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The cool connection between the coffee cultures of Manila and Singapore
Not very many know but Singapore’s dynamic coffee culture actually has a direct effect on Manila’s young and small but bustling third wave coffee scene.
Makati’s Yardstick Coffee on Esteban Street in Legazpi Village is actually inspired by Singapore specialty coffee shop Papa Palheta and its owner Singaporean Leon Foo, with whom Yardstick founder Andre Chanco trained.
The Filipino coffee enthusiast was gainfully employed in an IT consultancy job in the Lion City when he decided to dive full head on and become a barista at Papa Palheta, one of the pioneers of specialty coffee in Singapore.
Particularly drawing Chanco’s interest was Papa Palheta’s Chye Seng Huat Hardware Coffee Bar, with its trendy industrial interior, a 360-degree bar, a coffee school, private tasting room, a roaster, and of course delicious top-quality coffee concoctions.
“And their pastries are nice too,” Chanco tells GMA News Online over email. “The wide selection can be daunting but you won’t go wrong with financiers, tarts, and croissants.”
According to Chanco, it became the model for his own Yardstick Coffee, opened in 2013. “My story comes with every cup of coffee that I serve. With every sip, people somewhat get a glimpse of the personal experiences that allowed me to make my passion a reality in Singapore. And now with Yardstick, we become connected even deeper because people get an actual taste of that passion,” said Chanco, who is currently an ambassador for Singapore’s current brand, “Passion Made Possible.”
At the moment, Chanco is back in Singapore, back in Papa Palheta, where he is a teacher. But with Chanco surrounded by many of Singapore’s specialty coffee shops — Tiong Bahru’s Forty Hands, Nylon Coffee Roasteres, and Dapper Coffee are a few of his favorites and come highly recommended — it won’t be a surprise if he decides to bring the goodness back to Manila in future. — LA, GMA News
