Dining during the pandemic is still a strange experience for me. It's really different when you're the only customer in an establishment that was usually full of people. No matter how lively you are, when you see those empty chairs, there's this certain level of sadness that will sweep through you like a cold breeze. Nevertheless, life goes on and we have to be very careful especially now that the number of COVID cases has been increasing.
Ayala Terraces. This place is supposed to be bustling and full of people, especially during weekends. Now, it looks empty, but still well kept.
Just last weekend, I had lunch with my constant companions, Ivana and Glebert, at UCC Café Terrace in Ayala Center, Cebu. I was supposed to have a yoga session with them, but I slept so late the night before that I ditched the 7:30 AM session. We just decided to meet in a cafe somewhere in Ayala and since they were already near the area, they decided for UCC Café Terrace because the other cafe that they wanted to try was closed.
Part of UCC Café that's facing Ayala Terraces Children's Playground and Park. I can remember back in first-year college, we used to hang out in the shade after buying some chips at the supermarket.
I arrived in Ayala at around 1:00 PM because of my ongoing shenanigans at home. It feels strange to see the place to be so empty and quiet. It was supposed to be bustling and full of people. I haven't been to Ayala Center for more than a year because I stayed away from malls due to the pandemic. I already had some travels, but they're mostly in islands or in less crowded places.
UCC Café Terrace is at the other end of Ayala Terraces. I know the place very well because I frequent that area when I was in college for two reasons: (1) I withdrew my scholarship allowance at the bank near the place and (2) we often stayed at the cafe with my tutee. The cafe was supposed to be always full of people if it was a normal day. It was famous to a lot of "rich kids" before. As for me, my tutee would pay for whatever order I wanted.
If I didn't tutor back in college, I couldn't afford to visit such posh and "high-end" places. If you'll look at the menu, it's really expensive for me back then, but unlike other cafes, it's worth the price. I tried most of their food and beverages and they're really good.
Menu:
Now, I could afford to such places, although not frequently, and that's thanks to Hive. I missed their carbonara. That's my immediate order of business. I can say that they have one of the best carbonaras in town. I'm biased to anything carbonara and I'll gobble them up regardless of who made them, but when it comes to refined taste, UCC Cafe's carbonara is in fact their best seller. The taste didn't change as I remembered it from many years ago.
I find it strange that they top a poached egg in their carbonara, but it's surprisingly good. The egg yolk complemented well with the white sauce.
A plate of carbonara was just enough for my late lunch. However, I ordered a Banana and Chocolate Churro French Toast for our dessert for everyone and a Mango Shake for my drinks. Ivana and Glebert already had lunch before going to the cafe so they just ordered some drinks. Glebert ordered Kori Kohi, which are iced coffee cubes that are served with warm milk. Ivana ordered a White Chocolate Ice Brendo Coffee.
Kori Kohi. The pouring of warm milk on the ice coffee cubes is just for the drama. 😂
I would say that UCC Café is really worth it. The place is fancy and I often give scathing remarks in those fancy places because of their food, but not this time. UCC Café is highly recommended.
I guess that's all for this post. See you in the next one! I hope I can go back to the normal travel post. As always, thank you for the support!
Kim Ybañez
Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying hard photographer so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.
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