Hanging out at BoNa Coffee Westgate
Nov 11 2008 Tue
12:56 am PHT
During the long weeks that our household had no DSL, I managed to survive by going to Internet cafes, using my—now useless—ümobile 3G connection, and staying at various free Wi-Fi hotspots. One of the places I frequented was the Westgate branch of BoNa Coffee located inside Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang. I first heard about BoNa Coffee when Rico and Sasha raved about BoNa’s original branch in BF Homes Parañaque. They then opened their second branch in Alabang and that’s the one I tried.
All in all, BoNa Coffee Westgate (BoNa stands for Bohemian Nation, by the way) is an excellent place to use as your mobile office. It’s also one of the best cafes I’ve been to, ever. There’s free Wi-Fi, there are two computer terminals for use by patrons, and there’s plenty of power outlets in case you bring your own computing gear. Add to that the delicious drinks and snacks, the really friendly and helpful staff (they’re quite ready to answer any questions you may have about their food), and a very nice ambiance and you’re good to go! In terms of price, I would say that they’re comparable to Starbucks.
I’ve gone to BoNa Coffee several times and tried several of their varied offerings. I agree with Sasha that their 20° Below “Hot” Chocolate is pretty good and the sandwiches are tasty and healthy as well. I didn’t particularly like the Italian fruit sodas, however.
What I find amusing is that BoNa Coffee compares their food and drinks to their competitors and actually names them. BoNa says their coffee is healthier than Starbucks’, their tea has less calories than Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s, and their muffins are less fattening than a bakeshop whose name I forgot (updated) Cinnabon’s. They have this panel on the wall showing the nutritional comparison complete with their competitors’ logos. Now, I’m not well-versed with DTI regulations, but I think such outright comparisons are not allowed. Hehehe.
Anyway, below is a gallery of pictures I took of the food and the place. Each thumbnail links to a Flickr page. Don’t you agree that the place is pretty nice?
L-R, T-B: 1. Strawberry shake. 2. Egg sandwich. 3. Branded tissue paper. 4. The 20° Below Hot Chocolate (must try!). 5. Counter and staff. 6. Bohemian ambiance and the great wall mural .
Comments
Comment times are in Philippine time (+0800).
1
On 11:11 a.m., 12 Nov 2008, Joni wrote:
The place does look cozy!
2
On 3:21 p.m., 16 Nov 2008, Sasha wrote:
It IS great, yes? Whilst I prefer hot drinks and would automatically go for coffee, the 20° Below is an exception.
I reckon that sort of comparative advertising is allowed but is not normally practiced cuz it’s like a brand is letting another (a competitor at that) ride on an advertising campaign they paid for, know what I mean? Also, it’s a bit tricky to “claim” something if they don’t have significant facts to support their claims. In this case, perhaps BoNa is confident that they won’t get sued for it.
Anyway, glad to know you enjoyed your BoNa experience!
3
On 5:45 p.m., 16 Nov 2008, seav wrote:
@Joni, if you ever pass by that area, BoNa Coffee is definitely a must-see place. It’s like your favorite Bo’s Coffee Club at BHS.
@Sasha, well, thanks to your recommendations!
4
On 10:29 p.m., 20 Nov 2008, Juno Jose wrote:
Man, you’re right, BoNa is cool, though I don’t like the fact that it’s all the way there in the south—too far for me. When Oh when will they put one here on the north near makati, QC area?
Anyways about the “comparative advertising” they’re doing—you don’t wanna criticize on something you don’t know about. I’m familiar with advertising laws and this ad they have (which I’ve seen and read carefully), and what they’re doing is perfectly fine. It’s just that not many pinoys (myself included) like it when we compare directly showing other brand names. The important thing is truth in facts, which i verified—do a google check on those things they said, and you’ll see they’re actually right. The issue is that they aren’t smearing Starbucks or Cinnabon, just showing facts in comparing their lower fat lower calorie products.
I think its gutsy, but cool. They’ve got stones, dude.
Love your blog, and I’m a friend of any Bona fan!
Peace!
5
On 7:57 p.m., 16 Dec 2008, seav wrote:
@Juno Jose, Bo’s Coffee Club at Bonifacio High Street is a good alternative near Makati.
As for the advertising, I thought there was a legal reason why local advertisers censor out mentions or displays of competitors’ names/trademarks in commercials. Unlike in the U.S. where you see Pepsi commercials diss Coke uncensored.
6
On 9:45 a.m., 18 Dec 2008, kisskiss wrote:
I heard BoNa (bohemian nation) Coffee is opening somewhere in Makati and in MOA. Let’s watch out for that!
7
This comment has been flushed out.
8
On 7:41 p.m., 29 Jun 2009, joyce wrote:
when you search for BoNa coffee westgate in Google, vaes9 is the second link that pops up! cool. see, why do i even search google when i can just go straight to your blog…
9
On 10:10 a.m., 30 Jun 2009, seav wrote:
@joyce, nagkataon lang. hehehe.
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