Coffee @ Yellow Hauz
I’d been hearing about it, and finally I’ve seen the place: Coffee @ Yellow Hauz. It’s in an as yet secluded part of downtown Davao (the coffee shop is on Mapa St., near TumbleTots on Mabini St.), away from the hustle & bustle of places like F. Torres street. In fact, the area looks decidedly residential — a throw-back to the city’s antiquated zoning.
Yellow Hauz is certainly a looker. From your first glimpse of it from the outside up to your relaxing stint within, you’d be impressed. The architecture, the interior design, the nice little touches — and the huge glass panels on the walls and doors (something I like in a building) — all add up to one delightful package.
And it’s not a square space with no depth. It’s laid out quite snugly, with a few choice nooks for those who want to park themselves in a comfortable couch or armchair. There’s a room there that I thought of as the den, and it’s perfect for a group of, say, 10 to 15 friends to lounge in. Even the outside area is well laid out. Evidence of the owners’ careful planning and attention to detail.
Now, if only they’d bring their attention to bear on the coffee. Whenever I go to a coffee shop for the first time, I always sample their house brews, because that’s the base upon which they create their other concoctions. So I tried the regular brewed coffee at Yellow Hauz and, well, it wasn’t really awful… but it wasn’t as impressive as how the shop looks. It was rather disappointing; I felt let down.
The waitstaff were very presentable and the service was prompt and courteous, even though the place was almost full. Some of the servers displayed an eagerness to be of constant assistance, and that’s good because things like that encourage continued patronage.
The food, particularly the pastries, were OK. But with the coffee tasting like that, I didn’t enjoy the fare all that much. I hope that they’d invest more time and effort in brewing excellent coffee, as I’m sure they did in building that chic establishment.
Oh, they have free wifi, of course. I don’t think it would be wise for any coffee shop in Davao to not offer Internet access anymore.
July 9th, 2007 at 12:16 am
You should’ve tried the cheesecake with caramel syrup. It’s good! Sugar rush! Sugar rush!
July 17th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
i love their choco-oatmeal thing paired with san mig light.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
I’ll be sure to try that choco-oatmeal thingie… but not with beer!
August 8th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
hi… im sandy from coffee @ yellow hauz, i was just wondering what your looking for in a coffee (extra strong or mild)? So far kasi wala pa kaming naririnig na complain bout the taste of our coffee so im a bit surprised by your comment. If you have any suggestion i’d be glad to hear them! =)
August 8th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Hi Sandy! Thanks for dropping by my blog! Coffee is more than just ‘mild’ or ’strong’, you see. In my opinion, the weakness is in the beans that you use. It could also be in the blend. The second time I was at your coffee shop, I still felt the same way about your house blend — the taste is just not up there where I expected it to be, considering your price range and how good your establishment presents itself. I’m glad that you’re concerned about customer satisfaction!
August 8th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
ok…thank you din for your suggestion… i will try to do something about it, but so far kasi ung mga loyal costumers namin na coffee drinker din likes our brewed coffee. San yung pinake best na house blend for you so i can check it out… tnx! *-*
August 8th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
@sandy — well, they don’t have a “house blend” yet (they haven’t decided on that yet), but the coffee at Spro is really good. it’s on gen.luna st. and of course, my fave is still basti’s house blend.
August 8th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
i’ve been there at spro… sobrang tapang ng kape so i guess thats good. anywayz thank you for your right up and for the suggestion. Maybe the next time your in the yellow hauz you can introduce yourself. godbless!
August 8th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
@sandy — i belive we’ve met. i think that was you at the counter when i ordered coffee. i was with ria and other bloggers.
and no spro’s coffee isn’t all that strong. yeah they did have a blend that was strong, but that only meant that the flavor was full and rich. myself, i prefer the americano blend, which is milder.
sige, next time i’m back at Yellow Hauz, i’ll chat with you.
December 8th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
i don’t find yellowhauz that nice…aside from the not-so-good chairs and tables, the place isn’t that easy to find…but the pastries are heavenly!..hmmmm!
April 2nd, 2008 at 6:37 am
april is esKABITse….
May 9th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
the place is fair but the coffee did not leave a mark on my tongue … just not too convincing for me… agree with blogie