Food Delivery Favorite: Serenitea's DIY Milk Tea Home Kits

Milk tea has been one of the drinks I've been craving since the lockdown. But the fact that I can't reheat it makes me worried. Yes, studies are saying that transmission through food is low to unlikely. But you can never say to a pregnant woman's face that she's a germaphobe when she has a little one to protect. Thankfully, Serenitea started offering DIY kits of its bestsellers. It made me feel more at ease as I get to make and enjoy my drinks in a space I'd consider safe. 

Hello, Serenitea.

Serenitea launched its DIY milk tea kits back in April. And it was an instant hit. Available in Okinawa and Taro variants, it also has sets that come in your favorite sinkers.

When in Pampanga: Amare by Chef Chris

I have been bugging my foodie friends to organize a Pampanga food crawl as this city is a foodie paradise. But every time we plan to visit, it never pushes through. Hence I was so happy when ForkSpoonManila invited me to his Pampanga food crawl with some of food and lifestyle influencers. It was a mix of restaurants, retail and recreational stops making it a trip to remember. Our first stop… Amare by Chef Chris. 

Hello Amare by Chef Chris!

Our first stop has a fancy feel to it given that it’s at the ground floor of Royce Hotel. 

We were warmly  greeted by the very hands-on Chef Chris and introduced himself in a way very familiar to us… that he used to be the chef of C’ Italian Dining famous for its rollizza. 

Promo Alert: Unlimited Deals this Week

Hungry but on a budget? Good news! There are a bunch of promos that could solve that problem!

PAPA JOHN'S

If you are a fan of pasta or Papa John’s, then this promo is made for you!

You also get two slices of pizza per order of unlimited pasta! Sweet!!!

JACK'S JOINT

Chicken or pork lover? Then why don’t you indulge in a kebab or two? Or how about a hundred? Yes, you can get it for less than PHP300!

Don't mind the date. They announced that they extended the promo till end of June. 

CIBO

You like more sophisticated dishes? Cibo’s offer might be the one for you.

Order any from Cibo’s Piatti Di Marghi menu and you can get unlimited serving of dip, soup or panna cotta of your choice! (I'd get panna cotta!)

This Cibo deal is available in its Shangri-La Plaza and Promenade, Greenhills branches. 

NOTE: Hurry! These awesome deals end tomorrow!!!

Love at First Bite: Artisan Emporium

I am now a frustrated foodie. Ever since I left Kapitolyo, I hardly explore. And I found out last week that there are around 5-7 new restaurants in Kapitolyo. SEVEN! I really have to explore this weekend! Anywaaaay, a few weeks back, I went to Spice & Cleaver and while waiting for R, I spotted a new bakery named Artisan Emporium and I decided to check it out.

Hello, Artisan Emporium.

The new bakery was just 2 days old when I visited and the first thing that caught my eye was the display chiller on the counter. They have salted caramel, chocolate and red velvet panna cotta (PHP180/jar). I wanted to get chocolate but the staff recommended red velvet. Thinking that R prefers red velvet, I bought that one instead.

And I totally forgot about it till three days later.

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.

Love at First Bite: The Breakfast Club

I love visiting new restaurants. It makes me so happy every time I get to discover a great fdish or a nice restaurant perfect for mini reunions or some alone time. And I’m really lucky that I’m just a few blocks away from one of the foodie destinations, Kapitolyo. But even Pioneer is starting to pick up. Just a few months ago, I spotted two new restaurants, Takeshi, a Japanese restaurant and one of my new favorite dessert places… The Breakfast Club.

Hello, The Breakfast Club!

Okay, The Breakfast Club is not exactly new as it has another branch in Quezon City but it’s still new to me. Owned by celebrity Erich Gonzales and her boyfriend, The Breakfast Club is known for its breakfast staples. (Duh!) But they also offer Korean dishes, a few Japanese dishes and steaks. But when we visited, we only had room for desserts as we just had dinner at Takeshi.

We first noticed the Fallen Cake (PHP155) and it sure look like it fell and was slightly stepped on. It still looked delicious though but my mom was iffy to order that. So we ended up with Lava Cake in (a) Cup with Vanilla Ice Cream (PHP170) and Mango Caramel Panna Cotta (I forgot how much this one costs).

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: Lombardi's

There are times when I wake up and crave for something real bad. The thing is, I won’t stop thinking about it till I get to eat it. And last Saturday, I woke up with the thought of… Pizza. N though wasn’t in the mood for pizza that day. Luckily, N was running late and I thought to myself… pizza time! And just when I was about to have a solo date, I saw my mom and sister and M (my sister) was in the mood for pizza too. High pizza five! (Hmm… that sounds nerdy.)

I’ve been eying Lombardi’s ever since I saw it while eating at Corazon during Mother’s Day. I thought of checking the place out as soon as my tummy said “PIZZA”.

 

The menu wasn’t very extensive but it’s perfect for those who think so long before ordering.

Since it was past 1 p.m. that time, I decided to do the ordering as my mom and sister take longer when we try out a new restaurant. 

 

I planned on ordering the Parmigiana Di Melanzane (roasted eggplant with stewed tomato and mozzarella) but it was not available. The server suggested another bestseller, Mozzarella in Carrozza with Arrabbiata Sauce (PHP230) and as a sucker for anything recommended, I said, “We’ll have that!” We also ordered chef’s recommended Ravioli Di Carne (PHP480) and Pizza Gambaretti (PHP480). For desserts, we ordered Tiramisu (PHP210) and Pannacotta Del Piemonte (PHP160).

 

We were given complimentary snacks to calm our angry tummies. We finished it in less than 3 minutes.

A pitcher of brewed iced tea is PHP150. Ask for more ice as it tends to have a very strong flavor.

The dishes were served fast though. First, the appetizer.

Sweet Find: Chez Karine

I first heard of this store from B and ever since she bought a box of macarons, I’ve been curious if it really tastes good (as B was really looking forward to buying a box of it). Months passed by and finally, I managed to grab a few macarons.

 

Hello, Chez Karine!

 

This small pastry shop has a charming feel to it. Filled with light colored items, it sure screams “cute”. I went straight to the macarons and asked the friendly server for their best sellers.

She suggested that I get the Earl Grey, Salted Caramel, Dark Chocolate and Strawberry (all macarons are priced at PHP50/each). I decided to get the first three and opted to get coffee instead of strawberry as my sister is not very fond of it. 

I also bought one Muscovado Pudding (PHP100) and Mango Panna Cotta (PHP100).

Restaurant Rediscovery: Cibo

It was the 27^th of December and we had a scheduled client presentation. I was quite okay with it as I didn’t really have any special plans during the holidays. I didn’t even file any leave (well, I filed for half day on the 29^th to meet up with friends and to look for Jenga) as I was trying to save it for February and April. 

Our presentation ended a bit over 12NN and our Group Publisher asked everyone to have lunch at Shangri-la… Plaza not Hotel. (Tsk.)

We were thinking of Cibo, C2, Clawdaddy, and just about all other restaurants with names that start with the letter C (I guess we were hungry then). Majority chose Cibo.

It has been a while since I last ate at Cibo as my sister’s not a fan of the restaurant (and as based on most of my entries, my sister and I go out a lot thus my restaurant picks are limited with what she prefers). I was quite excited.