meat lasagna – Jellybeans in the City

Have you ever had that moment when, quite unexpectedly, the stars aligned and the universe brought forth your deepest, yet unasked for, wish?

Well that’s what happened to my friend Ruby and me as we were deciding where to have lunch on this hectic Monday. Having exhausted most of Zomato Gold partner restaurants in the Tomas Morato area, I was already resigned to eating cafeteria food or venturing out to the food stalls near our office, but no! Ruby’s muse whispered in her ear that we should go to Fisher Mall for lunch.

And wouldn’t you know it! One of the hidden desires of my heart (or my tummy, I’m not entirely sure which), is to dine at Coldlayers Cafe, one of the restaurants in Fisher Mall. This eatery, as luck would have it, happens to also be a Zomato Gold partner restaurant.

Ever since I saw posts from my fellow foodies of Coldlayers Cafe’s signature snow ice desserts, I’ve been dying, partly of envy towards the other foodies, and partly of my desire to try those icy treats.

So we heeded the voice of Ruby’s muse and off we went to Fisher Mall, straight to the cafe, where, in the colorful resplendence of the resto’s interiors, akin to magical beings of yore, we unlocked our hidden powers, that is, our Zomato Gold privilege.

And what have we unlocked, you may ask?

Well, comfort food that filled our tummies and warmed our hearts, that’s what!

The Cheezy Meat Lasagna (Php285), for example, is a filling meal enough for us two, what with alternating layers of lasagna smothered in a hearty meat sauce and rich creamy bechamel sauce, topped with melted parmesan and cheddar. Yummy!

How about the Chicken Cordon Bleu (Php280), then? We loved these juicy, herb-crusted chicken fillets stuffed with melted cheese and ham, complemented by a cup of garlic rice (yeah, carbs on carbs!)

And of course, those are just preambles to the main event, the piece de resistance: Coldlayers Cafe’s flavored ribbons of ice! Called Snow Ice, these treats are made fresh in small batches daily using only the freshest natural and locally sourced ingredients, and stored for no more than three months. Containing 0% butterfat content, snow ice treats have more intense flavors than ice cream, and use two-thirds less sugar too!

Being a self-confessed chocoholic, I got myself a Secret Affair (Php210). This is made of dark chocolate snow ice topped with crunchy brownie bits, chocolate cereal, nuts and a chocolate wafer stick, then drizzled with chocolate syrup.

Ruby, on the other hand, got a Sweet Surrender (Php210), a Horlicks snow ice sprinkled with malty horlicks powder, then drizzled with chocolate syrup and served with fresh tapioca pearls on the side.

From start to finish, this has been a truly magical happy lunch, filled with good food that chased away our Monday blues and energized us to forge on until the workday is done. (‘Cause we work hard for the money!)

And thanks to Zomato Gold, we got the Chicken Cordon Bleu and the Sweet Surrender for free!

Want to score a similar discount? Zomato Gold provides members with 1+1 deals on food or 2+2 deals on drinks. All you have to do is sign up for a Zomato Gold membership here. Use my code JELLYB to get 20% off the membership fee.

This Cold Layers Cafe branch is located at Third Floor, Fisher Mall, Quezon Avenue, Del Monte, Quezon City, open Sundays to Thursdays from 10am to 9pm and Fridays to Saturdays from 10am to 10pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 3611431.

Another branch is located at Second Floor, Evia Lifestyle Center, Daang Hari Road, Almanza, Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

No time to visit the stores? You’ll be happy to know that Cold Layers delivers via Honestbee.

On our last day at work prior to the long weekend, a friend and I decided to treat ourselves to Mom & Tina’s for lunch.

This resto started as a pastime for a mother and daughter team. It has since grown into a bakery cafe business with four branches in the metro, all aiming to cater to their diners’ cravings for the comforting flavors of home-cooked meals and freshly baked goodies made from heirloom recipes.

In keeping with its theme of providing the comforts of home, its premises have a homey country-style decor with comfy furniture and seats with rustic table toppers. Floor-to-ceiling windows with roman shades provide lots of muted natural light that’s comfortable on the eyes and also great for foodie shots.

For our pre-holiday meal, we split orders of:

Soup of the Day (Php140). This creamy and hearty starter is made fresh and served with two freshly baked rolls.

Meat Lasagna (Php265). Alternating layers of beef, Bechamel and tomato sauce, baked then served piping hot.

Shepherd’s Pie (Php295). This is one of my favorites among Mom & Tina’s offerings: ground beef and mushrooms sauteed in a delicious sauce, then covered with mashed potatoes.

For dessert, we indulged in a Beehive Cupcake (Php80) and a Carrot Cupcake (Php70).

Yeah, we basically loaded up on carbs but at we went back from lunch with full tummies and happy moods.

Mom & Tina’s food are prettily presented and served with a warm smile by the wait staff. I guess my only complaint is the relatively expensive charge for extra butter.

This Mom & Tina’s branch is located at 58 Sgt. Esguerra Avenue, Bgy. South Triangle, Quezon City, open daily from 7am to 11pm. For inquiries or reservations, call +63 2 3323080 or +63 2 3323579.

Other branches are located at:

O Square Building, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan City (open daily from 7am to 11pm; Tel: +63 2 7500976) – check out my review of this branch

FRDC Building, 106 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., (C-5), Pasig City (open daily from 7am to 10pm; Tel: + 63 2 9140833 or +63 2 5711541)
G/F Unit 14 Tropical Palms Condominium, Dela Rosa St. cor. Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City (open daily from 7am to 10pm; Tel: +63 2 8404299 or + 63 2 8943598)