Lōla Cafe + Bar

It's quite a surprise I was took here one night for our dinner date, THANK YOU. As frequent food trippers of Tomas Morato, he must have eyed on this restaurant when we once dined at its neighboorhood Buenissimo by Cafe Ysabel. 

Lōla Cafe + Bar is a safe haven surrounded by lush greenery amidst the hustle and bustle of Tomas Morato. This post-WWII-ancestral-house-turned-resto was named after the house owner and mother of the Sanvictores family. 

So, here's our experience and what we had:

Veggie Hummus
eggplant hummus served with pita bread
(Php 150 + 10% service charge)

Herbed pita bread was very crispy.

Mixed Seafood Stew
fish, shrimp, mussel slow cooked basil tomato sauce
(Php 300 + 10% service charge)

Tapa Benedicts

two-piece English muffin with beef tapa, caramelized onion,
poached egg and drizzled with Hollandaise dressing

(Php 350 + 10% service charge)

Their famous Filipinized version of egg Benedicts, the tapa was tender and flavorfully sweet. The Hollandaise dressing was creamy.  

Cocktails: Sao Paolo
whiskey, vodka, bellpepper, apple, lychee syrup
(Php 195 + 10% service charge)

Mocktails: Rio
mint leave, grapefruit, and soda(Php 120 + 10% service charge)

Refreshing drinks on cute mason jars. 

PROS:

• A very homey hangout place for family/friends and an ideal restaurant for intimate date nights. 
• An impressive two storey place with an alfresco dining space. The white-black-gray interior from inside-out made it look modern, chic and cozy leaving no traces that it was used to be an post WWII ancestral house. 
• Enjoyed their mocktails & cocktails. Their presentation of food and drinks are a treat in the senses.
• Nice staffs.

CONS:

• We didn't enjoy what we ordered. Maybe, we should've tried their pastas as what the people in the social media were giving praises about.

THE VERDICT: ★ ★ ★ 

I'd definitely commend everything about the place but the taste of the food. I'm slightly curious on what I've missed out on their pastas though. Hence, I might think twice before going back at the restaurant again. 

P.S. Already tried this restaurant? Feel free to share your experience and recommend a dish on the comment section! Thank you! xoxo

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Lōla Cafe + Bar

99 Scout Lozano, Near Tomas Morato, 
Laging Handa, Quezon City

Operating Hrs: 

Sunday, Tues. to Thurs. - 3pm to 11pm
Fri to Sat. 3pm to 1am

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Cupcakes by Sonja

It was back in 2006 that the Cupcake Craze have taken Manila by storm and the master initiator, Ms. Sonja Ocampo, the owner of Cupcakes by Sonja. 

Now the craze had already died down, but, I was able to visit the famous cupcake wonderland only summer this year. Well, for two reasons: first, I was too skeptical to try it out before because my benchmark for an oh-so-delicious cupcakes was of Pau's Cupcakes, owned by my college friend Paula Deuna. Second, the location of the cupcake shop, yet , it finally opened a branch at Ayala Fairview Terraces which saved me a lot of energy going down south. 

The shop offers three categories of dessert: The Non-Refrigerated Cupcakes, which are best eaten fresh upon purchase and at room temperature; Refrigerated Cupcakes, which are best enjoyed cold and can be stored for two days; and Other Goodies: Like Chocolate Chip Cookies, Crack Pies, Whoopie Pies, and Bars. Check out Cupcake by Sonja's delectable cupcake selections HERE *drools*

So, here's my experience and what I had:

Sinful delights waiting to be savored.

Red Velvet Vixen
Traditional Southern red velvet
made with Belgian cocoa and topped with cream cheese icing
(Php 85)\

The much rave about red velvet cupcake is far from the super sweet red velvet kind that I'm used to. The icing is thick and flavorfully cheesy with the right amount of sweetness.

Chocolate Surprise w/ Vanilla Buttercream
(Php 80)

Vanilla Sunshine
(Php 75)

The classic. Among the three, I like this more.

PROS:

• The chromatic interior of the pastry shop is such a pleasure to the senses.
• The way the cupcakes were presented are truly enticing and give you wonder how heavenly these pastries must be.
• The cupcakes' texture is smooth and nicely moist. It's rich in flavor.
• Their staffs are heartwarming and keep smiles on their faces.

CONS:

• None that I've observed.

THE VERDICT: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

It's a cupcake wonderland that made me fall in love with this sinful pastry. I'll definitely comeback here and find more joy on other cupcakes flavors. It's a happy place and a reflection of the owner's intense passion for serving great food. The variety of flavors is exceptional and the quality is impeccable. 

P.S. Already tried this restaurant? Feel free to share your experience and recommend a dish on the comment section! Thank you! xoxo

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Cupcakes by Sonja

Ayala Fairview Terraces

G/F Ayala Fairview Terraces

Quezon City

Operating Hrs: 

Mon to Sun - 10 am to 9pm

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H&M Philippines Opening Day!

October 17 the big day for all the fashionistas, shopaholics, H&Mholics or whatever kind of fashion addict you categorize yourself into. It's because H&M has finally opened it's first and flagship store in the Philippines located at SM Mega Fashion Hall.  

H&M (Hennes & Mauritz) is a Swedish multinational retail-clothing company known for its fast fashion clothing for men, women, teens, and children including athletic and lingerie. Plus, it's known for guest/designer collaborations! Some collections from the past were with Stella McCartney, Madonna, Comme des Garçons, Jimmy Choo, Versace, Beyoncé, etcetera. 

What awaited Filipinos is the three floor H&M store, covering 3,000 square meters, offering the hottest trends and timeless pieces at an affordable prices. Sounds awesome right? Another GOOD NEWS is... it will soon open stores in Robinson's Place Manila, Robinson's Magnolia, SM City North EDSA, and SM Makati. 

Not to mention the exclusive opening deals where the first customer in line got P6,000 worth of gift certificates while the next 200 got P200 - P5,000 worth of GCs among other 50% off discounts and giveaways. The result?

The heat battle and the CRAZY long line at 7:30 in the morning.
I can just say WOW to those eager shoppers who camped out since day before.

My post after arranging the lines to accommodate more people.
I'm so glad it's very organized.

Oh, water! How thoughtful.

At 9:30am finally the line is slowly moving. Umbrella revolution happening.

At last, I'm in! The calm before the storm. 

Giveaways before entering the store.

As much as I want to take photos, it's seriously a shopping war inside. Athirst shoppers were so high to get hold of the very few discounted pieces which were definitely gone in no time. 

People GONE WILD over discounted jeans which only cost P499.
Stocks vanished right before my eyes.  

Queue status by 12nn

LONGGGGG lines everywhere from fitting rooms to cashier. I've shopped for almost 4hrs and took me almost 1 1/2hrs before I got to pay in the counter. I was definitely exhausted beyond words. 

The fruit of my exhaustion aside were an aching empty tummy, shoulder pain and... my H&M clothing haul.

Denim Shirt
Php 999

Super Skinny Low Jeans
Php 1190

Fine-knit Cardigan
Only discounted piece I bought from P499 to P299

Minus all the tiresome adventure, I was satisfied with the pieces I bought and will DEFINITELY shop here more!!! The collections are very much the package I'm looking for, diverse, timeless but stylish at a very reasonable price.

QUICK FYI: This coming November 6, 2014, Alexander Wang X H&M line will also be released in the Philippines. The highly anticipated collab will be the first with an American designer. Does this means Filipinos need not to fly to another country for future collabs? Check out the short film and take a closer look on the Alexander Wang X H&M performance-wear collection.

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H&M Philippines

SM Mega Fashion Hall

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El Chupacabra

I'M BACK! Wow! It's been ages since I last updated my blog.*sigh* I never knew I'd missed blogging this MUCH. It felt like reuniting with a lover after being in a long distance relationship (LDR) for 3 months. So enough with the emo stuffs and here's my comeback post.

Since last year,  El Chupacabra is making a huge buzz to the foodie community and was hailed as the hottest street tacos hang-out place in Makati. Thus, summer this year, I organized a girls night out with my friends (A & K) and chose El Chupacabra to finally scratch it off my hit list and satisfy my curious tastebuds. 

El Chupacabra means sucker (chupa) + goat (cabra) is a fabled creature that sucks blood out of livestock, especially goats. As for their menu, it prides itself with an authentic Mexican street tacos, cheap beer and barbeque. 

Luckily, we got a seat inside. The red light gives off an uncomfy feel though.

As you can see, you can doodle and freely write all your 
whatevers on their walls. 

So, here's our experience and what we had:

Carne Asada 
Grilled Steak
(Php 95)

Al Pastor
Shawarma-style, chile marinated pork, very popular in Mexico
(Php 95)

Baja California Fish Taco
White fish fillet (not cream dory) topped with shredded cabbage,
tomatoes, and a secret sauce
(Php 125)

Grilled Boneless Chicken Skewers 
(Php 50/piece)

This is a BIG HIT for me!

Taco Quesadilla Cheese Garlic
(Php 218)

PROS:

• I am a HUGE Mexican food lover. As for our experience, we liked everything we ordered but the Al Pastor, Cheese Garlic Quesadilla, esp the Grilled Boneless Chicken Skewers definitely stood out. UH-YUMMYYY!
• They have a wide selection of street tacos and each has their own distinct flavor.
• Definitely lived up to their promise of authentic Mexican street food at  a very reasonable price. 

CONS:

• This is our huge disappointment, the uncleanliness of the place even on prep of the food. El Chupacabra prepares orders on an open kitchen so customers can easily scrutinize how the foods were prepared. We're almost done eating when we saw the cook accidentally dropped the tortilla BUT STILL placed it back to the pile of clean tortillas. 
• It would have been a good hang-out place if the area can accommodate enough people to resolve long line of waiting customers.

THE VERDICT: ★ ★ ★ 

I would have given this place 4 stars because I loved the food here, authentic Mexican street food and affordable. It's just that what we have witnessed was a HUGE TURN OFF. 

P.S. Already tried this restaurant? Feel free to share your experience and recommend a dish on the comment section! Thank you! xoxo

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El Chupacabra

5782 Felipe St. cor. Polaris St. Makati City
Operating Hrs: 
Sun to Wed - 11 am to 12mn, 
Thurs to Sat - 11am to 3am

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Buenisimo by Café Ysabel

For us, special occasions demand to be celebrated with great food and fine wine just like what we had for his birthday months ago at Buenisimo by Café Ysabel. 

Last year, we had a palatable dining experience at Café Ysabel... and how can we ever forget the addictingly sweet and spicy flavor of their Zatar (Middle Eastern spice) dip which is paired onto their lavosh (Persian flatbread) bread. So, we had likely expected Buenisimo's dishes to be as equally good knowing it's under the management of Café Ysabel.

Buenisimo is a Spanish word, used to describe something as very, very good or someone exceptionally beautiful. The restaurant is owned by Gino and Giannina, son and daughter of the Gene Gonzalez a respected culinary icon and the man behind the success of Café Ysabel. 

As for their menu, it is a combination of Café Ysabel's favorites and experimental dishes inspired by Asian and European cuisines. Feel free to check their menu here. 

So, here's our experience and what we had:

Lavosh (Persian flatbread) & Zatar (Middle Eastern spice) Dip 

While waiting, we were served by the signature Café Ysabel's bread & dip. Initially, we were so glad it was offered here too! However, *sound of shattered glasses on the background* we were disappointed that their Zatar dip here was less flavorful compared to what we at had at Café Ysabel. 

Silk Road Salad 
Mixed Greens, Chinese Sausage, Dried Apricots, Smoked Salmon,
Papadoms, Tamarind Cilantro Dressing
(Php 318)

For starters, fresh and slightly moist fruits and veggies were what we had. We are salad lovers, indeed!

Glazed Spareribs
(Php 428)

This tasted truly delightful as it looks. It has that invitingly yummy scent, so tender and juicy.

Salmon Steak with Pearl Onion Merlot Glaze
& Hazelnut Butter Cream
(Php 468)

A well-executed dish, the salmon was flavorful and well-cooked wonderfully paired with a small serving of an oil-based pasta. Obviously, we are both big salmon eaters... we just can't get enough it. 

They have a decent selection of wines.
These are some on display.

Before anything else here's a Wine Etiquette 101

Basic Wine Pairing Rule: 

"Lighter meat, lighter wine (includes salads). Darker meat, darker wine."

 

So, we ordered a glass serving of white and red wine... my bad, I've forgotten to take note of their names though. Btw, their service water is infused with mint and/or a citrusy flavor.  

It was too late when I had realized everything we ordered (except the wine) were the exact dishes we had at Café Ysabel last year (except that we also had their Paella that time).  

PROS:

• The interiors are very  elegant, modern and up-beat, even their centerpieces. Definitely a superb twist from the "homey feel and oldness" of Café Ysabel.
• The chic ambiance and soothing music give you that romantic feel and comfort which makes it a great place for date nights. 
• Their staffs are well-trained and attentive. One of the waiters was actually on standby (almost 2 meters away from us) just in case we needed something,.. they only have two customers that time which can be a factor. Likewise, their guard was really helpful, he even opened up the car door for me. 
• The foods are well-executed, delectable, and  artistically presented but in a very reasonable price. Plus, they have a fine selection of beverages and wines. 

CONS:

• None that I've observed.

THE VERDICT: ★ ★ ★ ★

Overall, it was a satisfying dining experience. The ambiance, the privacy we get, their distinctive dishes, and quality wines were just everything we had wanted for the special occasion. It may not have the  best dishes in town, but, they've proved that the combination of good things can make a extraordinary mark on their customers.

P.S. Already tried this restaurant? Feel free to share your experience and recommend a dish on the comment section! Thank you! xoxo

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Buenisimo by Café Ysabel

 #24-C Scout Tuazon corner Scout Lozano St.

Diliman, Quezon City

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Black Olive Cervecería

During our date night, I had suggested that we should check out the restaurants at the upcoming enclave called Capital Commons. It is this mini-Bonifacio Global City type at the heart of Pasig. It also has this oval-shaped park which seemed to have become a go-to-place by joggers around the area. The parking was tough though... or maybe only during the night time. 

I actually had my eyes on Tipsy Pig that night, however, the place was too crowded for us...so, we ended up at Black Olive Cervecería. Cervecería is a Spanish term meaning brewery, bar or beer hall. 

It is a 2-storey restaurant with great outdoor seating owned by Chef Carlos Miguel (the culinary genius behind the Draft Gastropub, Opus, Beso, & Publiko). The place offers a wide selection of wines, spirits, beers (mostly European brands) and specializes on Mediterranean inspired dishes.

So, here's our experience and what we had:

While waiting, we were served with this plateful of bread with their house blend dip. This one's okay but our benchmark of a house blend bread dip is of Cafe Ysabel's Satar sauce.

Black Olive Paella
pork, chorizo, prawns, squid, mussels, and clams
(Php 635)

I have a big heart for Paella, so, this immediately caught my eye on  the menu. Black Olive's version of Paella did not disappoint, it's moist, flavorful, and has a generous amount of seafoods.  The serving looks small but this is good for 2-3 persons. (from a light eaters' perspective... like us.) 

Black Olive's Barbeque Pork Riblets
(Php 280)

This was the highlight of our dinner. Highly recommend this dish and just the thought makes my tummy crazy to have it again. Darn, I definitely can't get enough of it! It's SO FLAVORFUL and TENDERLICIOUS that it melts in your mouth. It comes with a dipping sauce (don't know what it's called though) which perfectly compliments to it. One of the moments that I'd say "A Taste of Heaven on Earth".  

The fruit drink that I forgot what it's called. :)

PROS:

• The restaurant is very spacious with great ambiance and music. 
• Gracious staff.
• Offers a great deal of liqueurs and quality food. It is on a little expensive side but, I say, it is definitely worth every penny.
• Apart from Korean and Japanese dishes, I love Mediterranean cuisines too. This place lies more on the Spanish, Italian, and Greek side which is a big plus for me.

CONS:

• None that I've observed.

THE VERDICT: ★ ★ ★ ★

The Black Olive experience was a truly satisfying one. I am loving Chef Carlos Miguel's food creations and my tummy has now an intense desire to check out Opus, Beso, and Draft Gastropub too. They've got a whole lot of signature mains to try so I'll certainly look forward to my next meal here. Can't wait!


P.S. Already tried this restaurant? Feel free to share your experience and recommend a dish on the comment section! Thank you! xoxo

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Black Olive Cervecería  
Unit R3A & B, Camino Verde Ave., 
The Capitol Commons, Brgy. Oranbo, Pasig City 
Operating Hours
Mon - Thurs: 11:00 AM - 3:00 AM
Fri - Sat: 11:00 AM - 5:00 AM
Sun: 11:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Contact #s: 0917 507 3512 & 02 633 20 71
Email address: blackoliveph@gmail.com

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