Restaurant Discovery: Gino's Brick Oven Pizza

I just adore my foodie friends N and J. They are so much fun to be with. Friends who chew together get fat together! L-O-V-E. This started the wonderful friendship of T3—The Takaw (gluttonous) Trio.

 

One weekend last month, my foodie friends and I decided to explore Katipunan to discover new food treasures. Our first stop was Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza.

 

J and I almost got lost but we managed as N told us to look for a building with a huge Mercury Drugstore at the ground floor. It was quite easy to spot the building with that as the landmark.

 

We headed to the second floor where Gino’s is located and managed to get seats right away. The waiter quickly gave us menus but we patiently waited for N before ordering. While waiting, we noticed that there’s an opening between Cello’s and Gino’s. I wonder if they are siblings or something.

In-N-Out in Singapore! Is Manila next?

I often check my Facebook News Feed for updates and one particular update made my eyes bigger than it used to.

IN-N-OUT is now in Singapore!!!

  

In-N-Out finally branched out and in Singapore! I am not very sure if this is the start of the well-loved burger joint from being a just-in-California brand to becoming a global brand.

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.

Lunch Date at Figaro

You know that you’re a glutton if one of your greatest fears is to go hungry. How can you tell if you’re suffering from it? Check your bag and if you find something edible inside your bag or pocket every single day, then chances are, you are “hunger-no-likey” positive. But there’s one thing’s scarier, rather frustrating,  when the food you packed was not enough to tame the angry tummy and despite being so hungry you simply could not decide where to eat.

I accompanied my sister to the clinic last Sunday for her to accomplish her required annual check-up for school. We arrived past 11:30 a.m. but luckily, the clinic wasn’t so busy and so my sister was able to “almost finish” in less than 2 hours (almost because she had to go back for her dental check up at 4PM). With grumbling tummies and woozy mindset since we stepped out past lunch time, we even had a mini foodie argument on where to eat and when we got tired and really dizzy due to hunger, we finally agreed and decided to go to Figaro.

Figaro, good yet affordable dishes.

I settled for one of their newest dishes, Chicken Thyme (PHP215) which comes with a glass of iced tea while my sister ordered Carbonara (PHP180). My sister also ordered an order of Chocolate Éclair (PHP75) which interestingly never caught my eye before.

 

First served was the chocolate éclair and it was divine. It is your typical éclair but more chocolatey as the filling was chocolate unlike the usual cream. Lovely! There were also a bit of nuts sprinkled on top and hardened chocolate drips on the sides. Such sight made my tummy smile with joy! My only concern was that I had to keep on pressing the top (uhm) bun against the chocolate filling as when we cut a piece, the bun goes up. 

Restaurant Discovery: Sandwicheese

It's so much fun to do research. It makes me feel... younger (as it brings back college memories). 

 

Some colleagues and I decided to go to the Rizal Library of Ateneo to do some research for planning and before going college mode all over again, we decided to stop by Sandwicheese, a small sandwich restaurant along Katipunan for lunch.

First thing we noticed was that it seemed to be owned by the same owner as Banapple as there were stickers of Banapple on the window. 

The place is so adorable as there are bread displays on the wall. It is like you're in bread paradise or a possible Yakitake Japan shooting place.

Foodie Alert: Unlimited Crispy Pata!!!

Unlimited. Eat-all-you-can. Overflowing. Those words never fail to make me smile!

Gluttons rejoice as C2 Classic Cuisine has a promo that is simply hard to resist. Just combine a sinful yet oh-so-good dish plus the word UNLIMITED… *happiness*

UNLIMITED. CRISPY. PATA. *twirls, jumps, and (if I could) somersaults*

The promo is actually simple. Just go to the C2 Classic Cuisine Greenhills branch, order the unlimited crispy pata and pay PHP299. But waaaait!!! For those with tight budgets but big tummy space, fret not as you could slash PHP100 off your bill by following these easy steps:

Loco Over Poco Deli All Over Again

I just love lunch outs. It gives me that needed short break from the corners of my messy cubicle. Plus it is also refreshing to eat something else.

Photo from Poco Deli's Facebook Page

Last Monday, J and I went to Poco Deli to catch up. But to our surprise, there were no available parking slots. We then decided to go to Rub Ribs as there are more parking spaces there but since it was lunch time, the place was packed with hungry diners. We then went back to Poco Deli to check if there were still tables available and there were! So while I man the table, J parked the car.

 

It was my third time to visit this place but just my second time actually dining here (the second visit was a short one when I bought some sausages for N’s family). Anyway, since I heard that their Gourmet Tapa with Eggs and Bacon Rice (PHP280) is one of their best sellers and that some of my officemates raved about it, I just have to try it. I also ordered a glass of Poco’s Special Freshly Brewed Iced Tea (PHP65). J decided to order the same thing.

Sentosa Revisited

For some reason, I eat a lot on Sundays! My tummy grumbles tenfold thus I make sure I have something to nibble on when I’m out. But since we attend mass at 6PM, the time when my tummy alarm clock goes wild, I had to silence my uncooperative clock and sincerely pray it won’t go on a strike and scream.

Hello again, Sentosa!

It has been a while since I last visited this place. I remember that during that first dinner here, I was almost the 5^th wheel if C’s other half showed up. I didn’t really care but that would have meant less food for me. (Yes, I sometimes think like this).

Anyway, this time, I went with my sister and mom after mass and we were really famished! My mom opted to buy Sautéed Broccoli with Scallop in XO Sauce (PHP245) while I went with Hainanese Chicken Noodle Soup (PHP220) and Satay Kajang (PHP195) while my sister got Roast Chicken Rice (PHP220). For dessert, we ordered Sticky Rice with Mangoes (PHP85) and Pisang Goreng (PHP95). I also tried the Chrysanthemum Iced Tea (PHP85, bottomless) simply because it intrigued me.

Served with an actual Chrysanthemum, it sure was a refreshing and flowery drink!

Despite the busy packed night, service was pretty quick as we got our food in about 15 minutes. First served was the Satay Kajang.

For PHP195, you get to try 3 different kinds—beef, pork, and chicken. I love chicken best as it was the one with the tenderest meat (easy to remove from the stick). The meat was flavorful that you do not even need to smother it with the sauce that goes along with it. For an appetizer, I prefer to have it with rice.

Things I love: Quirky Items

I just love packed lunch and I’m so lucky that I never experienced having my lunch stolen or anything like that. But a Swiper-No-Swiping image caught my eye when I was looking for quirky designs.

Presenting Anti-Theft Lunch Bag!

Just imagine the horror when your classmate, colleague or whoever discovers that the lunch they preyed on has mold on it! This guarantees the buyers 100% that their food is safe.

Bazaar Alert: In Search of the Next Bight Thing Bazaar

I just love bazaars. I love the fact that I could score some unique finds at reasonable prices there. I also love the thrill of being able to bargain your way to getting the lovely top you are eying. And today, I’m definite that tonight will be one fun night!

The search is on for the Next Big Thing and the prize is definitely no joke!

I just love this bazaar as all concessionaires are on their toes pampering shopaholics for them to have the best shopping experience (or at least for that night) as each shopper has gets to vote for their favorite store. What’s the big deal? Well, the store with the most votes wins PHP100,000!

Restaurant Discovery: Tosca

A few Fridays ago, I felt like I was transported to another place at a blink of an eye (fine, with the help of a motorized vehicle). Anyway, it was like entering a huge Thai spa with walls ornamented with gold…paint. I thought it was just me till R told me the same thing. Don’t judge me but it was my first time to enter Dusit Thani and I wasn’t expecting the place to look like it.

Hello, Dusit Thani!

The place was pretty different from the hotels I’ve been to. It has a very strong Asian feel to it. We actually went there for an event at Tosca (one of the restaurants inside the hotel) but since I fell in love with the food they served, I just have to share it!

 

First served was the tuna crudo with grilled artichoke in lemon infused olive oil. It was quite like sashimi only it was tangy with the help of the lemon. The artichoke added a bit more texture to the dish as well. It was a nice light dish to start lunch. (It made me crave for salmon sashimi.)