The MUST TRY LIST from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s New Menu

If you knew me personally, you would know that I love food! I also love eating at and trying out new restaurants, and I am very happy that I found a life partner who is the same! A few weeks ago, my boyfriend Chino and I visited The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf 26th Bistro, located at 26th St. and 5th avenue in Bonifacio Global City. Aside from their extensive coffee and tea selections, they also have a wide array of different everyday meals! We had a taste of their latest menu offering. Here’s what we got!

For drinks, Chino had the African Sunrise Tea (P110) because his stomach was acting up, and I had a Mango Smoothie (P185) Both beverages were good and refreshing! I personally love African Sunrise (one of my favorites from CBTL, alongside Earl Grey and Tropical Passion!) but I wanted something cold because it was a hot afternoon!

Here’s a photo spread of what we got! Keep on reading for individual photos, prices, and descriptions.

French Onion Soup 

Price: P225

Rating: 4/5

This was a classic soup made with onions, topped with sourdough and melted mozarella.

The boyfriend and I liked this a lot! It was served warm, with crunchy-soft bread (if that made sense!), sweet onions, and melted-gooey cheese! This is the perfect hearty start to any meal! Highly recommended!

Shrimp and Pomelo Salad

Price: P285

Rating: 3/5

Romaine lettuce, cilantro and mint leaves tossed in coconut lime dressing, topped with poached shrimp, pomelo, roasted peanuts, and desiccated coconut.

Perhaps it was the dressing, or the mint leaves, or both, but something was off about this salad. The ingredients were fresh and the whole plate was very refreshing, but maybe it’s not all that best suited for the Filipino palette, yet. It’s funny also how the thing I remembered most about this dish is how the shrimps were butterfly-ed all the way! Haha!

Mac and Cheese

Price: P355 + P125 with Bacon

Rating: 4.5/5

Creamy Cheese sauce made with provolone, mozzarella, and parmesan on fusili pasta.

If I had a favorite among all the food we ate that day, it would be this! Aside from it having cheese as a main ingredient making it an instant winner for me, the combination of cheeses they chose brought the dish home! The familiar taste of mozzarella mixed with the fruity and nutty textured parmesan mellowed down by the taste of provolone! Aaaah! Typing this down is torture, because I want to head out and eat another pan of this! The only  thing lacking for me to give this a 5/5 is if they could make the cheese sauce slightly creamier and make the toast that accompanied it more buttery!

USDA Garlic Steak

Price: P395 (Solo), P675 (Sharing)

The pan roasted steak was tender, juicy, and delicious! I love eating meat, my boyfriend even more so! It comes with sidings of corn, a salad with raspberry vinaigrette, and your choice of either mashed potato or garlic rice. We were served the garlic rice, which was the better choice that time because this dish made our appetites go up ten times!

Garlic Rice

Strawberry Cake

We were so full by the time we were done eating, but after I signaled to the staff that we were done eating, they asked us if we still had room for dessert! Being a sweet tooth, I graciously said yes! I had this aversion to anything strawberry flavored a few years ago, but after visiting Japan last year, and eating strawberry flavored desserts, my tastebuds got hooked! The chiffon cake came layered in sweet strawberry flavored cream. Just enough sweetness and tartness to end they day!

Thank you so much CBTL for having us! Will definitely go back for the Mac and Cheese and USDA Garlic Steak!

26th St. Bistro by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is located at the corner of 26th St. and 5th Avenue, Net Lima Building. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for more information.