Tag: calamari

Comfort food at Conti’s, Century City Mall

We’re counting down to the holidays and there is a strong expectation for merriment and gaiety.

Sometimes, however, what we’re really looking for is some comfort.

That is what Conti’s Bakeshop and Restaurant specializes in, delectable food that reminds us of the convenience and comfort of home.

Conti's, Century City Mall
Conti's, Century City Mall

During a shopping trip at Century City Mall, Hubby and I decided to enjoy some of these comfort food. These include:

Caesar Salad (Php175 solo | Php300 to share). Homemade Caesar dressing on a bed of lettuce in season, topped with bacon bits, parmesan cheese, and bread croutons.

Conti's, Century City Mall
Conti's, Century City Mall

Calamari (Php215). Deep fried squid rings encased in crunchy batter and breading, served with tangy tartar sauce.

Conti's, Century City Mall
Conti's, Century City Mall

Roast Beef in Mushroom Sauce (Php470). Slices of roast beef in mushroom sauce, served with buttered vegetables, and garlic rice.

Conti's, Century City Mall
Conti's, Century City Mall

Conti’s Baked Salmon (Php495). Norwegian pink salmon baked with garlic-infused cream cheest topping, served with side salad of greens in season, and Paella rice.

Conti's, Century City Mall
Conti's, Century City Mall

While dining in at Conti’s is certainly pleasant, there is a certain charm to taking home some of the comfort with you, such as a Mango Bravo (Php275 slice | Php985 mini | Php1,635 regular). This celebrated cake made with layers of crunchy wafers filled with chocolate mousse, cream and mango cubes is an indulgent treat for special occasions.

Conti's, Century City Mall
Conti's, Century City Mall
Conti's, Century City Mall
Conti's, Century City Mall

So go ahead and enjoy a comforting indulging at Conti’s.

This Conti’s branch is located at Level 1 Century City Mall, Brgy. Poblacion, Makati City, open daily from 10am to 8pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 917 6394864…

Other Metro Manila branches are located at:

  • Caloocan: SM Grand Central
  • Las Pinas: SM Southmal;l
  • Makati: Cash and Carry, Greenbelt 2
  • Malabon: Fisher Mall Malabon
  • Mandaluyong: SM Megamall, Vista Land Shaw
  • Manila: Lucky Chinatown Binondo, SM San Lazaro
  • Muntinlupa: Alabang Town Center, Alabang Westgate Filinvest, Festival Mall Alabang
  • Paranaque: BF Homes, PITX Tambo, SM Bicutan, SM Sucat
  • Pasay: Blue Bay Walk, SM Mall of Asia
  • Pasig: Ayala Malls, Feliz, Ayala Malls The 30th, Unimart Capitol Commons
  • Quezon City: Arton Strip Katipunan, Ayala Fairview Terraces, Ayala Malls Cloverleaf, Eastwood Mall, Fisher Mall Quezon Avenue, Gateway Araneta, Oracle Hotel Katipunan, Robinsons Magnolia, Royale Place Commonwealth, SM Fairview, SM Sta. Mesa, The Block SM North EDSA, Trinoma Mall, Waltermart North EDSA
  • Rizal: Robinsons Antipolo, Sierra Valley Taytay, SM Taytay
  • San Juan: Northeast Square Greenhills
  • Taguig: Market! Market!, Serendra BGC, Udenna Tower, Uptown Parade,

For updates on its promos and offers, visit its website or follow Conti’s on Facebook and Instagram.

For the kids at heart – Scout’s Honor, Ayala Malls Vertis North

Every once in a while, even responsible and serious adults need to let loose their inner child.

Well, guess what: you can do exactly that the camp-themed Scout’s Honor branch in Ayala Malls Vertis North.

Scout’s Honor, Ayala Vertis North
Scout’s Honor, Ayala Vertis North
Scout’s Honor, Ayala Vertis North

Designed to be a place where kids can hang out and enjoy their favorite food, it can also be a place for adults to give in to their playful side.

Together with my officemates, I set out to allow my inner child free rein over lunch at Scout’s Honor.

There, we munched on kid- and kid-at-heart-friendly fare which included:

Crackers, while waiting for our order.

Scout’s Honor, Ayala Vertis North

Campfire Potatoes (Ph135). Handcut fries deep-fried to a crisp golden-brown topped with bacon bits and doused with cheese sauce.

Scout’s Honor, Ayala Vertis North

Crispy Calamari and Chips (Php165). Crispy battered squid rings flavored with oregano and fennel and served with freshly crisped potato chips.

Scout’s Honor, Ayala Vertis North

Scout’s Honor Cheeseburger (Php160 + Php75 for drink and fries). Scout’s Signature beef patty topped with melted cheese sauce between buttery toasted buns.

Scout’s Honor, Ayala Vertis North

Tapsilog (Php245). Sukiyaki-cut USDA Beef tapa served with garlic rice, two sunny side up eggs, atchara and spiced vinegar.

Scout’s Honor, Ayala Vertis North

Burger Silog (Php235). An all-beef burger steak in savory gravy served with garlic rice, two sunny side up eggs, atchara and spiced vinegar.

Scout’s Honor, Ayala Vertis North

1 Bite 2 Bite (Php80/10 pieces). Mini-bite size milk chocolate chip cookies that we divided among ourselves.

Scout’s Honor, Ayala Vertis North

I love how Scout’s Honor totally gets a kid’s predilection for melted cheese sauce, and of course, cookies!

And since two of us unlocked our Zomato Gold provileges here, we got two of these dishes for free!

Want to have some of that kiddie joy right at home?

Scout’s Honor, Ayala Vertis North

During the enhanced community quarantine, two of Scout’s Honor’s branches are open from 11am to 7pm Tuesdays to Sundays with a special menu for takeout, delivery via GrabFood and FoodPanda or pickup via Grab Assistant or Lalamove Purchase Service:

  • Uptown Bonifacio: To order, call +63 917 631 0765 or +63 2 79467374
  • Santolan Town Plaza: To order, call +63 917 7061607 or +63 2 77288902

This Scout’s Honor branch is located at Level 1, Ayala Malls Vertis North, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City with store hours from 8am to 10pm daily. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 79406480 or +63 917 7021404.

Other branches are located at:

  • Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons, Oranbo, Pasig
  • Uptown Place Mall, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
  • Santolan Town Plaza, Little Baguio, San Juan
  • SM City North EDSA, Bago Bantay, Quezon City
  • SM City Fairview, Novaliches, Quezon City
  • Century City Mall, Poblacion, Makati
  • Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila

Wyld Kitchen x Bar introduces lunch offering: “Wyld Bowls”

Science confirmed what we corporate drones have known deep inside all along: that precious hour that we call our lunch break is actually good for our health.

Taking regular breaks from work helps prevent a mid-afternoon slump as we regain focus and energy after stepping away from our desks. These breaks also allow us to recharge and destress, as well as give our creativity a boost.

Yes, we should really savor that well-earned lunch break. And what better way to enjoy it than to take your officemates out to the “wyld” side as Wyld Kitchen x Bar now serves up lunch through its new menu items: the #WyldBowls.

Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato
Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato
Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato

One of the welcome additions to the Tomas Morato food scene, Wyld started out as a bar that brought together the freshness and wildness of nature into its food and drinks. (Check out my earlier blog post about Wyld.)

Now, in partnership with BGC’s Alegria Conzinha Moderna & Sangria Bar, Wyld branches out into new territory: lunch bowls.

Called #Wyldbowls, these five hearty bowls feature viands cooked and served the “wyld” way on top of soy ginger rice with a bit of spicy gochujang slaw and sprinkled with fried garlic bits and chopped spring onions for added color and flavor. At only Php249, each bowl already comes with a glass of Wyld’s house-made camote (sweet potato) tops iced tea.

Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato
Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato
Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato

Check them out:

Grilled Pineapple Beer-Brined Pork. Tender pork slices marinated in beer and pineapple and accompanied by a sous vide egg and Chilean pebre sauce.

Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato
Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato

Smoked Chorizo Cataluna. Specially-made smoked chorizo also accompanied by a sous vide egg and Chilean pebre sauce.

Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato
Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato
Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato

Grilled Cajun Chicken. Smokey and flavorful slices of grilled chicken breast also accompanied by a sous vide egg and Chilean pebre sauce.

Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato
Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato
Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato

Mango Labuyo Glazed Chicken Wings. Juicy fried chicken wings lightly covered with a spicy and fruity glaze.

Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato
Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato

Buffalo Fried Calamari. Squid rings coated with a spicy and crispy breading.

Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato
Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato
Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato

Each bowl is carefully assembled and prettily served, with lots of elements to make each serving visually appealing. The soy ginger rice has a mild savory taste that complements the viands.

Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato

I would prefer more choices for sauces and dips for variety and to counter some of the spiciness such as aioli for the calamari, ranch dressing for the chicken wings or some chimichurri for the Cajun chicken. That said, I found each bowl flavorful and filling.

These lunch bowls offer Wyld’s diners with a welcome break from the usual.

So take advantage of your precious lunch hours to grab some #WyldBowl with your friends. Get into the “wyld” side of lunching out. Who knows? You might bring some of that wildness back to your office with some renewed energy or fresh ideas.

#WyldBowls are available everyday from 11am to 3pm.

Thanks to Ken Gonzales and the Wyld crew for the warm welcome, the stories and the yummy eats, and to Lerizze Dizon of Zomato for extending the invitation!

Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato
Wyld Kitchen x Bar, Tomas Morato

Wyld Kitchen x Bar is located at Second Floor, The Grandia Place, 143 Mother Ignacia Avenue, South Triangle, Quezon City, extending its hours Sundays to Wednesdays from 11am to 1am and Thursdays to Saturdays from 11am to 3am. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 919 9908805.

Disclosure: Together with other Zomato food bloggers, I attended a foodie meetup held at this restaurant. The food items mentioned here were served to allow is to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Carbo-loading at House of Lasagna, SM Megamall

I decided to try a new restaurant reservation app that comes with discounts. After braving the crowds and lugging the books I bought at the National Bookstore #BookBingeBazaar at the Megatrade Hall, I was in the mood for some carbo-loading and chance to rest my feet.

I chose to book a table (all by my lonesome) at House of Lasagna because I love lasagna (it’s among the few popular pasta dishes that my mom has not been able to master so I was deprived of it when I was young), and it offers a 20% bill discount right around lunchtime.

This resto is located at the lower ground floor of SM Megamall Building A, quite near the foodcourt. The place may seem small but it can seat around forty people or so. The mall’s airconditioning is not as strong here so I opted to sit at one of the outer tables, which has a couch that is too low to eat comfortably from the table but this location did afford me some good lighting to take #foodporn pics. (And really, which one is more important, hmm?)

I ordered its best-selling Beef Lasagna (Php295) served piping hot from the oven with some freshly toasted garlic bread on the side, and a plate of Southern Fried Calamari (Php220).

The beef lasagna has a creamy and cheesy bechamel sauce that frames the al dente cooked noodles and savory meat sauce. It does have a strong herby oregano taste which sometimes overpowers the cheese (not always a good thing for a cheese lover like me).

The calamari, on the other hand, is has the right blend of tenderness and firmness that shows it was properly cooked. I liked the blend of spices and the texture of its coating: it’s not too bready and has a peppery taste.

The lasagna is a bit rich and heavy on the stomach so I took half of my order to go.

I had trouble getting the wait staff’s attention for water refill and bill out requests but I don’t mind that too much.

With the discount, my bill came out at Php412, a bit steep for a single person but worth it if the orders were for sharing.

This House of Lasagna branch is located at Basement, Building A SM Mega Mall, EDSA corner Dona Julia Vargas Avenue, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.