You might once wonder why cafes are labeled by some as the “third” place to go after homes and workplaces. Or why nowadays, coffee shops dot almost everywhere in your place. Yes. We’re talking about the coffee shops in a typical setting that are aesthetically pleasing in the eyes with their interior and designs.
Coffee Shops are almost at every corner, but have you seen a café limited to the confines of a three-square-feet wide red telephone box? The capital city of London has it and one of the few that has been repurposed into cafes is owned by a Filipino entrepreneur and former chef, Joel Carlos.
They say it’s not the size that matters but it is what you do with it. This is what a Filipino living overseas café owner manifested in running a coffee shop named The Manila Brew that made most out of a red telephone booth, also known as the red kiosks in London, located along London’s Sicilian Avenue.
Joel Carlos, 46, is a former Visiting Faculty Lecturer of Polytechnic University of the Philippines and has been living in London since 2003.
Living his rule, “life begins at the end of your comfort zone”, the former chef and culinary instructor brewed and achieved an adorable coffee shop dubbed as “London’s smallest coffee shop” in a retrofitted red telephone box last February.
One might think if it’s possible to conduct a coffee business in a tiny space, however, the Filipino spirit of Carlos demonstrates that it may not be bigger on the inside, a tiny space for business can never compare to massive perseverance and ingenuity.
Every morning, Carlos sets up the store with a folding chair, umbrella, a menu, and “The Manila Brew” signage while the fully-stocked kiosk shows off the goods the café offers.
At the moment, Carlos serves the customers with the usual coffee shop fare including espressos, lattes, and macchiatos. In his shop, you can also have non-dairy options for people with lactose intolerance as well as hot choco, soda, and bottled water for coffee averse.
Of course, you’d probably never want to miss his home-baked Filipino-inspired cookies, and cheese-filled ensaymadas and his latest recipe of ensaymada with ube frosting that are popular among students and office workers since The Manila Brew is located near universities and the British National Museum.
Certainly, the global pandemic has introduced uncertainties into different major aspects like a crushed goal, upended job roles and family dynamics, grave health risks and consequences, and economic stability is undermined.
However, for someone like Carlos who strives to provide for his family and make the most out of the given opportunity, all it takes is the vision to think up something that would take advantage of the limitations brought by the pandemic—in addition to heart, patience, and hard work.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/TheManilaBrewLondon, https://www.facebook.com/joel.carlos.9250
