Noriter Cafe: That deceitful chocolate

One chill evening, while I was browsing through blogs (as I occasionally do especially when I have nothing important to do), I came upon this blog entry, http://thelostboylloyd.blogspot.com/2011/04/campus-food-trip-cafe-noriter-silliman.html. I read through it and immediately gained a strong interest (almost a need) to visit the place. I then searched for more detailed articles about the cafe's counterpart in Manila to show to my food trip buddy.

I randomly messaged him, "may pupuntahan tayo! :D" and then showed him this link, http://unclank.com/lets-play-at-noriter-cafe-food-and-restaurant-review/. As expected from him, he enthusiastically responded with "sige! punta tayo! :D" (note: exclamation points mean excitement). And so, as soon as we had the chance (2 days after), we eagerly found our way to

Noriter Cafe at Vito Cruz.

At first, I was hesitant to go to the place because it was really far and I was thinking that we should not stay out too late. But foodtripbuddy insisted and so we started devising ways on how to best get to Vito Cruz. Since we already know (from past experiences) that Manila means intense traffic, we decided that its best to take public transportation. We then headed to SM Marikina for a cheap parking place and walked to LRT Santolan Station as soon as the rain stopped. A funny and amazing thing happened during that LRT ride but I guess I would reserve that story for another blog entry.


Anyway, after 18 train stations, 3 rain stop-overs, 2 wrong turns, and 1 scandalous scene, we arrived at Noriter Cafe. The cafe had a very nice location. It sits at a corner above Tapa King, with its entrance at a side street, making it easily visible from various sides while avoiding the heavy foot traffic on the main street. Upon entrance, one will immediately be greeted by a stairway reminiscent of Spanish era.

However, the inside of the cafe shows a different story.

As explained in other blogs, "Noriter" is korean for "playground". And thus, the goal of the cafe is to make one feel like a child again. The whole area exudes a feel of fun and comfort with its colorful chalkboard menu, toy displays, an array of custom-designed paper cups, semi-private lofts, and artsy wall drawings.

The cafe is really spacious and there's a lot of nice things to look at (not to mention, a lot of interesting vandalism to read and laugh about).

Students from U-belt have the same sentiments as we do

Although I know that I should have ordered the waffles (as recommended by other blogs), I just couldn't resist the temptation to get a slice of this

Chocolate Paradise

Moreover, although really pretty, I just gave up on looking for the price of the waffle on their 3-column chalk menu. It seemed like they just crammed all their other offerings on the rightmost part of their menu.

Anyway, the Chocolate Paradise cake looked deceivingly yummy and chocolaty and the chocolate chunks around it are what lured me in (ooops, should have taken a picture of the choco chunks). Unfortunately, all that were just a guise. At first bite, I convinced myself that the cake was indeed heavenly. However, after a few chews, I realized that it really wasn't. The chocolate cake tasted like one from a local small-time bakery. The chocolate icing was just bland and the chocolate chunks barely tasted like chocolate. It was chocolate hell, if I may say (the whole thing was still good to eat though).

Similarly, foodtripbuddy wasn't happy with his drink either. He ordered

Caramel Macchiato

and instantly demanded for some sweetener. With the sweetener, the drink was more enjoyable, though still too bland. Another bad thing about it is that its ice melts too fast which makes it more diluted and bland.

Overall, Noriter Cafe would score above average in terms of ambiance and comfort but would need a lot of improvement with its food and menu. It makes for a great hang-out and study place, just be picky with your orders.

I still would definitely want to try its waffle and its honey bread (as suggested by our Noriter Cafe friend) but I guess I wouldn't be coming back anytime soon. As I've mentioned a couple of times already, the place is really relatively far.

Cheers!

PS: Pardon if the pictures aren't that good.


Noriter Cafe
2nd flr, Reyes bldg.,
Estrada St. cor. Taft Ave.,
Malate
M-F (11am-11pm)
Sat (11am-10pm)
Php70-Php200