Looking for a quiet, productive space around Manila is pretty impossible these days. It all depends on your needs, but a nice place to study or work — for me at least — consists of a noiseless, well-lit and relaxing environment. Tenant is all that and then some.
Tenant, a two-floor cafe and boutique combination, is nestled quietly along Kamagong street in Makati. Downstairs is a coffee shop with moderately-priced coffee (P120 for a latte) and interesting reads. It even has a comfy couch for relaxing and sturdy, steel chairs for when you need to sit up and get some work done. The place offers a nice balance between being organic and industrial, with its cold, cement floors complemented by the lush greenery tastefully placed throughout the cafe and shop.
Upstairs is pretty much the same thing. It’s bathed in natural light, which makes it perfect if you just want to sit down, relax and rest your eyes from staring at a computer screen. Its floor-to-ceiling windows and horizontal layout allows Tenant’s shop to be possibly the most well-lit and spacious spot around town.