Coffee, creativity, and K-Pop collide at Subspace Coffee House

Somewhere along the busy streets of Ortigas, an unassuming cafe beckons to foodies and coffee lovers, offering flavorful food, heavenly desserts, and latte art that looks so good, you might even find yourself having second thoughts about drinking your coffee.

Those are not the only pleasant surprises you’ll find upon entering Subspace Coffee House, though. Living up to the establishment’s moniker, the three-year-old coffee shop is divided into diverse, uniquely designed sections—“subspaces,” if you will—that, when taken together, deliver a one-of-a-kind cafe experience for K-Pop fans, pop culture geeks, office workers, and social media enthusiasts alike.

Space Encounters of the creative kind

Entrepreneur Thor Balanon recalls how he and partner Wilmer Lopez came up with the idea of setting up a coffee shop that caters to different pop culture tastes and interests.  

“We had a furniture store called Space Encounters,” says Thor, “and a lot of people would walk in and [think] that it’s a coffee shop.” The furniture shop’s interior design led to many of its patrons initially making this amusing mistake—a mistake that would reawaken a longtime dream of Thor’s to put up a cafe.

However, Thor and Wilmer decided to take the concept a step further by infusing an otherwise run-of-the-mill business venture with their own colorful fandoms—comic books, geek culture, and K-Pop. “I’m a K-Pop fanboy,” Thor declares. Defined by Thor as “space within space,” the name was pulled from another massively popular fandom: Star Trek’s subspace communication system.

Making (Sub)space for yummy eats

Thor’s guiding principle for Subspace’s menu is simple: If you want something that doesn’t exist yet, make it a reality. “Offer what you wish you could have. If you offer what you love, people will love it, too.”

Subspace’s best-selling drink—which also serves as the base for their latte artworks due to its deep, dark color—is the Sweet Purple Potato Latte, a special concoction straight from Seoul cafes. If the latte art makes you hesitate to drink your coffee, you would definitely be missing out on the drink’s rich, thick goodness, coupled with strong (but not overpowering) sweetness. Another popular Subspace beverage is their Cookie Butter Milkshake, which is every bit as delightful as it sounds.

Subspace’s food offerings include the Truffled Mac & Cheese, which is paired with bite-sized waffles and possesses a distinct flavor that separates it from the usual variants of the pasta dish.

The Big Bang Waffle, a consistent bestseller, is a compact, satisfying breakfast package: bacon, egg, burger patty, and cheese, sandwiched between two large waffles. On the other hand, meat lovers will surely enjoy the aptly named Bacon Slab, a thick slice of bacon sitting atop a bed of rice. Thor fondly shares how many customers order their Bacon Slabs “Chubspace”-style—that is, with extra rice (“extra chubby”).

Meanwhile, for dessert lovers who want a sweet treat to go with their coffee, Subspace also serves an assortment of cakes and sugary nibbles, such as their Double Green Tea waffle.

(Sub)spacing out? It’s a no-no

“All of our passions and fandoms are here,” says Thor. “We always find [Subspace’s style] difficult to define, because it’s really a lot of influences.”

The duo’s skills at design conceptualization and execution become truly apparent as one explores the limited yet diverse space within Subspace’s walls. Despite the fact that they only had a relatively small area to work with, they somehow managed to fit in a lot of different elements, employing dynamic works of art and different-colored furniture to bring out the establishment’s trademark uniqueness.

However, the special space that Subspace Coffee House occupies in Thor’s heart has led him to address the possibility of franchising with a firm “no.” According to Thor, a hypothetical franchisee would need to meet three strict requirements: a good taste in design, a love for K-Pop, and flowing creative juices.

“Kung hindi, masisira lang.”

Friendly spaces for friendly faces

In addition to December’s new menu offerings (which include a doughnut milkshake and a banana, nuts, and an ice cream waffle called the Merry Monkey), Subspace regulars can expect a few design changes as well.

“This year, we’re streamlining [Subspace’s] design and making it more mature.” Still, Thor maintains that any changes done to the store’s design will definitely remain unique and eye-catching. “We designed it to be Instagram-friendly; you’d want people to take pictures of your space.”

Thor is also proud of the fact that, as geeks and fans themselves, they can get pretty much any latte art request right, with minimal to zero questions and at no extra cost. “Our coffee is good, but our strength is really our latte art—we transport people to different locations by personalizing their coffee.” From comic book characters to TV shows to K-Pop bands, Subspace’s artists have got latte art down to a science. “[Our regulars] know that when they come in, we ‘get’ it. No need to explain what they want us to draw on their coffee. No questions asked, we get it.”

Naturally, more complex requests (such as portraits or intricate character designs) take more time to complete. “Sana puro Adventure Time na lang ang requests,” quips Thor with a laugh.

It is the experience created by this unconventional blend of pop culture flavors that keeps the store’s regulars coming back. “It’s a unique selling proposition: We are selling the experience,” reveals Thor. “The experience and the food keep people coming back. We make what they want to eat.”

“People really come here to indulge. To enjoy.” — BM, GMA News

Subspace Coffee House (655-7077) is at Unit 103, GF Grand Emerald Tower, F. Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig. It is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.