tapsilog – Jellybeans in the City

At Tantea with the #Quarantitas

Hello, #Quarantitas! (Or should I say #QuaranTEAtas?)

While I usually claim that I’m made for quarantine, I know it can be hard to be cooped up and feeling isolated for so long. Sometimes, you long for a change of scenery, for some actual faces to look at while having spirited conversations.

Together with my fellow Titas of Manila (East) – Jen of Sand Under My Feet and Nix of I Eat and I Wander – I ventured up north for lunch date which we capped off by having our post-meal drinks at Tantea.

Located along Tomas Morato Avenue, this flagship store boasts of clean and elegant interiors with an Instagram-friendly rose wall at the second floor where tea-tas can take pictures of their teas.

Thankfully, Tantea’s adoption of sanitation and physical distancing protocols did not detract from its aesthetic and relaxing vibe. It’s still the perfect place to hang out and chat with my friends as we enjoy our drinks, which included:

Popping Boba Strawberry Yogurt (Php140). A blend of sweet strawberries and tangy yogurt with popping boba.

Brown Sugar Pearl Milk Tea (Php150). Strong black tea mixed with creamy milk accented with black pearls cooked in brown sugar.

Mango Cream Cheese (Php180). I’ve had a love affair with cream cheese for most of my life. Add to that richness the sweet fruitiness of mango and I’m hooked.

For one afternoon with my friends, I was able to leave the stress of working from home and overseeing my kids’ online learning to have a leisurely tea and talk session.

This made the trip so much worth the effort.

This Tantea branch is located at Tomas Morato Avenue Corner Scout Castor Street, Laging Handa, Quezon City.

If you prefer not to leave the safety of your home, you can still get your drinks and more from Tantea by ordering via its website or Facebook Messenger.

Check out my reviews of other milk tea joints:

Starting the day right at Milky & Sunny, Tomas Morato

We keep hearing that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

No wonder, with all the health benefits that the meal has been touted to confer on those who partake of it. Among the positive effects that Natural Food Series website purports that breakfast brings are:

Promoting psychological health. Eating food rich in brain-nourishing minerals like potassium, magnesium and selenium helps in improving concentration and guarding against illnesses such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers.

Giving energy to your body. Breakfast powers your body to do the work you need to do for the rest of the day.

Promoting heart health. Food with nutrients such as omega-3 and good fats help in maintaining cardiovascular health by enhancing your heart’s cells healing power.

If these samplings of health benefits aren’t enough to get you to rushing to wolf down some breakfast as soon as you wake up, then Milky & Sunny‘s all-day breakfast menu surely would.

While most of us usually enjoy the first meal of the day at home, Milky & Sunny prides itself on breakfast dishes you will journey to their nearest branch to taste.

Together with fellow Zomato foodies, I was able to try out some of the resto’s signature dishes which include:

Buttermilk Chicken Caesar Salad (Php200). The resto claims that the the dressing is the real deal and I can agree. The Ceasar dressing is well-incorporated balanced into the crisp lettuce, while the deep-fried battered chicken breast adds some heartiness to this light dish.

Tapa Rice Meal with Egg (Php225) and Garlic Lonnganisa Rice Meal with Egg (Php190). With these hearty meals, you can choose how you want your rice (plain or garlic) and eggs (scrambled or sunny side up) to be served. Yep, it’s your call. The tender beef strips of the tapa were cooked in a special Pinoy-style marinade with a great harmony of salty and sweet flavors, while the garlicky longganisa goes quote well with the eggs.

Crispy Kare-kare with Rice (Php320). Crunchy pork belly served on a bed of rich peanut sauce together with leafy greens, eggplant and banana bud, along with a serving of salty bagoong (shrimp paste).

Lechon Kawali with Rice (Php175). The classic Pinoy dish is comprised of pork belly simmered to tenderness then deep-fried in a pan until crispy and golden. Together with rice, achara and lechon sauce, it is a filling and flavorful meal.

Margherita Pizza (Php180). A light yet tasty pizza made of tomatoes, Italian cheeses, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil on a thin crunchy crust.

Strawberry Banana Pancake (Php180). Two pieces of regular-sized pancakes mace with strawberry puree and served with frothy whipped cream, banana slices and drizzles of strawberry and chocolate syrup.

Hazelnut Banana Crepe (Php300). Vanilla-filled crepe topped with ice cream and served with banana slices and drizzled with chocolate syrup.

Malted Milkshake (Php150). Its flavor is driven by the toasty milk powder blended with milk and topped with crea, and nuts.

Soybliss Ice Cream (Php100). A non-dairy ice cream that caters to the lactose-intolerant and the health conscious. I opted for the Avocado flavor which has a strong soy flavor and is not too sweet. I wish the avocado flavor is more apparent, though.

With healthy and hearty choices of food to break your fast, Milky & Sunny is a happy start to your day. Check this place out and let me know what you think!

This Milky & Sunny branch is located at Ground Floor, Ignacia Place, 62 Mother Ignacia Corner Sergeant Esguerra Avenue, South Triangle, Quezon City. It is open from Mondays to Saturdays, from 11am to 5pm.

Disclosure: Together with other foodies, I was invited to join a foodie meetup held at this restaurant. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my reviews of other breakfast places:

Pi Breakfast & Pies, Ugong

Spice Cafe, City Garden Grand Hotel

Fika, Capitol Hills

Little Owl Cafe, New Manila

Quarks and Quills, Banawe

Sunnies Cafe, Megamall

AM/PM Brunch. Bar. Cafe., Tomas Morato

For late-night tapa cravings, there’s Angus Tapa Centrale

This resto is great if you have late night cravings for tapsilog or if you want to cap a night out with a hearty rice meal. Their Angus beef tapa is sliced very thinly – sukiyaki style – and marinated to come out flavorful and tender. You can also opt to get some local spiced vinegar to go with your tapsilog.