Coffee Shop Review: Local Edition Makati, Philippines

I was early for the Protons 29 event, early in a way that if this was grade school I’d probably be the key keeper, or the student a teacher assigns to open the classroom because he goes to school earlier than everyone else. And because I was early I had the liberty to photograph the venue without distractions (people). That’s what I usually do when I discover a place I find interesting enough to blog about. This one is another third-wave coffee shop called, Local Edition.

Local Edition can be found along Perea street, a place so near Greenbelt, I wondered why it never registered in my radar until now. The design is modern, not as edgy and cool as the other coffee shops that I’d been to lately but definitely not far behind. The place is neat, painted in white, the brown and black tones integrated by the furniture and decors. I appreciate the overall clean look.

Food and drinks selection are not extensive. The only ones I was able to try are as follows:

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookie (PHP80) is a perfect companion for that good ‘ole black coffee (or tea if you like). I remember that it’s soft, dense, and not too sweet, with bits of cranberry.

After that aha moment at Afters where my friend and I combined her coffee with the gelato, I went to Bo’s Coffee and tried an actual affogato. Since then, it has become one of my favorite coffee concoctions. When I saw affogato in the menu of Local Edition, there wasn’t even an inner debate, I knew I had to try it. Whereas Bo’s uses vanilla gelato, Local Edition uses salted caramel ice cream. I thought at first that that it’s too much flavor, but I find that the espresso itself is strong, as bitter as a jilted person #hugot. Two strong flavors may not work in some cases, but this time it did because the salted caramel will distract you from that intense coffee essence.

I ordered Flat White (PHP 135) because I was curious about the name. Flat White is a shot of espresso poured over with steamed milk and a thin layer of microfoam. How is it different from a latte? Flat White is less milky. With flat white, you can still taste the espresso, unlike in a latte where I find the milk taste more pronounced than the coffee itself.

Cocomo (PHP 155) is a shot of black oolong tea and espresso topped with tablea whipped cream. For some reason, my expectation was high for this drink, maybe because of the whipped cream, but I find the taste quite ordinary.

Cold Brew (PHP 105) is low drip coffee brewed for six hours with the Cold Bruer. It tastes just like your ordinary brewed coffee, only it’s cold.

The Gooey Grilled Cheese Sandwich (PHP 180), just as the name says has a gooey combination of cheddar, havarti, and mozzarella cheese. It looks small but is in fact, filling, well at least with a girl my size it is.

If there is one thing I don’t like about Local Edition, it’s the fact it closes very early. My friends and I were surprised when the barista started making the last call at 7PM. Apparently, they close at 7:30. So obviously if you’re looking for a cafe to nurse a hangover, this is not it. Otherwise, Local Edition is a pretty decent coffee shop where you and your friends can meet and talk, or somewhere you could be alone for a few hours.

Local Edition
116 Perea St.
Legaspi Village, Makati
Telephone: (02) 556–9655
Mobile: 0905 444-8797
http://www.localedition.ph/