First Bite: Katherine's Café

Homey restaurants never fail to get my attention. I'd often find myself approaching it and checking its menu. Such was the case with Katherine's Café when I passed by it on my way to Mama Lou's. 

Hello, Katherine's Café. 

Brightly lit with a bit of Julia Child vibe, Katherine's Café was bustling with hungry guests when I dropped by for lunch last Thursday. 

First Bite: Nanyang

They say Asians can't live without rice. Well, I could but I definitely will go crazy without bread. I'm a sucker for good toast. It's one of my staple meals for breakfast. And when I got a taste of Kaya Toast, I'm hooked! Needless to say, I was heartbroken when I found out that Toast Box bid Manila farewell. But my frown was turned into a big grin when Nanyang opened. 

Hello, Nanyang.

Nanyang is the local counterpart of the crowd favorite Toast Box. Offering scrumptious toasts paired with soft boiled egg, it was an instant hit with me.

Best Purchase Ever: La Petite Fromagerie's Truffle Cream Cheese Spread

Cheese lover? Then La Petite Fromagerie won't be a stranger to you. This brand has been around for quite a while; spoiling cheese lovers all over the metro. Though I never get to catch its pop-up booth in events, I was lucky to have finally tasted its famous truffle cream cheese spread during this year's Kain Tulog Gang (KTG) Thanksgiving party. And it was love at first bite. I simply could not get over it that one jar became 4 in less than a month. 

Hello, La Petite Fromagerie. 

I've seen multiple posts of La Petite Fromagerie online and it never fails to make me drool at photos of its mouthwatering raclette. I'd always find myself frustrated as my schedule played diva and never cooperated with its pop-up events. I sure was glad though to finally have a taste of this talked about cheese expert last January. 

Birthday Getaway: Amarela Resort in Panglao, Bohol

I knew that this year's birthday celebration would be a lot different as I will be tagging along R on his business trip. Though I was expecting that we'd find time to at least have a mini celebration together, it didn't exactly turned out as such given that we had a packed schedule to follow. But just when I was frowning and at the verge of crying, R surprised me with a lovely stay at Amarela Resort in Panglao, Bohol the day after my birthday. 

Hello, Amarela Resort.

First Bite: Nihon Daidokoro Unagi Asakusa

I absolutely love Japanese food. It never fails to be one of my top picks whenever I get to choose where to eat. And though I hardly frequent Parañaque, hearing the word "unagi" would make me brave the traffic just to indulge in one. And because of this impulsive behavior, I found myself in Multinational Village one Tuesday afternoon.

Hello, Nihon Daidokoro Unagi Asakusa.

The place was still closed when I dropped by at 5pm but I was warmly welcomed by one of the staff who ushered me inside the small but homey restaurant.

First Bite: Blue Post Boiling Crabs & Shrimps

I have a love-hate relationship with crabs and shrimps. Though I love eating these delectable sea creatures, I dislike peeling or cracking off the shells. But I simply could not say no to the grand opening of a new seafood joint in Greenhills. 

Hello, Blue Posts Boiling Crabs & Shrimps.

This well-loved seafood restaurant started in 2013 and was established in Davao city by a group of friends who were looking for a place where they could hang out, relax and have a few drinks. They decided to call the unwinding spot Blue Post. Fast forward to 2017, Blue Post Boiling Crabs & Shrimps have grown and expanded to Manila. 

With a whopping 2,000 kilos of crabs sold per week just in its three branches in Davao, it would be hard to deny Blue Post's success. And this is why Blue Post finally gave in to its distant patrons requests and opened its first company owned and stand alone branch in Manila (with SM North Edsa and Mall of Asia as franchises).

When in Baguio: Arca's Yard

Baguio is one of my go-to places when I need to relax, unwind and get fat with strawberries. Thanks to TPLEX, our trip to the land of ube halaya and cold breeze has been cut in half. Since then, I’ve visited Baguio a lot more but I always miss the opportunity to visit Arca’s Yard due to scheduled hibernation. But I finally managed to drop by this picturesque restaurant before bidding farewell to 2016. 

Hello, Arca’s Yard!

This place has been highly recommended by a handful of food apps and reliable foodies. My smile was that of Cheshire Cat (from Alice in Wonderland) when I found out that we’ll have lunch there on New Year’s Eve. Worried that we might not have seats, I sent the place an SMS to reserve us a table for six hungry individuals. 

Love at First Bite: Canton Road

I have been wanting to visit Canton Road ever since I saw its panda bun stuffed with salted egg yolk. It was a powerful combination of two things I love and I couldn’t help nag R about it. However, our weekend schedules were uncooperative and we couldn’t find the time to drop by this new Chinese restaurant in Shangri-La at the Fort. And while I was weeping with sadness, I got an invite from the lovely gals of Zomato to feast on some of Canton Road’s spectacular dishes. Woohoo!

Hello, Canton Road. 

I have never been to the hotel and residential side of Shangri-La at the Fort so everything looked so new to me. But as expected from a notable establishment, the hotel lobby was majestic and every single staff member was courteous and assisted me to Canton Road.

As I walk closer to Canton Road, I was greeted by beautiful interiors in dark hues and touches of gold. The place screams Asian elegance. 

Love at First Bite: Sunnies Cafe

A bright ray of sunshine dazzled everyone walking along High Street. With its pastel colored walls and light hued furniture, it's an instant magnet for youngsters and Instagram lovers. It's no surprise that it was packed with people on its first day of operation yesterday. And despite feeling ill, I headed to the lovely new restaurant slash café today for lunch. 

Hello, Sunnies Cafe.

I was greeted by a plain pink door with a signage that says that it is now open. I noticed that the celebrity owners are inside and looking posh as always. But they were there not to chitchat with the customers; rather to prepare for a TV shoot to feature their newest business venture. 

I felt that this is a mistake on their part as it made the whole dining experience not as good. It was quite chaotic when I was there. And I could not get a decent photo of the whole dining area. And it took me around 5 minutes before I waved the white flag. You won this time, TV crew. 

For lunch, I opted to go with Spaghetti Al Fungi (PHP260). The server recommended Sunnies Cafe’s Pumpkin Purée soup (PHP150) which I decided to order as well. I also got a free Sunnies Funtetti (PHP290) as part of Sunnies Cafe’s opening promo*. 

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: Nadai Fujisoba

Random date nights (on weeknights) are the best. It’s a nice break from work and preparing dinner at home. R and I hardly have those lately so it was refreshing when he suggested that we eat out last week. And it was perfect as I just checked a list of restaurants I wanted to visit along high street. One of the restaurants I was eying was…

Nadai Fujisoba.

The cute soba and udon restaurant was half full when we arrived. Since R was hungry, we hurriedly ordered O-Ebi Ten Mori Soba (PHP260) and Niku Fuji Soba (PHP260). We also got Sobacha Pudding (PHP80) which the server initially described to be made of soba but it was tea pudding.

Service was very quick as our food was served within the 5 minute mark. I was impressed.

R’s cold noodles was served with two pieces of tempura and a cup of some sort of watered down soup which the server suggested to be mixed with the remaining dipping sauce and drink it like tea. It was said to help blood circulation. Not sure if it’s true but… okay!

Love at First Bite: House of Bawai

A few weeks ago, R and I decided to go to Tagaytay for a short weekend getaway. I was looking forward to do the Chicken All-You-Can of Max’s but on our way to Tagaytay, I felt car sick. So instead of munching on some fried goodies, R and I opted to visit House of Bawai. I have never been to House of Bawai but I heard that it’s better than Banoi’s, a Vietnamese restaurant I like.

Hello, House of Bawai.

The place was packed when we got there so we had to wait for a few minutes. I was actually worried since it was already 9PM then so I thought that they will just shoo us away. But I was signaled that they will just clear and we’ll be set for a warm and filling dinner.

We quickly chose Bahn Xeo (PHP280), Pho Bo (PHP365) and Banh Da Lon (PHP55). And while waiting, we tried to make the set up romantic by asking for more candles and the server obliged to our request for more candle table ornaments.

Soon, our appetizer arrived.

The crispy savory crepe was a great start. Drizzling the mushrooms, sprouts prawns and pork filled crepe with the sweet sauce made it even more delightful!

Restaurant Discovery: Marmalade Kitchen

It has been a while since I last visited Marmalade Kitchen. The last time I went was August of last year and I just had a cup of coffee and caramel custard tart (because I was still full from my dinner at Tipple and Slaw). This time around, I visited famished and was ready to eat.

Hello again, Marmalade Kitchen.

When I arrived, it seemed as if I reserved the whole place for myself as the restaurant was empty. It actually made me feel a bit lonely. But I didn’t have the time to feel sad as I was really hungry.

This time, I ordered a bowl of Spinach Cappuccino (PHP180) and Smoked Salmon and Caviar Eggs Benedict (PHP290).

It took them quite a bit to prepare my meal as the chef was out on a break and was only able to prepare my meal after 7 minutes had passed.

Anyway, after about 15 to 20 minutes, my soup was served.

It was served really hot and I burnt my tongue because I was in a hurry. :(

The spinach soup was quite salty but delicious. I loved the creamy foam on top which reminded me of cappuccino.

Bacon Steak Heaven: Balboa

Friday traffic never fails to discourage me from exploring other places. Just like last Friday, R and I were supposed to visit Xocolat near UP. But since traffic gets more intense on Fridays, we decided to go to Shangri-La instead. And I find it tough to choose where to eat there since I already tried all the restaurants. (Good thing my favorites such as Spätzle, Kettle, Balboa, Brotzeit, and Duck & Buvette are there.) R let me choose where to eat and I chose…

Balboa! It has been a while.

I still remember how much I raved about its roasted chicken. I told my family, friends, and colleagues how much I love Balboa’s roasted chicken. I’m a fan. (Okay, enough of the chicken.)

This time around, R and I ordered the following: Cream of Squash (PHP209), Bacon Steak (PHP448) and Lasagna (PHP319). For drinks, R got the Salted Caramel (PHP175) while I chose Lychee, Lime and Honey (PHP138).

The drinks arrived first and my drink was quite refreshing. It wasn’t that sweet and it has a slight citrus taste from the lime. The lychee taste was faint though.

R loved his salted caramel. It was quite milky and surprisingly not as sweet as I thought.

The Cream of Squash had a light texture making it a good appetizer. I loved the slight sweetness of the soup.

Power Meal: Chatime Bento

I promised myself that I’m going to be a better and stronger person this year and I have been working hard to be fit. (But I still pig out on some days as I could not resist good food.) I go to yoga every day and soon, I will try a new sport or exercise. *Pats self on the back* But what I really look forward to after every workout is the “grace period” where you could eat whatever you want as experts say that the body still burns calories after workout. (Well, even if it’s not true, I will still eat as I don’t eat before working out.)

Tired and hungry, I decided to stop by Chatime to buy Chocolate Mousse and perhaps a sandwich but something else caught my attention… Chatime Bento (PHP169)!

I wanted to have it to go but the server said that it’s only available for dine in so I decided to have dinner there instead. Luckily, there was a table available upstairs. (And I was the only solo diner that (Friday) night! Huhuhu.)

Ten minutes later, my bento was served.

The bento consists of Chatime Chicken Chops, annatto rice, cuttlefish ball, shredded cabbage and soup.

The soup was a bit salty but the warmth was very soothing. I also enjoyed the shredded cabbage which was very much like Yabu’s and Saboten’s. The chicken chops were fried to perfection. Crispy yet still juicy and it went so well with the annatto rice. The cuttlefish ball, on the other hand, reminded me of squid balls.

Overall, it was a very filling dinner. And for PHP169, it was value for money.

I will definitely buy again soon.

Chatime savory dishes are available in selected stores only. Chatime Bento is available at Chatime Pioneer, Pioneer Supermarket, Pioneer St., Mandaluyong City.

First Bite: Hatch 22

As I grow older (and hopefully wiser), I learn to appreciate my alone time. Being alone does not automatically mean lonely. It’s just that you are capable of doing things on your own. The only downside I could think of when eating alone is that I couldn’t order a lot as (1) I could not finish everything and (2) I’ll be too poor if I always do that. A few Sundays ago, I decided to have lunch at Hatch 22, a restaurant many warned me about. But since I was alone, I could eat wherever I want (and order whatever I want).

Hello, Hatch 22!

The place had a few empty tables when I arrived. I noticed that it’s more of a family place; that or simply because it was a Sunday. (And so, I was the only solo diner that time.)

I spotted a few salmon dishes while browsing the menu and so I ordered: Salmon and Lemon Caper Salad (PHP375 for half), Salmon and Rosti (PHP455), Pumpkin Spice soup (PHP185) and a glass of Grilled Lemonade (PHP110).

First served was my Grilled Lemonade.

I was warned that the drink has a bit of spice and true enough, it reminded me of Juju Cleanse. It was refreshing though and the lemon was really grilled!

The soup arrived next and it was a creamy bowl of heaven. The pureed roasted squash was delightful. The slightly sweet taste of squash went well with the salty chorizo bits.

Restaurant Love: Avi (Take 2 and 3)

I hardly visit a restaurant twice in a week but I made an exception last week.

It has been a few months ago since I last visited Avi. The place offers really good food at affordable prices yet I never see it packed with hungry foodies. I guess it is because diners have so many options in Kapitolyo. Anyway…

I had lunch at Avi two Sundays ago and I decided to go with my favorite Basil in Red (PHP165) and Lola Soledad’s Buttered Shrimp Agoile (PHP210).

While slurping my soup and munching on the nacho chips, one of the chips went straight to my throat and got jammed inside my esophagus! Yes, it may sound a bit disturbing (and Avi has nothing to do with this) but this sure reminded me to chew my food well.

The pasta was pretty good too. The noodles were al dente and the flavor was not that overwhelming. The shrimps were fresh too.

First Bite: Press Café

I love Fully Booked. It’s one of my happy places when I’m in the mood to see quirky notepads, fangirl on the latest manga or swoon over interesting books. I have been meaning to try Press Café, the coffee shop inside Fully Booked, Rockwell branch; but for some reason, it always get cancelled…until the night I met John Wick.

A few Couchsurfers and I were supposed to meet at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf a few Saturdays ago but since it was crowded, we decided to meet at Press Café instead.

We were just supposed to have coffee but it was my first time to dine there so… I just have to order at least three dishes. I went with Eggs Benedict (PHP260), Tomato soup (PHP125), Grape shake (PHP110) and an Oatmeal cookie (PHP70).

First served was my grape shake and it was refreshing. It wasn’t overly sweetened.

The tomato soup was love. Though a bit thick to be an appetizer, it had the tangy taste that I love. The bread on the soup added texture and made it even more filling.

The Eggs Benedict came with a forest ham which was a bit too red for me. But it was pretty good with the poached eggs, and Hollandaise sauce. I also liked the overdose of onions!

The oatmeal cookie was pretty big though fair enough for its price. It was pretty good too though keep a glass of water ready as it could make your throat a bit itchy.

Overall, it was a filling late lunch. I’ll try the pasta and quesadillas next time.

Press Café is located at 4^th Floor, Fully Booked, Powerplant Mall, Rockwell, Makati City.