First Bite: Outré

I have been curious about Outré for the longest time. Photos of the ice cream store's vandalized walls and the overflowing scoops of liquid nitrogen gelato made me drool like a St. Bernard. But its two branches are a bit too far from me and just thinking about the traffic makes me cringe. And so I made sure to include Outré as one of our stops when we went to Aguirre for a food crawl.

Hello, Outré! 

The place was empty when we got there around 3:30 pm on a drizzling Sunday afternoon. 

I quickly ordered the Milo Dinosaur Gelato (PHP160) while K went with Dulce de Leche Gelato (PHP150). 

It was fun watching them prepare our gelato. The smoky/fog effect never fails to entertain me.

Second Sip: Craft Coffee Revolution

My mom is a big fan of Craft Coffee Revolution ever since she tasted this third wave coffee shop’s cakes. I only had its cappuccino on my first visit and I wasn’t exactly impressed. But since my mom was craving for its sansrival cake, we found ourselves having afternoon snack at my mom’s favorite café.

Hello, Craft Coffee Revolution!

My mom quickly ordered a slice of Macadamia Sansrival (PHP170) while I ordered Flat White (PHP140). My sister didn’t order any as she was not in the mood for cakes and wasn’t fond of coffee from cafés as she find it too strong for her liking. 

My mom’s cake was served first and it was… just okay for me. It wasn’t sweet so I guess that’s why my mom liked it. It had a light taste and it was not overly buttery making me feel less guilty for having a few bites. There was a relatively generous sprinkle of macadamia bits and that is probably the reason why a slice is a bit expensive. 

New Food Park Alert: The Food Haven at 77

Filipinos love to eat and that pretty much explain why more and more new restaurants and food parks open almost on a daily basis. Though I’m not exactly a fan of food parks as more often than not, the food in these places are just so-so, I had to take back what I said countless times when I visited The Food Haven at 77. 

Hello, The Food Haven at 77!

This spacious two-storey house turned food park is one of the latest Kapitolyo gems worth visiting. Unlike other food parks, this one has ample parking space and the main dining area has A/C units in full blast to beat the never ending Manila heat. 

First Sip: Magnum Opus

My college friends and I have been planning to visit Aguirre for the longest time but it always get cancelled, moved or totally changed to another location. But it finally happened! Today is an Aguirre food trip. 

Our first stop was Bread and Botany but it didn't leave much of an impression. And honestly, I was disappointed. The only good thing I got from it was that it is beside Magnum Opus, a well-loved coffee shop along the popular food street. 

Hello, Magnum Opus! 

I went straight to the menu as soon as I set foot. Well, the place is pretty small too so you'll hit the counter as soon as you open the door. 

I went with the famous Belgian Heartbreaker (PHP175) as I have been reading and hearing a lot of good reviews about it so I was excited with my cup.

I was surprised that it was served on a 9 ounce glass without handle. "How will I hold it?" Or so what I thought. But it was lukewarm. And I doubt that it was because I took a few snapshots of it. It was less than a minute. 

I took the first sip and... it was okay. The Belgian chocolate taste was evident but not too strong. It wasn't as sweet as I thought as it had espresso in it. Overall, it was good, but not as good as I thought. It was very similar to the mocha drink I whip up at home and it does not cost me more than PHP50 to make a giant cup of it. 

Iced Belgian Chocolate

Would I go back? Not anytime soon. 

Magnum Opus is located at 2nd Floor, Prime Building, 115 Aguirre Street, BF Homes, Parañaque City.

When in Cebu: La Vie Parisienne

Cebu is slowly turning into a foodie paradise with new restaurants opening here and there. One of the restaurants that captured my interest is La Vie Parisienne. It is not particularly new but it has a romantic ambiance and I figured that it’s a great place to spend a night with R for his post birthday celebration. 

Hello, La Vie Parisienne!

I am aware that this place is more of a bakery than a restaurant but I didn’t know that they have quite a limited selection in terms of heavier, dinner appropriate dishes. 

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).

When in Bataan: Stregato Gelateria

It’s quite frustrating to be in a lovely city yet not know where to eat. I checked a bunch of sites but most of the establishments in the area have zero reviews. I remember though that a close friend of mine recently went to Bataan and took a photo of herself with a charming swing. I quickly checked if it has reviews in looloo; and it has an overall rating of four stars. Since it is just beside our hotel, we decided to drop by. 

Hello, Stregato Gelateria! 

The quaint dessert shop is located at the ground floor of Galeria Victoria Mall and it was a good thing that I asked The Plaza Hotel’s doorman for directions as we would have missed it and walked 15 minutes away as directed by Google Maps based on the pin in looloo. 

Entering the restaurant could be a bit unpleasant as kids selling garlands would tap and force you to buy. One kid even asked me to treat her a scoop of gelato. Though it is sad to see kids trying to earn money to survive, it could also be annoying to some customers who just want a nice meal, poke-free.

The showcase freezer of gelato is the first thing you’ll see once you set foot inside the charming restaurant. But since R and I were famished, we didn’t bother to check it and looked for the menu instead. After spotting some savory dishes, we headed to the second floor and took the table with a swing couch. After a while, we moved as the table is too small for dinner. 

We decided to go with Mushroom Soup (PHP97), Loaded Potato Skins (PHP145, add PHP10 for additional sour cream dip), Grilled Salmon (PHP185) and Eight-Hour Roast Beef (PHP220). For drinks, we went with Gelato Shake (PHP130) and Frozen Iced Tea (PHP85). I went down again as they have this pay as you order policy.

After placing our orders, I was informed that they were out of roast beef. I then changed it to pork belly but they were out of pork as well. I could sense that R was frustrated as he wanted to eat either beef or pork. Eventually, he settled with Pan Fried Herbed Chicken with Gravy (PHP178). 

Service was fast and our drinks were served after 5 minutes. 

Celebrate the Little Things with foodpanda

It has just been a few weeks since the holidays but most of us are already stressed as if we didn’t just took a relaxing break. Though it’s nice to run towards your goal, we tend to be too driven towards that finish line that we miss out on the smaller things in life that are also worth celebrating. Admit it, when was the last time you had a slow paced work lunch where you get to really taste your meal and not just wolf it down? Or how about having those few minutes in the morning where you enjoy a cup of coffee while reading your favorite book or catch up with your family? Sadly, I couldn’t remember the last time I had those. And this is what foodpanda wants to change.  

Take time to celebrate everyday as each new day is worth celebrating. 

This is pretty much the message of foodpanda as they launch the campaign “Celebrate the little things with foodpanda."

When in Bataan: The Plaza Hotel

I love being surrounded by fascinating (and old) architecture. I have been eying Vigan for the longest time but the long drive to the "blast from the past" scenic cobblestone road isn’t too appealing, especially to R. We then considered going to Bataan instead to check out some old infrastructures in the area. Luckily, The Plaza Hotel had a promo in Deal Grocer and we quickly nabbed it before it gets sold out. Soon, we found ourselves on our way to the historic place that marked the perseverance and bravery of Filipinos. 

Hello, The Plaza Hotel.

We were a bit iffy turning to the small road leading to the hotel. We thought that the well-established hotel is located in a sinister looking place. But to our delight, it is a pretty good location. It is sandwiched in between Balanga Public Library and Galeria Victoria Mall. It is also across the historical Balanga Cathedral which was once used as an artillery emplacement during the Japanese invasion. 

Parking could be hellish as The Plaza Hotel does not have its own parking area. You have no choice but to park in front which is shared with the other establishments nearby. We were fortunate to get one though in front of the hotel.

When In Hong Kong: Hanjuku Kobo

I’m always on the lookout for lines whenever I travel. I always think that long queues mean good food or deals. And I spotted a relatively long line when I passed by Hanjuku Kobo.

Hello, Hanjuku Kobo!

Okay, perhaps the line isn’t long all the time. We passed by its Tsim Sha Tsui branch (near Nathan Road) thrice and there was barely a line around lunch time. Then again, it was because the store just opened and foodies must be busy having lunch that time. But after an hour or two, the place was packed with locals waiting for their turn to get hold of Hanjuku Kobo’s pastries. 

The long line made me curious and I told R that I want to buy some of the shop's cheese tarts and cheesecakes. But R is allergic to lines and we stayed inside our hotel and napped instead after lunch. 

There was still a line when we headed out for dinner. My curiosity got the best of me and with my best puppy eyes, I asked R if we could line up and buy a few. And he finally agreed. We were fourth in line outside. (The staff control the number of people inside their small shop and I was part of the next batch.)

Hanjuku Kobo has a very limited product range. It only has cheesecakes, cheese tarts and a few other cakes. I went with a box of cheesecakes and two cheese tarts just so we get to try it. Our total was around HK$119 if I’m not mistaken. I recall that the box of 5 costs around HK$75 and the tarts were HK$22 each. 

The wait wasn’t that long as the ones in line sure know what they want. We got our treats in less than 20 minutes. 

And because these goodies could melt, the shop placed some ice packs inside to keep our cheesecakes and tarts cool. There was a problem though… the thin paper bag melted instead. We had to transfer the boxes to another paper bag and eventually get rid of the ice packs. 

I immediately opened the boxes as soon as we got to our hotel. 

The cheesecake had a light taste. it would have been perfect with tea. I loved that it was so moist and fluffy. 

The cheese tarts though were way better! It had a stronger taste and I loved its slight tangy taste! The crust was crunchy and it complemented the soft and smooth filling. It was divine! I would fly to Hong Kong just to get my hands on these tarts! 

Make sure that you include Hanjuku Kobo in your Hong Kong itinerary. 

Tip: Hanjuku Kobo's Causeway Bay branch has less crowd.

Love at First Bite: The Coffee Shop

It has been a while since my last road trip with R. We’ve been busy with work and other activities that we were not able to keep up with our monthly short getaways. But since our Deal Grocer voucher for The Plaza Hotel will expire soon, we decided to head up North and spend the weekend there. But before heading to Bataan, we decided to spend one day in Subic to enjoy the beach. But Mother Nature refused to cooperate and we ended up pigging out instead. And there is no better place to feast but the famous taco shop, The Coffee Shop, Home of Jumbo Tacos. 

Hello, The Coffee Shop!

This restaurant doubles as a hotel with its rooftop room accommodations at friendly prices. But let me focus on the food, especially its jumbo tacos. 

Since this place has been raved by so many foodies and some even claim that this place offers the best tacos in the country, I just have to try it! I went with Taco with Sour Cream (PHP130) while R went with Hard Shell Taco (PHP95). We also got Double Cheeseburger with Fries (PHP185) simply because R wanted fries. For drinks, we ordered Frozen Iced Tea (PHP85) and Chocolate Shake (PHP130).

While waiting, I took a few snapshots and noticed that they charge PHP30 for using their electrical outlets and that they also do not provide straws for non-frozen beverages. 

Service was quick and our drinks were served in less than 5 minutes. 

My frozen iced tea was refreshing. It had the right amount of sweetness and had a delightful lemon flavor. (It was so good that we ordered another glass right after finishing one.) R’s drink tasted like chocolate ice candy. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t that good as well. And for PHP130, I don’t think it was value for money. 

Our tacos were served next and we were overwhelmed by the size. They were not kidding when they said jumbo. It was really huge! It would be at least 9 inches long.