New Bites at Sunnies Café

Sunnies Café has been known to be one of the best places for Instagram-worthy snapshots. But more than those pastel colored pictures, its bang for the buck dishes will tickle you pink. And same is true for its new dishes.

Hello, Sunnies Café. 

I still remember the first time I visited Sunnies Café. It was during its opening day and the famous gals behind the successful brand Sunnies were there too for a shoot. Fast forward to two years later, Sunnies Café still remains as one of the favorite spots of millennials (and surprisingly titas of Manila as well). 

Freezer Burn Halloween Special

I have been a big fan of Chefs Miko and Kristine ever since I visited Le Petit Soufflé. Every dish I tried in their beautiful restaurant impressed me and I always drool for more. And when they opened their dessert shop Freezer Burn, I had to make sure that I’d be among the first foodies to try the famous chefs' creative treats. And just when I thought I couldn’t be more impressed, the dynamic duo made my heart skip a beat with their witty combinations. And that was just the beginning as they had something special in store for Halloween. 

Hello again, Freezer Burn!

I know, it is quite to talk about Halloween as it has been a week already. But hey, one is never too late for desserts! 

Freezer Burn, a dessert shop known for its creative cold treats, is at it again with its special Halloween dessert which recreates a creepy but sweet tombstone.

First Bite: Lemuria

R wanted to bring me to this fancy place that he finds really beautiful. Luckily, we scored a Deal Grocer promo for its six course degustation at PHP1,450 per head. Not bad. Not bad at all. 

Hello, Lemuria!

I made a reservation for two at 6 p.m. one Sunday and we got there a bit past 6 as traffic was a bit crazy in Quezon City. 

We were greeted by one of the staff in butler outfit and assisted R with parking. When we step foot inside Lemuria, I was awed by the restaurant’s well tended garden and picturesque interiors. 

We were the only diners when we arrived. It was like R reserved the whole place for us. <3

We were served some complimentary bread with butter and balsamic vinegar to start our meal. 

There were two kinds of bread, both warm and fragrant. I liked the darker one with nuts as it was moist and way softer. The pale coloured bread was rather tough.

After a few minutes, we were given our first course, the Amuse Bouche, which is basically cherry tomato with cheese. 

The serving size was too small for it to leave a lasting impression. I totally forgot about it when I slurped the next dish which was the Caramelized Cabbage Soup with Lardoons and Sour Cream. 

The soup reminded me of some Chinese cabbage soup, only creamier and a tinge of sourness. 

Next served was the Sautéed Kale and White Onions with Chorizo and Crumbled Goat Cheese. 

Restaurant Discovery: Burp

I get so excited every time I get to read a list of new restaurants near my area. Well, aside from being excited, I get frustrated too as there are times when I hardly know any from the lists. It means that I don’t get to explore that much and it makes me wonder what I do on weekends. Anyway, one list covers the restaurants in Mandaluyong and I was surprised that out of 20 or so, I was only able to visit 5. FIVE. It made me a bit disappointed with myself as a foodie. I must bring back the foodie the explorer in me. And so on my anniversary with work I decided to visit…

Burp!

I’m not exactly sure when this restaurant opened but it was part of the list I “reviewed” a few months back. It was pretty small but it could accommodate around 20 diners. Parking though is very limited.

The menu had a handful of choices from appetizers which are mostly soup and salad, sandwiches, breakfast meals, mains such as ribs and pork chops, pasta and desserts. There are a few shakes and frappes as well.

I decided to go for the Truffle Mac and Cheese (PHP245) and Stuffed Chicken with Garlic Cream Sauce (PHP245) while R went for the Roast Beef with Red Wine Sauce (PHP345). For drinks, I opted for the house blend iced tea (PHP55) while R got the Dulce de Leche Frappe (PHP125). We also ordered a slice of Blueberry Cheesecake Frost (PHP125) for dessert.

First served were our drinks.

My iced tea tasted like tamarind candy while R’s frappe was quite light (rather than thick) and milky.

Now Serving Tea: TWG Tea Salon and Boutique, Shangri-La Plaza Mall

I am so fascinated with TWG. Call me a frustrated British wannabe but there is something so comforting dining at TWG. I feel so girly and classy.*blinks slowly* All those tea cans, charming golden tea pots, dainty pastries and even rock sugar (is that how you call it?), I feel like I’m back to my kiddie days playing tea party with friends.

TWG Shangri-La branch is now open! Yahoo!

The place was slightly packed when we arrived and it was already past 9 p.m. that time. Well, it was a Friday. But it was not a pay day weekend.

Since we all came from dinner c/o birthday girl L, we opted to just have tea and a few pastries. 

Feel Good Muffins

One Monday evening, I received a random SMS from a friend asking me if I love sweets… and the rest was… well, pretty much narrated below.

The question “Do you like sweets?” never fails to make me curious and reply and a giddy smile on my face “Why? :)” hoping that I’d get a “I have some sweets to share with you” or a “I discovered this new restaurant and I want to visit it. Let’s go?” reply. 

To make things short, I didn’t exactly received any of those “dream” replies but instead a request to help a friend out. The one who sent the SMS was helping a group of friends doing charity work. To support their cause, they sell muffins and the money they get from selling these sweets will straight to the institutions they plan to support (I will disclose the names of the institutions as soon as everything has been finalized on the end of the charitable youngsters). As a sucker for fund raising activities, I replied without hesitation, “Sure!”

The prices of the muffins were reasonable. They sell it by boxes of 6, 12, and 24 making it ideal as gifts. There were also 4 flavors available: Double Cheese, Double Choco Cream Cheese, Butter Nutella Cream Cheese and Blueberry Oat Walnut Cream Cheese. They must love cream cheese. 

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Dome... Cheesecake!

Desserts truly have a BIG space in my tummy. No matter how full I am, I have to have desserts.

After watching Fright Night last night, my mom, sister, and I went dessert hunting. I thought that Café Metro also serves desserts since there’s the word café but I was not aware that they only serve savory dishes. Well, they have the “Dessert of the Day” priced at PHP90. That day, they were serving Banana Fritters and Buko Pandan. I just had Banana Fritters for breakfast (yes, I also make sure I get to have desserts as early as 8am) and I was not in the mood for anything coconut-y.

Then we remembered Dome and its delicious blueberry cheesecake.

*Off to Dome*

I still have fragments of childhood memories dining at Dome. Some were good and some were not so good. But whenever I remember blueberry cheesecake, I smile.

When we arrived, there were only a few cakes left. There was one slice of carrot cake, a few personal sized Blueberry Cheesecake, Devil’s Food Cake, and Sugar Free Mango Cheesecake. There was also an almost whole blueberry cheesecake.

We decided to order one personal Sugar Free Mango Cheesecake (PHP240), Devil’s Food Cake (personal: PHP195, slice: PHP155), and Blueberry Cheesecake (personal: PHP210, slice: PHP165).

Sugar Free Mango Cheesecake

My sister had the Sugar Free Mango Cheesecake and it was just fine. It was not outstanding or something that I would crave. I found it a bit thick and heavy—the type that sticks to the palate. My sister thought that the mangoes were also bit too sour (can’t really say the same thing as I love sour food). Anyway, in the end, we were not able to finish it.

Next cake was the Devil’s Food Cake. I love the one from The Chocolate Kiss. The frosting was delightful as it has the melted marshmallow texture and the chocolate cake inside was not too sweet. The Dome version on the other hand was a bit too sweet for me. The frosting was sugar overload. I didn’t like the chocolate cake as well as it was not as moist as I think it should have been. Nonetheless, I think this is still a hit to those who are hardcore sugar lovers.

Devil's Food Cake

Finally, my favorite, Blueberry Cheesecake…

Blueberry Cheesecake

The blueberries were a bit sweet and sour complementing the cheesecake. Also, the cheesecake was light and the texture was smooth. It was one dessert I would love to order after one heavy meal. I just thought that the strawberry syrup on the plate a bit odd though. If only they have spelled Dome or put it more creatively than like a blob or small puddle of blood, it would have been more appetizing.

Dome is located at the Ground Floor of Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City (in front of Mercury Drugstore).