Brian Ong: Sweet Patti Cakes by Patti Grandidge-Herrera

Sweet Patti Cakes by Patti Grandidge-Herrera
by: Brian Ong

One of the more reliable go-to places to buy exceptionally good comfort food (and in my opinion, best desserts) are the kitchens and stores of the home-cooks and home-bakers. These "kitchentreprenurs," have a high standard for quality and taste, and are usually teeming with passion for their creations. That is why when I get to find them, I make sure to share these great finds to my friends.

One highly recommended recent find is that of Patti Grandidge-Herrera's Sweet Patti Cakes, which offers premium home-baked creatively designed cupcakes and treats that would tickle your taste buds and other senses. 

"No one can resist a box of playfully sweet and utterly enchanting cupcakes," its website describes of their heavenly cakes in a cup. Truly, with 12 existing flavors to choose from, you are taken into a play of taste and flavors, which marries well, and would not disappoint.

Recently, I chances upon Patti's Instagram post of a creatively designed cupcake topper, made especially for dog lovers like herself. Her dog, Truffles, was also celebrating her 3rd month birthday. I wanted to do the same for my mini dachshund, Kiwi, who, back then, was also celebrating her 6th month birthday. 

I messaged Patti right away because besides the fact that I really wanted to try her cupcakes for the longest time then, it was a timely treat for Kiwi. :)

Finally, when the box of Sweet Patti Cakes arrived in my office, I was excited to bring it home to Kiwi! Look how she was when she saw the treats. But more importantly, Kiwi's owners had the best time eating all the yummy cupcakes.

Now, Patti just released three new additional flavors of Sweet Patti Cakes (Vanilla Vanilla, Vanilla Chip, and Vanilla Royale) in celebration of her three delicious cupcake making years, satisfying every customer and cupcake lover coming her way.

Do check out Sweet Patti Cakes Website and Facebook page for more details and how to order.

In Makati: Little Tokyo

In Makati: Little Tokyo
by: Nicole

Want to experience Tokyo without having to shell out thousands of pesos? You don't really need to apply for a Japanese visa, ride an airplane to have a little taste of Tokyo. Just go to Makati and say konnichiwa to Little Tokyo!

Yes, folks! That picture above is in Makati City, Philippines! :D Little Tokyo is comprised of Japanese restaurants which serve authentic Japanese meals. What makes this place authentic? Well, the owners of those restaurants and the people who cook the food they serve are Japanese!  These place is packed with Japanese people too! Now you know where to go to practice if you're learning ze language. :)

Little Tokyo is an awesome place for food trippin'! Our first stop: Okonomiyaki in Kagura Restaurant.

Okonomiyaki with squid (Php 230.00)
Good for 2 servings

Cooked by, I believe, the owner himself (the guy on the right in the photo below). One order of this is already filling for two. My friend and I ordered the okonomiyaki with squid - yummy! Next time, I'm trying the one with noodles!

Interior of Kagura Restaurant.

Lemme guess. The owner is a huge Tigers fan - a Japanese baseball team, obviously! The place if filled with all sorts of Tigers' knickknacks; even the TV screens are tuned in a Tigers' exclusive cable channel. :D

Oh look!  I don't know what this is called so let's just call it " traditional Japanese dining table." You know, where you have to take your shoes off and sit or kneel on those pillows. :)

After the okonomiyaki, our next stop was the Hana restaurant for takuyaki, ramen, and the super yummy Ramune shaved ice.

We chose to have the shaved ice first since it was the quickest one to prepare. BOY OH BOY OH BOY! THIS IS ONE OF A KIND! A really must try! It's flavour is so unique that I'm coming back to eat it again! It's so yummy -- an ultimate summer dessert! So happy eating it! Oh those scenes in the anime where the characters are eating this flash in my mind ha, ha!

Ramune Shaved Ice (Php 80.00)
with milk (Php 90.00)
Good for 2 servings

Then came my ramen. I told my friend I was not leaving that place until I get to eat a bowl of ramen! Ha, ha! I chose their bestseller - the shoyu ramen. It has pork slices, naruto, seaweed, and egg. I've never been so satisfied in a bowl of ramen until I got to eat this!  BURP!

Shoyu Ramen (Php 200.00)

Good for 2-3 servings

When I was about to finish my ramen, our takuyaki balls were served. My friend and I were already so full that we only got to eat one takuyaki each! We took home what's left. :) Just in case you're wondering what's inside each takuyaki ball, it's got squid, onions, and orange-colored ginger (which I thought carrots but the lady who's cooking told me those were minced ginger). :D

Takuyaki (Php 120.00 for 6 pcs)
My friend describes each piece as big as a baby's fist :D

 One of the things I like I about Little Tokyo is that each restaurant has its own specialty which you might not order from the other. I've tried two of Little Tokyo's restaurants so far - the okonomiyaki resto and the takuyaki one. Next time, I'm trying the one which speciality is sushi, the one on grilled stuff, and etcetera. Awesome place to hang out with friends and colleagues on a Friday night after work!

How to get to Little Tokyo? Click here for the map. Your primary landmark, there's McDonald's in front of the entrance.

Little Tokyo

2277 Pasong Tamo Corner Amorsolo Street, Makati, Philippines

In Makati: Burrito by Cantina Deliciosa

In Makati: Burrito by Cantina Deliciosa

by Nicole

Citizens of the Philippines, pearl of the Orient Sea, I present to you the most sulit, authentic, and absolutely delicioso burrito - the burrito by Cantina Deliciosa! 

Chorizo burrito (Php 80.00)

Words are not enough really to entice you to try this burrito. I swear, just go to their stall and grab one! You can have it with chorizo (a personal favorite) or steak, or chipotle spicy beef, or what they call the Triple "B" Breakfast burrito (which has bacon). With garlic or spicy or combo sauce, your choice - it's really gooooooooooood!

You can have it sliced into two - good for lunch and dinner since  one order of this is like eating one round from the buffet table - heavy! :)

It was one of my colleagues who introduced me to Cantina Deliciosa (Spanish for delicious canteen - truly lives up to its name!). When I was still new at work, he told me about this food stall which serves authentic Mexican food (that colleague grew up in Mexico so he really knows what authentic Mexican food tastes like). One lunch time, I went with him to buy lunch at Cantina Deliciosa and voila! Since then, I've been going back.

So, if you're somewhere in Ayala avenue during lunch time, you can either go to 2F Standard Chartered Building or at the Galleon Food Court (Lepanto Building) near Insular and look for Cantina Deliciosa. By the way, they don't just offer burrito, they've got other really good Mexican/Spanish food as well - enchillada, quesadillas, flautas, paellas (available on Paella Thursday - paella negra and valenciana), meatballs, mexican rice, oh just check their menu below! :) 

For the complete menu details, check their Facebook page here. They serve special dishes which vary every day so check them out! :)

The creators/owners of Cantina Deliciosa are Spanish. James, one of the owners, looks Mexican but he's not. I remember he and his wife telling me that their ancestors are from Spain. They speak Spanish hence if you're learning the language and want to practice while ordering a really g-o-o-d and satisfying meal both for your tummy and pockets, their food stall is the best place to be! BUEN PROVECHO! HAPPY EATING!

Cantina Deliciosa

Branch 1: 2F Standard Chartered Building, Ayala Avenue

Branch 2: Galleon Food Court, Lepanto Building, Paseo de Roxas Avenue

0917-892-2885 / 400-3399
Monday to Friday: 10:30 - 18:30

Claudette's Cloud 9

Claudette's Cloud 9

by Nicole

Presenting the most heavenly cake yet in the metro! Say hello to the Cloud 9 by Claudette's!!! :D

Cloud 9
(Php 380.00)

This is the cake everybody will certainly love, your tastebuds will most definitely approve, and heck you will crave for more! Three reasons - the sweetness is perfect (absolutely NOT like the other cakes that you'll get tonsillitis after eating), it is moist, and it is fudgy. A triple threat cake that's true to its name! You'll feel like in a special cloud after eating it, I swear! And oh a bonus - it does not cost much.

If you're in the Makati CBD area, there's no way you should miss this! Time to ditch those usual cakes and introduce your palate to this delightful dessert.

Cakes by Claudette's
Dolly Sin, Cappuccino Cake, Dulce de Leche, Carrot Walnut, Sansrival, Brazo de Mercedes, Caramel Crunch
Cheescakes: Blueberry, New York, Toblerone, 

Claudette's serves meals as well - different pasta dishes and rice meal. You might want to try their spicy pork (if I remember that right) - it's good too! 

Address and Telephone number:

Claudette's

Ground Floor Easton Place

118 Valero St.

Makati City

(02) 843-3996

Red Velvet Cupcakes by Sophie's Mom

Red Velvet Cupcakes by Sophie's Mom

written by Nicole | photos by Therese

I'll keep this post short since words will leave your mouth and your mind once you get to eat these. These are the cupcakes that changed Thea's life (she said so herself) :D

Red velvet cupcakes by Sophie's Mom
Php 50.00 each

When Thea (that's what we call Therese) came last week for a short vacation here in the pearl of the Orient seas, Philippines, I bought her these because I know there are no red velvet cupcakes as delicious as these in Taiwan. She agreed and so I'm sure she's missing these right now, aren't you Thea? Only if I could email you these ha ha!

Next to cheesecakes, cupcakes are one of the very few desserts I can never, ever resist (unless of course they're too sweet for my throat and taste buds). I love these red velvets by Sophie's Mom myself because the cream cheese on top is the BOMB! It's really, really, really, really, really, G-O-O-D! The cream cheese is the very reason why I always crave for these cupcakes!

There's a small chunk of chocolate inside which Thea really liked.

I can't really describe in words how yummy these cupcakes are so why don't you just try them yourself? Who knows it might also change your life, just the way it did to Thea ha ha! As for me, these cupcakes sure make me happy. :)

Sophie's Mom in SM Megamall
This is their second shop. Their first shop is located at 

• 8760 Santol St., San Antonio Village
• Makati, Philippines 1203

Sophie's Mom
SM Megamall Bldg. A, Ground Floor (Near National Bookstore)
Telephone: 856-4849 / 404-8165 / 0920 912 9952

Therese in the Philippines: Balkan Yugoslavian Home Cooking

Intro: You probably don't know this, but I went home to the Philippines last month. In the span of the 9 days that I was there, I tried 5 new restaurants around the metro, and I even went out of town! Therefore, let me take a short break from my Taiwan posts and in my next few entries, I am going to write about the new places I've been to in and around the metro!

We hadn't tried Yugoslavian food before so when I saw a deal in one of the Groupon sites I was a member of, I immediately told my family about it. According to what I saw on the Internet, reservation is required. We went there one Thursday lunch, and we were the only ones there.

Since we were told that servings were huge, we decided to just order a few dishes to share. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Goulash - The classic beef stew of the Balkans. | PhP 250

We had 2 orders of the goulash and had them split it 5 ways. This was the perfect mix of salty and spicy. The beef was tender and it melted in your mouth. The pasta was also cooked al dente. Yum!

Stuffed Pljeskavica - The burger stuffed with mozzarella, served with rice or fries. | PhP 320

 I liked this because it was stuffed with mozzarella!

Cevapici - The signature Serbian sausages made from spiced ground beef. | PhP 280

This dish was a bit too salty for me. Plus, I think it's sort of the same with the dish above, except that it didn't have cheese.

Batak - Boneless chicken thigh, grilled to perfection, topped with melted mozzarella. | PhP 290

I liked this dish the most because the chicken was indeed grilled to perfection. Plus, it was topped with a generous serving of mozzarella! Yummy!

Palacinke - Traditional Serbian crepes filled with Nutella | PhP 120

I think it can be said that anything with Nutella is delicious, right?

Apple pie

This wasn't on the menu, and we just asked the server if they had other desserts. Normally, I don't like to eat apple pie but this one is different. It was spot on!

Address:
Ground Floor Maripola Building, 109 Perea Street, Legaspi Village Makati 1500
Reservation is required, please call +63.917.547.4188 or +632.846.0744
Restaurant hours: 11:00am – 10:00pm daily

Nicole's Museum Hopping: Yuchengco Museum + Rizal Coffee

Nicole's Museum Hopping: Yuchengco Museum
by Nicole


This year is about to end and a new one is about to start hence people are going to pen their to-do lists once again. As for me, I've started writing mine last month. One of the things listed: visit museums around the metro.

So it began. First stop is. . .  the Yuchengco Museum in RCBC Plaza, Makati City! HONESTLY, this is my second museum stop but I decided to share this one first :D

@ the Yuchengco Museum entrance

My humble camera died so most of the photos here are from my lovely friend (who's actually more like a sister :D).  So grateful she went with me! She also said she'll be joining me in my next museum trips so HOORAY to that! I am stoked!

The Yuchengco museum opened in September 2005. A pretty young museum but one of the best I've been to. It was created to house the art collection of businessman, diplomat Alfonso T. Yuchengco. You don't just see paintings and sculptures here but you can also read books. I just looove that this museum has a library in it! I spent a couple of hours reading some books from those shelves - España, Bound to Empire: The United States and the Philippines, and O.D. Corpuz' The Roots of the Filipino Nation.  If get rich, I would absolutely build something like this!

Library at the 4th floor
This is also the room that showcases a glimpse of Mr. Yuchengco's roots and his works.
You can also see paintings of the women associated with Jose Rizal here.

How do I go around a museum? The best way is to start from the very top - learned this from one of my favorite museums which I will be showing you guys soon. Take the elevator up to the top most floor then journey down by taking the stairs. Take the stairs - you'll get to see more stuff than taking the boring elevator :D

The Yuchengo Museum is currently hosting the Nothing to Declare exhibit. Nothing to Declare aims to contribute to the discourse on migration, the movement not just of people across borders, but also of forms and realities across time and space.

This one is one of the coolest in the exhibit! These eggs won't break even if you step on them. A metaphor for being strong and yet fragile.

 “The Easter Bunny—Just As Charming and Just As Fake” Ovoid/Void piece (2010)
 wherein the author invites the audience to walk on a ground
made of resin trays filled with resin eggs.
3rd Floor

Beside those eggs is this piece called "Suspended Garden." There are few ways on how to view this floating potato or pebble-looking recycled pulp pieces. One is to look at this from the top (just how this photo was taken). You can also lie down on that circular carpet (which is made of newspaper formed into strings). We did lie down and it was so cool! I didn't understand it but like what my friend told me, "you don't need to understand art. You just have to experience it."

Experiencing art
Tony Gonzales and Tes Pasola (Philippines) Suspended Garden Installation (recycled pulp), 2010
3rd Floor

Now down at the ground, you'll see a continuation of the Nothing to Declare exhibit, paintings by Juan Luna, Botong Francisco. . .

The Yuchengco museum joins the 150th year of Jose Rizal's birthday hence in almost every floor, there's something about Rizal. This one is, for me, the center of it all.

"Genius has no country" - Jose Rizal
A painting of Jose Rizal (center) by Juan Luna. The other two paintings are by Luna and Hidalgo
The paragraphs written on this wall are excerpts from Rizal's famous speech delivered in 1884 at Hotel Ingles, Madrid

Speaking of Rizal, here's my take home. I bought this limited edition Jose Rizal Blend from the Yuchengco Museum store. This is the most fragrant coffee I've ever smelled, hands down! The aroma is just addictive! I was so eager to drink this so we boiled this for breakfast ha ha! We don't have yet a coffee grinder at home that's why.

Php 250.00
A combination of Arabica and Robusta coffee grown in the Philippines

I had a blast in this museum! I can't wait to go back! I hope you'll get to visit this museum too. Entrance is only 100 pesos. Happy Christmas!  :)



Address and Telephone number
Yuchengco Museum
RCBC Plaza
Corner Ayala and Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenues
Makati City, Philippines 1200

Information: (632) 889 1234
Please note that the museum is at the courtyard of RCBC Plaza.


Museum hours
Monday to Saturday
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed Sunday and on holidays

Restaurant Review | Lu Restaurant

Since it was my mom's birthday last April, she asked us to look for a restaurant for us to try. My sister picked Lu since she read that it served Mediterranean food with Moroccan flavors (hello Google!).

The place looks very neat and simple. It felt very casual--the sort of place where you meet friends at and just talk. I also noticed that most of the customers were middle-aged.

Appetizer

Lu's Sizzling Gambas
Php 385, US$ 9

By the time I brought out my phone to take a picture, everyone already grabbed some of the gambas as we were all starving.

As I was about to take my share, my mom's friend warned me that it was a little spicy.

The night just started to get better. 

I love seafood and I love spicy.

- more appetizers -

crispy prawn & shiitake spring rolls, vietnamese rice rolls with curried chicken sampler 

Php 275, US$ 6.34

argentinean hand-chopped beef empanadas 

Php 225, US$ 5.19

Salad

Falafel & Greek-style Yogurt (over mixed greens) 

Php 275, US$ 6.34

I love falafel and I love yogurt. As a student, I would frequent Mister Kabab just to have my fill of their falafel sandwich. 

My good friend Don went on a tour in Europe and told me about how he ate falafel almost every day. 

This salad was sweet and the falafel balls were a the right bit of crunchy on the outside. Yummy. 

- more salads -

sweet mandarins, goat's milk feta from davao & roasted cashews (over mixed greens)

Php 345, US$ 7.95

twisted caesar (a fusilli remix of the classic) 

allergen alert: dressing contains shrimp

Php 275, US$ 6.34

Fish & Seafood

feisty moroccan fish & shrimp brochettes (with edamame rice) 

Php 425, US$ 9.79

Steak!

USDA Premium Angus Ribeye Steak (with roasted garlic & 2 sides of your choice) 500g boneless

Php 1,850, US$ 42.64

The meat so tender and the mashed pumpkin so sweet -- my kind of dish

After the steak, I was too full to even enjoy the pasta dishes that we ordered. I don't even remember what they taste like now. I just remember one of them being really spicy too. 

LU RESTAURANT
G/F Joya Building Joya Drive 
Rockwell Makati
Metro Manila
Philippines
+63(2) 4033991