I have another happy place in da.u.de Tea Lounge

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

The tea lovers finally made their way to da.u.de in the Fort. It may have taken more than a year but Berenice and I drank, ate and conquered.
 
da.u.de Tea Lounge is surprisingly small but beautifully designed. The owner made it a point to have a strong branding identity and personalize the lounge. Every corner is a consistent visual treat including the bathroom. da.u.de has its own blend of hand soap and lotion in there.


I’ve spoken to a lot of people who have been intimidated by da.u.de since the owner is a Master tea blender, the first of its kind in the country. She aims to expand the Filipinos tea experience and knowledge. The menu is filled with amazing tea concoctions and tea infused treats. Whether it’s your appetizer, main course, hot tea, dessert and even cocktail, tea is present in them.

da.u.de has its own blend of tea which you can also purchase. 
 
Spotted, Nana from Food Magazine!
 
Environment-friendly paper straws in various designs.
However, it must be noted that the type of straw does affect the taste of tea. I suggest sipping it first then using the straw to determine if the alteration is major or minor. 
 
Cacao Cimnaron Hot Tea (P90 – small)
We couldn’t leave da.u.de without trying their teas. Since I couldn’t have chocolate, I wanted a drink that would be my chocolate alternative. I made the mistake of picturing a tea with a strong taste of chocolate. Duh Rica, of course it’s tea! That’s not how it works. Since I had that misconception, I was disappointed. It’s not the drink’s fault I was disappointed, I had unrealistic expectations for it. After processing my feelings, I eventually accepted my reality and finished my tea with a hint of chocolate. 
 
Green Con Leche (P90 – small)
Served with condensed milk.
 
This isn’t an exaggeration when I say we had a tough time choosing from their menu. I’m just talking about the food, not even the drinks yet. We eventually decided to get items from the lunch set because it was too hard to pick from the ala carte menu. The lunch sets are available Mondays – Fridays from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM. 
 
Pork Sisig Set (P269)
Signature Pho Soup, Tea Infused Crispy Pork Sisig, Rice, Sriracha Vegetable Slaw, Lapsang Souchong Iced Tea
That’s not lechon kawali, that’s their sisig. The Pho Soup was distinctively Asian with a dominant herb (we couldn’t determine which one exactly). I wasn’t able to try the Pork Sisig because of my Lenten sacrifice. So the review for this one came from Berenice. The pork sisig reminds her of this show on TLC (who’s title escaped her mind) where the host deconstructs the recipe of a dish for you to appreciate the individual ingredients and understand why they are put together. It may look like lechon kawali but taking in all the elements still makes it taste like sisg. The heat of the slaw matched the pork dish wish and the temperate flavor of the iced tea helped in washing down everything. 
 
Southern Chicken Set (P269)
Clam Chowder Soup, Herb Encrusted Fried Chicken Strips, Rice, Sriracha Vegetable Slaw, Corn Wasabi Mayonnaise, Lemonade Iced Tea
Oddly enough, my clam chowder tasted more like squash soup. I’m not a huge fan of squash soup but this is one version I ended up liking. Another odd moment, I don’t like mayonnaise that much but I appreciated the slaw even though it was spicy. The citrus and spicy flavor of the slaw was a bit too much for me but I couldn’t help but gobble it down. It was that good. My chicken strips had a southern flavor profile and succulent.

At P269, this was one heck of a filling meal. The lunch sets were well thought out and executed perfectly. Everything went well together and as you progressed through the meal (soup, slaw, main course, etc), each dish complemented the previous making a cohesive group. If this were Project Runway, the whole “collection” made sense and looked like they belonged together. Berenice and I ordered different sets and we felt like the set was made exactly for us. She loved her set to a T and so did I. We wouldn’t change our picks for the world. 

I must say, I enjoyed the food more than the tea drinks. It was just because the sets were tremendously filling, we couldn’t have more tea even though we wanted to taste a lot more.

I have my eyes set on their tea infused cocktails and the fruity teas as well. Without a doubt, I will be back to da.u.de once lent is over. 

I can’t stop praising da.u.de; I truly wish it was walking distance from my house and it would be my go-to meet up place. Though it is known as a drink place, they have exceptional food. The ambiance of the tea lounge is perfect for relaxing meals and to catch up with people.  

da.u.de, I wish you were nearer. I found love in da.u.de Tea Lounge.
 
P.S.
On our way back to the car, we saw this! Haha How odd!


P.P.S.
Also saw the blooming BGC sign. Such a wonderful sight on a sunny day! I went near to check if the pinwheels work, they do!


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da.u.de Tea Lounge
G/F Net Lima Building, 4th Avenue and 26th Street, BGC, Taguig
02-4783579



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