First Sip: Brown Café

The milk tea bug got me real bad as I always find myself craving for this sweet drink. My eyes never fail to sparkle every time I see an ad promoting a new joint worth checking out. And I was so excited when I found out that Brown Café, a popular Thailand brand, opened in Manila. 

Hello, Brown Café. 

I've never been to Brown Café Thailand but its collagen infused boba drinks got me curious. And it's hard to say no to its cute, clean and dainty Instagram posts.

Now Open: The Empress Dining Palace

I used to dislike Chinese food. I had no appreciation for it till I was in middle school. But it turned out that it wasn't the cuisine that I did not like, I was just eating at the wrong places. And when I got to have a taste of the real deal, a space in my heart (and tummy) opened up for this cuisine with rich history. Now hooked with dumplings, bird's nest soup and so much more, I was excited to visit The Empress Dining Palace.

Hello, The Empress Dining Palace. 

First Sip: Malongo Atelier Barista Café

Manila has come a long way--from being a city with limited options to a melting pot of local and global brands. With several new concepts and international brands opening here and there, it is not surprising to see your travel favorites opening a store just around the corner. And for those who went to France, this brand must be a familiar one. 

Hello, Malongo Atelier Barista Café.

With its 85 years of expertise, it is not surprising for Malongo to be one of the sought after coffee brands by taste makers. The family firm grew from a small coffee roastery in Nice, France and into a global leader in fair trade coffees and bio-coffees. And last year, its Malongo Atelier Barista Café has finally reached Asia and opened its first in Manila. But it wasn't until it opened its BGC branch when I got a sip of Malongo's famous coffee. 

First Bite: Vatos

With the crazy number of restaurants opening here and there, you must be bestowed with supernatural powers if you could keep up and visit all. First impression could make or break a restaurant and I often mentally give it a "deadline" on until when it'll stay open. But there are a handful of restaurants that impressed me and made me look at my calendar on when I could visit again. And one of the restaurants that tickled my taste buds with glee is Vatos. 

Hello, Vatos. 

First Bite: Wagyu Japanese Beef

I hate it when one of my favorite restaurants suddenly close without any notice. It felt worse than a break up text message. And Taylor Swift should definitely compose a song about this kind of heartbreak. One should be named "Buta Wagyu, Why You". Okay, perhaps that won't make it to Billboard's Top 100. But I was devastated when I found out that favorite wagyu restaurants closed. Then again, it gives me an opportunity to explore and find new loves. And I finally have a reason to visit Wagyu Japanese Beef in Forbestown. 

Hello, Wagyu Japanese Beef.

First Sip: Dipdenza Coffee

After a filling dinner at Manam’s, F and I decided to cap the night with a warm drink. (When you reach our age, you’d want tea or coffee after a meal to help aid digestion.) I remembered that there was this coffee shop that I wanted to try when I went to Jonas for dinner. And without thinking twice, I convinced F to have our warm drinks there. 

Hello, Dipdenza Coffee! 

It has been several months since I last visited Fort Strip. I’d usually head home right away given the unpredictability of Mother Nature. Also, Fort Strip isn’t exactly “on the way” back home. Then again, so are the other restaurants I have visited these past days. Anyway…

F and I stood in front of the counter for a few minutes with blank faces and obvious traces of food coma. Eventually, F went with a cup of tea while I ordered Hot Chocolate (PHP110). Yeah… I should have ordered tea too or at the very least, coffee. But I wanted something semi dessert. 

Service was quick as there were no other customers during our visit aside from the other fellow busy tinkering with his laptop. 

My hot chocolate drink had a bit of art on top and it made my expectation a bit higher.

But I was disappointed after my first sip. It wasn’t thick enough and it tasted just like Swiss Miss. It was an overpriced slightly watery Swiss Miss.

Then again, I guess their specialty is coffee. Also, the place was a bit hidden and quiet making it a perfect venue for catch up sessions.  So I’ll give this place a second chance to impress me. 

Dipdenza Coffee is located at Fort Strip, 5th Avenue and 7th Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. It is right beside Early Bird Breakfast Club. 

First Sip: La Lola Churreria

I had to visit a few showrooms a few months back and booked an Uber before things become chaotic. I got a call after getting in my Uber car and was informed that I could use the company car and have one of the guys drive me around. Sweet was the first word that came to mind. But it turned really bitter, salty, umami… anything but sweet, when things became crazy. And let me explain why.

Since the company car was finally available, I decided to be dropped off at Uptown Mall and wait for the car to pick me up. I was told that the driver was on his way but it will take him at least 15 minutes to reach me. It’s such a waste to just sit inside the mall and count the number of flies that pass by so I went up to La Lola Churreria and bought Iced Mocha (PHP130, large) to go. 

There was a bit of order back log so I had to wait for a while before my drink was served. 

But the servers do not seem to be proactive as they did not trigger my number to activate (or vibrate and light up) when my drink was ready to be served. I noticed my drink, alone on the counter, yearning to be loved. I asked the server if the drink was mine and true enough, it was my iced mocha. The server apologized though after I told her that I wasn’t sure if it was mine as my number did not light up. 

Not sure if it was because this La Lola branch was new but these servers needed to be trained. They also kept on chatting with each other making the preparation time longer. 

Anyway, my iced mocha drink was lovely. It wasn’t that sweet and it had a nice chocolatey and tinge of caffeine taste. The texture was slightly rough so try not to order this if you have an itchy throat.

*Continuation of bitter, salty, umami story: The driver eventually managed to pick me up after half an hour and we had to go back to the office to change cars as the car he brought was coding that day. We quickly switched cars and went out again. But the driver got a call from an irate colleague and demanded the car to be returned as his bike was in the trunk of the car. In short, I ended commuting again and wasted almost an hour and half from this mishap. :(

La Lola is located at 3rd Floor, Uptown Mall, 9th Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. It is just a few steps away from the Uptown Cinemas. 

First Sip: Luna Specialty Coffee

To cap our impromptu BGC food crawl, C and I decided to head to Luna on the ground floor of NAC Building for a nice cup of coffee. It was raining then so it was the perfect last stop. 

Hello, Luna Specialty Coffee!

The place was quite packed around 5:30 pm so we opted to sit by the bar. It wasn’t really a bad idea as it had the best lighting and we could watch the baristas in action. 

Since I was full, I was a bit fickle-minded. After a few questions, I settled with the limited edition Ethiopia Wild Cherry (PHP200) thinking it would be interesting to blog about a limited offer. But I came to my senses and went with the bestseller The Luna Brew (PHP130) instead to be paired with my Inutak Ube (PHP65). C went with Flavored Latte with Honey (PHP150) and Leche Flan Yema (PHP65).

Our drinks and kakanin shots were served within 10 minutes and after a few snapshots here and there, we started to indulge.

My cup of coffee was quite strong that I had to put a few teaspoons of muscovado in. I was worried that it would make me acidic as I just had gastroenteritis a few days ago. 

But despite its strong taste profile, this cup of coffee didn’t make my sensitive tummy grumpy. 

It also complemented my kakanin shot. 

Restaurant Love: Passion by Gérard Dubois

Passion (or Passioni as how I first read it) by Gérard Dubois is now one of my favorite dessert places in Fort Bonifacio. Its beautiful interiors and mouthwatering display of pastries never fail to lure me inside the store whenever I pass by it.

Hello again, Passion!

After dinner, I headed to this Instagram friendly store for some pastries to go. I was looking around when the server told me about their Buy 2, Get 1 Free (where the free item is the one with the lowest price) promo which starts at 9 p.m. daily. Woohoo! A deal!

I circled around and looked for pastries with the same prices and spotted some fruit tarts all priced at PHP108. I went for Strawberry Danish, Mixed Fruit Danish and Mixed Fruit Tunnel. 

I had the pastries to go but was worried that its beauty will be squished. I told the server my concern and he assured me that they pack it well. 

I headed home and hurriedly unpacked some of the pastries and… it was slightly squished but still quite good looking. 

Restaurant Love: Ippudo

One Sunday morning, R got a message from his dad saying that he’s craving for ramen. Knowing my intense love for food, R’s dad asked me for recommendation. I suggested Ippudo’s newest branch in Uptown Mall. And soon, I found myself rushing to dress up as we were being picked up for lunch.

Hello, Ippudo!

The newest Ippudo branch was busy when we went. All small table were occupied so we settled with the huge communal table. 

Everyone was hungry so we quickly ordered Shiromaru Motoaji Special (PHP495), Akamaru Shinaji Special (PHP495), Karaka-Men Special (PHP495), Beef Ishiyaki Rice(PHP495), Pork Bun (PHP125), Fried Chicken Bun (PHP125), Hakata Style Gyoza (PHP210) and Matcha Crème Brûlée (PHP160). We also got some shakes (PHP110) for drinks.

Service was quick and our gyoza and pork buns were served in less than 10 minutes. 

Uncle H loved the gyoza. It was meaty, succulent and packed with flavor! He liked it so much that he asked me to order another. 

The pork bun was a hit with J. She got half of the bun and ate it blissfully. We also ordered another bun after finishing our first order. 

Sadly, the fried chicken bun did not get the same love as it was hardly touched. It was good though. It was just a bit messy to eat as the fat fried chicken stuffing was a bit too thick for the bun. 

Both R and Uncle H loved their spicy ramen bowls and quietly finished it without sharing with anyone. 

Gino's Brick Oven Pizza

One thing I dislike with new work is that I have to prepare and accomplish all these pre-employment requirements. I had to have my photo taken, fill out several government and company forms and take a physical exam. The hassle of doing all those motivate me to stay in a company as long as I could (till I see a better opportunity or something like it). But thanks to the hassle of going to a mall to have my photo taken, I got to have dinner with my former officemates, A1 and A2. Since we were near Serendra, we opted to have dinner at Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza.

Hello, Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza! Long time no taste!

We easily got a table with couch seats as the place was just half full at 7:30 p.m..

We ordered Sausage Pizza (PHP330) and Carbonara (PHP220). We also ordered a pitcher of Iced Tea (PHP125).  

Service was quick. Our drinks were served in 5 minutes and our dishes came after 10-15 minutes. 

The serving size of both dishes are good for two to three and it was perfect for our group.

The pasta was al dente and the creamy sauce was not cloying. The serving of bacon bits was a bit stingy but each forkful was still packed with flavor. 

First Bite: Pink's Hot Dog Manila

I have been counting the days, weeks and months since I heard the news that the legendary Pink's Hot Dog is coming to Manila. I was ecstatic as I know that Pink's has never branched out outside (sounds redundant) Los Angeles. The well-loved hot dog joint has been patronized by foodies and celebrities alike. Heck, even Brad Pitt and Betty White love Pink's! Just knowing I ate the same dish as these A-listers make me feel like a celebrity. Forget the dirty tables and the long wait outside despite 3 degrees temperature. All for the love of hot dogs. 

And so when I found out that Pink's was opening on June 8, I planned out my schedule. I even bugged R's friend K to confirm the date and she said that it was indeed opening on Wednesday. There were also online news outlets claiming the same thing. It was just bizarre though that Pink's Hot Dog Manila's social media pages were not announcing any. I had to confirm as I do not want to waste my energy walking for 20 minutes to be greeted by a closed sign. I decided to message Pink's via its Facebook page. Seenzoned. 

Assertive and with burning desire to know the truth about Pink's opening date, I messaged one of the owners via Instagram. No reply. 

What annoys me is that despite the terrible online customer service, I would still go because it's new and I'm curious. There are times I hate the food blogger in me! 

Finally, it was confirmed that they will open on June 10, Friday. At 5 p.m..

I scheduled to go on Saturday (as I had to be in Quezon City during its opening day) but R got sick so I opted not to go. (It was also because I found out that the line was long and people had to wait for an HOUR to get their hot dogs. I refuse to wait that long.) 

And so I went a few hours ago after work. HELLO PINK'S HOT DOG!!! 

Guess what? There was no line. We managed to order right away and got a table. We ordered The Hollywood Legend (PHP280) and East LA Street Dog (PHP280). Drinks are steep so we just shared one Berry Yuzu (PHP160). 

Gone Too Soon: Poulet Manille

The deep blue interiors of this organic chicken place caught my interest when it opened in SM Aura. But I hardly see diners whenever I pass by the place. It made me think if the food’s not worth it. It could be either mediocre or expensive food. But after reading a few reviews and seeing the menu, I felt that I have to visit this place. Truffle chicken at less than PHP500 with 4 side dishes? Not bad at all.

Hello, Poulet Manille.

We got to the place around 6:30 pm and the place was empty as usual. We sat down and ordered Poulet’s Truffle Chicken (PHP498, half | PHP798, whole) with Fragrant Jasmine Rice and Creamy MashedPotatoes for sides, Cream of Wild Spinach as additional side dish, Norwegian King Salmon (PHP690) and Watermelon Ginger (PHP125).

No, you are not counting wrong. They lessened the sides per order (from four to two for a half order) and made the price steeper. (Insert frowning face here.)

Service was quick though and after a couple of minutes, my mom’s Watermelon Ginger was served.

It had a refreshing and slightly sweet taste of watermelon. The bits of ginger made it even more interesting and in a way, rejuvenating.

The mains were served soon after.

The Norwegian salmon was delectable. By just looking at it, you could tell that it is a good dish. It was soft and juicy with the outer part having a light crunch. It was on the salty side but it was well complemented by the spinach and lemon risotto. It had that nice tangy flavor that is best paired with seafood like salmon.

First Bite: Ebeneezers

Checking looloo has been part of my daily routine for months now. I get to discover new restaurants through the app. It is making me fat and poor but happy. And just last night, I went to this new restaurant by the brilliant minds behind Lulu (now Catch) and Hooch.

Hello, Ebeneezers!

I have read a few reviews about this place and all are positive. Food's not that expensive so it definitely caught my attention. And when R and I walked home from Melo's one night, I made a mental note to visit this place soon. And I did last night.

I never noticed this place to be beside Shangri-La at Fort. It must be because of the chaotic view of construction. But if you're walking towards Burgos Circle, it's hard to miss this place with its neon signage.

Since I was still stuffed with my heavy lunch, I just opted to get Ebeneezer's Mezze (PHP188) and a glass of Rose Cooler (PHP150). 

Service was quick and my meal was served in less than 5 minutes. 

The Mezze was served on a take out box with foil lining. One order comes with grilled pita (which I asked to be soft), marinated olives, roasted eggplant baba ghanoush and hummus.