Akiba Café: A Taste of Sweet Japanese Treats

Coffee shops and cafés have grown close to my heart. They don't only provide the drinks and sweet treats but also a cozy place to lounge at and Wi-Fi to keep anyone connected and entertained. For years, I have always relied on the trusty CBTL to keep me company. However, I have recently become more adventurous in trying out new coffee places, especially interesting concept cafés. And one of which I have come across is a small but enticing Japanese beverage shop called Akiba Café.


Akiba Café which was inspired from the word Akihabara (Tokyo's famed gizmo and gadget district), is a cosmopolitan Japanese-Filipino café conveniently located in one of the biggest and busiest malls in the Metro -- SM Megamall. It sits on Bldg. A's 2nd floor just beside Spam Jam, across Marks & Spencer, and offers hot and cold coffee, tea and cream-based drinks, as well as cakes and other sweet goodies.

It was a weekday afternoon when my date and I paid this seemingly humble but interesting café a visit. We know we wanted some cold drinks. But with the wide selection at Akiba Café, it was quite hard to decide which ones to get. In the end, both my date and I opted to have something from their cream-based selection. I got myself a large Matcha Yogurt (P120) while my date had large Japanese Choco (P120) which is another yogurt-infused drink.


I really liked my smooth and creamy Matcha Yogurt drink. It was sour but still quite sweet, and of course, it has the distinct green tea bitter flavor which I look for in any matcha-infused drink. My date also liked his Japanese Choco. Being a yogurt-based drink, it was sour. However, the acerbity is mellowed down by the sweet and rich chocolate flavor.

Seeing that Akiba Café has a glass display chiller of sweet treats, how can my date and I miss sampling some of their goodies. So of course, we shared two of their eye-catching desserts -- a slice of Green Tea Cheese Cake (P130) and an order of their Banoffee Pie (P80).


I'm not a big fan of cheesecakes since I don't dig too sour of a flavor on my beloved pastries. Akiba Café's Green Tea Cheese Cake though just had the right amount of sourness and was well balanced by a sweet and slightly bitter matcha flavor. I've never had a matcha-infused pastry before, and now that I've tried one, I can say that I'm totally digging it.


This is only my second time to eat a Banoffee Pie but I say that it's equally good, if not better, compared to the first one I've had. My date also liked it a lot and finished the whole pie in just a few minutes.

THE VERDICT

Our visit to Akiba Café was a short yet very satisfying one. I personally loved everything we've tried and find the service impeccable -- a really good feat to make up for its small location. And although Akiba Café sits by the mall's corridor, I love that the place has a stylish and hip look with good lighting. They also have a really wide selection of drinks to cater to different tastes. And as of this writing, I am drooling to try their bestselling Trifle Tea.

Taste - 4.5/5
Ambiance - 3.5/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 4/5
Overall Value - 4/5

Akiba Café, SM Megamall
2/F SM Megamall, Bldg. A
EDSA cor. Julia Vargas Ave.
Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila
Philippines
Official Website
Facebook Page
Twitter Page

61 comments:

  1. their banoffee pie is cheaper than SB.

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  2. banoffee pie addict here. hehe i prefer SB's compared to banapple's.

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  3. I've been passing by Akiba for quite a few times but I haven't tried it. :)

    http://dekaphobe.blogspot.com

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  4. I remember going to Akihabara before, like when I was around high school or something (yes, that was waaaaayyyy long time ago :P ) Akihabara really is a special place for video games and manga :).

    For the cafe, it's interesting to observe that cafe concepts from Japan are really more bright with softer tone and wood accents compared to Western coffee shops :)

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  5. the desserts look so delish! kinda scared about the matcha drink though..we didn't like the one we had at Happy Lemon hehe!

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  6. I love yogurt smoothies! Hmmm.. that is a must-try!

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  7. awww green tea cheesecake my favorite!!na curious ako sa Banoffee Pie hope to try it very soon!! ;)

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  8. ... ok.. this will not hurt my diet right? lol! in my dreams! but would love to taste what you love - "I really liked my smooth and creamy Matcha Yogurt drink." Thanks! Gems of My Dailies

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  9. Uy date! hahaha I hope your date went well :) You know what? I always pass by that area but I never noticed this cafe! I guess I'm always busy looking the other way where the clothes stores are! Hahahaha :D I wanna try the green tea cheese cake and perhaps one of their Japanese smoothies. I love Japanese food so I might also like this Japanese cafe! New place to try! Yay! :D (And yes, I'll be reviewing the soaps in a week or so)

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  10. I love cheesecakes and that green tea cheesecake is definitely something new to my palate. I have to try that!

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  11. Green tea cheesecake's a first for me. =)

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  12. Nakakainis talaga pag binabasa ko blog mo i end up wanting to eat. lol

    the green tea cheesecake looks interesting.
    kaso the drinks, parang ang payat ng baso, konti lang laman :)

    *shameless plug: Btw, i added your button in my site, hope you can add mine too!

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  13. You really have this eye for resturants. Amazing food again just like your other posts. Yummy!

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  14. Green Tea Cheesecake! Will try this out! :)

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  15. AHHH! The banoffee pie looks GREAT. I'm an avid fan of banoffee pies and I've yet to find a version better than the one Starbucks has to offer. I really want to try Akiba's. It looks so... puffy. I hope that means that there's a lot of fillings, and not that it's dollops of whipped cream!

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  16. ahhh so so hungry seeing your post, not bad for their price

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  17. Ahhh!Saw this post at Manila Foodies. Thanks for sharing! Mukang masarap. :) Another cafe on my list :)

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  18. The first time I saw this post, the first time that popped into my mind was Akihabara in Japan just like what you've said. :)))
    Mukhang okay itong cafe na 'to. :D

    xoxo,
    http://spoonfulofstories.blogspot.com/

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  19. @Christia's World: Medyo malaki naman yung glass :) Btw, thanks sis! Will link up your button on my sidebar in a few minutes ^^ Thanks!

    @MarLiesTravels: I haven't tried Happy Lemon's matcha drink yet, but Akiba's Matcha Yogurt is quite good if you like your drink yogurt-infused :)

    @Mary de Guzman: My date and I are no banoffee pie experts but I like Akiba's and SB's equally. My date naman likes Akiba's better :) And don't worry, the banoffee pie looks puffy because of the banana fillings and not with dollops of whipped cream.. ^^

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  21. @Jr: Hey Jr, thanks for dropping by. I haven't added a Link Exchange page yet. But I'll sign up on your link ex program when I've added a link ex page here, which is actually really soon :) Thanks!

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  22. haven't tried Green tea cheesecake yet. I am curious what it taste.

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  23. green tea cheesecake? hmmm ... interesting ha ...

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  24. Aaaah... green tea cheesecake... it's like the food that's bound to make me say NO just by first bite. Haha! But I'd still like to try it; it looks really, really, eye-catching. And intriguing. Haha!

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  25. The yogurt and Banoffe pie looks delicious! Must-try! <3 link exchange? :)

    www.lalalapatricia.info

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  26. oh! Cool blog! :) I like this!

    Greetings from Poland:)
    Follow!

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  27. that Matcha Yogurt drink looks enticing and also that banoffee pie!! never tried this cafe as i rarely go to mega anymore :(

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  28. That green tea cheesecake looks mouthwatering. LIKE!


    following from GT

    http://greenpeae05.blogspot.com

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  29. we have a lot of green tea flavored pastries and breads here in seoul but i never got to liking them much:-0...

    i have a giveaway in my site. you might be interested to join:-)

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  30. was looking for an alternative to Starbucks thanks for posting this one.. Will surely try their Matcha Yogurt :D

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  31. Mas interesting sa aking yung Green Tea Cheese Cake. I will try this pag napadaan ako .=)

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  32. I would want to try Banoffee pie and the green tea flavored cheesecake and of course the Matcha Yogurt! Yum yum! They all look delicious!

    http://travel-on-a-shoe-string.blogspot.com/2012/01/ba-nois-fresh-flavors-of-vietnam.html

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  33. yummy!!
    love to check it out:)
    xx
    www.vnikali.blogspot.com

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  34. I love anything and everything Matcha! I want to try their yogurt and cheese cake. Looks yummy!

    :) Erika

    http://erikarodica.com

    http://www.shopdainty.com

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  35. The green tea cheesecake looks interesting, haven't tried something like it. Nice photos :)

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  36. hmmm interesting, always pass by this place in Megamall but hesitant to try because there's no one dining there

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  37. this looks really delicious! mmm I'd love to have one of those right now I'm so hungry

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  38. Hmmmm...The place should be worth the try...Nice review Sumi ;-)


    Visit Akiba Cafe after buying stuff from the baby company event later today (check)

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  39. Oh, the banopie looks divine!

    I think I am seeing alot of posts about this place, did they organize a blog event?

    :)

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  40. I'd like to taste that Matcha Yogurt drink :)

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  41. japanese desserts is always a must try for me..

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  42. Looks like their banoffee is a match with starbucks..will try this....thanks for sharing...

    Jinkee Umali of www.calamba-online.com and www.livelifefullest.com

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  43. cheese cakes are one of my favorites :) me and my boyfie will definitely visit this place, thanks girl :)

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  44. The cheesecake looks like it has wasabi toppings.. hehehe

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  45. That banoffee pie looks super yummy!

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  46. yummy! i'd love to try these treats soon...

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  47. My sis and I just ate there last week. We enjoyed the drinks so much

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  48. Uyy... that green tea cheesecake looks yummy! I wanna try it 'cause it combines my 2 favorites - green tea and cheesecake (duh LOL)!! And would probably order the same Matcha drink you had. :)

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  49. Sayang wala to dito sa Dvo. Mahilig rin akong mag-kape kaya nga coffee chic eh :P Gusto ko tuloy mag-ice blended.

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  50. I love anything with yogurt! I'll remember to drop by Akiba Cafe when we visit Megamall. Here's another exciting place to eat: http://www.delightmyappetite.com/2012/01/a-sizzling-dinner-at-sizzlin-pepper-steak/

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  51. The drinks and cakes all look so delicious. Big fan of yogurt here! :D

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  52. Ever since I've heard about this, I have always wanted to eat there. But I keep on forgetting! haha. The drinks and cakes look delicious. I really should drop by there soon... hihihi.

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  53. if it's free wifi, then I'll have to give it a try, though the cheesecake doesn't look that inviting (I am never a fan of green food haha), I'd still give it a try :)

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  54. That matcha looks delish! I would love to try that green tea cheese cake. :)

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  55. i tried the green tea cheese cake and it's okay, i think it's delish it doesn't really taste sugary but i also like the hint of green tea. :)

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  56. i always pass by their stall, i will surely put this on my list and try the food that you ordered :)

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  57. Nice. I would love to visit and taste their Sweet Japanese Treats :)

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  58. Wow! i got to taste Japanese Choco i hope thy have a branch over at Las Pinas City!

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