Gelato and More at Caffe’ Ti Amo

March is almost over and the days are getting hotter. Summer is definitely here! It’s during these times when I crave for something cold to help cool me down, like gelato. There’s a gelateria that I love going to where I get some really good gelato. It’s called Caffe’ Ti Amo.

gelato

Caffe’ Ti Amo is a gelateria cafe’ that offers Italian gelato and coffee in a fast casual dinig format. It was established in 2006 in Korea, where it has become quite succesful with stores numbering close to 270. Their first branch here in the Philippines is located at The Annex, SM City North Edsa, and they have since opened another one in Greenbelt.

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Affogato and Gelato; Gelato Small Php 55.00; Regular Php95.00

I’ve tried out a lot of the flavors of their gelatos from chocolate to green tea. But out of everything I’ve tried, the dark chocolate, coffee, mocha, strawberry and yogurt are my top faves.

honeytoast

Honey Bread  Php 120.00

But aside from the gelato, Caffe Ti Amo also has Gelato Creations like the Honey Bread, which is a big chunk of loaf bread drenched in honey and served with scoops of gelato. They also have different flavored waffles which are topped with gelato and slices of fruit.

waffle

Gelato Waffle Small Php 95.00; Regular Php 189.00

They also have Banana Split, Affogato, and 3 flavors of Mischiato: Yogurt, Green Tea, and Chocolate. Affogato is a combination of hot coffee and gelato.

coffee

Chocolate Mischiato

And what cafe wouldn’t be without coffee? Caffe Ti Amo  not only serves gelato, but offers coffee and tea selections  as well.

Caffe Ti Amo is definitely one of my favorite cafes to hang out in. The place is cozy and inviting, the gelato and food are delicious and truly mouth-watering.

 

 

Trying Out Sakae Sushi

Sakae Sushi is not a typical Japanese restaurant, which offers the usual sushi and sashimi. Because of the expanded choices and the innovative way of preparing and serving food, the brand provides a culinary experience different from other Japanese dining destinations.

I spent one evening in the company of fellow bloggers where we dined on Sakae Sushi’s offerings. I came in late so they’ve already started eating by the time I got there.

kaiten

The first things I got to try were sushi off the kaiten– a conveyor belt that goes around the restaurant where diners can just pick up what ever they fancy.Used to seeing it only in pictures and on tv, I finally got try it myself. It was a lot of fun! I was like a kid playing with a train set. Continue reading “Trying Out Sakae Sushi”

A Father’s Day Treat for the Man of the House at Melo’s

Steak ala Dad @Melo's

Steak ala Dad

It’s been an old-age saying that the way to any man’s heart is through his stomach.

Being the number one man in our lives, our dads are about to celebrate their special day come June 20. And what better way to melt our dad’s hearts than to give him a gastronomical experience he will never forget. Continue reading “A Father’s Day Treat for the Man of the House at Melo’s”

Singapore Chicken Rice

Singapore Chicken Rice's Chicken Rice

A new fast food joint called Singapore Chicken Rice recently opened it’s first branch in the Araneta Center that serves affordable Singaporean cuisine. Here, one can enjoy his favourite Singaporean dishes at a lower price than what you would normally pay for in other restaurants.

Singapore Chicken Rice’s Chicken Rice is a rice dish that is probably known to many as Hainanese Chicken Rice. It comes served with rice, poached chicken, pickled vegetables, soup and dips. The rice is flavorful and the chicken is very tender.

Singapore Chicken Rice's Nasi Lemak

Also on the menu is another well known favorite– Nasi Lemak. Nasi Lemak, I’ve been told by owner Xian Lim, is typically served in the morning, pretty much the same I guess as sinangag ang tuyo is to us Filipinos. The dish is composed of rice, fried egg, fried dilis, peanuts and sambal that you mix together before eating.

I tried the chow mein called Pancit Chino and to be honest, I don’t think I’ve smelled pancit that smelled like it. It is so aromatic! And it tastes just as good as it smells. The noodles are firm and it is seasoned just right.

Singapore Chicken Rice's Pancit Chino

Of course we can’t talk Singaporean food without mentioning Laksa. Singapore Chicken rice’s Laksa is a mildly spicy noodle dish in rich curry soup that is made from leaves instead of the usual curry powder.

So just how affordable is affordable? The Chicken Rice is only Php 95.00 and a bowl of laksa is Php75.00. The Pancit Chino is Php 55.00 and the the Nasi Lemak is only Php 35.00! Add in an extra Php 15.00 and you get a tall refreshing glass of cold calamansi juice. Food is cooked by a Singaporean cook as ordered and servings are good for one person.

Singapore Chicken rice also delivers. Delivery is free in selected areas for a minimum order of Php 300.00. The restaurant is open from 7 AM to 10 PM daily.

Singapore Chicken Rice
Unit 00051 Shopwise Arcade,
General Rosas Avenue, Brgy. Soccorro,
Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City
Tel. No.#440-3888

Tita Lynn's Flavored Suman

I love suman, particularly suman sa ibos— the light yellow ones that come in bunches. Now I usually get my suman fix from the market. But, that means having to wake up early because they only sell it in the morning. So what do I do when I crave suman in the middle of the day? I head to Tita Lynn’s.

suman
Continue reading “Tita Lynn's Flavored Suman”

Ravioli: A fresh idea

I’ve never been a fan of Robinson’s Galleria’s food court: it was dark and depressing. But not anymore. The mall is spruced up its food court with better lighting and tables and chairs that’s more pleasing to the eyes. Another great reason to vist Robinson’s new food court is Ravioli.

Making fresh ravioli
Making fresh ravioli

Continue reading “Ravioli: A fresh idea”

Crepes & Cream

Crepes and cream is a modern and trendy cafe that serves a wide choice of savory and sweet crepe creations, ranging from Asian to Western flavors. There are over 30 types of crepe creations to choose from– all prepared fresh upon order.

The savory crepe menu includes the Pork floss Chessy Omellette, Smoked Salmon, the classic Mushroom ham with Mozarella, and the Japanese cuisine inspired Kani Mango. There’s also a BLT– bacon, lettuce and tomato- crepe, which is what I ordered since I’m a BLT sandwhich lover. This take on the classic sandwich is a rerfreshing and novel approach which I liked so much.

kani-mango crepeKani Mango
Continue reading “Crepes & Cream”

Roti Prata at Juz Suri

One of the best things about Plurk is that I discover places to try. One of these is Juz Suri, a food court concessionaire at the Shopwise Supermarket in Cubao. After doing some business at the PAL office in Alimall, I popped into Shopwise to check out if this stall serving Singaporean dishes is as good as they said in Plurk.

Juz Suri

Continue reading “Roti Prata at Juz Suri”

Discovering Amazing Cones

“Let’s try that pizza in cone place,” Rey said.

“The what?” I asked. Did I hear him right? Pizza in a cone?

“I heard there’s this place in New Manila that sells pizza in a cone.”

A quick Google search later, I discover that there is indeed a store that sells pizza in a cone: Amazing Cones. Currently, they only have two branches, one along Doña Hemady in New Manila, and the other at the V-Mall in the Greenhills Shopping Center. With a determination to try something new (and having nothing else better to do), Rey and I headed to Greenhills to find out what the fuss is all about.

Amazing Cones 03
My Feisty Fajita and Rey’s Supremo Italiano

 
Basically, Amazing Cones’ specialty are their pizzas, which is served in a pita-esque bread, shaped like a cone. The pizza toppings are put inside the cone and topped with mozzarella cheese. The pizza cones come straight from the oven, served in a cone holder to keep it upright. The cones were hot, and because its shape, the heat is retained longer. You’d have to nibble through the gooey mozzarella to help the pizza toppings cool.

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Amazing Ice

 
Amazing Cones offer a variety of pizza flavors ranging from the familiar to combinations you’d only find in specialty pizza places. I had the Feisty Fajita, which was a refreshing change from the traditional pizza topping with its combination of chicken, bell pepper, onions, cilantro, cheese sauce and mozzarella. Priced between Php 70 – 80 for each cone, it’s decently priced. The cones aren’t too big though, equivalent to one slice of pizza.

We each had Black Gulaman Amazing Ice to go with our pizza cones, and an Amazing Swirl Kool Twist & Amazing Swirl Crunchi Creme for dessert. Priced at Php 60, I didn’t find the Amazing Ice a good value, specially since the large cup wasn’t large at all and I didn’t like its taste (and mind you, I LOVE gulaman). My Kool Twist in its regular cone costs Php 65, while Rey’s Crunchi Creme was priced at Php 80 and comes in a Belgian Waffle cone. As you can see in the picture, they were very generous with the ice cream. The ice cream was creamy indeed, and each order can be shared.

Amazing Cones 06
Amazing Swirl

 
The concept is cute and intriguing. I loved the Feisty Fajita and the ice cream cone (though I doubt I’d be eating ice cream again anytime soon). I’m definitely going back to try the other flavors.

Amazing Cones
#11 Doña Hemady Street
New Manila, Quezon City
Phone: (632) 4165299 / 7241402
Fax: (632) 7227904
Website: http://www.amazingcones.com

Unit V118 G/F V-Mall Building
Greeenhills Shopping Center, San Juan

Beard Papa Cream Puff

Though I don’t regularly watch TV, there are still some series that I keep tabs on. Gossip Girl’s first season has ended, and Scrubs suddenly ended mid season, so I was left with no choice but to re-watch Daria over and over. A friend was raving about Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend), a Japanese drama based on Yuu Watase’s comic book. Since I loved the book, I quickly erm, sourced out episodes.

The thing about having watching a movie that involves people cooking or baking, you’re often left craving for whatever they’re cooking, baking or eating. I remember watching Chocolat and ended up with a mad craving for chocolates. This time though, it’s cream puffs.

Beard Papa Cream Puff

 
The story is about this girl who works as a temp in a company selling desserts. She dreams of becoming a patissier, and she bakes this delicious cream puffs, which her immediate supervisor loves because it reminds him of his Grandfather’s cream puff. There’s also a hunky humanoid robot in the story, but let’s focus on the cream puff. 😛

After stuffing ourselves with sisig the other night, my friends and I wanted something sweet to cleanse the palate. Luckily, there was a Beard Papa at SM North EDSA. Ryan and I had a vanilla cream puff each, while Rey opted for the eclair.

Beard Papa Eclair

 
Beard Papa’s cream puff has a crispy, crunchy shell, filled with a soft and creamy vanilla infused custard, topped with powdered sugar. We love how the vanilla custard wasn’t overly rich and had the right amount of sweetness. Our only gripe was the overly generous dusting of powdered sugar. It wasn’t that the sugar made the cream puff too sweet. When you bite into the pastry and inhaled through your nose, you might end up snorting the powder up your nose (and might leave you looking as if you just finished a line of coke). On the otherhand, if you exhaled through your nose while biting, the air would make the powder blow off and might make you sneeze. (Wow, this has to be the stupidest food critique ever! I’ll stop now.)

Beard Papa cream puffs cost Php50 each, while eclairs cost Php55.

Beard Papa Branches in Metro Manila:
SM North EDSA (Quezon City)
Phone: 441-5039

Promenade (Greenhills, San Juan)
Phone: 727-4080

Glorietta 4 (Makati)
Phone: 752-7036

Megamall (Pasig)
Mobile: 0922-898-1120

Mall of Asia (Pasay)
556-0227