Tutto Domani: Almost But Not Quite

I broke my cardinal rule which is to spend only what I can afford (I frequently break this rule :D ). However, the review of Tutto Domani in www.clickthecity.com was so compelling that I had to try it.

Their store is a little bit hard to spot. Driving past it, you blink and you'll miss it. It's located across Greenbelt 2 at the corner of New World Hotel across from the new Fairmont Hotel in Makati. The store is small but full of toys you can buy and some you can play with.

indulge the kid in you

We started with their Bread Pizza which does not use the usual pizza dough. They put theirs on actual bread which is crispy but not hard. They have 4 combinations for the pizza but we chose the all meat variety (of course). The serving is small if you take this as your main entree but as an appetizer, it was just right. The tomato sauce did not taste like the canned variety, the meat toppings were plenty and the cheese was just yummy. They served it with a small salad with some kind of cranberry balsamic vinaigrette which I liked. The salad was so small that we thought at first it was just there for decoration ;p

Bread Pizza Meat Combo P250

After that promising appetizer, my friend and I decided to each have a Power Meal Platter. The meal consist of a salad, half a sandwich, pasta, chips, dessert and ice tea. Except for the dessert, and ice tea, they served everything to us on a block of wood with small cutouts to nestle the glass dish containing the salad and chips.

Let me first just say that everything looked so cute ... really kawaii!!! The food was well presented and not just thrown into one plate. The food were served separately; salad and pasta in bowls, sandwich in its own cute triangle plate, the chips and sauce in a small glass bowl. The servings were really small but that might be a good thing for those who don't eat as much.

For my power meal platter, I decided to have Saffron Cream Sauce and Mushroom Truffle Sea Salt Pasta, Adobo Loco Sandwich and Crepe Samurai.

Power Meal Platter 1 - P390

The salad is the same as the one we ordered with the Bread Pizza. The cranberry vinaigrette tasted very good and they didn't put too much on the salad which I like. The saffron pasta was very creamy, the mushroom really good and fresh (if they used the canned variety, it doesn't show) but I really didn't taste the saffron. The adobo loco sandwhich was the weak spot for me. It didn't have the adobo taste and the meat was so mushy - I couldn't even identify if it was pork or chicken. The thing I like best was the potato chips which I later found could easily be bought from the grocery.

My friend has another power meal platter. Hers had a Waygu Sandwich, Pesto Cream Pasta and Irish Brownie.

Power Meal Platter 2 - P350

The pesto pasta smelled like pesto but unfortunately did not have much of that pesto taste. They put too much sauce that it really drowned the pasta. The Wagyu beef sandwich was the right size, the meat was juicy and thick but something was missing. I couldn't figure it out until my friend put it right on the money when she said the missing thing was "lasa" (taste). I had to agree. I had better tasting burger in Tropical Hut.

Kawaii!

Like everything else, the serving for dessert was also small. I had the Crepe Samurai while my friend had the Irish Brownie.

The Crepe Samurai had very nice mango flavor, with sweet mango bits but the sauce had a strong taste of condensada milk. The brownie was good, chocolaty, not too dense but I don't know why it's called Irish brownie (forgot to ask the waiter). The dessert was not too bad but not good enough to return back for.

even the ice tea glass was small!!

The verdict? 

The restaurant was fun and interesting  it had some nice toys/puzzles which you can play with and perfect for children or the child at heart, the waiters were attentive, the food presentation is whimsical and cute. The food, although not very very good, is not bad either. However, the price is a bit steep especially considering the servings were small. Expect to shell out P500-600/person.

My take is that Tutto Domani is a restaurant maybe worth going to once for the ambiance but your money might better spent elsewhere.

Tutto DomaniNew World Renaissance Hotel, Esperanza St cor Makati Ave

San Lorenzo, Makati(02) 811-6702

Poco Deli : Once More With Feelings

Since my first experience with Poco Deli was such a good one, I decided to go back and try more of their food. 

almost empty restaurant which quickly fills up by 6pm

Since the following day was a holiday, we decided to indulge in a little wine. Our waiter, RJ, was very helpful and gave us some good recommendations.

we didn't order this but the name was funny

white wine P1075 for the whole bottle

I never really liked red wine. So even though we knew we were ordering meat, my friends and I decided to order white wine instead. I appreciated the fact that it was served to us quickly and already chilled (instead of waiting for it to be chilled in a bucket of ice water). Sweet, cold and quickly gave us a buzz = happy!

German Sausage and Cheese Platter with saurkraut,
olives and bagel chips (Double - P540)

looks good

We decided to have the German Sausages and Cheese Platter which consist of 3 kinds of sausages and 3 kinds of cheeses which you can choose from the menu. Since I don't know jack about sausages, we decided to trust our waiter and let him choose for us. We were served Hungarian, Kielbasa and Bockwurst sausages with Goat, Ethemel and another cheese (I forgot).

Among all the three sausages, the Hungarian was the clear winner. Big, very juicy, right amount of fat and surprisingly spicy. An item I will definitely put my gold stamp of approval. The other sausages were also good but I would be happy to just eat the Hungarian sausage. The cheeses, I did not like so much just because I prefer the more softer and creamier cheese - not the hard ones that was served. 

slow cooked beef, Irish style, with dark beer and bacon rice P350

The Irish Beef Stew is one of the comfort food items in the menu. The serving was not measly; it can be good for 2 people and the rice is more than the usual small cup. The texture of the meat feels like it was definitely cooked for a couple of hours and there was a hint of bitterness that can be attributed to the dark beer. Overall, it was not bad. But for some reason, I felt it was missing something ....  like tomato sauce. I guess, I was comparing it to our Beef Caldereta since it looks so much alike. 

Bacon Rice

I was excited about the bacon rice, which I thought was such a great idea, but it really did not deliver. For some reason the bacon bits did not enhance the rice as much as I'd thought. Give me good ol' garlic rice any day. 

Should have taken the waiter's advise and gone for the Bacon Steak meal (Italian bacon slabs with egg and bacon rice). The group next to our tables ordered 3 and the smell was soooo good. I quickly made a promise to myself that I will order that next time ;p 

As always, dessert  - White Mountain Cake P150
(not as good as the Blackout Chocolate Cake) 

The Verdict?

A big hit (Hungarian Sausage) and a miss (Irish Beef Stew). The prices were a bit expensive but servings were good for 2. The waitstaff were very attentive, the place not too crowded but the chairs were a bit uncomfortable. Definitely will be back to try other items in the menu.  

Food Tripping in Tagaytay - Part 2

We were still pretty much full after our big lunch at Sonya's Garden but I convinced my friends that we should try this place that my friend, Tintin, recommended. I think the word "dessert" was all my friends needed to hear to agree with the slight detour.

Middle of Nowhere 

Going to Chateau Hestia is very easy IF you know where to look and you have a car. Coming from Sta Rosa, it's about 5 minutes before Tagaytay Road. Look for Rowena's pasalubong center on your left. Once you've seen this, turn right at the next street corner which is Lagusan Drive. The restaurant is very far from the main road and, like Sonya's Garden, is almost at the end of a fairly isolated road. Just follow the signs until you think you're lost and then you'll find it :D

restaurant was almost hidden because of all the plants

My first impression was that the place was a bit dark and gloomy. I liked it because there was only 1 other group (it was already 2 pm) and felt like we had the place to ourselves. The tables and chairs were mismatched, there were a lot of knicknacks, the restaurant overlooks a small but cute garden and at the end was a small nook where their deli was. Admittedly, it has a certain charm to it but I wouldn't want to stay overnight (too scared).

Leave Room for Dessert 

Chateau Hestia had a very extensive European menu with most of the items I'm not familiar with. The price is expensive (for me, at least) but very interesting. However, we were there for only 1 thing: dessert!

Love Triangle : mousse a chocolat, mango napoleon and panna cota P450 

Absolutely fell in love with Panna Cota at first taste. I don't normally like Panna Cota. For me, it's just a wussy man's version of leche flan and often tastes like a slightly milkier version of my mom's gelatin. But Chateau Hestia's version with passion fruit jam was very good (although it looked a bit weird). The slight sour taste of the passion fruit gave way to this very creamy Panna Cota - a surprisingly excellent combination. By this dessert alone, I could have declared our trip out there a success but of course there were other desserts I had to try.

The Mousse a Chocolat was basically like a pot de creme; rich, very chocolaty and smooth. I wish this were on top of a chocolate cake. Good to the last scrapping of the spoon. Too bad the serving was so small - in a shot glass and not even full, for goodness sake.

The weakest dessert of the trio was the Mango Napoleon which I thought tasted like the one you make at home with graham cracker, nestle cream and mangoes. Nothing special really.

Pate de Sable P175

Since the servings were tiny, we ordered one more dessert - Pate de Sable. Its chocolate wafer, espresso ice cream and toffee glaze frozen as ice cream. Sounds sosyal, no? But basically its ice cream cake and not really a good one at that. I didn't get much of the toffee part and the ice cream tasted like Nestle. My money is still with TGIF Mocha Mudpie, sorry.

I wish this was all mine :( but I had to share 

gigantic German doughnuts with apricot filing - almost as
big as the cash register :  P95

The verdict?

It looks promising and there are some items that piqued my interest but it is expensive and serving size is only good for one. Might be worth going back to if you have money. You will definitely need a car.

Chateau Hestia
Purok 5 Brgy Bukal
Silang, Cavite
Tel 0929-7113289
Email info@chateauhestia.com

open Wednesdays - Sundays

The No. 1 Cake in the Philippines

Honestly, it maybe the best sales pitch ever.

We just finished dinner at Ayala Triangle and was looking for a good dessert place. After checking out Banapple (packed full of people, as usual) and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (people, 1 cup of coffee does not entitle you to occupy 2 tables), we were ready to call it a night.

On our way to the parking lot, we passed by Poco Deli and casually glanced inside. I didn't think much of it but then one of their signs caught my eye "..... serving sausages and cakes too!" The alert staff at the entrance noticed my interest and told us all their cakes are homemade. Believe me, that's all we needed to hear and quickly went inside. 

cakes were displayed beside sausages and cheeses

They only had about 4-5 cakes displayed. I asked the waiter what their best seller was and he recommended the Blackout Chocolate Cake. It didn't really looked impressive but then the waiter, RJ, said with utmost conviction, "M'am, it's the no. 1 cake in the Philippines right now." 

Of course there's absolutely no doubt, we had to order it. 

Blackout Chocolate Cake P155 and Red Velvet Cake P150

The cake itself was very very moist and chocolaty. The icing was very thick, almost fudge-like but it wasn't too sweet. The top was covered completely by miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips. At first, the taste wasn't that spectacular since I was expecting this rush of chocolate goodness. But as we continued eating it, we grew to like it more and more. It had the perfect blend of chocolaty/fudge taste without being too cloyingly sweet. There are other cakes that were better (like the ones in Starbucks) but the Blackout Chocolate Cake didn't leave you feeling a bit queasy after eating it. I could easily have gone back for one more slice. 

The Red Velvet Cake was also very good. It was moist (I hate dry cakes), flavorful and the cream topping was perfect. We almost had to fight off my friend, who wasn't that into dessert in the first place, for the last few bites.

So, is the Blackout Chocolate Cake the best in the Philippines? I don't think so but it was still very good and worth going back again.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie P45 -  too dry for me

Side Note: We already had dinner when we went to Poco Deli but their comfort food selection such as German Homemade Meatloaf and Mom's Pot Roast looks very promising. Definitely will try it one of these days. 

Chocolate Heaven in a Bowl

Four words : Max Triple Chocolate Champorado

For those who do not know what champorado is (where have you been?), it is a sweet chocolate rice porridge that uses malagkit (glutinous rice) and cocoa powder or tablea.

I remember my mom cooking this some Sunday mornings and waking us up so that we could eat it while it's hot. I am sure I grumbled and complained because I wanted to continue sleeping but champorados really are best eaten hot. Mom would insist we pour cold evaporated milk. What can I say? YUMMMMMM-Y!

Sadly, my mom is now too busy to cook this for me. Or sometimes, she would buy the packaged instant version but it's not the same. So, I have resigned myself to eating sub-standard champorado for the rest of my life (yes, that dramatic) ...   until I discovered Max's Triple Chocolate Champorado.

I have been obsessed with their champorado for the past couple of weeks. Ask my friends or anyone I have been in contact with, really. Theirs have the right consistency (not too watery), sweetness (no need to add sugar) and chocolate (sweet, thick, pure chocolate taste). What more can I ask for? They have the breakfast version - by itself or with gourmet tuyo (salted dried fish) - and the snack version , which I prefer. For the snack version, you can choose 1 kind of ensaymada, the champorado and 1 drink (pepsi, ice tea or sago't gulaman). All for P95!

Highly recommended and a great comfort food. I just hope that Max won't pull it out of their menu soon.

Food Tripping in Binondo

I went to Binondo last weekend for no reason at all except I was craving Chinese food. So,  I invited my kaladkarin friend, Tina, for a food tripping to the oldest Chinatown in the world. 

First mistake was that we went there too early. It was about 8:30am and most of the restaurants were closed. In fact, most of the stores too.  We walked along Ongpin Road, like lost ducks,  trying to find an open restaurant or cafe. 

first drink of the day - cane juice for P15

bought some lucky charms

Finally found a restaurant open in Benavidez st. called Wai Ying. 

tina waiting for food

According to the waiter, this is one of their specialty - sliced fish congee (P120).
Taste was clean, not fishy at all, but wished it was piping hot. Not bad at all and the
serving was more than enough for one.

Kuchay Dimsum (P70) which took forever to be served. Not good at all .
The wrapping tasted gummy and might not have been prepared fresh that
day. The filing was tasteless.

After our disappointing breakfast, we walked a bit more before deciding to have an early lunch at the Estero, a row of fast food eateries near one of the canals in Binondo selling cheap Chinese food. 

buttered chicken (P130)

decided to be adventurous and ordered salt and pepper frog legs (P120)

What can I say? The buttered chicken tasted like butter while the frog legs tasted like ... chicken (really). After being served, I realized the folly of ordering two fried items which tasted alike. However, I blame our waitress for this because she was the one who recommended the two items. I would have wanted to order something else a little bit more Chinese like Hototay soup but we were already full. 

After our early lunch, we decided to visit Lucky Chinatown Mall in Divisoria. We had to ride a motorized sidecar because we were advised by the local vendors that it was a bit far. Paid around P50 for the ride. 

Lucky Plaza is brand spanking new and huge! Most of the stores
were still closed when we arrived. 

couldn't figure out if this was only for decoration

found these delicious ice cream pops in one of the more modern
Chinese mini-stop

Tina had the corn pop (P45) while I had the  pistachio siciliano (P65).

Don't know what the 'sicialiano' part was for but it was delicious!

swanky

Kakaloka coffee beans - "insanely good"

one of the open areas of the Lucky Mall

The stores in Lucky Chinatown Mall are the same in other malls. Although most of them are high end - as far as I can see, no Bench or Penshoppe. The only thing that makes Lucky Mall different from other malls is the architecture (styled after Chinatown in Singapore) and the unusual number of swanky Chinese restaurants. I saw a lot of Chinese eating in the restaurants while fresh dumplings are being made seen through a looking glass in the kitchen. Maybe I should try one of the restaurants here one of these days but I have a sinking suspicion that it may cost me. 

Not willing to go home without eating at least one decent dumpling, we decided to try once more and head back to Binondo to Tasty Dumplings located beside the Binondo Church - just a store away from the famous hopia place, Eng Bee Tin. 

Surprisingly big restaurant that can seat 80-100 people. My phone decided
to die on me so I wasn't able to take pictures. Photos courtesy of www.happyfoodies.com 

streamed dumplings

One of the more surprising thing here is that there is no siomai.  Forgive me if I show my ignorance by thinking that a dumpling place will have siomai. Nevertheless, we ordered steamed dumplings (P150) and small steamed buns (forgot the name). 

The steamed dumplings were actually a disappointment. Yes, the wrapping tasted way better than the ones in Wai Ying but I felt that it was still thick and chewy. The filling were measly and unsatisfying. The steamed buns were not very good either. It was ... okay. Based on what people are eating at the other tables, it looks like the fried porkchop  is their best seller.  Ironic for a restaurant called Tasty Dumplings. 

All in all, my food tripping in Binondo was not really a success. I wasn't able to find good Chinese food. In hindsight, I think should have stuck to the old favorites such as Sa Lido or Sincerity.  Oh, well ... next time!