Happy Foodies

Showing posts with label cakes. Show all posts

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-l6lSMNgenGZTvOLZjlxtr2exbG2xM8SEtxWkAM57eLnA0EQR4OdXJyiEMM6kO17kFlVs2dyrJfvNaXTnZ1pwFO8cHVXDAJawRadADJas9dDMl8an_RrcrMIvGPZC_SlJG5I_w0kAFJumBAYCiE14XcloQ2QmByysIl2HAzSfJwkOc-Wj-HaqpAXa1a4/s1280/sagada-brew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-l6lSMNgenGZTvOLZjlxtr2exbG2xM8SEtxWkAM57eLnA0EQR4OdXJyiEMM6kO17kFlVs2dyrJfvNaXTnZ1pwFO8cHVXDAJawRadADJas9dDMl8an_RrcrMIvGPZC_SlJG5I_w0kAFJumBAYCiE14XcloQ2QmByysIl2HAzSfJwkOc-Wj-HaqpAXa1a4/s16000/sagada-brew.jpg"></a></div> As repeat visitors to Sagada, we at Happyfoodies were both overjoyed and saddened during our recent visit. Saddened because a) <a href="http://www.happyfoodies.com/sagadas-misty-lodge-and-cafe-food-worth-walking-kilometers-for/" title="Sagada’s Misty Lodge and Cafe: Food worth walking kilometers for">Misty Lodge's restaurant</a> is closed as Chef Bogan is attending to her mommy duties in Manila, b) <a href="http://www.happyfoodies.com/masferre-country-inn-and-restaurant/" title="Chicharon with Kamatis & Bagoong and other much-missed eats at Masferre">Masferre Restaurant</a> has taken off our favorite Kamatis Bagoong at Lechon Kawali in favor of a menu more oriented towards foreign guests. But on a bright note, we chanced upon a new, welcome addition to the eateries lining the town's main street: Sagada Brew. It was actually the recommendation of Wanda, our kind hostess at Rock Inn Farm, to try out the new place (talk about very friendly competition). It was also a blessing to come on an off-peak season when a lot of eating places are closed for repairs, which helped directed our feet to this shop.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ05IY0r_b1CjQHE3qD33O4lHXOv3bENSIWJhaH7szY9iKk5icZhAd0bynUctW3l56KgY0iDAD_ZvaxeiJgcun80FpnOk6OPgfKrpMTTIafdMS8u-FJK8axc6KGbZSyy_23TknazRH83Ug8OQlOwC8p9e5l0WwdlnMDzTiN1EOi3u9S6W-Se85I8L9slg/s1280/poco-deli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ05IY0r_b1CjQHE3qD33O4lHXOv3bENSIWJhaH7szY9iKk5icZhAd0bynUctW3l56KgY0iDAD_ZvaxeiJgcun80FpnOk6OPgfKrpMTTIafdMS8u-FJK8axc6KGbZSyy_23TknazRH83Ug8OQlOwC8p9e5l0WwdlnMDzTiN1EOi3u9S6W-Se85I8L9slg/s16000/poco-deli.jpg"></a></div> I will never look at bacon the same way again. While I love my thin, crisp and crunchy bacon, the savory thick slabs of cooked bacon at Poco Deli changed my cholesterol-charged preference. The Bacon Slab (Php 320), coupled with bacon rice (bits of bacon on rice) and sunny side-up egg on top have a really intense flavor that I was at a loss for words to describe it. It's just pure enjoyment with every bite. I tell you, Poco Deli is a haven for bacon lovers and it is found on this artisan sausage deli in Kapitolyo, Pasig. But the fun doesn't stop there as we tried their other offerings begging to steal your attention.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oggie/7006362500/"><img alt="Brazo de Mercedes Cheesecake" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7006362500_e4c0fe6152_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Brazo de Mercedes Cheesecake (P145/slice)</figcaption></figure> It’s off the usual route and takes a bit of traveling to get to but Cioccolo is an interesting place to go to at night. Right in the middle of a dark field, it seems a place of enchantment has sprung up, magically lit up at night. There’s R2-D2 in one area, Elvis in another as well as Roman statues here and there among a host of other curiosities that catch the eye and piques one’s interest no matter how blasé he or she can be. There are even huge banquet halls spread out on the spacious lot that looked like settings for a medieval tale complete with trompe l’oeil ceilings, huge chandeliers, gilded walls and ornate furniture. Cioccolo's truly kitschy as kitschy can be but in a pleasant way, maybe strangely romantic even like a fantasy world. Contrastingly, the coffee shop looks “normal” and “real world”, warmly lit and inviting for a nightcap. The whole place looks every bit interesting but we wonder if the food could be as "kitschy" good as well.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironwulf/6689113857/"><img alt="Lia's famous Avocado Cake" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6689113857_6a5d5bb540_z.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lia's famous Avocado Cake (P670 - whole/ P85 - slice)</figcaption></figure> Avocado is one of my favourite fruits and being a sucker for desserts, the combination of the fruit with a cake can be lethal. Strolling along with a fellow foodie friend in the streets of Kapitolyo, Pasig, which is fast becoming a food hub with a lot of new dining options popping up, we discovered Lia’s Cakes in Season. Lia’s is one of the old dining establishments in the area (it's been there since 2004) known for its signature Avocado Cakes.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Pepperoncino (Php 175)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3301/3438382666_f1fac15352_o.jpg"></figure> It’s been quite a while since we last stepped into Amici in Don Bosco in Makati City. Oh, we’ve always considered this restaurant that boasts of affordable, home-cooked Italian-style cuisine as a comforting constant in a constantly changing foodscape. But ever since its takeover by a new management team two years ago, we had our apprehensions. And there’s also the expansion to include a branch in SM Megamall. Did the move to professionalize the operations alter the relaxed eating experience? Or worse, change the great-tasting food we’ve always come to love? To find out, we dropped by on a Sunday afternoon for a late lunch – something that was not possible when Amici was still run by the Salesians of Don Bosco. Obviously, this is one of the benefits of the new management as Sunday is a very nice time to avoid the big weekday office crowds and take your sweet time to savor each and every bite. The verdict: still as lip-smacking good as ever.