First Sip: Yogorino

I think milk tea's flowing through my blood stream with the amount of boba drinks I consume. Though I try my best to avoid this delicious drink, I just can't seem to get it off my mind. And when a friend recommended that I try Yogorino and found out that it offers milk tea, I have to reset my no milk tea diet to day 0. 

Hello, Yogorino.

Yogorino is one of the growing brands under Viva International Food & Restaurants, Inc. which also franchises or manages Wing Zone, Paper Moon, Botejyu and Pepi Cubano. 

First Bite: Ally's All-Day Breakfast

Moms say that breakfast is the important meal of the day. But for us busy bees, we'd be lucky to be munching on a cracker on our way out. I admit, I usually skip breakfast just to get from point A to point B on time. (I blame the intense traffic we have in Manila.) Don't get me wrong. I love breakfast. It's just that I love sleep more and couldn't find the energy to wake up an hour earlier just to cook my morning meal. Thankfully, there are days when my schedule's not as packed and I could enjoy a classic breakfast at a slow pace. And on lazy days, I'd head out for breakfast and one of the spots I've recently discovered is Ally's All-Day Breakfast. 

First Bite: IHOP

I have never tried IHOP here in Manila for two reasons, crowd and bad first impression. I tried IHOP in the US and everything I ordered were too salty or too oily. It made me wonder how this breakfast joint became so popular (even to Filipinos). But I guess there's no avoiding IHOP when P invites you while you're on a Sakura vacation. I immediately replied GAME when she mentioned IHOP. IHOP, we are meant to enjoy each other's company. 

Aaaaaand... I was late. I was trying to avoid Uber surge that morning but I eventually gave in with 1.2 surge as I was really running late. And to make things worse, I didn't know that 9th Avenue (or was it 7th) was closed for an event. Almost everyone was there when I arrived. 

After a few catching up and sharing our food finds, we eventually ordered. 

First served was my Splashberry (PHP175) drink. It was so refreshing and I loved that there were whole strawberries inside!!! Yum! The fizz from the lemon-lime soda and the sweetness of orange juice made this drink the top choice to beat the summer heat! Pricey? Well, did I mention that it was refillable? WE HAVE A WINNER HERE!!! 🏅

We also got to try some of IHOP's LTO (limited time offers) for lunch! We had Southern Fried Chicken (PHP195, one piece | PHP295, two pieces) and IHOP Tacos (PHP125, single | PHP195, double).

First served was the Appetizer Sampler (PHP425) and it was goooood! The sampler comes with giant onion rings, chicken tenders and mozzarella sticks. The mozzarella sticks were a bit on the bland side and lacked the gooeyness great mozzarella sticks have in common. But it was good with the marinara sauce. I liked the chicken tenders more as it was so crunchy on the outside and quite juicy on the inside. It went well with marinara sauce too. The onion rings were great too! I ate 3 rings, I think. I totally ignored the honey mustard sauce as I fell in love with the red dip. 

The Southern Fried Chicken was served next and it was delectable. Simple and straightforward, it's that type of chicken that reminds you of home cooked fried chicken, only better! The skin was so crispy and the meat inside was so juicy. The one we got though had slight red spots which I didn't like. I guess I should request for breast for more white meat. 

The tacos and pretty much everything else were served after. We took advantage of the natural light and scored some nice photos. But it took us long enough for the Banana Hazelnut Crepe (PHP275) to require some retouch. 

PROMO ALERT: IHOP PHILIPPINES’ ALL YOU CAN EAT PANCAKES

I think I am losing my foodie spirit. I was totally unaware of one of the yummiest offerings this month—All You Can Eat Pancakes!

In celebration of the National Pancake Day, IHOP Philippines holds All You Can Eat Pancakes this March 3!

Unlimited buttermilk pancakes for only PHP250? Oh yes, it’s real!

Happening today from 6 a.m. to 12 midnight for Bonifacio Global City branch and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. for UP Town Center, SM Mall of Asia, Century City Mall, Filinvest City and Araneta Center, it’ll be a day full pancakes (in the tummy).

The sweetest part of this deal is that while you fill your tummy with IHOP’s yummy buttermilk pancakes, you also help ill children in need as IHOP partners with Kythe Foundation, an NGO that provides young cancer patients with psychological care.

Not so fond of pancakes? You may also donate through the IHOP donation box or by buying Paper Icons.

See you there! <3

-Gluttonshopper

P.S. You may learn more about Kythe Foundation here.

Restaurant Discovery: Eggs for Breakfast Café

I love exploring and visiting new (or at least new to me) places. Just last month, my friends and I planned to visit Pinto Art Museum. Since we were already in Antipolo, a place we do not frequent, we decided to have brunch at a place called Eggs for Breakfast Café.

Hello, Eggs for Breakfast Café.

Thanks to Waze, we were able to find the place with ease. It wasn’t exactly located in a commercialized area so if you’re not using any app, it might be a bit difficult to find.

We were greeted by a nice garden (which I forgot to take a photo of) that led us to the restaurant. (I think that the whole place used to be residential and the owner decided to divide the place into an abode and a restaurant.)

Since we were already hungry, we quickly ordered the following: Eggs Benjamin (PHP335), One Pan Breakfast (PHP470), Bloody Mary Linguine (PHP145) and Green Goodness (PHP150).

Service was slow. Super slow. And there were only very few diners then and the dishes were not even that complicated to make. We didn’t really understand why it took them over 45 minutes to prepare our dishes. At least the garden distracted us.

Love at Second Bite: Maple

There are just some things worth giving a second chance. And no, I’m not being mushy here. I’m talking about giving some restaurants a second chance. There are times when I get bad first dining experiences because of either bad food choices or terrible service. But when I see good reviews about those establishments I visited (and swore will never visit ever again), I get curious and try to dine again. And I’m glad I did with Maple.

Hello, Maple.

To be honest, I wasn’t that thrilled to eat there again since my first visit wasn’t that pleasant. (We ordered all the wrong dishes hence Maple never appeared before.) But my mom wanted to visit something new to her so I gave in.

She ordered The Maple Burger (PHP475) and a glass Country Iced Tea (PHP105) while I got the Salmon Catch (PHP550).

The iced tea was quite concentrated so my mom had to wait for the ice to melt. Then again, that’s value for money (in a way).

The Maple Burger was pretty huge. Thick and juicy beef patty served with cheese, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, and bacon with onion rings on the side, this dish guarantees a full tummy.

Love at First Bite: K & L Café

I get flattered every time I get an invite from an establishment to try their food. It shows that they trust my blog and that they see me as an influencer. A few weeks ago, I got an email from Karen and Loren, sisters behind Blushing Cupcakes, inviting me to visit their newest venture, a restaurant named  K & L Café along White Plains, a few steps away from Pan de Amerikana. After two weeks, I finally got to visit the quaint café.

Hello, K & L Café!

The place is extremely adorable! It had a rustic and homey feel that I simply love. My eyes had a feast! J, the architect, noticed the super sweet sign Karen and Loren prepared for me. It sure made me feel so special! <3

While chatting with Karen and Loren, I found out that they both studied in St. Paul College, Pasig and University of Asia and the Pacific. They were my school mates in high school and college! Small world!

They recommended the following: Maple Caramel Latte (PHP105, hot | PHP125, cold), Famous Strawberry Calamansi (PHP95), Ultimate Red Velvet Pancake (PHP295), Daddy’s Bourbon American Ribs (PHP295), Ilocos Bagnet with Tomato Salsa (PHP265), and Apple, Brie and Baguio Honey sandwich (PHP227).

First served were our drinks. I didn’t get to try J’s drink as he didn’t offer. (Insert sad music here.) 

A New Breakfast Lovers' Hotspot

I just love breakfast and I get grumpy when I miss the most important meal of the day. We Pinoys just love food that most of us eat 6 times a day (breakfast, brunch, lunch, merienda, dinner, and midnight snack). But nothing beats breakfast. A great breakfast is the perfect way to start the day. 

Another restaurant I would love to try is π Breakfast and Pies by Chef Ed Bugia. 

Photo from Pepper.ph

Yet another gem waiting to be flocked to by (since it has been discovered already), it has a lot of reasons why it should be your next breakfast destination!

Photo from isabelladepano.tumblr.com

Aside from the typical Eggs Benedict (called Eggs Benny in Breakfast and Pies), they have interesting gourmet waffles such as Salmon and Waffle at a very friendly price of PHP155! Topped with Salmon gravlax and fried capers, this will surely hit the tummy's happy bone! (Okay, that sounded weird and not just because the tummy doesn't have bones.)

Breakfast Lovers Haven: Agahan

I love breakfast. In fact, I love it so much that I do not mind eating it for lunch or dinner (given that it was freshly cooked). Garlic rice, tapa, scrambled eggs, sunny side up, hot chocolate, boneless bangus, pancakes, I could just go on and on and on but I’m too afraid that I might end up eating my keyboard.

 

I got an invite from Adee Caluag to check her first ever business venture, Agahan. The name itself was enough to convince me to pay the new restaurant a visit. 

Cute interiors. A big smile was plastered on my face when Adee said that the color combinations were inspired by Real Living. 

While checking the menu, my friend asked who Nico, Joanne and Ligaya were. Apparently, 2 of them were crew members (or one was supposed to be a crew member) while Ligaya (or Gay actually) is Adee’s sister. I find it brilliant that the owner thought of naming the staff’s creations with their names. It gave them a sense of ownership and a happier work environment.

It’s Always Sunny in Kapitolyo

One of the perks of working for media is that you get to know the latest updates and happenings. I’m super happy that I am part of the team that handles Yummy. 

I got all giddy happy when my boss told me to save space for some fluffy pancakes as we will have our brainstorming at Milky & Sunny, one of the newest and cutest restaurants in Barangay Kapitolyo, a growing foodie favorite destination. I feel so blessed that I live just 3 minutes away from it (and it already includes a bit of traffic).

When we arrived, the server immediately greeted my boss as they remembered her from the night before. Good memory. :) I won’t forget their names as well—Mai and Precious (My Precious).

While checking the menu, the server gave us water and patiently waited for us to finalize our orders.