Have You Tried Cara Mia's Gelato Sandwiches?

Cara Mia has been one of my go to brands for desserts. Its superb Mango Cream Pie, Ube Cake and Strawberry Shortcake are just a few of the desserts I'm in love with. And last October, Cara Mia launched a new treat that would make everyone hooked for more. Anyone up for Gelato Sandwiches?

Hello, Cara Mia's Gelato Sandwiches.

Cara Mia is like a dessert fairy godmother with all the wonderful sweets it made for us to indulge in. And when this sweet tooth haven released its gelato sandwiches, I was beyond thrilled. 

Home Sweet Home: Cara Mia opens in BGC

From that dreamboat Ube Cake down to the trip back to memory lane Mango Cream Pie, Cara Mia made the past years extra yummy for me. And it's bound to make me fatter as it opened a branch closer to home. 

Hello, Cara Mia!

Cara Mia is now open in One Bonifacio High Street Mall! Be prepared to get your taste buds tickled in all colors with Cara Mia's amazing cakes and delectable gelato!

Amici Opens in BGC

It is so tempting to just stay in on rainy weekends and turn one's self into a human buritto. But an invite to lunch which involves pizza and pasta is too hard to decline. And it gets even more difficult when truffle is part of the spread. 

Hello, Amici. 

From a humble canteen selling Italian coffee and gelato at Don Bosco Makati, Amici has grown into a strong brand known for wood-fire oven baked pizzas and scrumptious homemade pasta dishes. And this 2019, it found a home at the heart of Bonifacio Global City.

New Treat: Cara Mia's Classic Ube Cake

I love ube even before it became a hype or a millennial thing. I love it as an ice cream flavor that I'd grab a gallon just for myself! I would also scurry around Baguio to get a few big jars of the famous Good Shepherd Ube Jam. On birthdays or special occasions, one of my top picks would be ube cake. And guess who now offers ube cake? The dessert haven Cara Mia!

Hello, Cara Mia Cakes & Gelato.

Makati Chronicles: Epicurean Party at I'M Hotel

I have been stuck to my couch for days. With crackers and smoked salmon spread within reach to keep me alive, I had no intentions of going out at all. I was motivated to trim my backlog to at least half before 2018. Though an impossible task given my three digit pending articles, I had to start somewhere. And when the day of the Epicurean Party came, I was not in the mood to socialize until when I realized that I missed hanging out with everyone.

Thanks to the foodies behind What To Eat PH and The Foodie Station, we got to celebrate the most anticipated holiday together at I'M Hotel's Antidote Bar. 

Located at the roof deck of the hotel, Antidote boasts to be the first jellyfish bar in the country featuring a massive 8-meter long jellyfish aquarium in colorful luminescent lights. 

I was at first iffy with the idea of having live jellyfish as interior accent. But after finding out that I'M Hotel is actually affiliated with Manila Ocean Park and that the jellyfish are in good hands, I let out a sigh of relief and took hundreds of snapshots afterwards. 

Though known for its cocktails, Antidote also offers dishes such as this succulent braised pork belly. I also heard that its Mozzarella Jalapeno Cigars are great! 

One of the superstars of the party was ElarZ Lechon. Its crispy skin paired with its juicy and flavorful meat was a feast on its own. Each bite was like a party in my mouth. And yes, it made me crave for rice. It definitely deserves the Pambansang Lechon title. 

Another favorite of mine was Empanada Mas' empanaditas. These bite-size empanadas are perfect for those light afternoon snacks. My favorite is cheese and chive which I first had at The Gourmand Market. 

As I stuff myself with more of my favorites, I grabbed a glass full of ice and a bottle of Lick Raspberry. 

I heard that this flavor is one of its bestsellers, aside from Lemon and Huckle Berry, and it was good. Its light flavor was great in quenching my thirst. Though a bit pricey at PHP150, it's a nice and healthy alternative to your usual iced tea as Lick uses Stevia. 

I was so busy catching up with friends that I totally missed the scrumptious pizzas prepared by Amici and Angel's Pizza, lasagna by Mama Lou's, European platter by Vanderlust, signature dishes by Tien Ma's and Crystal Jade, decadent brownies by Kenny Rogers, party platters by Party Toques and the heavenly sisig kanin balls by The Broken Oven.

As the sun start to set, the beauty of the jellyfish aquarium put us under its spell with its colorful lights. 

But the powerful voice of our host, H of RX 93.1, released us from our trance and we gathered at the al fresco area of Antidote for some games. 

We had two fun activities before ending the program and these were hosted by Lick Iced Tea and Stips Salted Egg Chips. 

Our first challenge was to come up with a fun mannequin video featuring Lick while we had to come up with a creative group shot with Stips. 

Well, we thought ours were brilliant. But the other groups had better ideas. 

The tita in me kicked in after the games and got sleepy. It was timely though that West Town's Coffee did a coffee brewing demo. 

Aside from learning how to properly brew a cup of joe, we got to enjoy some of West Town's fragrant brews. 

I then capped my long dinner with some smooth and creamy gelato from Gelatofix. (I love it so much that I had another scoop the following day.)

For some of us who stayed behind after all the festivities, we got a tour of I'M Hotel's rooms and facilities. 

I must say, I was very impressed with the two-bedroom suite. With a built-in kitchen, spacious living room, and well equip bathrooms, it felt more like home than a cold hotel room. Though its published price is PHP20,000 + per night, you can score this luxurious room for half the price on lean months.

We also passed by the Mermaid Bar which has some striking elevated day beds that give its occupants a lovely view of the city. 

And a quick look of Bloom, I'M Hotel's buffet restaurant. They also have a hot pot section which is open on hours when Bloom is closed.

Weary from the event and the tour, I decided to head back home with my yummy loot from Pan de Manila, Figaro, Stips, Gastronomy by Joy and Golden Fiesta.

I was so happy to get my favorite Pan de Manila goodies and smiled from ear to ear when I saw my favorite coconut jam in the bag! 

Stips salted egg chips were so addicting that I finished my bags in less than 10 minutes. And that was with an effort to only finish half a bag. I loved that there was a rich taste of salted egg without it being cloying. 

And thanks to the vicious cycle of craving for something salty then sweet, I indulged in some of Gastronomy by Joy's white chocolate treat.  

Giddy with my Figaro Card, I'm already planning when to get my favorite Five Cheese and Garlic Pizza. But for now, I paired my pastries with Figaro's coffee. 

Again, thank you What To Eat PH and The Foodie Station for the fun event. It was nice to meet everyone before 2017 ends. 

Restaurant Love: Amici

Amici used to be one of my go to restaurants when I want comfort food like pasta and cake. I still remember frequenting its pioneer branch in Don Bosco just to get a scoop of its sweet dessert. But the crazy number of new restaurants popping here and there made my trips less frequent and the insane traffic surrounding Makati and SM Megamall made me hesitant to be a mile near those areas. Those were true till I got to sample its new dishes. 

Long time no taste, Amici!

Promo Alert: SM Mega Food Sale

Food and sale are two words I really love. But put them together, I'll be in foodie heaven. I was beyond thrilled when I saw on my Facebook news feed the SM Mega Food Sale. *bliss*

Hello again, SM Mega Food Sale. We will meet again... soon!

This is a great way of SM to attract foodies to flock SM Mega Mall on a weekend. A lot of food establishments will offer discounts, freebies, extra servings and the like. 

Here are some establishments I am targeting this weekend.

A Glutton Favorite: Amici

Don’t you just love sibling bonding, especially when the word shopping is involved? But things can get really messy when you’re just given 3 hours to attend mass, shop, and have lunch.

3 hours to do three different things. You might think that it is long enough but I take food shopping seriously and I enjoy entering food stores to sniff and let out a loud aaah~ given that what they were cooking or baking smells delightful.

My sister and I agreed that we will first shop for a bit, then eat and finally attend mass at 2:30 p.m.. Fight!

After 30 minutes of walking around Forever 21, I felt my tummy begging for mercy and grumbling, “Feed me!” So, I looked for my sister and convinced her that it was time to have lunch with puppy eyes. (Fine, it looked more like eyes that will murder someone. I just can’t do that whole begging prettily style.)

I was eyeing Kebab Factory for I miss its Chicken Mast but my sister needed to be dragged inside the restaurant first before she agrees and I just do not have the energy to do so. Then light seemed to hit my eyes and saw… Amici. My sister loves pizza. This will do.

 

We instantly grabbed a table and ordered the following: Crema di Zucca (PHP134), Mozzarella Fritto (PHP220), Al Quattro Formaggi (PHP348), Linguine al Salmone Cremoso (PHP298), Mango Felicity (PHP80) and Brazo de Mercedes (PHP65). We also ordered one pitcher of coke just for the two of us.