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.

Restaurant Discovery: Rollin' & Bowlin'

We had a hard time looking for our last stop for our Katipunan food trip as we were left with mostly fast food chains. Craving for something… different, we walked for about 45 minutes till we spotted… Rollin’ & Bowlin’.  

A new place! *and our eyes sparkled while our tummies smiled*

The place is quite hidden so it’s such a thrill for us to discover it! It’s the perfect place to mount our T3 flag and hold game nights (uh, days) there. We were also told that the restaurant was fairly new then so their menu was quite limited.

Fifties in 2012: Mile Hi Diner

Pizza, check! Pasta, check! Burger, check! Next on the list? Chicken and fries!!! It’s true, friends who eat together… will go on a diet together!

Now on our way to our third (click here for the first and second) stop, we decided to visit Mile Hi, a popular food joint in Baguio which has branches here in Manila. I heard that the best one still is the one in Baguio but the 6-8 hour drive makes it less enticing.

Anyway, we have finally reached our destination (which was just a few steps away from the blue building also housing Moshi Moshi) and I was mesmerized with the Coca-Cola merchandise. I’m a sucker for anything Coca-Cola (I even rushed to McDonalds before when they first sold those limited edition Olympics glasses and I begged for 10 yen inside Narita airport just to buy a can of Coke simply because the can is soooo cute).

 

Since we were starting to get really full, we decided to just order a small basket of Spicy Buffalo Wings (PHP155) with Ranch dressing (PHP20) and Bacon Cheese Fries (PHP130). N and I also decided to order a cup of tea (we know it doesn’t match but hey it aids digestion) while J ordered a can of soda.

Peanut Butter Overload: PB Co.

Walking with tummies still filled with pizzaand pasta (with the sweet calamansi juice trying to work its magic) from our first Katipunan food stop, N, J and I or now known as T3 headed to the new blue building and entered our next food stop… Peanut Butter Company.

It was actually my first time to visit the place so I was pretty much mesmerized that the dishes it offers really do have peanut butter. Curious with the PB Burger Sandwich (PHP185), we decided to order one for sharing. We spotted Dark Chocolate PB Banana Milkshake (PHP185) and ordered that too, also for sharing. Ain’t we sweet? :D (Or we're probably just stingy!)

 

The burger was pretty big but a hungry person won’t have difficulty finishing it but since we were trying to save more space for other yummy Katipunan finds, we thought that it’d be best to just share.

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.