Magnum Cafe Manila **

Two years ago, the byword in ice cream was Magnum.
People were crazy about it. People were lining up to buy it.
People were taking pictures of themselves eating it.

What is it in an ice cream bar that drives the hoi polloi to mass hysteria?
I don't get it. Haven't they heard of Pinipig Crunch?
Kidding aside, Magnum is a great Belgian Chocolate treat, although there are varieties with sweetness levels I can't stand. (Too old, maybe :) )

A few year after, they launch the Magnum Cafe in SM Aura. To drum up interest in the Magnum
by giving the customers the power to customize their Magnum. Yep, you heard me right,
for as low as P 100 pesos. You can make your Magnum your own piece of magnum opus.

Dip in caramel? add sprinkles? Add chili flakes? Whatever your pleasure.

 

The lines at Magnum Cafe at SM Aura are a testament that the magnum craze is here to stay.

Although I heard that this will just be pop-up thing, you have a year to satisfy your curiosity and tastebuds and try out the Magnum Cafe at the Sky Park of SM Aura.

Besides the dessert, of course we came for the food.
They have a very limited food menu serving up burgers and pasta with hints of chocolate.

Angus Burger Php 400

The Angus Burger is was soo good, I felt like not sharing.  It's a good burger and the patty is juicy and tender. Could use some more fries, though.

Carbonara with Cocoa Rubbed Bacon

 We ordered two of this, the bacon is semisweet and crunchy, and the taste is enhanced the runny egg.
 Even picky eaters and kids will enjoy this.

Bolognese

They served this with shavings of chocolate, I didn't like the taste of this, I think the chocolate is messing up my tastebuds. I felt it was too rich and making the Bolognese semi-sweet isn't helping out.

Cajun Spiced Chicken Poppers

Crunchy chicken morsels, the glaze turns me off because its too sweet.

The Cookie Skillet comes with 2 Magnums under a freshly-baked giant cookie.

Magnum Cookie Skillet Php 250

You definitely have to experience this within the year
because time is ticking.
I had a great experience although I admit their food is
not something you would like to have every day.
It's is pricey and they need to beef up on their hot food menu
but the pumped up Magnums are worth the experience.

Budget: About 600++ per head
 

Magnum Cafe Manila

Fifth Floor, SM Aura Premier, C5 Road Corner 26th Street,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City(02) 8697916

A beautiful breakfast at Early Bird Breakfast Club ***

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
And there's nothing more comforting than an elegantly styled breakfast, one that you can't help taking out your camera phone and proclaiming, "I'm eating this today!" after posting it on social networks to the oohs and aahs of your friends.

Thankfully, breakfast is an all day affair at Early Bird Breakfast Club.
There's a new one open at the ground floor of Century City Mall in Makati, where its less crowded,
the people are warm, the food is great and the interiors, beautifully done. 

  
Refreshing peach walls, a colorful sofas, greens the interiors here are so girly, it feels like I'm  eating inside a Barbie themed restaurant. Kidding aside, the interiors are classy and nice to look at, so is the food. The servers are attentive and they know their stuff. I'll just let my pics do the talking.

Our orders were the famous Yin Yang Champorado, French Toast and Adobo Flakes.

The food was awesomely presented and plated.

The Yin Yang Champorado was cutely served in a glass jar with a tiny serving of dilis/ anchovies on the side. With a flick of the spoon, you can tell that the darker side of the Champorado was yummier because it was made of Belgian chocolate.

The French Toast is a fun way to eat stuff, the bread is playfully cut into strips that you dip into "eggs" filled with chocolate and honey. This is yummy.

The Adobo Flakes were neatly stacked like a tower with fried egg over white rice.  It had a distinctive strong vinegar taste, although it wasn't as crunchy. The flakes were not dry but flavorful.

Taste and Pricing + Attentive Service
Taste-wise the food was good but at those prices, I expected a bit heftier portions since breakfast was meant to fill tummies. Food must not be made for Instagramming alone, it must do its job and make you full.

Our replacement champorado, yay!

 
Yin Yang was really good, but Max's Triple Chocolate Champorado costs one third of the price and could fill you up with its large bowl. This one barely scraped our tummy's surface.  When our server Noemi asked how the food was, and we informed her how "bitin" we were with our order, she told the manager and they sent another jar free of charge. That's how good their service is.

 The verdict
 Neatly presented food, nice menu, great date place,
 superb service, delicious food, pretty restaurant



Budget
 Php 400+ per head


Early Bird Breakfast Club
Ground Floor Century City Mall
Kalayaan Avenue Makati City
(02) 4031897
Open from 7 am to 10 pm

Nolita: New York-sized Pizza at BGC ***

Pizza has a way of making people drool.
The crunchy crust.
The gooey cheese.
Yummy toppings.
And I thought S and R's pizza slices were big...
Until I tried Nolita's.

Pizza flavors are there in the chalkboard

NOLITA which stands for North of Little Italy,
offers those humongous slices of New York style pizzas to crave for.

Inspired by the Little Italy neighborhood, Nolita brings authentic NY style pizzas to the BGC area.
Located near Geisha and Crystal Jade Dining In, Nolita serves up a wide array of pizzas, turo-turo style. They also offer have sandwiches and Angus burgers, plus a great array of imported beers.

One look at their counter makes one confused what to order first
because everything looks so good. Unlike other pizza places, theirs is self-service.
And they encourage you to eat with your hands (the best way to enjoy pizza)

Tasty and Price:

The pizzas taste great, this is New York style pizzas at its best.
Chewy dough, thin crust, the pizzas are huge you must fold it to enjoy.

I ordered the  Shrimp Carbonara (Php 290) their bestseller
Shrimp, bacon and cheese, and a whole egg on top This is really, really good

Chicken Parmesan (P 250)
Generous chicken toppings, hint of spiciness, this one is filling but could use a dip
Bleu cheese perhaps?


A bit pricey per slice (Average Php 200+) but granting the size alone can be shared by 2,
this is a winner.

Other stuff:
I also ordered their Potato Chip Fries (P150) which look like Shakeys Mojos.
These are bland and tasteless and were overcooked, you can skip this,
even the dip tastes bland.

Overall:
Huge, great-tasting pizzas, nice place to chill,
great beer selection, I'll be trying the Spinach and Artichoke next.



NOLITA
UG/F Bonifacio High Street Central, West Superblock, 
7th Ave cor 29th St Fort Bonifacio, Taguig
(02) 547-8661

Top of the Citi Makati by Chef Jessie, Where dates and I do's happen ****

Guys, if you need a place to impress your date, you don’t need to get out of the city for a killer meal with breathtaking views of the city.

Treat her to a 360 degree view of the city at TOTC

The Top of the Citi in Makati is sure to impress even the iciest of hearts. Open to the public after
5:00 pm, it is located at the 34^th Floor of the Citibank Tower in Valero Street, Salcedo Village.

Grab a table alfresco (best to reserve) and treat her to a romantic meal under the moon and stars, relaxing mood music, and a 360 degree view of the city. If you want to keep it private, you can lounge around the main dining area where it’s more quiet.  The view from the top can’t be sweeter than this.

Run by Chef Jessie Sincioco, the food is as blissfully good as the desserts the chef are known for. Must-orders include the Chilean Seabass and the Tessie Tomas salad, named after the famous comedienne. My wife swears by their Cordon Bleu, which she never ceases to order when we’re here. After tasting her Cordon Bleu I was not surprised because it takes great skill to have the dish crunchy outside and at the same time moist and tender inside.

Chicken Cordon Bleu in Lemon Butter Sauce P 750

Grilled Seabass and Grilled Ostrich in Wine Sauce

Coffee Souffle

Dessert was Souffle, the scourge of any dessert chef. This dessert is hard to execute and
we have looked in dismay at other restos for even serving this. At Top of the Citi they had done this perfectly every time. 

Come and experience some of Chef Jessie's favorites at Top of the Citi.
The place is quiet yet not somber, one of the perfect date places for me.
Expect a few marriage proposals next table, after all, great things happen...
under the moon and the stars.

The author at Top of the Citi

Chef Jessie's Top of the Citi
34th Floor CitiBank Tower
8741 Paseo De Roxas,  
Salcedo Village, Makati  
(02) 750-5810 to 12

Open from Monday to Friday

Mmmm... Mama Lou's Italian Kitchen! *****

BF Paranaque never ceases to amaze me. There's so many good restaurants here. We discovered an amazing Italian Restaurant in Mama Lou's, it's an old house at Tropical Avenue that they transformed into a casual dining Italian place. It's located at the far end of Aguirre Street, near BF International the streets are not well lighted because this is the far end of BF, but there is ample parking and the area is well guarded.

The interiors are quite simple and there's a framed black and white picture of Mama Lou on the wall.
The place has earned its keep as one of the must-visit restaurants in Summit Media's Eat Out Now Restaurant Guide.

 

For starters, they served bread with 2 kinds of dip, pesto and pomodoro.

Bacon Poutine (Php 195)

My heart was racing when I saw Poutine on the menu. Canadian Fries and with bacon!
The fries were not the commercial type frozen ones, you can see it with the uneven cuts. It was fried just right and not too soggy. A light gavy is poured over the fries with cheese curds. And when you bite into it, boom! Hello delicious! I wonder if they serve a larger portion of this.

Caprese Bruschetta Php 225

Their Caprese Bruschetta is filling but could use a thinner bread. The bread can become hard after a few minutes of toasting. Chopped tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, it's messy to eat but it's an enjoyable mess.

Chef's Special

Craving for Panizza? They have very mean version of it. They serve pizzas with the thinnest and crunchiest crust. The toppings are generous and of course arugula and alfalfa sprouts. One more point
for Mama!

Spaghetti Seafood Olio Php 295

For pastas, the Spaghetti Seafood Olio sauce is a must-try. It's very light and tasty and they were generous with the seafood. If you like things light, how about trying this Spaghettini Pomodoro Basilico? With just tomatoes and basil, less is indeed more.

If you're not from the South, this place is indeed worth the trip, great food selections, homey ambiance at affordable prices. A great place to bring your family and friends.
There is also a branch at Solenad 2 at Nuvali.

Budget: about 300 - 400 per head
Spoon Rating: 5 Spoons

Mama Lou's Italian Kitchen

B1 L36 Tropical Ave. cor. Palace St., BF International

Las Piñas, Metro Manila

(02) 519-1977

Lido Cocina Tsina's Pugon Baked Asado and more

I remember the old days when my Mom and Dad would take me to have breakfast at Lido on Sundays. The place looked at old and stuffy but they had really good fried rice, and the smell of coffee lingered.

Fast forward to years later, Lido would take the route of Savory by splitting the business to Lido and Salido. Lido is the more modern casual dining version, a leveled up version of Chowking to some, but for me, the place still has the memorable food of yesterday.

Located at UN Avenue, beside Tempura, this used to be the old location of Alex III. Lido still has the great rice toppings I've grown to love. And their siphon coffee is of course, one of the best.

Lido's Asado (iamge from their FB page)

When you say Lido, the word asado follows. Known for their asado, Lido serves it even early in the morning. The asado is tasty, tender, and works well even without the sauce. Unlike in other establishments, their asado is not food-colored and has the signature char brown color.

Asado Primera

 Their Asado Primera has slices of tender pork asado, and very sumptuous egg fried rice
 on tomato sauce. Although this is served for breakfast, you can order this all day upon request.
Also available are an army of rice toppings with their signature brown sauce. After tasting one too many, everything may taste the same.

Classic Asado Rice on brown sauce P 175

Macau Rice (P 195) - like Chopsuey has seafood, chorizo and pork asado

3 Cup Chicken (image from their FB page)

Spareribs

Minced Beef Soup

Lido's Siphon Brewed Coffee (image from Lido's FB page)

Se Po /4 Treasures Rice (image from their FB page)

Beef Brisket Mami  (image from their FB page)

They also serve dimsum and noodles. With branches all over the metro, Lido is a great place to unwind, whether you want to dine with the family or a quick lunch break. Instead of just going for Chinese fastfood, why don't you drop by Lido?

By the way, there's a breakfast crowd at the UN Avenue branch during weekends, expect lines.

Budget: about 150 - 200 per person

With branches all over the metro:
Jorge Bocobo St. UN Avenue Delivery number
254- 5436
Z Square, Banawe
Greenhills
Las Pinas
Cainta
BF Paranaque
Bacoor Cavite