12 March 2025
Due to some circumstances at work, my inner peace has been distracted recently, so each time I feel this way, I step out of the house and find comfort in other things at any cost.
When stressed, I find comfort in food and traveling. However, due to my hometown's limited cafes and tourist destinations, I seldom go out to travel and unwind. Yesterday, while strolling around on a motorcycle to look for a place to dine in, we stumbled upon a cafe at the corner of the street just below my alma mater, elementary school.
It is actually just a walking distance away from Tasteful Table, the very first cafe in town we visited. Exploring the town is really great for finding some hidden gems.
Cafe Anahaw was founded in 2024, but it was my first time seeing the cafe in the area. The term anahaw, by the way, is a type of palm tree known for its large, fan-shaped leaves. It is often used in the Philippines for roofing, handicrafts, and plant decorations in a pot.
My little niece eagerly entered the place, knowing she would experience a new atmosphere and taste some food again. The cafe has an alfresco dining area, but we chose the inside part since it was air-conditioned and more comfortable.
Upon entering, I expected to see some anahaw decorations, hence its name, but there wasn't. Instead, I saw a cozy contemporary minimalist interior featuring neutral tones (black, white, and gray), which were complemented by wooden elements and artistic paintings.
On the left are wooden high tables and stools that create a cozy, space-efficient seating arrangement.
Pendant lamps in black and white and hanging plant decor with LED lighting provide a stylish contrast and a warm glow.
And, of course, the paintings caught my attention because I always look forward to seeing artwork in a place, especially in cafes. The colorful paintings showing birds and scenic landscapes of Venetian gondolas and sunset skies create an artistic environment perfect for a photoshoot backdrop.
Unlike Cameo Cafe, which we also visited recently, Cafe Anahaw offers a broader selection of food, including breakfast, snacks, coffee, and rice meals.
While waiting for our orders, we took the chance to take some souvenir shots, and my niece seemed to love the place as she kept wandering around the tiny spaces. Fortunately, the customers before us had already left, so we owned the place for a while.
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We ordered a plate of pepperoni pizza, sweet potato fries for my niece, and a pitcher of iced tea, which was reasonably priced. We wanted to order some cold-bubbled milk tea, but the cafe didn't have it on the menu. Some choices for a siesta are pasta or burgers and brewed coffee.
I've noticed that this community has a prompt for this week, so I decided to make this an entry.
What distinguishes a coffee shop from others in your neighborhood
Honestly, ever since I went back home, I have only been to three coffee shops in my neighborhood. Although, I haven't discovered other cafes and restaurants in our neighborhood yet, so Cafe Anahaw was the best coffee shop I've ever visited.
Apart from its modern, minimalistic, and artistic designs, the cafe also serves halo-halo, a Filipino iconic dessert made with shaved ice, kaong, sweetened fruits, beans, ice cream, leche flan, and other ingredients. It also serves Filipino hearty dishes such as pansit, sisig, grilled dishes, Shanghai, kare-kare, kaldereta, and humba. These hearty Filipino dishes are usually served during fiestas and special occasions.
Although sweet potato fries weren't on the menu, the chef prepared some for the little girl, as we requested. Otherwise, my niece won't eat anything since she doesn't eat pizzas, probably just the crust alone, not the toppings and cheese.
I believe that distinguishes the coffee shop from others in our neighboorhood. To think that it wasn't on the menu, they find a way to serve it because of the little girl. So they used sweet potatoes instead of potatoes. Our town has several farms; some residents plant sweet potatoes in their backyards. So, compared to potatoes, sweet potatoes are cheaper and are easier to find. It was a request granted that I appreciated the most.
Cafe Anahaw really made a lasting impression on me, not only because of its cozy atmosphere and artistic interior but also because of its hospitality and warmth. Apart from its modern interior and hearty foods, the cafe's chef was ready to meet a simple request, showing real customer hospitality. Little things like these make the dining experience special and show that the shop is more than just a local business.
Lastly, finding gems such as Cafe Anahaw shows that there is always something to discover and appreciate, even in my own town, which I thought I was already familiar with.
Thanks for your time.
Jane is a Filipina wanderer in a foreign land who finds comfort in nature and freedom in writing. She loves watching raw picturesque landscapes, listening to the symphony of nature, breathing in drops of sunshine, walking through scenic trails and cityscapes, tasting new culinary flavors, capturing pretty little things, venturing into hidden gems, and dancing with the flow of life.
Her new experiences, adventures, challenges, lessons, small successes, and joys are colorful paints that fill up her canvas of life. She hopes to see it beautifully painted while she can. Join her on her quest for self-discovery and wanderlust. If you like her content, don't hesitate to upvote, drop a comment, reblog, and follow for more wonderful adventures.
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