Before the advent of food chains at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, homegrown Xtremely Xpresso Café has been quietly dishing out coffee and hot meals to residents of Olongapo and tourists in this business and leisure enclave.
"When my late father Benson Foo opened the café, he wanted to give visitors of Subic and residents of Olongapo a dining place at par with that of Manila’s restaurants," says Earl Foo, the café’s manager.
Situated at the Freeport’s central business district, Xtremely Xpresso is a café, restaurant, deli, and wine store rolled into one. And to date, it is perhaps one of the few establishments in the country with such a unique blend of specialties.
Named after the jazzed-up name of the popular coffee, it serves the soughtafter popular Lavazza Italian brand.
"We added the word ‘Xtremely’ to denote that we go the extreme to give our clients the best we can," Foo explains.
And just like metro’s ubiquitous American coffee shops, it serves espressos, frappes, teas, and pastries and cookies to go along with coffee. But as patronage grew, he decided to expand the menu to include pizzas, Italian soups and salads, pastas, and sandwiches.
A year later, the restaurant had to broaden their menu once more to include char-broiled steaks and grilled meat dishes to cater to visitors who look for inexpensive family-oriented dining places. Here, one could have a filling rice or pasta meal for as low as R200 inclusive of drinks.
Foo noted that one rarity why people flock to their place is their 16-slice pizza which boasts a diameter of 22 inches. "This is perhaps the biggest you can find in the country. It’s filling enough for a family or a barkada and very reasonably priced too," he proudly beams.
A must-taste is the Big Ben Pizza (named after the founder) loaded with pepperoni, sausage, bacon and beef on veggies, garlic onions, peppers, mushrooms, black olives and two kinds of cheese.
The health-conscious can opt for the vegetarian pizza or the herb tuna melt composed of chunky tuna on top of white creamy sauce covered with onion rings, mushroom slices, and a dash of parsley.
Other mouth-watering varieties flavors are Spanish Sardines, Brazilian bechamel, California style, all-meat, taco, and Hawaiian.
Foo revealed that another reason why customers keep coming back is its homey and upretentious interior ambiance which is ideal for small talk for customers and guests.
"The café’s design is a product of the combined ideas of the Foo family members gleaned from our little knowledge in Architecture and Interior Design 101," he enthused.
On one corner is a wine bar and cakes and pastries counter, which is partly secluded from the main dining area. The area is ideal for small groups who want some semblance of privacy.
Its exterior exudes a warm countrystyle motif that beckons passers-by. It also has a spacious area for a more relaxed al fresco dining under the stars, and needless to say the favorite spot of those who can’t help but get their dose of nicotine while sipping a hot cup of coffee.
"With the entry of more popular food franchises into Subic, we are confident that our novelty, good food and warm service will make us the brand of choice," Foo concludes.
Xtremely Xpresso Café is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night cravings. It is located at Dewey Avenue corner Sta. Rita Road.
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