Parvati, TriNoma - Cakes, pastries and free coffee!

Yes, you read the headline right. Free coffee. Brewed, at that. And bottomless too. Want to know how to get your caffeine fix for free? Read on.

Meeting up with friends I haven’t seen for 2 to 3 years led me to the discovery of this haven for coffee drinkers and cake lovers. Luckily, I am both.

I have seen Parvati several times before. It’s hard to miss, really. When taking the escalator from the ground level to that area of Trinoma where UCC, Fully Booked, Conti’s and Gourdo’s are, Parvati is one of the first establishments to greet you while you’re descending.

I’ve wondered what it had to offer but it never piqued my curiosity enough to try. I thought it’s just another pastry-and-coffee spot for the Starbucks B-crowd. You know, them people who like the idea of hanging out at Starbucks but want to be a tad better so they look for other, more indie cafés to inhabit.

I’m glad one of the girls I was meeting that night thought about this place. Upon entering, the space doesn’t intimidate nor does it impress. I half-heartedly sat at our table, hoping there would be at least one entry on the menu that would last me through the night.

What greeted me instead were these large refrigerators covered with pictures of cakes and pastries. It was their menu. Surprisingly, the actual items were just right behind their printed descriptions. Pretty simple and ingenious.

I ended up ordering the Apple Pie (Php 125), which had a scoop of ice cream on the photo, making me assume that the price beside it is for a similar order. I was informed that I would have to add Php 30 for the ice cream. I wouldn’t have minded if it were indicated on the menu. I thought the image was quite misleading but I ordered the ice cream with it just the same.

The revel bars and cheesecake were my runners up. I am just too an apple pie a person to pass up on trying out Parvati’s version.

My friend got a slice of banoffee and all three of us had brewed coffee. For free. All our cups were refillable, even that of my friend who didn’t order food. Winner!

I don’t know how this free coffee rule goes. I thought at first each order is entitled to free bottomless brewed coffee, but I guess as long as your table orders a cake, you’re all good.

The apple pie was great. I loved it. The slice was generous too so it was quite filling. I came from a quick snack before going there and although I haven’t had any decent dinner, I found it difficult to finish the slice. That doesn’t mean the pie is bad. In fact, it’s one of the better apple pies I’ve tried.

I tried my friend’s banoffee as well but it wasn’t as satisfying. Probably because I’m not a fan of banoffee to begin with. Anyway, my friend seemed pretty happy with it.

While we were chatting, eating and drinking away, I noticed many people walking in just to buy cakes and pastries to go. Parvati must have a following already. I’m set on trying out more of their selection.

I can’t remember how many cups of coffee I had that night. It wasn’t much, sadly. We were there just an hour or two before the mall closes.

My only beef with the place is the air conditioning. Maybe they’ve turned it down a notch because of the huge refrigerators taking up much of their energy consumption. Or maybe they’re just discouraging people from being too comfortable so that they won’t stay for hours drinking free brewed coffee.

And another strange thing is the fact that they don’t give you a breakdown of what you’ve ordered when you get your bill. In fact, there is no bill. They just tell you verbally how much you’re supposed to pay them. How would the customers check if they’re being billed accurately? I insisted on a breakdown and was shown only the computer screen. The staff said we only get a printout once we’ve paid. But that’s the receipt, in case you don’t know the difference. I hope they fix this soon. It may not be a big deal to customers who just walk in to buy and bring home their food, but for the dining customers, this is pretty annoying.

That aside, I hope more cafés follow suit. Free brewed coffee with great cakes and pastries will win you a loyal and growing client base. If you bill properly, of course.