First Bite: Aruga Cafe by Mesclun

Mesclun is a familiar name for those who frequent Ortigas and Serendra. It has been a favorite of mine ever since my first bite of its Sisig Spaghetti. And last month, this superb restaurant found a new home in Aruga by Rockwell.

Hello, Aruga Cafe by Mesclun.

Mesclun's newest cafe is the first thing you'll see once you enter Aruga. And I was warmly greeted by the front hostess who introduced me to Chef Katrina Kuhn-Alcantara, the talented chef behind Sisig Spaghetti and a lot more.

Restaurant Love: Amici

Amici used to be one of my go to restaurants when I want comfort food like pasta and cake. I still remember frequenting its pioneer branch in Don Bosco just to get a scoop of its sweet dessert. But the crazy number of new restaurants popping here and there made my trips less frequent and the insane traffic surrounding Makati and SM Megamall made me hesitant to be a mile near those areas. Those were true till I got to sample its new dishes. 

Long time no taste, Amici!

Second Bite: Melt Grilled Cheesery

I still remember how giddy I was when I first visited Melt Grilled Cheesery. With its menu filled with cheesy dishes, it was like I found (cheese) heaven in Uptown Mall. Everything we ordered were great too! It was love at first bite and I was so happy to share my discovery with my family and friends. But some of those who tried the place were not as ecstatic. *insert sad face here*

Hello, Melt Grilled Cheesery!

I managed to convince J and his girlfriend M to visit Melt with me after our pizza dinner. (Yes, I was a happy third wheel on their Friday night date.)

We easily managed to get a table as the place was not as full as its pizzeria neighbor.

We focused on the desserts as we just had dinner and went with Dulce de Lecheese (PHP285), Chocolate Chip Cheesecake (PHP215) and Dulce de Leche Cheesecake (PHP235 which was changed to PHP255 if I remember it correctly).

Service was prompt and house water was served in less than 5 minutes. We were also given a complimentary sandwich from the owners. They also spent time to chat with us and that was when I found out that their bread supplier is Artisan Emporium. 

Restaurant Love: ArroZeria Manila

I have been planning to visit Le Petit Soufflé for months now but every time I plan to, it gets cancelled. *sigh* I had my heart and tummy ready for a French dinner after my sister’s graduation but since we failed to reserve a table, we had to move elsewhere and our second option was not bad at all… not at all.

Hello again, ArroZeria Manila!

It has been a few months since I last visited this place and I recall that service was a bit slow given that they only prepare the paella after you order (though you could actually call in advance for them to prepare it before you arrive). But the food was awesome so I didn’t mind the wait. I went crazy over the Valenciana and risotto. We ordered Paella Valenciana (PHP295, minimum of two orders) again that night as well as Carpaccio de Atun (PHP195), Pepito de Ternera (PHP250), Fideua Negra (PHP295, minimum of two orders) and Cochinillo (PHP650).

First served that night was the paella and it was surprising given that was one of the last dishes served the last time I went.

The texture seemed to be tougher this time but the lovely flavor was still there. I felt a bit short of the chicken as there were 6 of us sharing paella good for two. (Okay, fine. It was actually good for four persons.) The manager scraped off the burnt paella and distributed it amongst us and it was pretty good too! The crunchy texture with the sauce of Valenciana made my tummy happy.

Next served was the Fiduea Negra. I loved the chewy texture of the octopus and thin noodles. It wasn’t that salty too. But there was one problem. The black squid ink sticks to your teeth. Avoid this when you’re on a date.

Restaurant Discovery: Your Local

Legaspi has transformed into another foodie destination. With quaint coffee shops and charming restaurants, this is one area I just have to visit. A few weeks back was my first trip in this area and I visited Yardstick and Local Edition. My favorite Dragon lady and I also planned visiting Your Local as it has been getting great reviews. It took longer than we planned but we finally got to pay the place a visit last week.

Hello, Your Local!

Since the place is usually packed, reservation is important. I made a reservation for two at 6 p.m. on (an apparently rainy) Saturday. Placing a reservation was smooth as after 3 minutes or so, I’m done. However, I got a call two days later telling me that my reservation is good until 7:30 p.m. only if I wanted a table (as they accidentally gave me bar seats). WHAT THE HECK? That made me upset as I don’t want to be constantly checking my watch while enjoying my dinner. But the woman assisting me was able to arrange things for me after I expressed my annoyance with the situation. [Case closed.]

The place was quite dark. I guess it sets that chill ambiance the young crowd wants.

We immediately ordered our food as we were both hungry. We settled for the Carrot Cake (PHP280) as appetizer, Torched Salmon Donburi (PHP390) and Chorizo Sandwich (PHP490) for main course. We also got Strawberry Lemonade (PHP190) and Sea Salt Lemonade (PHP160) for drinks.

Finally... Wildflour Café + Bakery

[Continuation of Black Saturday food trip] We were already starting to get full when we were on our way to our last stop. I persuaded the group that we walk (since I love talking walks, yes, even here in Manila) to the last stop. But the heat made A want to take a cab and M and T agreed. It was 1:3 so we took a cab in the end.

Hello, Wildflour Café + Bakery!

As a foodie, I feel slightly embarrassed to say that this is my first trip to the croughnut paradise spot, Wildflour. Every time I plan to visit this place, it gets cancelled. But last Black Friday was not one of those days. I finally made it!

Since we were still pretty full, T and M decided to go for just desserts and drinks. However, A and I decided to order pasta with our cakes and drinks. T and M shared a slice of Salted Chocolate Cake (PHP195), A went for the Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie (PHP190) and Mac n’ Cheese (PHP280) while I went for the Cheesecake Flan (PHP195), a cup of iced Hazelnut Chocolate (PHP160) and Rustichella Squid Ink Spaghetti (PHP450). Yes, A and I were full too. (But we managed to find a bit of space somewhere.)

While waiting, a complimentary plate of bread with salted butter was served. I love that it was served warm and it sure made me forget that I was full. Munching on the fragrant bread with butter topped with rock salt was delish!

Soon, our orders arrived.