by Nicai de Guzman, photos by Juan Sinag Cano
Have you dropped by the new Press by Fully Booked in Rockwell? They encourage reading inside the café by allowing their patrons to borrow the books they have on their shelves!
The first thing you’ll notice when you enter the café is that it’s heavily designed with books. The next thing you’ll see is a pillar is designed with the diagonal, slot-type book shelves. Beside it is their new reading lounge.
There are about a hundred titles on the shelf curated by the Fully Booked team. There are books about business and politics but they also have young adult novels. They change the selection of books every once in a while to keep their readers coming back for more.
The most exciting part of this is that we readers can participate. Remember the good ol’ days of library cards? They’re kind of reviving that. Inside the cover flap are cards, similar to the borrower’s card of libraries. But instead of writing your name and the date you checked out the book, you can write one-word reviews of the book on these cards. You can also include your Twitter username so that Fully Booked can tag you in their social media pages.
The 300+ pocketbooks stacked like Jenga by the counter can also be borrowed and read while inside the café. Just remember to ask help from the staff while pulling out your preferred book.
Of course, while dining, don’t forget to order food and drinks from their menu. Do you know that some of their dishes are even named after book characters?
One of which is The Jabberwocky (P320) sandwich and The Merlin (P220) burger. They also have the Booklover’s Dip (P220)—tortilla crisps which are the perfect reading companion. And topping their bestseller list is the Pressadilla (P195 to P350), the café’s inventive take on quesadilla. It uses their secret recipe of spicy ground meat, mozzarella, cheddar and fresh tomato salsa, sandwiched by grilled soft flour tortilla.
While reading, also make sure you have drinks ready for those gulp-inducing plot twists. Opt for the Press Punch (P99), a concoction of calamansi and cucumber. You can also try their Grape Shake (P99) or Press Iced Tea (P99).
Press by Fully Booked definitely ranks as a choice hangout place for book lovers who want to unwind with a new book or two. It encourages their patrons to “read something better” and maybe try something different on their plate, too.
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BOOKBED 
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