BUKU BUKU KAFE – Cornucopia of Creativity

• Location: GF The District Mall, Imus, Cavite
• Price per head: P300

If you think you’ve seen and tried everything in the South, think again if you haven’t visited Buku Buku Kafe at SM Southmall. It’s the second branch put up by the Santiago mother-daughter-son trio. “I feel like a millennial now!” candidly expresses Lyn Santiago, the bubbly matriarch. “When we were starting in 2015, our ideas clashed. My husband said that I have to understand the millennials and let our children manage the cafe. I have to trust them because this is their business and this is what they love to do. Jessica and Nico will always be my kids despite the fact that they are now adults.” Jessica, a UP Diliman journalism graduate had tried pursuing her heart in her field. Her post at the Inquirer didn’t pan out quite as expected. She took a leave and reminisced about her days when she would be with her college buddies when she was an exchange student at the University of Missouri —they would share a meal and study at a bookshop café nearby. The seed of what would become Buku Buku Kafe was born, and was brought to life.

The place is loud and vibrant with a voice of its own alluring bookworms, artists, musicians, and anyone keen on trying something unusually wonderful. The space evolves from a café-restaurant to a venue that comes alive with spoken word poetry, live music, and calligraphy workshops. While there’s a section for consigned books as well as consigned knick-knacks from stationery, postcards to zines and poetry magnets, what’s more fascinating is the personal book collection of the owners in the mezzanine — From Gary Larson’s “The Far Side” to Susan Sontag’s “The Volcano Lover” alongside Caldecott and Newberry award-winning children’s books to Disney Pixar’s The Incredibles and even to an enchanting illustrated book A Visit to William Blake’s Inn.

Coined from a Bahasa term meaning “many books,” “Buku Buku” spills with magic, and everything spells creativity all the way down to their food and drinks reflecting the Southeast Asian flavors infusing their culinary offerings. More often than not, I always choose to face outside the glass walls of an establishment because the view outside is more scenic to the eye. This time, I turn my back away. Looking inside this visual feast of a café makes me feel comfortably home. I was more than ready to devour and relish this Buku Buku Kafe experience.

Here are their top beverage picks:

Tanglad– Rejuvenate your senses with this cold flavorful lemongrass brew of pandan, mint, and a touch of ginger.

Brewed Coffee – You can’t go wrong with a classic. This cup is just what you need if you want to appreciate the beautiful simplicity of black coffee, and you may opt for a siding of milk pouring as much as you please.

Barako Mocha – What gives this comfy cup of barako coffee its mocha taste is surprisingly a local tablea thrown in and stirred until melted.

Mocha Float – This drink is a gift for the sweet-tooth, it boasts of a mason jar’s worth of iced mocha topped with ice cream, whip cream and colorful candy bits

Butterscotch Popcorn Smoothie – An innovative creation of a dessert drink, this smoothie is made with blended popcorn, whip cream and garnished with a smattering of caramel popcorn

Food:

Fruits & Nuts – A big bowlful to awaken the tongue for starters, this salad includes assorted Asian fruits, roasted nuts, candied walnuts, and ginger cinnamon yogurt that is as nutritious as it is sumptuous.

Crunchy Thai – The explosion of tastes from fresh ingredients such as ripe tomato, green apple, cucumber, carrots, red cabbage, toge sprouts, mango, mint and thai basil vinaigrette is best enjoyed mixed with the pad thai noodles sprinkled with a slice of lemon

Silog – A power-up meal for someone who’s got a lot on her plate, this dish provides “a lot on your plate” for your stomach that needs it. Have your choice of unsalted daing na posit, tocino or their own house longganisa, prepared with friend java rice and a sunny-side up

Shiitake-Chorizo Truffle Pasta – A Malaysian-influenced creation, the shiitake mushroom confit on truffle oil mixed with sundried tomato and olives together with spicy chorizo, crispy shallots in spaghetti make a great combination

Hazelnut Affogato – If you want to know the taste of heaven on your palate, partake of this vanilla ice cream as you enjoy pouring a shot of espresso. The taste of the two mingle and produce a goodness unfathomable.

The “book chandelier” is a 14.5 meter long repurposed pallet wood with metal frame where the co-owners books are hung interspersed with 100 Edison-type LED bulbs hanging freely at various lengths, and the back drop is an original mural painted byJeffrey Ramir Mateo especially for its newest branch.

The interiors of Buku Buku use gray steel roofing as walls. A free-for-all blackboard is displayed by the entrance next to numerous framed black and white prints of Old Manila leading up to the balcony mezzanine where you will find more private seating arrangements surrounded by bookshelves and furniture-art of repurposed metal pipe robot lamps and two hanging “man bulbs” with legs and arms made from excess royal cord electrical wiring.

Taking the limelight at the launch of Buku-Buku Kafe’s Las Piñas branch is indie singer/ songwriter, and producer BP Valenzuela who wowed the crowd with her solid voice and her ethereal ambient electronica. A lot of spoken word poetry was shared, while outside the café, people lined up for bright-hued cotton candy, and passers-by gathered around the table displays of photography, hand-made rubber-stamps, zines and other items produced by local and independent artists. It’s great to know the depth of passion the owners have for their space, “There’s a certain professional fulfillment, but that’s secondary to the joy I get from meeting all sorts of creators and artists,” proclaims Nico. The night ended on a high note, but the remarkable memories to be made at Buku Buku Kafe have only just begun.

Buku-Buku Kafe is located at the upper ground floor of SM Southmall, Alabang-Zapote Road, Las Piñas. For more info, visit Instagram and Facebook, @bukubuku.kafe or email bukubukukafe@gmail.com