Tsoko Nut

Review by Kamesh

Taste ★★★☆☆

Service ★★★☆☆

Ambiance ★★★☆☆

Value for Money ★★★★☆

Tsoko Nut is a small coffee shop-type of restaurant with dim lights and a comfy atmosphere. It serves favorite Filipino snacks and even some rice dishes. It seems fitting that it is right beside SM's Kultura, a heritage store filled with items for tourists. Tsoko Nut looks like its aiming to be a "Proudly Pinoy" chocolate drink shop.

This is in the 2nd Floor of SM Makati. Right at the other end of the entrance to Glorietta.

Eek! Blurry picture. Anyway, the set up reminds me of Figaro.

We were looking for a snack that would bring us to dinner alive. So we ordered Meal E, which is a regular chocolate drink and bibingka with red egg and goat's cheese. Surprisingly, the meal was served within 10 minutes. That was fast for bibingka. Unless... it's pre-made and just re-heated. That would account for the chewy texture and the relatively hard crust (relative to Ferino's and Via Mare).  That aside, the bibingka tasted like it was not plain bibingka - not sure if they put pandan flavor in it or if it has already started absorbing the banana leaf's flavor. Either way, it was good. It's best qualities are the fresh coconut shavings and the melting butter on top. Mmmm...melting butter!

P155 for the meal

The chocolate drink, which I would think is their reason for existence, is not bad. It's not milky at all, and it's good quality chocolate - not powdered, but the real kind of chocolate drink traditionally served after noche buena. It's served in a customized clay cup-which is a nice touch. It's comforting to drink, probably more so than coffee. It could have been a bit thicker though, that would have made it perfect.

I notice they have a wall dedicated to batirol - a wooden stick used for mixing the drink, I guess. If they made the display, they should have also given their chocolate drinkers a batirol to go with the drink to complete the Tsoko Nut experience.

I think Tsoko Nut started as a brilliant idea. And then somewhere along the way, this idea met reality and capital expenditure. The unfortunate outcome is the restaurant we see today. It's not so bad, though: the food is tasty and the price is very friendly. I just have this feeling that it could be so much more. I hope the owners feel the same way and are secretly making plans of reinventing themselves. We're rooting for you!