Category Archives: FOOD TRIPS

YELLOW CAB Pizza: Festival Mall

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Been to Yellow Cab many times, but this is my first time that we dine in their Festival Mall Alabang branch. We just had a movie break, and we came across the delicious smell of their pizza so we decided to have our snack there, somewhere near.

New York Finest Pizza

We ordered a 10 inch New York Finest Pizza, which is the house best seller, baked potato wedges and cream of squash soup to warm up our tummy! The pizza itself satisfied our cravings, loaded with our favorite pizza toppings: meatballs, ham, olives, cheese and a lot more! The crust is flavorful and loaded with topping to the edge!

Baked Potato Wedges

Cream of Squash Soup

They also have a promo, the “One Great Decade, One Great VESPARADE!”, wherein the lucky winner one of the ten exclusive limited edition vintage scooters from, none other than, VESPA!

The food really pleased our hungry tummy, and proceed to our next movie treat with a smile.. J

MER-NEL’S CAKE HOUSE

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Cake is one of the “sweets” that people loves to eat. There have been a lot of successful businesses that are engaged in this industry. Red Ribbon, Goldilocks are some of the local brands that has many branches nationwide. But here in Laguna, there is a very famous cake maker that has been creating a big following for the past few years now. Even non Laguenos craves for their chocolate cake, because of the distinctive taste of the icings on their cakes.. It’s Mer-Nel’s Cake House!

I’ve been hearing a lot of great feedbacks about Mer-Nel’s cake. They say that they’ve never tasted a chocolate cake as delicious as that. So I got curious of it. A former colleague back then, brought us some at work. Yup! At first I didn’t notice any extraordinary taste to it, but as I eat continuously, the next thing I know there’s nothing left on my plate! Their main secret is in the “icing”. Some branded cakes, especially the chocolate flavored ones, has this “oily” feel that you would not appreciate to eat it all up. But Mer-Nel’s icing is different. Their icing doesn’t taste the “fatty” feel so you would end up eating everything up to the last bite. It doesn’t taste so sweet that you’d stop eating after a slice.

And not only that, their cakes are very cheap that a 10×12 chocolate cake would only costs around 500-600 bucks! I’m glad that they finally have a branch in SM Calamba, for which I know, their one and only remote branch. Their main branch is located in Los Banos , Laguna from where they all started. So from now on, I can have their delicious cake anytime I want without going so far! ;)

BANANA CUPCAKES!!!

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Last weekend, a former colleague and I had a meet-up to claim my ordered banana cupcakes from her. She bakes for a hobby, and when I learned about it, I asked her to bake one of her recipes for me! I have always liked banana cakes. It’s a simple yet nutritious type of bread/cake which has an aroma that you would crave for. So I gave it a try to order and have it delivered to me. I also want to inspire and support her to start her own cakes and pastries business.

I initially ordered for a banana loaf/cake, but she offered me to try the banana cup cake with chocolate chips. It sounds yummier to me, so I told her to push through with it. I ordered 3 boxes, a dozen per box so I could give the other one to my sister.

Everyone liked the taste of the slightly toasted banana cupcakes! The texture was soft and the chocolate chips added delicious taste to it. I just told her to make the sizes be in uniform shapes so it could be ready for commercial. When it comes to the tastes, it’s perfect! It even tasted better than the branded ones.

I look forward to taste more of her recipes! For inquiries and orders, you may contact her through her twitter account. http://twitter.com/kkkaattt

FAVORITE CRAVINGS!

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My favorite meal of the day is breakfast. Whenever i have a great breakfast, my whole day would be great too. Who does’nt want a hot chocolate drink in the morning? I love hot choco’s! And my recently favorite is the Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate. It comes with a value pack, that you can just put over a hot water or milk.

This value pack box has 16 sachets that costs around 140 bucks. Not bad for a super delicious hot chocolate! It also comes on different variants; Marshmallow Lovers, Dark Chocolate Sensation, French Vanilla, No Sugar Added and Fat Free.

Of course, my favorite wheat bread filling? chocolate again! And that would be Nutella Hazelnut Cocoa spread.. Really perfect on any bread and biscuits as well. The 220-gram jar costs about 200 bucks, but you wont be disappointed with the nutty cocoa taste!

Enjoy breakfast! :)

WHAT’S IN OUR STASH?

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Well, some would’nt care about these things that i regularly eat. But this is my website, so might as well share what i always crave for.. Yummy eating! some are unhealthy by the way.. :(

FOR BREAKFAST: any of these..

What i like about Quaker Oatmeal Fruits and Nuts are the real raisins, apples and pecans inside that makes it more delicious and healthy to eat. Just have to soak it in a boiling water enough to cover everything. Then putting some honey and fresh milk makes it creamier! This is my new favorite for breakfast.

And of course, who does’nt eat corn flakes?

Koko Crunch and Fresh milk

Some of these i eat for snack..

a wheat bread goes so well with a Finetti duo spread..

Tropicana twister is my daughter’s favorite whenever she eats her favorite biscuits and cookies!

cheese for my sandwiches and butter for cooking stir-fried dishes..

My favorite salad dressing, Dizon’s Honey Mustard..

And lastly, our all-time favorite SPAM..  :)

EXOTIK RESTAURANT

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Another weekend family foodtrip that we actually had last last week. I just posted this today ‘coz i had a technical problem with my Lenovo. This foodtrip adventure came all the way from Kalayaan, Laguna only a few kilometers away to Paete.

We did’nt realize that the trip will be longer than we expected. So we came there past 1pm, for a late lunch and our tummy’s were already growling. The difference of Exotik Restaurant from other stand-alone restaurant is being “exotic” from their name itself. They have real exotic animals around that you’ll be able to see as you explore the whole compound.

the monkeys

This is the first time that i’ve seen a huge snake, its body is as big as a cicumference of a body of an average person! There are also monkeys and other exotic birds being caged for safety and viewing purposes.

SAMANTA, 19 yrs old, 18 feet long, 200+ lbs

We ordered a native chicken tinola that served as our soup, pinakbet and of course one of their exotic dish, the “ginataang kuhol” that gave us an exotic food trip experience.

sago't gulaman in pineapple juice


pinakbet

native chicken tinola

ginataang kuhol

With regards to the ambiance, it was very farm-like environment because of the huts that served as their dining area. There are still spots undergoing renovation, but in totality, the place was great.

These are some of my shots within the restaurant.

pasalubong store

their sensual restroom ;)

cave bar

CLAWDADDY

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Typhoon Shelter Deep Fried Crab

For seafood lovers, what’s one the best tasting seafood creature to eat? CRABS! That’s what Clawdaddy is bringing to all the big eaters specially family lunches. Clawdaddy is one of the newest restaurant to crave for in Solenad, Nuvali. Clawdaddy is all and everything about what we feel like clawing when we eat out with friends and family: CRABS, LOBSTERS, OYSTERS and RIBS!

Eating crabs and other seafoods outside is a messy experience for all of us. But in Clawdaddy, you would be able to enjoy eating those without thinking about getting “messed-up” because they provide all the things that you will be needing to eat the crabs and others all by your hands. They have a large bib that you can tie up on your neck to cover and protect your front from getting messy. And of course, they have their crab cracker utensil to aide you in cracking the claws of the crab. They also have a big built-in bucket on the table to throw in cobs of corn and shells.

Corn on The Cob

my plate: a single crab claw and fried noodles with garlic

To start, we were first served of their complimentary food, three slices of corn on the cob. Well then of course, we ordered one of their crab dish: Typhoon Shelter Deep Fried Crab from their “Crabs galore” menu. It was a male 1.5 kg king crab deeply fried and garnished with a sea of crunchy garlic and fried noodles. The claw itself covered one fourth of my big plate. I like the taste of the fried garlic that compliments the high-cholesterol content of crabs.

Pitcher of Red Iced tea

For every 1 kg of crab and above, Clawdaddy offers a pitcher of Red Iced Tea for free. So we were able to drown ourselves with lots of it.

Oysters Rockefeller

The we also ordered from their “Shuck and Deliver” menu, A big plate of Oysters Rockefeller. Big oysters baked and topped with super creamy sauce and quickmelt cheese that i totally loved!

Definitely, we’ll go back there to try the other yummy crab dishes!  :)

PANCAKE HOUSE

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It was late night last Easter Sunday when i had a short time to cook for dinner. We ended up eating at Pancake House, a newly-opened branch along Filinvest Avenue inside the Filinvest Corporate City. It was a subtle evening within the area and very few people were strolling around.

Blueberry Pancake

Apple Shake

We just wanted to have a light dinner, but since my youngest daughter wants chicken and rice, i just ordered it for her. We tried their mouth-watering Blueberry Pancake with Apple Shake. And also the Pan Chicken Special Set for me with a cup of rice as requested by my little one.

Almondigas Soup

To soften our tummy, we ordered the Today’s Soup and the Almondigas Soup. I just slurped the Almondigas soup, and did’nt eat the meat balls. ( i just dont like the taste!) But the soup was great!

Pan Chicken Special Set

The friend chicken on the Pan Chicken Special Set was oily, and doesnt taste special at all. But the tuna macaroni salad side dish tastes good.

Venice trying to shade on the coloring maze

What im grateful about their customer service is that they understand the little kids trip. So as we wait for our food to be served, they offered a coloring sheet of paper and a small jar of assorted crayons for my little one to enjoy while waiting. So, good job for that! I would love to try their other dishes some time. :)

NATURE TRAILS CAFE

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Nature Trails Front Poster

Without a doubt, Solenad Nuvali is the most favourite family hangout place in the south, mostly in Laguna area. Because of it’s strategic and family-friendly amenities and activities, this place has become more and more popular to visit.

As time passes, more and more restaurants opens here to give variety to all its visitors and guests depending on their tastes. We went there for a Sunday lunch. It was Easter Sunday, so we expected that the place would be full of families bonding together, and of course having their lunch.

Dining Area

We were suppose to eat in a seafood cuisine resto, where they’re main dish are big crabs! But we were not as lucky because the dining area is so full and even more customers are waiting to have a table.

Inner Entrance

So we just looked for another restaurant where there were not so many people dining in. We checked out the newly-opened Nature Trails Cafe. Their menu does’nt have a wide variety of dishes, because of course it’s just a cafe. So we ordered some of their heavy meals.

Almond Salmon Fillet

What i like about Nature Trails Cafe is their very homey dining area. Well, since we were only two families eating there during that time, it made me feel lighter that i can breathe more than the other jampacked resto that we have checked earlier then.

Hawaiian Pork Chop

We tried to order the Almond Salmon Fillet with sliced potatoes on the side with dill sauce. And since it’s Easter Sunday, we gave ourselves a break, and ordered Hawaiian Porkchop. And to serve as an appettizer, we got a plate of Shrimp Mango Salad in Honey Mustard dressing. And also, i tried their banana shake as well.

Shrimp Mango Salad

The Shrimp Mango Salad was great as well as the Almond Salmon Fillet for as long as you would put a dill sauce on it or else, it would be tasteless. I dont know if i just became a “no pork” person because i didnt like the taste of the pork. I havent been eating pork for a very long time, that my taste buds doesnt like any of the pork dish at all.. :( well, good for me! :)

Banana Shake

In entirety, Nature Trails Cafe would be a good place to check out..

THOUSAND CRANES SHABU-SHABU

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Front Menu

One of the few restaurants found in The Commerce Center in Filinvest Alabang is the Thousand Cranes Shabu-Shabu. It is located in the secondth floor across Monalisa Italian Restaurant. We ran out of time for lunch, so we just decided to have it somewhere near.

Seafood Plates

It is my first time to dine in a shabu-shabu restaurant. We tried before but, the resto was full and doesnt have an available table. So, fortunately, during this Holyweek that has passed, we were able to eat in that place. Shabu-shabu is a Japanese hot pot wherein raw food/ingredients are both cooked and eaten at the same table.

Raw Seafood Plate

In observance of the Lenten season, though we did not do fasting, we tried to eat non-meat food, so it became a “seafood fiesta” for us. We ordered Seafood and Chicken, and Seafood and Beef combo platter. The meal is just so big for an average person, so it will really fill up your tummy to the max.

Raw Ingredients for Dunk

As we all know in a shabu-shabu, assosorted raw seafood, meat and vegetables are served that you must cook in a boiling soup in a built-in caserole installed on the table itself. So the food is super hot that you should eat directly from the “hot pot”. The Kiwi shake relieves me from the spiciness and hotness of the food everytime i sip it.

Kiwi Shake

I love the soup base that they serve to use for the raw food cooking. It is your choice which one to be cooked first, but it is advisable to boil first the ingredients that is much harder to tenderized.

boiling hot pot

Everything is raw except for the japanese rice, which i was’nt able to eat anymore because i got so full. Noodles, tofu, Japanese sweetcorn, other vegetables and rootcrops are heavy in the stomach as well as the assorted seafoods in it.

Overcooked

I even overcooked some of it, because the hot food slowed me down in eating. The next thing i know, everything that i have dunked inside my hot pot got overcooked.

It was a great experience, and i’ll cook better the next time i visit again in any of the shabu-shabu resto.. :)

BULAWAN FLOATING RESTAURANT

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Front Gate

It was Good Friday when our family decided to have a long road trip.. We wanted to have our lunch somewhere far in our place that will give us a different restaurant dining experience. We searched in the internet for a floating restaurant that caters Filipino dishes which we truly love. We drove along Rizal province, and found the resto that were looking for.. Bulawan Floating Restaurant. It is located in the long road of Manila East Road National Highway in Pililia, Rizal. It was a long drive but became worthwhile as we came there.

Cottages in a Pond

Bulawan is called as a “floating restaurant” because of its isolated cottages within a pond that has fishes where anyone can go fishing just for the fun of it. They serve Filipino dishes, especially seafood. This restaurant is perfect for big family dining, because most of its dining area are in big cottages.

Walkway

The only thing that dissappoints me when we we’re there was the customer service. I dont know if they are understaff at that time, or maybe because of the huge dining crowd that just wants to have lunch that made us have our lunch a bit late. The food that we ordered took over an hour to be serve, which was frustrating for hungry people like us.. huhu.. :(

view from our table

Fresh Young Buko Juice

But then, glad that they thave a nature themed dining area, that makes us feel more relaxed because of the fresh breeze of the wind. They first served the young fresh buko for our drinks.

Mixed Seafood Sinigang

Grilled Fresh Tilapia

Then of course, we craved for their mixed seafood siningang that truly relieved our hunger. It’s best served with the big grilled tilapia with soy sauce and kalamansi. It was just a simple home-style lunch that really made our day.

Halo-Halo

We also had a halo-halo for dessert, that tastes like ordinary halo-halo sold on streets. but then, it was a refreshing Good Friday lunch for us! We will try to go back there to try some other Filipino dishes that they have.

Venice enjoying the pond view

UNCLE CHEFFY BRICK-OVEN PANIZZA

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Uncle Cheffy is one of the newest restaurant to check out in the beautiful place in Solenad NUVALI, in Sta. Rosa Laguna. It was an unplanned lunch that our family had there, because we were suppose to have a restaurant hunt in Tagaytay. It was Maundy Thursday then, that the road from Sta. Rosa going to Tagaytay is in a tremendous traffic, due to tourists that wants to have their vacation.

Solenad, Nuvali is just along that road going to Tagaytay so we decided to just have our lunch there. There were new restaurants that have opened, and Uncle Cheffy catched our attention. There were a very few people in Solenad that time, because of the Lenten season.

Seafood Tom Yam

We were the only customer of Uncle Cheffy during our visit, so we owned the place for the moment. Their crew are very courteous and assisting. Since it’s Lent, we ordered non-meat dishes. To start with, we ordered the Seafood Tom Yam that boosted our appetite beacuse of its spicy flavor, and all of our favourite seafoods are there.

Larry's Craving Panizza

Then we tried the Larry’s Craving Panizza, which is a very healthy pizza that has mushrooms, salmon, escargot and also snails on top. It was a perfect seafood pizza! It came with some arugrula leaves and some alfalfa sprouts on the side that makes it more appealing to look at. The taste is superb and will definitely be loved by seafood lovers!

Fish Barbeque Platter

Then we ordered the Fish Barbeque Platter these are grilled fillets Cream Dory, Garoupa, Salmon, and Tuna Belly served with Tomato Salsa, Teriyaki, Creamy Garlic and Balsamic Sauce. The fish will taste tastes even better when dipped of drizzled with the sauces of your choice.

Water Melon Shake

Of course, dining in a resto for me woul’dnt be complete without ordering a fruit shake! I just love the natural and refreshing taste of their Water Melon Shake topped with a slice of it and a cherry!

Choco Roulade

And to finalize our delicious lunch, we tried their Choco Roulade which was offered to us by their dining crew. She told us that it’s their best seller dessert. And we believe she’s right! The creamy mango ice cream inside a roll of chocolate cake really wrapped up our lunch with a smile..

Happy Venice :)

TOOTSIE’S in TAGAYTAY

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Last weekend, our family decided to go out of town to have lunch, and we chose Tagaytay because I’m craving for a bulalo dish. We came to see and try a Filipino Cuisine restaurant that has a bulalo in their menu. It was in Tootsies restaurant in Tagaytay. It is located along the Aguinaldo Highway, near the Our Lady of Lourdes Church.

It was past 1pm, when we arrived there, and there are only a few eating. They have a very hospitable reception staff who greeted us as we walk through its French inspired doorway. When we got inside, we saw a not so old lady reading a newspaper together with her son, and surprisingly they greeted us with a smile. I’ve found out that the woman is Tootsie herself, the owner of Tootsie’s Restaurant.

The theme of the interior of the resto is very homey, with  couches and medium tables that are designed for families who dine together. We ordered of course, the bulalo which i was craving for, pinakbet, turon, pineapple shake and their authentic comfort food, pancit buko.

Their bulalo is served on a small palayok, where you will feel the native taste of the beef. Their bulalo is different from other bulalo dish because it has langka and tomato sauce in it. But entirely, the taste is awesome. I am a “soupy” eater so, i really enjoyed it. The pinakbet is also satisfying, as well as their turon with langka syrup poured on top.

We were so full then, that we cannot eat the pansit buko. So we just took it out and ate it for merienda as we got home. We were amazed by the comforting taste of the buko, that has a pansit canton in it. I love the Filipino dishes in Tootsies and we will definitely pay a visit again there. ;)

Chicken Veggie Salad

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Hey there! For a month now, I’m being a health buff when it comes to foodies.. I rarely eat rice, I do sometimes for soupy viands. Haha! :D But most of our meals now are veggies, fishes and chicken. No more red meat, coz we’re trying to avoid those fatty and high cholesterol food.
Before, the salads that I know how to cook are macaroni and fruit salads. But now, I’m learning a lot of the salad dishes.. And I’m loving it!
I would like to share this recipe to all the health buffs out there and to those who doesn’t enjoy the idea of eating “leafy” veggie salad. We had this for dinner last night. Maybe you should try to cook this, and you’d appreciate it as a start.
First, you have to cook 3 pcs of chicken fillet and 4 slices of bacon in a deep skillet, just like frying. You have to cook first the bacon, without any oil because it will be fried by its own “fat”. Then set aside bacon and place the chicken fillet you can use the oil produced by the bacon. Then set aside, let it cool down.
For the salad dressing, combine a cup of mayonaise, a dash of worcestershire sauce, 2 stalks of chopped celery, a spoonfull of chopped parsely, 2 spoons of chopped green onions, 2 tablespoons of honey, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside the dressing and chill it in the fridge.
Before frying the chicken fillet, it must be marinated in a spoon of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cut the cooked chicken into chunks, and crumble the fried bacon. Combine the chicken, bacon and seeded chopped tomatoes. Toss the dressing on the chicken mixture until evenly spread.
Prepare some red and green lettuce, cut into bite-sized pieces. Place it on a large plate, and top it with the chicken salad dressing! Enjoy best when chilled.
There you go.. I hope you would try this one out! Best for dinner! Yumminess! :)

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I LURVE STRAWBERRIES!

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Oh my.. I just can’t get enough of this famous fruit from Baguio!
I used to unlike this lovely fruit for quite some time.. But this time, I’m loving it! I’ve already eaten half a kilo of it just this afternoon after having my lunch. Dipping a not so ripe strawberry in a pinch of iodized salt tastes like heaven! Crunchiness makes it more addicting to eat some more! And if I would have leftovers, making it a strawberry milk shake or a strawberry jam would be great! Healthy and rich in vitamin C! Yumminess! :)

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I Love HONEY!

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I’ve always been a honey lover. I use it for my beauty regimen, and mostly I eat it! I’ve tried some brands of honey, both local and imported. But this one that I’ve bought in a supermarket is really good.
CEMS Honey from Palawan. It has a simple packaging, a small transparent plastic jar where you’d be able to see the clear golden color of it.
When it comes to taste? Superb! It can be compared to some foreign brands. It’s not super sweet, and doesn’t have a sour after taste.
I’ve found a perfect partner for my pancakes and salad! Try this out! Available in all leading supermarkets. :)

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RYUMA Japanese Restaurant

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it was mother’s day, and as what we enjoy doing, we celebrated it with a fantastic dinner, from the new opened Japanese restaurant in Paseo de Sta. Rosa.. RYUMA Restaurant!

it is operating only for a month now, and surprisingly they are doing so well when it comes to “patrons”.. this restaurant caters an authentic Japanese cuisine that will surely attract more and more diners from any race of any kind..

i love the interior design of the whole restaurant, as well as the accommodating greetings coming from their staff, with a Japanese language. as we enter their sensor door, which opens as soon as it “senses” customers, we were stunned by the hip yet eccentric look of their floor layouts, as well as their table settings!

some tables have wooden seats, and others have comfortable couches.. with a black and white theme, their metal framed tables and marbled table top makes it so appealing to dine.. and their lighting is vibrantly bright!

there are two flat screen TV’s mounted on the wall for entertainment but only Japanese programs are being showed. they also have a “gig bar” which i think serves as their additional entertainment for live shows enthusiasts.. the whole place is furnished with Japanese statues, that looks like soldiers wearing an armored attire.

on their table setting, a warm towel is assigned in each person, which comes with a cold tea.. a Japanese eggplant, which tasted like “pinakbet” served as their appetizer, followed by slices of pickles and buttons of onion.

food wise, they are superb in bringing the best about the authentic Japanese dishes, and hard drinks that made us try their SAKE, which i can compare locally to a “GIN”. they are known for their raw foods, such as fishes and sea veggies. their MISO soup is extremely invigorating to drink while it’s hot.

as our main dish, we ordered the TOKUSEI, placed in a “kalesa”-like container. it has the assortment of raw fishes and veggies, and a sticky Japanese rice topped with herb green leaves, cut in strings.

another one is their MIXED NIGIRI, bite-sized rice covered on top by assorted raw fishes and pink salmon altogether. the distinctive flavors lightened up by the slices of lemon, included in the platter. their banana shake is also good that served as our “chaser” while having some shots of SAKE..

it was a fun-filled dining experience which made us appreciate the Japanese cuisine more and more.. and as their compliment on mother’s day, every mom was offered with a Japanese flower as a lovely gesture..

you may try to dine at RYUMA Restaurant, it’s cheaper than you expected.

CONTI’S Pastries and Restaurant

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one of the few restaurants that can be found in Solenad, Nuvali in Sta. Rosa City Laguna is Conti’s Restaurant. it is located beside Italianis Restaurant, but it is more spacious, having a second floor dining area..

Conti’s caters a wide array of culinary dishes, and pastries as well. i had the indulgence to dine there, a dinner date with my husband as we celebrate a significant day to us.

we went there during its dinner peak hours, but gladly we managed to get a cozy seat for the two of us. there were so many customers, mostly in groups such as friends and families enjoying their dinner together.

as our appetizer, we ordered their most favorite Gambas y Champinon al Ajillo, these are spiced shrimps and mushrooms in olive oil.

we enjoy eating seafood and fish so we ended up with their Salmon dishes.. i ordered the Salmon Salpicao, served with buttered corn rice and apple potato salad as a side dish.. it’s like chicken chunks sauteed with butter and garlic, that tasted like fish adobo.. then a big slim glass of mango shake served as my drink..

hub ordered the mouth-watering, the Conti’s Baked Salmon, a Norwegian pink salmon baked with their very own topping, served with buttered vegetables and paella rice. the salmon topping was so cheesy blended with white cream sauce, that tasted like a lasagna.

it was a full and contented dining experience, healthy and flavorful dishes that Conti’s Restaurant have that will surely make their customers keep coming back to them to try all from their menu.

THE FRENCH CORNER, a fine dine experience

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One of the few fine dine restaurants that i have been to is THE FRENCH CORNER. From the name itself, it caters most of the French cuisine that are famous with breads and salads. It is one of the coziest to dine in the Alabang area, which is located inside the posh place of Westgate Center along the Filinvest community.

I was amazed by their accommodations, starting from the parking area, where the staff opens the car door for you as you go out from the car. Then, they escorts the guests to their elegant table, with a very fine setting. The ambiance is totally serene, with warm lights that makes your dinner a lovely one.

The experience has given me such pride of being one of the “elites”, even if im not one of them.. well, that’s just for a night! haha! As their courtesy food, there is a basket of assorted “french breads” in every table, which i find quite hard to bite.. haha.. but even so, i managed to eat the whole piece of it with the help of butter on the side, and a spicy dressing to compliment. Before the dinner started, we toned down with a glass of 2005 white wine, which i did’nt try to find out its brand.. all i know is that, it made me feel relaxed, which left all my tensions set aside.

I ordered the salad panache with grilled prawn, vegetable, pomelo, grapes in creamy balsamic and sesame dressing, which i really enjoyed eating. All of the veggies were crunchy and fresh, and the dressing made the salad tasted at its best. I was’nt able to check the food that my companions have ordered.. but it’s so good to look at.. steak and grilled chicken, but i dont know what’s the actual name for that set.. We were eating while drinking the white wiine, which i think i had 4-5 standard glasses of it, which made me a little bit tipsy as we went home..

The experience was unforgettable and incredible! I did’nt have a chance to see the bill, but i think it’s around P7,000.00 for a group of three persons.. Whew! Glad that i was’nt the “bill payer”! But all in all, that was the most wonderful dinner i have ever had so far.. coz any great food that you ate for free, is the best! :)

THE OLD SPAGHETTI HOUSE

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there are a lot of restaurants that serves italian dishes.. like don henricos and italiannis to name a few. one of them is the old spaghetti house, a proud local brand owned by a filipino couple who loves italian cuisine.
one of its branch just opened at Paseo de Sta. Rosa, a commercial complex in sta. rosa laguna. one of the “hang-out” place of the residents within the wealthy area of Eton City, Belair, and Nuvali.

we ordered 2 plates of pasta, garlic and shrimp in spaghetti noodles, and classic carbonara. both were served with a piece of toasted garlic bread. what i like about their menu is their pizza presentation. we ordered the spare ribs cheesy pizza, which has a mouth watering combination of mozzerella and quick melt cheese and the spare ribs meat on top. it has a very thin and crunchy crust, shaped ovally and sliced horizontally. the pizza is good for 2 to 3 persons so, it’s not that big.

the crust is like the local crunchy biscuits sold in markets that has no brand at all. like what we call cracklets and pasencia. i actually dont remember the type of that biscuit, but i can describe it as a round bite sized crunchy biscuit that looks bloated because of its bulging look.

the tastes? it’s heavenly good! the old spaghetti house has their own distinguished taste for their brand. they can compete to other imported italian restaurants who caters the same dishes. my husband and i went home with a full stomach and a happy satisfied smile..

rowena.blanquera@gmail.com

rween09@yahoo.com