Food Delivery Favorite: Pizza X

I love brands that make their customers feel like master chefs! As a novice in the kitchen, I was so happy when several establishments came up with easy do-it-yourself dishes. I've tried a handful, and everything turned out great! And with my insatiable appetite for pizza, I was thrilled when I received a sampler pizza pack from Pizza X.

Hello, Pizza X.

Pizza X is one of the newest food concepts in town. It offers frozen thin-crust pizzas in solo sizes. 

First Bite: Cold Layers

Rainy days in Manila doesn't necessarily mean sweater weather. With the humid air we have in the city, it's not surprising to see people feast on ice cream, shaved ice or boba. And since a cold treat is always a good idea, I decided to swing by Cold Layers.

Hello, Cold Layers.

Cold Layers is known as a shaved ice shop. But it offers more than just those fluffy snow-like treats. Aside from it joining the boba craze, it also offers savory dishes perfect for breakfast, lunch, merienda and dinner!

First Bite: Bluesmith Coffee & Kitchen

I've been curious about Bluesmith Coffee & Kitchen since it opened its branch in Katipunan. Seeing several mouthwatering photos of its dishes online made my taste buds excited. However, my schedule was so crazy these past months that I didn't get to find time to swing by the area. Thankfully, it opened in Greenbelt 3 which is a bit closer to home. 

Hello, Bluesmith Coffee & Kitchen.

The New Flatiron

Flatiron is no new name to me as I've visited the home of the famous 6-hour brisket a few times already. But it seems that I haven't dropped by for a long time as I didn't even notice the change in Flatiron's look. More than its interiors and new logo though, it also revamped its menu and added new mouthwatering dishes.

Hello, Flatiron.

I was greeted by a place with familiar look but different hues and a more vibrant vibe. As I moved closer to the private dining area, I spotted M who, as always, greet me with much warmth. 

First Bite: Charlie's Pritchon

One of the things I love about the Philippines is the long celebration of Christmas. As our Facebook and Instagram pages become filled with Jose Mari Chan's face and recycled memes, I only think of one thing... lechon. Though lechon is a staple in all kinds of celebration, it is more associated with the festive Christmas where the crispy roasted pig is shared by the whole family (and more). And Christmas sure came in early when I was invited to sample Charlie's Pritchon. 

Hello, Charlie's Pritchon. 

Restaurant Love: Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria

Joey Pepperoni is no stranger to me as I've worked with Kettle Foods Corporation before and handled this pizzeria for a short while. I still remember going crazy over its delectable pesto pasta and how I make sure I dine there for lunch every payday. And years and other pesto dishes later, Joey Pepperoni's version still delights my taste buds. 

Hello, Joey Pepperoni. 

This local pizzeria rebranded a few months ago and added new product offerings. Shifting to brick oven also changed how Joey Pepperoni makes its pizza. Now with a puffier and thicker crust, it made carb lovers twirl with happiness. 

First Bite: Palm Grill

Tomas Morato has turned from a drinking hotspot to an area filled with restaurants offering affordable and delectable food. New concepts seem to open every month and I often find myself overwhelmed by the growing number of options. But hearing that this new chicken place offers superb "green" poultry made it a bit easier for me to decide.

Kitchen Adventure: Suy Foods' Longganisa and Tocino for Brunch

Those who say “never skip breakfast” are wise. Why skip an awesome meal? I try to squeeze in a bite or two even when I’m at my busiest state because breakfast is love. And when I do have the time to indulge in some sunny side up eggs, sausages and the works, I spoil myself with only the best. I have to admit though, I got used to eating out due to convenience. But last Sunday was a different story. I finally got to spend some time at home. And what better way to spend morning than to whip up your own brunch?

It felt like it has been months since I last cooked my own meal. Due to the crazy ber months, I often find myself dining out to save time (not money). Holding a pan and knife seemed a bit foreign to me till I opened my fridge and saw my Filipino favorites.

Restaurant Favorite: California Pizza Kitchen

As a tradition, my team and I went out for dinner to celebrate getting our bonuses. (Yay, more money to buy food!) But unlike last year, we are celebrating (sort of) two events, our bonuses and my despedida. *cries*

I was pushing for Peperoni that time but all my teammates were craving for California Pizza Kitchen's delectable The Original BBQ Chicken Chopped (PHP625, full | PHP395, half). Fine. 

I got to the place late as I had to go to St. Luke’s Global City first to get my X-Ray results. And I got lost on my way to the W Building. I always get disoriented at night and this is the reason why I always hurry back home when the sun’s about to disappear. Anyway...

All the dishes were already served when I arrived. On the table were: Quattro Formaggi (PHP450), Pepperoni (PHP365, regular | PHP225, personal), Pesto Cream Penne with Shrimps (PHP525, sharing | PHP295, personal + PHP295/PHP160 for shrimps) and Bangkok Calamari (PHP465). 

The Calamari were just so-so for me. It was your usual deep-fried battered squid rings. 

The BBQ chicken salad was divine as always. It had a nice harmony of flavors and textures. It was sweet because of the barbecue sauce but also refreshing because of the cilantro and other herbs. The soft chicken bits were also well complemented but the crunchy greens. The dish was quite heavy but great for sharing. 

First Bite: Qiwellness Living Teahouse + Bathhouse

They say that time flies so fast when you are having fun. I believe in that as I still cannot get over the fact that R and I have celebrated our first anniversary a few weeks back. I still clearly remember our first few dates and how we became more and more comfortable around each other. But enough of the mushiness as this entry is all about my degustation experience in Qiwellness Living Teahouse + Bathhouse.

Hello, Qiwellness Living Teahouse + Bathhouse.

I spotted a deal in Deal Grocer while looking for the perfect (and romantic) anniversary gift for R. Since it’s hard to buy him an actual gift, I figured he’d appreciate something we'd experience and enjoy together. And so why not a nice dinner with a beautiful view? 

I instantly purchased two coupons (priced at PHP1.950 each) of Qiwellness Living's Yin Yang degustation after reading good reviews about this place.Reservation was also a breeze as the customer relations person replied to my email in less than 24 hours. Qiwellness has already delighted me prior to my dinner. And on the night of our dinner, we were treated like VIPs. <3

The place does not have a screaming signage so it could be a challenge to find this place if you do not have Waze. (So download it now!)

We were asked to wait for a bit outside while the guard radioed the staff inside that we have arrived. In a few minutes, the big red door opened and we were welcomed with a gong. (And I meant that literally.) 

We were seated right next to the view of Taal. We would have loved it even more if we could see it. But it was too dark when we got there. Oh well.

It was so windy that night that I was literally shivering. I was barely saved by the complimentary lovely pink and floral tea. 

After 20 minutes or so, our first dish arrived and it was Pine Tree-Smoked Clams with Tofu Skin and Paprika. 

It was a delightful starter spoon. The flavors were not overwhelming yet you could definitely taste the freshness of the clams. It balanced well with the tofu and paprika.

Next served was a plate of complimentary signature bread and salted butter. And I loved it. The bread was glutinous and was lightly seasoned making you whet your appetite even more. 

First Bite: Big D's Smokehouse

My uncle couldn’t stop raving about this ribs place in Eastwood and told us that he’ll treat us there on his birthday. Confident about his choice, he scheduled the last Sunday of the Christmas break to be his birthday celebration at Big D’s Smokehouse.

Hello, Big D’s Smokehouse.

We arrived a bit too early in Eastwood and ended up waiting for 20 minutes outside for the restaurant to open. 

I was a bit hesitant to dine here as the place didn’t exactly get a lot of good reviews online. Some said that the ribs were dry while others were disappointed with every single dish they ordered. But it’s free so… game!

My uncle wanted to order The Big Feast which includes a plate of nachos, two servings of onion rings, 2 pasta plates of your choice, 2 orders of chicken fingers, 3 full slabs of ribs, 4 side dishes, 5 cups of rice and a sizzling plate of pulled pork for PHP2,999. I did the math and if you choose all the most expensive pasta and sides, you manage to save about PHP200 or have that sizzling pulled pork for free. (I guess it wasn’t that bad if you do not want to think of what to order anymore.) We also ordered a plate of Hush Puppies (PHP175) as additional appetizer.

First served was the platter of nachos and it looks so oily. The tortilla chips were thin and crisp which I enjoyed. But I would have liked it more if the beef topping was juicy. The one we got was dry and the cheese wasn’t as creamy or gooey as I wanted it to be.

Onion rings were served next and it’s your usual crisp onion rings with garlic ranch dip. Nothing much to talk about.

Hush Puppies soon followed and it was a crowd favorite. The combination of cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan cheese created a delightful and crisp cheese ball! It also had the right level of tart. But what I loved most about this dish is that every bite is promised with an ooze of the heavenly cheese combination. 

The smooth and creamy melted cheese with the crunchy batter was divine. I also enjoyed it with the garlic ranch dip.

The chicken fingers (PHP190) looked so… thin. Taste-wise, it was a bit bland and dry. We had to put a generous amount of honey mustard for it to be more palatable. At least it was crisp.

Restaurant Love: Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza

A few weeks back, my college friends and I pushed to meet for dinner on a week night since our schedules are all packed with meet ups and travels in the next weeks to come. And since most of them are working in Ortigas, L and I had to brave the traffic going north. And we survived to have dinner at…

Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza.

It has been quite a while since I last visited Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza. I think it was over 3 years and it was with my favorite Takaw Trio (T3) friends. Anyway, this time around, we tried Mushroom Pizza (PHP375), Prosciutto Pizza (PHP445), Carbonara (PHP220), Pesto Pasta (PHP225), Nutella Soup (PHP195) and Crack Pie (PHP55, slice). 

We also ordered a pitcher of Calamansi juice (PHP150) to help us digest the food we were about to consume. (And it was a bit too sweet.)

M was amused with how the Pesto Pasta was served as it was all bundled up. It reminded us of semi cooked instant noodles. The texture itself was also a bit hard and it had a slight sweet taste which could have been from the cream. 

The pesto itself wasn’t very oily which was great but I wish that it had a stronger pesto flavor over cream.

First Bite: Marketplace by Rustan’s Supermarket

I love grocery shopping! It’s one of my happy places for it gives me extreme happiness whenever I see a new products or my favorite snack that I haven’t seen in ages (such as Tronky). My all-time favorite supermarkets are Pioneer Supermarket (with its highly impressive selection of imported goods) and S&R. A few months ago, I noticed Marketplace, the deli area of Rustan’s Supermarket in Rockwell. I used to ignore it but I see more and more diners in the area so I thought that it might be a good place to have a meal. And a few Sundays ago, I finally got to visit the place.

Hello, Marketplace!

The first thing I saw when I got in was the man who was enjoying a tray of salmon. I circled the place thrice but I couldn’t find it. Oh well.

After a few more minutes, I finally decided to get the following: Pasta with Pesto Mozzarella Salad (PHP220), Bacon Cheddar and Tomato Sandwich (PHP199), Mozzarella and Chunky Tomato Sandwich (PHP165) and Quiche Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese (PHP99).

The Pasta with Pesto Mozzarella Salad was more on the bland side. My mom and sister didn’t really like it as it was cold. But it was meant to be cold and it was actually refreshing.

Restaurant Love: Lazy Dog Café

I miss California. I miss those humongous portions, oh-so-yummy food, gigantic supermarkets, friendly people saying hello to just about anyone, everything. While browsing my phone, I saw some photos from my last trip and a few were from my lunch date with N at the Lazy Dog Café. 

I remember that it was a bit past 12 noon when N picked me up and we were famished. As soon as we got to park the car, we checked a few restaurants outside the mall (in record time) and eventually decided to have lunch at the Lazy Dog Café. 

 

The interiors are rather cute. It has a western feel as place is predominantly wooden brown. I love the cute accent on the table… a paw print. 

N and I didn’t thoroughly browsed the menu and just ordered the lunch specials—Chicken Parmesan ($7.45) and Sundried Tomato Pesto Penne ($7.95). They also serve these for dinner but plus $5.

Restaurant Favorite: Trattoria Gourmet's

For some reason, if we’re at home, we always forget to have lunch. It happened again last Sunday as we left for mass at around 4PM already. We felt really hungry when the mass was about to start. *Fasting mode on*

My sister was so excited and slightly grumpy when we settled down at Trattoria Gourmet’s. She quickly ordered her favorite Four Cheese Pizza (PHP305 for 8 slices) while I ordered Mushroom Soup (PHP175) Salmone al Sparkling Wine (PHP425), Spaghetti Mare Monti (PHP295) and Calamansi shake (PHP60) to help digest all the food I’ll be eating.

Usually, Trattoria Gourmet’s serve waiting baskets filled with toasted bread and two dips—liver and pesto but it took them about 15 minutes to serve the basket that Sunday whereas before they used to serve it as soon as people sit down. [Of-all-days-why-today-when-dear-sister-is-cranky was the only thing on my head at that moment.]

 

Drunk with Pandesal: The Bread Bag Pandesal Bar

Pandesal. What could be so special about it anyway? It is just… pandesal. Bread. Pandesal. Round messy-to-eat bread. I hope that you won’t think that I dislike it as I prefer it as my Sunday morning breakfast. It’s just that I was wondering what made it, well, special. One gloomy Thursday afternoon, a small quaint café showed me how special pandesal could be.

 

After “window” shopping for a big project, my colleagues and I stopped by The Bread Bag Pandesal Bar. Who knew that there’s a “bar” for pandesal?

 

We entered the place and practically loved everything we saw—from the scribbles on the glass outside to the chalkboard menu, up to the tape used to seal the cups.