For those who aren't well versed in the mother tongue of the Philippines, Tagalog, it loosely translates as "no hard bread in a warm coffee" - or even the toughest of people can become soft with the warmth and love of others. This idiom is stamped across all of Kapihan's (coffee house) panaderya (bakery) goods and is the perfect description for the warm, fuzzy feeling their coffee and baked goods make you feel.

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But first a brief history of the Philippine Republic and it's food...

The Philippines has an extremely chequered history. Due to its proximity, it has heavy links both culturally and linguistically to Chinese and Malay regions. Like much of the continent during the 1500s, the country was colonised by the Spanish and remained so until the late 1800s (making the country "more Spanish" than Mexico by duration of colonisation). During the period, Spain ruled The Philippines from Mexico, rather than Madrid, since it was closer and easier to navigate between the two nations leading to more influence from Mexican Spanish traditions (as seen through the national dish Adobo being present in different forms in both The Philippines and Mexico). However, at the turn of the 20th century, the United States won the Spanish-American War which led to the handover of Spanish imperial possessions notably Cuba but also The Philippines. This led to an influx of American culture as well as military presence, which remains until this day, and can be seen through the prevalence of English or food influence like the combination of hot dogs and fried chicken with noodles (Asian) and tomato sauce (Spanish). Japanese Occupation during World War II did not have the same impact on the Philippine cultural food fabric albeit scarring an entire generation of Filipinos. Only by the 1950s did The Philippines achieve self-determination and independence of foreign forces in order to finally be able to chart it's own course on the global stage.

This combination of cultures means that Filipino food is some of the most diverse and somewhat random cuisines one encounters. This story doesn't even take into account regional cuisine variation, such as the majority-Islamic Mindanao region that is more influenced by Middle Eastern cooking styles or the influx of Korean and Japanese cooking styles over recent decades. Unfortunately, though, Filipino food has been sorely under appreciated outside it's archipelago of 7,641 islands when compared to other South East Asian cuisines like Malay, Thai or Vietnamese. Today, however, Filipino food is finally getting it's time in the spotlight in the United Kingdom - cue Kapihan.

Pinoy Panderya Bliss in Battersea

Located on Parkgate Road, Battersea, Kapihan offers a variety of fresh Panaderya goods which are difficult to otherwise find in London. The Kapihan is styled, as much as you can in the UK, on the traditional Filipino kusina (kitchen) and the styles of bahay kubo (indigenous hut houses) to create a welcoming, warm and charming atmosphere in addition to Filipino artwork which creates a sense of more than just being a coffee shop but trying to better represent The Philippine culture.

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When we visited, we purchased:

• Traditional Pandesal (Bread of Salt) - savoury bread with a slight sweetness
• Chocolate Spanish Bread - Pandesal filled with Chocolate, sourced from South Cotabato, and Raw Hazelnut Creme (best served hot)
• Pan de coco - Pandan leaf-infused brioche with Macapuno (Young Coconut) filling (best served hot)
• Bibingka - Rice muffin with Macapuno strips (best steamed for 5-10 mins)

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Additionally other items including Chorizo or Mushroom 3 Cheese Pandesal as well as weekly specials (announced for the following Saturday on Mondays at 10pm). When we arrived at Kapihan, the specials were Kimchi Croissant or Mexican Umaga (Morning) Bun.

Needless to say these lasted just a short amount of time and were absolutely masarap (tasty). All the flavours are extremely unique and not like what you would find in your corner café or regular artisan bakery. It should be noted that in order to not be disappointed, you will need to order ahead of time. We ordered on the Wednesday for Saturday pickup and already at that time there were items for pre-order that were out of stock - pre-orders have a quantity of two in most item orders, so get kabigans (friends) to join you to enjoy the variety they have to offer.

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With a name like Kapihan, their other key staple is obviously great kape (coffee). Your usual (boring) options are here but definitely give something else a go and you won't be disappointed. These include:

• Barako Kape - a strong traditional Pinoy coffee served black and similar to a Turkish Coffee crossed with an Americano
• Palawan Honey Latte - with pulot (honey) from El Nido
• Spanish Latte - a sweet coffee made from Coconut Caramel but low sugar content
• Malagos Mocha with Chocolate from Davao
• Kapihan Mocha with Chocolate from South Cotabao
• V60 hand brewed coffee

We chose the Barako, since it was a Saturday morning and we wanted a kick start to the day. Tasty and strong - but if I was to visit again I'd definitely opt to try the Palawan Honey Latte. Kapihan, like many Coffee Shops, also offer the option to take home coffee beans as well as grinding them down to the level you need. These ground coffee beans are sourced from The Philippines and Indonesia with all smelling fantastic.

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Kapihan is a refreshing coffee shop to visit. It isn't trying to be uber trendy or painfully hipster, but it is unique in its offering and has something that is genuinely different on the London coffee scene. Their emphasis on sourcing raw ingredients from The Philippines as well as embracing sustainable Pinoy traits such as banana leaf in lieu of cake wrapper or compostable packaging shows a coffee shop trying to do things distinctly. Wherever you are in London, be sure to take a trip to Kapihan to give something new a go that many British people will never have experienced before - and a taste of the Philippines whilst we are unable to travel internationally. Whilst you're in the area be sure to take your panaderya goods and kape to nearby Battersea Park to properly savour the food and take in some fresh air.

You can find out more about Kapihan and pre-order items online at kapihan.coffee. If you're also interested in cooking your own Filipino food or learning more about Philippine culture, then I recommend taking a look at the book "I am a Filipino and this is how we cook" by Nicole Ponseca - which informed some of the history section in this blog post.

Where is your favourite coffee spot in London and why? Drop us a comment below!