The Corner House: This Community Space in San Juan City is Home to Many Good Food Concepts
When my wife and I first travelled to Bangkok (Thailand), we visited theCOMMONS, a hip community space that brings together food, retails, and activity concepts. We love the design, the vibe, and, of course, the food.
theCOMMONS Thonglor in Bankok
Thankfully, the architectural firm behind theCOMMONS was tasked to design The Corner House. Located in a quiet neighborhood in San Juan City, this community space brings together different business establishments, mostly food and beverage.
The Corner House
The Corner House at Night
Like theCOMMONS, The Corner House has an open-air space allowing the breeze to flow through. So it’s like a breath of fresh air in the concrete jungle of Metro Manila! (Saw what I did there? LOL.)
Inside G/F where there is a food hall
FOOD SPOTS IN THE CORNER HOUSE
So what are the food spots you can try there? Here are some that we’ve tried so far:
A.M. Espresso (1/F)
A.M Espresso is the first cafe in The Corner House, located at the al fresco area.
A.M. Espresso
So far, we’ve tried their Coconut Cream Cold Brew, which has good coffee and coconut flavor, and Citrus Soda, which is refreshing.
Left to Right: Coconut Cream Cold Brew and Citrus Soda
They also make Portuguese-style Egg Tarts. While its pastry could be flakier, its filling is good and is close to my gold standard—Lord Stow’s.
Egg Tart
We also tried their Rum Cake, which is moist and has a strong rum flavor.
Rum Cake
Coldfolks Ice Cream Bar (G/F)
Coldfolks is an ice cream bar that makes great, handcrafted ice cream. Their ice cream is creamy and velvety, and is probably my favorite in the country!
Coldfolks Ice Cream Bar
I love their Empire State Oreo Cheesecake, which has cheesecake bits.
Left to Right: Empire State Oreo Cheesecake and Can’t Get Knafeh
Kaokee Singaporean Kitchen (G/F)
Originally from Makati City, Kaokee Singaporean Kitchen serves Singaporean classics such as Hainanese Chicken Rice and Zi Char dishes (zi char refers to Chinese home-style dishes or meals that are cooked upon order).
Kaokee Singaporean Kitchen
My favorites here are their Hainanese Chicken, Claypot Rice, and Salted Egg Squid.
Hainanese Chicken
Papeo (G/F)
Papeo is Spanish food concept by Chef David Amoros of El Born in Mitsukoshi BGC. He brings Catalan flavors through his casual food spot.
Papeo
So far, we’ve tried their Chipirones Fritos con Alioli (deep-fried baby squid with “alioli" sauce), Croquetas (croquettes), and Pollo Frito (fried chicken).
Counterclockwise starting from the left: Chipirones Fritos con Alioli, Croquetas, and Pollo Frito
Tamagogo (G/F)
Tamagogo is a Japanese food stall that mainly specializes in Okinawa Onigiri, which are rice balls (or more like “rice sandwiches”) usually made with Spam and tamago (Japanese egg) and wrapped with nori (seaweed wrapper).
Tamagogo
Their onigiri looks simple. But made no mistake because it is super delicious!
Okinawa Onigiri
OTHER FOOD SPOTS
Other food spots that are already open but we have yet to try and review are:
Bun Appetit
Creperie
Gnamma
La Rotisserie
Shari Shari
Seven Plates
Tajimaya
The Leg Room
Upper Crust
Yardstick
The Corner House is really a promising space for food lovers like me. I’m excited to try more concepts in the future (so I’ll be updating this article once I get to try them). I highly recommend that you pay The Corner House a visit soon!
Address: 445 P. Guevarra cor. Recto Sts., San Juan City, Metro Manila, Philippines | Facebook | Instagram