Cafe Shibuya, a Japanese dessert spot I discovered recently, showed me how Shibuya toasts are pulled off. I didn’t get the chance to visit their flagship store at UP Town Center due to proximity reasons. For the sake of getting my appetite for shibuya toasts fixed, I made my way to a more convenient branch at Glorietta’s newest wing.

You’d stop in the middle of shopping when you see the actual toasts prepared by Cafe Shibuya. The menu greets you with actual photos and descriptions of every dish. It could be tempting to order more than what you could finish. Oh, and you wouldn’t stop with toasts and be tempted to choose from their Ghirardelli beverages. If I was at the cafe by myself, it might take me longer than usual to choose on what to order. Thank goodness some of my KTG foodie friends were there to dine with me.

To give you a short guide on their must-try toasts and beverages, I’ll share you my afternoon merienda that turned to a lunch out with the number of dishes I tried from Cafe Shibuya.

I started the afternoon with savory toasts even if the dessert toasts were eagerly seducing me. First on the list was Shibuya Benedict. Cafe Shibuya’s take on the revered brunch fare. Thick toast topped with farmer’s ham, deep-fried poached egg, shitake mushrooms and homemade Japanese mayo cream sauce sliming from the toppings to the bottom of the toast.

Not disappointed with how Smoked Salmon Benedict emphasized on thick slab of salmon on wide spread arugula leaves. With its Hollandaise sauce flowing from the top, the flavors bloomed more.

Its thick toast might be too much for you especially if you usually ignore breads with your meals. But then, the magic of Smoked Salmon Benedict doesn’t only lie on its toppings but more of its toasted bread.

One poke and you’ll want to capture the moment of its yolk running down like a slow-mo waterfall.

I can’t deny it. Dripping honey syrup on vanilla ice cream invites me to skip on savory toasts and hop on to dessert toasts.

The simplicity of honey and vanilla ice cream grabs everyone’s attention and be fond of this dessert. A small bottle of honey was given for us to modify the sweetness level of our Shibuya toast.

As you all know, give me anything matcha (green tea) and I’ll be your friend. Haha! I’m kidding. More than anyone on the table, I was the only one excited to slice through the toast and pour over strawberries and matcha ice cream into my mouth. The combination of bitterness from matcha and sourness from fresh strawberries might not be appealing to most of you. I think it’s not the best combination to count. Yet my affair with matcha is solid enough for me to love it.

For chocolate, ferrero, nutella, hazelnut and everyone who chooses brown desserts over green desserts, this Ferrero Hazelnut is a charmer. I drooled for a second then I used my fork immediately to taste the rich ferrero chocolate on a bed of hazelnut spread and diced nuts. Euphoria of chocolates in a toast!

Other than toasts, Cafe Shibuya serves a selection of savory and dessert crepes. One savory crepe I tried was called Bulgogi Beef with grilled marinated sirloin beef, caramelized onions, carrots and rice cakes enveloped in thin crepes.  I like the healthy Asian approach using Korean bulgogi beef and vegetables.

Of all dishes I tried, Cafe Shibuya’s pasta gets my lowest score. The truffle cream may be rich but the pasta itself lacked prosciutto for a more deluxe taste. I guess its affordable price reflects the ingredients, more shitake mushrooms and less prosciutto.

First on the list, the irresistible Matcha Green Tea Frappe. Real matcha taste, which means it’s not on the sweet side compared to commercial “matcha” flavors.

Let your throat swim with this Ghirardelli Triple Dark Chocolate Frappe. I’m telling you, it’s strong and abundant with chocolate taste. You don’t want to grab this if you’re about to sing the next day.

The showstopper Ghirardelli Salted Caramel Mocha Frappe was my ultimate dessert from beginning to the end. The rich Ghirardelli drink gave a perfect play of flavors. Its salted sweetness could be restraining to move on to savory flavors. If I were you, take full control when you have this drink on your hand.

Like an island in the middle of Glorietta 2, you’d surely take a look at their menu and photos displayed when you pass by. The cafe isn’t ideal for big groups due to its limited space. But if you insist, you could connect the tables together by the couch to accommodate your big group. That’s what we did!

I propose a toast to these Shibuya toasts! 🙂

Take a break and stop by Cafe Shibuya if you happen to be at Glorietta 2 or at UP Town Center.

Cheers,

Food	9/10
Ambiance	8/10
Service	8/10
Cost	9/10
Overall	8.5/10