In the Makati Central Business District, where the dress codes tend to be polished, the buildings are sleek, and everyone seems to have somewhere important to be, there’s an unwritten memo about how things are supposed to look: professional, polished, and, more often than not, a little uptight.
Apparently, FR MGMT didn’t get it.
Read as “From Management,” the cafe and bar along Rada Street sits right in the middle of all that business-district formality, but its approach to coffee and food is anything but predictable.
Instead of sticking to the usual cafe formula, it brings Filipino-inspired flavors, unexpected combinations, and drinks that give you something to talk about beyond your latest deadline—which, frankly, makes for a much more interesting coffee break.
Management Has Its Own Ideas About Coffee
I started with their Iced BibingkaBibingkaA soft rice cake traditionally baked in a clay pot lined with banana leaves, with coals above and below. Topped with salted egg, cheese, butter, and grated coconut, it isGo to Bibingka Glossary Latte, which is about as far from a forgettable iced latte as you can get. It combines espresso, soy milk, sugar syrup, and bits of salted egg to recreate the familiar flavors of bibingka in a completely different format.
The salted egg adds a savory-salty element to the drink, keeping it from tasting like just another sweet coffee concoction. It’s a playful take on Filipino flavors that makes you pay a little more attention to what you’re drinking—because apparently, management has decided that coffee doesn’t have to be predictable.
Their Iced Red Velvet Cheesecake builds on that same idea, taking two things you might normally order separately in coffee and dessert, and mashing them together.
Made with espresso, fresh milk, a red velvet-flavored syrup, and homemade red velvet cream cheese whip, it fully leans into the flavors of red velvet cake and cheesecake while still keeping coffee at the center of the drink. The homemade whip gives it that rich creaminess that you’d expect from cheesecake, making this considerably more indulgent than your standard afternoon caffeine fix.
In a district where coffee can sometimes feel like another item squeezed between meetings, this is the kind of drink that asks you to slow down and actually enjoy it.
The Snack Department Got the Memo Too
The Molo Jalapeño Poppers might be the clearest example of FR MGMT refusing to stick to the usual cafe playbook.
Instead of simply serving another predictable finger food, these combine molo, ham, cream cheese, jalapeños, and bell peppers, with a special mayo-based sauce on the side.
There’s plenty happening in each bite: savory ham, creamy cheese, a kick from the jalapeño, and the familiar Filipino element of molo. It’s the sort of snack that belongs in the middle of the table, especially when a quick coffee stop has quietly turned into a proper catch-up.
And perhaps that’s the real appeal of FR MGMT. It gives you an excuse to step away from the very environment it sits in.
A Little Less Business, A Little More Personality
There’s something amusing about finding a cafe like FR MGMT in the middle of Makati’s business district. Just outside, you have offices, corporate towers, meetings, and people moving from one appointment to the next. Inside, you can sink into colorful couches, bask in moody lighting, while enjoying Iced BibingkaBibingkaA soft rice cake traditionally baked in a clay pot lined with banana leaves, with coals above and below. Topped with salted egg, cheese, butter, and grated coconut, it isGo to Bibingka Glossary Lattes and a plate of Molo Jalapeño Poppers.
And it’s that contrast that makes the place memorable, because FR MGMT doesn’t seem particularly interested in following the formula of what a cafe in Makati’s CBD “should” be. Instead, it takes familiar flavors and gives them unexpected turns, whether that means salted egg and cheesecake in your coffee or a fiery jalapeño tucked into molo.
Even the name feels like part of the bit. “From Management” sounds like the beginning of a serious corporate announcement, but the actual message here is much more fun: come in, order something interesting, and stay for more than just your scheduled Zoom meeting.
Consider This Your Memo
So, in case you were waiting for the memo about how cafes are supposed to look, taste, and behave—especially in the middle of Makati’s buttoned-up business district—you won’t find it at FR MGMT.
They seem to have misplaced it. Or maybe they just decided it wasn’t worth following.
Either way, I’m not complaining. Between an Iced BibingkaBibingkaA soft rice cake traditionally baked in a clay pot lined with banana leaves, with coals above and below. Topped with salted egg, cheese, butter, and grated coconut, it isGo to Bibingka Glossary Latte, an Iced Red Velvet Cheesecake, and Molo Jalapeño Poppers, FR MGMT makes a pretty good case for cafes having a little more personality.
FR MGMT is located at 110 Rada St., Legazpi Village, Makati City.
Frequently Asked Questions
FR MGMT is a cafe and bar along Rada Street in Makati. It brings a punch of personality with drinks, bites, and an interior that goes against the professional, polished, and uptight vibe of the area.
FR MGMT is located at 110 Rada St., Legazpi Village, Makati City, right in the middle of the Makati Central Business District. Just outside are offices and corporate towers, while inside, the cafe and bar offers colorful couches and moody lighting.
The Iced Bibingka Latte is a drink that combines espresso, soy milk, sugar syrup, and bits of salted egg to recreate the familiar flavors of bibingka in a completely different format.
The Iced Red Velvet Cheesecake is drink made with espresso, fresh milk, a red velvet-flavored syrup, and homemade red velvet cream cheese whip, it fully leans into the flavors of red velvet cake and cheesecake.
Molo Jalapeño Poppers are a snack that combines molo, ham, cream cheese, jalapeños, and bell peppers, served with a mayo-based sauce on the side. Each bite pairs savory ham and creamy cheese with jalapeño heat and the familiar Filipino element of molo, making it suited for sharing.
