Cafe de Bonifacio, The Podium Mall

It’s such a shame not to love your own. It’s such a disgrace to your own culture not to patronize the kind of cuisine you have. 

Filipino cuisine may not be the best. Perhaps, it may not be recognized at some parts of the map. But facts in the present may still change. Out of all the international cuisine out there, I strongly believe that our cuisine can still sell in the international market and be gain popularity. The potential of our cuisine is way up high. 

Like what I believe in, Cafe de Bonifacio believes and is currently working on raising the bar for Filipino cuisine. Establishing Cafe de Bonifacio gives the public a taste of local favorites in a prettified way. A picture perfect plate wherein you’d hardly distinguish if that plate is even Filipino. Its concept, which is to elevate the look of Filipino dishes, reflects on the dishes I’ve tried on my first visit.

 Lumpiang Hubad in Pastry Cups (Php 110) - From the typical lumpia that wraps vegetables to a lumpia that bares it all. Its crispy open pastry cups gives an illusion of a high-priced appetizer even though it’s not. Fresh and small vegetable slices mixed with chef’s special sauce even made the dish taste seem pricey. 

 Ensaladang Talong (Php 140) - The only thing I wanted to eat was the salted egg. The rest, no thanks! I had a strange feeling I wouldn’t like the taste of this ensaladang talong or eggplant even though it was presentably served. One of the vegetables I don’t eat is eggplant. I just don’t like it because of its slimy texture, like okra. Part of my job is to try everything on the table. Thus, I tried it. While eating one spoon of this ensaladang talong, the strange feeling slowly vanished. I actually loved it! I forgot there were talong on it. Oh, and even okra, in which I only found out after eating. It didn’t taste like the ensaladang talong made at home or in other Filipino restaurants. Putting pinakurat vinegar and including grilled saba as part of the ensalada worked for me. With these two local ingredients on it, I was able to eat ensaladang talong. 

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Massimo’s Farm, Tagaytay

Things can get rough and tough while at the city. With the traffic lights of red, green and yellow/orange, you can either get caught in the middle on red or rush all the way on green. The Manila traffic, especially major streets in the metro, could really add up to the stress you have. Given that, you tell this to yourself, “I need a break”.

One Sunday, I got the break I needed. My family and I drove all the way to the core of Tagaytay to visit Massimo’s Farm. It took us more or less 3 hours on the road. Not because the farm was too far, but because we were navigated to wrong directions. That was a challenging trip actually. We felt like a part of The Amazing Race while finding our way to Massimo’s Farm. To cut to the chase, we finally made our way and arrived safely to Massimo’s Farm. 

 The long drive trip to Massimo’s Farm was worth our time. By just looking at the beautiful green environment that welcomed us, we felt at peace and relaxed. Oh nature, you are too marvelous to look at. Ang sarap lang mag-chill, lie on the grass while listening to good music. #goodvibes

 Food was served when we reached the farm. The European-educated chef, Hazel Lu-Galvez prepared every dish specially for us. 

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Manang’s Chicken : Velvet Sundae Launch

What’s NEW in Manang’s Chicken? 

 Few weeks ago, Manang’s Chicken launched their newest product - Velvet Sundae. As Manang’s put into their words, it is “a symphony of moist velvety cake and fudge-covered vanilla ice cream in every bite.”

The launch was held at their Tomas Morato branch, one of the busiest branches they have. 

 Guests munched on Manang’s Chips & Dips while waiting for the actual event to start. According to Manang’s, they wanted to create french fries as part of their sides. Unfortunately, they couldn’t beat Mcdonald’s fries so they intentionally created a similar appetizer that is actually more healthy and appetizing for me. All-natural potato chips freshly fried to achieve that golden look. This is a personal favorite! I really recommend Manang’s Chips & Dips for you foodies. (Sauce: Garlic Mayo and/or Creamy Cheese)

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Bellini’s Italian Restaurant

Last April 14, my mother dear celebrated her Nth birthday. Won’t announce her exact age in public or else, she might give me “the look”. Hahaha! I struggled for how many weeks, thinking over and over on what kind of gift to give her. For a daughter who wants to give back all the love to her mom, I wanted to give nothing but the Best. It took me more than 3 weeks to finally come up with an idea… to “cook” for her. If you really know me, you know that it’s not natural for me to cook for anyone. When I cook, it will be for someone special. To cut to the chase, I made her birthday special by preparing everything from scratch. I made the house look like a restaurant with the food, set-up, etc.
On the other hand, that is not what I’ll be sharing with you guys because I’m shy to show my dishes. Well if you’re my twitter follower, you probably saw some snapshots. Hehe! Instead, I would like to share with you one of her celebrations with our close family friends at Bellini’s.

More than 10 years ago, Bellini’s in Cubao Expo was established. It is a pioneer business in the area, a continuous success throughout the years in the restaurant business because of their remarkable and authentic Italian dishes. Knowing my mom’s taste, it’s a fact that she will never get tired of eating Italian dishes like pizza and pasta. To give her stomach enough satisfaction, I chose Bellini’s for her occasion. 

 Focaccia with dip (Php 100) - First, I thought it was complimentary. But when I saw the bill, oops it’s not. :-| I would rather get this as a free appetizer like in other Italian restaurants around the metro. Besides, the taste of their focaccia bread and dip - olive oil, black vinegar with cheese - is not that superb for me. 

 Quinticco Pasta (Php 1,550) - Pasta galore! 5 kinds of pasta in one plate made us want to try them all. Out of the 5 flavors, what stood out for me was their Fettucine Pesto Mare, the pasta on the right with white pesto sauce with mussels on top. I usually don’t order pastas with white sauce, although this one is an exception because of the pesto mixed that made the taste more delicious. Plus, fresh seafood used as mixture solved my pasta fix. 

Aside from the 5 pasta dishes you see on the picture, you may ask the servers or chef of Bellini’s on what pasta choices they have for a plate of Quinticco Pasta.

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Acacia Hotel Manila Day 2 : Easter Sunday Celebration

What a great morning we all had at Acacia Hotel Manila. 8 hours of sleep in our Junior Suite room plus waking up to this view of Alabang graced my family’s morning. Now I know how Southern living is different from Northern living. Well, not all parts of the North, but most of it. This is the kind of view I’m missing from the North. Lovely laid-back view indeed.

Aside from that, It wasn’t an ordinary Sunday for us because that Sunday was Resurrection Sunday, a celebration of Christ’s resurrection from the cross. A day to remind us that Jesus died and saved us from our sins. In short, it’s a day to celebrate that Christ is alive. A hero was He, and will always be. :) Normally, we go to CCF’s 8am worship on Sundays. Since we had a scheduled breakfast buffet, we decided to attend the afternoon worship instead. 

 Acaci at the 2nd level of Acacia Hotel served us international & local breakfast food. 

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Maitre Chocolatier (Boutique & Cafe)

“Intimidating from the outside”, a general comment I hear about Maitre Chocolatier. When I used to pass by Jupiter St. and look at Maitre Chocolatier from a passenger’s point of view, I would always think that the dishes they serve are beyond my budget. Seemed like a pricey boutique restaurant for me. Surprisingly one weekend, when I tried to enter and check it out with some friends, the prices I saw on their menu weren’t what I had in mind.

For a sophisticated-looking boutique restaurant like Maitre Chocolatier, the prices are not bad at all. Hence, I did not hesitate to go back one weekday and suggest this restaurant to my Friday Night Light group for one of our weekly meetings. 

 From the name itself, you shouldn’t think twice whether you’ll get your sweet tooth on the move or not. Definitely it’s a haven for chocolates!!! So if you are diabetic, I am so sorry. I always say this, “health is wealth”. Don’t even think of tempting yourself to try any of these, or else… you’ll be addicted! (no joke!) 

Brand is somehow important. By looking at their menu, I noticed that Maitre Chocolatier uses Lindt chocolates in almost all their dishes. That’s a powerful factor for me.

 Fantsy Gloriole (Php 100) - As described by Maitre Chocolatier, one plate includes 6 pieces of astounding Frey Chocobloc Blanc and Noir chocolate coated with their special batter and fried until crispy. It may look dull to you but I’m telling you, looks can deceive. If you are a white chocolate fan, save it for the last. Get a piece of the dark chocolate first, before you put those fingers on the white chocolate snack. Trust me, you will adore their Frey Chocobloc Blanc. Oh so luscious! 

 Sweet Revenge (Php 250) - Talk about presentation, this Lindt molten lava cake has it. Cold vanilla ice cream plus warm chocolate moist cake is the dessert combination that kills your diet. I know that summer time is all about getting that beach body. However, this cake might tempt you to forget about it. Just be careful if you’re on a diet. Ask someone to share with you ;) It’s also one of the sweetest temptations you can get in Maitre Chocolatier. 

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Amoroma Ristorante Italiano

You can please my mom by bringing her to an Italian restaurant. So that’s exactly what we did. 

During one of our spontaneous trips to Tagaytay, I brought my family to one authentic Italian restaurant my friend Carlos was raving about, Amoroma. From the outside, I was already impressed with the Italian feel of its structure. 

While entering the back door, where there were allotted parking spaces at the back, I was having thoughts that the place looks like a dating spot. The cold breeze of Tagaytay added to that romantic feel. It was romantic that I felt like my sister and I shouldn’t be in the picture for dad and mom’s date. However, we are talking about Italian food here! That means pizza and pasta. Why would I say NO to that? 

Unlike other Italian restaurants that serve complimentary bread, namely Italianni’s and Bellini’s,  Amoroma didn’t serve us any. Not that I’m complaining but I was a bit expectant of some bread. Didn’t I mention I’m kind of a bread monster? I can eat one week without rice but I can’t live one week without bread. 

 Vongole (Php 235) - Since no bread given to us, first plate on the table was Vongole or in layman’s definition, it is an olive oil based pasta mixed with clams and white wine. I didn’t admire the pasta too much maybe because I prefer eating pasta with bread. Eating the pasta alone, without seafood, lacks flavor for me. Although mixing the pasta with a bite of shrimp/clams, flavors generated that made me love it. 

 5-Cheese Pizza (Php 320) for the win! Chewy and oozing mozzarella muffling our taste buds gives me the right to rave about this restaurant from now on. Normally, I eat 1-2 slices of pizza because it bloats me to eat more than that. Amoroma’s pizza is insanely abnormal. It would make me jog for about an hour to burn what I ate, more than 2 slices of pizza, not counting the pasta and desserts I had.  If I go back, you already know what I’ll be ordering. 5 cheeses for a 5 star taste! This made up my disappointment on how my Italian dinner started without bread. 

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