First Sip: Koomi

Yogurt isn't everyone's top pick when it comes to dessert. Filipinos prefer sweets over something tangy for a sweet ending. But we've noticed a shift in consumer behavior these past few years. With more consumers becoming health-conscious, yogurt brands started to become a great alternative to ice cream and even milk tea. And it was timely for Koomi to enter the Manila food scene. 

Hello, Koomi.

Koomi is a well-known Aussie yogurt-based drink brand with a wide array of equally healthy flavors. And to cater to the local market, Koomi offers two yogurt bases, Aussie, a blend with sharper and sourer flavor, and Filipino, which has a sweeter taste.

Restaurant Favorite: Mister Kabab

Mister Kabab has been one of my go to restaurants back in college. Its mouthwatering and affordable kebabs are just too good to resist. And when it became available via food panda, I regularly order some for dinner. But nothing beats dining in. 

Hello, Mister Kabab. 

I used to frequent its air conditioned Pearl Drive branch and order my favorite Chicken Kabab. But gone are the days when driving to my alma mater University of Asia and the Pacific would only take a few minutes.

Indulgence Redefined with Milkmaid

I am a fan of Chef Miko Aspiras, one of the most brilliant pastry chefs in Manila, and probably in Asia and the world. Known for his refreshing take in sweet treats, you might remember him with the quirky and quite revolutionary ice cream flavor ketchup and mayo. And this time around, Milkmaid, the premium condensed milk that we grew to love and perhaps get addicted to, has challenged the young innovative chef to come up with desserts that would redefine how we describe the word indulgence. 

Indulgence has always been defined as an excess of something and there's a saying that anything in excess is bad. But Chef Miko wanted to use the word to depict treating one's self to something good, or even great. 

First Bite: Sangkap

Filipino cuisine will always have a special place in my heart (and tummy). But I usually save indulging in my favorites at home as I find it easy to make. Then again, on days I feel extremely lazy to buy ingredients, more so to cook, I just visit one of my favorite restaurants. Last weekend though, I felt like trying a new restaurant and thought of trying Sangkap. 

Hello, Sangkap.

When in Tagaytay: Sky Ranch

I usually visit Tagaytay for a quick getaway whenever there's a short holiday. And two weeks ago, I decided to spend a day there to take a break from the insane city life. But instead of unwinding at our favorite resort, R and I decided to do something different and visit Sky Ranch. 

Hello, Sky Ranch. 

This amusement park developed by SM group has been around for a couple of years now and has been a destination of choice of local travelers. It is easy to spot the place with its ginormous Sky Eye ferris wheel. 

My eyes twinkled with delight upon seeing several restaurants surrounding the park. And I saw a few more inside. I figured that it might be best to go on a food trip first before going crazy with the different rides available. 

Restaurant Love: 7107 Restaurant

I’ve been a fan of 7107 Culture + Cuisine ever since I visited it last year. I still remember the lovely pesto pasta with sweet tocino dish I ordered as if it was from yesterday’s lunch. As much as I would like to dine here again, my busy schedule was against my plan of visiting this colorful restaurant sooner. Thankfully, one weekend finally cleared up and I was able to drop by for more delectable local fare with a twist!

Hello again, 7107 Culture + Cuisine!

Restaurant Love: Barcino Wine Resto Bar

Barcino has been around for a few years now yet I still remember its launch years back where I was still new with food blogging. I guess it is hard to forget such a fantastic dining experience and being in the awesome company of top foodies and wine connoisseurs. Hence it was such a treat to have my first 2017 date with R at what I consider one of the best tapas restaurants in town. 

Hello, Barcino!

We were warmly greeted by the front hostess upon entering its Forbes Town branch and were quickly ushered to our table near the bar. 

First Bite: Sasa Asian Cuisine

Estancia used to be one of my favorite malls when I was still living a lot closer to this place. It being a less popular choice for mall goers and having free unlimited wi-fi (to compensate for the poor reception), this mall has been some sort of paradise to me. And after two years, this mall has become one of the promising foodie havens in Pasig City with its numerous restaurants. One of which is Sasa, an Asian restaurant which opened just a couple months back. 

Hello, Sasa Asian Cuisine!

Foodie Alert: Ippudo is now in BGC

I love getting random messages from P as it always mean great news and usually involve food. And yesterday was no exception. It was about Ippudo Uptown Mall BGC's opening this time. Well, sort of. P said that Ippudo is looking for people to participate in the ramen place's two-day stress test. I immediately said that I'm willing to participate as it simply mean that we'll act like usual customers during Ippudo's simulation. 

Hello, Ippudo!

We got to Ippudo early and there was quite a line outside. Since looloo saved us some seats, we went to the front of the line and told the host that we're looking for Denise. Apparently, the ones in line were all for the stress test and probably mentioned her name too, only are affiliated with other groups or probably friends of the owners.

Well, they were just doing some last minute preparations and after a short wait, we got in.

Luckily, C, R1, R2 and P got the table right beside ours so we got to chit chat for a bit over ramen among others. 

R who has never been to Ippudo ordered Akamaru Shinaji (PHP495) while I went with Shiromaru Motoaji (PHP490). We also got Okonomiyaki(PHP270) and Deep-Fried Gyoza (PHP220) as appetizers and Matcha Creme Brûlée (PHP160) for dessert. For drinks, we opted for Watermelon Shake (PHP115) and Lemonade (PHP110).

Service was quick and we got our drinks in less than 5 minutes. We were also served house water before that. 

R's lemonade had a nice tangy taste which was refreshing. 

My watermelon shake was also good. It wasn't very sweet and did the job in quenching my thirst. 

Our other orders arrived right after. 

The okonomiyaki was quite sweet because of the okonomiyaki sauce. 

I loved the harmony of textures of the yam, egg, chasu and black konnyaku (potato). But I felt that the flavor was too overwhelming for an appetizer. 

The deep-fried gyoza was scrumptious! It had a lovely meaty taste and it was flavorful enough even without the ponzu sauce. Don't let the chili and spicy mayo stop you from ordering if you have low tolerance to spicy food like me. It wasn't spicy at all. 

When in Cebu: Rico’s Lechon

Cebu is known for its lechon and a trip to the land of La Marea is not complete without a trip to a restaurant that specializes in lechon. This time around, we visited Rico’s Lechon.

Hello, Rico’s Lechon!

The place was packed when we arrived. We had to wait for about 20 minutes before getting a table. And this was on a Monday with the restaurant not even being near offices. It must be really popular like CnT, I thought.

We were famished when we sat down so we immediately ordered Baked Scallops (PHP180) and half kilo lechon (PHP310). R also got Watermelon Shake (PHP70) while I tried the Halo-Halo shake (PHP110).

First served was the baked scallops and I must say, it was a generous serving of scallops! If I order it here in Manila, I would only get around 7-8 scallops.

First Bite: Patio Vera

I love giving (nice) surprises. Planning and thinking of what would make my special someone happy already makes me smile. Seeing the person appreciate it gives me a sense of fulfillment and I felt that when I surprised R with a romantic dinner for two at Ninyo. And since it was a success, I decided to do it again with Patio Vera (I got a CashCash voucher worth PHP1,600 for a romantic dinner for 2), yet another hidden gem according to Looloo.

Hello, Patio Vera.

The place is a bit hard to find since it is located in a residential area. The location itself is also a bit shady. But it’s another story when you enter the house turned restaurant.

The garden area and patio are the first dining areas you will see. We entered the house and saw antique pieces and our romantic set up was near the cockatoo glass cage.

The hyper cockatoo kept us entertained while waiting for our food. The adorable bird also distracted us while we were being bitten by mosquitoes. (Warning: apply mosquito repellant if you do not want to be their feast.)

After 30 minutes of waiting, our appetizer was finally served. Presenting, banana wrapped in bacon.

It was quite weird and the contrast between the supposedly sweet banana and salty bacon did not happen as well as it should have.

Restaurant Love: Spätzle Euro Market Café

I was so scared that the Halloween traffic might be crazy given that some people will be going to their provinces but I was surprised that there were only a few cars on the road come 6 p.m.. However, my friends were late and I was already “hangry”.

After several exchanges on where to eat, I finally decided that I’ll stay in Spätzle. No more moving. I was tired, hungry, and grumpy. Yes, I have reached the bratty foodie stage.

K and E were game to eat there though as they have never visited Spätzle Euro Market Café.

After a few minutes, K finally arrived and we hurriedly ordered the following: Paprika Potato Chips (PHP145), Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Roesti (PHP320), The Spätz Burger (PHP355), Frozen Brazo de Mercedes (PHP230) and Watermelon Slush (PHP105).

My drink arrived first and it was refreshing. I loooove watermelon!

The potatochips were delightful as well. It was slightly zesty making it different from the usual chips. It helped keep us sane while waiting for our mains.

Painting Makati... PINK!

I was pretty excited when I saw a huge tarpaulin over a vacant space in Greenbelt 5 with the words “Pinkberry Swirling Soon”. At that time, I haven’t tried Pinkberry yet but since a lot of Hollywood celebrities love it and assuming that some of them are picky eaters, then Pinkberry must be good. And I was able to confirm it myself when I tried it during my vacation. Pinkberry love!

I was determined to try Pinkberry here in Manila on its first week of operations to the point that I braved the Christmas rush and the dark night just for it. Paranoid, I was speed walking from the MRT to the malls and back. My travel time going back was less than 20 minutes.

Anyway, I was glad that I was able to meet with some friends on my way to Pinkberry as I might have spent half an hour finding my way to the store (as I have absolutely no sense of direction).