Casa Estela Cafe: Flagship Restaurant Of The First Ever Boutique Hotel In Calapan

It’s the 233rd day of quarantine period in our region and another day rediscovering our province.

One thing I love about Baguio is the countless coffee shops in the city. I think, every area in Baguio offers hot delicious coffee to warm and comfort. Even though it’s sunny most of the time in Mindoro, it’s my dream for my province to become Baguio when it comes to the number of cafes. Right now, I can only count a few decent coffee shops namely Cafe Marco of Puerto Galera, MND Coffee and Bar of Calapan, Cafe Mori of Calapan, He Brews of Pinamalayan, Read N’ Brew of Bansud and our today’s feature and our latest favorite restaurant, Casa Estela Cafe.

Casa Estela Cafe is the flagship restaurant of the first ever boutique hotel in Calapan. Checking in their rooms feels like having a staycation in Manila. But it was their cafe that attracted me the most since I can seldomly see restaurants and coffee shops in Mindoro that really invested on interiors. The design is a mixture of mediterranean and modern so the environment is pleasing to the eye and cozy to stay at the same time.

Food in Casa Estela Cafe is also great. I listed down a number of dishes and drinks I’ve tried so far in the said cafe.

Philly Cheesesteak Panini | Iced Caramel Macchiato

Philly Cheesesteak Panini and Iced Caramel Macchiato – these two are the main reasons why we keep coming back Casa Estela. It was our group’s fave in the cafe. The crispy bread may be thick, but the filling was also oozing with steak strips and cheese. On the other hand, we should all agree that the Caramel Macchiato was the star of Casa Estela. It has the perfect blend of caramel, coffee and milk. I can’t explain it. It’s just heavenly.

Seafood Marinara | Strawberry Black Tea

Thanfully, here’s another restaurant in Mindoro that nailed Seafood Marinara. Tossed with fresh and well-cooked seafood, the pasta is a blend of salty and sour. Actually, all of their pastas are incredible. It was my first time to try Strawberry Black Tea. I only had strawberry-flavored milk tea, which uses black tea, before. It’s strange and amazing at the same time. It only has mild strawberry flavor but recognizable.

Chicken Tocino | Mozzarella Sticks

My boyfriend has high standards when it comes to Tocino since it’s his favorite and Casa Estela was able to hit it! Their Chicken Tocino is homemade so it’s a plus point. It’s not the saucy kind but still flavorful. The eggs were nicely cooked. For starters, we tried their Mozzarella Sticks but sadly, the cheese was already hard when served. The Mozzarella Sticks kinda have a weird texture but they’re still crispy and appetizing. 

American Breakfast | Hot Cappuccino 

I know that two bacon strips, two eggs and toasted brioche slices would already make one full. But for an American breakfast, it’s lacking. Where’s the pancake, beans or waffle? Anyway, the egg was thick but not well-salted. It was the crispy bacon that provides the saltiness. The warmth of the Hot Cappuccino is really comforting. It makes me forget that I’m acidic. The coffee was strong and I love it.

New Zealand Angus Beef Salpicao | Black Gulaman

I’m glad to be served with a big plate here but most portions are composed of salad which gives some Asian vibe. I like the flavors of Beef Salpicao but it would be better and jucier if it’s done in medium rare cook. My friend recommended their Black Gulaman and I can clearly see why. It has strong brown sugar flavor yet it didn’t overpower the flavors of gulaman. And the drink is generous in black jelly.

Prawns in Salted Egg Sauce | Iced Chocolate

Just like the Beef Salpicao, this main dish is also served with salad which made the serving big. But actually, the prawns alone are great deal already because they’re huge and plenty. Its sauce successfully got the natural salted egg flavor. I paired my meal with this aesthetically beautiful Iced Chocolate. I was loving the drizzle on the side and the foamy top. Tastewise, it’s similar to Swiss Miss chocolate. I hope they used dark chocolate though.

Matcha White Chocolate | Java Chip Frappe

Casa Estela has better Java Chip Frappe than that of the same flavor in other cafes in Mindoro since it really has the kick of a truly brewed coffee. I didn’t noticed that I also ordered a kind of chocolate chip cookie, too. It’s matcha flavor was just mild and the white chocolate is not too sweet. The cookies were soft and crumbly. Everything’s good except from the oily texture of chocolate chips both in cookies and frappe. 

Iced Mocha | Thai Green Tea

Visiting Casa Estela has always been a habit whenever we go to Calapan. If we’re not going to dine in, we’ll at least take out drinks. At different times, we ordered Iced Mocha and Thai Green Tea. For the Iced Mocha, I noticed that they used minimal dark chocolate so it kinda became bland. The Thai Green Tea absolutely got the tea flavors as I can sense some Jasmine or Ceylon. It’s milky at the same time. The tapioca pearls are sweet but not freshly cooked.