So where will you be this Valentine's Day?

Spot.ph came out with this amazing listing of all the Valentine's Day promotions around the Metro :) This will be a running list where I will be adding more entries as we get closer to the V-Day!

22 Prime at the Discovery Suites
Indulge with 22 Prime’s dinner buffet and Prime rib carving station on February 13, Saturday and February 14, Sunday at P1,400+ per person.

Adarna Food and Culture

Adarna is giving a 20% discount on all bottles of wine for the whole month of February. A tertulia, ‘PS. Mahal Kita,” and a love letter reading contest will be held on February 13, Saturday at 7 p.m., wherein guests will be providing the entertainment.
Guests are requested to come in Filipiniana attire and are encouraged to share their talents during the program. Songs, dances, poems or the playing of musical instruments are welcome

Aubergine

Duck Foie gras praline in Madeira jelly, Cream of green asparagus with smoked Wagyu beef and black truffle, Grilled lobster tail and scallop tortelloni will be served at Aubergine for P2,250+ per person. You may also choose from the Grilled Australian Mulwarra beef tenderloin and Roasted Australian lamb rack, Duck trio or Grilled Chilean sea bass as the main entrée. Desserts, coffee and tea will be served.

Menu is available for dinner only on February 13, Saturday and February 14, Sunday.

Carpaccio

Go Italian on Valentine’s Day and enjoy Carpaccio’s set menu at P850+ per person. The menu includes Insalata con Funghi e Pancetta (fresh garden greens with yogurt herb dressing) or Cappuccino di Pomodori (light tomato soup topped with cream), a choice between Norwegian salmon fillet or ham and cheese-stuffed chicken breast. Orange Sandwich Cakes will be served for dessert.

Menu is available for dinner on February 13, Saturday and February 14, Sunday.

Cav Wine and Bistro

Cav’s prixe fixe menu on Valentine’s Day is at P 1,600 per person and includes Veal Carpaccio or Smoked Salmon, Iberico Pierogi or Duck Consommé, and a choice of Melbourne Prime Beef Tenderloin, Grilled Tiger Prawns or Crispy Lamb Belly for the main entrée. Dessert is a choice of Chocolate Terrine or Champagne & Strawberries.

You may add Melbourne Prime Beef Truffles for an additional P500. Moet Chandon Champagne is available by the glass or you may upgrade your meal with wine pairing for each course for an additional P990.

Chateau 1771

On February 13, Saturday, Chateau 1771’s special menu includes: Oxtail Canneloni and Baked Brie on Filo with Prosciutto as appetizers; Bouillabaise of Scallops, Wild Mushroom soup with white truffle foam, Pear, Mesclun, Blue Cheese and walnut vinaigrette salad and strawberries, pistachio nuts, crispy bacon and white balsamic dressing salad.

Main course choices include: Lobster with orange butter and almond, Halibut wrapped in pancetta, Roasted Philippine seabass, Striploin steak with Tomato Madeira sauce, Veal chops with Port wine sauce, Rack of lamb and sauce vierge. Dessert Platters are also available.

All dishes may be ordered a la carte. The regular menu will be available on Friday, February 12, lunch on February 13, Saturday and February 14, Sunday.

Chef Laudico Bistro Filipino

On the menu at Chef Laudico Bistro Filipino on Valentine’s Day weekend: Sinigang Taro puree soup with roasted tomatoes, Baked tomato stuffed with smoked milkfish on mesclun salad, Ravioli stuffed with laing topped with seared prawns in coconut capsicum sauce, Roast U.S. Angus Beef and white chocolate bread and butter pudding with dulce de leche and chocolate truffle ice cream.

Dinner is at P1,500 per person. You may also add three glass wine pairings for an additional P500.

Menu is available on February 13, Saturday and February 14, Sunday. A la carte items will not be available on February 14.

Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila

Seven Corners will have a sumptuous buffet spread for P2,200+ per person, which will include Japanese, Indian, Noodles (Asian Noodles & Pasta) and Western interactive cooking stations.

U.S. Prime Rib Steak and Steak Tartar will also be served on February 13 and 14.

Desserts will be a treat at Seven Corners with the Chocolate and Strawberry Pizza, Chocolate Chili Mousse and Strawberry Chili Crème Brulee. A glass of sparkling wine will be served with the buffet.

Over at Xin Tian Di, two sets of a seven-course menu will be served on Sunday, February 14 for P1,480 per person. Couples can share a meal that begins with either a Trio of Dimsum Platter and Assorted Seafood and Jellyfish Salad in Red Wine Sauce. Main courses include Pan-fried Pork Loin in White Pepper Sauce, Blue Berry Fish Roll or the Asian inspired Poached Seasonal Vegetables and Bean curd with 3 Kinds of Eggs.

The Valentine’s menu will be served with a glass of sparkling wine.Couples who dine at Crowne Plaza Galleria’s restaurants on February 13 and 14 will also get a chance to win a romantic travel showcase to Bali, Indonesia inclusive of roundtrip tickets for two to Jakarta via Cebu Pacific and a 3-day/ 2-night stay with dinner for two at Holiday Inn Baruna Bali plus a P5, 000 gift certificate for signature luggage from Flight 360.

The Diamond Hotel

Enjoy splendid set menus for lunch and dinner at the Restaurant Le Bellevue for only P2,500+ per person, which includes a glass of Rosé wine plus a box of pralines and roses for the ladies during dinner.

The Palm Court Cafe lunch buffet is at P1,500+ per person while the Valentine dinner buffet will have a seafood spread for only P 1,988+ per person. The dinner buffet includes a glass of Rosé wine plus a box of pralines and roses for the ladies.

Over at Kaizeki, their lunch set menus are at P1,500+ per person for lunch and P1,988+ per person for dinner. The set menus include a glass of Rosé wine or Sake, a Japanese wine, plus a box of pralines and roses for the ladies.

You may choose to spend your Valentine’s Day date with a bountiful barbeque by the poolside. The Barbeque Dinner Buffet on February 12, Friday and February 13, Saturday is at P1,500 per person with a glass of red wine and roses for the ladies.

Head to The Sky Lounge Music Bar for an after-dinner party on February 12, Friday and February 13, Saturday and enjoy a glass of Rosé wine and sensational music provided by guest bands for P688 per person.

Dusit Thani Manila

Tosca will serve a four-course and a three-course set menu for dinner on February 14, Sunday. On the menu: Lobster and sea scallop on tomato carpaccio with light saffron vinaigrette, Spinach sour crème soup with beetroot ravioli, Lapu-lapu fillet and prawns on yellow bell pepper sauce or Beef tenderloin in red wine sauce and Strawberry - lemon variation. The four-course menu is at P1,960 and the three-course menu is at P1,710. The dinner comes with one glass of Moet Chandon Champagne.

Benjarong Thai Restaurant’s dinner set menu is at P1,600 per person. The menu includes Flower shaped dumpling filled with minced chicken, Steamed minced pork, Prawn salad, Chicken wings in hot and sour clear soup in coconut shell, Deep-fried lapu-lapu fillet with pineapple gravy, Stir-fried pork spareribs with chili sauce, Stir-fried vegetables with prawns with steamed Jasmine rice.

Enjoy dinner at Umu on February 14, Sunday with the Japanese set menu at P2,600 per person. The menu includes Baked eel futomaki sushi rolls, Oyster karaage, Hamachi, salmon, toro sashimi, Salmon miso Ishikari style, Chilean seabass fillet teppanyaki, Beef saikoro steak, Mixed vegetables and Cheese mousse, Japanese style pudding and green tea-flavored mochi ice cream for dessert.

Enchanté

Chef Jessie Sincioco of Enchanté at the Oakwood Premier Joy Nostalge Center in Ortigas will be serving Trio of Goose Liver, Poached Canadian jumbo scallop in Andalouse sauce, Oxtail soup en croute, Pan-fried Norwegian Lemon sole fillet or Roast chilled U.S. Black Angus striploin and a trio of new desserts that include Dark chocolate macadamia nut slice, Strawberry panna cotta and Grand Marnier crepe. Coffee, tea and strawberries dipped in chocolate will also be served.

The Valentine’s Day menu is at P2,500 per person. The menu is available for lunch and dinner on February 14, Sunday.

The Establishment

Make the Establishment your date venue for Valentine’s and enjoy delectable dishes from the Crystal Room and The Hall for P1,500+ per person. The menu includes Tuna Belly Sashimi on Crispy Pita Crust, Manila Clam Miso Soup, Sesame Crusted Goat Cheese salad, Sake Poached Chilean seabass or U.S. Angus Tenderloin Beef Miso Zuke, and white chocolate crème brulee.

The menu is available on February 13, Saturday and February 14, Sunday and comes with a glass of wine per guest.

So where will you be this Valentine's Day?

Chocolate for a busy girl's soul :)

Once in a while, a girl just got to give in and listen to what her heart and stomach are saying...

We WANT Chocolates!!!

Thankfully, there's a new chocolate cafe in the neighborhood. The name is Chocolat and it specializes in a couple of really yummy, moist chocolate cakes that's perfect to fulfill your deep dark chocolate dreams.

Chocolat is a cozy looking shop located along A. Mabini street in San Juan, here you can hang out with your friends as you enjoy a slice of their cakes together with a steaming mug of their chocolate drink. What started as a small baking supplies store grew into an online cake shop and later into their very own store at the SM Mall of Asia! Talk about sweet success!

I love their Death by Tablea (Php. 345 /6 inch, Php. 620 / regular size) which is made using native cacao (they even have the tablea on sale) and condensed milk. It reminds me of how our grandmothers would create our favorite hot chocolate drink back when we were young -- using native ingredients and created with utmost TLC.

My mom on the other hand, loves the Classic chocolate cake (Php. 265 /6 inch, Php. 475 / regular size) simply because it has just the right amount of sweetness. She loves the spongy texture of the cake itself and how smooth and velvety the icing was.

Enjoy alert: Get 10% discount when paying in cash and 5% discount when paying in card!

Chocolat has four branches in SM Mall of Asia, Xaviervill Avenue, Sgt. Esguerra in Quezon City and Burgos corner Mabini street, San Juan. Call them at 7260330.

Love at Conggo Grille

Let me share with you a simple love story...

This story dates back to the evening of May 10, 2003 where 12 girls and guys who initially began their friendship over the internet agreed to meet up again for a short reunion. The venue was set to be at Conggo Grille in Tomas Morato. The head of the group or rather, in internet-speak, the chat room head decided to bring along two of his friends to keep him company. One was his friend from college and another was his high school best friend (HSBF).

Over pork sisig and beef kare-kare, everyone was so engrossed in their own small conversations updating one another about college life, high school stories and what have you.

The night went smoothly as the girls bonded while the guys made plans for an after-dinner game of billiards. As the evening passed, little did one particular girl know that she had already caught the attention of chat room head's HSBF. The problem was he's a very shy guy and did nothing but to just listen intently to this particular girl as she animated chats with her friends. Needless to say, the evening ended with the girl saying her goodbye as it was time for her to go home (this was still back in the day when curfew time exists) and HSBF wishing he had the courage to at least ask for her number...

Now, I guess you're wondering what ever happened to those two...

Well, let me continue the story...

Fast forward to February 4, 2010. I guess you can call it fate that we see the same girl and HSBF dining once again at Conggo Grille, Tomas Morato. However, they only made reservations for a table for two and not twelve.

Let us take a look at what they ordered that evening:

For starters, the girl requested to order a plate of Chicharon Bulaklak (Php. 180). This is a fun appetizer as it's delicious and perfect to munch on to start the conversation rolling. Just a word of caution though, do take this in moderation as it may not do very well for your heart.

Up next was the Cream of Seafood Soup (Php. 245). Who would have thought that both the girl and HSBF are big soup fans and this dish was one of their Conggo Grille favorites. The serving is big and it is actually good for 4 pax. The soup is loaded with fish fillet, prawns, mussels and squid. What a perfect way to warm your stomach before the arrival of the main dishes.

HSBF is a true-blooded Campampangan and no meal for him is complete without a sizzling plate of sisig! Instead of going for the original pork sisig, they opted to try the Chicken Sisig (Php. 180) instead. Both liked Conggo Grille's version however agreed that the mayonnaise/cream can be a bit overwhelming.

Last was the Inihaw na Liempo (Php. 140). This is perfect with a cold bottle of beer but since they just wanted to talk and bond that evening, they just chose to have the liempo together with a cup of garlic rice (Php. 35) and a glass of Coke. The serving size of the liempo was good for 2 to 3 pax but both also noticed that the lean meat was pretty small compared to the fatty portion. This is definitely one thing health buff's might shy away from.

Over dinner, the two updated each other about their day and made plans about their future.

Yes, you read it right. After severe determination, HSBF finally had the courage to contact animated talking girl and won her heart in the process. It has been seven happy years since that fateful evening at Conggo Grille and while a lot of things have changed, two things remain constant, the fact they they love each other's company and their fondness for Conggo Grille's food.

Conggo Grille has branches in Tomas Morato (3322193), Araneta Center in Cubao (7092472), El Pueblo in Ortigas (6383857), SM City Pampanga (045-9639740) and many more!

Mamma Mia! it's Gelatissimo!

Trust the Yummy team to have the nose (as well as the taste buds) for the latest food finds in the metro!

It was during one of our lunch outs that the team agreed to have dessert at Gelatissimo, an Australian gelato brand that first opened in Cebu and now has its very first Metro Manila branch at Greenbelt 5!

We were very full from a hearty lunch at Lorenzo's Way that I was really contemplating whether or not I would still go for a bowl of gelato for myself.

Arriving at the store, I was surprised to see a huge crowd! Looks like gelato is the next in thing this 2010! I wonder how delicious their gelato is that I've decided to give it a try as well!

I love how they creatively presented each flavor! Imagine having a box of green tea sitting on top of their..*what else?!* Green Tea flavored gelato!

It was pretty difficult to decide what to get since I want to try more than one flavor. It was a good thing that the team decided to get the Coppa Bambino (Php. 600), which is the biggest sundae consisting of 32 mini scoops to share! Hooray!

Since there were 10 of us sharing, we requested that the 32 scoops be divided into two to which our friendly server happily obliged.

Finally, our Coppa Bambino arrived and we were all so ready to dig in! Each with a tall ice cream spoon on hand, we tried the different flavors and had our own favorites. Mine was the coffee and dark chocolate while others liked the melon, green tea and choco chip.

We had to dig in fast as our gelato was quickly melting. In between bites and laughter, all 10 of us enjoyed our scoops of gelato and before we know it, our giant sundae glass was empty.

We lick our spoons clean and agreed that it sure made a perfect ending to our delicious lunch.

I can't wait to go back and to bring my gelato-loving mom during one of our mother-daughters bonding session!
Gelatissimo is located at the 2nd level of the Greenbelt 5 mall (beside Pepper Lunch).

I'm a PatayGutom...

I'm a PatayGutom correspondent that is :)

I love this key chain that greeted me good morning today!

Thanks to Jehz and Winston for this lovely new trinket that is happily attached to my camera case.

No Compromises! ... and the winners are....

Make no compromises!

8 wonderful days have passed and I got a total of 53 awesome answers to the question:

What is that one thing that you will never compromise when it comes to dining out?

I really enjoyed reading through all of the answers and in the process realized that each of us takes dining out seriously and that each one of us have our own rules that will ensure each dining experience to be stress-free and worthwhile.

Allow me to share with you the top 15 answers which I think are just truly great! These are some things I will definitely bare in mind on my next food trip:

Cleanliness

1) Rowena Wendy Lei

Hygiene! I will never compromise the cleanliness of the food and the place because you can catch killer diseases like Hepatitis A,B,C and so forth by dining in unsanitary conditions.

2) Cherry

i won't compromise cleanliness, it definitely will speak something about the person who prepared it and the place how they value themselves and others. the quality of taste and the presentation and cleanliness is a package result because of their passion of cooking.

3) Maan

After being diagnosed with cancer, my doctors gave one of the most important requirements to help me sustain my life (because of low immunity)- eat only clean and sterile food.
So if there's one thing that I cannot compromise, especially when dining out, I must say it'll be the *cleanliness and freshness of the food I'm eating* - whether I'm in a 5-star resto or at a carinderia.

4) Lia

I will never compromise the cleanliness of the area both inside and outside the restaurant. I ate once in a fastfood joint where I was appalled by the stench of the comfort room. In addition, the garbage outside was filled to the brim. Now, our food might look and smell clean after preparation but if the place surrounding it is unclean, then our food might still be swimming in bacteria which is of course something we cannot detect right away. Hence, we should also not make no concessions about the restaurant's cleanliness and maintenance. :)

5) Luckyfinds

I cannot compromise food safety for price issues when dining out. Not only should the food be healthy and delicious, I also look into the restaurant's safe food handling practices to make sure that the food they serve are free from food-borne illnesses.

6) Kasai

When dining out I will never compromise the place safety, cleanliness and food quality. Safe in that our body is still all intact after leaving the place. Clean, the place dont need to be too fancy its ok that it has a well sanitize CR. Food quality is a must, how we are going to enjoy our dining out if we wont have delicious servings.

Health Benefits

7) Kimberly

I will never compromise health benefits. It may taste like it's the best thing on earth but if it's loaded with bad cholesterol and harmful ingredients, it's not worth it. That's why i don't opt for fast food chains.

Pricing

8) VPao

I will never compromise inappropriate pricing of foods.
Although the best restaurants really have expensive menus, I think it is really important that you get the most of the value of your cash. Its not just of the beauty of the place but, its of what you got out of the food you intake from the place.

Customer Service

9) Marshi

i will never compromise the kind of customer service they offer.It´s nice to eat if the people will serve you food with a smile.Once you dont like the service, it becomes a wall that hinders you from coming back to that place. :)

Safe for kids

10) Bachuchay

When dining out I will never compromise my family’s safety by picking an establishment that provides quality products and services. Cleanliness on the place and the way people serve is one factor. The quality of the food is another requirement. Lastly, the venue should be safe for my kids. I will never compromise their safety by bringing them to a place which I know is hazardous nor not safe for kids to roam around.

11) Zoan

I will never compromise my child's safety. I am a single-mom, and i took care of my son. Having him beside me all the time makes me feel that he is safe. So, I will need to check the cleanliness of the area as well as the cleanliness of preparing our food.

Taste

12) Jarmela

Dining out is one of my favorite things to do for pleasure. It's like a treat - getting away from the house, I don't have to prepare my own food, and taste new or favorite delightful dishes. So definitely, the one thing I don't compromise from dining out is the taste of food.

13) Bernadette Siazon

I will never compromise the taste and food sanitation and cleanliness of the utensils. It may be a hole-in-the-wall food joint as long as the food tastes superb and the food and utensils are clean.

Quality of the food

14) Nicely

I will never compromise QUALITY, and when you say quality, it includes the freshness of the ingredients, cleanliness of the area, sanitation in the kitchen, commitment of the persons responsible in preparing, cooking and serving the orders, the taste of their products and the way how they (staff) treat their customers.

15) Marizen

I can never compromise the quality of food, particularly the ingredients used, the manner of preparation as well as the overall taste and most importantly the reputation of the place for serving their dishes. After all that's the reason why you went out dining; to taste something new, exciting and satisfying. And make sure that it will all be worth the money you're spending. Although cleanliness cannot be dispensed with, there is no exact way of verifying how clean is clean. But off course, we all have our own standards of cleanliness and it is very subjective to the specifications of customers even if the restaurant have their own method of accomplishing that.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Kindly expect an email on how your Kotex gift pack will be delivered to your doorstep soon!!! :)

**UPDATE**
To Cherry, Jarmila, Lia and Kimberly: may I ask for your email addresses please ;)

Looking forward to the Weekend

I guess I'll be dreaming of this tonight...

Coco Loco Prawns by Lorenzo's Way

What I great way to start yet another busy weekend!!!

Enjoy it everyone! :)

p.s. thanks to Danio, Becky and Koko for the Yummy treat!
p.p.s. Lorenzo's Way, I shall return!

Enjoying Italiannis!

Last week was spent meeting up with old friends, first there was that delicious Chinese dinner at Eat Well with my high school seatmate N and this time I met up with another high school buddy who actually graduated from the school across my school.

Knowing how much I love to dine out, A told me to decide on our dinner venue for that night. A long list suddenly came to mind but after going through my thick yet handy-dandy Enjoy booklet, I chose from the ones with branches in Greenhills and finally settled on Italianni's.

It was a good thing that A was also craving for Italian food and so this made a perfect choice.

I arrived earlier than expected and I took this opportunity to scan the menu. I actually love doing this as I like reading each item slowly before making my choice. A arrived right after I did and we decided to make use of my Enjoy coupon that gives us a Buy one, Get one free main dish treat!

On the table

It wasn't that difficult to make our choice as A and I practically eat anything. With that we got the Porkchop au Poivre (Php. 620.54) and the Parmesan Crusted Fish (Php. 531.25).

One reason why I love dining at Italianni's is because of their warm aromatic foccacia bread that they always serve together with a plate of balsamic vinegar-olive oil dip.

This is actually perfect to munch on while waiting for your order. Of course A and I began to catch up on each other's lives too.

While I was busy bugging A to spill about his love life, our main dishes finally arrived.

A, being the ultimate gentleman began slicing a generous piece of Parmesan Crusted Fish and placing it on my plate and asking if I want to try the pork chop already. I shook my head as I was already enjoying my juicy piece of fish fillet. It has a creamy parsley sauce and some sauteed veggies at the side. I make sure that I spread the sauce on top of each bite as it really perked up the flavor of the deep-fried fish fillet. Yum!

Next, we each got a piece of the Porkchop au Poivre that looks so juicy and tender. While deep into our conversation, we were busy slicing, biting and talking at the same time. However, slicing further through my pork chop, I noticed that the meat was still raw and there were actually a hint of pink on the supposedly white pork meat. I asked A if his pork chop was ok but he just stared at his almost empty plate and gave me a sheepish grin. I called the attention of our server who immediately offered to replace our dish.

Since we were almost full with these two main dishes, we initially declined but they still insists to make up for it. Instead, we chose to get a pasta dish and requested to just split this and wrap it for us to take home. Needless to say, we appreciate that they quickly responded to our complain and repeatedly apologized for the oversight.

Thank you Italianni's! Their good service has saved our meal from disaster!

We just paid for the Porkchop au Poivre as the Enjoy card allowed us to get the Fish Fillet for free! Hooray!