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USD $1 ₱ 56.28 0.0000 March 27, 2024
March 26, 2024
6D Lotto
258414
₱ 2,401,620.48
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₱ 4,500.00

Cup Fiction: For The Love of Coffee, Books and Comfort Food

Here's a look at Saab Magalona-Bacarro's newly opened café!

Born out love for the perfect cup of joe, the smell of new books and warm comfort food, partners Jim and Saab Bacarro and Pao and Kristia Roco thought it was an excellent idea to bring them all together. The Bacarros are in charge of the creative team and do the marketing for the restaurant while the Rocos are in charge of the operations.

Saab knows the pain of how hard it is to try to stay out of bed since she works from home and often looks for a place where she can work quietly; so they thought of creating a quiet space, especially for freelancers to get some work done in peace. Initially, she wanted it to be a coffee shop similar to that of a library where people can't talk but her partners said it's going to be impossible since they're selling food.

Image: Cup Fiction

The name of the restaurant came when they were brainstorming for names; it supposed to be originally called Post Fiction as in post fiction depression which is a term for when you're done reading a book and you experience depression but then it still wasn't enough so Saab suggested on the name Cup Fiction.

She then came up with their website, cupfiction.ph, encouraging their customers to create something like a piece of poetry, art or whatever they have in mind at the time it takes to finish a cup of coffee and publishing everything on the said page. Here are the dishes you can munch on while browsing through the website:

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The Breakfast Skillets are the best-sellers, The Kerouac (P395) which is an American breakfast skillet and the Agawan Plate (P385) which is a Filipino one with the classics: tocino, pork adobo, longganisa served with two eggs and garlic brown rice. If you want something lighter, they have the Wendy's Waffles (P195) topped with peaches, bananas, strawberry coulis and dusted with a cocoa and sugar powder combo.

Image: Cup Fiction

Image: Cup Fiction

They also note that they serve specialty coffee which they get from YKW Roasters, a product of the EDSA Beverage Design Group where they actually took barista lessons at for two weeks. Who knows, maybe one of the partners can actually make your cup of coffee when you visit!

Each of them has babies in the restaurant. One of the owners, Saab Magalona, shares that the champorado is hers and she pushed for it since it's her favorite. Her husband came up with the name, The Dark Knight Rice (P245) which is their version of the classic champorado using dark malagos chocolate from Davao served with some crispy danggit on the side. She notes that the people who have tasted it say it's the best on their menu. You have to try it to believe it!

The Dark Knight Rice

You can never go wrong with some good 'ol grilled cheese. She shares that during their R&D, they really wanted it to be a good one because it's a classic and everyone loves it. Oliver's Grilled Cheese (P270) is their version of your favorite grilled cheese sandwich with just the right amount of cheese – mozzarella, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese – grilled to perfection on their sourdough bread with the perfect crisp outer layer served with a bowl of homemade sweet and tangy tomato soup for dipping. A personal favorite is The Kaiju (P305), has thick slices of Kitayama wagyu roast beef, melted mozzarella, grilled onions, drizzled with their wasabi mustard sauce sandwiched in a buttered brioche bun. One bite will make you want for more!

Oliver's Grilled Cheese

The Kaiju

People have been raving about The BFG cookie (P105) and we clearly get why. It is a freshly baked big fat giant cookie available in classic chocolate chip or dark chocolate served with a cold glass of milk. What's notable is everything is made in house so from the bread to the gigantic cookies, you'll taste the freshness in every bite.

The BFG

They also have a huge area that's perfect for workshops and events. And all the furniture are for sale since the whole café serves as a showroom by one of their partners, Kristia Roco, called Furniture Therapy so every element they wanted were well-executed – Saab wanted books and Kristia wanted to show the furniture.

Cup Fiction prides itself of trying to cultivate the artists' culture helping them sell their works, "I want to help my friends who are in the industry and are self-published so they can put their stuff here," she shares. They also have a couple of book launches in line and just last week, they organized a game night which could possibly be a monthly thing. Since Jim and Saab are in the music industry, they are also trying to bring the band scene at the café and would also want to hold other kinds of events like stand-up comedy, poetry reading and more. Basically, they want Cup Fiction to become a space where people can come together and build a community.

Cup Fiction is located at 141 White Plains, Katipunan Ave. Quezon City. They're open daily from 10am to 12mn. Like them on Facebook and follow them on Instagram for more updates.

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Establishment Info

Cup Fiction
American | Filipino

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