Month: June 2018

Quick Bite at Banh Mi Kitchen, Tomas Morato

Banh mi is a kind of sandwich which consists of a Vietnamese version of a crunchy baguette filled with savory meats and fresh vegetables. It is the product of the influences of Vietnam’s Indochinese neighbors and French colonizers, introduced in the mid-19th century and became a staple in the early 20th century.

Banh Mi Kitchen’s The Classic sandwich may be considered the starter variant among the shop’s various offerings. The crusty banh mi bread is filled with slices of Vietnamese ham, roast pork, pate, cucumber, pickled radishes and carrots, flavored with mayonnaise and hoisin sauce.

Together with the Banh Mi Kitchen’s own milk tea at only Php199 results in a fusion of flavors that made for light yet filling meal with decidedly Asian flavor.

This banh mi adventure occured during a recent lunchtime visit to M Place along Mother Ignacia Street, South Triangle, QC.

Banh Mi Kitchen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Homey Comfort Food at Mom & Tina’s, Greenhills

One of the mantras I always try to follow is to never shop hungry. For one thing, experiencing hunger pangs might distract me from getting the best deal and I might end up just settling. On the other hand, hunger makes me a bit grumpy and I might snap at a hapless salesperson.

In a recent foray with Hubby at Greenhills Shopping Center (where I did not snap at anyone, hapless or otherwise), I chanced upon this Mom & Tina’s branch near the newly renovated Unimart.

I’ve enjoyed dining at this chain’s branches in Tomas Morato and Ugong (even took out cakes for celebrations at home) so I had no qualms suggesting to Hubby that we take our lunch here.

Similar to other Mom & Tina’s outlets, this branch has a bright, cheery yet cozy atmosphere, accented by rustic and homey bric-a-bracs and light-colored furniture.

We ordered a substantial amount of food (proof of how hungry we were):

  • US Roast Beef (Php435) – slices of roast beef served with rich gravy served with mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes and rice.
  • Beef Stroganoff (Php270) – al dente fettuccini pasta tossed in cream sauce with thin beef slices.
  • Barbecued Pork Steak (Php335) – marinated and grilled pork belly served with Java rice and achara

The roast beef slices are a bit too well-done for my taste (they tend to seem dry) but the meats are tender and well-complemented by the mashed potato and veggies. The pork steak is also tender and well-seasoned; its blend of sweet and savory flavors blend well with the Java Rice (I prefer not to include the achara, it’s quite overpowering). The beef stroganoff is also hearty and filling. The portions of these dishes are quite large and we ended up getting part of our orders wrapped for take home (which was greatly appreciated by my son who ate it for merienda).

And simply because there should always be room for dessert, and because I truly deserve it, I got myself a Carrot Cupcake (Php70) to cap the meal. (No, Hubby is not into cupcakes; so… more for me!)

This lunch experience reminded me of the appeal of Mom & Tina’s and I look forward to trying more of its offerings.

This Mom & Tina’s branch is located at 2/F O-Square Building, Greenhills Shopping Center, Ortigas Ave., San Juan City.   For reservations, call + 63 921 5737710.

Other branches are located at:

  • Ugong: FRDC Building, 106 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., (C-5), Pasig City (Tel: + 63 2 9140833 or +63 2 5711541)
  • Makati: G/F Unit 14 Tropical Palms Condominium, Dela Rosa St. cor. Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City (Tel: +63 2 8404299 or + 63 2 8943598)
  • Tomas Morato: 58 Sgt. Esguerra Ave., South Triangle, Quezon City (Tel: + 63 2 3323080 or +63 2 3323579)

Mom & Tina's Bakery Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Got a taste of Bicolandia at Gata, Tomas Morato

Bicolano cuisine is characterized by spiciness and the use of gata (coconut cream): the spiciness gives the dishes a certain excitement while the gata gives them a distinct richness.

I’m not much of a Bicolano food fan myself (but I’m willing to give almost anything a try) so during lunch with my officemates, I found myself trying out a newly opened restaurant along Mother Ignacia Street – Gata: Flavors of Bicolandia, Atbp.

The resto’s interiors have a bright and airy feel; its walls are even adorned by a large colorful mural as well as paintings that depict food and food preparation.

For our lunch, we ordered some of Bicol’s most popular dishes:

  • The ever-present Laing (Php235) made of dried gabi leaves sourced directly from Bicol
  • Adobong Bicolano Liempo (Php250), Bicol’s traditional way of cooking adobo characterized by the lack of sauce
  • Piniritong Manok ni Lola (Php230), homestyle fried chicken, cooked like how grandma does it 🙂

The flavors are familiar and comforting but the serving portions are on the small side.  That said, my dining experience here certainly merits another visit.

Update: I recently attended a Zomato Foodie Meetup held here.  Together with fellow Zomato foodies, I was able to taste more of Gata’s signature Bicolano dishes such as:

  • Sinantol with Kamote Chips (Php190).  Great for vegetarians, this dish pairs deep-fried kamote (sweet potato) chips with the tangy sinantol which consist of finely grated santol rind cooked in coconut milk.
  • Laing Bites with Gata Sauce (Php180).  Another all-veggie dish, this features laing wrapped in deep-fried wonton and served with a homemade gata sauce.
  • Cocido na Buong Lapu-Lapu (Php495). Bicol’s version of Sinigang, it is less sour but still has a hearty broth.
  • Kare-Kareng Bagnet (Php330).  At last I was able to taste this dish made of sizeable slices of pork belly served with a gata-infused kare-kare sauce.
  • Kinunot na Pagi (Php295).  Flakes of stingray meat simmered in gata, quite a new foodie adventure for me! (Trivia: There’s a joke that when a Bicolano takes some gata to the beach, the sharks and stingrays get the hell outta the way!)
  • Halo-Halo Turon with Ice Cream (Php110).  Classic halo-halo ingredients in lumpia wrapper then deep-fried and served with vanilla ice cream.

Gata: Flavors of Bicolandia, Atbp is located at Unit 3, The Grandia Place, Mother Ignacia Avenue, South Triangle, Quezon City.  It is open everyday from 11.30am to 3pm and 4pm to 10pm.  For reservations, call +63 995 4627251.

Disclosure: Together with other Zomato foodies, I was invited to attend a foodie meet-up held in this restaurant.  Food items specified here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.