First Bite: Lava Cheese Tarts

The cheese tart craze has finally hit Manila with a bunch of bakeshops and new brands offering these delightful treats to the local market. Though most of the prominent players are international brands, we have a handful of home bakers who offer such at a more pocket friendly price. But for foodies who are impatient and want their goodies ASAP, pre-ordering and waiting for days before those cheese tarts arrive are just too much. For months, most of us were stuck with these international brands until a local player decided to join the craze.

Hello, Lava Cheese Tarts. 

I was so excited to try Lava’s version of cheese tarts especially after finding out that they use local cheeses for its tarts. I even went to Fork Spoon Manila’s Eatscape to Aura event after finding out that they were part of the food crawl. (And it happens to be on the day of my flight to the land of kimchi and free facial masks!) Unfortunately, they experienced some delays and had to move their opening date the week after but invited those who participated during the food crawl to attend its media launch on the 3rd of November at 1 p.m.. And I was still not around that time. *cries* But with yearning tummy comes intense desire and dedication. 

Pizza Party at Peperoni Pizzeria

Peperoni Pizzeria sure knows how to tickle my tastebuds. I have sampled a few of its pizzas before and I enjoyed each one. The chocolate lava cake was also something worth ordering as it made me go to chocolate heaven! And when Peperoni Pizzeria invited me to its U.P. Town Center’s pizza party, I just have to say yes despite it being far from me!

Hello, Peperoni Pizzeria!

Peperoni Pizzeria's U.P. Town Center branch seems to be a bit smaller than its Uptown Mall branch but was the same ambiance. 

It also has the famous "All you knead is love" signage. 

Beat the Heat: Rita's Italian Ice

With Manila’s scorching heat, it was not surprising that Rita’s was a hit when it came to Manila two years ago. I still remember the long queue just to get your frozen custard fix. I have to admit, I tried my best not to give in to the craze but eventually found myself lining up a few months later (since it opened its first branch in Greenhills) and was delighted by Rita’s Gelati or a combination of Italian ice and frozen custard. Fast forward to 2016, Rita’s is still getting a lot of attention with its wide array of flavors and combinations to choose from. And I had an opportunity to sample a bunch of Rita’s bestselling items a few Saturdays ago.

Hello, Rita’s Italian Ice!

I dropped by Rita’s U.P. Town Center branch on a sunny Saturday afternoon and was warmly greeted by its Marketing Officer Angela who treated us to a refreshing afternoon snack.

We first sampled Italian Ice in cotton candy, green apple, sugar-free dragon fruit, mango and kiwi-strawberry flavors. All are light in flavor and quite refreshing. I enjoyed kiwi-strawberry best as its slight tangy taste helped cleanse the palate. R on the other hand loved the bestselling flavor cotton candy. Well, he is pretty biased with anything cotton candy. 

Affordable Bites: 7flavors

It was one random day when I got an email from A inviting me to visit 7flavors buffet in San Juan. His name sounded so familiar that I just have to fish. And true enough, A and I have met before back in 2012 when I was still with Summit Media handling Yummy magazine. The foodie community is indeed big yet so small. 

Hello, 7flavors.

This spacious two-storey restaurant is headed by celebrity chef Boy Logro and all the dishes served here are based on his recipes. The first floor is designed for diners who do not fancy buffets and prefer to order a la carte. The second floor tends to be more crowded with its pocket-friendly lunch (PHP399.99 on weekdays and PHP599.99 on weekends including Fridays) and dinner (PHP499.99 on weekdays and PHP599.99 on weekends including Fridays) buffets. 

I read through a handful of reviews before going to this place and most reviews gave it a fair rating and mentioned that it covers the basic dishes and would be considered a value for money place. True enough, the buffet was a simple spread of viands, appetizers and desserts. I spotted DIY taco and halo-halo stations and took a mental note to try it after my first plate. 

My first plate was a combination of crispy kare-kare, steamed fish, oil-based pasta and buttered chicken. All dishes tasted pretty average and something you’d get from the price you pay. 

Chasing Summer: iCove Beach Hotel

Days sure pass by fast and with a blink of an eye and summer was already over when we finally decided to go to the beach. It was already the end of July when R and I finally  pushed through with our plans to head North and chase summer.  We chose our accommodation a week before heading out and after browsing through Agoda for half an hour, we settled with iCove Beach Hotel. 

Hello, iCove Beach Hotel. 

This hotel is one of the newest beach front hotels in Zambales. Quite small compared to the ones you’d find in bigger and busier cities but this is considered as one of the nicest accommodations within the area. It was drizzling when we visited and we were so glad that we got to the hotel early and were able to score parking in front of the hotel. 

We arrived half an hour earlier than our check-in time and unfortunately, our room wasn’t ready then so we had to wait till the original check-in time which is 2 p.m.. We were also bummed to see the published room rates of the hotel. It was cheaper compared to the one we got through Agoda! The place though was fully booked when we went so it was also a gamble if we tried book on the same day. At exactly 2 p.m., we were assisted to our room. 

We got a deluxe 19 square meter room with a queen sized bed, cable television, small fridge and private bathroom.  We do not have a view as our balcony was facing the pathway to the pool. Wi-fi connection was decent and fast enough for us to browse the internet or play games.

Freezer Burn Halloween Special

I have been a big fan of Chefs Miko and Kristine ever since I visited Le Petit Soufflé. Every dish I tried in their beautiful restaurant impressed me and I always drool for more. And when they opened their dessert shop Freezer Burn, I had to make sure that I’d be among the first foodies to try the famous chefs' creative treats. And just when I thought I couldn’t be more impressed, the dynamic duo made my heart skip a beat with their witty combinations. And that was just the beginning as they had something special in store for Halloween. 

Hello again, Freezer Burn!

I know, it is quite to talk about Halloween as it has been a week already. But hey, one is never too late for desserts! 

Freezer Burn, a dessert shop known for its creative cold treats, is at it again with its special Halloween dessert which recreates a creepy but sweet tombstone.

Second Bite: Peperoni Pizzeria

An email from P marks the start of (crash) diet. With all the scheduled eat ups, I had to make more tummy space for… more food. I tried my best to have smaller meals but realized after a spoonful or two that such is an impossible task. And no shortcut could prepare me for last night’s rendezvoos. (Yes, looloo uses double o’s because 1) looloo has two double o’s and 2) why not?!) 

Hello again, Peperoni Pizzeria!

Firs off, thank you so much for waiting for us! I know we were a couple of hours late but we still felt the warm welcome. Thank you too for allowing three superb pizzas sit for 2 hours for us to take photos. I did my best to take nice photos of it. 

Our gracious host, Andrew, asked R and I what we want to try right after our brief greeting. Still awkward from our unacceptable tardiness, we asked for the pizzas to be heated. But Andrew refused and had us order one pasta and he also had a half-half of Prosciutto Crudo di Parma and Bacon Miele (PHP380, 9” | PHP565, 12” | PHP1,250, 21”) and Tortino al Cioccolato (PHP365). For our pasta, we chose Aglio Olio e Peperocino (PHP340). 

First served was the half and half pizza and it sure smelled so good. I got a whiff of the sweet aroma of honey and the sharp smell of cheese as soon as the plate was served. The pasta and dessert were served soon after and we didn’t even notice it as we were busy taking photos of the picturesque half and half pizza. After a few more snapshots, we started to dig in. 

First Visit: Merkanto Street International Street Food

Merkanto Street has been one of the most awaited stops during our Maginhawa food crawl. With J’s new found love for banh mi and R’s interest in Indian food, we had to make sure that we head here as soon as when the clock strikes 4 p.m..

Hello, Merkanto St International Street Food! (Whew, that’s a mouthful.)

The humble car wash and food park in one was empty when we got there around 4:30 p.m. and sadly, there was only one stall open at that time as most open at 5 p.m.. This made choosing easier as we’re stuck with Viet Nom, a stall that sells Vietnamese dishes. 

J went with Bahn Mi Ga (PHP165) while A got Mi Xiao Mem (PHP145) and R1 ordered Mi Xiao Toi Thit Ko Bo (PHP165). 

The Bahn Mi Ga (it was really spelled as Bahn Mi instead of Banh Mi) was sweet and had a bit of crunch thanks to the veggies. But it lacked that defining taste of banh mi that comes from a generous serving of cilantro and liver pate. The bread was wrong as well as they used a soft bun instead of a baguette. At PHP165, this was a bit steep as other banh mi places sell theirs at PHP130 and these establishments use the right bun. 

First Sip: Costa Coffee

I love coffee and anything with caffeine. I always smile whenever I get a sniff of the mouthwatering aroma of coffee. Combining good coffee with well thought of interiors make me go crazy. Subspace, Single Origin, CO/OP and Caravan Black are just a few cafés with notable interiors. Popular UK coffee chain Costa Coffee came in recently but I’ve always thought that it is just another Starbucks or Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. I was wrong.

Hello, Costa Coffee!

The place is adorable! The first thing I spotted was the red phone booth which screams London. Apparently, English-theme seems to be the overall theme of this branch.  (Or is it the same for all branches?)

I waited outside for the people I was scheduled to meet that day. And surprisingly, despite the scorching late summer heat, it was pretty cool at the al fresco area. I guess Eastwood was able to design the place well and ensured proper air flow. 

After a couple of minutes, J and G arrived and we headed upstairs to discuss a campaign. J and I headed down again to order and I got Caramel Latte Cream Frostino (PHP150 | Primo). We got a wait number and headed back up for the meeting. 

A Rich Taste of India: Royal Indian Curry House

Indian cuisine is not very popular here in Manila. You’d seldom or barely see an Indian restaurant in the malls or foodie havens. But when you do, more often than not, it would give you a distinct gastronomical experience. And that was what I experienced when I went to Royal Indian Curry House.

Hello, Royal Indian Curry House.

Our foodie godfather, Foodgrammer.ph, invited R and I to join him in an Indian feast last week. As curious foodies, we quickly said yes and crawled (literally because of the traffic) our way to Makati and was greeted by an impressive five-storey restaurant across A.Venue Mall. 

The first and second floor have the same interiors while the third floor is more of a bar or pub with billiards. The fourth floor is dedicated for private functions and the fifth floor is yet another bar with a cute jeepney as the cocktail bar. 

Our generous host suggested most of the dishes we were about to feast on that night. I just chose Sweet Lassi (PHP179) for my drink and went with whatever everyone’s getting.

First served were the Vegetable and Non-Vegetable Samosa (PHP149 and PHP199) and Sharaabi Chana (PHP249). 

At first, we were confused with how the server got to know which samosa is which. She let us in the trick and told us that the puffed pastries with lines on the edge are the ones with chicken meat while the ones without are just with vegetables. I liked the non-vegetable ones more as the chicken meat gave the dish more flavor compared to the ones with just potatoes and peas. 

Everyone loved the Sharaabi Chana but the rough chick pea like texture made my throat itch so I stopped after munching on two balls.

When in Pampanga: Amare by Chef Chris

I have been bugging my foodie friends to organize a Pampanga food crawl as this city is a foodie paradise. But every time we plan to visit, it never pushes through. Hence I was so happy when ForkSpoonManila invited me to his Pampanga food crawl with some of food and lifestyle influencers. It was a mix of restaurants, retail and recreational stops making it a trip to remember. Our first stop… Amare by Chef Chris. 

Hello Amare by Chef Chris!

Our first stop has a fancy feel to it given that it’s at the ground floor of Royce Hotel. 

We were warmly  greeted by the very hands-on Chef Chris and introduced himself in a way very familiar to us… that he used to be the chef of C’ Italian Dining famous for its rollizza.