Cubao is home of various jeepney, UV Express and bus terminals to almost any part of the Philippines. I, myself, has been a “tambay ng Cubao” for years now since UV Express to Montalban, Rizal are based there. And most of the time, especially on a Friday, it is extra hard to go home due to the gazillion (seriously!!) people on the UV Express/jeep queue. So in most of this situation, I’ll kill time in Starbucks or Krispy Kreme in Gateway which are usually jampacked.
That’s why when I learned about this new cafe in Cubao, I went to see it.
Erin’s Art Lounge & Cafe
Erin’s Art Lounge and Cafe is located on the newly renovated wing of Alimall, Ali X (Art-Lifestyle-Interest Collaboration). Ali X is gorgeous with it’s decorative lamps, tiles and vintage stores. And Erin’s, with its retro vintage art cafe concept, seems a right match on the area. It’s artsy and reminded me of the 50’s Diner in Baguio.
As it turns out, Erin is actually the daughter of the owners, who is, guess what, an artist at a young age. Thus, from a small pizza and pasta place from Teacher’s Village they transformed into an art cafe that caters fusion of American, Italian and Mexican food with Filipino approach.
The Cafe
Upon entrance in the cafe, you’ll be greeted by the cashier and their kitchen in the background. It is clean, well-lit and inviting. On the left wall of the entrance, there’s a board of arts from Erin and open for customers who wants to showcase their talents.
The place has around 10+ tables, some has those retro-style sofas, and the wall art in the middle is an eye-catcher. I instantly know I need a photo on that. The tables are usually for only groups of 4 people and if you’re into a big groups, there are a few tables in the middle you can put together. The cafe is retro but it is not as legit as compared to Poblacion’s Filling Station. It’s a cheap version of it, I guess.
But what really caught my eye, well aside from the pastel wall art, is that there are chargers in every table. They really mean their name artist lounge. They really want it to be a lounge and a dine-in place for creatives.
The Food
There’s nothing special on Erin’s menu. The foods are the usual on other cafes. They cater sandwiches, pasta, roast beef, BBQ ribs, milkshakes, frappes and coffee to name some. I ordered their best seller roast beef with garden salad side dish (185 PHP) and Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshake (150 PHP).
The roast beef is salty, given that I prefer salty food ah, but the beef is soft and the gravy is good too. While the strawberry cheesecake milkshake is too sweet.
Other foods:
My personal favorites are the pesto and sun dried tomato for the pasta & the roast pork belly for the entree. The pork belly is juicier, softer and not salty at all compared to the roast beef. The nacho is basic but good. Among the drinks, nothing captured my heart for they all seem so sweet for my taste.
Overall, food is okay. Not bad. Not so good as well.
ART EVENTS
Since it’s an art lounge and cafe, they, of course, have art classes. Here are some of their introductory art classes, in case you’re interested:
March 2 – Cold Process Soap Making
March 9 – Art Maki
March 10 – Cake Sketching
March 15 – Bag Painting
March 16 – Hair and Body Soap Workshop
March 17 – Shampoo and Conditioner Bar Making
March 23 – Kyusendo Fan Art
March 30 – Aromatherapy and DIY of Essential Oil Recipes
IS IT WORTH IT?
Erin is a breath of fresh air in regards of Araneta Cubao’s list of restaurants. I mean, yes, there are a lot of better restaurants but what make Erin competitive is that it’s affordable and the variety of it’s menu. There are not much affordable cafes around in Araneta Center that offer entree and artsy environment. And if you gonna say “There’s a lot in Cubao Expo”, yes, but I love about Erin is how quiet and peaceful it is compared to the cafes in Cubao Expo.
So yes, for me, it is worth it! It is affordable, food is not bad and it is a great place to lounge, kill time or simply to be just creative.
Disclaimer: Erin’s Art Lounge and Cafe invited me for their bloggers night but all opinions stated in this blog posts are mine.
