More Than Just Gelato: Morelli's Gelato Caffé,

Summer may be over but the intense Manila heat is here to stay, rain or shine. And with the scorching heat draining my energy and perhaps even my positive outlook in life, I need a cold treat on a daily basis. One of my favorites is gelato as its creamy texture never fail to make me smile from ear to ear. Hence, when I found out that Morelli's Gelato has something new in store for us, I had to know what's up. 

Hello, Morelli's Gelato Caffé.

Morelli's has been in Manila for about five years now with its first store at Shangri-La Plaza Mall's East Wing. A brand known for gelato, it actually has an interesting story behind each scoop sold and it could be traced all the way back to 1907. 

First Bite: Little Winehaus

Looking for an affordable place to spend your Titas of Manila night can be a bit challenging. With most tapas and wine bars selling their wine and anti pasti at several hundreds per serving, going out for one could definitely hurt the holiday budget. But, what if I tell you that there's a place that could give you and your amigas a lovely Wine and Jamon Serrano night for only PHP540? Intrigued?

Hello, Little Winehaus.

The quaint wine shop located at the two storey restaurant complex along Mother Ignacia and Scout Lozano offers affordable sangrias and tapas perfect for those who want an all-nighter. 

We got a carafe of Sangria (PHP290), Jamon Serrano (PHP250), Hungarian Sausage (PHP180) and Dulong (PHP180) paired with crackers. 

First Bite: Mamma Mia

I hardly visit the mall these days but I think I just found a reason to go to Uptown Bonifacio on a weekly basis. No, it is not because of Christmas shopping or that I have to watch the latest movies. It's because of an Italian restaurant that wowed me with its heavenly pizzas. 

Hello, Mamma Mia. 

Welcomed by warm and inviting interiors, I felt at home as soon as I stepped in. I got charmed by beautiful combination of bricks, marbles and yellow accents. 

Restaurant Love: Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza

A few weeks back, my college friends and I pushed to meet for dinner on a week night since our schedules are all packed with meet ups and travels in the next weeks to come. And since most of them are working in Ortigas, L and I had to brave the traffic going north. And we survived to have dinner at…

Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza.

It has been quite a while since I last visited Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza. I think it was over 3 years and it was with my favorite Takaw Trio (T3) friends. Anyway, this time around, we tried Mushroom Pizza (PHP375), Prosciutto Pizza (PHP445), Carbonara (PHP220), Pesto Pasta (PHP225), Nutella Soup (PHP195) and Crack Pie (PHP55, slice). 

We also ordered a pitcher of Calamansi juice (PHP150) to help us digest the food we were about to consume. (And it was a bit too sweet.)

M was amused with how the Pesto Pasta was served as it was all bundled up. It reminded us of semi cooked instant noodles. The texture itself was also a bit hard and it had a slight sweet taste which could have been from the cream. 

The pesto itself wasn’t very oily which was great but I wish that it had a stronger pesto flavor over cream.