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

Dolcelli's Mango Royale

Dolcelli's Mango Royale

By Nicole

I looooove mangoes so I was thrilled to have a taste of this cake.

The base of this cake was interesting. Made of crushed graham, nuts, and I think I tasted rice krispies there too, its texture was chewy and its taste was somehow similar to sans rival. It reminded me a bit of my childhood - for two seconds, I had an Antoine Ego-in-Ratatouille-kind-of-moment there (good sign).

Sugar paranoids might like this cake because it is not sweet. You might back off a little bit since this cake is loaded with cream. It would've been really good if the base was thicker and had lesser cream (just my opinion). The thick cream was also the reason why this cake was not full of flavour.

You don't normally smell cakes but oh the fragrance of mangoes! The mangoes used in this cake, I can tell, were good ones. Reasons - they made the cake smell so good and those mangoes on top tasted fresh and sweet. Although mangoes are available in the Philippines all year round, during the wet season, they don't taste as good as those which you can eat during summer.  So I was impressed that Dolcelli's Mango Royale cake has royal tasting mangoes (in other words, delicious ripe mangoes).

It was delivered to my office so I wasn't able to photograph it on a decent plate >.<

Dolcelli is a "dessert boutique" where you can buy cakes designed by its owner, cake artist and baker Denise. They offer celebration cakes, cup cakes, wedding cakes, and specialty cakes. Check out their Facebook page  - here  you can see Denise's creations. Really cute designs! You might want to visit their website too for a complete list of products.

Dolcelli
Unit A1, 618 Kathrina Building, Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City
267-2468; 0922 – 8162468

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

Chocolate Mochi is Back at the Soul Shop

Chocolate Mochi is Back at the Soul Shop
by Nicole


Want mochi? I've just got the perfect mochi balls you'll love for sure!!! P-R-O-M-I-S-E!

Soul Shop's Chocolate Mochi Balls
Php 25.00 each

These are the chocolate mochi balls sold only at one of my favourite places, the Soul Shop. The pictures are no lies; they are huge (way bigger than the mochis I've seen at the malls and, not to mention, cheaper!). Each mochi ball has dark chocolate inside and it's covered with chocolate truffles. These are not fried but only chilled. The taste is suuuuper yummy - really, really, REALLY GOOD!

Last summer, these mochis also took a vacation so I'm just sooo happy, sooo stoked to have them back! I waited for them all summer! When I learned they're back, I went to Soul Shop the following day and right before I said anything, the lady asked me, "mochi?" Oh the joy!!! Welcome back mochi balls!

UPDATE (November 2012):

Soul Shop's mochi balls now have faces! :D There are now coconut covered mochis too - still at Php 25.00 each! Call 352-1207 or 374-4811 before going to the shop because these mochis are easily sold out. TRUST ME!

Still the best tasting mochi!

Soul Shop

Crossroad 77 Bldg. #77 Mother Ignacia Avenue Corner Scout Reyes St. 

Brgy Paligsahan, 1100 Quezon City

(+632) 352-1207 / 374-4811

Visit Soul Shop's Facebook for their menu and how to find them. Click here

The Wine Museum Manila

Wine Museum Manila
28 July 2012
By Nicole


First off, thank you Breakfast Magazine, Mr. Jorge, and Chef John Joseph for a gratifying Wine Museum experience! It was such a treat!

Wine Museum is an establishment composed of a hotel, a restaurant, and a wine education centre. A visit here is definitely worth it because the food is good and NOT too expensive, the people are nice, and the wines are really affordable (the wines in the restaurant have the same price with the ones in their store, Ralph's Wines & Spirits. They don't charge corkage fee!). Plus, if you really want to learn a lot about wine, this is the place to be! I swear! :D By the way, the wine descriptions in this post came from the Wine 101 presentation by Mr. Jorge.

Wine Museum Restaurant

Wine Museum's restaurant offers "colonial" dishes which means a fusion of dishes - Spanish, American, and Filipino cuisine. (Now, that term is controversial. I remember all my classes back in college where you could get into serious discussions by just mentioning that word :D). Anyway,  for the complete menu with price, click here for their website.

For the appetizers, we were served with sliced Vigan longaniza, mushroom vinaigrette, and gambas al ajillo (shrimps with garlic). These appetizers were served with the Chardonnay.

Right wine glass:  Claro (Chilean) – Chardonnay

"This Chardonnay has a nice yellow color with some pleasant notes of grapefruit and tropical fruits on the nose. On the palate, it has volume and refreshing acidity to enjoy it with seafood and slightly spicy dishes."

Left wine glass: Claro (Chilean) – Merlot

"Very bright ruby–violet color. The wine has intense aromas typical of its variety with abundant notes of ripe red fruits, plum, pepper and menthol. Its tannins are sweet and velvety. It has a long and lingering finish."

After the appetizers and the Chardonnay, was the main course!

The Claro (Chilean) – Merlot  (picture above) was the wine for the first half of the main course. The Merlot was paired with the sopa de calabaza, pescado con ali oli (fish with garlic and oil vinaigrette), and the paella colonial.

This sopa de calabaza (squash soup) is absolutely one of the best tasting squash soup I've ever had.

Pescado con ali oli (fish with garlic and oil vinaigrette)

Paella Colonial

Their paella is better than what I had in Madrid! Primary reason: it has a distinctive Filipino touch - it's really tasty.  I liked that they used fresh olives because those olives enhanced the flavour of the dish. The rice in their paella is cooked with beer! And I quote, "the best beer in the world, San Miguel pale pilsen." That is really something! In a Spanish cookbook we have at home, the paella recipes there are cooked with white wine.

It's not easy to find a good paella in this country but now we know where to find one! By the way, I got an awesome tip from The Chef/ General Manager, John Joseph, Jr. Want your frozen fish to still taste fresh? Soak it with milk before cooking! Because milk, according to Chef Joseph, will remove that stinky fishy smell and taste ("lansa" in Filipino) of frozen fish. Ting! Light bulb moment! Will try it next time :D

Left wine glass: Claro (Chilean) – Cabernet Sauvignon

"This attractive violet wine expresses cassis and fresh cherry notes. It has a nice and long finish showing a well-balanced wine with round and ripe tannins. This wine is an excellent complement to spicy dishes and red meats."

The first two wines, the Chardonnay and the Merlot, were light while the Cabernet Sauvignon is "full-bodied and tannic." Of the three, I like the Cabernet Sauvignon best.

Mexican Chicken

Cabernet Sauvignon was paired with Mexican Chicken and their bestseller Crispy Toro.

Crispy Toro

I love the crispy toro - an absolutely unforgettable dish! I don't think you can eat something like it somewhere else. The meat is crispy and yet so tender.

For the dessert, we were served with this Hazelnut Crepes a la Mode.

Hazelnut Crepes a la Mode

Oh these hazelnut crepes are ethereally yummy!!!! Thumbs up that the sweetness is just right! You should not leave Wine Museum without eating this!

Dessert wine: Lambrusco Emilia

A lot of people will sure love this Lambrusco Emilia! It's light, fruity, and perfect for dessert! I had two glasses of it ha, ha!

Wine Museum

View from the second floor

Wine Museum is basically a restaurant museum with a hotel. They have wine magazines that you can read and the walls, especially of the second floor, are decorated with wine facts - history, process of making wine, etc. The second floor is where they conduct lectures. The Wine Museum is also a foundation that was created  to educate people about wines. They provide facilities, including hotel and resto for on-the-job training for students, managers, practitioners and educators.

Mr. Jorge Joseph, the Marketing Manager of The Wine Museum, demonstrating how to use this old wine press

It was really nice visiting this place! Again, thank you Breakfast Magazine, to Mr. Jorge, and Chef John Joseph! And oh before I forget, their annual Grand Wine Experience will be held this November! Watch out for it!


P.S.

Thea, wish you were with me! Our awesome batch should have a get together here. :D They have organic wines from La Rioja!!!


Address and Telephone number:

The Wine Museum Hotel & Resto
2253 Aurora Boulevard (formerly Tramo Road) Pasay City, Manila
+63 2 239 42 78

Papa John's Pizza

Papa John's
by Nicole


Hungry for pizza? Head over to the nearest Papa John's! Hands down, the pizza here is definitely BETTER!

We all know that pizza is junk food but here in Papa John's, their pizzas are certainly not junk (unless of course you eat too much and you don't exercise to turn all the carbs you ate into energy instead of storing them into fat). Papa John's pizzas are first of all not oily (standing ovation y'all :D) and the dough is perfect - chewy, not over or under baked, and not bland. Papa John's boasts of serving only "fresh, never frozen, original dough" which, in my opinion, is evident in the taste and the texture of it.

Every time my folks and I go here, we always have this salad. In my family, we always see to it as much as possible to eat something raw before devouring anything cooked because raw food is great for digestion compared to cooked food for heat destroys the enzymes in the food. Enzymes are necessary for digestion and you get enzymes on raw food. Anyway, going back to the salad, I like this because the veggies are fresh-tasting.

Chef's Salad

For starters, I highly recommend these cheese sticks! They call them cheese sticks but they don't look like sticks, right? Anyhow that is not important because these, THESE ARE DELICIOUS!!! If there's one junk food that I could only eat for the rest of my life, these would be my number one pick. Make sure you don't leave Papa John's without trying these cheese sticks. They are served with two kinds of sauces - one butter and some tomato sauce.

Cheese Sticks
Php 99.00

Before we go the the pizza, let's explore a little bit on Papa John's pastas. First we have the seafood marinara. Just by looking at the photo, you know that it's real seafood. I mean, there are some restaurants where on their menu it says "seafood" but when they serve you the food, you only get two/three pieces of shrimp, a tiny slice of squid and that's it. I'm just happy that this pasta does not disappoint. I like the sauce of this pasta too - just right for my taste.

Seafood Marinara
Php 190.00

This carbonara is my ever-picky sister's favourite. She ate it all! That sister of mine is so picky with food she should be in the Guinness World Book of Records so if she's able to finish a plate of food, then that food sure is good. Trust me on that.

Seafood Carbonara
Php 180.00

Now let's get down to business. Presenting the pizzas! Each pizza comes in different sizes. They have the 6" (4 slices), 9" (6 slices), 12" (8 slices), and 14" (10 slices).

Pepperoni pizza comes first. This never misses our table.

Papa John's Pepperoni
Jr. Papa (Php 160), 9" (Php 315), 12" (Php 450), 14" (Php 555)

I'm not sure if you've already noticed but that day, it was seafood overload for us ha ha! Not complaining though because all of the food was good! I've never eaten a seafood pizza filled with much seafood as this in any other place. Thumbs up to Papa John's!

Papa John's call their seafood pizza "Fisherman's catch." This pizza indeed has plump shrimps and calamari, green peppers, and onions. It is served with garlic sauce too but I wasn't able to try that on this pizza.

Fisherman's Catch
9" (Php 315), 12" (Php 450), 14" (Php 555)

This is the most unforgettable pizza I've eaten from Papa John's so far. They call this "Super Papa" and their menu says this is the ultimate combination of tasty toppings - pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, and black olives. Pepperoni is my number 1 favourite pizza but this Super Papa, super beats pepperoni! Super Papa is super GOOD. I love the taste - the flavours go so well together, it has a hint of sweetness in it because of the onions, then a strong flavour from the Italian sausage and olives, the cheese and the tomato sauce are wow and the dough is perfect!

Papa John's Super Papa
9" (Php 340), 12" (Php 475), 14" (Php 580)

With all that I ate that day, I told myself I'd never eat pizza ever again but then again, I already said that a couple of times before. Hence, I guess I'll never give up on you, pizza! By the way, if you can't get enough of Papa John's pizza, you may want to take advantage of their UNLI PIZZA every Tuesdays, from 6PM to 9PM for only Php 199! Promo runs until 24 July 2012.  Go, go, go! Careful with the carbs though.

Papa John's Philippines:

1. Robinsons Galleria Veranda (631 8689/ 736 0570)

2. University Mall Taft Ave (536 5434 / 536 4612)
3. Greenhills (721 9676 / 722 2612)
4. SM Megamall (634 0966 / 637 5299)
5. Brick Road, Sta Lucia (645 7272 / 681 4147)
6. Tomas Morato (921 7272 / 921 7590)
7. BF Homes, Pque (519 7272 / 478 1171)
8. SM Fairview (921 7764 / 921 8423)
9. SM North EDSA (921 8263 / 921 8321)
10. Arnaiz Ave (887 7272 / 822 5272)
11. Greenbelt 3 (919 4925 / 919 4926)
12. Jupiter, Makati (890 7272 / 836 2096)
13. Waltermart Sucat (801 7272 / 801 6615)

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