Amoromas, Alabang-Zapote

Finally!!! Another resto I've been hearing and reading a lot about which caused a great curiosity and want, to try out ...I have had the chance to dine in...

YES!!! Amoroma's! There was a branch in Makati, as I was told...but it closed up without me even catching a shadow of it. Great thing the Alabang-Zapote branch still stands. My very good friend was kind enough to take me there for another foodie adventure!

Oh I really prepped well for this! To work up my appetite...I spent my afternoon shopping and event did NOT have lunch!!! hahaha Well, I made a pit stop for coffee...but just coffee.

Traffic was terrible in Paranaque..but we were amused by lots of interesting restos we pass by...hehehe

And we arrive....

TADA!!!!! The entrance!

It's situated at the lower level of a building that I didn't catch the name of. A quaint looking place. Inside, the place is dimly lit...by candle lights. Nice!

They have this counter of fresh pastas, fruits and cheeses...


...and they offer a selection of wine.

Now for the main event.....

To start our meal, we had the Bomboloni con Vegetali Sott' Olio

These are hollow bread served with home made pickeled vegetables. My first time to encounter this.

You cut the cute pillow of bread open...and stuff the cavity with the pickled veggies...like so...
Yummy!!!!!! I love the pickled veggies....like eating mini vegetarian paninis hehehe. I like the lightness of the bread with the flavorful stuffing...a great way to prep and tease the palate!

This is the 5-Cheese Pizza

Yup, not 4 but five cheeses here baby! Comprising of Mozarella, Parmesan, Pecorino, Fontina (Jeff's fave) and Gorgonzola (my fave). Delicioso!!!! I love cheese...so is there a question if I like this pizza? The crust was thin but it was not the crispy kind..more of the chewy. It was a good chewy crust but I like crispy and airy pizza crusts more...like the pizza crusts in Cafe Caruso.

This is the Raviolli Ricotta e Spinachi

Raviolli pasta stuffed with Ricotta cheese,spinach and walnuts. You have a choice to have it with Bolognese Burro e Parmigiano; or Pomodoro e Basilico sauce. I chose the latter. It was good...I like the earthy tone the walnuts gave the filling...not too much Ricotta in the filling though and the pasta a bit too aldente.

Salsarosa Pasta

This is no longer on the menu...but I think this is one of the house favorites =) It's creamy tomato sauce with shrimps and chopped basil (was it?) Maybe it was becasue of this dish that I the ravioli dish was set back a bit. The sauce was really good! Delicious to the last smear! ;P hahahaha Pasta cooked aldente...it's actually a simple dish but perfectly flavored. The texture of the pasta and the sauce just gives a beautiful mouth-feel and rish tasting enough but not over-powering.

Let me just put a little light on the subject.....

...the place was really dim....so here is an over-exposed picture of the Salsarosa pasta =) ( I normally don't use flash kase)

We were looking and waiting for the free bread basket ....so we asked our nice waitress for it but she informed us that they do NOT give free bread anymore =(....our bomboloni was to be our bread for the evening na pala. Awwww..but..but..we must have looked really saddened with this as the told us to wait...and came back with this.....

...a generous bread basket! YEHEY! =) Well...did we really need more bread? ...we did have pizza and stuffed bread right?hehe It's just nice to get free bread and useful to clean plates with =) hehehehe It had piadina wedges and toasted focaccia-like breads. Nothing great...but hey...it was free =) thank you Ms. Waitress!

Lighting up our table once again......

...there you go....for a better view of the food =)

Carbo-loaded and happy...shall we have dolci??? Hmmm... I just opted for espresso and gelato....

Espresso & Gelato

Looking at it....a light bulb lit up----shall we pour the espresso over the Gelato?---Yes!!!

Hence, An Affogato

Nice ei? Well, the espresso was good but the Gelato was..err...bad! hehehe Sorry, it's the only not nice thing we had. The Gelato had ice crystals...not nice but with the espresso...consumable =)

Trading Beyonce for A Secret

Yup...I was there! Beyonce's first concert in Manila....and I was lucky enough to get in for free. Thanks to my dear Elainey...who scored the tickets for us =)

It was held at the Fort Bonifacio Open Field....my first open field concert...my second concert anything! hehehehe Well, I am no Beyonce fan but I do like her songs. As expected...Fort was traffic...but we didn't have a problem goin in. Hmm... after the opening act and I think two song number we were getting kinda ...tired and not so into the thing anymore. The songs were rendered in a mixed verion...so you don't hear the song as it is. After that...we decided to leave Ms. B and just look for dessert =) hehehehe

We passed Secret Recipes, upon going to the concert, so we went back there to share the secret! hehehe....

Well, the menu indicated a lot of award winning stuff...award winning marbles cheese cake...best lamb curry was it..and so on and so forth...great...let's give it a try then.

We stared at the cake display...read and re-read the menu and asked the waiter for recommendation on what cake to have. We were not in the mood for cheesecake so we opted for the CHOCO MUD CAKE....

hmmmm....what can we say about this cake???

...=( sowee but we weren't happy with it. For me it was not chocolatey enough...I definitely didn't like the mousse.

We aslo tried the Pot Pie...

Now this I liked. I love the puff pastry on top...very flaky and crisp..nice =) Underneath is chicken, corn and mushroom filling with a bechamel like sauce. I like the puff pstry more than the filling =) The filling tastes close to a canned Campbell Mushroom soup...but I like Cambell soup naman..so it was alright with me ;P hehehe

Well, there goes the secret.....=)

Simple Pleasures

After our NP dinner, how about something pinoy for dessert? We opted for Razon's ...

Guagua Halo-halo

Good and refreshing..although the ones they serve up in Pampanga has more laman =)

This is a first here...silvanas.

It was good...the butter filling is not real butter though..just ok.

Simple things ..yet satisfying =)

Funky North Park

There is this modern looking North Park branch at...where is that..P. Guevarra St. is it? I'll have to check on that..anyhoos, I was feeling under the weather but I wanted to hang out with Elainey...so we chose to eat at NP! It's a rarity that I have chinese food....for hang out..but the place looks funky from the outside..very inviting! hehehe

Fried Shrimp Dumplings (Ha Kaw)

The generously filled with fresh shrimps and fried to golden crisps...we loved it! I like it better dipped in the siopao sauce, more than the orange sauce that came with it =)

Taipao

This is the NP special siopao...made of bola-bola filling, salted egg, chicken and chorizo. We shared this piece. It was good and very filling...but I think Masuki Taipao is better. A lot of people tells me Emerald Garden Taipao is the best..but I've never tried it because everytime I am there...we have the lauriat...no chance for siopao. Maybe someday I get a chance to try it =)

It was a good dinner for us..happy chinese girls...happy with chinese food =)

A 45 Bulllet Through Our Roof !!!

Sunday morning and my sis calls out to us to show us something awful she had found at the foot of her bed....





YES! That is a bullet from a 45 gun! My goodness!!! THERE ARE INDEED IRRESPONSIBLE GUN OWNERS OUT THERE!!!!

My sis told me that she had heard a thud while she was sleeping, but she thought it was just some appliace that went short...so she dismissed the sound and continued sleeping. I actually went in her room late that eveing when I got home to check on her...and I even turned off her TV.

It was only in the morning when she saw this on the ceiling.....

....my GOODNESS!!! It just missed my sis by a few feet...it could have hit me had I gone in her room earlier!

Well, we thank God for sparing us from harm...but I just can't help but wonder...who should be responsible for this?

I felt that..even if you're in your own house...in your own bed...sometimes....you really can never be safe!

Road House, Serendra

Is there always room for dessert??? I think so! hehehe

On to Serendra for some dessert...what are we in the mood for? I always appreciate the hot and cold dessert thing...some people opt for the cool and refreshing king...like ice cream or halo-halo....some go for cakes and pastries.

Tonight we wanted massive desserts! And by massive, I mean voluminous! hahahaha And where do we get this??? Let's head off to American restos!!! Yup..haven't you noticed that...Chili's, Fridays, Burgoo serve up huge portions sized of desserts...that's why it's hard to have desserts there if your only 1 person or 2 =)

In Serendra, at High Street, there is this resto called Road House. Well, it looks like your average American resto....it was packed...with lots of people enjoying buckets of beers!!! A drinking place...but we are not here to have beer..we come for some desserts!!!

The Mighty Oreo Mud PIE

hmmm...havne't younoticed almost all American restos have a version of a MUD PIE! hahaha This is not event the slightest redolent od MUD. It's made of chocolate and coffee ice cream with snicer bits in side on an oreo crust, drizzled with chocolate sauce! hahaha A very sinful pie---maybe that's why its a MUD PIE----it's MUD DIRTY sinful! hahahaha It was good. Deeply frozen. The ice cream was not that great..it was sweet...and err..just ok =)


The Cowboy Chocolate Cake

Chocolate cake with a huge scoop of chocolate coated vanilla ice cream..drizzled with chocolate sauce. It was ok...the cake was moist...but I think they used substandard ice cream...hmmmm it wasn't that good.

The desserts were happy desserts naman and they were BIG. Sugar fix achieved! For me though...I would rather have a very minute serving of exquisite dessert made with premium ingredients as opossed to having a moundful of a dessert that is just...well...sweet and filling =)

But then...desserts like these are great when shared ---and sharing is indeed fun =)

Say Hey Mickey, Again =)

I really, adored my first visit to Mickye's deli...and I vowed to try their Ciabatta pizza. A promise is a promise and I was back to try more of thier stuff!!! hehehe

THE CIABATTA PIZZA MARGHERITA!!!!

Soooooooooooo GOOD! PERFECT CIABATTA!---yun palang--ok na eh! ;P hehehehe Topped with tomato sauce and mozarella. Simple and simply delicioso!!!! I LOVE IT! I even put a bit of Tabasco!!! I know...I DON'T LIKE hot and spicy stuff but I just thought it was fitting to do so because, we had pur pizza with some.......BEER!!!=)

Nope. I AM NO BEER DRINKER. DEFINITELY! But, as they always say...there are exceptions to the rule....minsan or always ;P As I have mentioned in my prior post, they offer a selection of international beers. Our good waiter, Macoy...recommended we try the Franciskanner and Murphy Beers...their best seller.

Well, let's give it a shot then....the Franciskaner tasted really good! I was very surprised to like the taste of this beer! It tasted malty and had none of that bitter taste most beers (like SMB) have.
Next up, the Murphy...a stout beer which came out of a can. Our waiter tells us that it should be poured in a glass in a certain way to ensure perfect flavor distribution.


Here is our good waiter serving up our stout. As you can see below, he is right...layers formed as he poured the beer in the glass and then it turned uniform black...like a Cervesa Negra.

The stout beer had a more bitter flavor to it. Like Rootbeer...but less sweet. I like the first beer better, but both were good. I was really surprised I was able to DRINK BEER!!! A real first for me =) It was great with our pizza...that's the reason I put a little Tabasco in my pizza. I felt really manly that evening! hahahaha ;P

This is the bread basket
Not free though. Ciabatta, Sourdough and baguette slices served with herbed butter and pate. VWE HAVE EXCELLENT BREAD HERE!!! Yes we do!!! LOVE IT!

Apart from the bread and pizza....I return for the cheese!!!!

They do offer prepared cheese boards ans antipasti platter on the menu..but we opted to select our cheese faves over the deli counter. They served it up quite beautifully noh? We had Asiago, Grana Padano (a favorite of mine, which I encountered first at Galileo Enoteca) and the funky, flowrly like cheese you see is the Tete de Moine....now that is something new. It's a wheel of cheesse, where the serving blade is rotated on top of it to create that flower like effect. Initially, I found it bland tasting..but after the flavors set in your palate....wow...it's really great..try for yourself =)

We picked strong flavored cheeses ( well, the Asiago was the mildest flavored one we had) to accompany our beers. If cheeses work well with wines...why not beers right? Well, it worked out fine and we indeed had very happy palates after! They put in a new dessert on the menu...chocolate cake...ala mode was it? ..but no room for dessert...maybe later:p hahah

I think Mickey's is one of my latest favorite restos now. Their food if simple but very good quality...well, at least for what I've tried. My new beer, cheese and pizza place! Maybe on my next visit, some sausages and antipasti or wine! The place hs a very nice and comfortable ambiance...you can tell they have the good stuff here...the place is packed! =)

A Cool Tea Bar: Kozui

I'm really not much of a TEA LATTE fan. I do take tea, but if I do so..never with milk, honey or sugar. This changed when I tried the ROASTED MATCHA LATTE at Kozui. Kozui is situated beside Baang Coffee, at Tomas Morato. It's a pretty lime green and white painted tea bar that serves iced and hot teas and interesting Japanese snacks and meals.

Roasted Matcha Lattes, Grande and Tall

Well, there grande is a REAL GRANDE in size ah! It's great. I love the nutty, rice green tea taste and it's creamy but not milky tasting, that's why I like it =)

Takoyaki

These are yummy!Balls with crabstick or chopped shrimps inside squid ball like ---balls. It is covered with nice sweetish, terriyaki sauce and some bonito flakes =)

Animitsu

It's Japanese halo-halo, so they say. It is made of sweet red beans, taro, tapioca, bilo-bilo like balls (that I didn't like) and a choice of fruit (mango or strawberry). They are covered with shaved ice and topped with soft serve Green Tea Ice cream....no milk here! It's nice and refreshing =)

A nice hang out with a variety of japanese meals and snack options =) My alternative to hanging at cafes!

Amazing Cones!!!

War brought an amazing cone last night upon fetching me...Din and I got to taste some of this pizza cone. I've ben passing this store, located near first street New Manila...and I wana try it too because the place is always packed since it opend. The cone is made of crunchy pizza crust and stuffed with the pizza toppings...the top most past is where the cheese is...interesting and good ah. War tells me it costs 70 bucks a pop...kinda expensive for the size, but it's an ideal snack while driving....very handy pizza so to say...and the take out package is cool. The pizza cone is mounted on this cardboard-squareish stand. Neat ei? Worth trying =)

Izakaya Kikufuji

Another resto that I have been wanting to try for quite some time now...IZAKAYA KIKUFUJI! YEHEY! Finally, last night ...after convincing...Sergio (a.k.a. Ven)...the gang and I went for a food trip to Japan! I just love Japanese restos run and patronized by Japanese! Makes me feel sure I'm getting the real-deal =) It's located at my dreaded area...Pasong Tamo Extension. Good thing they all knew how to get there so we didn't have any navigation problems.

The place fits the typical Japanese Izakaya stereo-type. They have seats along the sushi bar where you can watch the sushi chef prep your food! Lots of sake bottles on the walls...which looked like they are owned by We got a nice room, where you sit on the floor...and there is a depresseion underneath the table to you have leg space =) cool....but I don't really mind siting indian style =)

Tuna Sashimi

I think this one is tooo bloody red! hehhehe ;P Frech enough..but I think the pieces are kinda too big =)

Good Ol' California Maki

a typical dish...hmmmm..the pieces were not cut evenly....but it tasted fine.

Uni Sashimi
scarry looking...but delicius! The serving size is quiet generous.

Mixed Tempura

hmmmm..it was ok..but the fishy taste got to the eggplants and other veggies in the mix....

Oyakudon

Well, as you can see from this picture....it needed more sauce. the delish part about donburi's is having the rice drenched in sauce! hahah at least Sergio thought so...he poured 2 small bowls os extra sauce on this! hahaha It was good naman (I tasted it ;P).

Katsudon

Cold Soba Noodles



Ebi Tempura

It was not as crunchy as we wanted them to be.


Chicken Katsu

This I really like...simple and fried to a perfect crisp! =)


US GYU STEAK

Forgot it's actual name...but its US steak...priced just a bit lower than the wagyu. It was very tender and good.

FREE DRAFT BEER !!!

Yup, after getting the bill, they ave us a coupon for free darft beer...one per guest...not bad....for the boys! hehehe



All in all, I think we kinda expected too much ffrom the Izakaya. The food was good but we were anticipating GRRREAAAAAAAAAT! hehhe The price is ok...our bill was around 4,500....not bad we ordered a lot. Please don't get me wrong our food was delicious and we wiped them out. Perhaps we should order more unconventional dished next time...perhaps get sake ;P hehehe

Eating at a new resto is always a good and fun experience!!! Thank you SERGIO!!!!!!!!!!!! =)