Post pandemic dining introduces innovation from first-time restaurateurs armed with new concepts, youthful POV, and fresh capital. I’m excited for the next wave of dining concepts with safety as the number 1 priority, focus on design and quality of food + drinks.
Here are our first impressions of Three Squares Bar + Cafe by the design trio of Stephanie Coyuito, Joseph Tay and, Dana Uy at Design Story.
About Three Squares Bar + Cafe
It started with this innovative take on Brunch of Crate kit delivered in Hay crates with an acetate cover to deliver a smile, yummy ayuda, and good morning vibes.
The design studio and cafe are hidden on the 2nd floor of Karrivin Plaza, known for its artsy enclave feel, yummy restos, and vibrant community.
Design Story features Danish home furniture, outdoor lifestyle decor, and lighting from Hay, Verpan, &Traditions plus Shanghai-based East & West inspired designs by Stellar Works.
Three Squares Cafe Bar is an integration of good design X comfort eats X specialty drinks (coffee + cocktails) amidst the luxury furniture and homeware curated by Design Story.
Three Squares Cafe + Bar @ Design Story
📍Unit C-11, 2nd floor building C The Alley at Karrivin Plaza,
Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City
Operating Hours: 10:00am to 7:00pm
Instagram: @threesquarescafebar
Mobile: +63 977 464-8100
Website: https://www.designstory.com.ph
Three Squares Cafe + Bar Menu: Food | Cocktails | Drinks | Coffee
Food by Chef Aaron, Cocktails by Kiara Athena, and Coffee by Jonathan Choi of Exchange Alley fame with design-inspired names served using design story plates and cutleries.
It’s a cozy nook, as if intended for husbands or boyfriends to hang out with their coffee and drinks while their partners shop around IRL to get inspired to elevate their home environment.
(They currently have a dine-in capacity of 32, operating at 20% for fully-vaxxed diners.)
We loved the glass box, which is their stylish private room with warm lighting, high ceiling, and a view of the Karrivin enclave. Imagine having a zoom session here amidst the coffee, drinks, and inspired designs.
(Note: They don’t have high-speed internet yet in the area. Hopefully soon.)
You can request to have the windows opened for better ventilation while you dine in.
Cocktails + Pica Pica
We have loved this hummus ever since we tasted it from the brunch crate, and it tasted better straight from the kitchen served with a little bit of lemon, crunchy chick peas, and a chunky pita bread.
I missed enjoying kakaibang drinks, like this strawberry lemon soda, over good conversations.
The croquettes were the chunkier kind. You could take your time and enjoy them in 2-3 bites.
For g&t lovers, this lemonade soda gin version was satisfying, refreshing the palate and getting the conversation going.
The ladies can take their time shopping as the men enjoy their truffle mushroom balls.
With bits of peaches, this was one of the best iced tea concoctions we’ve tried.
So awesome to have met Dana f2f, and get first hand stories about how they started the concept.
Pasta + Toast
The best kind of brunch – salmon on toast topped with egg and salad served directly from the kitchen.
Loved the taste of the sea infused into the Manila clams served with a good flat pasta.
A simple tomato and cheese toast done well.
The squid ink taste was subtle, and you won’t have to worry about getting black ink on your teeth.
Go for this if you want something meatier and heavier.
Dessert + Coffee
My kind of dessert – good coffee and ice cream on a nice serving plate.
Best milk coffee ever. Sarap nito!
Fresh take on deconstructed cheesecake served like ice cream with crumble and lemon rind.
Final Thoughts
Congratulations to Three Squares @ Design Story for an awesome homey cafe concept!
We felt safe the moment we entered because clean can be seen all around – in the design and the people serving you (98% vaxxed).
Start with the Beet Root Hummus paired with Palette or Sketch. Don’t miss the Smoked Salmon Toast with coffee or cocktail. End nicely with the Affogato or Lemon Cheesecake. Budget about ₱700/head.
The whole environment is inspiring and you won’t be able to resist buying something to elevate your own home experience with thoughtful designs and dining accessories.
It’s a win-win place to go on a date for a girl who misses shopping IRL and for a boy who loves to enjoy his coffee or cocktail. Reserve the glass box with your amigas and barkada to enjoy the Three Squares experience.
Three Squares Cafe + Bar @ Design Story
📍Unit C-11, 2nd floor building C The Alley at Karrivin Plaza,
Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City
Operating Hours: 10:00am to 7:00pm
Instagram: @threesquarescafebar
Mobile: +63 977 464-8100
Website: https://www.designstory.com.ph
Live an Awesome Life with Christ,
Founder & Digital Creator, Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: Thanks to Nikkei Team for the experience. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights.
Disclosure: Our meal was courtesy of Dana Uy. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights.
P.S. They officially open on October 9, Saturday with limited menu, no wifi internet, and first come first serve basis (no reservations) at 20% dine-in capacity for fully-vaxxed diners.
You can also enter through their Casa Bella showroom beside Poison and the common al fresco restroom of Karrivin Plaza.
The best selling items in Design Story are the outdoor portable waterproof lamps that are good for 8-10 hours with prices ranging from ₱4,000 to ₱12,000, depending on the design.
I loved the lighting features of Design Story. You can also enjoy them at home!
They also have the best outdoor furnitures for your garden and al fresco home setup.
Here are more details about the lifestyle brands they carry:
(photos by our awesome planet, text from design story website)
Stellar Works stands for a renaissance of refined culture and Asian aesthetics. Inspired by the long standing craft and industry of traditional cultures, it represents a commitment to bridging the gap between old and new, east and west – in attitude, form and application. Stellar Works seeks to reintroduce past collections of classics, alongside culturally-inspired contemporary signatures. It infuses freshness into heritage and grounds innovation with enduring craftsmanship. In 2012, we established Stellar Works as a way to bring ideas together: East and West, heritage and modernity, craft and industry – bringing the best of the past into the light of the present. Our aim was to inspire a renaissance in Asian aesthetics, taking the forms, styles and motifs that have characterized Japanese design across the centuries and filtering them through the lens of the European tradition to create something new and timeless.
“We have chosen this path between the old and the new because I believe good design is timeless design. Stellar Works aims to be timeless.”
– Yuichiro Hori, CEO and Founder
Today, sustainability is fundamental to good design, and responsible material sourcing forms a key chapter in any product’s story. Through transparent sourcing and manufacturing, Stellar Works offers clients an assurance of integrity and a demonstrable commitment to sustainability.
HAY was founded in 2002 with the ambition of creating contemporary furniture that uses sophisticated industrial manufacturing to satisfy the needs of modern living. Today, this fundamental goal remains our mission: through our commitment to the design and production of furniture, lighting and accessories with an international appeal, we strive to make good design accessible to the largest possible audience.
Inspired by the stable structures of architecture and the dynamics of fashion, HAY combines the values of both industries in durable, quality products that provide added value for the user. HAY’s continued vision is to create straightforward, functional and aesthetic design in cooperation with some of the world’s most talented, curious and courageous designers. This has resulted in many fruitful collaborations, and in 2018, HAY joined forces with American furniture company Herman Miller to deliver excellent design to a wide variety of customers and contexts.
Paying homage to Denmark’s long-standing design heritage, &Tradition bridges old and new by creating furniture, lighting and interior objects with timeless appeal. From reissuing design icons to creating future classics in collaboration with acclaimed international designers, the collection combines craftsmanship with creativity and shapes carefully considered pieces with purpose and meaning. Always respectfully. Always made to last. Spanning decades of timeless design icons – from Verner Panton’s norm-breaking Flowerpot lamp first produced in the late 1960s to Arne Jacobsen and Flemming Lassen’s Mayor sofa designed specifically for Søllerød’s city hall located in the outskirts of Copenhagen – &Tradition’s collection of furniture, lighting, and interior objects ranges from reissued mid-century classics to contemporary pieces.
Once fought-over by design appreciators at auctions around the world and available to only a handful of people, many of our products – including the Mayor sofa, Viggo Boesen’s Little Petra chair and some of the newly-added Hvidt & Mølgaard designs – are retrieved from original sketches and produced on a large scale for the first time ever.
Alongside such mid-century gems are a number of contemporary pieces, the work of some of today’s most acclaimed international artists: Valencia-based Jaime Hayon, local studio Space Copenhagen, Swedish-raised designer Sami Kallio and Norwegian duo Anderssen & Voll – to name a few.
Verpan is – much like Verner Panton – a product of the Danish design tradition, which have put Denmark on the world map for functional, modern and unique design.
The story of Verpan began in 2003, when the first production of Verner Panton lighting was initiated. In 2010, a furniture range was added. Today, Verpan offers a carefully curated selection of Verner Panton’s timeless designs. Our product range includes iconic furniture and lighting pieces that offers extraordinary user experiences and facilitate new ways of living, working, and interacting.
Verpan is proud to carry on the legacy of Verner Panton as an official licensee of Verner Panton Design AG – the exclusive owner of all Verner Panton designs.