Cara Mia Brings Back its Strawberry Shortcake this February

With traffic lights flashing red hearts and flower stalls popping left and right, there's no denying that love is in the air. And there's no better way to celebrate Valentine's Day (or birthday) than with Cara Mia's Strawberry Shortcake.

Yes, Cara Mia's Strawberry Shortcake is back!

A Berry Yummy Cake: Cara Mia's Strawberry Shortcake

Cakes symbolize celebrations and all kinds of occasions. But we don't need to wait for something to celebrate to grab a slice. In fact, I wouldn't mind having it every day especially if it's Cara Mia's latest limited flavor!

Hello, Cara Mia.

If its Ube Cake was not enough to impress us all, Cara Mia launched another easy favorite with its Strawberry Shortcake.

Revisited: Paper Moon Cake Boutique and Café

It's not every day that you get to a chance to meet a cake artisan who is known and respected in the culinary industry worldwide. And so, when I got an offer to get acquainted with one, I quickly said yes. Needless to say, it was one memorable afternoon.

Hello, Paper Moon Cake Boutique and Café. 

Paper Moon has been in Manila for quite some time now. It has been raved by many and became a staple treat to tea parties and all sorts of gatherings. Despite its steep price compared to other cake shops, people with discerning taste didn't mind as they know that they are paying for quality. 

Though I enjoyed its Mango Crepe Cake, I was quite unaware of the history of this brand and the wonderful person behind it till last Tuesday when I was fortunate to be a part of the intimate group to meet Madam Kazuko Emy Wada. 

First Bite: Sweet Inspirations

Sweet Inspirations has been around for a long time. I remember always seeing it along Katipunan when I have errands to do within the area. However, I never got the time to drop by. I figured that I could get my slice of cake elsewhere. But I had no idea that this place offers more than sweets. 

Hello, Sweet Inspirations. 

I dropped by its Hemady Square branch one Saturday afternoon and I was surprised to see a Mongolian station. 

Love at First Bite: Visco's Restaurant and Cake Shop

We all know that Baguio is the land of strawberries and anything strawberry. There’s strawberry taho, strawberry sorbetes and even strawberry sinigang. But let’s not go crazy and talk about savory strawberry-flavored dishes. Let’s stick with desserts, particularly shortcakes. And by shortcakes, I mean, Visco’s.

Hello, Visco’s Restaurant and Cake Shop!

I’ve been reading a lot of great reviews about this cake shop along Upper Session Road for years. However, R and I usually avoid city center whenever we visit Baguio as we’re both not so fond of traffic, worrying about parking and crowd. The foodie in me could not take it any longer though and wanted to take a bite of the famous shortcake to know if it really is one of the best in the country. With frustrated tastebuds, I asked R and his parents if we could pass by the bakeshop one evening after dinner for me to buy a slice or two. And they said yes! *twirl*

First Bite: Privatus Dining by Radical Culinary Inc.

The term fine dining never fails to scare my wallet as it always sounds so expensive. But I was proven wrong by a few establishments, one of which is Privatus Dining by Radical Culinary Inc. I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant to go to this restaurant as the location seems to be a bit off from the usual roads I take. But reading the beautiful write up of Esquire about this foodie destination made me think otherwise and soon, I found myself in front of the restaurant (which happens to be very easy to spot as long as you have your Waze on). 

Hello, Privatus Dining.

Located at the second floor of EMPro compound, we were greeted by sophisticated modern industrial interiors enveloped by warm yellow lights.

First Bite: Fat Daddy's Smokehouse

Receiving a text message from P always mean good (and yummy) news and her message last Monday was no exception. It was a looloo invite to try Fat Daddy's Smokehouse. At first, I got it confused with the burger joint that has that three letter word that love to settle on unwanted areas. Thanks to P's email. I got the idea that it... could be even better! 

Hello, Fat Daddy's Smokehouse.

I WAS LATE. I underestimated the distance between my place and Burgos Circle. I even got lost due to my lack of night vision. So much for being an early bird.

The group was already enjoying the big tray of Jera’s Ultimate Pulled Pork and Bacon Nachos (PHP550) when I arrived. Even though it was already “touched”, I was still overwhelmed by the huge serving size. This one is definitely good for sharing! I think even 10 foodies cannot finish this dish (assuming there are other dishes).

Taste-wise, it was packed with flavor. I enjoyed the harmony of textures and flavors among the crisp seasoned and slightly salty tortilla chips, sweet and tender pulled pork, delectable bacon strips (which was stripped off its salty flavor because of the Alabama barbecue sauce) and of course, cheese! This dish was far from being short of toppings or sauce!

I tried Chef Pat’s Ultimate Cheese Dip (PHP450) next and it was indeed very cheesy! I loved that it was oh so thick (thanks to the layers of mozzarella and cheddar cheese). Getting a spoonful was a challenge though as there were huge onion rings stuffed inside too! But it did not hinder me from smothering my fried tortilla chips with the scrumptious dip! (There were no toasted baguettes left when I got to try the dish.)

One of my favorites is the Crispy Fried Pickles (PHP120). I was quite surprised to say this as I am not a fan of pickles. But I had no idea that I would enjoy it a lot when deep fried covered with panko and corn crust and dipped in a delightful white sauce which reminded me of ranch. It was a lovely appetizer and made me salivate for more.

Next served was the Crisp Fish Tacos (PHP320) and it was one of my favorites that night. The beer battered Alaskan Pollock had a nice light taste which was a great break from the dishes with very heavy flavors. 

I loved the crisp of the batter and the taste of the garlic sauce. I skipped putting barbeque sauce on my portion as I really wanted to have a break from the sweet barbecue sauce.

Smoked Beef Brisket (PHP550) and North Carolina Pulled Pork (PHP220) were served right after and this marked the end of my break from barbeque sauce.

The 250 gram smoked beef brisket, which was smoked for 16 hours was divine! It was so tender! Though it was one of the dishes with relatively small serving size (because of its thin cut), I’d highly recommend this. It was packed with flavors without it being overpowering. Oh, and this is senior friendly. It was effortless to chew this dish!

The North Carolina Pulled Pork was similar with the ones on the nachos. I guess if you order the nachos, you may opt not to get this anymore.

BLAT, or Bacon, Lettuce, Apple and Tomatoes sandwich (PHP275) was a crowd favorite. Though just like most of the other dishes, this one also have the yummy homemade bacon. But for some reason, this sandwich is a notch higher in the taste department with its refreshing baked spiced apples. It went really well with bacon, veggies and remoulade sauce (a type of aioli) adding nice cinnamon spice that I simply love.

Love at First Sip: Kissako Uji Matcha Café

Friday nights are meant for munching and discovering new food. I am not so fond of eating the same food twice as there are just so many restaurants to visit and so many dishes to try. Just thinking about it makes me so giddy.

Last Friday, I made an 8 p.m. reservation for three at Locavore thinking that my sister’s last class ends late. But we all got together at 6:30. So to kill time, I asked them if we could visit the new Japanese tea and coffee shop I spotted a few weeks ago.

Hello, Kissako!

The place is quite small and could only accommodate perhaps 5-6 groups at a time. Choices are also limited making it easier for me choose. I went with Strawberry Shortcake (PHP170), Chocolate Mousse (PHP170) and Horiguchi Coffee (PHP130) in medium roast.

The cakes arrived in cute dark colored clay plates. I am already in love without even tasting the cake yet.

Love at First Bite: Ace Coffee Lounge

Kapitolyo is definitely a foodie destination with so many restaurants popping out here and there. I was surprised to know that there are around 8 new restaurants that my foodie radar did not sense since my last trip which was just a few weeks ago. And since I would not forgive myself if I let more months pass, I asked my good friend N to move our Teachers Village food trip to Kapitolyo instead and she gladly agreed.

I just had a rather carbohydrates and protein overload from Grande Torino before the start of the food trip and N was worried that I was already stuffed. But I always have room for more good food. So after a bit of brain(tummy)storming, we decided to pay Ace Water Spa a visit. And not to swim but to eat!

The Ace Coffee Lounge is located at the lobby of the hotel/spa with an overview of the water spa. (After seeing the layout, I’m not too confident if I should go there for a swim since I do not want the diners to lose their appetites when they catch a glimpse of me struggle with my floater.)

After a quick browse of the menu, N and I decided to go for the Spinach and Artichoke dip with toasts (I forgot to take note of the price but I think it is around PHP200 as I recall it was really affordable), Hot Fruit Tea (PHP150), and a slice of Strawberry Shortcake (PHP100).