My love for UCC is something I don’t keep secret, so it’s easy to understand why I was so excited when I was invited to a sponsored breakfast with other bloggers. Truth is, UCC is not a coffee shop I visit on a whim. The notion that it’s expensive is not unfounded because it is a bit pricier than other coffee shops. Still, I love UCC because it’s every peso well-spent.

UCC, which stands for Ueshima Coffee Company, is a Japanese chain that takes its coffee seriously. For one, they have a hand in all stages of the coffee production, from conditioning the soil where the coffee is to be planted to choosing which side to serve your coffee from (the left side because a lot of their smoking customers keep their cigarettes on the right). Devotion to the perfection of their coffee is utmost. They even employ classificadores, expert coffee tasters who decide what blend to use for their coffee from year to year, all to ensure consistency in their blends to compensate for the differences of each year’s coffee crop.

Trying out their different coffees was a pleasure. From the smooth house blend, to the strong, aromatic sumiyaki (always my personal favorite!) to the prized blue mountain which had nuances of acidity without being unpleasantly sour. Their coffee, siphon brewed as you order (remember my fascination with that weird coffee brewer thingie a while back?), is so wonderfully prepared that I found it more enjoyable to sip it sans cream and sugar.

Of course, while the excellent coffee is a good enough reason to visit UCC, for me, the real reason to go to UCC is always the food. From their hearty breakfast fare, to their mouthwatering fusion Japanese dishes to the toothsome desserts, there’s much to sink your teeth into. We were told to choose something from the breakfast menu. In a way, it’s a good thing because otherwise, I would’ve ended up with Chicken and Mushroom Risotto again.

I had the Frankfurter Waffle set. Piled on my plate was a thick, juicy, flavorful frankfurter that was adorned with little cross-hatches. (I can already see it in my bento. :P) Served with it were two light and crisp waffles and a small fresh salad of lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. On the side was a small gravy boat of syrup.

While I enjoyed my food, I have to confess, I was so envious as I saw Rochelle’s Shiitake Mushroom Omelet being served. An omelet folded with mozzarella cheese and lightly sautéed shiitake mushrooms then drizzled with a sauce that I assume to be a variation of béchamel, it was delicious. Plain and simple delicious. The shiitake was earthy, perfectly complemented by the light cheese and creamy sauce. I wanted to switch our plates when she wasn’t looking but she took pity and shared her food.

One thing to be noted about events with bloggers is how it long it takes before people actually dig in because everyone’s always busy taking photos! I confess to being guilty of it. Above is B’ley’s Bacon platter. Mmm…bacon…

And here’s Marck’s English Bangers and toast.

Pages: 1 2

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 2:52 am and is filed under restos & eateries, sponsored events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.