Cozy, comfy and friendly café in the capital town - Bontoc, Mountain Province.

Thursday, May 01, 2014

The jeepney arrived in Bontoc town and the sign of the café along the main road is very visible, I desperately need a cup of coffee. I asked the driver to drop me off.

I was immediately greeted by a jovial lady. It’s one of those places where you feel personally and genuinely welcomed, slump on a comfortable big soft leather sofa or sit at any of those orange-colored sturdy plastic chair and take pleasure on a hot real brewed coffee.

If Sagada has its own mimicry of Starbucks in “Sagada Brew”, then Goldfish Café is Bontoc’s own.

Adorned with simple but nice furnishings in cheerful colors of orange, white artsy lamps hanging from the ceiling, an assemblage of post-it notes on two large cork boards handwritten with commendations and compliments from hundreds of clienteles and regulars. Upon entering the place what probably will immediately catch your attention is a rectangular vintage light brown leather suitcase with rusty latch. I would bet you’ll be asking for its story, like I did. Nice framed photographs of Bontoc sceneries right at the entrance.

Catch their specials at certain timings of the day – refer to the photo here.

Staff are so nice and friendly, Angie is very entertaining, the slim tomboy-ish-looking girl is so polite, it’s your friendly neighborhood café that ought to be found in some quaint French town. But hey, this is Bontoc, so be glad it is to be found right here at the heart of the Mountain Province.

What to order: Brewed coffee and some sweets.

Insider Tip: Dine in for lunch and entreat for a free coffee that will go with your lunch. It isn’t easy as it seems, you’ve got to earn a bit of trust and affability, be nice first to Angie, the lady at the café, and who knows, you might as well convince her for a give-away coffee when you order a meal. I did. [wink].