Beat the Heat: Rita's Italian Ice

With Manila’s scorching heat, it was not surprising that Rita’s was a hit when it came to Manila two years ago. I still remember the long queue just to get your frozen custard fix. I have to admit, I tried my best not to give in to the craze but eventually found myself lining up a few months later (since it opened its first branch in Greenhills) and was delighted by Rita’s Gelati or a combination of Italian ice and frozen custard. Fast forward to 2016, Rita’s is still getting a lot of attention with its wide array of flavors and combinations to choose from. And I had an opportunity to sample a bunch of Rita’s bestselling items a few Saturdays ago.

Hello, Rita’s Italian Ice!

I dropped by Rita’s U.P. Town Center branch on a sunny Saturday afternoon and was warmly greeted by its Marketing Officer Angela who treated us to a refreshing afternoon snack.

We first sampled Italian Ice in cotton candy, green apple, sugar-free dragon fruit, mango and kiwi-strawberry flavors. All are light in flavor and quite refreshing. I enjoyed kiwi-strawberry best as its slight tangy taste helped cleanse the palate. R on the other hand loved the bestselling flavor cotton candy. Well, he is pretty biased with anything cotton candy. 

Kumori Favorite: Krone

I fell in love with Kumori’s soft buns ever since I got a bite of it. It was the best part of the milk shake I ordered as it somehow offset the sweetness of the hazelnut chocolate. Though I had the whole thing for myself, I felt that it was not enough. I wanted to buy a pack of three (PHP25) then but R stopped me as we have a lot of food to finish or else it’ll spoil. Hence, I stopped myself from buying and heard my heart break a bit. But it wasn’t that long till I get to buy some of that lovely soft buns. 

Hello, Kumori in Makati!

After enjoying my banhmi from Bon Banhmi, I roamed around for some dessert and figured that I’ll try Kumori’s Krone (PHP49 per roll) and buy a pack of soft buns for breakfast. 

Wait. What?

A krone is a hallow, flaky, Danish pastry tube that is freshly piped with a creamy egg custard filling and sprinkled with a snow sugar powder (confectionary sugar).

My krone was given to me as soon as I paid and I just could not resist licking the custard filling overflow. I quickly took a few shots and tasted the filling. 

It had a nice light and smooth taste. It was sweet but not overly sweet. Its smooth texture was well complemented by the crispiness and flakiness of the Danish pastry. Just think of it as crispy cream puff. Actually, that’s exactly what it was… a crispy cream puff.

It was good and one order was enough to satisfy my craving for dessert. 

See you again, Kumori!

Kumori is located at Basement, Landmark Food Court, Makati Avenue, Makati City. 

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. 

Love at First Bite: Le Petit Soufflé

[Disclaimer: This blog will be longer than usual as we were fed really well by the generous team behind the charming Le Petit Soufflé.]

I get so giddy and thrilled whenever I receive goodie packages from Looloo. I emailed P to say thanks but her reply thrilled me even more… she invited me to one of the eat-up events of Looloo. Woohoo! After 4 months of reviewing, I finally got an invite to one of their fun events where foodies meet fellow foodies who are patient enough to allow you to take few, scratch that, several snapshots of the dishes served. And the best part of the eat- up was that it was in a restaurant that I’ve always wanted to visit. (I tried twice and failed twice to dine there!)Yes, it’s Le Petit Soufflé!!!

Hi, Le Petit Soufflé!

The charming and aesthetically pleasing restaurant is now a few months old and it still gets packed with hungry diners. 

That only proves that this restaurant is not all cutesy furniture and interiors and that it serves delectable dishes.

During the eat-up, we got a chance to meet the brilliant minds behind the restaurant—Miko Aspiras, Charles Paw and Kristine Lotilla. They mentioned that the inspiration behind the restaurant is the fact that Japanese are so fascinated with French cuisine hence the play of French and Japanese ingredients to whip up mouthwatering dishes. They also mentioned the use of greens to make the dishes look “alive”. And I guess healthy.

First served was the Tropical Basil and Cucumber drink (PHP350, carafe). Despite its dark color, it was not that sweet and in fact, it's refreshing. I liked the tinge of basil and the coolness of mint leaves. (Since this was first to arrive, it preoccupied us for more than 10 minutes, taking photos of all possible angles.

The savory dishes started to be served one after another.

Let’s start with the Kinoko Frites (PHP235).

These deep fried enoki and oyster mushrooms toasted in matcha salt are so addicting. Who would have thought that fried fungi would be this good? Don’t forget to dip it in tonkotsu mayo. It makes it even more delightful. Careful though with the thicker parts for it could give an oily surprise!

The Cheesy and Matcha Puffs (PHP175) reminded some of us of fish balls with its flat round shape. It was pretty much just like flavored bread with a hint of cheese and matcha. I guess it’s a good and light way to start your meal but I wasn't that crazy over this one.

The Sesame Crusted Tuna Salad (PHP345) was perhaps the most photogenic savory dish served. The seared tuna loin was so inviting that it made me salivate while taking photos of it. Thank goodness I did not drool. The garden greens, shimeji mushrooms, tobico and bonito flakes, topped with sesame wasabi dressing added more color to the dish.  Sadly, I wasn’t able to try it. *Insert ugly cry here.*

Team Clingy was raving about the Japanese Beef Curry Soufflé (PHP525) and most if not all of them said that it was their favorite dish in Le Petit Soufflé. It made my expectation higher and when I got to taste it, it was pretty good. In fact, I’m willing to order this when I visit again. It was the type of curry that is "curry-me-no-likey" friendly. The curry taste was definitely there but it wasn’t overwhelming. The nicely cooked cheese soufflé was a great complement to the thinly sliced US beef mixed with Japanese rice and curry sauce.

As a noodle lover, the Vegetarian Soba Pasta (PHP345) caught my eye. Made of buckwheat soba mixed with shimeji, zucchini, eggplant, and bell pepper in delectable shoyu sauce, this dish is a winner! Serving size though is not that much and could only be good for one to two.

Another dish that deserves the spotlight was the Foie Gras Mac and Cheese (PHP755). This awesome dish (wait, did I mention awesome yet?) was soooo good! It’s a must-order even if you’re not a fan of foie gras. The mac and cheese was oozing with flavor and it was a cheese person’s dream. Sharp, tangy, cheesy piece of heaven. Munch on some Hungarian sausage slices for some contrast in flavor.

I had a lot of squid ink dishes before and Le Petit Soufflé’s Squid Ink Rice (PHP395) was good but nothing spectacular. Well, we can’t expect everything to be superb right? 

One thing to note was that they used fresh seafood with this dish. Oh, and shimeji mushrooms made yet another appearance. Le Petit Soufflé must love this ingredient.

I wasn't really attracted to the Truffled Mushroom Hambagu (PHP595) despite its truffle cream. I had a few bites and yes, it didn't stand out. (Maybe it could have if I ate it before the Foie Gras Mac and Cheese or the Japanese Beef Curry.)

After trying all the savory dishes, I started to munch on French Toast (PHP295). It is Le Petit Soufflé’s signature brioche French toast served with maple syrup and whipped cream and it is worthy to be called a signature dish. It was soft, light on the palate and simply lovely. You can even enjoy it as is sans maple syrup and whipped cream.

Love at First Bite: Rita’s Ice-Custard-Happiness

I have been eying Rita’s for a long time now. Ever since it opened, I have heard and read nothing but praises. They say that this Italian custard really is “happiness” and finally, I got a taste of it last week.

Hello, Rita’s!

The place was packed when we visited but we didn’t mind the long wait as we couldn’t decide what to get. We got giddy with the thought of combining our favorite flavors but we were not so sure if it would work. Eventually, it was my turn and I asked the friendly guy manning the counter for recommendation.

I chose Gelati (PHP130 for regular) which is a combination of Italian flavored ice (think sorbet) and creamy custard. Since I wanted Strawberry-Banana (coffee was just too sweet!), he suggested that I pair it with vanilla custard. But I want to try more so I opted for the twist (chocolate with vanilla).

Presenting… chocolate vanilla twirl with strawberry-banana ice.

Hole in the Wall Find: Green Cheese (Happiest Cheesecake in the World)

While waiting for my pho from Phobobo, I looked around to check the other concessionaires and see if I could try more dishes that night. However, the place was really packed so I was forced to buy from stores with shorter lines (as we were also rushing to visit a coffee shop after dinner).

Hello, Green Cheese, the happiest cheesecake in the world!

This cake stall caught my interest when Jin Perez of Jin Loves to Eat featured it on her blog. From the smiling Japanese cheesecakes to the nice façade (with a swing), Green Cheese sure screams kawaii!

I decided to go for Green Cheese’s plain cheesecake (PHP50 per slice or PHP350 for a box) and custard pudding (PHP120).

Love at First Bite: Custaroonery by Gigi Gaerlan

My close friends know that I find it hard to just order one dish. Normally, I have to order an appetizer, main course, and dessert. But they also know out of the three, the most important is the last one. I just can't give up sweets. I'll just become a very hostile foodie if deprived of my sweet endings. 

While looking for a place to have dinner, I came across this cute looking kiosk. Dainty and sweet-looking, I was attracted like a fly to light. I had no power. (Okay, fine, I did but I let my glutton spirit overpower me.)  

Soon, I was in front of Custaroonery and staring at the simple menu card and ended up ordering a box of 6custaroons in a span of 1 minute. I was super excited to enjoy it with my sister!