The second floor of the Ark Avilon Zoo has a magnificent view deck where you can see the waterfalls and the Ortigas skyline. It also has an Ala Eh! Cafe Amadeo coffeeshop where you can savor scrumptious snacks and pastries as well as an interesting selection of Philippine coffee (more on that later).

The glass-enclosed Cafe Amadeo didn’t turn out to be your ordinary coffeeshop. When we entered, my kids’ curiosity was fixed somewhere. They were not interested in looking at the phone camera but in something……



DSC00475.

… they were glued to the sight of butterflies flitting through the vines and flowers!



In no time at all, my son Paolo makes his catch….



Yay! I manage to land a butterfly on my finger! (Pardon the back light).



The twins have their butterflies too! They found out that the best way to seduce a butterfly is to offer a flower….

Kudos to the owners of Cafe Amadeo for this interesting child-friendly concept. My city-bred kids must be so immune to electronic images and the concrete walls of our apartment they get to be totally enthralled with the sight of butterlies !! As they played around, I order a cake and a locally-brewed coffee called Pahimis Blend, a refreshing fusion of arabica, robusta and barako coffee.

Cafe Amadeo is actually owned by a cooperative of coffee producers from one of the Philippines’ finest coffee-growing towns, Amadeo, Cavite. I must say this is one of the best places to savor Philippine coffee, aside from Figaro. They sell the hard-to-find and expensive Alamid coffee which is made from civet droppings. The Arengga website has excellent info on the unique Coffee Alamid.

“Coffee Alamid is Philippine Civet Coffee from wild civet droppings on the different forest floors of Philippine mountains. The Paradoxorus Philippinensis is a civet which belongs to the mongoose family - a nocturnal animal which uses its nose to choose the ripest and sweetest coffee cherries and relentlessly eats them during coffee season. Gathered very early in the morning usually before the sun rises, the forest dwellers climb the mountain and pick the civet droppings on the forest floors. On a good day, a gatherer can collect one kilo of civet droppings .

Coffee Alamid is a blend of the Philippine’s finest Arabica, Liberica and Exelsa beans. When roasted, it exudes an almost musical, fruity aroma. It has a strong, sweet , dark chocolatey taste that is perfect for that morning kick or high power meetings.… ”



Alamid coffee.

Bought a few bags of local blends for my Christmas gifts. I figure that by supporting merchants like Cafe Amadeo, we do our part in helping Philippine farmers and upland people as well as the booming local coffee industry :P

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Posted in My Manila |