Restaurant Love: Magnum Manila

This summer heat is getting crazier and crazier. It’s making me fat too! I don’t want to move at all and I lost all of the motivation to be more active. All I want now is ice cream. And last Sunday was a perfect day to get fatter for we had lunch at…

Magnum Manila!

This time, I tried Magnum Manila’s savory dishes. We ordered Kabocha Pumpkin Soup (PHP180), Spinach Cannelloni (PHP350), Seared Chicken with Arugula and Sundried Tomato Pasta (PHP280), and Make my Heart Melt (PHP350) to cap our meal.

The pumpkin soup was not as creamy as I thought but it had the sweet pumpkin taste that I love. The contrast of sweetness of the pumpkin and the saltiness of the bacon cream and bits was delightful as well.

The Spinach Cannelloni was a bit too creamy to the point that your palate will get tired of it. I guess this one is great for sharing. (The server asked us if we want to have some shaved chocolate on top and it tasted… weird.)

Love at First Bite: St. Marc Café

I have been curious with St. Marc Café for the longest time but every time I pass by, the place is full of diners. I have heard a lot about Chococro but I never get to buy one as the crowd discourages me to line up. But finally, the day I get to enjoy Chococro came.

Hello, St. Marc Café!

I went crazy as soon as I reached the counter. With several desserts on display, my mind was telling me to order them all (which, of course, is possible but way too much for the tummy).

After a bit of thought, we finally decided to get Chococro (PHP55), Espresso Milk (PHP230) and Choco Berry Celebration (PHP250).

The Chococro, crisp croissant filled with chocolate, was heavenly. I love the crunch of the roasted nuts on top and the flakiness of the croissant. The rich chocolate filling was divine too. I loved it a lot!

First Bite: Detoxify Bar

My good friend C has been telling me that Detoxify Bar is such a great place. I wasn’t really excited to visit it though as it sounded healthy. But when my colleague (another C) dragged me to go on detox, I finally dropped by Detoxify Bar.

Hello, Detoxify Bar!

I was still on detox when I visited the place to meet up with C. But the friendly staff behind the counter told me that it’s okay for me to eat as long as the ingredients are organic. Well… if that’s true then…

R and I ordered the following: Tomato Basil soup (PHP150), Rosemary Chicken (PHP275) and Meatless Pastaless Veggie Lasagna (PHP275).

First Bite: Motorino

I’ve heard of Motorino for quite some time now. Known to be one of the best pizza places around, it has been on my list for months. But since I hardly frequent Makati, it wasn’t exactly on top of my must-visit-and-get-fat-there list. Then again, what’s meant to be is meant to be and so…

Hello, Motorino!

I got some free Fast and the Furious 7 tickets from Sub-Zero and Wolf; but the catch was I have to watch it at Greenbelt 3. R and I tried to watch it last Easter Sunday but failed as the place was PACKED! (There was only one seat left for an 11 p.m. show and we were there at 3 p.m.. Crazy!) I was actually scared that there would still be a lot of people on the 9^th given that it was also a holiday but we got seats! Yay!

Anyway, since we went early, we decided to have a quick lunch first and Motorino was perfect place as it is beside the cinema.

While checking the menu, R saw the lunch for two and figured it was a good deal for PHP395. The set comes with a 13” pizza, iced tea and dessert of your choice. We chose the Mushroom and Sausage Pizza, Classic iced tea and Crimson Berry iced tea, and two gelato scoops—dark chocolate and cookie.

Detox Time: Detoxify Bar

Just like most people, I love to eat unhealthy stuff. (Chips, cakes, ice cream, chocolates, pizza, fries… why are you soooo good???)  But there are times when I feel so guilty that I just have to cleanse myself. I still remember the first time I did juice detox. It was not as hard as I thought but it was still challenging. I avoided everyone with food and became anti-social for a day. (Why yes, all of the people I know and talk with always have food.) It was worth it though as I felt great after! Not really sure if it was psychological given I spent quite a lot for 6 bottles of juice I could do myself or if it really made me feel better. Anyway, I was convinced once again to try it out and this time, I tried Detoxify Bar.

Hello, Detoxify Bar!

Detoxify Bar offers juice detox at a friendlier price compared to Juju Cleanse. Ordering was easier too as I called them up one afternoon to prepare my order for pick up that same night.

One day detox is composed of 5 bottles (versus 6 of Juju) and you may mix and match the juices you want (though they also have sets). Each bottle costs PHP220 but if you get a detox set, you also get a thermal bag and two tea packs for an additional PHP250.

I chose the Green Vegan Detox, Minty Berry Detox, Lemon Detox, and two bottles of Red Vegan Detox.

Sweet Ending: Florabel

I love people who love sweets. Ice cream, chocolates, cake, cookies, brownies, and more ice cream!!! I love chocolates so much that I once tried the “chocolate diet.” Well, I don’t think it exists but I tried to eat nothing but chocolates for a few days. (Yes, it was a bad idea but I had no regrets.) And a few weeks ago, I met a group who share the same love for sweets. <3

Hello, Florabel.

I recall that the only time I went inside Florabel was for a meeting with the people handling Magnum. And since the meeting was held after lunch, I just had a glass of… water. (And Magnum of course!)

This time though, we had some sweet meal enders. And we ordered quite a lot! S1, S2, S3 and D were the ones who chose the desserts and they picked Frozen Brazo de Mercedes (PHP225), Chocolate Mud Pie (PHP320), Crème Brûlée Torte with Fruits in Season (PHP245), Moist Yema Chocolate Cake (PHP275), Valrhona Chocolate Tartlet with Mango Chutney (PHP335), and Chocnut Torte (PHP245).

The Frozen Brazo de Mercedes tasted a bit too egg-y. (Sorry, I couldn’t think of a better term for this.) Perhaps I also compare it with the one I had from Spätzle. I liked the custard though and the contrast of the frozen meringue with the crunchy graham crust.

The Crème Brûlée Torte was so-so for me. It was probably my least favorite that night. It had a slight burnt taste but the fruits were fresh.

Restaurant Love: Omakase

I absolutely love Japanese food. I cannot count how many times I mentioned that in my blog but… who cares? I love Japanese food. It never fails to make me smile (especially with a plate of salmon sashimi on the table). And those random Japanese dinner dates are loooooove~~~ <3

Hello, Omakase!

It has been a long time since I last visited Omakase. I still remember the maki platter and the super friendly prices. I think I went crazy over the platters.

This time, R ordered Spicy Tuna Salad (PHP250), Soft Shell Crab Tempura (PHP550) and Dynamite Roll (PHP250) while I got Salmon Sashimi (PHP240) and Zaru Soba (PHP195). I wanted to order one more dish but R said that I always waste food. TT_TT

After a short wait, the spicy tuna salad arrived.

It wasn’t really that spicy. I loved the salad dressing on the cubes of tuna and the crunch of the tempura crumbs.

The salmon sashimi was pretty okay too. Not the best as it was not the type that melts in your mouth (or so how my former officemate calls it—party in the mouth) but it was still delightful.

Soon, the soft shell crab tempura arrived and R noticed that the serving size seemed to be smaller than before. (Or that the serving size is still the same but is now more expensive.) It’s best to ask for an additional sauce when you order this.  

Second Bite: K&L Café

Summer is here and the intense heat is driving me crazy. I want to walk around especially during food trips but the sun wants to fry an egg on my head. So when J and I went on a White Plains food trip, we try to escape the heat by having saba con yelo (hielo) at Pan de Amerikana (and brewed coffee and pandesal for a sasaw sa kape afternoon treat). And after a bit of cooling down, we were game to visit our last stop… K&L Café.

Hello again, K&L Café.

It has been quite a while since I last visited the adorable K&L Café.

They were busy setting up for a mini gathering when we arrived so we were requested to dine at the second floor.

The second floor is pretty cute too. The wall ornaments and the frosted window with the logo of the shop made the place homey.

After checking the menu, we went with the following: Longganisa Locale (PHP219), Mozz-Ham-rella Sticks (PHP195), and Ultimate Red Velvet Pancakes (PHP295). We also got Strawberry Calamansi (PHP95) and one of their new drinks that I forgot to take note of.

First served were our drinks. I loved J’s drink as it was sweet yet citrusy. Mine, on the other hand, was a bit too sweet and wasn’t much of a thirst quencher.

The mozzarella (with ham) sticks were served next. Served warm, the stretchy mozzarella with bits of ham was a great appetizer. I’m sure cheese-loving kids would love this dish.

First Bite: Basil

Food trips are the best. It’s the sole reason why I eat less on weekdays—to have more space for weekend feasts. When J mentioned that he’ll be visiting again, the first thing that came to my mind (or tummy) was that I have to plan a food trip. And J wanted that. So one Saturday, we explored White Plains.

Hello, Basil!

Our first stop was Basil, the first restaurant you’ll see once you turn to White Plains.

The place was quite dark and had a spa ambiance to it.

 

After a bit of thinking, we decided to go with the following dishes: Thai Money Bags (PHP325), Thai Sizzling Sisig (PHP350) and Thai Style Fried Noodles (PHP360). I also got a glass of Thai Milk Tea (which I forgot to take note of the price).

First served was my Thai Milk Tea and it was pretty good. It was more like a Thai Milk Tea Shake. It was not too sweet and it was a great way to battle the crazy summer heat. 

Next served was the Thai Money Bag.

Pie Day: Lombardi’s

I love celebrating all those random “special” days. One of which is Pi/Pie/White Day. Celebrated every 14^th of March (3.14), I make sure that I do something on that day. And I did this year. But one thing I failed to do was to eat pizza. Since I must have pizza that weekend, I went to… Lombardi’s.

Hello, Lombardi’s!

I recall the last time I visited was around October of last year with a few college friends and we had pizza too! Lombardi’s pizzas never disappoint. This time, I wanted to try something different so we chose Vegetariana (PHP320). I also got a Crèma di Funghi (PHP190), Spaghetti Ai Frutti Di Mare (PHP440) and Pannacota Del Piemonte (PHP160).

The cream of mushroom was indeed creamy. I loved the slightly thick texture and the bits of mushroom for extra bite.

The Spaghetti Ai Frutti Di Mare, as before, had the delightful light taste. I also loved the different textures of the seafood—clams, prawns, mussels and squid.

Second Bite: Black Olive Cerveceria

Food never fails to make me smile. Whenever I feel down, I eat. (Sometimes a lot.) And last week, R was not in his best mood so I figured food could make him smile. Or grin.

Hello, Black Olive!

It has been a while since my last visit but nothing much has changed.

I also ordered an apple flavored iced tea and it was… so-so.

We got there around 7 p.m. so it wasn’t packed with hungry yuppies just yet. R got the Black Fettuccini (PHP510) while I chose the Risotto Verde (PHP605). We also got Black Olive’s Barbeque Pork Riblets (PHP280).