Get In My Belly: Brookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recently I was introduced to two products made by a food business aptly named Get In My Belly ~ the One Bite Brookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies. I wouldn't beat around the bush here and get the message across right away. Because seriously, these two are some of the best baked goodies in Manila I have tried recently. And with the holiday season just around the corner, these goodies could be a perfect Christmas gift to your loved ones.

Get In My Belly is an online business that specializes in baked goodies specifically brookies and chocolate chip cookies. They do join food fairs and bazaars as well and I heard that they do accept bulk orders for events such as birthday parties and the likes.

Yellow Cab Pizza Co.: Christmas Fleet Tango Box

"Fill Those Socks with a Tango Box" Says Yellow Cab Pizza Co., one of the leading Pizza restaurants here in the Philippines. This Christmas season, I don't mind filling my socks with one because I have tried Yellow Cab Pizza's Christmas Fleet Tango Box, and I was impressed!

This Christmas Fleet promo by Yellow Cab Pizza which will last until January 15, 2014 is a perfect bundle that you and your loved ones can feast on this holiday season.

Priced at Php 1,600, Yellow Cab Pizza's Christmas Fleet Tango Box comprised of all things satisfying and downright delicious. A good bang for your buck, this promo is just one of those good treats that Yellow Cab Pizza Co. offers. 

Breakfast Menu at Italianni's Restaurant

I have to admit that it came as a surprise to me that one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Manila, Italianni's is actually serving breakfast. I have always been a fan of Italianni's but I guess not a good fan enough as I have missed the chance to savor their breakfast fare especially during the times when I was in search for good breakfast place. Oh well, I guess it's a good reason to make up for the lost times.

Although the breakfast items are not serve all day, 7am to 10:30am is plenty enough time to feast on breakfast dishes that Italianni's has to offer. Recent visit introduced me to the classic Italianni's breakfast items alongside some new breakfast creation by chef Josh Boutwood, the executive chef of Bistro Group.

We were told that as of the moment, breakfast menu at Italianni's is only available in two of their branches: Italianni's Bonifacio High Street and Italianni's Greenbelt. I wish though that they will eventually roll out the breakfast menu to the rest of the branches because their branch at Greenhills, Tomas Morato, and Gateway are the one I usually frequent to. Nonetheless, good breakfast fare is always worthy of the long travel. 

OTKB: Olive Tree Kitchen and Bar at Bonifacio High Street

I was under the impression that we were royally screwed. If it was the proverbial first date, Olive Tree Kitchen and Bar (OTKB) stood us up. Or so I thought. 

We were sure that we made a reservation under my friend’s name couple of hours before closing time. Yet, when we arrived at OTKB in Bonifacio High Street, no signs of life greeted us. Instead, we found a restaurant with windows covered with what looked like to me as Manila papers. It looked like it is not operational yet. No signage whatsoever aside from a piece of paper plastered on the door that reads “Closed for Training.”

We were dumbfounded at first and when my friend tried calling the number he called hours before to secure the elusive reservation at Olive Tree Kitchen and Bar, no one’s answering the phone. So, we did the unthinkable. We knocked on the door. 

A Revisit to Solace Wine and Dine at Makati City

It was late last year when I was first introduced to Solace Wine and Dine located in Makati City. Memories are still vivid how grateful I was and still am upon discovering this restaurant at Greenbelt area that could provide a peaceful and blissful dining experience away from the usual mall crowd. I admit that I was smitten by the great food that they do serve at Solace Wine and Dine that I even included them on my food article in one of the previous issues of Gala Magazine way back.

Recently, along with some foodie friends, we visited Solace Wine and Dine to sample some of the new items on their menu. Apparently, Solace is now under the wings of chef Philip Golding and they recently had a revamped on their menu that resulted to a more concise and focused line of dishes in contrast to the extensive one they used to have.

Slight revamped on the place also happened. It does posses the same chic vibe to it, only this time, the ambiance is more intimate. Bottles of different wines that reflects their extensive wine list still peppered the place just like it used to, and art works by local artists are now giving aesthetics to an otherwise bare wall.

Cantina Sicilianita along Shaw Blvd. Mandaluyong City

It was a quick visit, an unplanned one. I could have let go of the idea of trying some dishes at Cantina Sicilianita but since I was already in the area, there was no point of not giving in. I have heard a lot about the goodness of authentic Italian cuisine that Cantina Sicilianita located along Shaw Blvd. in Mandaluyong City serves and I have meant to visit them since.While I wished to visit this quaint Italian cafe in the company of several friends, I deemed the unplanned visit was just testing the water.

Cantina Sicilianita which is located in one spot as Rex Bookstore along Shaw Blvd. holds to promise to serve authentic Italian cuisine particularly that of Sicily.

The location is small but therein lies its charm. Peppered with trinkets and decorations that exudes an Italian cafe vibe to it, Cantina Sicilianita's boasts of blown up photos of Sicily plastered on one side of the wall. These photos held together by a wooden frame give an illusion of windows overlooking views of Sicily. The place is relatively small, but comfortable enough to have a decent meal.

Your Tokyo Tokyo Ramen Personality + Giveaway!

With the number of ramen places sprouting in Manila, it is high time for well-known Japanese restaurant Tokyo Tokyo Philippines to dish out their own take on it. Thankfully, with the addition of Ramen Bar section in some Tokyo Tokyo Branches, people can now enjoy ramen dishes alongside some of their delectable Japanese dishes.

Tokyo Tokyo is currently serving three ramen flavors; Spicy Chicken Ramen, Braised Pork Ramen, and Tempura Miso Ramen. Koshi ramen noodle coupled with either Tonkatsu or Miso broth which are simmered for at least 24 hours, Tokyo Tokyo Ramen is definitely a great treat for ramen-loving people.

With the ramen variants offered by Tokyo Tokyo, some of us may have a hard time on deciding which one suits our palate. While it is reasonable to try all three and spare yourself from the daunting task of deciding, it is still fun to know what Tokyo Tokyo Ramen Flavor suits you based on your personality. Just like what I did.

Shifu Master's Kitchen: Affordable Chinese Restaurant Serving Great Food

I'm going to let you in on a little secret ~ there is this hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant along Granada St. in Quezon City called Shifu Master's Kitchen that blew me away. The combination of affordable prices and downright impressive food made it a winner for me. Trust me on this, I have been to a lot of hole-in-the-wall restaurants here in Manila and rarely do I tag one as a "gem" worthy to be discovered, but Shifu Master's Kitchen deserves such description.

I have been very honest that I am a sucker for restaurants serving great food with an equal respect for the overall look of the place. I love beautifully decorated restaurant interiors because truth be told, ambiance matters to me. Especially when I am eating. However, in my years of food blogging, there are food places here in Manila that made me forget about the ambiance because the food they are serving is enough for me to forget everything else. Shifu Master's Kitchen is one of them - on top of my list even.

I am not saying that Shifu Master's Kitchen's ambiance is dirty and somehow despicable. As a matter of fact, it is quite the opposite. Yes, it is suggestive of the usual eatery you can find elsewhere, but it is definitely clean. Coupled with great price range and even greater food, the charm of Shifu Master's Kitchen lies in its simplicity.

Hand Drip Coffee at The Cake Club by Diamond Hotel

The Cake Club by Diamond Hotel at Bonifacio High Street The Fort has always been known to dish out unprecedented line of desserts that everybody loves. Just recently, creative minds behind The Cake Club opened its door to the wonderful world of Hand Drip Coffee, also known as the Pour Over Drip method in coffee brewing.

Alongside teas and wines, The Cake Club is also known for serving different coffee variants that go perfectly well with their desserts. Yet, it was only recently that they started doing the manual pour over method in the belief that coffee tasted way better when done in a traditional way.

True enough, with the years of drinking coffee, the afternoon I spent at The Cake Club to taste different variants of hand drip coffees, I realized that it does have a difference. The flavors are more pronounced, and the fact that you know that it took extra effort to come up with a cup of Joe also helps.

Chef of the Year Josh Boutwood's Winning Recipes Coming Soon at The Village Tavern BHS

Bistro Group of Restaurants' corporate chef Josh Boutwood bagged the title “Chef of the Year” at Philippine Culinary Cup (PCC) held during this year’s World Food Expo (WOFEX) 2013. In line with this, Chef Josh who is also known as “The Alchemist” for his unprecedented creativity in the culinary world, had a cooking demonstration at the Village Tavern in Bonifacio High Street.

The cooking demo features three of his award-winning dishes which will be included in Village Tavern’s Holiday Menu alongside other exciting holiday selection to be introduced soon.

The three dishes demonstrated during the gathering with selected media outfit were; Dory Alzheimer’s Memory, Henry The Duck, and Ballade Bodacious. Chef Josh Boutwood is generous enough to share with us some of the recipes of these award-winning dishes.

Support #YolandaActionWeekend for #ReliefPH : Eat to Help #YolandaPH Victims and Build #StrongerPH

This week we are plagued with depressing news that all pointed to the devastating effect of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) to our country. Philippines as a nation is currently wounded - bleeding profusely even. Yet, it is during times like this that the resilient spirit of Filipinos shines through. There are a lot of ways to help Typhoon Yolanda Victims, but we know that we can do more.

Given this, Yolanda Action Weekend spearheaded by Jeremy Slagle of Mr. Delicious was created. It aims to unite Philippine Food Industry including its media partners to extend help to Typhoon Yolanda victims. All participating restaurants and other food businesses pledged to donate portion of their proceeds this weekend to the Philippine Red Cross.

Yolanda Action Weekend believes that through their partnership with Philippine Red Cross, all help will be properly disseminated to those who are suffering from the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda. With this, if you are going to dine out this weekend, may we suggest to please consider dining and/or buying food from the participants. 

Ways to Help Typhoon Yolanda / Haiyan Victims

It has been almost a week now since Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) shook Visayas region to the core leaving our country grieving for lost lives and crushed spirits. To say that what happened particularly in Tacloban is heartbreaking would be an understatement. In reality, it is a kind of tragedy that wounds soul – deeply.

The news about Typhoon Yolanda and its aftermath suggests that it may take a while before our countrymen in Visayas to fully recover and rebuild their lives. Thus, they need all the help they could get. We may not have the foolproof formula to heal the hurt of those are gravely affected, but we can do something, at least.

There are a lot of ways to help Typhoon Yolanda Victims, and the information I have provided here are just some of them. Shout out to dear friend Spanky Enriquez for helping us gather these details on how to extend our help.

Nuffnang Blogopolis 2013: Into the WILD!

This coming Saturday, November 16, 2013 Nuffnang Philippines will bring us Blogopolis 2013: into the WILD, Weaving Information for Leaders of the Digital World. This event will be held at Hotel Intercontinental Manila in Makati City from 1:00pm to 10:00pm. 

Blogopolis 2013: into the WILD is open to everyone - bloggers, social media influencers, students, digital marketing officers, and advertisers, and anyone who is interested in the digital world, particularly social media.

This event aims to take its participants to the information jungle of the digital world. Social media know-how, digital marketing, and advertising trends will be discussed by the key-speakers as they impart knowledge about digital world. Plenary sessions will be held in the afternoon followed by a post-conference party or the Nuffie Awards where selected online influencers will be awarded.

Burger King's Quad Stack Burger

I have been seeing advertisement of Burger King’s Stack Burgers for quite a while now and I have been meaning to get my hands on those manly treats, particularly the Quad Stack Burger. Burger King is one of those which I grew up with hence my affinity for their flame-grilled burger is still ever present. Sure I have safe bets for best burgers in Manila, but the burger you grew up with has always that special place.

Burger King’s Stack Burgers is essentially made of flame-grilled beef patties topped with American cheese, crispy bacon, BK Stacks sauce sandwiched in between sesame buns. Sounds like your usual burger yes, but the thing that makes these stack burgers special is the fact that you can have up to four patties in one go.

Single stack patty is labeled as BK Stack Dude, double stack is Chief, triple stack is Boss, while the quad stack is aptly called King. I eat like a man, so I dig this deal. And when you subject yourself to a challenging feat like this, you man up and take a leap. So I grabbed the BK Quad Stack and ate like a king – without apology.

Matgalne Korean Restaurant: Offering Affordable Korean Buffet in Manila

I have tried Matgalne Korean Restaurant along Kalayaan Ave. in Makati awhile back since I am curious about this affordable Korean buffet they are offering. Korean restaurants in Manila are already aplenty hence it is not surprising that most of us have already developed a liking for Korean dishes. I already have few favorite Korean restaurants but it wouldn't hurt to try others which I have not been before.

Matgalne Korean Restaurant in Makati opened way back in 2003. They also have a branch in Ortigas which just opened December of last year. They are known for their affordable buffet including unlimited Sangyupsal or pork belly and Chadolbaegi or beef.

I have not been to Matgalne Ortigas but I was told that the branch in Makati is more spacious and brighter. It's facade is nondescript while the interior is fairly spacious and clean. It has a comfortable vibe to it too.

Pepita's Kitchen Stuffed Lechon Degustacion: Hayop Na Degustacion!

Two kinds of stuffed lechon, bone marrow, crab fat, prawn, pork brain, the menu during Pepita’s Kitchen Hayop na Degustacion goes on and on.

For the faint of heart, Hayop na Degustacion is a heart attack waiting to happen.

Yet, even all known deities and the universe itself will be crestfallen should someone dies at mid-bite.

After all, The Lechon Diva Dedet dela Fuente’s famed degustacion isn’t an everyday thing. An unforgettable dinner by invite only, to showcase all the indulging dishes and new flavors of Pepita’s Stuffed Lechon one may order from Pepita’s Kitchen.

It was my second time to attend Pepita’s Stuffed Lechon Degustacion held at Pepita’s Kitchen somewhere in Makati area. The first one I almost passed out due to the degree of satiety I braved. But things like that rarely scares me, hence, an immediate YES was quickly dishes out upon receiving their second invite. This time, it was aptly tagged as Hayop na Degustacion. And it was. It really was.