Cerealicious

Strolling by my lone self in Robinson’s Galleria one lunch time not too long ago, I happened to pass by a Crealicious store and decided to try it for the first time. I figured, since I was on a diet, a cup of oatmeal would stuff and satiate my appetite for the day. Low cal, rich in fiber and good for the heart, I was sold that it was to be the perfect meal for me.

Scouring their menu, the list of cereal choices got me totally giddy. Fruit loops, honey gold flakes, honey stars, coco flakes, etc., it seemed like a wonderland of cereals waiting to be consumed. And since I was dieting, I thought that Cerealicious was excellent for my diet.

The lady behind the counter was gracious enough to offer, what appeared to be, a  list of products with the corresponding calorie equivalent per item. I could not begin to say how amused I was being able to actually count the calories I was taking in! Since that time on, I have been trooping over to Cerealicious very often.

Very recently, I discovered that their outlet in Megamall served savory dishes and ‘unusual’ desserts worth trying. While I examined the menu, I was so tempted to try not one or two dishes but FIVE! Hahaha!

Sigh, I heeded the call of the deep fried dishes!  My curiosity got the better of me and gave in to the chicken, shrimp, bread and potatoes all coated in the goodness of pounded cornflakes!

Hep! Before you judge my crazy appetite, lemme emphasize that these dishes down below were shared with a friend of mine, Trina.

I saw other choices in the menu for the hardcore figure conscious, though. The pasta in pomodoro sauce or pesto would not bloat you out. Of course, all the rest of the Cerealicious choices ARE predominantly low fat and gorgeous tasting!

Well, in the end, I was glad I trusted my instincts and had a fantastic feast!

Sorry but the “SLURP” button of this website is unavailable. Instead, you might want to check out the nearest Crealicious branch near your place (Mine is Megamall, Ground Floor, Bldg A).

Here goes my feast!

Bacon Cheese Munchers

 

Cerealicious Chicken Pesto Pasta

 

 

Bubba Shrimp

Cerealicious Cordon Bleu

Peanut Butter And Banana French Toast

BUrrrrrp. Love it!

Ye Dang!

It was my first time to try Ye Dang Korean restaurant today and was I enthused to try EVERYTHING that was laid on our dining table. Thanks to my NFF (newly-found friend), Mariel Lee, for taking me there and advancing her delish birthday treat for me!

Not only did I feast on great Korean food but also had a wonderful time with all the chit chats that went with it.

Okay, what did we pluck out from the menu? For starters we had the Korean appetizers. Kimchi was on top of my list.

Strangely, the first few years that I have been trying this dish, I wasn’t sure if I really liked it. I mean, fermented pickled cabbage with all the Korean spices just did not tickle my fancy. I thought the strong taste plus the out of this world flavor just turned me off! But the Koreans are crazy about this! They even have a kimchi-flavored pizza!

Fast forward to today, the tart, mildly-sour and spicy flavor of  kimchi finally made me a convert. I’ve developed a strong liking for it— no, a LOVING for it!

The other appetizers included the spiced raddish slices–

The fishcake that I so liked–

Not to forget my fave Korean dilis in sweet and spicy blend–

And, the bean sprouts that I gobbled up like I do with lapid’s chicharon! Hahaha! So addicting!

Yes! And, we’ve only just begun!

The appetizers came with a bunch of iceberg lettuce and sesame  leaves. The leaves were supposed to be wrappers for the starters and the main dishes. The concept just got me excited. I made several of these wraps one of which was this:

I raved about the rawness of the leaves that made perfect combination with the filling. The sesame leaves rendered a nutty-crunchy taste and texture that left me going for seconds.

The novelty in the dining experience here was in the fact that we were given the choice of having our food cooked before us, yes, on our table (similar to shabu-shabu) or in the kitchen.

The cooking on the spot began with a flaming-hot bunch of charcoal–

I couldn’t look away from the charcoal because of two things: curiosity and hunger. Arg, bring it on!

Finally, the dak-kui (grilled chicken) and the kalbi (sweet beef ribs) were on board!

My eyes were as big as my plate when our serving  of  kalbi jim (beef shortribs stew)  was laid before me. I was actually settled with KIMCHI restaurant’s beef stew already until this came along.

Fall off the bones and totally scrumptious– this was today’s dining superstar, hands down.

The chapchae tasted okay but my top pick in this category remains to be the version of Sorabol which we used to frequent in Greenbelt.

On the whole, I was more than delighted swinging by this Korean restaurant. The ambience, food and feel totally felt Korean!  I swore to return with a bigger appetite and more friends to bring.

Meralco Ave., Ortigas

Mandaluyong City

(02) 636-1461

 

C Italian Dining– A Must Eat And C Place!

Finally, there’s one great reason to drive to Pampanga. And, the reason starts and ends with the letter C!

Voted not once but twice as Restaurant of the year by The Philippine Tatler, wouldn’t you scratch the itch to hie off to Pampanga to check what C Italian restaurant is all about?

Foodies talk about this restaurant ALL THE TIME!

Nestled right smack in the bustling area of Angeles (very near the Clark airbase), I was just too happy driving over to C to finally sample the very famous Italian dishes they serve. And yeah, nevermind if I missed the television coverage of PNoy’s presidential inauguration, tsk…

The out-of-towners!

Okay, the ‘front act’ of the lunch was an awesome basket of Italian bread– dipped in pesto sauce. I was raving non-stop about the crusty-chewy-oomph loaded characteristics of the bread. It was love at first bite! And to think, we were just starting to warm up!

Italian bread in pesto dipping sauce

 The next to arrive was the jando Italian salami panizza– a certified C bestseller. The novelty of this panizza is in the way you eat it. Oh, my eyes rolled in delight even before I rolled the panizza!

C super classic panizza–jando Italian salami, Php 655.

 You eat the panizza this way: Take a strip of panizza, top with arugula leaves and alfalfa sprouts then roll or fold the strip to make a bite size piece. Arugula+cheese+perfect crust spelled YUMMY font 99!

The first pasta we ordered, Spaghetti con frutti di mare, was loaded with the bounty of the sea. Fresh salmon, mahi-mahi, grouper, prawns and imported green lip mussels sauteed with light extra virgin olive oil in pomodoro sauce, it really got us digging in for more of this yummy pasta fare.

Spaghetti con frutti di mare, Php 580.

 The second pasta was penne calebrese. Ahh, it was super. Made of chunks of US Angus oxtail meat that was tender-braised with red wine, tomatoes, green peppers and capers.

Penne calebrese, Php 580.

 We also ordered a second kind of panizza– Don Carmelo. It had spicy chorizos, anchovies, thyme and pecorino cheese. I’ve always been a fan of pizzas with anchovies and that one, I so enjoyed!

C Italian Dining

1210 Don Juico Avenue

Clarkfield, Pampanga  045.892.4059

HK Choi (Choi Garden)

Beef tenderloin, Chinese style, Php 240.

I wasn’t about to retreat from my long overdue diet until I saw the sumptious spread at the HK Choi Chinese restaurant in Megamall. The ‘halo-ed’ half of me kept nagging me inside to hold back from gorging on these lovely dishes and just stick by my diet. On the other hand, the temptress remaining half did her job, her wicked little voice just tempted me no end. I succumbed to it— and… I loved it! Lol.

Sweet and sour pork, Php 240.

The mega triumvirate of yang chow, roasted duck and soup—- just had me rolling my eyes in sheer delight.

Nestled right smack in the middle of Megamall, it was a great (read: yummy) chow stopover we had. My relatives who ate with my family dished out rave reviews of the place, too.

The opulent but modern interior oh HK Choi  set the stage for supreme lunch with engaging chats to boot. I thought the intricate pieces of those Asian furniture, utensils and perfect lighting was well put. Just the way I want to be ‘copied and pasted’ in a perfect, chillaxing restaurant.

House special wonton chicken soup, Php 380.

The house special wonton chicken soup prepped up our stomach bins  with its warm and comfort-rich broth. Why, it was to be Sam’s main course!

Conventionally in Chinese dining, rice is served after all the viands are served and almost consumed. That’s why we had to tell the waiter to serve it first– Pinoy eh!

Yang chow fried rice, Php 200.

And, the rest of the dining ‘superstars’ trickled in one by one. Oh, my plate was too small. Did my ‘halo-ed’ half do that purposely? I wouldn’t be surprised. Arg, the food I scooped for my plate looked like a baby plate! Lol.

Cold cuts, Php 340.

Salad seafood roll, Php 240.

I was munching on the salad seafood roll like I was eating chicharon! The puff, crunch and excellent taste got me gobbling up about two large pieces!

Sam and moi!

Happiness overload. Sould be back. Soon.

H.K. Choi restaurant
2nd floor,  SM Megamall Atrium
telephone: 382-7757

Bistro Filipino By Chef Laudico

3 mangoes salad

My husband, Jake, and I have been meaning to see for ourselves what the fuss was about Chef Rolly Laudico’s Bistro Filipino at The Fort. Chef Laudico, after all, has earned the badge of honor in becoming one of the country’s top-ranking Chefs with his innovative, out-of- the -box and unconventional way of presenting Filipino food in the most contemporary way.

bistro filipino interior

Being a staunch advocate of the promotion of Filipino food, I feel that Chefs like him should get all the support and accolade for choosing to push for our local food that’s been clearly laidback for the past many years.

deep fried kangkong and kesong puti in wonton wrappers

I fancied on Chef  Laudico’s concept of predominantly deconstructing most of our local dishes to make it look a tad more ‘gourmetish‘ than the usual.

chicken in coconut cream soup

We opted to do the buffet. It was a departure from the usual food spread on a long table. We were served with a special menu for the buffet and we just picked out what we wanted— in batches.

us angus beef kare-kare

The real challenge was in the pacing as we ate. We couldn’t have possibly gobbled up the entire 50 viands on the buffet menu! Pacing and the selection were key, yeah. We had to choose only the best 15 or so dishes or what our stomachs could accomodate.

kesong puti with ham and potatoes

His food selection was pretty interesting. I personally enjoyed the wagyu and the lengua estofado. His kare-kare was majorly deconstructed (not that I complained), my foodie lolas would have raised a howl big time from their graves! I loved it just the same.

I downed my food with a chilled glass of margarita. I had to rush finishing it, though, as the liquor ban was to take effect after a few hours. Yes, I drink my fruity alcohol at a snail’s pace. Can’t do more than one glass!

chicken binacol

The servings came half less than the regular portions. I begged the waiter to make it even smaller but it still turned out a lot.

wagyu and lengua estofado

It’s been twelve years since Jake and I have been religiously doing this ‘date night’ on Saturdays. This one was one of the best, gastronomically. Wish I could take in  more glasses of Margarita so I could raise it a hundred times over to say, “Cheers to us, babes!”. I love, love date nights with good food– the date is already a ‘best gimmick partner hall of famer’.

tuna kilawin

Ahh, the night was young and so was the buffet! The last stretch of the dinner buffet was made of pasta and sardines-malunggay pesto sauce. At that point, I was beginning to feel restless and decided to walk around the place to jiggle the food down to give way to the last few dishes we were to order.

sardines and malunggay pesto

So, this was the fuss. A very scrumptious and unforgettable fuss, Chef Laudico. Bravo!

I’d definitely be back for the 35 dishes more that we haven’t sampled. Meantime, let me just do a bit of dieting for the next big munch!

Chef Laudico’s Bistro Filipino
Bistro Filipino, Net One Building, in the Fort
+632 856-0634, +632 856-0541

The Gustavian Restaurant

  

Gravlax Salmon Carpaccio

My new friend, Chef Marijo Camarista, ushered me in to the new branch of The Gustavian restaurant at the new Eastwood mall. The original branch is in Cebu. The soft, casual but avante garde feel of the place made my lunch with Chef Marijo worthwhile.

The Gustavian restaurant serves great European food. Very reminiscent of the grandeur in the lifestyles, specifically in the kind of food the Kings ate  in the old world.  

And what feast we had! “Bring out the wine!”, we so excitedly said! Haha! Ah, at 12 noon, Chef Marijo and I were consuming a coupla glasses of wine already! The heck with the sun! Haha!

Okay, what meals did we gobble up? For starters we had the gravlax Salmon Carpaccio in dill sauce  that went with some crunchy french roll. Good start–I thought. I knew I was in for an uber gastronomic fantasy:)

The next food we sampled was the Nicoise Grilled Tuna Belly with Haricot
beans, Tomato, New Potato, Devilled Egg and Olives.

Nicoise Grilled Tuna Belly with Haricot, tomato, baby potatoes and olives

Salads always gear me up for better things to come (to my plate! Ha!). The salad was splendid. Light, perfect mix of acids and greens.

Okay, the next two dishes were:

Wild Mushroom Soup and Pesto Toast

 and…

 Two varieties of soups, yeah! I just had a feast!

Okay, at this point, I had to start pacing. My stomach was beginning to get cramped and I was not about to stop– yet! Haha! So, in between sips, Chef Marijo, told me The Gustavian’s beginnings in Cebu and how it dramatically attracted  a lot of patrons there. And, finally, it’s now in Manila.

Okay, next plate please!

Lengua Spanyol

 The lengua was my favorite. Creamy, tender and unoffensively rich, it just made me say the word, “yummy”, twenty times during my first six bites! At this point, I kinda started to grasp the European concept of country cooking from the old world of this place.

Pesto Crema

The ‘hangover’ from the lengua kinda dampened my excitement for the succeeding dishes but this plate of pasta was promising. The pine nuts subtly did the magic along with the olive olive oil and the freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Chicken Cacciatore

As if I wasn’t about to explode from the previous ‘gluttonious’ dining,  this plate just fell from Heaven. Being a fan of sour-y dishes that mostly use tomatoes to seal the deal of the sour power, I had a heyday tasting this! The chicken cacciatore was a great finale.

The Gustavian Restaurant should work its way to your must-go-to list soon. Oh, just make sure you got LOTS of tummy space should you decide to swing by:)

The Gustavian

Eastwood mall

Libis, Quezon City

Mobile # 0917-9853429
Telephone: +632 470-2971, 470-2984

Inagiku– Japanese Food At Its Finest

Japanese food’s got something in it that gets me all stirred up. The mere appearance of the food is always a sight to behold. Intricate, detailed and beautiful– the Japanese Chefs, no wonder, are famous for their excellent food artisanship.

Now this door leads you to one great restaurant find I discovered not too long ago:

One of the most famous Japanese restaurants in Manila is Inagiku at Shangri-La Hotel. Why, I was roused by the feast of Japanese dishes served to me along with two of my colleagues in the food press one fine evening. The fares arrived almost in a parade-like manner! Haha.

The plated dishes were too pretty to be gobbled up! Picturesque and loaded with all the oomph, my camera never stopped clicking away.

The restaurant’s kitchen was lorded over by Master Sushi Chef, Wataru Hikawa. He was  the one making sure that each plate of their world-class Japanese cuisine would be definitive of good quality– in both taste and appearance.

Their famous Kaiseki dishes include: Fresh Aburi Engawa (lightly grilled flatfish), market fresh Honmaguro Toro (blue fin tuna belly) and soft shell crabs. Their must-haves also include: Shiitake Ebi Nikutsume, Zensai Moriawase, Assorted Specialty Sushi and Sashimi. For the main dishes the topsellers are: Tempura Moriawase – 9 kinds Teppanyaki Live Lobster
Inagiku Kaiseki. For your sweet ending, you might want to try: Homemade Ice Cream: Wasabi, Red Bean, Black Bean or Green Tea.

With the city’s finest Japanese cuisine and an extensive list of Sake from which to choose, Inagiku redefines the art of avante-garde Japanese dining.

I’ve always been a fan of ‘fresh’– yeah, the freshest ingredients excite me no end. It’s got the stamp of the perfect quality I always look after in the food I eat. At Inagiku, fresh is a big word-ALWAYS.

After sampling Inagiku, I suddenly kinda raised the bar in Japanese dining a notch higher. It was such a delightful experience sampling their food!

Aside from the excellent food, the ambience was also something to check out. Cozy, laidback and perfect for some catch up chats, you’ll never feel the rush to leave.

Phone

(63 2) 840 0884

Hours

Lunch: 11.30am – 2.30pm
Dinner: 6.30pm – 10.30pm

Location

Level 2

Dress Code

Smart casual

Smoking Policy

Inagiku accommodates both smokers and non-smokers

My ‘Silog’ Fantasy

To date, I have yet to stop dreaming of putting up a restaurant that would serve ‘silog’ dishes in a semi gourmet-ish plating. Raising the bar of the quality of some of our Pinoy favorite dishes by a notch higher remains to be my biggest advocacy.

A friend sent over to my place some  tocino,  longganisa, bacon, ham, and burger patties for sampling. Tocino and longganisa would be the two Pinoy fave dishes I was referring to earlier that could just be my silog hotshots, the remaining three– the ham, bacon and burger patties would be the fab bonuses (the bacon being the biggest bonus!). Haay, I’m tired playing with my imaginary resto on Facebook’s Restaurant City, I want the ‘silog’ restaurant pronto! Haha!

The tocino struck a balance between sweet and salty-garlicky blending. I did not cringe because it got too sweet or something. It’s usually the case with the other brands. This one had the right timpla and the best glazing! Did I say that this tocino was MSG and Salitre free? It’s reduced fat, too. So, lesser evil, I guess.

tocino

The garlic skinless longganisa was my other favorite. Very reminiscent of the ones my mother and sister-in-law used to make in Cagayan De Oro city, it can well substitute my Chippy at any given time– ang sarap papakin! Great with fried rice or even in a pandesal!

skinless garlic longganisa

The bacon was extra good, crunchy, not too salty and a bit leaner than the regular bacon strips sold in the market.

crispy bacon

Meantime, the ham was a player too. I had it wrapped on some warm pita flat bread and had some fresh lettuce provide the crunch and umay breaker.

sweet ham

Finally, the pork burger patties. Quite unconventional as it made use of pork, the taste will eventually grow in you as you chew longer.

burger patty

Stories Made Of Tempura And Maki

Okay, today’s lunch ballooned my waistline 2 inches bigger. Translation: 5k run must happen asap. If you had this today, you would forget about diet:

Spicy Tuna Crunch

My high school barkada decided to troop over to Ebisu restaurant in Eastwood for a catch-up lunch that would extend all the way to meryenda. Haaay, like always, everybody grappled for ‘airtime’, haha. Our hubbies were tormented following the broken vignette of stories each one had to tell!

Nothing beats a lively and animated kwentuhan with good food on the table, right? The starters were made up of shrimp tempura, salmon crisp and spicy tuna crunch.I was stuffed way before the main course was served!

Shrimp Tempura

It’s always one funny sitcom when my HS barkada meets up. I don’t know, these guys are anything but flat. I mean, their personalities just make up for great movie characters, lol. Meaning, we are a body of characters (go figure!)— and I love it! Yeah, I do love them dearly.

Yes, with or without food.

Pero sana meron.

I knew I was in for an uber fantastic lunch today. This maki was so good! Pesto, cucumber and bacon combination really kicked a_s big time!

Ebisu chicken that Jake and I shared:

Love this. Rice and everything nice!

Steak from Jay and Sheila’s meal:

 

Us during our talkathon break:

These guys are my friends (READ: FRIENDS) Jo, Marra, Carla and Sheila (guy in blue is Jake, the hunk I married) and Jay (who took this shot  but his pic down below!). If there is such a thing as comfort food, they’re my ‘comfort friends’. Friends I am keeping beyond forever

Sweet ending at Le Creperie:

Brownie crepe ala mode

Dampa Forever!

My sister turned a year wiser very recently and decided to mark her natal day by grabbing some great eats made up of baked oysters, crabs, shrimps, etc.

Dampa was to be her ‘party place’. Fantastic!

Dampa destinations have flourished around the metro in the last few years that it made sensation. If my memory serves me right, these dampa places have been around as early as in the 80’s and Roxas boulevard (then Dewey boulevard) has been the original hub since it all began and grew big time.

The concept of dampa or sometimes referred to as a paluto eatery, is that you go to a particular resto (in our case, we went to ChaCha at Julia Vargas Avenue), and will have the option to either personally scour for fresh eats (meat, vegetables or seafoods) at a nearby palengke or ask the restaurant runners to do it for you.

They then cook what has been freshly bought. Next, you are handed a menu that contains plenty of options as to how you want your food cooked  (ihaw, sigang, kilaw, etc). Ahhh, it’s the coolest.

And, FRESH is the operative word here.  I can’t overemphasize how satiating it is to  eat at these dampa places that serve everything fresh and great. Yeah, nothing beats eating anything F-R-E-S-H!

Now, I’m hungry again. Anyway, here goes what we had:

The ‘hot front act’ dish was made of halaan soup with onion leeks.

My family is a crab-loving family. These crabs got amputated in the first ten seconds that it landed on our table!

These shrimps were dipped in a special sauce by the resto. Sweet, nutty and malinamnam, the sauce was a hit.

Baked oyters in garlic and cheese.

Grilled tuna belly. Fat, juicy and smoky, I love this!

Baked scallops. A must-try!

Meet my FOODIE mom, Baby. My nephew, Marty, and my daughter, Sam.

My celebrant-sister, Tina and her hubby, Oliver.

My sis-in-law, Michelle with my brother, Jerome and their son, Marty.

The family!

My husband, Jake.

And me looking very, very stuffed by this time!

RED At Makati Shang

I knew I was going to be in for a gastronomic experience when my FOODIE editor rang me up for a wine tasting event that I had to cover. It was to be held at RED at Makati Shang, yes, the same place where my husband, Jake, asked me to marry him about four years ago.

The dinner was exclusive to just about ten people. The diners were people who communed at RED for a common purpose (aside from work) — to eat, drink and be merry! Great company in one table. Did I say all of them were hardcore foodies?

The event was Casa Lapostolle Winemaker’s Dinner hosted by Moët Hennesy Asia pacific (Full article on the wines will be for FOODIE’s July issue). Diego Urra walked us through our wine tasting experience, detailing extensively everything we needed to know about the wines we sampled.

Anyway, the dishes that went with it really propelled us to extra high gastronomic levels.

After the cocktails, we had this:

crab and mango canneloni

I have to confess. I’m allergic to crabs.  Funny, I grabbed these fancy bites the moment it was laid before me without knowing that I was to have some crab-infused dish. I whispered to FOOD’s editor-in-chief Mickey Fenix, who was seated beside me, to be on stand by for a possible respiratory attack as an allergic reaction.

The guys dining with us called on the hotel’s pharmacy nurse the moment they got wind of my concern. I took antihistamine and yes, tuloy ang ligaya!

The second dish was this:

pan seared scallops wrapped in parma ham

The choice was between this or pan seared sea bass. I thought I wanted something salty and meaty-juicy last night. The parma ham and the scallops just perfectly satisfied that craving. It went with some corn puree dripped all over the plate and basil pesto that gave extra spunk to the whole ensemble.

Then came along this:

mango sorbet with chardonnay foam

 At this point, I thought they were winding down already with their food presentations. Finally, the sweet ending (or so I thought!). The sorbet had the perfect consistency. Compact but icy-soft. The mango flavor tasted very natural, almost in its naked taste. It sat on a foam of chardonnay that further kicked out the great taste of the sorbet.

I was ready to sip my tea to cap the whole dining experience when I discovered that we were just about to start with the real deal!

And this was what next popped on my plate:

grilled beef tenderloin with foie gras and chicken mousse

Suddenly, I felt the food in my stomach giving space for the night’s rockstars. This dish, hands down, made my night! The beef gave away the juiciest, most scrumptious beefy goodness anybody can imagine. Cooked medium well, it just got me closing my eyes for some savor-the-moment experience!

Shortly after we finished,  we were served with this:

roasted rack of lamb

The photo says it all. It was served with cous cous, gremulata. Tender, oomph-loaded and very satisfying, the lamb was superior.

Finally, the fantastic ending was served:

bitter chocolate macaroon (berry compote)

Dream job it is. I want to work everyday.

Chelsea Market And Cafe

I crack up reminiscing  the very first time I visited Chelsea Market and Cafe a few years ago. Why, I made a bed out of their table! Yes, I literally dozed off on their table as I wrestled with my fatigue! Coming from work then, I felt too pooped out and just gave in despite the well-lit, packed and bustling ambiance!

All I remember having was a great glass of white wine and the buttered focaccia bread with baked garlic as a starter (that would be an ender as well!). My, I was ‘dead’ way before the main course was served! Worst, I missed the dessert!!! Sigh, what work can do to you..tsk!

Anyway, ranting aside, I had the pleasure of returning there recently. Ahh, Jake and I tagged along our daughter Sam, this time. And, I swore to my self that I would not succumb to slumber!

For a comeback-with-a-vengence-I-will-wolf you-down dish, I picked the slow-cooked herbed  Norwegian salmon (PHP 495). The slow-cook factor rendered the tastiest salmon in the many years that I’ve become a ‘groupie’ of this kind of fish. It was moist, firm  and juicy all the way.

The herbs set the flavor so wonderfully, I tasted the merry mix of that woodsy and earthy combi that spelled YUMMINESS!

Ahh, my return was all worth it.

The other palate pleaser we tried was their five-cheese pizza topped with arugula leaves ( 10-inch, PHP495). Before I took the first big bite into my pizza, I nibbled on the arugula leaves. I liked the bitter-free and kinda sweet taste the arugula gives. Boy, I ate them like I was munching on some Doritos! Man, sarap!

The five-cheese pizza just rocked.

It just had the great combo of cheeses that rolled out my eyes. The secret weapon of the pizza was with the fusion of their great cheeses and perfect crust, crowned by the yummy bunch of arugula leaves. Now, how fantastic was that?

Winding down to our last few bites, I knew I would have to make another comeback. The food definitely teased me big time to make bigger bites the next time we visit.

Chelsea Market And Cafe, Serendra. 9097011 9097012

Amici–Great Italian Food!

amici along tomas morato in quezon city

ai quattro formaggi pizza

After a driving-intensive morning, my daughter Sam and I decided to stop by Amici along Tomas Morato for a well-deserved  quick bite. It is , hands down, Sam’s most comforting food ever.

We had the ai quattro formaggi pizza and the spinach fusili montanara. Quite a tandem there. The pizza crust had the good compromise of ‘thin-ness’ but still filling. The types of cheeses had the best fusion  and the right aportioning. No cheese overpowered another type of cheese. It just.. melted in my mouth (yes, again, with my eyes closed!).

The herbs and tomatoes subtly enhanced the whole cheese ensemble.

spinach fusili montanara

The pasta is a family favorite. The spinach fusili (fusili is a type of pasta that’s spiral in shape), just held so much of the flavor in its crevices from the sauce which made every bite drool-worthy. The sauce, a well-balanced combo of tomato sauce and bechamel just made this dish extra tasty. On top of these, we had the sausages for the ‘what-is-this-yummy-thing-i’m-biting?’ kick.

Of course, the gelato. Anyone?

Other must-tries there include: milanese de maiale (golden breaded pork cutlets topped with salsa verde), ragu di maiale con risotto (chunky italian style braised pork with risotto and peas), risoto di mare (plate of sauteed mixed seafood on saffron risotto).

Sam was stuffed. Amen!

Jack’s Loft, And Ours Too!

As newlyweds about four years ago, the place Jake and I first stayed in was  fifty steps away from Jack’s loft in San Juan. No wonder, we trooped over to the place quite often then– whether to just have a swig of banana- peanut butter smoothie or grab a big time bite!

Just today, ‘Jack’ and I had a reconnection of sorts. My high school friends and I decided to hook up at Jack’s loft, Tomas Morato for a catch-up chat. Once  again, I feasted on their gastronomic delights with my eyes closed! Yum-o! 

Our fantastic beginning was made up of lettuce and everything nice…

classic caesar salad

 After much deliberation on what to order next, we finally decided to get carbonara, chicken fingers, beef salpicao, and grilled chicken breast with mashed potatoes. Now, that’s 3 hours straight on the treadmill! Haha!

crispy chicken fingers

 

beef salpicao

Their beef salpicao just had the right blend and consistency of the soy sauce and oil. Very garlicky but not offensive nor bitter. Beef, so tender. Yum! Ahh, how we raved about this salpicao (translation: pinag agawan namin!).

grilled chicken breast with mashed potatoes

 Their mashed potato dish has got to be one of the yummiest I’ve sampled. It’s soft, creamy and literally melts in your mouth!

classic carbonara

 I just love their carbonara. The pasta noodles lock in much of the flavors of the white sauce. The play of salty (courtesy of the bacon) and creamy in the sauce, absorbed by the lingune noodles, just makes the whole ensemble wonderful beyond words!

Cheers!!!

Lolo Dad’s Brasserie– Truly World Class

Had an awesome late lunch at Lolo Dad’s Brasserie at 6750 in Makati yesterday.  Like always, Chefs Ariel and Mia Manuel were the foodie deadly combination that took Jake and I  to yesterday’s gastronomic journey.

Mia did our wedding cake. Man, how I almost wolfed down the whole cake during our cake cutting ceremony! Haha! It was so good! I kept asking her yesterday how she comes up with her unique pastry creations.  They are anything but ordinary. They’re so pretty, you would not want to touch them! Haha.

Okay, okay that’s putting the carriage ahead of the horse. Let’s take off with the starters before Mia’s sweet endings.  For starters, Jake had chev’s cheese and tomato with mesculun salad. The salad blended in perfect harmony with the light dressing, fruit, tomato and cheese. One bite would make you beg for another try.  I almost got the entire plate from Jake! Hehe.

chev's cheese and tomato with mesculun salad

 I had Mia recommend to me what starter was good. She said I should try the fried brie with sobrasada, which I did. The moment the fried brie hit my palate, I knew I was going to enjoy the rest of the serving.

fried brie with sobrasada

The pastry that coated the brie had the perfect texture and taste. It well complimented and neutralized the saltiness of the brie. I won’t mind having it again the next time I swing by.

Now the main course, ta-dah!!!

pasta with blue marlin

Just by the look of this pasta, I do not need to sell hard what I tried (yes, what I tried from Jake’s plate again! Haha!). There’s something about Chef Ariel Manuel’s dishes that leaves you guessing what the secret ingredient is and why you will keep drooling for more. Yes, you will want more bite after bite!

And what did I have? I had the mushroom with raclet. Ahh, another gastronomic delight.

mushroom with raclet

 It had the chewy-cheesy feel as I munched on this dish then savored some more the melt-in-your mouth filling of this fantastic fare.

For the sweet ending, we tried the almond segafredo with orange popsicle.

segafredo with orange popsicle

Now, how awesome is that? There was nothing heavy in that dessert. It’s popsicle covered with coffee partnered with the inverted popsicles. Was glad I saved some tiny space in my tummy for this fantastic ending.

Lolo Dad’s Brassierie

6750, Makati city

tel #8136750