First Bite: Milk Trade

Once upon a time, there was a sudden craze for egg waffles. Instagram, Facebook and food apps were bombarded by these delectable bubble waffles in different shapes and sizes. One particular shop that I wanted to visit was Milk Trade. But its location was not attractive at all. I do not want to brave the Makati traffic just for it. Hence when I was able to visit Century City Mall a month back, I made sure that I get to stop by this popular egg waffle place.

Hello, Milk Trade!

R and I rushed to Century City Mall right after a big feast and headed straight to Hole in the Wall. We were so worried that we would be greeted by a closed sign as we got there a couple of minutes before 10 p.m. and a few sites noted that Milk Trade closes that time. 

Luckily, it was still open and the friendly staff of Milk Trade entertained us. She also didn’t turn into a grumpy lady while R and I discussed which waffle goes best with which steamed pudding. After 5 minutes or so, we went with the staff’s recommendation—Matcha Egg Waffle with Chocolate Steamed Milk (PHP150). 

Instagram Wonderland: Teaspoon Café

One of our Pampanga Food Crawl stops was this adorable café that seemed to have been designed as an Instagrammers’ paradise. Every nook and cranny are screaming cute and with lifestyle bloggers with us during the food crawl, they sure went crazy with the place.

Hello, Teaspoon Café.

“I wish I dressed nicer” was the first thought that came to mind when I entered this charming place. One could score the perfect profile picture here. But aside from its picturesque space, Teaspoon Café offers savory dishes, decadent desserts and nostalgic milkshakes. 

First Sip: Satchmi

I have been hearing a lot of good things about Satchmi, a hipster café located at SM Megamall’s posh Fashion Hall. I’m actually familiar with the brand as I know one of the owners way back when they were still selling vinyls in bazaars. Satchmi sure is a brand that shows how passion plays a key role in a business’ success. Anyway, this entry is about my coffee experience.

Hello, Satchmi!

It has been almost a year since I have planned to visit this place. However, the place is always packed whenever I pass by. 

As an impatient foodie, I simply could not wait more than 10 minutes for a cup of coffee especially when there are a lot of coffee shops nearby. But my last Megamall visit was a lucky one as I spot an empty spot at the communal table when I passed by the adorable café with inviting interiors. 

First Sip: La Lola Churreria

I had to visit a few showrooms a few months back and booked an Uber before things become chaotic. I got a call after getting in my Uber car and was informed that I could use the company car and have one of the guys drive me around. Sweet was the first word that came to mind. But it turned really bitter, salty, umami… anything but sweet, when things became crazy. And let me explain why.

Since the company car was finally available, I decided to be dropped off at Uptown Mall and wait for the car to pick me up. I was told that the driver was on his way but it will take him at least 15 minutes to reach me. It’s such a waste to just sit inside the mall and count the number of flies that pass by so I went up to La Lola Churreria and bought Iced Mocha (PHP130, large) to go. 

There was a bit of order back log so I had to wait for a while before my drink was served. 

But the servers do not seem to be proactive as they did not trigger my number to activate (or vibrate and light up) when my drink was ready to be served. I noticed my drink, alone on the counter, yearning to be loved. I asked the server if the drink was mine and true enough, it was my iced mocha. The server apologized though after I told her that I wasn’t sure if it was mine as my number did not light up. 

Not sure if it was because this La Lola branch was new but these servers needed to be trained. They also kept on chatting with each other making the preparation time longer. 

Anyway, my iced mocha drink was lovely. It wasn’t that sweet and it had a nice chocolatey and tinge of caffeine taste. The texture was slightly rough so try not to order this if you have an itchy throat.

*Continuation of bitter, salty, umami story: The driver eventually managed to pick me up after half an hour and we had to go back to the office to change cars as the car he brought was coding that day. We quickly switched cars and went out again. But the driver got a call from an irate colleague and demanded the car to be returned as his bike was in the trunk of the car. In short, I ended commuting again and wasted almost an hour and half from this mishap. :(

La Lola is located at 3rd Floor, Uptown Mall, 9th Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. It is just a few steps away from the Uptown Cinemas. 

Love at First Bite: Bistro Kalzada

I always think of fancy and expensive whenever I hear the word degustation. I first had my first degustation experience at the lovely abode of Dedet de la Fuente for her massive Pepita’s Lechon holiday degustation which lasted almost 5 hours. Since then, I tried other degustation menus and some cost an arm and leg. With more and more establishments offering fancy tasting menus, I would have never thought that I’d get to discover a restaurant that would challenge this and at less than PHP600 for two at that! 

Hello, Bistro Kalzada.

Located along the busy Magiting Street inside Teachers Village, this small and homey restaurant is owned by a dynamic chef couple who have professional culinary training abroad. Pursuing their dream of starting their own restaurant, they opened Bistro Kalzada last July this year and have been slowly getting the attention of locals who frequent the area.

A tasting menu was prepared for us when we dropped by a few Sundays ago and for starters, we were treated to a lovely plate of Beef Brisket Enchilada (PHP95). 

I was surprised when I found out that this beautifully plated appetizer only costs PHP95. And it was not just beautiful, it was actually tasty too! The beef brisket bits were succulent making each bite packed with flavor. 

Action Star in Training Adventure: Mountain Clark Firing Range

I have always wanted to go to a firing range and unleash the action star in me. But I had no idea though that it would also bring out the scaredy cat in me. I was palpitating as soon as I stepped inside the firing range. 

Hello, Mountain Clark Firing Range. 

This was our second Pampanga trip stop and it was perfect as we were all so stuffed from the spectacular Amare feast. 

This spacious compound, known internationally to train combat teams and special services, will groom you to be the next star in 24. It is divided into three areas, each specialising in different defense skills. 

We first visited the shuriken area where we were trained to be ninjas. I tried the easiest ninja star (there were three types to choose from) and threw three times towards the target. And… I failed three times. The others though seem to have some Naruto blood in them as they could properly throw and hit the target with ease. 

Restaurant Love: Buta+Wagyu

Buta+Wagyu is one of our favorite restaurants as its succulent A5 wagyu are just too good to be to enjoyed once. However, it’s also too pricey to be enjoyed on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis. But when there’s something to celebrate, one of our top picks is Buta+Wagyu.

Hello, Buta+Wagyu!

Knowing that this is R’s favorite restaurant to date, I suggested this Japanese wagyu place as the venue for R’s pre-birthday dinner. R’s parents and sisters were okay with the idea and I quickly placed reservation as soon as I got a go signal. We decided to have dinner there on a Thursday night.

I was the first to arrive and I ordered a few appetizers for everyone to munch on as we decide on which mains to indulge in. I got Organic Pork and Wagyu Gyoza (PHP280) and Organic Pork and Wagyu Kimchi Mandu (PHP320) for sharing. When R and his family arrived, we ordered two Double Stone Grill Samplers—Ohmi (PHP8,500) and Kagoshima (PHP7,000), and three orders of 200g Steamed Wagyu (Rib Eye Hida, PHP1,640/100g). There is also a cooking charge of PHP300 on top of the cost of the wagyu dishes.  

First Bite: Sasa Asian Cuisine

Estancia used to be one of my favorite malls when I was still living a lot closer to this place. It being a less popular choice for mall goers and having free unlimited wi-fi (to compensate for the poor reception), this mall has been some sort of paradise to me. And after two years, this mall has become one of the promising foodie havens in Pasig City with its numerous restaurants. One of which is Sasa, an Asian restaurant which opened just a couple months back. 

Hello, Sasa Asian Cuisine!

First Bite: Made Nice Supper Club

I have been an active looloo user for over a year now and it never seems to get old. I just love the looloo community and I truly enjoy listening to each and everyone’s food and adventure stories. Coming from different walks of life, each member are like spices and herbs that make the community a lot more interesting. And what’s a fun community without regular meet ups, or in our case, eat ups? Our resident PRO, J, arranged a looloo holiday dinner open to all active reviewers and it sure was a festive one! Our venue? The new restaurant across Your Local called Made Nice Supper Club.

Hello, Made Nice Supper Club!

It could be challenging to spot this place if you have no clue where it is along the foodie Esteban street. It is across Your Local and beside a bridal store. With its minimalist MN signage, you have to remember those two landmarks to avoid missing it, as some of us did. 

First Bite: Char Casual Dining

It has been quite a while since I last visited Uptown Mall as the Christmas rush traffic has been too much to handle. I think the last time I’ve been here was two months ago and I was surprised to see Uptown Parade turning into a foodie destination with new restaurant concepts filling the area. One restaurant that caught my eye was Char Casual Dining. I wanted to check it out that same day I saw it but R was not in the mood to walk from Uptown Mall to Uptown Parade. I then decided to just pay the new restaurant hub a visit some other time. But I didn’t foresee that I’d be visiting it a few days after.

Hello, Char Casual Dining! 

 

I got an invite from Char a day before its media event and since I was just a few blocks away that day, I decided to swing by the newly opened restaurant. (I was so glad that I didn’t drag R to Char the weekend I saw it because we would have just been greeted by a closed sign and he would have hated it.)

First Bite: Lung Hin

The crazy Manila traffic usually limits my range of where to eat. But when I got invited to attend a scrumptious dinner at Lung Hin, a Cantonese restaurant of Marco Polo Ortigas, I said yes forgetting that there's forever with EDSA. And true enough, it took me long to get to the beautiful hotel. My exhaustion was soon swept away though upon stepping in the classy restaurant on the 44th floor. 

Hello, Lung Hin. 

I was first greeted by the front hostess who assisted me to the private room reserved for us. While walking through the main dining area, I was impressed by the sophisticated modern Asian interiors. 

I was so worried for being the last one to arrive but I actually came just in time for the signature drink, Earl Grey Tea with Grapes and Peach Flavored Syrup.