Pie Day: Lombardi’s

I love celebrating all those random “special” days. One of which is Pi/Pie/White Day. Celebrated every 14^th of March (3.14), I make sure that I do something on that day. And I did this year. But one thing I failed to do was to eat pizza. Since I must have pizza that weekend, I went to… Lombardi’s.

Hello, Lombardi’s!

I recall the last time I visited was around October of last year with a few college friends and we had pizza too! Lombardi’s pizzas never disappoint. This time, I wanted to try something different so we chose Vegetariana (PHP320). I also got a Crèma di Funghi (PHP190), Spaghetti Ai Frutti Di Mare (PHP440) and Pannacota Del Piemonte (PHP160).

The cream of mushroom was indeed creamy. I loved the slightly thick texture and the bits of mushroom for extra bite.

The Spaghetti Ai Frutti Di Mare, as before, had the delightful light taste. I also loved the different textures of the seafood—clams, prawns, mussels and squid.

Bacon Steak Heaven: Balboa

Friday traffic never fails to discourage me from exploring other places. Just like last Friday, R and I were supposed to visit Xocolat near UP. But since traffic gets more intense on Fridays, we decided to go to Shangri-La instead. And I find it tough to choose where to eat there since I already tried all the restaurants. (Good thing my favorites such as Spätzle, Kettle, Balboa, Brotzeit, and Duck & Buvette are there.) R let me choose where to eat and I chose…

Balboa! It has been a while.

I still remember how much I raved about its roasted chicken. I told my family, friends, and colleagues how much I love Balboa’s roasted chicken. I’m a fan. (Okay, enough of the chicken.)

This time around, R and I ordered the following: Cream of Squash (PHP209), Bacon Steak (PHP448) and Lasagna (PHP319). For drinks, R got the Salted Caramel (PHP175) while I chose Lychee, Lime and Honey (PHP138).

The drinks arrived first and my drink was quite refreshing. It wasn’t that sweet and it has a slight citrus taste from the lime. The lychee taste was faint though.

R loved his salted caramel. It was quite milky and surprisingly not as sweet as I thought.

The Cream of Squash had a light texture making it a good appetizer. I loved the slight sweetness of the soup.

Restaurant Love: Happy Cream Puff

I have a few favorite places that I go to whenever I’m lazy, tired or just wanted to have a quick break. One of which is Happy Cream Puff at Shangri-La Plaza Mall’s East Wing. (Wow, that’s a mouthful!) The place is not as crowded as Starbucks and they have free wi-fi (which fails me at times). And since they also serve savory dishes, it’s one of my top choices when I’m hungry and need food ASAP.

It was already 4 p.m. when we got to Shangri-La and with no food in our bellies; we were starting to get cranky. My sister and I decided to go to Happy Cream Puff for a quick meal before doing other errands.

Konnichiwa, Happy Cream Puff!

This time around, I decided to go for the Nagoya Spaghetti (PHP230) while my sister ordered the Salisbury steak. We also got Banana Nama Éclair (PHP105) for dessert.

For some reason, I was so addicted to spaghetti that week. Just the day before, I also had spaghetti. I felt like I was possessed by Hetty Spaghetti. Anyway…

Restaurant Love: Kettle

It has been a long while since I last visited Kettle. I think it has been almost a year! 2014 went by so fast. It was filled with so many changes, learning, challenges and a lot of food finds! I still remember the food I ordered in Kettle. The Mac and Four Cheese and the Buttermilk Fried Chicken definitely stood out. Anyway, since it was almost a year, it was time to visit again.

Hello, Kettle!

This time around, we decided to order the following: Oven Roasted Squash Soup (PHP269), Angus Roast beef Hash (PHP539), Angus Roast beef Sandwich (PHP459), Miso Glazed Salmon (PHP569), a carafe of green iced tea (PHP179), and a slice of Checkered Cake (PHP209).

First served was the iced tea.

It had a strong green tea taste that made it slightly bitter. In short, my sister didn’t like it.

Next served was the soup. I liked that it was creamy and the tidbits of shrimp added texture to the dish. It was heavenly!

Okay, my family loves roast beef. They ordered roast beef sandwich and roast beef hash. I was telling them that only one should order but no one wanted to change. *sigh* Fine.

After trying both, I realized that the only difference was that the sandwich was cheesier and that it had a banana inside making it a bit sweet. The hash was potato overload with the oh-so-soft-and-savory roast beef. The hash was also topped with a fried egg. Both were great but I would be more inclined to order the roast beef hash as it would be easier to share.

Colleagues’ Choice: Watami

It’s always fun to bond with colleagues outside the office. You get to know them better and you get to freely talk about other things without feeling guilty of slacking off. And since one of my officemates will be leaving soon, we decided to have a team dinner. After a few suggestions here and there, we decided to dine at Watami.

Hello, Watami.

I was super hungry when I got there with one of my officemates who happen to live in the same area. Due to lack of self control, I ordered right away. I went with: Watami Salad (PH255 for half), Salmon Irodori (PHP195), Cold Soba (PHP225) and Shochu (PHP150).

The Shochu arrived first and it looked like water. Upon sniffing, I could definitely tell that it’s alcohol. It was pretty strong too.

The Watami Salad and Salmon Irodori were served next.

I noticed that the salad’s meant for sharing as it was served with tongs but… no. *sharing no likey* (Kidding! But I really didn’t share that night.)

Ti Amo: Lombardi's

People come and go. Those who stay are just one of the three—family, friends, or the one. Anyway, I won’t be mushy today as I’m referring to the second one. I’m so glad that I have friends to talk with when I have problems or bug when I’m in the mood to eat. It has been over a month since I last saw my MScM friends and so many things happened for the past weeks. We needed a catch up session.

I was looking forward to the 24^th of October as my friends and I were planning another staycation. But we were not able to book a room. *boo*

 

We decided to have dinner instead at Shangri-La. K and F picked Lombardi’s as they haven’t tried the food there yet.

When I arrived, they already ordered Spaghetti Ai Fruitti Di Mare (PHP440) and Quattro Formaggi (PHP475). I ordered Crèma di Spinaci (PHP175) and Chicken Cacciatore (PHP590). I skipped ordering dessert as I was craving for tea.

 

My cream of spinach soup was served first and it was quite salty. Actually, it was really salty. But I was hungry so I finished my bowl of soup. It made me look forward to the main course though.

Restaurant Love: Spätzle Euro Market Café

I was so scared that the Halloween traffic might be crazy given that some people will be going to their provinces but I was surprised that there were only a few cars on the road come 6 p.m.. However, my friends were late and I was already “hangry”.

After several exchanges on where to eat, I finally decided that I’ll stay in Spätzle. No more moving. I was tired, hungry, and grumpy. Yes, I have reached the bratty foodie stage.

K and E were game to eat there though as they have never visited Spätzle Euro Market Café.

After a few minutes, K finally arrived and we hurriedly ordered the following: Paprika Potato Chips (PHP145), Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Roesti (PHP320), The Spätz Burger (PHP355), Frozen Brazo de Mercedes (PHP230) and Watermelon Slush (PHP105).

My drink arrived first and it was refreshing. I loooove watermelon!

The potatochips were delightful as well. It was slightly zesty making it different from the usual chips. It helped keep us sane while waiting for our mains.

Restaurant Discovery: Happy Cream Puff

My mom and sister were both raving about the food at Happy Cream Puff that we decided to have one of our lunch dates there.

Hello, Happy Cream Puff.

I never noticed that Happy Cream Puff serves savory food. Well, the name itself is pretty deceiving. I just buy cream puffs and I'm gone. But true enough, they do serve savory dishes and other drinks aside from brewed coffee.

After checking the menu, I went with the Beef Stew (PHP260) and Coffee Jelly (PHP120) while my sister went with Chicken Karaage (PHP180) and my mom ordered the Spaghetti a la Carbonara (PHP180). (Prices are very pocket friendly.)

First served was my coffee jelly drink and it was sweeter than expected. Definitely not something you would want to order to quench your thirst. 

Next served were our meals.

The beef stew was great! The meat was so tender and I actually ate the carrots! I normally hate carrots and I would only eat it if I like the sauce or dip that goes with it.

Restaurant Love: Balboa (Take 3)

I love Balboa. In fact, I think this is my third entry on the restaurant. I ate there around 6 times already and I still crave for more. I have the Balboa addiction! But I have finally moved on from my crazy fascination over its Roasted Chicken. This time, I tried other dishes.

F sent me a random message about Balboa one Friday night and asked if I want to try the place out. Since I had no plans for lunch that day, we agreed to meet and K joined us as well.

I arrived a bit late (because I had to finish my weekend chores first) and F and K were halfway done with their meals. But given that I love to order a complete meal, I ordered a bowl of Cream of Squash (PHP209), Smoked Salmon (PHP348), and Carrot Pineapple (PHP138). I also ordered an Espresso Cheesecake (PHP228) for sharing.

 

My cream of squash was not as smooth as I wanted it to be but it sure was creamy and thick. It was sweet and slightly salty just the way I prefer it to be. I enjoyed it with my toast.

Love at Second Bite: Spätzle Euro Market Café

I love it whenever I get a chance to have a dinner date with my friends. It’s nice to break the routine once in a while. Hours of sharing what’s happening with one’s life to reminiscing the good ‘ol past could sure brighten one’s day (and even more). I just hope that Shangri-La gets all the restaurants open and operating soon as I have tried all of the restaurants already! But of course, there are the “favorite” spots and I dined in one with my favorite dragon lady. 

Hello again, Spätzle Euro Market Café!

We decided to dine at Spätzle given T never got the chance to visit that restaurant yet. It has been a while since my last visit but I really enjoyed the food there. I remember having that smoked salmon benny which was spectacular. I fell in love with the slightly breaded soft boiled egg. (Okay, just remembering it makes me drool.) Anyway, T and I decided to have a date after work since it has been a few weeks since we last saw each other. Plus, we had so many stories to share to each other. (Clingy friends.)

It was a breeze for us to decide on what to order because we were both hungry and every second counts! 

We went for the following: Roasted Creamy Tomato Soup (PHP220), Monte Blanc Pizza (PHP325), and Roasted Chicken Sausage (PHP295). As for the drinks, we got Spätz All Natural Caffeine-free Iced Tea (PHP98) and Haus Iced Tea (PHP90).

First served was our soup. We asked to have it split into two and it was plated in a charming manner.

Restaurant Love: Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen

I just can’t get enough of Japanese food. Given a chance, I’ll live in Japan and eat all the salmon sashimi I could get my hands on. But of course, that would be too much. So let’s throw in some ramen. There you go. That is the life. Okay, I kid. But I really am too attached to Japanese cuisine. I was so thrilled when I got an email from them before giving me a heads up on their new dishes. I was out of the country then but I promised Riza of Ikkoryu Fukuoka that I will drop by as soon as I’m back. Well, fine, it wasn’t as soon as I anticipated as there were just too many new restaurants to visit. But Black Day was the perfect day for some ramen love. 

For some reason, J and I meet on the 14^th of the month. It started with Valentine’s Day where we traded gifts. (Hey, single people can celebrate Valentine’s Day too you know.) It was followed by Pi/Pie/White Day where we had some beer can chicken and finally, Black Day. And yes, I forced J to wear black.

We actually had no idea where to eat when we met but since we were both famished, we had to think fast. We eliminated the cuisines we do not fancy that night and ended up with around four restaurants to choose from. J initially crossed out ramen but remembered his Monday ramen nights and finally gave in to have dinner at Ikkoryu Fukuoka. 

 

The place wasn’t as packed compared to when it first opened (where wait time was around 30 minutes to an hour). The servers were very attentive and gave us menus as soon as we sat down.

An English Lunch for Two: TWG Tea Salon and Boutique

When I was younger, I love to play “tea party” with my toys as my guests. (Go blame my sister who was born 6 years later!) I do recall though that I had fun and served real food and air as tea. I guess that pretty much explains why I was a ball when I was a toddler. I never liked real tea though growing up as I found it too Chinese and I hated Chinese food when I was young. (Note: past tense.) But as I transformed to become a foodie I am now, I got so addicted to tea that every time a tea place opens up or when I pass by TWG, my heart skips a beat. Yes, I have a weird attachment to food.

Summer is here and it’s sizzling hot outside! Yet, all I want last Saturday was hot tea. So off I go to TWG to try another brunch set.

When I arrived, no one was there so I was slightly lonesome. I took my time reading the menu and read the inclusions per set. I went for the Governor set (PHP900) which includes a pot of Tea (I got Private Hour simply because I was alone), a glass of orange or apple juice, Chicken en Brochette, scones or muffins, and a choice of TWG Tea patisserie from the trolley (I chose the strawberry tart).

My tea and main course arrived when A messaged me that she was near. She went for the NY Breakfast Tea, Garden Lasagna (PHP350) and a plate of steak that we both forgot its name.

Restaurant Discovery: Epicurious Manila

Grumpy tummies. I was with two ladies with grumpy tummies. Yes, I'm talking about my mom's and sister's. They insisted that we eat somewhere we've been before but I was persistent that we try something new. The problem though is that I have been to most restaurants in Shangri-La and we're running out of options until I discovered... Epicurious Manila!

 At first, I thought Epicuious Manila was just a deli shop. Okay, it is a deli shop and a restaurant in one but I was confused with how to order as I didn't see the sign right away. And when I did, I was looking where I could get order slips.

Apparently, all you have to do is approach one of the crew members and tell them what you want from the chillers. They could also cook the meat and fish for you if you want though it will be served as is so you need to add a bit more for side dishes.

Now that we somehow get it, we finally got to order, the deli shop way. I asked for the following: Australian Pasta Salad (PHP250), Mac 'N Cheese (PHP250), Mushroom Soup (I forgot to note the price), Marble Potato Salad (PHP160), Salmon with Mashed Potato on the side (starting price was PHP380) and we also ordered two bottles of Phoenix New Zealand organic drinks--Apple Pear and Apple Pomegranate (PHP120 each).  

First Bite: Green Pastures

Organic. This craze is getting stronger and stronger as time pass by. I guess it's actually a good craze as people are becoming more health conscious. I'm not too fond of organic food though as I think it tastes the same as the usual non-organic kind and because it is way pricier than its "unhealthy" counterpart. Don't get me wrong though as I try organic or healthy food from time to time. Like when I tried Juju Cleanse and Slice. And because of my desire to visit all new restaurants, my friends and I visited Green Pastures.

Hello Green Pastures!

There's a short wait before we could be seated. Oh the charm of new restaurants. This one was featured on T.V. and my aunt told me to give this a try and so I did.

I just came from Kimukatsu so I was still pretty full when I met A and L. (AL?) So I decided to go for the Local Artisanal Cheese (PHP325, single; PHP425, choice of 2; PHP850, full) and MilkEggsHoney (PHP155) for dessert. A went for the Meat On Meat Classic Cheeseburger (PHP595) while L ordered Octopus Bone Marrow (PHP425) and Duck You fries (PHP185). We all ordered Hibiscus Iced Tea (PHP90 per glass, PHP135 refillable) out of curiosity on how different it would be from a typical iced tea.

Service was quite quick as the Duck You which was served with a mini spray bottle of sauce, which happens to be vinegar, arrived in less than 10 minutes. The Duck You fries are your typical fries cooked in duck fat and topped with duck skin and duck confit. This dish is rather unhealthy but something duck lovers would enjoy.

Next served was my cheese order. I got the Neufchatel Cream Cheese with Smoked Salmon. The serving of cheese wasn't that generous but it was definitely enough for the four slices of bread. I wasn't very experimental though and ate the nuts, grapes honeycomb and cheese separately. I enjoyed the cheese though I hardly tasted the salmon.

Restaurant Discovery: Kimukatsu

People change as time pass by. Priorities shift and some friends come and go. That's how life is. Dwelling in how great things were will just hinder you from appreciating the present. I admit, I used to be guilty with reminiscing about the past, how happy and carefree college was. Okay, perhaps it wasn't as carefree as I recall as I do remember sleepless nights because of those financial models we just could not balance. But I am thankful for one thing... the people who stayed. 

It has been a while since I last saw J and M. The last time I met J was way back in 2010 while it was 2012 for M. I guess we all got busy but interestingly, kept in touch thanks to Facebook. Hey, this could be a movie, eh? Uh, not really.

Anyway, we all decided to meet up at Shangri-La (since I'm the youngest and I get the first pick!) and went to Kimukatsu, a new Japanese restaurant at the East Wing.

For some reason, I had an impression that it is just like its neighbor, Ikkoryu Fukuoka. But when we got there and saw the menu, it is just like Yabu. KimuKATSU... duh! Since we're there and comfy, we decided to go for it. 

I ordered the Black Pepper Katsu (PHP390) while J went for the Tatsuta-Age (PHP180) and another katsu viand I forgot to note. M on the other hand went for the Kimukatsu Plain Sandwich (PHP210) and Agedashi Tofu (PHP180). I also ordered Japanese Panna Cotta for dessert (PHP110).

First served were the complimentary miso soup and cabbage followed by the Tatsuta-Age and Kimukatsu Plain Sandwich. I had to take quick snapshots of the dishes as I was not with people who are used to being around a food blogger who believes in "picture before satisfying the tummy". 

Restaurant Discovery: Kettle

I really have this thing for new restaurants. I get so excited every time I find out that a new restaurant is opening soon near my place. By near I mean Shangri-La, Megamall, Capitol Commons, and Kapitolyo. While I was trying to resist my foodie urges in the States, I was busy doing "research" on the new restaurants. One of the new places that caught my fancy was Kettle at Shangri-La's East Wing.

Hello Kettle! 

I met up with my good friend M for dinner for some intense catching up. I insisted that we have dinner there as I have to try its famous fried chicken.

Ordering was a breeze too as I know what I want. I ordered the Smoked Salmon Salad (PHP250), Buttermilk Fried Chicken (PHP519), and Calamari (PHP329). For dessert, we originally wanted to get the Checkered Cake but they ran out so we went for the Pistachio Cake instead (PHP229).

Service was pretty quick as our salad and calamari were served within 15 minutes. 

The salad was drizzled with black pepper for additional taste. The serving itself was pretty generous and I enjoyed it a lot. I would have enjoyed it more if there were more salmon though. The dill ranch dressing has that tangy taste that would make you eat more!

The calamari though seemed typical for me. It's your usual fried and breaded squid.