Love at First Bite: Cara Mia's Crème Brûlée Cake

Calling 2020 a crazy year is an understatement. It has been more than a roller coaster ride for many. But this year has also been filled with rays of sunshine--I got pregnant and gave birth to an adorable baby girl. I was also fortunate to score some work-related opportunities. And Cara Mia launching yet another delightful cake was a yummy cherry on top!

Hello, Cara Mia.

Cara Mia is one of my favorite dessert shops in Manila. I always go for its delectable Ube Cake, Strawberry Shortcake, and Mango Cream Pie whenever there's an occasion or when I feel like treating myself to something sweet. This time, they perfected the recipe for Crème Brûlée cake.

Love at First Bite: Mirèio

Pinch me, I'm in love. It has been a few hours since I left Mirèio but I can't stop thinking about the food I had for lunch and I'm already planning when to go back for more. 

Hello, Mirèio. 

Mirèio is one of the restaurants of Raffles Makati specializing in Provencal-inspired cuisine. 

First Bite: Atelier Vivanda

I yearned to visit Atelier Vivanda ever since I saw an Instagram post about its grand opening and the fact that it is a two-star Michelin restaurant. I wanted to have dinner there for Valentine's but I was a bit too late to make a reservation. Luckily, R's dad decided to celebrate his birthday there (and it was just one day ahead of mine). Yay! 

Hello, Atelier Vivanda!

It is... not as fancy as I thought. I read a bit about the restaurant and it sounded so formal hence I was surprised that the place is pretty casual. I also had this impression that the place is huge and majestic. But the place is quite small. In fact, it is very cramped.

R and I headed straight to the second floor where R's sister reserved a table for everyone. The space upstairs seemed to be even more cramped. The waiters can't avoid bumping into the diners' chairs or backs and it is never pleasant to experience this.

Anyway, R and I opted to get the set menu for PHP1,900. It comes with an entree, mains, unlimited side dishes and dessert. I got Potato Soup for my appetizer, Vendee Yellow Chicken Breast for main, and Custard for dessert. R went with Whole Cooked Foie Gras, Black Angus Hampe, and Crème Brûlée. The server who assisted us offered to let us try all their potato side dishes.

Since the place was packed when we visited, it took them quite a long time to serve our dishes. It was almost 20 minutes in when the appetizers arrived. 

I was not impressed with R's foie gras. It was a bit dry and seemed like a solidified foie gras pate. 

I loved my soup though. It was thick and rich. Serving was also very generous. Actually, a bit too generous as it was too heavy as an appetizer. It was delightfully creamy with lovely tanginess from the Comté cheese and tinge of saltiness from the smoked haddock. 

In about 20 minutes, our mains were served.

R's black Angus steak seemed to be a bit small and rather thin but taste-wise, it did not disappoint. Cooked medium, the meat was succulent and nicely seasoned. 

It was flavorful enough for you to also appreciate the natural flavor of the meat. 

Restaurant Love: Franco's

I love my alone time. It’s quite sad to know that some people assume that being alone means being lonely. For me, spending some time with one’s self is proof that you are not dependent on people to do things. I know some people who can’t eat alone. Some can’t even go shopping alone. Well, I have been through that phase too. And yes, saying, “Table for one, please” still makes me giggle.

While walking around Rockwell to canvass some items for work, I passed by the strip of restaurants and realized that I was famished. Given, I haven’t had breakfast yet and it was already 1 p.m. that time. I was thinking of having a light snack at some coffee shop but realized that it’s such a waste if I don’t try something new. So after some thought, I decided to visit…

Franco’s.

Apparently, Franco's is also owned by the management handling Myron’s Steaks, Ribs and Seafood. I noticed though, unlike the steakhouse counterpart, the dishes offered by Franco’s are much more affordable.

The place is pretty charming. (Fine, I like wooden tables and cute chairs.)

After a quick look at the menu, I decided to go for the Pumpkin Soup (PHP120), Grilled Salmon (PHP350), Crème Brulee (PHP160) and Butterfly Iced Tea (PHP90). Yes, I wanted a light lunch.

The pumpkin soup was served first and it was deeelightful! It was creamy and it had a great balance of sweetness and saltiness. I finished the whole bowl in less than five minutes.

Love At First Bite: Paul

I find it really amusing how I get to reconnect with people this year. With food. Food truly brings (hungry) people together.

K bought some vouchers to this Chinese restaurant a few months back and realized that it will be expiring soon. Knowing that E and I are gluttons, K invited us to have lunch with him so that he could finally use the will-expire-in-two-weeks vouchers.

The lunch was filling but it did not satisfy us. So we decided to have coffee at Paul. (And I was so excited as I wanted to visit this place for months but the place is always packed!) That Sunday was not an exception as we had to wait for roughly 20 minutes to get a table.

Hello, Paul. *giddily smiles at the menu*

I forgot that I was full when I started to browse. I wanted to buy some savory dishes but K and E were focused on desserts so I pretended I was just looking at the sweets as well. I still got all hyper though with all the tarts, eclairs, cakes and macarons! Was I in heaven?

K and E settled for the Café surprise (PHP280) and I ordered the same but I also ordered Eclair aux fraises (PHP170) and Tartelette Chocolat (PHP210).

 

First to arrive was my eclair and it sure looked mouthwatering. I needed high EQ just so I could avoid attacking it right away. But I did get a bit of the cream while waiting for E and K's orders.

Restaurant Discovery: Texas Roadhouse Grill

[Mother’s Day Celebration Saga] So, after watching Iron Man 3 (second time for me), we opted to have dinner at Texas Roadhouse Grill due to my desperate attempt to look for an establishment with plugs to charge my almost dying phone.

Hello, Texas Roadhouse Grill! You got me at the word “plug”.

 

The restaurant exudes the Texan feel with predominantly brown interiors with a bit of red. The wheels also added the Western feel to it.

 

While browsing the menu, I had this sudden feel to order margarita and totally forgot that there was an alcohol ban then. Tsk. Anyway, after a few minutes, we decided to order Creamy Parmesan Chicken (PHP395), Geronimo’s Seafood Pasta Marinara (PHP350) and Shrimp and Salmon Skewer (PHP495). For dessert, we ordered Country Custard (PHP165). I also ordered a glass of Grape Shake (PHP120) as my beverage.