The Will to Survive

New additions to our Post-Glenda menu: Pork Tenderloin Steak and Soy Grilled Chicken

The months of July and August have really been tough for us. First, there was the road-widening project and then there was Typhoon Glenda. We closed for two weeks making us jobless nomads wandering from house to house trying to charge our phones. Our customers were already wondering why we were still closed when the rest of Brgy. Maahas already had electricity. We just told them that we were THAT "special." So we opened the cafe in late July with zero stocks and a very limited Post-Glenda menu. People were disappointed when they saw that the Specialty Dishes were not available. I can only shake my head in dismay. But many thanks to the people who came, talked about life with us, and enjoyed the limited menu that we have. Thanks to those who prayed for us and continued to show optimism in spite of all the adversity. Sanay na sanay ang CAnton sa adversity. haha! :)

Here's my post on FB a couple of days ago regarding our situation. Thanks to all who LIKED the post and empathized with us. 

P.S.

To my students at UPOU, if you are facing a similar situation, it is okay to weep and wail. What's important is that you press on after the grieving. Proceed with life and make use of what you have. This is just a test! 

Slowly Recovering from the Storm

Temporary Parking Space

We're Still Alive!

Sharing leftover stocks with the cafe staff.

Road-widening is in full swing!

The cafe has been closed for more than a week. We're facing two major challenges right now: our lack of electricity and the road-widening in front of us. We can't do anything about the latter but once the power comes back we WILL open and continue with life. Parking will be extremely difficult if not impossible. Please continue praying with us as we wait for Meralco to fix things up. Follow us on Twitter for real-time updates: www.twitter.com/cafeantonioelbi

Thank you for your concern, loyalty, and support!

Road-Widening Day 1 and Post-Glenda Menu

The road-widening project reached the cafe yesterday morning. We are closed because we still don't have electricity. We don't know when it will come back. If ever the power comes back, we will let you know via Twitter (twitter.com/cafeantonioelbi) and open immediately. But the road-widening project will give us lots of problems for parking space. So I guess, we are being encouraged to commute and ride bikes for a few months. 

Our post-Glenda Menu:

PIZZA

- Margherita Pizza

- Pepperoni Pizza

- All-Cheese Pizza

PANINI

- Lemon Chicken Panini

- Bacon and Ham Panini

- Veggie Panini

PASTA

- Tomato Basil Spaghettini

- Pasta Carbonara

- Spicy Tuna Pasta

Post-Glenda Update

Minimal damage suffered by the cafe, thank God! We will resume regular operations on Monday, July 21. Happy Sunday!

Menu Change/Diet Shift

Tofu Nuggets with Sweet Chili Soy Sauce (Php 159) #CafeAntonioWeeklySpecials #CafeAntonio #LuntiangLunes

The Blackeye: Doppio Sleepy Time Blend espresso with 4 oz pourover drip coffee. Ang sarap ng tama! (Php 110) #CafeAntonioWeeklySpecials #Blackeye

Dark Chocolate Apple Mint Shake: Homemade apple sauce blended with fresh spearmint leaves and milk (Php 120)  #CafeAntonioWeeklySpecials

At last, the reality of price hikes have hit us hard. It was bound to happen anyway. Vegetable and meat prices have sky-rocketed while people hide in their homes trying their best to save money. 

If you have noticed, our menu is gradually morphing. The idea has been hovering for a couple of years now but we decided not to make any abrupt changes. Instead we took baby steps leading to a grander plan.

We significantly reduced the number of our flavored and blended beverages. We stopped using food coloring. We started using organic produce. We set up a garden for our veggie supplies. We added a vegetarian menu section. We introduced vegetarian dishes for Luntiang Lunes. We started using malunggay in our dishes. And we will be releasing a line of local and sustainable dishes at the end of every month for our #CafeAntonioWeeklySpecials promo.  And we started planting coffee seedlings (arabica and robusta)

The grand plan is to get all of our food ingredients locally. And it should be organic! And we should know the farmer! Along with this we would like to develop a healthy menu that is more resilient to price hikes.  

It's gonna be a long-term project, no doubt. But it's gonna be a good future to look forward to. And work hard for.

Cafe Antonio's garden at Kainos Farm

Growing sweet basil, lettuce, cherry tomato, cucumber, and other herbs, fruits and vegetables at Kainos Farm

Road-Widening Starts on Monday

#CafeAntonioWeeklySpecials (July 7 to 13)

Vegetarian Shitake Mushroom Malunggay Burger with Basil and White Cheese (Php 120)

Spearmint and Calamansi Iced Tea (Php 80)

Ethiopia Konga on Aeropress from Craft Coffee Revolution (Php 100)

#CafeAntonioWeeklySpecials (June 30 - July 6)

Dish: Pureed Malunggay Soup - Php 70

- with potatoes and carrots

- Malunggay leaves from Daang Kalabaw Community Garden, Brgy. San Antonio, Los Banos

Beverage: Honey Turmeric Tea with Milk - Php 80

Coffee: Brazil Yellow Bourbon Cappuccino (roasted by Craft Coffee Revolution) - Php 100