Turning Mexican A La Taqueria Amiga Mia in Quezon City

June 22, 2013

La Taqueria Amiga Mia
93 Scout Castor St.,
Brgy. Laging Handa,
Quezon City
4111234

Last Saturday, after eating healthy cupcakes at Everyday Mom, we went straight to La Taqueria Amiga Mia to grab some nachos and burrito. Yes, walang break,break as in walang pahinga, tuloy, tuloy lang lol That is why I m getting fat ; p

Solo Comida set PhP 150

Anyway, what was supposed to be an order of nachos became a set of nachos with quesadillas- Solo Comida. I figured, I can eat two kinds of Mexican food for the price of one ; p No meat included in nachos though.

 Nachos is served with salsa cruda, cheese sauce and sour cream with a choice of ground beef, chicharones, pollo asado, carnitas, barbacoa, Mexican sausage, callos, lengua, karne asado or pescado for PhP 125 (large) and PhP 205 (Grande).

The nachos were crispy-licious! I like the sour cream and cheese ; ) Bagay! I would order nachos on my next visit topped with either chicharones or ground beef but definitely not lengua... eeew!

Read more after the break...

Everyday Mom Healthy and Yummy Cupcakes

June 22, 2013

Everyday Mom
Scout Tuazon cor Roces Avenue,
Quezon City
7101254   09224210466

Last Saturday, after attending an event in Rockwell, my family and I headed to Santuario de San Jose (St. Joseph the Patriarch) in Buffalo corner Duke St., East Greenhills to submit the documents (photocopy of marriage contract and birth certificate) needed to facilitate the baptism of my little princess ; )

After which we stopped by a quaint cupcake shop along Scout Tuazon, aptly named Everyday Mom, for some healthy merienda.

 Carrot cupcake PhP 40

Moist and wholesome carrot cake with walnuts and topped with delectable cream cheese frosting

First, I spotted the Carrot cupcake (my favorite!) on the cake cooler stand. Then the Black and White cupcake which Everyday Mom is famous for ; ) I ordered a piece of Cafe Mocha and finally to roundup the cupcakes, I ordered Chocolate Banana. 

Everyday Mom's commitment: To offer products baked in stainless steel pans and made with unbleached flour, aluminum-free leaveners, healthy oil and natural flavors

Carrot cupcake tastes a bit different- in a good way. The contributing factor must be the cream cheese frosting or the equally moist cupcake. Whatever it is, I can tell you this, I can eat two or three Carrot cupcakes in one seating- if only there's no other cupcakes waiting for me to taste ; p

Read more after the break...

Thaipan last Father's Day!

June 16, 2013

After my Korean BBQ addiction, I am now craving for Thai food. Thai cuisine is sweet and spicy at the same time. One thing that sets it apart from other cuisine aside from its vibrant color is its savory dishes.

 Happy Father's Day!

In the past, I have written about several Thai restaurants like Thai Bistro, SR Thai, and Muang Thai. I can't seem to get Thai restaurant out of my system so last Father's Day, we went around Tomas Morato area and revisited the only Thai restaurant (as far as I know) in the area- Thaipan.

It has been two years since my last visit, and I am excited to share with you what we ordered right after the break...

Buenisimo by Cafe Ysabel

June 15, 2013

Buenisimo by Cafe Ysabel
24 Sct. Tuason St.,
Brgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City
4105050

Last Saturday, DH and I were looking for a new restaurant to try in Quezon City. Most of the restaurants were full and were not accepting diners anymore. By 8:30pm, we finally found a decent place to eat- Buenisimo by Cafe Ysabel. It is a fairly new restaurant along Sct. Tuason beside Chic Nails where I had my nails done a few weeks ago.

 Grape Salad with White Cheese PhP 278 

Red/Green Grapes, Grilled Laguna White Cheese, Capers, Olives and Balsami Vinaigrette

Luckily for us, there were a few unoccupied tables when we arrived. We were seated on a couch next to a family of four. The waiter/waitress and even the guard were extra helpful with our things- we were supposed to bring in the stroller. I decided we we won't be needing it because there are several high chairs available ; )

Anyway, our orders came out in succession, within a few minutes after placing it... yey! I love how the kitchen staff work on the presentation of each dish (see the photos). I give it an 8 ; )

What about the taste, you ask? It surprisingly tastes as good as it looks.

For other orders, read after the break...

Muang Thai in Banawe, Quezon City

June 11, 2013

Muang Thai
494 Banawe St.,
Sta. Mesa Heights,
Quezon City
7418696

My family and I were in Banawe, Quezon City a few days ago looking for a place to eat. I was dreaming about Tasty's pork chop rice but my sister was adamant about the restaurant. She wanted to eat someplace else so I suggested Muang Thai. We had a filling lunch that day with some take out too!

 Steamed Vegetables and Prawns with Thai Shrimp Paste Relish PhP 245

Nam Prik Ruamit

Four pieces of boiled prawns, served with kangkong, slices of cucumber, fried eggplant and special thai bagoong on the side 

Not surprising, kangkong and bagoong go well together but with prawns? Well, it tasted good too! The eggplant was not soggy even though it was fried. The bagoong is more watery in consistent than what we normally would have. It's not salty at all.

The ingredients were aplenty, just look at the photo ; p

Elias in Robinsons Magnolia

May 21, 2013

Elias
Upper Ground Alfresco
Robinsons Magnolia
Aurora Blvd. corner Dona Hemady St.,
New Manila, Quezon City
9610339   5467977

A couple of weeks ago, my cousin came back home from the US with her family. It's been several years since I last saw her and her son so we set up a lunch date. I suggested Elias in Robinsons Magnolia because she missed Filipino cuisine.

Salome's Secret PhP 295

binusog na pusit glazed with sweet sauce

Inihaw na pusit is a must-order whenever there's a balikbayan visiting Manila. Some restaurants would cash in on it by basing its price on per 100 gram but not in Elias.  

For PhP 295, you get an order of inihaw na pusit big enough for sharing. I like dipping it in the sweet sauce provided.

For other orders, read after the break...

Birthday Lunch Treat From Pevonia!

June 4, 2013

Kimpura
3rd floor Trinoma Mall
9010813

Hello! How's your day? I was in Trinoma Mall earlier today where I met with the Pevonia girls (as I would love to call them ; p). They treated me to a hearty lunch at Kimpura (yes, this is still part of my post birthday celebration. IKR, it has extended until the month of June ; p)

 with Jennifer Casitas, Pevonia Philippines PR Manager/ Asst. to the Managing Director and 
Marie Elaine Palapag, Social Media & Marketing Coordinator

Our meeting was set at 11am, little did we know that the restaurant opens at 11:30am ; p Luckily, we were able to get inside before the said time, thanks to the charm of Ms. Elaine. 

We requested for seats in the Teppanyaki area. Ok, I am warning you, there's a lot and I mean a lot of food photos coming right at you! Don't judge us for what we have ordered lol 

With that said, you can read more after the break...

Kaya Express Opens In Glorietta 2

April 21, 2013

Kaya Korean Restaurant
2nd floor, Glorietta 2
Ayala Center, Makati City
6253718

My parents and I bonded over Korean BBQ right after watching ASAP 18 LIVE! in ABS-CBN. It is located in the newly renovated Glorietta 2. I love the vibe of this new wing- bright and spacious!

 Kalbi Gui PhP 230

Marinated US beef short ribs

Before the Korean BBQ trend hit Manila, there's already Kaya. Every so often we miss eating Kalbi Gui so we make it a point to visit it once in a while.

The beef is tender and already marinated. It's juicy, perfect with a bowl of white rice!

For our other orders, read after the break...

Steveston Pizza opens in Quezon City

Steveston Pizza
186 Tomas Morato corner Scout de Guia,
Quezon City
9219898

Steveston Pizza dubbed as "The Best Pizza in Vancouver" is now in the Philippines! I want to taste for myself how good it is. Last Sunday, my family and I visited its first branch in Quezon City.

posted this photo in Instagram

Steveston Pizza comes only in one size- 12 inches. Price varies from as low as PhP 399 to as high as PhP 1,299.  Aside from pizza, there's also salads and chicken wings. Unfortunately, chicken wings were out of stock the day we went. I know, bummer, right?

You can view the pizza we chose after the break...

Newly Renovated Gloria Maris in Greenhills

May 12, 2013

Gloria Maris Restaurant
Greenhills Shopping Center
Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila
5700885   7159525   4661998

To officially celebrate my first official Mother's Day, we had dinner at the newly renovated Gloria Maris Restaurant in Greenhills. We invited my side of the family as well as my SIL to join and celebrate with us.

Assorted Combination 4 pax PhP 1750

We didn't expect the shabu-shabu area would be full at half past six in the evening.We also didn't have any reservation so we ended up waiting a good one and a half hour just to get a table. We opted for two tables positioned side by side unless we wanted to wait a bit longer for the people seated at the round table to check out, ok, not going to happen ; p

At around 8 in the evening, we were comfortably seated and ready to order with our happy, smiling faces : ) The picture shown above was the order of table #1 which consists of my parents and brother. They decided to order a set menu instead of ticking off ingredients one by one. 

In a large serving plate, there's chicken, pork and beef. That's not all, there's also squid, tiger prawn, meat balls and kani sticks.

On another large bowl were the other ingredients like tofu, veggies and noodles which completes their shabu-shabu experience, you can view the photo after the break....

Solaire Resort & Casino Food Court

May 5, 2013

Solaire Resort & Casino
1 Solaire Boulevard
Entertainment City
Metro Manila
8888888

I have heard/read of so many outrageous stories about the prices on the menu of the fine dining restaurants found in Solaire. One even mentioned that he knows somebody who claimed to have paid PhP 250,000 just for dinner - they were a group of 10.

So, just to be on the safe side, we didn't bother to dine in one of the elegant restaurants when we visited Solaire for the first time. We looked for its Food Court instead ; p 

Sweet & Sour Pork PhP 200

The food court is divided into six sections: Sapporo (obviously, Japanese food), Pan Asian (SouthEast Asian cuisine), Hong Kong, Chicken Licken (I read it serves very good roasted chicken), Americano and Patisserie.

Anyway, the minute I saw Sweet & Sour Pork on the menu, I told DH that's what I want. I can't think of anything else because it was already late in the afternoon and I was already very hungry- we went there right after we check-out from Sofitel.

It was not the best Sweet & Sour Pork that I have tasted, Ling Nam tasted better but it was good enough to satisfy my hunger pangs.

Read more after the break...

Have It Your Way at Achiote Taqueria Power Plant Mall

April 14, 2013

Achiote Taqueria Mexican Cuisine
R1 Level, Power Plant Mall
Rockwell, Makati City
8221242

Are a regular reader of my blog? Have you noticed that I often blog about Chinese, Japanese and Korean cuisine? I know... sometimes it gets a little boring! So, when DH suggested that we dine in Achiote Taqueria, I didn't complain and just went along with his suggestion. I was really glad to try Mexican food for a change ; )

 Achiote Nachos PhP 395

Fresh crisp just-baked tortilla chips with black re-fried beans, pico de gallo, white Mexican cheese, topped with homemade sour cream and freshly made guacamole. 

Served with house salsa on the side.

First on our list of must-eat---> NACHOS! A trip to a Mexican restaurant will not be complete without one, agree? The tortilla chips remained crunchy despite the fact that it was overloaded with toppings! 

Hmmmm.... never mind that some of the chips were toasted/burnt as seen in the photo above ; p

Read more after the break...

MAPLE in Shangri-la East Wing

May 12, 2013

Maple
L/G Shangri-La Plaza, East Wing
EDSA corner Shaw Boulevard,
Mandaluyong City
6216211

PROMO!!!

Get HALF the price at Maple Shangri-La Plaza Mall East Wing branch when you charge a minimum bill of PhP 1,000 to your Citi Card. Enjoy a maximum discount of PhP 2, 500 per visit. Valid from May 20 to May 26, 2013. For inquiries calls 4778027 or 4777248.

Alas! After salivating from so many photos of Maple dishes taken by Instagram users that I follow, I was finally able to try it during Mother's Day ; )

The Maple Burger PhP 475

A juicy grilled patty, American cheese, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, fried onion rings and maple glazed bacon

I will start with The Maple Burger, the patty was juicy. The melted cheese on top kept the burger compact even after slicing it into four for sharing ; p I noticed that the bun was small for its burger though. The bacon was cooked just the way I like it. How I wish there were several more onion rings on the side and not just three. After all, I am paying PhP 475 for this meal alone.

And, uh, I think the country fries do not belong with this order but in The Big Maple Breakfast ; p I don't know why it was served together with The Maple Burger. I just noticed it while writing this entry.

For other dishes on our table, read after the break...

Lola Cafe + Bar in Quezon City

April 19, 2013

Lola Cafe Bar
99 Sct. Lozano St.,
Quezon City
5012620

Happy Mother's Day!

Quezon City never runs out of new restaurants and that's one of the reasons why I love living here. Last month, I tried this new restaurant called Lola Cafe + Bar with my girl friends. We sampled a few dishes, there are some hits and misses. I found out that the restaurant just opened a few months before and maybe it is still finding its identity and flavor. Well, there's always room for improvement.

Garden Salad PhP 280

Romaine, arugula, cucumber, parmesan with candied walnut, feta cheese, fresh tomato and greek vinaigrette

An order of Garden Salad is good for sharing. The vegetable were not wilted and the amount dressing was just right. I also loved the shaved parmesan, candied walnut and feta cheese. These ingredients reminded me of Cyma's Roka Salata.

For our other orders, read after the break...

Breakfast at Spiral

Our Club Millesime room came with a buffet breakfast for two. We have a choice to dine at the Lounge or at Spiral. We chose the latter. The buffet starts at 6:30 am so we woke up early the next day to enjoy the sumptuous cuisines the restaurant has to offer.

 Spiral Breakfast Buffet

The second we entered the restaurant, it was already bustling with diners. Most patrons were families and business executives having their morning cup of coffee. We were ushered to our table located near La Veranda.

Food photos after the break...

Kabila Filipino Bistro/ Museum (M) Cafe Crossover in Greenbelt 4

April 8, 2013

Kabila Filipino Bistro/Museum Cafe
Ground Floor, Greenbelt 4
Ayala Center, Makati City
3914197   7573000   7576000

There is a new Filipino restaurant in Makati called Kabila Filipino Bistro. It is the newest addition to the growing number of restaurants brought to you by Raintree Restaurants. It is located next door of Museum Cafe hence, the name Kabila. You can cross-order between these two restaurants just like what my friends and I did.

Slow-Grilled Gindara (300g) PhP 350

On Charcoal with a Sweet Soy Calamansi Glazed served with Pickled Green Mango

Nice presentation, equally good in taste! Not typically served in Filipino restaurants, Kabila's version of Gindara matches the Filipino taste. I highly recommend it!

For other dishes, read after the break...

Updated! Dessert at Elias in Robinsons Magnolia

April 12, 2013

Elias by Crisostomo
UG/F Robinsons Magnolia
5467977

After our late dinner at Conti's Bakery and Restaurant, my friends and I walked towards Magnolia Flavor House only to find a long queue outside the ice cream house. We want to have dessert and we wanted it fast, without the hassle of waiting. We settled for Elias instead which in my opinion, did not disappoint.

 Guinumis PhP 85

Two of my friends ordered Guinumis, a traditional Filipino dessert. It has sago at the bottom, pinipig on top and crushed ice in between. I will definitely order this next time I visit Elias. It looks so refreshing!

A photo of Halo-halo ni Elias can be found right after the break...

Conti's Bakeshop in Robinsons Magnolia

April 12, 2013

Conti's Bakeshop & Restaurant
UG/F 142-143 Robinsons Magnolia
Dona Hemady cor. Aurora Blvd., Quezon City
3854375   6245933

Last Friday, my friends and I had a mini get-together in our favorite mall, Robinsons Magnolia. It took us several hours to decide where to eat. Think four girl with four different opinions hahaha Finally, around 9:30pm, we agreed to have our dinner at Conti's Bakeshop and Restaurant.

Baked Salmon PhP 355

Baked Salmon is an all-time favorite whenever my family and I dined here. So, I was not surprised that one of my friends ordered it. The salmon was cooked just right as usual with melted cheese on top. It really looks appetizing! 

For our other orders, read after the break...

The Highlander Steakhouse in Tagaytay

March 28, 2013

The Highlander Steakhouse
Tagaytay Highlands
Brgy. Calabuso, Tagaytay City
0915-8026341

Happy Easter to all! 

Last Maundy Thursday, my family and I trooped to Tagaytay for some R&R. We rented one house inside The Villas in Tagaytay Highlands for two nights. As usual, I was tasked to make the itinerary for next three days. One of the restaurants on my list is The Highlander Steakhouse.

 roast beef displayed near the entrance

Making a reservation is not an easy task. I tried calling on Wednesday to book a table for 8 but the line was either busy or routed to a fax.

So, the first thing we did upon arriving in Highlands was to make a reservation. The receptionist told me that the restaurant is only accepting walk-ins, all reservation slots were already taken... bummer!

Were we able to get a table? Find out after the break...

Wholesome Goodness at GrandMomma's Kitchen

February 20, 2013

GrandMomma's Kitchen
G/F Il Terrazzo Bldg.,
Tomas Morato, Quezon City
09178030211

A few weeks ago, I tried out the newest restaurant in Il Terrazzo called GrandMomma's Kitchen. The restaurant has a homey ambiance that will make you want to order everything on the menu ; )

 Strawberry Banana French Toast PhP 165

I ordered a Strawberry Banana French Toast under the All Day Breakfast section. At PhP 165, it was worth it. As you can see in the photo above, the restaurant did not scrimp on its ingredients. There were generous slices of bananas and strawberries as well. Oh, and I love the whipped cream on top ; )

To know what else I ordered, read after the break....