Traditional Filipino Food at Via Mare

Via Mare is a familiar name especially to restaurant diners old and new. They became famous with their oyster specialties and other Filipino favorite dishes. So when I won a Via Mare gift certificate worth P500 from their Facebook contest, I got all excited and decided to use it when I went to Makati. I chose their Greenbelt 1 branch because I've been longing to dine there for its cozy ambiance that people can see through their restaurant window.

Very nice and cozy ambiance. Luv it!

It was really difficult to choose what to order from their menu because everything looked so delicious to me. But then, their simple pandesal meal caught my eye at that time so I ordered their Crispy Vigan Longanisa.

For dessert, I ordered my all-time favorite Pinoy food, the Palitaw.

I was craving for coffee at that time, but coffee was not available so I ordered their Spanish Style Chocolate.

Grilled Pan de Sal with Crispy Vigan Longganisa 

The first one to arrive at my table! I did not expect my order to have chips on the side, but the more the merrier! .It may not look so grand in the picture (They're breads! What more can you expect?)

but they sure did not disappoint. The breads were sooo soft that almost melt in your mouth and they go really well with the crispy Vigan longganisa.

My Spanish Style Chocolate!
Very thick and bland so you have to add some milk and sugar according to your liking.

My meal.

Palitaw
Tastes like the original and authentic Palitaw - just the way I like it. 

Another shot of my complete meal.  I was so full after eating all of them.!
 Call me an old soul, but this is my kind of happy meal :D  

 I really loved eating at Via Mare. The manager and the staff were all very accommodating, the place was so fine, and the food is just divine. I look forward to dining there again in Greenbelt 1 branch. :)



GREENBELT 1
Restaurant Type: Cafe & Oyster Bar Express
Paseo de Roxas Makati City
Tel. No. 815-1918
Telefax No. 893-2306

Hyper Knox Pizza

Did you ever get the feeling that you don't feel like eating pizzas from pizza giants like Shakey's and Pizza Hut, but you're still craving for some pizza? Well, I have and Hyper Knox pizza has really hit the spot. Their pizzas are actually similar to New York style pizzas so the size of the dough is in the middle of thin and thick which is exactly what I wanted.

 

Brownies Unlimited: My Favorite Brownies of All Time

When in doubt of what dessert to buy, you can never go wrong with Brownies Unlimited's luscious brownies and pastries! I just love how chewy and chocolatey their brownies are. No wonder they're still around after all these years.

I just want to buy them all!

I'm drooling again after seeing this pic.

These fudge cakes are really good. They're like big brownies molded into a cake, but with more chocolate. :) It's also perfect for mini birthday celebrations. This would definitely be a great treat to all peeps with a sweet tooth.

These pictures were taken from Brownies Unlimited in SM BF Paranaque. :)

Brownies Unlimited 

SM BF Paranaque branch (CLOSED) 

My Lost Pictures of The Bread Story (SM Southmall)

I was browsing through my old pictures in my camera and then suddenly I found the pictures that I took from Bread Story! Well, even though it's been months since I took these, I decided to post them here in case you'd like to browse through them. I do apologize for the quality of the images because I was using an old camera phone while taking these. My visit was actually unexpected. 

These are the breads I ordered at that time. They were just so-so.

Oh, I remember that blueberry danish in that picture. I've had heart palpitations after eating it most probably because of the butter they used. My heart couldn't take the amount of cholesterol it has I guess.

Do visit their Facebook page for more updated pictures and prices of their products :) 

Bread Story
SM Southmall
Las Pinas City
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breadstoryph

Melona: The Ice Cream Sandwich from Binggrae

I was doing my usual groceries around Robinsons Supermarket until I came across these items in the ice cream section. The name, Melona, and the item itself is new to me so I really got curious so I decided to buy one flavor among the others. When I saw the image at the lower left part of the pack, I got quite excited because it illustrates that it has ice cream inside making it an ice cream sandwich!! Wow, I can't remember the first time I tasted an ice cream sandwich back in the good old high school days in Batangas so I'm really glad this baby came out in the market.

 

 

#KITKATBreakMovement

Okay, I were given a chance to unlock the following skills:

a. Type faster and flawlessly. b. Never forget any detail. c. Create awesome presentation decks. d. Multitask at any given time.

Why would I want to unlock such skills?

"Because You Are A Whirlpool Mom" Mother's Day Event

I saw this ad in Facebook by Whirlpool, Philippines and I submitted my details and requirements as indicated in the ad because I'm quite interested in attending to their Mother's Day event. I've actually never attended one before so I was quite curious and anxious at the same time.

This is the Whirlpool's ad about the event.

My Digestics Review

I actually found out about Digestics through Sample Room when they were featuring the product. Since I'm always curious about new products and I mostly suffer from constipation nowadays, I thought I'd give the product a try.

Regent's Belgian Waffle Review

Ever since I tasted Starbuck's Belgian waffles, I became a fan of Belgian waffles ever since so when I saw Regent's Belgian waffle in the grocery store, I got so curious and a bit anxious to try them out.  In a big pack, there's 10 smaller packs of waffles inside that costs around P90 to P105.

Yes, they really do look like Belgian waffles and they do taste all right. Of course, it's not as crispy and tasty compared to freshly baked and sugar-coated Belgian waffles like from Starbucks or Tous Les Jours, but my kids love them and it's also a good baon idea for the kids this coming school year.

Will I buy them again? Since my kids do eat them mostly for snacks, yes, I will definitely buy them again. It's better than my kids munching chips or candies. You can simply purchase them in major grocery stores.

The Belgian waffles featured in this post is a product of Regent Foods Corporation. 

This post is NOT a paid advertisement.

Regent Foods Corporation
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/regentfoods

I Got Addicted to Farronccino Cafe!

Have you ever craved for an iced coffee drink, but all you have is P50 in your pocket? Well, I have - too many times in fact and I'm quite happy to have discovered Farronccino Cafe at the second floor of Pergola Mall here in BF Homes, Paranaque. They offer affordable frosty frappes from P44 up to P66 only.  I was a bit hesitant at first thinking that it might be just like one of those food stands that offer iced coffee that tastes like ice. Well, when I ordered one, I was so wrong. I remember ordering cookies and cream and then me and my son got addicted to it. I vowed to taste every flavor in their menu.

The menu

Wild Black Forest (Tall Size. P44)  - one of my favorites!

Choco Burst (Tall size. P44)

The caffeine levels on these drinks are mild. They didn't keep me awake for longer periods of time, but they did quench and satisfied my iced coffee cravings especially these hot days. I also see lots of youngsters ordering their drinks. The best thing is I don't have to sacrifice my budget to order one. I'm just really glad they opened a stand in Pergola where it's not too distant from our home. 

Okay, besides the two drinks mentioned, I have tasted Cookies and Cream, Strawberries and Cream, Barak-O (one of my faves!) and Cappuccino. I still have a lot of drinks to go so will post more pictures if I do.

Farronccino Cafe

2nd flr. Pergola Mall
Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, P'que  (CLOSED)

Product Review: Unilab's NASOCLEAR

First of all, thank you very much to Unilab for giving me an opportunity to review one of their products such as NASOCLEAR. I don't usually do product reviews because I mainly do food blogs, but I decided to do one because my 6-year-old son has allergic rhinitis so I'm quite eager to try out the product if it works. I'm going to be as honest as possible because I don't want to mislead my readers. Also, thank you again, Unilab, for the free Digestics. I still have lots of them in stock because I consume them while drinking milk, but having more stocks is definitely  not a problem. 

Chairman Wang's Prime Beef Noodle House Review

Chairman Wang's Prime Beef Noodle House: Alabang's Newest Authentic Chinese Noodle House 

Last April 1, 2014, I got invited in an intimate bloggers' gathering in Chairman Wang's Prime Beef Noodle House restaurant located in Molito ( a small mall situated beside Alabang Town Center), Alabang. It was actually my first time to attend a bloggers' event in a restaurant so it was pretty exciting for me. 

Lotte Dream Cacao

Last February, I was one of the winners of Toppo's Valentine's Day giveaway and the prize was a basket filled with Toppo goodies. Now, I'm writing this blog not because I want to divulge to everyone that I won. I'm blogging it because there's  a particular item in that basket that struck my interest as well as my whole family because of its luscious dark chocolate taste.

Tous Les Jour's Strawberry Tiramisu

My sister and I have been craving for some Tiramisu cake and we decided to taste one of Tous Les Jour's Tiramisu cakes in strawberry flavor so here it is:

The moment I opened the box, I can already smell the strong strawberry scent coming from the strawberry powder that's placed on top of the cake as you can see in this picture.

7 inches only :(

Strawberry cream layered with strawberry chiffon topped with a thin layer of whip cream and strawberry powder. This is more of a strawberry cream cake than a Tiramisu. Well, it is indeed called a strawberry Tiramisu after all.

The strawberry cream and strawberry chiffon go well together and the cake was not that sweet actually. I really hated their strawberry powder so I scraped that off while eating a slice.  It's very similar to the Fresh Cream Cake that they're selling, but this one has strawberry flavors everywhere.  I did like the cake (without the powder) because I was able to eat a big slice, but I wouldn't probably buy it again. If I were craving for a strawberry cake, I would buy their Fresh Strawberry Cream Cake or Yulo's strawberry shortcake. And since we were craving for a Tiramisu cake, we should've just bought the old-fashioned Tiramisu cake elsewhere.

3 stars out of 5 overall 

Tous Les Jours
www.tlj.ph

Mushroom Burger in Tagaytay

Last Sunday, we went to Mendez, Cavite to visit Paradizoo with the kids. It was so hot and walking around the zoo was quite tiresome so when we were finished with the zoo trip, we went straight to Mushroom Burger after hearing all the good reviews about it so we gave it a try.

I would like to apologize beforehand for most of the pictures without prices because my basis for the prices is supposed to be our receipt, but my husband told me that when he claimed our food (since it was a self-service restaurant), the cashier took the receipt with the designated number written on it so I was a bit shocked and a little irritated. I wanted to ask them to have our receipt back, but the line was soooo long and we were sooo hungry at that time so I didn't have enough energy to complain.

Looks more like a cafeteria inside

Unli Gravy!

Spaghetti that my son didn't eat because he didn't like the smell of the sauce. He must have thought that this was the same as Jollibee's spaghetti so he just ate the noodles without the sauce. :P

Burger steak meal with mushrooms.
This is what my sister-in-law ordered. I didn't hear any complain from her after eating this so it's either good or just so-so.

 Blueberry flavored pancakes (P99 with drink)!
I was able to finish all 3!They're quite soft and yummy. Nothing to complain about.

Regular burger with cheese (P86 w/ fries and drink)

If I were to rank this, this would be my second favorite burger next to Jollibee Yum with cheese. I liked the pink sauce that they used in it which probably was just mayonnaise and ketchup. But still, I liked everything about it - the patty, the cheese, the cucumber inside and the soft buns. 

Note: Contrary to common belief, the patty was actually made of beef, not mushrooms. They do have a burger made of mushrooms, but we weren't able to order one.

Lomi

Mushroom Burger's Tornado (P35)
This is probably one of the best soft served ice cream I've tasted and the most reasonably priced considering the generous size of it and the richness of the berries inside. The flavor of the berries overpowers the sweetness of the ice cream and I liked it.

They have only one size for the drinks and they're actually big in size. Definitely good value for your money

I actually enjoyed dining here because I liked the food, the simplicity of the place that gives you the "I can eat however I want" kind of feeling, and most especially the reasonable prices! There were 5 of us (3 adults, 2 kids) dining here and the bill didn't reach Php1,000.

When we go to Tagaytay once again, we'd probably return here especially if we're tight on the budget. I'll probably try their chicken meals next and the real mushroom burger. You can't miss this place when you go to Tagaytay because it's situated along the main highway very near Taal Vista Hotel.

Two thumbs up! 

Mushroom Burger
Km. 60, Brgy. Kaybagal
Tagaytay, Philippines
Monday-Sunday – 7:30 am to 11:00 pm
Tel: (+6346) 483-1330
Website: http://www.mushroomburger.com.ph