It has been a while since my dear friend, Isa, and I had a chat since I transferred to my new job. A few weeks ago, our busy schedules permitted us to catch up with each other.
Originally, I planned to meet her at one of the major coffee shops in one of the malls in the city but Isa recommended we hang out and chat at Coffee Grounds, one of the new local coffee shops in the city. Both of us have been here a couple of times already but with different set of friends.
THE PLACE
I like the overall ambiance and design of the place. The coffee shop’s design theme is vintage-ish and at the same time modern-ish. So I guess its hipster-ish?
In terms of ambiance, I find the place great for chilling and hanging out with friends. At certain times of the day, especially during off peak, it is quite conducive for working or studying. The place tends to be packed with customers in the evening.
There is also an ample amount of tables and chairs around that could cater to groups or individuals. The second floor also has a number of seating areas but what I observed in my visits, the seats up there are usually occupied by groups.
Coffee Grounds has only one comfort room and is kept clean. It can be quite bothersome to wait in line especially if the person before you likes to spend a long time in the comfort room.
FOOD AND BEVERAGES
Coffee Grounds serves a range of food and beverages that you would usually find in a coffee shop like coffee-based drinks (duh), sandwiches, pasta, pastries, and non-coffee drinks, among others.
Isa had the Nutella Pretzel Frappe while I had a Cappuccino. For our food we had a Clubhouse Sandwich and Matcha Green Tea Cheesecake.
Isa enjoyed her frappe while I find my cappuccino good but not the best though I loved the latte art on it. The sandwich was delicious, we enjoyed the kropek that came with it while the Matcha Green Tea Cheesecake was amazing.
The products are also reasonably priced and I think you get what you paid for. For example, my Cappuccino was priced at P80 and the serving is much smaller as compared to the ones I get at the bigger coffee shops.
Coffee Grounds also has thing they call Selfie Coffee, where you can have your photo on top of your frappe.
SERVICE
I think the service here is quite good. The staff were attentive and friendly to the customers. Their smiles do not look fake or forced. They know how to clearly describe their products if you asked about it.
Their wireless internet connection here is bad. In my previous visits, the WiFi was slow and disconnected a lot. When Isa and I came here, I could not connect to their WiFi. But I have been told that there are times when the internet connection here was good. I also noticed that the WiFi works fine when you use your smart phone. They provide a voucher code, one per device, to connect to the WiFi.
It is also good to note that they provide fresh blankets for those who get cold.
BOTTOMLINE
Overall, Coffee Grounds is a decent coffee shop with a good range of affordable products that are also quite good in terms of quality. The service I experienced here in my past visits were consistently good. Ambiance is great for catching up with friends. However, this may not be the best place for those who depend on the internet to catch up on work or academics.
Location and contact details
Location: Ground floor of Golden Lion Dormitel, Roxas Extension, Boulevard, Davao City
Business hours: 2:00pm to 1:00am
Tel. no.: (082) 321-4651
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CoffeeGroundsByGoldenLion/