Its sign reads: coffee·dessert. For a rabid dessert lover like myself, there isn’t a more enticing beacon. It’s called RaaN – yes, capitals on both ends sandwiching the two lower-case a’s. It’s one of the new establishments housed in the newest commercial building along Jupiter St., which includes Nullah, the Asian fashion and homeware store. Before I could even step foot into RaaN, there was the problem of parking, the bane of Manila motorists.

The building where RaaN is located has a preposterous parking basement, a mini maze that’s monstrous in its smallness. Frankly, I don’t even know why they bothered to build the stupid thing, hopefully, not just for the sake of being able to say they offer basement parking. First, I had to slide my car down this ramp — to say that it’s steep is putting it too mildly. Once inside the cramped space, there are four parking slots at sharp angles to one another. The only way to park a car here is through a series of highly calculated forwards and reverses. It is impossible to back up into these slots without hitting one of the several posts, which evidently support the entire building. Don’t even think of bringing your SUV here. The basement is cramped further by construction odds and ends that litter the floor. In short, parking here is an exercise in futility and frustration. I suggest parking in the open pay-parking slot beside the Jupiter Place Building beside Red Ribbon.

Anyway.

In keeping with the Asian vibe of Nullah, RaaN is an attempt at an Oriental oasis in the heart of one of Makati’s busiest streets. The dominant color theme is soft purple, brown, and beige. The rattan straight-back chairs and the parachute-like lamps with tassels lend textural accents to the interior, complete with piped-in tinkling music.

At RaaN, there is not much on the menu, which is hung on the wall. Drinks are divided into caf̩, espresso-free, and others. Among the listed house specialties are the Tsoknat (nut-infused chocolate coffee РP55/P95), which is also available ice-blended; Red Thai iced tea (annatto, tea, milk, syrup РP60), and Vietnamese coffee (individually brewed, strong drip coffee, milk and syrup РP60). Other non-coffee drinks include the mango cream slush (P95), guyabano iced tea (P50), and the tsokolate (P50).

I tried the coco-guava cream slush (P65), an interesting moniker for a drink that reminds me of canned four-seasons juice whizzed with coconut milk and ice. The Red Thai iced tea tastes exactly like any other Thai iced tea available in the city – common, but a nice change from the coffee-tea-chai merry go round.

There are plenty of cookies (only cookies) available to pair with my drink, among them the dubious sounding chocolate-pastillas cookies (which had run out), brownie fudge bars, cashew-plaintain cookies, and pappadum crackers. The last two items are not the run-of-the-mill coffee shop fare, but appealing nevertheless, in a sort of New Age way. There’s also trail mix, though it seems out of place in a place like this.

I went for the Kashmir cookies, which the server says were cashew cookies. My opinion is that they were gingersnap cookies given a funky name. I overheard the server pushing the calamansi bar to the customers ahead of me, and while they didn’t bite, I did. I wish I didn’t. A very tart citrus curd resting on a tired, soggy crust. Calamansi may be in there, but lemon was the top note flavor here.

I will go back to RaaN to try the other drinks – the Vietnamese coffee, and the tsokolate, as well as to finally try their chocolate-pastillas cookies. Come here if you want a change from the coffee shop franchises, they also serve pastas, salads, and sandwiches, of what quality I can’t vouch for, however. But don’t go out of your way to come here, only perhaps if you’re in the area. Parking’s a bitch, and the “coffee·dessert” sign is misleading. There are only cookies here – no cakes, no pies, no good.

RaaN
122 Doña Consolacion Bldg.
Jupiter St., Makati
Open from 11am – 9pm