This blog has been MIA from the blogosphere for the longest time! So, my sincerest apologies to the readers (if any) of this blog for my absence. It's not that I haven't been eating out (I always do) or cooking (I sometimes do); it's just that there wasn't anything blog-worthy — at least food-wise — as of late.
But fret not: I have been scouring the metro (and other cities) for food finds, and I've been working on my culinary skills; particularly, baking. In fact, one of these days, I will try and blog about the different kinds of cheesecakes I've already made and perfected.
Anyway, moving on to today's post!
Recently, my family and I went back to our happy place, which we frequent one to two times a year: Baguio. People usually tell me that they're surprised that we go up as often as we do, and even wonder what's there to do in Baguio. To be perfectly honest, we go there without any particular goal in mind except to relax and to get away from the day to day hassle of Manila living (although Baguio is quickly becoming congested and citified).
Still, there's something charming about returning to our childhood happy place and living simply: enjoying the cool air, being surrounded by lots of trees and flowers, getting to walk around... you get the picture.
However, since more and more people seem to be visiting Baguio as well, the city is rapidly playing catch-up in terms of activities, nightlife, and — you guessed it — restaurants.
One such restaurant we checked out on our last visit two weeks ago was something my mom chanced upon in an online article. When she mentioned they served brick oven pizza, I knew we had to try it out. After all, carbs (pasta and pizza) are my favorite things to eat!
(Apologies in advance for the quality of these photos; unfortunately, I wasn't able to bring my SLR on this trip, and the lighting where I was seated wasn't the most ideal for iPhone food photography.)
Showing posts with label pizza. Show all posts
My Favorite Carbs in Baguio
From South to North: Mama Lou's Italian Kitchen
Sometime last year, I'd see my friends from the south post photos of this certain Truffle Mac & Cheese dish. And anyone who knows me will know that I will automatically gravitate towards anything containing the word "truffle".
I was surprised, though, to find out that the restaurant where that particular dish was served was located all the way in Parañaque.
Given the traffic in Manila, that meant that this northern girl would spend at least two hours on the road — and that's just one way. I thought that the only time I'd get to check the place out would be the next time I'd visit my relatives who live in Alabang, so I forgot all about this dish and that restaurant.
Fast forward to early 2015. Thankfully, Mama Lou's Kitchen just recently opened a branch ten minutes away from my house, so I brought my family there to check it out shortly after its soft opening.
In their UP Town Center branch, I think they tried to recreate the ambience of their flagship branch in BF Homes, Parañaque (which is actually a house turned restaurant).
Lots of wood and brick textures dominate the place.
For starters, you will be served homemade bread with two kinds of sauces: a pesto and a marinara sauce.
You can opt to split your pizza into different flavors. For this one, we ordered half of a large Margherita and half of a large Mama Lou's Special. I forgot how they priced this because a standard large Margherita is PhP 375 and a standard large Mama Lou's Special is PhP 450. We were glad, though, that we got to try two different kinds of pizza: their crust is thin but holds well, their sauces are really good (I especially liked that balsamic touch from the Mama Lou's Special half), and their cheese... well, I will always be happy with mozzarella any day.
Do you know what it feels like to taste something and instantly understand what "died and went to Heaven" means? That's how it felt with my first bite of this beauty. Their Truffle Mac & Cheese (PhP 285) is now one of my all-time favorite truffle dishes in this city. A rich, creamy blend of different cheeses, plus a punch of truffle flavor, equals a tear falling from my eye. I was so happy that I finally, finally got to order this for myself.
My brother, CJ, ordered their Mozzarella Burger Steak (PhP 295). Great cook on the meat (I told him to ask for a medium rare to a medium). I was able to take a forkful of it, and fortunately, that one had some cheese in it; however, the mozzarella only comes through once you reach the center of the burger steak. Would've liked for it to spread out so on your very first bite, you'll be able to taste the cheese as well.
My mom's default pasta order, especially when sampling dishes from a new restaurant, will always be Vongole. In Mama Lou's, it's priced at PhP 295. I didn't get to take a bite from it, but based on how she looked while eating it, it must've been good. (She should know; she also makes this dish from scratch.)
My dad ordered one of the most un-Italian dishes on the menu: their Fish & Chips (PhP 350). Let's just say he's more of an English or German pub kinda guy, and will almost always order this dish when given the chance. At Mama Lou's, they use Atlantic Sole for their Fish & Chips. It was nice and crispy, not at all soggy nor greasy, and I liked their tartar sauce as well.
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Unfortunately, my other siblings weren't with us; otherwise, we would've been able to sample more dishes.
Shortly after this visit, though, I came back to sample another item on their menu that screamed "TRUFFLE". And I wasn't disappointed.
Glorious Risotto Tartufo Funghi (PhP 325), which, right when the dish was set down in front of me, wafted instantly with truffle aroma. The sauce was rich and creamy, the rice was cooked really well (not hard, not soggy), and the cheese/s they used was/were heavenly.
It goes without saying that I'm really happy that we have a good Italian restaurant a stone's throw away from my house — and that they have two delicious truffle dishes on the menu. Their pricing is reasonable for the serving size and the quality of their dishes as well.
One negative thing about this UP Town branch of theirs, though (I don't know if it's the same for their BF branch, or the other one that they also opened in the Nuvali area): it can get quite loud in there. Perhaps it's because two sides of the restaurant have glass from top to bottom, so sound bounces around. You can easily hear things like the blender whirring, the clanging of pots and pans from the kitchen, and pick up conversations from other diners. If you plan on going there for a date, or for an intimate gathering with family or friends, just manage your expectations.
One negative thing about this UP Town branch of theirs, though (I don't know if it's the same for their BF branch, or the other one that they also opened in the Nuvali area): it can get quite loud in there. Perhaps it's because two sides of the restaurant have glass from top to bottom, so sound bounces around. You can easily hear things like the blender whirring, the clanging of pots and pans from the kitchen, and pick up conversations from other diners. If you plan on going there for a date, or for an intimate gathering with family or friends, just manage your expectations.
Ground Floor, UP Town Center,
Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City
B.F International Village, Las Piñas
(+632) 519-1977
Solenad 2, Nuvali,
Sta. Rosa, Laguna
(+6349) 302-0752
Project Pie N00b No More
Everything can be pretty much hacked or DIY'd to death these days. The more customized or personalized, the better. This applies to things you can do at home to burger restaurants grilling all over the metro.
It wouldn't be long, therefore, before DIY-ing pizza would be the next big thing.
Enter: Project Pie, an American franchise that was next to hit our shores.
I first heard about Project Pie late last year, when people would post pictures of their customized pizzas on social media. Initially, I wanted to try eating there (its first branch in the Philippines was located along Shaw Boulevard) just because it was a pizza place; customization wasn't even a factor for me.
But people would tell me about the long lines and the longer wait, so I didn't even bother trying.
Fast forward to 2014.
Filed Under: What I Want to Learn
Now that I've finally decided to fulfill a New Year's Resolution by starting to cook (here's what happened last Sunday when my sister and I cooked dinner for the family), there are so many things I need and want to learn. It also helps that people have been so encouraging and supportive, and offering recipes left and right.
Here are some of the things that I think I'd like to try making in the near (hopefully!) future:
How Pizza "Saved" My Life
As a child, I wasn't a fan of food. I was a tall, scrawny, gangly thing who had so much energy and thought that sitting down to eat was a complete waste of time.
Six-year-old me in action.
I would rather swim laps in the pool, go rollerblading, or read a new book. I would chew without bothering to mind how flavorful a dish was; I didn't have any particular favorites, either (though spaghetti would always be a safe bet). I just wanted to get out of the dining table and resume whatever I was doing.
Until my parents introduced this new routine when I was about 10 years old. Every Saturday night, they would order pizza for my siblings and me around the time some of our favorite cartoons would be showing on TV (i.e. reruns of Richie Rich, Hanna Barbera cartoons, and even classics like Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home).
I would associate pizza with happy, sappy feelings of warmth and family bonding. We would watch TV together, break for dinner, gather around the dining table, take turns cutting the pizza into slices with the pizza cutter, talk and laugh, then resume our TV viewing.
My favorite pizza back then was Magoo's Pizza. It was an oily, sticky mess, but it was so cheese-filled that I loved it.
Photo taken from here.
The combination of gooey cheese and tomato sauce stirred something within me. Not only did I finally learn to appreciate the flavor of food, but I had this awakening.
Suddenly, I would start to crave certain dishes (especially after swimming 130+ laps a day; I used to be a competitive swimmer). I would look forward to trying new restaurants and being invited to parties and all sorts of gatherings.
And as I grew older, traveled more, and exposed my palate to more dishes and cuisines, I was always excited whenever food would be involved. In recent years, I've become increasingly interested in Asian and Mediterranean cuisine; today, some of my newfound loves are Thai, Indonesian, and Indian cuisine. (However, I will always love Italian and Japanese as my absolute favorites.)
It's hard to imagine that I genuinely didn't care about food when today, the idea of trying something new, or eating one of my staples, makes my day.
I'd like to think that pizza saved my life; which is why it holds a special place in my heart — and stomach. I can't imagine a life devoid of any interest in food.
Thank you, Italy, for creating pizza. Thank you, America, for sharing its goodness with the rest of the world. Thank you, dear parents, for making it a big part of my childhood.
How about you? What were your favorite things to eat as a child? What do you enjoy eating today?
It's hard to imagine that I genuinely didn't care about food when today, the idea of trying something new, or eating one of my staples, makes my day.
I'd like to think that pizza saved my life; which is why it holds a special place in my heart — and stomach. I can't imagine a life devoid of any interest in food.
Thank you, Italy, for creating pizza. Thank you, America, for sharing its goodness with the rest of the world. Thank you, dear parents, for making it a big part of my childhood.
How about you? What were your favorite things to eat as a child? What do you enjoy eating today?
Food-Filled 2013
I thought of making a food post in my other blog, but earlier today, my sister suggested that I make a separate blog just for food. And since I plan to keep taking pictures of and trying new dishes, and I plan to actually start cooking this year (watch out, world!), I thought that this was a good idea.
So, hello, everyone! Here I am, starting the new year (albeit 15 days into 2014) with a new blog dedicated solely to one of my many passions: food.
A disclaimer: I am, by no means, a connoisseur of any kind. Neither am I qualified (at least in my opinion) to write proper reviews. But I do love food and I do love trying out new dishes and cuisines. Plus, for the first time in my life, I'm really making a commitment to make my culinary genius of a mother proud by learning how to cook.
For my first entry, I thought of writing about some of my favorite things to eat last year. They must have really been "top of mind", as we say in advertising, because these are the only ones I remember.
(Also, these were the only ones whose pictures were still in my phone's camera roll. Cop-out excuse, I know. Sorry! I'll do better this year.)
