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Inside A Cavernous Café That Resembles Chocolate Cake

In Auro Café BGC, colorful lamps shaped like cacao pods, a terrace fully clad in arurog and references to Palawan’s Cathedral Cave are all part of the bold design m

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Jar Concengco

<div><br/></div><p>The newly opened <a href="https://aurochocolate.com/" target="_blank">Auro Café</a> in BGC can be seen from afar. It glows amidst its surroundings and it’s hard not to stop and stare at it. From the outside, you can see milk chocolate colored arches reaching up towards colorful lamps shaped like cacao pods. </p><div><br/></div><p>Stepping inside takes you far from the city life and makes you feel as if you were near a beach. This was intentional according to Mark Ocampo, co-founder of Auro Cafe, “We were playing around with the idea of tropicality of the Philippines when we were conceptualizing this space. When people talk about the good things about the Philippines, they refer to it as a paradise partly because of its beaches. We’re known for our beaches but there’s no experience in the city that feels like a beach.”</p><div><br/></div><div class="article-content" itemProp="articleBody"><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/3251a5c5-bc56-4372-9784-f68e8565d891_auro chocolate interiors_landscape.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/10a5fb8a-2a3c-4357-a104-36aa5af120a5_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 3.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/8e778de6-1317-463a-8b76-ac134845e55d_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/ae8dcdd6-e53c-4472-8d10-74c095f04ad6_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 4.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/41b17599-227e-4d1e-8dae-860ef922dac6_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 5.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/55509b53-7366-4d24-932c-cac985917bc3_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 6.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/f999b338-d898-4224-8ddf-4001afba3b40_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 7.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/746689a0-57ea-4c6a-985d-d2c241ed1ddd_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 8.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/5bd6faec-b36f-441b-911b-8fe521afc903_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 9.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/4dcf926f-88e3-499f-8dd9-f065069dbbc8_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 10.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/8a08c2f1-ab67-4ed0-b90a-c2b1bd25e55d_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 11.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/98f7e4bd-cd08-4955-bd34-c2f89aa4b17e_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 12.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/d2535de0-e13b-4484-8cad-ea584dcbf319_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 13.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/11bde1e4-82f0-4926-b129-9f30b2514838_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 14.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/fc18ee47-c8e5-40c7-83db-9058a769eea5_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 15.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bold Filipino Design In Auro Café BGC<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bold Filipino Design In Auro Café BGC<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bold Filipino Design In Auro Café BGC<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bold Filipino Design In Auro Café BGC<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bold Filipino Design In Auro Café BGC<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bold Filipino Design In Auro Café BGC<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bold Filipino Design In Auro Café BGC<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bold Filipino Design In Auro Café BGC<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bold Filipino Design In Auro Café BGC<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bold Filipino Design In Auro Café BGC<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bold Filipino Design In Auro Café BGC<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bold Filipino Design In Auro Café BGC<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bold Filipino Design In Auro Café BGC<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Bold Filipino Design In Auro Café BGC<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div></div></div></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/living/tips/burnt-bean-interiors-by-sudarshan-khadka/34822" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">This Café Is Blazing With A Mix Of Mod Deco And Japanese Design Details</a></div><div><br/></div><p>Auro Chocolate as a brand is known to straddle the fine line of playfulness and sophistication. The architecture and interiors of Auro Cafe is the same way with its beautiful cavernous dining area. Terrazzo flooring resembles either sand at the beach or chocolate bark full of nuts depending on how hungry you are. Woven lamps in a vibrant array of colors by Rita Nazareno of Zacarias1925 hang above the order counter. The pattern seen behind the counter is the same exact pattern featured on Auro Chocolate bars.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/765531c9-c872-499e-8523-48c94ab53610_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 12.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>“The front area [of the cafe] is structural like a cave. When you go to Palawan, you explore caves like the <a href="https://guidetothephilippines.ph/destinations-and-attractions/cathedral-cave" target="_blank">Cathedral Cave</a>. Here it looks like a cave but it also looks like a chocolate cake,” Ocampo explains.</p><div><br/></div><p>For the furniture, bamboo chairs made by a furniture company from Cavite named <a href="https://fameplus.com/brands/winnersfurniture" target="_blank">Winners Furniture</a> further the feel of a beach setting. The fabric of the pillows are from Iloilo. Wallpaper featuring illustrations of cacao pods, coconut trees and the indigenous rafflesia flower are by illustrator <a href="http://www.raxenne.com/" target="_blank">Raxenne Maniquiz</a>. “Even our uniforms are made by <a href="https://rurungan.org/" target="_blank">Rurungan Sa Tubod</a>, a community of indigenous women in Palawan,” Ocampo shares.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/17075a3b-0a66-4f82-beb8-45e11887d386_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 14.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/></span></span></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/living/tips/inside-the-white-lotus-season-2-locations/34503" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inside The Sensuous And Storied Locations Of The White Lotus</a></div><div><br/></div><p>Kitty Buñag was enlisted to do visual merchandising for the space, and for the retail area she suggested putting a tree. Ocampo further developed this idea into a display tree as a representation of a cacao tree. He drew what he had in mind and had <a href="https://www.nazarenolichauco.com/about" target="_blank">Rita Nazareno</a> put to life what he envisioned. The result? A vibrant multi-level functional display with thick woven trunk-like legs and branches with small shelves and woven cacao pods.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/a47c37af-2cf9-47b2-b511-f7fb508198a0_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 9.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>There is a terrace fully cladded in arurog or wicker that transports you to a faraway beach club. The cafe is filled with natural light and this was a requirement that Ocampo sought out from the very beginning. “I didn’t want the space to feel claustrophobic. So when we were looking for a space in BGC, we liked how this spot had a park in front of it and a park on the side. So it feels more open and not congested.”</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/6e8a926f-2a27-47f8-9865-52cf81232435_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 6.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/></span></span></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/living/makeovers/ob-montessori-renovation-by-nazareno-lichauco/34718" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vibrant Filipino Design Revitalizes The OB Montessori Greenhills Campus</a></div><div><br/></div><p>The menu features mostly Filipino food incorporating cacao and chocolate in every dish. The Chicharron Manok is deep fried chicken skin with a very light dusting of cacao powder. Their Beef Tapa is marinated in cacao (lending a very subtle chocolate aroma) and served with an atchara made with house made cacao vinegar.</p><div><br/></div><p>Their pastries and viennoiserie is in collaboration with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/leti_moreau/" target="_blank">Chef Leti Moreau</a> of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/simoneandamelia/" target="_blank">Simone (@simoneandamelia)</a>. Since opening, lines have been forming as early as 6:30am and pastries get sold out before lunch time. Their Pain Auro Chocolate is a croissant dough in the form of a cute caterpillar filled with 64% dark chocolate ganache. </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/58d4a736-ed3c-4fde-8bd1-47a4e5174d05_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 15.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>The cafe also serves craft beer from <a href="https://engkanto.com.ph/pages/shop?utm_source=Google&amp;utm_medium=Search&amp;utm_campaign=Brand&amp;utm_term=engkanto&amp;utm_campaign=Jul+-+Search+-+Brand&amp;utm_source=adwords&amp;utm_medium=ppc&amp;hsa_acc=4700375088&amp;hsa_cam=13948648958&amp;hsa_grp=122278023542&amp;hsa_ad=574721212738&amp;hsa_src=g&amp;hsa_tgt=kwd-766806241097&amp;hsa_kw=engkanto&amp;hsa_mt=e&amp;hsa_net=adwords&amp;hsa_ver=3&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiA54KfBhCKARIsAJzSrdry20xjWZmdYUzxYMPsR0k4OAUumeCf6le_V2PwYiBlcxo1rnd6Q3waAgMsEALw_wcB" target="_blank">Engkanto</a> and classic cocktails crafted by <a href="https://www.runrabbit.run/" target="_blank">Run Rabbit Run</a> but Ocampo is especially proud of the Tiki drinks. According to its Ocampo, “Tiki drinks is a really fun concept. We realized that even if it was from Hawaii, bartenders who were Filipinos were responsible for it.” </p><div><br/></div><p>According to Auro Cafe’s menu, “Dating back to <a href="https://www.foodrepublic.com/2016/10/24/inside-don-the-beachcomber-the-original-tiki-bar/" target="_blank">Donn Beach</a>’s introduction to tiki drinks in 1933, Filipinos have been the unsung heroes who concocted and perfected these complex and incredibly tasty drinks that transport you to a tropical paradise. Donn initially had four Filipino bartenders, whom he called ‘The Four Boys’, making world-renowned tiki drinks behind the scenes. We pay homage to them and their enduring yet untold legacy in tiki culture in our own spin on the classics.” </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/af47969f-98b1-4321-b57e-d33dd17269a8_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 13.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>From the menu to the space’s design, Ocampo had a strong hand and a clear vision. “We wanted a create a space that was uncompromising where people can actually be in a space that was all Filipino. We really invested in the best suppliers in all of the elements of the café. We want Filipinos to feel that they deserve the best.”</p>

In Auro Café BGC, colorful lamps shaped like cacao pods, a terrace fully clad in arurog and references to Palawan’s Cathedral Cave are all part of the bold design moves that portray a tropical paradise