When in Bacolod: Felicia's

Bacolod is the home to many pastry shops specializing in amazing sweet treats. One of the popular establishments for cakes is Felicia's. I've tried its baked goods a few times already but I had no idea that its ensaymada was fantastic!

Hello, Felicia's.

Felicia's is one of the top must visit restaurants in Bacolod. With its decadent cakes, mouthwatering savory dishes and good selection of beverages, this serves as a one stop shop for many. But I never took notice of its ensaymada which happens to be one of Felicia's bestselling products.

Now Open: Hey Brew

There's a new kid in town and it serves some of the most beautiful food and drinks I've seen to date. And unlike its hashtag "hey stranger" the people behind this bar and eatery sure are no strangers to the foodie community. 

Hello, Hey Brew Eatery + Bar!

Hey Brew is the newest restaurant and bar headed by the talented Chef Niño Laus and Kalel Demetrio. If you've been out and about, you must have heard of these two shaking up the food and beverage industry with their innovative and refreshing concepts.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's Mondays Made Better is Back

Monday is the least favorite or most dreaded day of many. It marks the end of weekends and it always feel like it was the longest day as we have to drag ourselves back to work (or reality). But Monday isn't so bad when your favorite drinks are at prices as sweet as its taste at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf! And yes, Mondays Made Better is back!

Hello, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. 

Mondays Made Better is one of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's popular promotions that would make anyone look forward to Mondays. With different drinks highlighted every Monday, one would be left excited for work week to start. 

First Bite: Sweet Inspirations

Sweet Inspirations has been around for a long time. I remember always seeing it along Katipunan when I have errands to do within the area. However, I never got the time to drop by. I figured that I could get my slice of cake elsewhere. But I had no idea that this place offers more than sweets. 

Hello, Sweet Inspirations. 

I dropped by its Hemady Square branch one Saturday afternoon and I was surprised to see a Mongolian station. 

First Sip: Cafè Barbera

Italians are known to be particular with what they eat and drink. To some extent, they can be what millennials describe as savage when they eat anything non-Italian. I can't blame them though as they have been spoiled by the finest ingredients. However, not everything that Italians love and rave about is well received by the local market. But for something universal as coffee, it's a different story. 

Hello, Cafè Barbera.

This Italian cafè has been around for over a century and has grown from a small street coffee vendor on the streets of Naples to a global franchise. You'd think that this place would most likely have the best coffee. After all, espresso is something deeply rooted into the Italian way of life. 

Restaurant Discovery: Tweedle Book Café

As I grow older (and hopefully wiser and more mature), I find myself spending more and more time with friends in tea or coffee shops. I go fan girl crazy whenever I discover a quaint café. It gets more squeals if the café has cute décor or adorable names for dishes. (Okay, disregard being more mature.) Tweedle Book Café in Quezon City gets a lot of points for bringing out the geek in me.

Hello, Tweedle Book Café!

Ever since my schoolmate J posted her newest business venture on Facebook, I kept bugging people to accompany me visit the place. (I could do it on my own but the possibility of getting lost is high.) But finally, after several weeks (or was it months?) of pestering with love, I finally got to visit the place!

I wanted to try its savory dishes but I had too much for lunch at Haru. Instead, I tried the Chocolate Lava Cake with Salted Caramel ice cream (PHP220) and a cup of Latte (PHP140).

While waiting for my meal, I checked the décor and noticed that the different clocks show the time of different fictional places like Rivendell from Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Paradiso from the Divine Comedy. There’s even Whoville!

Harry Potter fans will go crazy with the Platform 9 ¾ wall.

The book selection was so amusing as well. I spotted Hunger Games cookbook!

Now for my afternoon snack…

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. 

Take 2: Porto's

Give me a P! An O! An R! A T! An O! An S! Put them all together and what does it spell? Porto’s!!! I have been reunited with my all-time favorite love… Porto’s! But I was even more pleasantly surprised when we passed by a Porto’s branch I have never been to before and it was… bigger. *twirls*

 

Hello, Porto’s! It has been a while, a long while.

 

We went to the Porto’s branch in Downey and despite the fact that the place will be closing in about half an hour, the place was still very busy and packed with hungry customers, all willing to wait just to savor the yummy breads and pastries of this well-loved bakery.

 

N and I patiently waited in line while stretching our necks to see which ones to buy. Actually, I did most of the stretching as N had his tummy set for dinner.

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.

Celebrating New Chapters at Pages Deli

I used to ignore this place till I started to read good reviews about it. I wanted to try it myself but I don’t like eating alone in nice restaurants. Then a friend wanted to have dinner to celebrate her birthday. Perfect!

“Let’s meet at Shangri-la!”

“Sure! But where? (Thinking it has to be somewhere new or at least a place we have never been to before) Uhm, how about Pages Deli? Or Lemon Grass?”

“Pages Deli. See you there!”

That was how my friend and I decided to have dinner at Pages Deli. 

Yakitake Japan Moment: Dezaato Pan Breads Sweets Café

For some reason, I wake up really early on weekends. Last Saturday, I woke up at 5am (to think that it was such a “bed” weather) because I was super hungry. It was also the same day of my food trip so I decided to stick with just some bread and jam.

My friend sent me an SMS telling me that everyone cancelled for breakfast. Well, it was not such a surprise for an 8:30am call time on a rainy Saturday morning screams SLEEP.

But determined to well… eat, my friend and I decided to have breakfast somewhere. The original plan was to try Marina at the Mall of Asia but since it was raining, we decided to change the plan a bit. We drove through Katipunan only to realize that most stores were still closed and those up and running were either fast food chains or restaurants that serve food I “was” not allowed to eat then. 

Soon, we found ourselves stuck in a light traffic going to Tomas Morato.  

We finally settled in Dezaato Pan, a quaint café known for its bread and cake. 

My Tea Love: Moon Leaf

I’ve first heard of Moonleaf from a colleague and she was so excited when she told me, “This milk tea is soooo good! You have to try it!” This enthusiastic statement made me promise myself to stop by this tea store if ever I get to pass by Quezon City. And I just didn’t walk through QC last weekend; I explored two streets full of food finds.

  

A leaf! A leaf! I felt my heart skipped a beat when I saw the signage of Moonleaf. Finally, after all these (uhm) months, I get to try this store’s milk tea