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Although it was a working trip, it felt like otherwise. I prefer lodging in the huge private beach house we stayed at over being housed in a hotel. It felt like we were really in an island, with its nipa roofs and bamboo open hallways. Dozens of fully-grown coconut trees in the front yard that is a few steps from the water paint a beautiful picture of Boracay.

About a hundred meters away is one of the breakfast retreats I frequent. Real Coffee serves homemade American comfort food. Run by Nadine Rosaia, who was originally from California, and her mother Lee, Real Coffee opened on December 27, 1996. Lee had been living in Boracay for a while when she convinced Nadine to come to the Island and put up a coffee shop.

As I settle onto the high seat next to the counter, I start my day with a hot drink. The pot of Ginger Tea always gives me the wake up I need. Its subtle sour taste will make you want to have more than one cup.

Real Coffee’s Cafe Latte is rich and foamy and is always served fresh.

Mango French Toast is a plateful of two thick slices of french toast with ripe mango strips in the middle. The maple syrup rounds off the familiar taste.

The Omelette is nice and fluffy and creamy inside. Stuffed with onion, tomato and cheese, it is served with toast, pesto and jam. The pesto gives it an unusual but delightful tang.

Veggie Delight is a huge sandwich packed with sumptuous amounts of shredded tomato, cucumber, carrot, lettuce, onion and cheese.

Real Coffee also serves a whole lot of other breakfast favorites. Aside from pancakes, there is oatmeal with fruit. Salads and a variety of sandwiches that include tuna, chicken and egg salad are other options.

An assortment of coffee and juices complete the drink list. From the basic brewed and espresso, there is cappuccino and iced coffee. And iced mocha with banana? Not your usual but it is good as well. Juices and shakes are of 5 different fruits, alone or in combination.

And of course there are muffins and cookies. The oatmeal raisin cookie is chewy with just the right amount of sweetness. The oatmeal chocolate chip cookie is very light with crunchy edges. The peanut butter cookie tastes a lot like chocnut and crumbles in your mouth. And the brownie is fudgy with a crunchy top.

The carrot muffin contains actual carrot bits and raisins. This moist muffin has a pleasant cinnamon taste. The very original calamansi muffin is smooth and gives a calamansi kick towards the end of the bite.

As I finish my breakfast and get ready to travel back to Manila, I grab my bag and a box of muffins. I see to it I always take some home before I leave the island.

For more information, contact Nadine Rosaia at seatiger31@yahoo.com.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 15th, 2008 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Food and Drink, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.