First Sip: Black Scoop Cafe

Manila has turned into a milk tea crazy city. Most, if not all, milk tea stores in malls are packed with customers. Coco, Gong Cha, Dakasi, Serenitea, Happy Lemon, YiFang, ChaTime, Macao Imperial, Dakasi, you name it, each one has a strong following. But one brand that was quite off the radar is Black Scoop. 

Hello, Black Scoop Cafe.

Black Scoop opened its first store along the foodie strip Maginhawa last July. It didn't really make much buzz when it opened and I wouldn't have heard about this place if Let's Eat Pare's founder, M didn't mention it during an event we both attended. 

Love at First Sip: Up in the Clouds Ice Cream & Milk Bar

With Manila's crazy heat getting worse and worse, it's not surprising to see milkshake shops and ice cream parlors to pop here and there. Though I've had my fair share of horrible experiences with new dessert places, I always keep an open mind and tummy for new ones. And this time, I tried Up in the Clouds Ice Cream & Milk Bar. 

Hello, Up in the Clouds.

I decided to reward myself after a smooth shoot with something sweet. Given that I haven't had lunch yet and it was already past 6 p.m., I figured that ice cream will just cause an upset stomach. I then zeroed in on the shop's iced tea variants. 

First Bite: Soru Izakaya

There's a new Japanese restaurant in Maginhawa that's making a lot of buzz since it opened last month with its beautiful plating and Instagram-worthy spread. I was a bit iffy to try it myself as I've been to several restaurants that focused more on design than taste. But curiosity hit me bad and soon I found myself in front of Soru Izakaya one Saturday afternoon. 

Hello, Soru Izakaya. 

We were welcomed by dark and warm interiors as well as Japanese inspired murals and wall designs. There were not a lot of diners too at 4:30 p.m. but the place was quite warm as not all A/C units were on. 

Beat the Heat: Snow Creme

With the never ending summer heat, shaved ice treats have become a staple dessert in the food scene. I find it interesting how it evolved from Cerealicious and Ice Monster to bingsu. Such changes show how locals also evolved as foodies. We are no longer satisfied with rough shaved ice and now yearn for snow-like ones. We also now crave for a variety of toppings and are no longer content with just brownies, chocolates and cereals. And these changes in preferences help push the food industry to come up with better dishes. I was pretty pleased to find a shop that actually merged two of the food trends that made Manila, well, fatter. 

Hello, Snow Creme!

This charming shaved ice dessert shop is located in the same building as some of the famous Maginhawa restaurants such as Wicked Kitchen and Papa Diddi’s. Cat Café Manila is also in the same building. 

I was actually just looking for something to quench my thirst when I passed by this shop. I figured that shaved ice will do the trick and that I’ll be able to satisfy my insatiable desire for desserts at the same time. To my surprise, this shop offers more than shaved ice treats. 

Snow Creme also offers milk teas, fruit teas, smoothies and light snacks like fries and squid balls.  I ended up getting Strawberry Kiwi Iced Tea (PHP70, Large | PHP80, Extra Large) and Taiwan Shaved Ice (PHP130, Small | PHP180, Large). 

My Taiwan Shaved Ice was served in less than 15 minutes and it looked pretty nice with its generous serving of mochi, red beans and coffee jelly. It sure was a steal for PHP130. 

Maginhawa Food Park StrEat Find: Bricks & Copper

Food parks are popping out here and there. But one of the first and established food parks in Manila is in Maginhawa and it sure has a witty name to boot. 

Hello, Maginhawa Food Park StrEat!

StrEat has became a must-visit food park ever since Lost Bread became trending in Instagram. Its attractive interiors is also a hipster magnet. 

There are several food stalls inside but we decided to stick with a few namely: Lost Bread, Bricks & Copper, Egg-It and Schmidt’s Hot Dog. 

It was a bit crowded when we visited around 5:30 pm but the food park organizers were prepared for it and placed ample number of tables and chairs for diners. We didn’t have a hard time getting a table for 5. First on our list is Bricks & Copper.

R and I ordered Chicken and Beef Kebab (PHP100 per piece) without rice as we wanted to save space for other finds. 

Service was good as our orders were served within the 10 minute mark. 

The two kebabs were plated in a no frills manner and we were given a small serving of red and white sauce on the side. 

The chicken kebab had a weird texture. It was also a bit tough making me think that the chicken was still raw when it was served. In short, I didn’t like this one. 

The beef kebab was a lot better. It was initially served with just the red sauce; but we had no problem requesting for some white sauce for it. 

This was was a lot better than its chicken counterpart. But it wasn’t exactly outstanding for me to go back for more. 

Looking back, it was a bit expensive for its quality. 

P.S. Parking could be hell here. If you’re on a food crawl, it might be better if you park elsewhere and just walk here. 

Bricks and Copper is located at Maginhawa Food Park StrEat, 91 Maginhawa, Teachers Village, Quezon City. 

Restaurant Love: Leona's Art Restaurant

I was so excited for the Quezon City Food Fest as it sounded so promising. Imagine, gathering all the best finds in Quezon City in one area. It was a foodie’s dream come true. But I wasn’t expecting (1) that it’ll rain pretty much the whole afternoon and (2) that there wasn’t anything special about the whole event. There were no special dishes or offering and every single restaurant was packed! In short, I ended up being a sticky and wet hungry girl.

After an upsetting trip to this new Japanese restaurant I shall not mention, M recommended that we visit his favorite pizza place instead. And since I was famished and the two sorbetes cones I bought were about to disappear, I agreed.

Hello, Leona’s Art Restaurant!

The place is pretty small and we had to wait for a bit for a table to clear up. Luckily, the wait wasn’t that long.

Since the place was packed, it took the servers a while to clear our table and to get our orders. But since the owner was apologetic, I was more forgiving this time. (Plus, the sorbetes helped calm me.)

We opted to get the Take Three Pizza Promo for only PHP499 (for 10 inches). For the flavors, Three Cheese and Pepperoni are fixed. We could only choose one more and we got the Garlic and Mushroom. I also ordered the Tomato Espresso (PHP80) and Soft Taco (PHP90). I also got a rootbeer float as drink/dessert.

Foodie Alert: Quezon City Food Festival

Food trips. I love food trips. But one thing I love more than food trips would be food fairs and festivals. And I can’t wait for October 11.

Quezon City Food Festival is happening in 10 days!

The foodiedestination Maginhawa Street will be closed the whole day of October 11 starting midnight as several tents from our favorite Quezon City will gather in one area for one unforgettable fattening day. The best part? It’s FREE.

Roam around the street of Maginhawa and discover new food loves. I for one can’t wait! I just realized that I haven’t covered a sixteenth of the restaurants in Maginhawa and Malingap alone.

Restaurant Discovery: Hillcrest Wellness Café

Since we were already in the area, V and I opted to walk around Teachers Village and look for an interesting place to have dessert after a filling meal thanks to Cocina Juan. After a short walk, V noticed a coffee shop with a bookshelf and that attracted him like a fly to light. So, we found our dessert place.

Hello, Hillcrest Wellness Café.

It has a modest café set up that gives an impression of a school lounge of some sort. The menu is quite simple too but the Moringaccino (PHP120) sure made me curious. Moringa with cappuccino? I’ve never heard of that before. And so, I just have to order that one. V, as a person who doesn’t drink coffee (*gasp* I know!), opted for Strawberry Banana Wellness Shake (PHP145). We also ordered a Banana Mango crepe (PHP185). It was a good thing that they have Moringaccino to distract me as the person manning the counter could not answer any of my questions except which one is their bestseller.

My coffee tasted a bit like matcha. It had a strong “green” taste. It tasted healthy though so I didn’t find finishing the cup sinful.

Restaurant Discovery: Cocina Juan

I am lazy on Lazy Sundays. I am even lazy to eat on Lazy Sundays! Given that I hardly go out on Sundays, I eat really late. I normally skip breakfast so that I’ll just have a big lunch. It became a habit that I find difficult to break. Hence, whenever I go out on Sundays, I’d leave my place with an empty stomach and just a few minutes away from being grumpy. (Unless I bring a carton of milk with me to last me an hour or two.)

A few Sundays ago was supposed to be a Fishing Day at La Mesa Eco Park. But V and I were surprised to be greeted by a fishing pond that seems to be owned by Shrek. We cannot see a single fish. Well, there were a few kids “fishing” but I bet these kids were there for hours. Plus, there were falling branches that made things quite scary for us. So after a few minutes of staring at the pond/Shrek’s swamp, we decided to go to Maginhawa instead.

 

I was 10 minutes away from being a “hANGRY” cat lady when we finally decided to go for Cocina Juan. The place looks charming with its bright red wall and there were only two tables occupied.

The server assisted us to our table and promptly gave us the menu and recommended some dishes. We went for the Churrasco Nicaragua (PHP439) as the server mentioned that this one isn’t spicy. I also got a glass of Cucumber Lemonade (PHP65) simply because it sounds so refreshing. Since I was really hungry and starting to show some symptoms of bratinellism, I asked the kind waiter to choose an appetizer for us as I do not want to think anymore. He chose the Quesadilla Con Tomate (PHP189).

Healthy 2012: Pipino Vegetarian Food by Pino

Pork. Lots of pork and fried too! What more can make one feel so guilty, especially after undergoing a rather expensive cleansing diet? Thank goodness for the owners of Pino though for making healthy living accessible right after devouring its famous Kare-Kareng Bagnet.

Right above Pino Resto Bar is its healthier counterpart, Pipino.

 

Stuffed and heavy, we braved the stairs (well, it was just one flight from Pino but it looked like a mountain for us with pork-filled tummies).

My First Bite: Sancho Churreria Manila

Ever since I saw a post claiming that a quaint restaurant along Maginhawa serves the best churros in town, I’ve been itching to go back to Maginhawa to try it myself. I’ve always been in love with Dulcinea’s churros and I wondered if I’ll have an affair with a new one.

 

We were still in our “Invade Maginhawa” mode but it was almost 5PM then. We didn’t care if our tummies were about to explode. We just have to check this place out.

Home of Kare-Kareng Bagnet: Pino Resto Bar

Our second food stop during our first Maginhawa food trip this 2012 was Pino Resto Bar as I have been eying its Choco Turon for some time now.

Hello, Pino!

 

I can’t help notice the cute doodles on the wall of Pino upon entering. It definitely gave the restaurant an artistic vibe.

Charmed By A Girl Named Maria

I missed doing all-day food trips thus I decided to organize another one last February 4 and target stops were Gayuma Ni Maria, Pino, Pipino, and Sancho. Yes, we’re back at Maginhawa for another Quezon City food trip. (And to help me accomplish one of my goals this 2012.)

My friend H and I met early as we both live a bit far from Quezon City. We were expecting that it will take us an hour before we reach Maginhawa. Wrong! We arrived around 10:30 am and not a single FOOD establishment was open. (I just had to emphasize food as Ricky Reyes opens early.)

We decided to roam around instead and I got to see other restaurants I was not aware of. There was this vague sounding restaurant that I have to try next, a cute café called Zombie Café and I heard that there’s this place offering pizza all you can. (The phrase “eat all you can” never fails to entice me!)

Soon, restaurants started to open and we met up with our tour guide, yet another foodie who lives a few steps away from Pino. Lucky guy!

 

Our first stop was Gayuma Ni Maria as we planned on eating something heavy as it was almost lunch time.

One Yummy Project: Creating your own burger

If only school projects are as tasty as this, I would have been a straight-A student from preschool to college.

We were now on our second stop of our Teacher’s Village Food Trip and the next destination was The Burger Project. With an attempt to burn some of the samgyeopsal we ate earlier, we decided to walk. (Well, the joint was pretty near the eat all you can place. Let’s say about 100 steps away?)

We were greeted by a plain looking signage with The Burger Project name on it. It didn’t really make me utter wow or anything. I just knew that I was in the right place. 

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