La Union's El Union Brings Their Dirty Horchata to Metro Manila

la union's el union brings their dirty horchata to metro manila

Del Union

3/F Fully Booked, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City

Facebook: www.facebook.com/elunioncoffee

Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Sunday to Thursday), and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Friday to Saturday)

(SPOT.ph) Over the years, La Union’s El Union has been established as one of the best places to grab coffee in this bustling surf town. People would always rave about their Dirty Horchata the most, while their other bestselling products include grilled sandwiches.

While we do understand that the fresh air, the beach, and the being-miles-away-from-Metro-Manila all play a significant role in fulfilling the vibe, you can now have your horchata fix a la El Union in Metro Manila as the coffee shop has finally opened Del Union in BGC.

SPOTTED: Elyu-Favorite El Union Is Bringing Their Coffee and More to BGC

Have a little piece of La Union at the new Del Union:

la union's el union brings their dirty horchata to metro manila

Del Union is located inside Fully Booked, BGC. PHOTO BY Pat Villarica-Adriano

Del Union is a café-deli that has a completely different look from El Union—for one, it doesn’t go with the obvious beach shack look that’s to be expected of a beach café opening in the city. Upon entering the new coffee shop, you’ll notice that there’s a strong retro feel to the space, almost like you’re traveling through a time capsule and going back to the ’80s and ’90s when brutalist architecture was still plentiful.

The El Union/Del Union team—namely Kiddo Cosio, Amy Cosio, EJ Lagman, Alex Lagman, Matt San Pedro, and Monica Narisma—thought of bringing the style back by incorporating raw materials into its interiors. This architectural style is most evident in its use of the washed pebbles and the sheet metal used on the coffee counter, and the asterisk-shaped lighting fixtures hiding behind frosted glass.

la union's el union brings their dirty horchata to metro manila

We love how they subtly added colors associated with La Union’s warm sunsets. PHOTO BY Pat Villarica-Adriano

la union's el union brings their dirty horchata to metro manila

Verdict: Del Union is great if you want alone time as they have areas for solo dining. PHOTO BY Pat Villarica-Adriano

la union's el union brings their dirty horchata to metro manila

They have a designated space where they have their coffee beans on display (and these are for sale!). PHOTO BY Pat Villarica-Adriano

“We’re trying to evoke Virra Mall, Harrison Plaza, Tropical Hut, and Jollibee from the ’80s,” shares Creative Director Kiddo Cosio in an exchange with SPOT.ph. “People have lived their lives in spaces, and… not to talk sh*t about anyone, [but] we need to fight for these spaces. We want to remember them. We want to remember a time when we believed the city could be hopeful and could be optimistic. It wasn’t about traffic and drudgery. It was about beautiful spaces where we could celebrate humanity over a meal and drink.”

la union's el union brings their dirty horchata to metro manila

Verdict #2: Del Union is great for remote working as almost all the tables have sockets where you can charge your device PHOTO BY Pat Villarica-Adriano

la union's el union brings their dirty horchata to metro manila

Here’s a closer look at the retro lighting fixture. PHOTO BY Pat Villarica-Adriano

Still, if you look closely enough, certain aspects of Del Union still go back to its La Union roots, such as the subtle touches of coral and blues in its furniture and equipment. “We also wanted to bring La Union into the picture,” Kiddo explains, referring to the ceiling. Our lighting is very retro. It’s a soft geometric pattern, but it’s also meant to simulate and replicate the sunlight outside.”

What’s on the Del Union menu:

la union's el union brings their dirty horchata to metro manila

They use the same farm associations-sourced coffee beans as El Union. PHOTO BY Pat Villarica-Adriano

If you’ve ever been to the coffee shop in Elyu, you’ll notice a few oddly familiar items on the Del Union menu such as the Dirty Orxata (P200/hot, P210/iced) and Orxata (P180/hot, P190/iced). Yup, these are the El Union horchata drinks but spelled differently—as confirmed to SPOT.ph by Monica Narsima. Still, there are slight differences in how it’s made. “With a new approach, a new tweak that we did here, if we’re talking about technicals, it’s that the milk that we use for coffee, iced latte, we nitro-infuse it. Naka-keg na siya. The nitrogen infusion gives it a [full-bodied] mouthfeel.”

la union's el union brings their dirty horchata to metro manila

PHOTO BY Pat Villarica-Adriano

Since milk alternatives have been in demand, the shop also has this branch-exclusive option to make a dairy switch to oat, soy, or almond for the coffee on their menu, which includes the likes of the Cold Brew Latte (P190), Cold Brew Mocha (P210), and the classic Latte and Flat White (P180/hot, P190/iced).

Comparing Del Union with El Union, the sandwich selection is more extensive. Among the standouts are the Chx Pinikpikan (P360), which uses “cold cuts with a northern imagination” courtesy of EJ Lagman who lives in the mountain province where Pinikpikan is known.

la union's el union brings their dirty horchata to metro manila

Sweet noms to pair with your drink. PHOTO BY Pat Villarica-Adriano

Other sandwiches on the menu are Tuna (P390), Beef (P430), Longganisa (P390), Tinapa (P350), and Vegan (P330), which all use organic produce. And, if you’re looking for something sugary, definitely check out their display of desserts which includes the Sapin Sapin Cheesecake (P250), Egg Pie (P280), and cookies from Old Boy Bakery.

Where is Del Union:

Del Union is now open on the third floor of Fully Booked at Bonifacio High Street. This marks El Union’s first physical store inside the concrete jungle that is Metro Manila. Just in case you’re manifesting it to open a second branch—perhaps somewhere closer to you, we went ahead and asked them about their plans to expand.

TLDR: Not soon. Kiddo explains, “We really want to do a good job here in BGC. We’re not here to be a concept, we’re not here to be a trend. We’re in here for the long haul. We’re here to serve the neighborhood the way that we’ve done in La Union. We’ve served the neighborhood, getting to know our neighbors very well over the last ten years, and that has informed our service style and we want to bring that to BGC.”

This café-deli is the closest and fastest way we can get our El Union horchata fix without having to go on a four-hour car ride to La Union… for now. For those of you who don’t live or work in this part of BGC, just make a mental note to go on days when Taguig traffic is tolerable.

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