Starbucks

Faisal Haadityo

4.0

Seventh Review: July 2018 - 5/5It seems like Starbucks is stuck in summer, as it launches two fruit + yogurt flavors on their seasonal menu late July 2018. For those who missed their Acai Mixed Berries Yogurt Frappuccino the first time around, I'm pleased to tell you that it has made a comeback! I think it's until today only though (Sorry for the late review on this HUHUHU). Based on their newsletter, they will be releasing 2 more yogurt frappuccinos by tomorrow, the Berry Peach Yogurt, and the comeback of Green Tea Yogurt! ✨My mom and I visited late July, so I could claim my free birthday cake from Starbucks. 💖 Anyway, as usual, y'all know what my mom got... Yup, the Coffee Jelly Frappuccino, of course! So no need to write a review that. 😅 Here's what I got:✅ APRICOT AND PEACH YOGURT FRAPPUCCINO (Php 165 - Tall) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐I actually enjoyed it! The peach jelly bits added a welcome texture to the drink, and the yogurt drink was tangy, but not too sour. The apricot sauce, on the other hand, gave the drink a distinct fruity sweetness. 🍑 Its vibrant colors made it photogenic, too! Recommended for fruit-flavored loving people. ✨ It is also less sweet than the Acai Berry.✅ 16K CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE (Php 195) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐There were only 2-3 cake options when we went there, and naturally, I picked the most expensive one (My Chinese parents trained me well. HAHAHAHA). It was soooo good! The cake was really indulgent! I love how the cake and cream layers dance on your tongue with every bite. The crunch balls gave the cake a nice texture, too! On the other hand, I'm not really sure how the gold tasted, because I let my mom eat that part. HAHAHAHA. Anyway, I appreciated how this cake wasn't as sweet as I thought it'll be, despite being all chocolate. 💖Also, I love how this branch was renovated to accommodate more guests now (though, lines are still unusually long...), as it got the area that was previously occupied by Scarsdale. ✨ The baristas are nice and friendly, too!#EatDrinkSplurge--------Sixth Review: April 2018 - 4/5It's getting hotter by the day! Good thing Starbucks' April coupon from their planner is for a Buy 1 Take 1 Frappuccino, so a few days before it becomes useless (AKA expired), I decided to invite my mom for an afternoon coffee date.💃Luckily, the limited edition Midnight Mocha Frappuccino (Php 180 - Grande) is still available, so I decided to give it a try. 💕 And, can I just say, it is waaay better than the Tearamisu drink! The bittersweet dark cocoa powder plus coffee is a match made in heaven -- and is not too sweet. The java chips, on the other hand, gave the drink a nice texture. 👌But I don't think the tagline matches it well either. I don't think it's the drkest chocolate drink I've had... Anyway, I suddenly noticed that their whipped cream seem to be different from how it was a year or so ago. Did they change it? 🤔The service in this branch is usually good, and since I frequent this branch, I feel at home here. 😊 I'm also glad that there wasn't that much people when we visited, as it is usully jampacked here. Probably because the school year has already ended and the students don't have to study in coffee shops already? 🤷PSA: If you haven't tried any of their summer drinks yet, I recommend you get this instead! 💜 The Tearamisu is too sweet and doesn't do justice to its name!!! HUHUHU. 💔#EatDrinkSplurge--------Fifth Review: January 2018 - 5/5A lazy Sunday afternoon calls for a coffee date with one of my best friends -- my mom! 👩 We had some things to buy from the grocery last Sunday, so I invited my mom to have coffee with me as well.website Hack: Always check your planner coupons to ensure they won't go to waste! We availed of their January coupon (buzzer beater HEHE), which is Buy One Get One on any Espresso beverages. I had the Iced Caramel Macchiato, while I got the Iced White Chocolate Mocha for my mom; with both drinks decaffeinated. We both enjoyed our drinks! ☕ The Iced Caramel Macchiato is so nice to look at with the milk separated from the coffee. Tastewise, it is quite strong, but I appreciate that it wasn't too sweet. I also tried a sip of my mom's White Chocolate Mocha, and it tasted good, but was a bit too sweet for my liking. The taste of the white chocolate was very prominent. 😊I also got a Corned Beef Pandesal (Php 70) which I split with my mom. It's something nice to munch on while having coffee. 😍👌Make sure to ask the barista to heat it up for you!I am not sure why there are always a lot of people here. Service can be a bit slow due to the volume of people, but at least all baristas do it with a smile. 💜#EatDrinkSplurge--------Fourth Review: September 2017New drink alert! 💚Last night, several people have been sending me the link from Starbucks' Facebook page re: the new Green Tea Yogurt Frappuccino. (That's how much of a matcha fan I am, that I'm the person that comes to mind when they see matcha. 😁) Remembering how the Green Tea Blossom was sold out on the first day, and seeing the number of likes on their FB post (44k, when I last checked!!!), I immediately planned to drop by SM today to try this out.I was able to convince my mom to come with me today -- it's a good thing it's a holiday, or else, I have to wait until Sunday before I get to try this.SM San Lazaro's Starbucks is a bit crowded today, as there were a lot people studying... So we had to sit outside. 😟 Good thing my barista, Lei, was very cheerful and accommodating, so it cheered me up a bit.Mom got her usual Coffee Jelly, while I got the Green Tea Yogurt Frappuccino (Php 175 - Tall).The verdict?The tartness of the yogurt, coupled with the earthy matcha taste is pure genius! I would've liked it better if the matcha taste was stronger than it is, though. The whipped cream had a stronger matcha taste than the drink. 😅 Usual tall drink has two pumps of syrup, but I had my barista put just one pump -- to keep the sweetness at bay. Overall, this drink was not bad, but not the best I've had, either. It's just 3⭐ for me.TL;DR: Not sure if it's worth this much hype, but at least I enjoyed this more than their usual Green Tea Frappuccino. Everyone knows I love Matcha / Green Tea, but this time, I have to say I prefer the Acai Mixed Berry Yogurt drink over this. (Hope they bring it back!)#EatDrinkSplurge-----Third Review: August 2017Starbucks SM San Lazaro has been closed for a while because of its ongoing renovations, but it's now back with a sleeker design. 👌 With the new layout, it seems like this branch is now able to accommodate more customers.So, as promised, I tried out a new drink during this visit -- so you won't get tired of me posting about Starbucks. 😁 As usual though, my mom got her Coffee Jelly (Php 180 - Grande). I could never convince her to get another drink! 😟✔ GRANOLA DARK MOCHA FRAPPUCCINO (Php 175 - Tall) - ⭐⭐⭐While I've read a lot of reviews that said the Açaí Mixed Berry Yogurt Frappe is better than this, I know I have to try it myself first before I judge it. Of course, I had to tell them that I will be having my drink cream-based (HUHUHU acidic problems).At first sip, it was actually just okay. I like how the granola gave the drink a distinct texture, and how it gave us the impression that this is a "healthier" drink. 🙊 The drink itself fell short of my expectations though, not sure if it's because I was not able to fully enjoy it because it was cream based, or if its taste is really quite one-dimensional. There is nothing special with the drink, aside from the granola toppings. 😔 As I was about to finish my drink, it got a bit too sweet, too. So a tip for you: if you're not into super sweet drinks, tell your barista to pump in just half of the usual syrup quantity. 😉 The verdict? Everyone else was right. The Açaí Mixed Berry Yogurt is definitely the stronger one among these two limited edition "healthy" drinks.And since I still haven't claimed my birthday treat c/o the Starbucks Card, I had a chance to use it to sample their new cake offering:✔ BELGIAN CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE (Php 150) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐This was soooo good! It probably became even yummier because it was free. 😁 The cake was perfectly moist, and had a generous filling of Belgian Chocolate. The chocolate had a smooth texture, and the taste was distinct. They obviously didn't scrimp on the ingredients. 😍 I also loved the mini cookie bites stuck to the back portion of each slice. They were soft on the outside, and chewy on the inside, and oh so chocolatey! 🍫🍪 This cake is a must-try. 🍰Baristas in this branch are very cheerful. Service was great! 💜 It makes me excited to visit them again when Starbucks introduces more new drinks. ☺#EatDrinkSplurge-----Second Review: May 2017There was one time when my mom and I wanted Starbucks, so of course, we visited our nearest branch, the one in SM San Lazaro.As usual, she got her regular order, Coffee Jelly (Grande size). As for me, I'm constantly trying out new flavors (especially limited edition ones), so I got their Roasted Marshmallow Smores Frappuccino. Their signature blended coffee poured over chocolate ganache, then topped with marshmallow whipped cream and graham bits! 😍 Truly heavenly, and a fitting drink for summer. 👌 During that time, I was deliberating between getting this or the PopZel, but my barista insisted this one's better. 😁 I believe him, because barista's have a daily drink allowance and I'm sure they already got to sample the drink countless of times. 🙊Tip: If you don't want to have a super sweet drink, you may ask them to use less syrup for your drink, like how i did it! 😁P.S.: Hope they'll have this again next summer! Makes me think about hiking and drink this around the campfire 😅 HEHEHE#EatDrinkSplurge-----First Review: April 2017My mom and I had our grocery day today at SM San Lazaro, and we went to Starbucks today to try their much-hyped Green Tea Strawberry Blossom (because as you all know, Matcha is 💚), but as expected, it's not available anymore. 😭 The barista said they ran out of stocks during the first day. 😒I got this Valencia Orange Cocoa Cappuccino Frappe (Php 170 - Grande) in decaf (because my hyperacidity will act up if I consume too much caffeine) instead, and instantly fell in love with the hint of orange that gave depth to the drink. 😍 I'm surprised at how well the orange + cocoa + coffee works together! The candied orange bits also gave the drink an added texture. 🍊 Hooray for this (relatively) refreshing new drink!The ambiance is okay, but not as quiet as I hoped it would be. I think many Starbucks branches have already lost its ambiance that's conducive to studying / working. 😒 -1.0 for that, and because the drink I came for is already sold out. 😢#EatDrinkSplurge (If you didn't know yet, I have put up an Instagram account for my foodventures, so you can follow me there, too! I go by @eatdrinksplurge there. See you! 💜)

Toby Ayre

5.0

The ambiance was very cool and comfortable for us students and the Frappuccino and chocolate doughnut tastes good and not that much sweet as i've expected. Baristas are very energetic and approachable for any of your concerns. I hope when I get there again their has already available seats. SB dosen't dissappoint me when in comes to the quality of their coffee. Very unique taste and has a reasonable price! 💯 so much appreciated as a coffee lover 😘

Alia Ramadhani

1.0

Ordered iced americano but realized that they forgot my order. Upon following up, i saw them making a white mocha instead of americano so I had to correct them again and I could finally get americano 30mins after my order. The Americano was too bland compared to other starbucks so I requested to make a new one. I have never seen such service and quality in starbucks. Please educate the staff properly.