This library-café in Malate invites you to have some quiet time with a book and coffee

In the middle of bustling Malate in Manila is a cozy, quiet library café that invites you to have some quiet time and find your chill.

Gourmet’s Café in the Ramon Magsaysay Center facing Roxas Boulevard is a quaint space that is both a library and a café that serves classic and modern Filipino treats, coffee with beans from various Philippine provinces.

The spot is run by the same company behind Gourmet Farms in Silang, Cavite, famous for their organic produce and roasted coffee beans. They have an assortment of pastries from different cuisines, such as various flavors of ensaymada, ube macapuno cheesecake, matcha strawberry cake, low-calorie chocolate cake, various crinkles and cupcakes, plus savory adobo and alfredo pies.

Gourmet’s Café also has an assortment of pastas, pizzas, sandwiches, and wraps. Some notable items include the Korean samgyupsal wrap and the chilidog sandwich.

The shop also sells items from the farm, such as salad dressings, bottled juices, and whole coffee beans.

The coffee

Gourmet’s Café serves an assortment of coffee, including classics such as americanos, cappuccinos, flat whites, and flavored frappes.

But Gourmet’s Café shines in their pourovers, or the process of manually brewing coffee using a filter to bring out the beans’ bolder flavors. They offer three beans with different tasting notes for their brewed pourovers: notes of lavender, orange, berries, and honey from Amazonas Peru; vanilla, caramel, and milk chocolate from Lipa, Batangas; and apricot, strawberry cheesecake, and floral perfume from Mount Apo, Davao Del Sur.

The space

Finally, the café has three distinct areas: a sunny and breezy alfresco space facing Roxas Boulevard, three couch seats in the restaurant-type spot, and the library. The library and restaurant are separated by the barista’s area.

The library has an access fee of P50 per head, and silence or lowered voices are a must—an encouragement to take some quiet time away from phones and videos.

There are two communal tables, and a smaller table for one to two guests. It is decorated with paintings and sculptures of Ramon Magsaysay. There are also historical infographics about the seventh Philippine President. And of course, the library has shelves filled with books on Philippine and Asian law and public policies.

Gourmet’s Café is located at Ramon Magsaysay Center, Quintos St. Malate, Manila. —JCB, GMA Integrated News