First Bite: Respite

Tomas Morato has turned from a drinking spot to a food haven these past years. And now, with more variety and restaurants, I sometimes get confused on where to eat. Thankfully, a Tomas Morato food crawl introduced me to this slightly off the grid coffee shop that offers delectable green tea cake! I wouldn’t have discovered this if it weren’t for that superb foodie event organized by Zomato.

First Sip: Where's Marcel?

Pearl Drive was my place to be back in college because my alma mater is located there. I’d frequent a few establishments that offer pocket friendly dishes and I would occasionally splurge on a meal or two when I feel like I deserve it after a gruelling long exam. Fast forward to present, I would still find myself being a stingy foodie. But I wouldn’t scrimp on a cup of coffee especially if it receives a lot a good reviews. And that’s how I found myself in front of Where’s Marcel.

Hello, Where’s Marcel?

Why is everyone looking for Marcel? And more importantly, who is Marcel?

Well, for those curious, the coffee shop is named after Marcel Ruggieri, a coffee enthusiast who often wanders off to Costa Rica and Columbia, two popular coffee regions to look for the perfect beans. It takes pride in being a strong supporter of local businesses and engage in direct trading with farmers. The crop-to-cup concept has developed Where’s Marcel as an establishment that is more community-based. And this Melbourne born shop decided to have Manila as its first location offshore.

Aside from its expansive coffee menu, it also offers a bunch of savory dishes such as sandwiches and pasta. But since I planned to have dinner elsewhere, I settled with one Revel Bar (PHP55) and a cup of Marcel’s Dirty Chai (PHP170, 12 oz). 

The place was pretty empty on a Saturday night so it was a perfect place to hangout and catch up with friends. The place also offers WI-FI so this place could also be a nice spot to do those term papers. 

First served was the revel bar and it was delectable.

The oatmeal gave the snack a lovely chewy taste and the melted chocolate chips made the bar sweet yet not overwhelming. For PHP55, it was a pretty good find. 

Coffee Shop Love: Yardstick

My good friends know that one of the things that make me happy is coffee. I get so giddy whenever I'm in a coffee shop. 

My favorite Dragon Lady, T, and I went to Yardstick after having a filling dinner at Your Local. 

I have been here already when I tried the Mayura burger. But since I was in a hurry and was awkwardly alone (I was the only person without a companion for over 30 minutes when I visited) I wasn't able to try their coffee except for the Yard Shake which made my throat itch. 

This time, I tried the White Coffee (PHP140) and a slice of Revel Bar (PHP80).

They served the coffee without any sweetener and T encouraged me to taste it sugar-free and it was... eeek! Okay, I like my coffee sweetened. 

Restaurant Love: Detalle

It all started with a random invite from my favorite Dragon lady and heck, I wasn’t even one of the first people she thought of. *hurt* But since the invite involves a Comedy Improv, I was game. Who wouldn’t want a night of laughter anyway?! But the sweet surprise was… the restaurant where the Improv was held serves amazing dishes.

Hello, Detalle.

It was slightly hard to find the restaurant as it was in a rather sinister looking place. The landmark C gave me was that it’s at the other side of the Caltex along Meralco Avenue. But the best direction I got was that Detalle’s the restaurant right below the huge Century Tuna billboard. Now, that’s very specific.

When I arrived, C and F were sitting pretty (yet hungry) while waiting for the others to arrive. However, I was really hungry too so as soon as I sat down, I briefly said hi and went straight to the menu. I spotted salmon so I immediately decided on my main course. But I was not so sure with my appetizer and dessert. Notice “my”? Yes, I didn’t share. I was in my Joey-doesn’t-share-food mode. It was weird though as C, F and T (she arrived a few minutes after) ordered for sharing. I felt out of place.

Anyway, I went with the following: Squash Soup (PHP195), Grilled Salmon (PHP400) and Chocolate Revelry Ala Mode (PHP210). They, on the other hand, ordered Basque Fried Chicken (PHP280), Quattro Formaggi (PHP390), D Burger (PHP380) and Summer Pasta (PHP280).

First served was my warm squash soup. It wasn’t superb as it wasn’t the creamy squash soup that I’m used to (and love) but it was flavorful enough. It was lighter too which made it a good appetizer.

The grilled salmon was to die for! I was raving for it for weeks! I even had dreams about it! The salmon was grilled really well as it was still juicy when it was served. I loved the flavorful risotto. It had a tangy taste which delighted me BIG TIME. I guess my thing for sour food makes anything sour an instant hit! I also loved the caper cream sauce drizzled over the salmon. Yum!