K&L Cafe by Blushing Cupcakes is a sweet respite from the bustling city. Opened by sisters Karen and Loren De Guzman whose hobby in baking and making food grew to a store front, this cafe is a homey and cozy space conveniently located along Katipunan Avenue (beside BPI and across Pan de Amerikana). My initial impression on K&L Cafe was that it only serves cupcakes and pastries. After a careful review on their menu followed by our actual site visit, we learned that there’s more to this cafe than cupcakes. 🙂
The enthusiastic owners welcomed us and proudly recommended their craft to satisfy our food cravings. What resulted was an uninterrupted four-hours-long engaging conversation over food and drinks. Time really flies when you’re having fun!
Review of K&L Cafe by Blushing Cupcakes (White Plains, Quezon City)
Ambiance: ★★★★★
After a long drive from Manila, we finally reached K&L Cafe and were totally pleased with its relaxing and charming vibe. It’s the type of cafe that will make you want to look around and just chill, just as you would enjoy a visit at a friend’s home.
The color theme of the interior makes for a refined and classy look throughout the two-storied cafe. The fixtures perfectly fit the cafe’s personality, while attractive decorations and memorabilia on the walls can easily stimulate discussion.
A rack of items from Baguio are up for sale, and we found that it’s a clever way on how Karen and Loren share their childhood memories from their hometown. All these sum up to a great visual experience which makes guests feel cool to be in the place.
There’s no doubt that K&L Cafe’s ambiance is great. However, I do suggest that they play soft music on the background to help create a nicer mood. it’s a good place to have some downtime while digging into some decent sweet treats.
Service: ★★★★★
If I had to describe their customer service in a word, it would be genuine. From the people working in the cafe to the food they serve, you can feel the genuineness shining through. The staff is extremely friendly and attentive, so don’t be shy to approach and ask for food and drink recommendations.
Food: ★★★★★
As a starter, the Session Salad with Strawberry Wine Vinaigrette (PhP 175) reminded us vaguely of Session Road in Baguio City. Just like Session Road, this salad came out exciting with fresh greens, Sagada orange segments, candied nuts and feta cheese. Given its fanciful name, the salad had an interesting mixture that tasted well when put together. It was my first time to sample Sagada oranges and felt glad that they didn’t overpower the dish but only added a slightly citrus twist to it.
An innocent-looking pizza, the Pizza Margherita (PhP 315) was grilled in medium crust with portion that’s good enough for more than two or three people to share. The dough was godly, just light with a little bit of chew. Overall, this Pizza Margherita is a classic done exactly right.
Next, we had Mommy’s Pasta (PhP 197) made with olive, capers, tomatoes, basil and feta cheese. While it didn’t have that zesty sauce I’m used to, the pasta was good as it was neither limp nor tasted microwaved. My dad must have liked this vegetarian-friendly pasta so much that he recalled how delicious it was once again the next day when we were having breakfast at home.
Far from being vegetarian, my mom was particularly excited about Daddy’s Bourbon American Ribs (PhP 295) which were very tender and rich in bourbon barbecue sauce. Served with mountain red rice and veggies, the ribs are guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. I heard that this dish is the main reason why most people come to K&L Cafe. So you get the point: it is something you should not miss out.
The last course completing our lunch was Ilocos Bagnet and Tomato Salsa (PhP 265). Bagnet is deep fried pork’s meat known as a “foodie treasure” in the province of Ilocos, Philippines. Crunchy, yummy and excellent when dipped in vinegar, Karen and Loren Cafe’s version was one of the best cooked bagnet we’ve tried so far. If you haven’t craved for bagnet before, you will after you try this.
Drinks
K&L’s Hot Peppermint Vanilla Latte (PhP 105) was a more subtle variant to Starbucks’ Peppermint Mocha which is basically coffee with a splash of peppermint. I did enjoy the balance of bitterness, sweetness, and a hint of mint. The more sips I took of this drink, the more I loved it.
The Iced Cappuccino (PhP 115) had a lingering aftertaste which was mildly bitter. Bits of cappuccino powder on top really hit the spot! This cold drink will be enough to fuel you to survive a sunny day.
We know that Baguio is known for strawberry food products and strawberries freshly picked from the Strawberry Farm of La Trinidad. Now we’re not sure if the strawberries put in the Famous Strawberry Calamansi (PhP 95) were sourced straight from Baguio. Anyway, it’s worth mentioning that they were really juicy. The calamansi component didn’t taste too tart and not too strongly citrus, just the way we liked it.
With freshly squeezed lemons and pulps of oranges, the Lemon with Sagada Orange (PhP 95) was a great combo by itself. It was nice enough to merit a “wow” factor for a refreshing drink.
Desserts
For desserts, we were served with a platter of cupcakes: S’mores Cupcake (PhP 75), French Vanilla Cupcake (PhP 67), Oreo Loaf with Coffee Kick Cupcake (PhP 67) and Mangoes and Cream with Rum Caramel Cupcake (PhP 75).
Topped with a generous amount of soft cream and other ingredients distinct to each flavor, these cupcakes were so good and not too sweet. The texture of the cupcakes was just fluffy enough for my liking. Unlike the usual type which tend to be overly dry or the opposite—moist or dense, these felt more like cake and seemed more fitting to be called a dessert. I actually could not decide which one among the four I liked best. Each one was a mouthful of happiness, a great meal-ender. But still if you insist to ask, you may want to trust my sister’s taste. She raved the S’mores Cupcake most. 🙂
Price for Value: ★★★★☆
If there’s one cafe in Katipunan that you must visit, this is it. Indeed, K and L by Blushing Cupcakes didn’t fail our expectations, with exceptional service and comfort food. Students of schools and universities in the area are most fortunate as they can come in anytime during operation hours which start as early as 7AM and end at 9PM. Prices of food are affordable. I hope they remain so in the future or until our next visit. 😛 Check out their menu here.
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Update:
K&L Cafe offers a special PRE-VALENTINE’S promotion: Pay only PhP 500 for a super delicious meal and save PhP 300! To avail of the offer, you just have to print this coupon and present it to K&L’s cashier. Note: You may print as many as you like. This is good for dine-in and to-go transactions.
Promo lasts until February 10, 2015.
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