recipe – My eatsperience

I first heard about The Coffee Library from my father-in-law — he kept talking about how amazing their Tuna Steak was. So during our trip to San Juan, La Union (ElYu), we spotted their branch near a 7-Eleven. The café looked inviting, but parking was tight, so we skipped it.

On our way back, his kumpare mentioned another branch in San Fernando, tucked beside a SeaOil gas station. We got lucky with parking after lunch, so we finally gave it a go.

What We Ordered:

Cheese Burger (₱270)
Tuna Steak (₱300)
Baby Back Ribs (₱315)
Creamy Shrimp & Tuna Pasta (₱280)
Vietnamese Caphe Sua Da – Iced Milk Coffee (₱145)

The Coffee Library: 🍔 Cheese Burger

This burger didn’t feel like your usual fast-food kind — the patty was thick, juicy, and had a light char that gave it a smoky edge. The bun was soft but sturdy, not overly airy, and it balanced the meat well. What stood out? The white onions — they had a natural sweetness and umami that played perfectly with the crisp lettuce and tomatoes. Plus, there was a savory-sweet sauce (maybe from the meat juices?) that gave it that extra “what-is-this-it’s-so-good” flavor.

The Coffee Library: 🍖 Baby Back Ribs

A plate of baby back ribs served with a mound of white rice and a fresh salad containing lettuce, diced mango and strawberries, cucumber, and tomatoes. — *Baby Back Ribs served with a side of rice and fresh salad*

The meat was fall-off-the-bone in some parts, though a few bites near the bone needed extra effort. It was well-marinated with a rich, slightly smoky-sweet BBQ glaze. What really surprised me was the side salad — a refreshing mix of sweet mangoes, tangy strawberries, crisp lettuce, sesame seeds, raisins, and a tropical mango dressing. It felt like a mini “fresh” dessert on the side.

The Coffee Library: 🍝 Creamy Shrimp and Tuna Pasta

A plate of Creamy Shrimp and Tuna Pasta topped with shrimps, garnished with a basil leaf, served with two slices of grilled bread. — *A plate of Creamy Shrimp and Tuna Pasta topped with shrimps, garnished with basil leaf, served with two slices of grilled bread.*

This dish nailed the balance — creamy but not cloying (no “umay”), with a subtle seafood flavor from both shrimp and tuna. The shrimp brought that briny sweetness, while the tuna added depth. A little chili on top will give it a nice kick. I expected it to be heavy, but it was surprisingly light and flavorful from start to finish.

The Coffee Library: 🐟 Tuna Steak

A plated meal featuring a grilled tuna steak garnished with green onions, accompanied by a serving of white rice and colorful vegetables including green beans, potato and carrot. — *A plated meal featuring a tuna steak garnished with green onions, accompanied by a serving of white rice and colorful vegetables including green beans, potato and carrot.*

No fishy smell at all — even without lemon! The tuna was tender, moist inside, and had a clean, mild ocean flavor. The seasoning was simple, letting the freshness of the tuna shine. I now understand why both my father-in-law and his kumpare were raving about this dish.

The Coffee Library: ☕ Vietnamese Iced Coffee (Caphe Sua Da)

Vietnamese Coffee Caphe Sua Da (Iced Milk Coffee) at P145 — *Vietnamese Coffee Caphe Sua Da (Iced Milk Coffee)*

I had high hopes since I missed the one I tried in Vietnam. This one had that sweetened condensed milk richness, but the coffee wasn’t as bold or intense as I remembered. It leaned more on the sweet-milky side than the deep roasted flavor. Still refreshing, though the cup felt a bit small for the price.

✅ Final Verdict: The Coffee Library is worth the stop. Great flavors, decent prices, and a few standout dishes that are truly memorable. I’d happily go back to explore more from their menu — and maybe order that Tuna Steak again for myself.

Menu board featuring various coffee and beverage options, including Vietnamese coffee, iced coffee, blended beverages, fresh juices, smoothies, and tea with prices listed. — *The Coffee Library Menu board featuring various coffee and beverage options*

Menu board displaying various food options at The Coffee Library, including appetizers, salads, pasta, sandwiches, rice meals, pizza, and desserts, along with their prices. — *Menu board of various food options at The Coffee Library*

The Coffee Library counter featuring a modern espresso machine, various coffee supplies, and a bartender preparing drinks. — *The Coffee Library counter*

When craving for some non-fast food while travelling via NLEX (going south bound), try stopping at The Shoppe in Pampanga. It’s near Landers so if you’re on an errand to buy something, this is the place to be.

There are alot of food establishments in the area from Inasal Chicken, Filipino Food, American, Grilled Meats, Korean, you name it and I bet there’s always a place for you there. We discovered this place after visiting Landers in Angeles Pampanga with cravings for Birria Tacos and Chicken Biriani for hubby.

We were lucky to come across a Tiktok Account that featured Wildspices Cafe Infinity and it happened to be within the vicinity. We ordered the Birria Tacos for just PhP 290. They served two pieces which is almost half the price of Army Navy – Beef Birria Taco is PhP405. The only difference is that Army Navy offers a picked jalapeno with loads of onions and a tasty diluted dipping sauce. For this version of Birria Tacos, they have this mild-spiced sauce with lemon on the side. It tasted good except it’s a bit oily. They could’ve placed it on an absorbent paper towel a bit longer before serving but overall, I liked it.

Birria Tacos for PhP 290 — Birria Tacos at Wildspices Cafe Infinity for PhP 290

Next is the Chicken Biryani for hubby. The photo didn’t do justice with regard to the size of the actual chicken – it’s not this small and big neither. It’s on the medium size served with slices of cucumber and tomato plus the sauce that’s not too empowering. I love chicken biryani and have tried it from numerous restaurants within and outside Metro Manila so I can say that this can be one reason I’ll go back to this restaurant. The price + serving size + taste…thumbs up.

Chicken Biriani at Wildspices Cafe Infinity for PhP 300 — Chicken Biryani at Wildspices Cafe Infinity for PhP 300

Aside from the two, we also tried their Kani Salad, Chicken Pesto Pasta, Chicken Tikka Masala, Porterhouse Steak, Blackened Salmon with Aligue Cream Sauce and Calamari Bites.

Kani Salad @ Wildspices Cafe Infinity for PhP 240

The Chicken Pesto we had is bland and the pasta is a bit soggy. It’s a small serving like 5 fork-full then it’s gone. This is the only order we didn’t quite like.

Chicken Pesto at Wildspices cafe Infinity for PhP240

Their Chicken Tikka Masala is a dish that you would come back for many times. The saltiness and creaminess of the sauce goes well with the bread. It’s love at first bite for hubby. Like you can imagine the invisible hearts through his eyes when he tasted this.

For their Blackened Salmon with Aligue Cream Sauce, I was expecting a charcoaled-like salmon as in black but it’s not. We opt for the mushed potato instead of rice because we already have too much carbs on our orders. It was good for a few bites but after some time, it’s kind of “nakakaumay”. Maybe because of the Aligue Sauce – it’s on the salty side. This is just a small portion but wasn’t able to consume all. The price is okay for the serving size as Salmon is really an expensive dish on restaurants.

Blackened Salmon with Aligue Cream Sauce for PhP380 at Wildspices Cafe Infinity — Blackened Salmon with Aligue Cream Sauce for PhP380

The Porterhouse Steak – the meat attached to the bone is somewhat hard to chew or cut although this is medium rare. The gravy sauce is good and so with the mushed potato on the side. If I have to choose between this or the Blackened Salmon, I’ll go with this one.

Porterhouse Steak for PhP380 at Wildspices Cafe Infinity — Porterhouse Steak for PhP380

And last but definitely not the least is their Calamari Bites with potato chips. The calamari is well cooked – it’s texture is chewable and not rubbery. You know when a squid is overcooked, it tends to be rubbery and really difficult to munch. Also the garlic sauce ( I guess) is a good partner of both the calamari and potato chips. I even used the sauce on my Blackened Salmon to negate the saltiness of the Aligue Sauce.

Calamari Bites for PhP230 at Wildspices Cafe Infinity — Calamari Bites for PhP 230

Our overall experience with Wildspices Cafe Infinity is a good one. Aside from the food, the servers and owners were friendly. We’ll definitely come back for their Chicken Tikka Masala and maybe Chicken Biryani. Else, we’ll try other food establishments in the area.

Tag: recipe

A Flavor-Packed Stop at The Coffee Library (San Fernando La Union)

Wildspices Cafe Infinity at Angeles Pampanga

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