First Sip: Tantea

Phones eat first. What used to be a joke is pretty much a reality now. With aesthetics as one of the factors consumers heavily consider when dining out, most establishments focus on making its offerings as pretty as possible. From pink burgers to heart shaped pizzas and glittery drinks, we've pretty much seen a lot of quirky tweaks just to make dishes more 'Instagrammable'. One relatively new milk tea player, Tantea, has its presentation and packaging on point giving it the much needed edge in this very competitive industry. 

Hello, Tantea. 

Tantea has been around for a few months now with its first branch in Binondo, Manila. I've been curious with its milk tea offerings but my constant trips out of Manila made it hard for me to pay one of its shops a visit. Luckily, Tantea sent me a message asking if I'd like to have some drinks delivered one afternoon. 

First Sip: Yogorino

I think milk tea's flowing through my blood stream with the amount of boba drinks I consume. Though I try my best to avoid this delicious drink, I just can't seem to get it off my mind. And when a friend recommended that I try Yogorino and found out that it offers milk tea, I have to reset my no milk tea diet to day 0. 

Hello, Yogorino.

Yogorino is one of the growing brands under Viva International Food & Restaurants, Inc. which also franchises or manages Wing Zone, Paper Moon, Botejyu and Pepi Cubano. 

Love at First Bite (and Sip): Q House

This summer is just too intense. I can't picture myself basking under the sun even if I was on the fine white sands of Boracay making sand angels. It is just too hot! Thankfully, there are new joints that would help us survive this hellish weather. And my new favorite is Q House. 

Hello, Q House!

Q House is Uptown Bonifacio's newest dessert concept and it serves classic banana cue with a twist!

First Bite: Indulge Ice N Cream

Rain or shine, ice cream is a staple treat in Manila. With summer heat lingering year round, it won't be surprising to know a friend or two who can wolf down a tub of this cold treat in one sitting. I usually could not resist the urge of grabbing a scoop or two myself whenever I pass by an ice cream parlor. And when I dropped by Novotel Manila Araneta Center, Indulge enticed me to try a few of its flavors. 

Hello, Indulge. 

I was in a rush to head somewhere else after a quick errand at Novotel so I zeroed in on Indulge's grab and go Ice N Cream which offers a nice mix of classic and new flavors. 

More Than Just Gelato: Morelli's Gelato Caffé,

Summer may be over but the intense Manila heat is here to stay, rain or shine. And with the scorching heat draining my energy and perhaps even my positive outlook in life, I need a cold treat on a daily basis. One of my favorites is gelato as its creamy texture never fail to make me smile from ear to ear. Hence, when I found out that Morelli's Gelato has something new in store for us, I had to know what's up. 

Hello, Morelli's Gelato Caffé.

Morelli's has been in Manila for about five years now with its first store at Shangri-La Plaza Mall's East Wing. A brand known for gelato, it actually has an interesting story behind each scoop sold and it could be traced all the way back to 1907. 

BGC Just Got Darker: BLK 513 is now in Bonifacio High Street

Something dark and black has entered BGC and I love it! In case you haven't heard, BLK 513 is now in Bonifacio High Street!

Hello, BLK 513!

It has been a very long time since I visited BLK 513. If I'm not mistaken, the last time I've been to a BLK 513 branch was two years back. 

My Healthy Fix: llaollao

We live in a world where eating healthy could be challenging. With so many tempting and sinful products in the market, most of us fall in the trap of unhealthy diets. Thankfully, more and more brands are finding ways to help us stay on track by offering healthy dishes and snacks are not only delectable but also pocket friendly. 

Hello, llaollao!

It's amazing how fast this well-loved brand from Spain has grown. Now with 5 branches, it now caters to foodies from the North down to South. 

Second Bite: Elait!

This is probably the hottest year to date, literally. Even though Jose Mari Chan's Christmas songs are already all over the city (and internet), the intense summer heat still lingers. Thank goodness though for ice cream. 

Hello, Elait!

I've shared before how much I love this brand. Though still small compared to other establishments, this is one of the brands that has the biggest heart. It proved that you don't have to be big to have CSR. All you need is to have the passion for it. 

Summer Is Not Over: Pinkberry

Despite the regular drizzles and afternoon rainfalls, summer is definitely not over. The sizzling summer heat is here to stay in the form of humidity. Thankfully, one of my favorite cold treats decided to add a few new goodies to their list of offerings and we celebrated its launch last week. 
 
Hello, Pinkberry!

Beat the Heat:Shakeaway

This year’s summer is insane! The scorching heat is just too much and it makes me crave for cold treats every hour (or two). Thankfully, one of the cold dessert shops I’ve been eying for months finally opened its doors in Uptown Mall making it a lot more accessible to me than its first branch in U.P. Town Center. Yes, those two are different locations and are quite far from each other. And yes, I am talking about Shakeaway.

Hello, Shakeaway!

I was welcomed by a bright and predominantly white store. The first thing I noticed was the bunch of white containers by the counter which reminds me of a pharmacy. Apparently, that’s where Shakeaway puts its sweet treats. If I were to count the number of containers on display, I’m sure it’d be over 100 as there are 180 flavors and toppings to choose from!

First Bite: Bliss Bowls

My Instagram feed was filled with beautiful bowls of mouthwatering bowled treats for weeks and I could not help get curious by it. Upon quick research, I found out that these Instagram worthy treats are from Bliss Bowls, a new player in SM Megamall that offers healthy smoothies in a bowl. 

Hello, Bliss Bowls!

Work Perk: Manila Polo Club

Most of us hate Mondays as it means that we had to bid farewell to weekends again and face the real world. But there are times when work has its perks and one of which is having offsite meetings. You might think that I’m crazy because it still means work. But hear me out. Offsite meetings also mean possible good food! And for my company planning session, the team was thinking of holding it somewhere far like Anvaya. However, the ones with kiddos around were not too warm with the idea  hence we ended up in… Manila Polo Club. Though it’s not exactly far, the traffic separates us from the office. 

Hello, Manila Polo Club!

We booked one of the meeting rooms for our whole day planning and the rental of the room is consumable for the whole day. We had to bring some of our equipment though like projector to avoid incurring additional charges. 

To start the day, we each ordered something for breakfast and I went with Granola and Yogurt Trifle (PHP335).

Second Bite: Hey Handsome

I was lucky enough to sample some of Hey Handsome’s dishes on its first day of operations thanks to Charlie Paw. A single bite of its Nasi Lemak convinced me that this place will surely delight foodies craving for Perakanan dishes. And just when I was about to wobble my way out, I was asked by the amazing restauranteur to visit again the following week and bring some foodies with me to sample the other dishes. I giddily invited my favorite foodies and they quickly said yes. 

Hello again, Hey Handsome!

We were supposed to come here for lunch but since Hey Handsome is still testing the waters, they switched from "lunch only" service to "dinner only” service. I’m sure you’re wondering why a talked about restaurant would only focus on lunch or dinner. I had the same question in mind but Charlie said that it is because of their kitchen’s limited capacity. They are still working on their commissary and once it is set, they could manage to hold lunch and dinner services. For now, we have to settle with either lunch or dinner. (Make sure you check their Instagram account to make sure when they’re open.)

Hey Handsome has two seatings for dinner, one at 6 pm and another at 8:30 pm. Since most of us are getting old, we went with 6 pm. However, the insane traffic made us start at 7 pm.

To start off, we ordered some drinks. 

Some of us tried Magic Milk (PHP180) and loved the slight tangy taste from yuzu yogurt and passionfruit. Surprisingly, they said that it was not spicy at all. I had the impression that it is because of the thai chili. I got Cherry Pop (PHP150) since it looked so pretty. It tasted great too! I was worried that it would have a strong taste of cherry (which I hate) but the lemonade flavor overpowered the red fruit’s taste. My drink also had a very faint taste of rosemary. R on the other hand went with Donkey Punch (PHP130) and liked the refreshing combination of lengkuas (or galangal), lemongrass, passionfruit and elderflower. I still find Donkey Punch spicy though. 

First Bite: Hey Handsome

Hey Handsome has been receiving praises from notable influencers from the foodie community for a month now. Actually, just knowing that the minds behind this concept are the ones who brought Your Local already convinced me that I have to visit this place ASAP. I really respect these young talents as they are not afraid of the insanely crazy restaurant industry we have now. And to use unconventional raw ingredients such as keluak,a big poisonous fruit found in Indonesia, among others, proves how passionate they are in their craft and in bringing new flavors to Manila. The restaurant was scheduled to open last Friday but since the owners want to make sure that everything is perfect, they had to delay the opening and moved it to August 17 instead. (Thank you, Charlie Paw for the heads up!) And finally, Hey Handsome is open!!!

Hello, Hey Handsome!

I was greeted by lovely interiors that reminded me of Your Local, only brighter and more Instagram friendly (given the abundance of light). The modern mixed with industrial feel, high stools and white and green tiles turn every corner of this restaurant perfect for shoots. 

I guess Nicco Santos, one of the owners, head chef and a photographer himself, considered how foodies love to take snapshots of food and restaurant interiors. 

The restaurant aims to infuse more “real” Asian flavors such as Peranakan, Thai and Malaysian. Though some of the ingredients are sourced in other Asian countries for more authentic flavors, some are sourced locally. I honestly could not really tell which ones are authentic tasting or not. As long as the dish tastes good, I’m a-okay with it! 

I have read several positive reviews about the Beetroot Paneer (PHP480), Nam Tok (PHP580), Bebek Penyet (PHP680) and Nasi Lemak (PHP645). I decided to go with last one knowing that is considered as a complete meal in Malaysia and Singapore.

Quite unfamiliar with the dishes, I did a quick research and found out that Nasi Lemak is usually composed of meat, salted peanuts, coconut rice, hardboiled egg and dilis. But it is wrong to expect “usual” when dining at Chef Nicco’s restaurant. Instead of serving nasi lemak (coconut rice) with meat, Hey Handsome paired it with sea bass otah infused with spices that is wrapped and grilled in banana leaves served with sambal, pickled soft boiled egg and peanut brittle with dilis.

First Dibs: llaollao Philippines

It has been quite a while since I first saw an Instagram post featuring this new yogurt place opening in Glorietta. Curious with this new and rather late yogurt player, I did a bit of research and discovered that this brand is quite popular and well-loved in Europe, particularly in Spain. It is also a craze in Singapore where it has its largest store. Several foodies were giddy about the opening and their excitement was as contagious as the worst virus. Without knowing its taste or what sets it apart from other brands like Red Mango and White Hat, I became ecstatic with the store’s grand opening. And finally, the day llaollao (pronounced as Yao Yao) opens its doors to the public has arrived!

Hello, llaollao! 

Located at the ground floor of Glorietta 2, across Landmark, it is a store that doesn’t even need to demand attention as you’ll easily spot it. The brightly lit and and predominantly white store makes it an ideal photo shoot location for its mouthwatering swirls. 

This Spanish frozen yogurt shop boasts of its stores using natural ingredients which provide healthy values such as 46% of calcium recommended daily allowance for a medium-sized tub. They also use skimmed milk making it perfect for the calorie counter foodies. Oh and llaollao’s frozen yogurt has zero trans fat and is gluten-free. Winner!!!

Sanum is llaollao's signature parfait and it was a hit during its media launch and I could see why. The three layers of fresh fruit, two crunches, syrup and frozen yogurt combination was presented ready to be Instagrammed. And we finally get to indulge in some thanks to the llaollao team! 

Just like most yogurt shops around, you could also customize your yogurt based on your preference. In llaollao, you could play around with three types of fruits, two crunches and one sauce. With several toppings to choose from, combination possibilities are endless! (Okay, fine, there are roughly 700 possible combinations.) I went with a safe mix of strawberry, kiwi, dragonfruit, Filipino White Chocolate Biscuit, muesli with chocoates and Lotus syrup. Only one size is available for Sanum and it's priced at PHP199.

The yogurt base was thick and had a creamy consistency. It was not icy at all! It was also slightly tangy so do not expect the usual vanilla ice cream tasting yogurt that'll make you question if you are indulging in a healthy treat. 

First Bite: BLK513

I'm quite hooked to Looloo these past days and I can't help but notice the numerous reviews on BLK513, the newest yogurt place in Manila. Okay, you might think that it's nothing special because it's just another yogurt shop which brands such as Red Mango, Pinkberry and White Hat made popular. Buuuut... this yogurt is black. BLK= black. And since new food or restaurants are very appealing to me, I just have to try it myself! 

Hello, BLK513!!!

It has been several weeks since I first saw a post on this "activated charcoal" infused yogurt. Charcoal on yogurt??? Well, it is definitely not your lump of coal on top of smooth and delectably tangy yogurt. Activated charcoal is actually used in hospitals and even at home. Some of the benefits you get from it are (1) reduces high cholesterol (2) anti-aging (3) digestive cleanse (4) toxin removal; and (5) prevents hangover.

Okay, sold!

R's family scheduled a katsu lunch at Maisen a few days back and I thought that it was perfect since I hardly visit Megamall these past months. (Holiday rush, traffic and SM Megamall is an equation for headache!)

After lunch, R and I went to BLK513 for dessert and I opted for cup (PHP185; PHP175 for cone) so that I could get more toppings/layers. I went with caramelized cookies (which tasted like Speculoos or Biscoff) for crunch, kiwi and strawberries for fruits and Nutella for syrup.

And tadaaaaa...

My first spoonful didn't give much of an impression. It tasted like your usual tangy yogurt which you get from Red Mango, only darker. But the second spoonful with the layers made it more delectable.

A New Breakfast Lovers' Hotspot

I just love breakfast and I get grumpy when I miss the most important meal of the day. We Pinoys just love food that most of us eat 6 times a day (breakfast, brunch, lunch, merienda, dinner, and midnight snack). But nothing beats breakfast. A great breakfast is the perfect way to start the day. 

Another restaurant I would love to try is π Breakfast and Pies by Chef Ed Bugia. 

Photo from Pepper.ph

Yet another gem waiting to be flocked to by (since it has been discovered already), it has a lot of reasons why it should be your next breakfast destination!

Photo from isabelladepano.tumblr.com

Aside from the typical Eggs Benedict (called Eggs Benny in Breakfast and Pies), they have interesting gourmet waffles such as Salmon and Waffle at a very friendly price of PHP155! Topped with Salmon gravlax and fried capers, this will surely hit the tummy's happy bone! (Okay, that sounded weird and not just because the tummy doesn't have bones.)

Café Favorite: Akiba

It took my sister quite a while before she managed to convince me to get out of the house as I was really not in the mood to go out that day as long weekends mean lazy days for me. But since her begging powers seem to be of the same level as Puss in Boots, I finally gave in. We stopped by the usual stores and bought a handful of items but the highlight of that day was my short stop to…

AKIBA :D

I’ve been passing by this store for quite some time now but I never bothered to stop by and try the drinks till last Monday. I got curious with the drinks as the server was really enthusiastic with telling us their bestsellers.

 

In the end, my mom ordered Yogurt Chiru Nutty Macadamia (PHP130, large) while I ordered a glass of Akiba’s Signature Trifle Kohi (PHP130, large). My sister, who was not in the mood for tea or coffee decided to go for one of their chiffon cakes.

Supermarket Find: Nestlé Yogurt Top Ups

I’m craving for something… I don’t know… sweet, I guess. This is what you call I-must-crave-something-so-that-I-still-get-to-eat-more-as-I-eat-super-fast.

 

It’s interesting that despite eating lunch, my colleagues and I talk about what to eat next. It wasn’t much of a problem today though as while heating our food in the pantry, we saw an office mate with a few cups of yogurt with something on top of it. She seemed very giddy about it so we assumed that whatever it is, it’s bound to be good. Apparently, Nestlé added another twist to its well-loved yogurt. This time, they provide toppings in the form of KitKat and marshmallows. And since we were curious with how it tastes like, we braved the hot weather and marched our way to the supermarket nearby.

Love At First Bite: J.Co Donuts & Coffee

I just love doughnuts! It is one of my top comfort food choices. I just love the sweet, chewy ones. I still drool whenever I remember the chewy doughnuts of Mister Donut in Seoul. It was love and definitely different from the ones available here (which I love too).

One typical workday turned special when we were surprised by several yellow boxes from J.Co. In short, we had a feast. The Alcapone was L-O-V-E. While munching on the doughnut topped with slices of almonds, I was informed by Frannywanny that J.Co will open their first store in Mega Mall and I was so thrilled as it is so near my "territory".

However, it took me quite a while before I got to pay J.Co a visit. But I just cannot keep on delaying it anymore and decided to visit it a few weeks ago. 

Hi, J.Co! *smile*