While everyone was afraid of starting a venture in this pandemic-restricted time and opening a business in a somewhat secluded area will be uncertain, Ms. Cherry Launen Santos and Mr. Chris Lean Tongol et al., were determined to find gold in the middle of the desert. The trend of instagrammable and concept cafe made way in the Philippines during the pandemic. But cafés in Pampanga were limited to the city center only which makes customers travel for long hours just to experience the aesthetics and coffee.
Table of Contents
How it Started
The idea of partnering and starting this business was from the two part-owners, they were thinking that as they were already familiar with the business world why don’t they use their knowledge to build a café that they could say their own. The location was already given because their family already owned a building in front of their house which they could rent out from their parents.
Concept
The café was a mix of clean industrial and wood design which is an unexpected but good combination. Almost all the furniture used in the café was entirely made of wood with a Scandinavian concept, and surprisingly it is their family business, Chrislai Furnicraft, which is smart because it also promotes and incites interest from the customers. The concept gives out a homey and modern vibe because of the warm colors and very large windows. FYI, you could bring your laptop and work here
The best thing is that the café is pandemic ready because it has alfresco dining which is for people who worries about crowded and air-conditioned rooms. Plus, the view on the alfresco upstairs is magnificent because it overlooks Mt. Arayat.
Menu and Coffee
What is a café without delicious coffee, right? The CLAD Cafe would not disappoint you as the coffee they could boast about is sourced out from the Mountains of Kalinga. So, if you want strong, they could give you strong.
With their food, there is nothing complain regarding the taste because the menu recipes are from the owner, Cherrie, herself. But the thing is, the variety of dishes and coffees are still limited as they test out what the customer’s look out for. For starters though, pastas, cakes, pastries, and finger foods like nachos and quesadilla are already a win. Plus, these are best shared with friends.
What makes the CLAD café different from others is that there’s a choice in the menu called the Barista Special that is hand-picked and different each time you come back (it’s different every week!).
Are you already intrigued to know where this café is located?
The CLAD Cafe can be visited at 103 Purok 1, Brgy. San Nicolas, Arayat Pampanga and opened during Mondays to Sunday, 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM (they extend the opening hours sometimes!) If you were in love with the café furniture, you could browse their beautiful wood products downstairs!
