Little Piece of Promdi Paradise in the City

I'll let you in on little secret. I hate people. Not all the time, and not often. But sometimes, I get the urge to just shun all company, and flee like mad from the trappings of the constantly-connected city.

The easy solution, of course, is to run back to the nearest green pasture or empty field or laot for a mini-vacation somewhere. Unfortunately, I don't always have the time or the logistical wherewithal to do that because Your City Promdi is tied to an office, trying hard to be hard at work while my mind tries to drift off to aforementioned pasture/field/laot.

In those very rare moments, I take solace in the next best thing: AdvoCafe.

IP's IPs (indegenous products)

Advocafe is a little place tucked away in Ermita, along Mabini Street, in front of the large LandBank office. 

The founder is Benjie Abadiano, the Ramon Magsaysay Awardee. This is a social enterprise, created first as an outlet for the products of the indigenous tribes that Sir Benj works with and for and as an added income stream to support his projects for the IP communities. Later on, it became a training ground for the IP youths who were trained to become managers and business administrators.

Advocafe features some breakfast and lunch food, pastries and pasta. My favorite things to order are the indigenous food. Their hibiscus juice is way better than that served in that high-end coffee place and much more affordable, too. They also serve fresh dried fish that are so very hard to find in Manila. There have corn coffee and tugdaan and honey, and they're all yummy. They come in packets, too, so these indigenous products can be enjoyed at home.

Why Your City Promdi likes this place

Aside from the good, simple food that can be found here, the place is also very home-y and warm. The staff is very welcoming, and talking to them always feels like relating to a cousin. 

The  place is decorated in earth tones, which is as close to nature as I can get in my mostly-cramped indoor places. While it is bustling with activity in the breakfast and lunch hours, it is a nice place to be in the afternoons and evenings when only a few people are around. I can usually find a little cafe corner where I can drink my coffee or juice and enjoy my egg pie in peace. I sit there and I'm not obliged to see or talk other people. It's a  quite, soothing environment.

If you're ever in that part of Manila, try to stop by Advocafe.