Twins.

 I rarely go out.  I never even party because I don't drink and I personally think I'm an introvert.  But when I do go out, it's normally just to meet friends or relatives to have lunch, merienda, or dinner out.  Last week, some of my high school friends and I scheduled a long overdue catch up session.  We decided to meet up at Pipino Vegetarian Food to try well, vegetarian food. :D  We're all meat and dairy lovers but we wanted to give vegetarian food a chance. :)

I love how they showcased their sweets!  I'm obsessed!  If ever or whenever I put up a restaurant, I would totally copy this!  Haha :p  As I entered the shop, I literally can't help but gawk at this dessert area.  What can I say, sweetness is my weakness. :D

The restaurant is small, about 5-6 tables only.  But it's really cozy and not stuffy at all. :) 

While waiting for my companions, I opted to have Green Tea Cupcake.  It's dairy-free and gluten-free!  I was skeptical at first because I thought I'm not gonna like it but I was surprised that it tasted delicious and I loved it!  It's moist, not too sweet, and it's light and airy. :)  

Oreo Ice Cream

This is the worst ice cream ever!  My friend, Ella, ordered this and we regret it.  I'm an ice cream fanatic and I don't think I will ever like a non-dairy ice cream.  It's just not right for our palate.  I'm sorry, maybe there's nothing wrong with it, perhaps it's just us.

Banana Sherbet

This is more like a sorbet than a sherbet but it tasted fine.  It was so much like saba con yelo.  I never realized how dependent I am to dairy products until I tried eating at Pipino.  It's crazy!

We really wanted to eat at Pipino(and we tried!) but we don't think we'll enjoy the food that's why we decided to go downstairs and eat at Pino Resto Bar. :)  Bagnet is the specialty of Pino and I loved it there!  Who doesn't love bagnet anyway?  Carbs and fat galore!  The two restaurants were owned by the same man or people and I'm in awe how extremes these two are.  Pipino is full on healthy food, while Pino is crazy food indulgence.  There's no in-between, I like the idea and strategy of these sister companies. :)

I was so busy being a friend that I forgot to be a blogger. :)  I wasn't able to get the name of the dishes and their prices. When I come back(which I definitely will), maybe I can give proper comments on the dishes.  Until then! :)

                                                                                               Toodles!☺

Simplicity.

I always notice this restaurant in the corner of Trinoma Mall's 2nd floor North Ave side called Recipes every time I pass by there.  The area is small and really simple, but it's always jam packed.  And we all know, there's only one possible reason for that, the food might be good.  So my companions and I decided to have our late-lunch-early-dinner there. :)

"Our life is frittered away by detail.  Simplify, simplify."

-Henry David Thoreau

Adobo Flakes (Php 180.00)

Out of all the rice meals, I would probably pick this one as the best.  It's crunchy and soft.  It's tasteful and kid-friendly.  My brother loved it, and he's a real picky eater.  This one's a steal!  Look at that portion. :)

Crispy Bangus (Php 185.00)

And the 2nd place goes to this milkfish dish.  If you wanna go a bit healthier, go for this one.  I said, a bit because it's still fried food, you know. :D

Korean BBQ Short Ribs (Php 175.00)

A little dry, isn't it?  I personally think you can order better than this.  I expected a little more sauce and moist, but for the price of the meal, it's still quite okay.  But reality check, okay is not good. :)

Pork Inihaw (Php 170.00)

I recommend everyone not to pick this one.  Look at that, it makes me sad just by looking at it.

All of the viands above includes a cup of plain rice and an iced tea, and with just an additional of (Php 10.00), you can have a cup of garlic rice instead. :)

Lechon Kawali with Kangkong (Php 218.00)

Crispy fried pork + stir fried water spinach = a really good balance of good and bad.  Well, in my opinion. :p  You may disagree, but you can't change my mind. :) 

Gising Gising (Php 175.00)

This is one of my favorite vegetable dish, ever.  It contains ground pork, green beans, coconut milk, shrimp paste, and seasonings.  It taste heavenly!  I can eat it everyday. :)

Their rice meals are really affordable; they're actually budget friendly with options from every possible food category.  I think their a la carte choices were better tasting, so you might wanna lean over that side of the menu in picking what to eat.  There were hits and misses but I still recommend this restaurant to everyone, especially students who are tired of eating at the same fastfood joints over and over again. :)

                                                                                       Later!☺

Upcoming.

Last week, a very good friend of mine invited me to have an early dinner in her friend's restaurant at Ampid, San Mateo, Rizal named Estancia de Lorenzo.  It's a farm to table restaurant that will be open to the general public soon; but so far, they're still on soft opening exclusively for family, colleagues, and friends. :)

Estancia's Duck Burger

This couldn't be more perfect to be their signature dish.  It deserves to have the restaurant's name on it.  I'm obsessed with their Kamias vinaigrette!!  It's tangy, sweet and uniquely refreshing!♥  And the salad matches the burger perfectly.  The patty tasted good but the seasoning was a little unbalanced, there were saltier parts and a little more binder was really needed to refrain it from falling apart but I really love that it's not oily or gamy.  The buns were falling to pieces too, so that needs to be fixed as well but so far so good.  :)

Duck Ragu Bolognese

I was told every dish were made from scratch!  I was really impressed because it could only get better from here. :)  What I love about this pasta is the chicharon-like bits.  I couldn't get enough of it! :D  Anyhoo, this dish is already A-okay, I don't have any critical comments. :)

Organic Duck Salpicao

People who like healthy organic food will really love EDL.  I would probably enjoyed this dish more if it came with mashed potato or twice baked potato or rice.  Haha! :p  The duck cubes were a little tough and chewy, probably from overcooking.  The sauce tasted amazing, it's salty with a hint of sweetness.  I personally prefer salpicao to be really garlic-y and pepper-y but I understand that some people don't like that. :)

Minted Kamias and Pineapple Basil

I was kind of disappointed with my Minted Kamias because I did not, in any way, tasted any hint of mint.  I expected it to be really refreshing because I imagined the coldness of mint and the sourness of kamias combined but I got shocked when I sipped and tasted what seems to taste like a candied kamias shake.  My friend opted for their Pineapple Basil and the combination was divine!☺

Triple Chocolate Tablea Smores

This dessert was not too sweet and the chocolate wafer won me over.  Think of champorado with a twist.  The smores were unavailable at the time so I'm kind of excited to go back and try this once again complete with smores. :)

Pandan Cheesecake

Sumptuous, isn't it?  I really like that the pandan flavor was incorporated really well in the cheesecake and the ice cream makes the ensemble burst flavors in your mouth. :)

I really believe that with a few alterations and innovations, Estancia de Lorenzo has a potential to be one of the best farm to table restaurant in the metro despite of being hidden in the suburbs of Rizal. :)  I want to thank my friend, Tweetums, for the invitation and the Lorenzo family, especially Katrina and Catherine, for the awesome dining experience, for the complimentary food, and for taking my comments with kindness and respect. :)

                                                                                             Toodles!☺

UP Town Girl

A few weeks ago, my classes ended early and I got a bunch of time to spare before my brother's dismissal that's why I decided to stay at UP Town Center in Katipunan.  There are a couple of restaurants, a coffee shop, and a boutique store in the building.  It's not entirely finished yet, so there might be more businesses to open soon. :)

I was alone at first, coming from school, and I chose to stay at Vanilla Cupcake Bakery to try it out for the first time.  Once I entered the shop, I can't help but to fangirl over the sweet treats!  It's like being in a bookstore for readers and being in a toy store for kids! :)

Vanilla Milkshake (Php 120.00)

Safe bet.  I was not feeling adventurous at the time so I opted for my truly trusted basic milkshake.

Oreo Cheesecake Cupcake (Php 95.00)

Cheesecake is one of my favorite cakes ever!  I have an experience making one and it's easy and hard at the same time.  I don't wanna go into details about my baking success and mishaps stories, just trust me on this one.  So I ordered this cupcake to see if they have what it takes to last in the competitive specialty restaurant world; And girl, they can in my opinion!  The cheesecake is dense and velvety.  It's also not too sweet.  The balance of oreo bits, oreo crust, cheesecake, and whipped cream is phenomenal!! :)

While I was there, my cousin arrived and we decided to try 8 Cuts Burger Blends because I've been reading a lot of fuss about it.  I wasn't able to take a photo of the interiors but I really dig it!  It's rustic-industrial.  I really love the unfinished vibe!

We picked the Rated GP (Add: Php 90.00) on the menu, that made our chosen burger a complete meal--with fries and soda.  Nothing special with the fries, just your regular fries with a little barbecue flavoring.

Burger with Sauce No. 3 (Php 145.00)

My cousin ordered this and it's practically the same everything with my order sans the cheese, so my full review or reaction will be below. :D

Affamato.

Eating some where I've never eaten before is one of my favorite things in the world.  It's like reading a book or watching a movie for the first time, it's always refreshing whether the experience is good or not.  

Friuli Trattoria is a well-known Italian restaurant in Maginhawa Street or the "eat street" of Quezon City.  My cousin, Mim, recommended this hole in the wall to me a while back.  But they renovated and closed the shop for some time that's why I just recently tried dining there. :)

Their menu.  The vibe of the restaurant isn't Italian-y and more on the low key side of interior design.  The whole area is also quite small but homey! :)

Mozzarella Sticks (Php 135.00)

I hate to put this out here but I think I'm a rat in my past life.  I am deeply and madly in love with cheese.  It's like bacon for me, and that's a big deal.  You know it! :)  This mozzarella sticks are crunchy and chewy, there's a good breading and filling proportion too!  And last but not the least, the salsa compliments the sticks so well!  I finished two sticks and probably would eat them all if I'm not with companions!♥

Tuna and Mushroom (Php 110.00)

I'm gonna be biased with this one because we, my cousins and I, always cook this at home!  So I found it fine tasting but not appetizing enough to make me get some more; Though there was a good portion of mushroom and tuna in the creamy sauce.  I think other people will really like this! :)

Pesto (Php 140.00)

Honestly, I was so disappointed with this pesto!  Out of all the pasta we ordered, this one's my idea because I love anything pesto.  To my dismay, it was so dry and bland. :(  My suggestion to make this dish better is I believe they should put more cheese on the pesto sauce to make it more creamy.

Spaghetti Meatsauce (Php 125.00)

I rarely order spaghetti meat sauce in restaurants.  Mainly because my mother make the best spaghetti meat sauce, ever.  Like, in the whole wide world!  Though I've never been everywhere, I know in my heart that's true.  And our relatives would agree, I swear!  Cross my heart! :)  So after tasting this one, I was kind of shocked that I liked it!  It's in the middle of filipino style and italian style spaghetti.  It has the right balance of sweetness and sourness, and it's also creamy care of the cheese. :)

Il mio piatto.♥

Viva Venezia (Php 210.00)

Ever since I can remember, I have always been a thin crust kind of girl.  I love the crisp and the ease in eating it.  I also like eating everything, no leftover for anyone to see. :D  I'm not sure if pizza can be described as hearty, but I'm gonna stand my ground and say this one is! :)

Tre Formaggi (Php 180.00)

Three cheese pizza!  Aaaah!  The death of me.  I guess I reached the verge of my allowable cheese consumption that day!  This pizza was good, a little salty but still good.  I ended up feeling nauseous with everything cheesy I ate, I swear never again. :)

My support group!☺  Cousins and friends that can talk about anything and everything happening in our lives!  No holds barred.♥ 

(T-B) Dianne, Arianne, Irisse, Mariz, Alyssa ☺

"Boyfriends and girlfriends come and go, but this is for life!"

-Phoebe Buffay, F.R.I.E.N.D.S

                                                                                                  Arrivederci!☺

Inter-'friend'-tion!☺

It was my cousin's birthday last June 4 that's why we decided to go to church and grab a late lunch out.  We ended up eating at MoMo Cafe since I begged for us to eat somewhere I have never blogged before. :D

Dalandan Frozen Iced Tea (Php 110.00) and Lychee Melon Smoothie (Php 120.00)

Refreshers!  Lychee Melon has got to be my favorite combo since I've tasted this ensemble!♥

Melted Four Cheese (Php 395.00)

You can win me over by sending pizza my way, any day!  This four cheese pizza is the bomb, I swear!  Umami!!☺

Sweet and Smoky Hickory BBQ Rib-lets (Php 450.00)

I've tasted way better BBQ ribs at a cheaper price, but this is not a total let down since it's really tender and the sauce is quite good, sweet and smoky as the name offers.  The onion rings are fried perfectly and the corn completed the Western feel of the plate.

Steak Rubbed Roast Chicken (Php 395.00)

Would you believe the chicken was raw when we cut it in half?  We sent it back to be cooked thoroughly and it took a a good 30 minutes to be served again.  I've eaten in Momo Cafe before, and my previous experience was so much better!

(L-R) Dianne, Mim, AA, Iris

The girl in black, Iris, is the birthday girl!  Do you ever have a cousin that turns out to be a good friend as well?  I have a dozen and I love it!  It's awesome because you're totally sure, they will always have your back, always.☺

"They say nothing lasts forever; dreams change, trends come and go, but friendships never go out of style."

-Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City (HBO)