Late Lunch at Commune Cafe + Bar

March 1, 2018 Thursday

I avoided the traffic building up in EDSA Northbound by taking Makati Avenue. It was 3:30 pm and I suddenly realized I haven’t had lunch. I was on my way to an early dinner in Greenhills but I had to eat something to curve my hunger till 6 pm.

From Makati Avenue we turned right on J.P. Rizal then left on Polaris. I was looking at the small eateries in the area when I noticed the Commune Cafe + Bar at the corner of Polaris and Durban Streets in Poblacion, Makati City.
It dawned on me that this must be the coffee shop owned by Chit Juan’s niece, Ros Juan.

I asked my driver to stop and find a parking so I could take a light meal at Commune Cafe.

The main entrance door is along the busy Polaris Street.

The place’s vibe is hip, modern, a creation of someone young, passionate and creative.

The Juan’s are coffee connoisseurs so I am betting that Commune Cafe serves the best coffee.

The waiter walked me to a seat facing the window.  Oh no,  my ride was parked right there.   I didn’t want to eat while my drivers stared at me.

wall art

I chose to share with several others a long bar table facing the front door instead.  Maraming pumapasok,  mukhang Commune Cafe already has a following.

Bar stool

The menu is simple but it has everything a hungry woman wants.

I can come here for breakfast. I’ll be back to try their pork longganisa and read the morning newspaper.

I was torn between ordering pasta, pandesal or salad.  But since I have a dinner meeting at 6 pm,  I tried to eat light by ordering a bowl of salad.

I had Poblacion salad with salted egg, tinapa, tomatoes, red onions and  mango dressing.   I barely noticed the tinapa.  I wished there were more tinapa.

I was still hungry after the salad. Instead of having dessert I ordered nachos. I like this kind of chips but I wished there were more toppings especially cheese. When I come back here I will order nachos with double toppings. Ang takaw ko.

Unmarked toilets confused me more. I didn’t know which one to take. I stood outside for at least two minutes. The waiter noticed me standing there so he told me kahit alin daw pwede. Although I very much understood the purpose of being gender neutral, the fact remains that there are only two genders created by nature. I would like to use the toilet reserved for the human species born with pancakes. I feel uneasy using toilets also used by those born with dangling thingy. I respect that in this modern world gender preferences have expanded but for the simple purpose of taking a leak, can we just follow the old tradition of marking the toilets as either male or female? I don’t think that’s disrespectful to any person regardless of their sex preference. As a born female who still choose to remain female, I actually felt discriminated upon by not finding a toilet designated for female use. Ang arte ko.

They have a second floor pala reserved for special or private events. I just love that veranda. I could see myself seating there on a cold day. Chill lang.

This mural or art installation is a clever way of hiding the ugly cemented hollow blocks wall behind the restaurant. This is so cool.

COMMUNE CAFE
36 Polaris cor. Durban Streets,
Poblacion, Makati City, Philippines
email: havecoffee@commune.ph
www.commune.ph
landline: +632 275 6324
mobile: +63 919 859 5848
Open: Mon-Sat 8am-12mn, Sunday 11am – 7pm