Discovering The Frazzled Cook

Foodie Manila is one food blog that I truly enjoy visiting. With Carlos' beautiful photography and very descriptive entries, I always end up hungry and craving for whatever is being featured in this blog. From Stevie's Hainanese Chicken Rice to the burger over at Malcolm's at whatever given time of the day, it doesn't fail to get me hungry with every click.


 
lookie! it's Hello Kitty!

I was fortunate to be invited to guest blog at Foodie Manila to cover The Frazzled Cook (TFC). I truly enjoyed the dinner with non-stop chit chats, endless laughter and of course great food!




Sharing with you my TFC experience as published over at Foodie Manila.

The Frazzled Cook

Enjoy reading! :)

P.s. Do you want to be able to try The Frazzled Cook too? Click here to join Boy Kuripot's contest and who knows you might be able to win a P1000 GC!!!

*photo credit: Paul Ang

The Frazzled Cook is located at #916 Luna Mencias Street Barangay Additional Hills, Mandaluyong City

Oh Serenitea, I'm addicted to you....

Friends over at Plurk.com must have probably noticed how often I would mention dropping by a store named Serenitea for just three things: Hokkaido Milk Tea, Chicken Chops and Peppered Sweet Corn.


I first discovered Serenitea exactly a year ago upon hearing the raves of my boss about this cozy tiny tea store along J. Abad Santos that serves good tea drinks. One visit and a couple more, I was immediately drawn by the relaxed ambiance and yes, their good tea drinks and snacks. At first it was Gyokuro Genmaicha followed by Green Tea Yakult. Finally when they offered Hokkaido Milk Tea as a fellow plurker would say tastes like melted Kraft caramel candy, this has been my frequent choice for almost two months now.

I like my milk tea plain with only 50% sugar. With Serenitea, you can customized you drink from the type of tea to be brewed then to the toppings that will be added down to the amount of sugar that will be added. It makes every experience very personal.

Together with their yummy milk teas, I highly recommend their snacks as well.

These snacks were made popular in Taiwan and we're lucky that there's no need to book a plane ticket to enjoy these instead, a short drive to Serenitea will do.


I love the Chicken Chops (Php. 65) which are deep-fried chicken fillet seasoned with their secret spicy powder and served with fried basil leaves!


Another favorite and my latest discovery is the Peppered Sweet Corn (Php. 50). One order comes in three corn slices. Similar to the chicken chops, this is also seasoned with Serenitea's spicy powder and it a fun snack to enjoy together with your ice cold milk tea.

I'm so happy that more and more people share the same fondness over Serenitea as I do. It's amazing to see how the store is literally bursting with customers going in and out on a daily basis. I know that Serenitea will continue to grow reaching out to more and more tea fans out there.

SereniTea is located along J. Abad Santos cor V. Cruz, San Juan City. You may contact them at 3794166 for more inquiries.

Entrepreneur Networking Night : Food Business

This is definitely one exciting event all ya food lovers should NOT miss!! :)
Let us turn our passion into our very own business!

Click here to register.

Hope to see you all there! :)

Frannywanny's reminder: Do not forget to bring the April Issue of Entrepreneur Magazine to enter!

A Special Nuffnang Dinner

Trust Nuffnang Philippines to create a wonderful experience for its members at all times. First was the amazing Singapore trip that Paul and I truly enjoyed. Then just recently, we were once again invited to have an intimate dinner with a couple of fellow bloggers to welcome their talented (and very young) founders, Tim Tiah and Cheo Ming Shen to the Philippines!

It was hosted by Nuffnang Philippines' director Jay Singson and his lovely wife Joy. The venue was marvelous, I was amazed the moment I stepped inside their lovely home. It reminds me of those beautiful homes we feature in Real Living Magazine.

The evening began with an exclusive pizza making class by Chef Heny Sison.I guess I was really chef-strucked as I used to watch her show a couple of years ago. I love pizza and I was really excited to learn how to make my very own homemade pizza!

First, we began working with the dough.


Who would have thought that you add beer to add more flavor to the pizza crust? Cheers!

Chef Heny asked three bloggers to show their pizza dough making skills. Hooray for Ferdz, Jehz and Maki.


Next was to roll the dough and to create your very own pizza!


While waiting for the pizza to bake, we all hang out at the lanai and enjoyed some cheese and nuts. Wish I had a glass of wine with this but since I was driving that evening I was a good girl and just had a cold glass of orange soda. :)


Dinner was delicious! I couldn't get over the Pinoy Ceasar Salad that had chicharon bits on top. Deadly!


I think I also went beyond my rice intake for that day all because I was busy scraping off the burnt rice (tutong) of the Pinoy Paella.


We all LOVED Chef Heny's dessert. According to Carlos, she specially made this for us. May I have a pint of Truffle Ice Cream please?


Make a guess how many mango shortcake did Judd had that evening. Yes, it was THAT good. :)


Before I leave, I just had to have my photo taken with her. :) I'm such an avid fan haha

Thank you very much for hosting a lovely dinner Nuffnang Philippines! You guys are the BEST!

Sale Alert! SM Homeworld Warehouse Sale

Mom and I went crazy over lovely home items at the SM Homeworld Warehouse Sale over at the SM Megatrade Hall today.

Imagine having brands such as Cannon, Cotton USA, Tefal, Sunnex, Gourdo's and a lot more all in one venue!

I went crazy hoarding plates over at Gourdo's! Lovely side platters for only P180 for 4 pieces!

Now I have a nice oven-friendly dish to make baked fish!

Lastly, just had to get these cups, saucers and plates for only P850! Woweee!

The SM Homeworld Warehouse Sale runs from March 26 - 28, 2010 at the SM Megatrade Halls 1 and 2 in SM Megamall.

BaKed Creations by Krispy Kreme

Just when we thought the Krispy Kreme is all about sweet, melt-in-your mouth donuts, a visit to their drive-thru branch in Greenhills made us discover their newest masterpiece!

Introducing the Baked Creations!

It comes in two variants: the Pull Aparts which is a soft hand-rolled bread topped with either a sweet (Cinnamon) or savory (Bacon & Cheese, Sausage & Cheese, Cheese) topping.

Another variant is the Kruffins which is Krispy Kreme's very own hand-made muffins! It comes in Chocolate, Apple Streusel and Blueberry flavors!


I got the Sausage and Cheese Pull Apart which tastes like a cheese bread with a small piece of sausage and a small swizzle of mayonnaise on top. It somehow reminds me of those Japanese-inspired savory breads that I would get for breakfast.

To be honest, I would still go to Krispy Kreme for my favorite Original Glazed Donut but this is a good savory alternative for those who wants a meaty option.

Mrs. Ya Kun Ortigas' Tapa!

A very sweet gesture! :)

After reading about my never-ending raves about Mr Jones' delicious tapa, I received a text message from my new found friend and lemon iced tea supplier, Richard, that his wife made marinaded beef tapa for me to try! Yum!


Right after doing some BIG day shopping last Sunday, Paul and I dropped by their store at Ya Kun Ortigas for it. Of course, Paul couldn't help ordering a Milo Dinosaur which in effect making me give in and getting myself a Lemon Iced Tea for us to enjoy on our way home.

We finally cooked the beef tapa tonight and it was g-o-o-d!!! To quote Paul, it was very balance. Not too sweet nor was it too salty. It was tender that we enjoyed it with some garlic rice and fried egg! Breakfast meal for dinner? Why not?! :)

Thank you very much Irene a.k.a. Mrs. Ya Kun Ortigas for the delicious gift!

Request for Prayers

Dear readers,

I am taking a break from my regular food and travel blogging to share this heart-breaking story with you. It's about my cousin who got into a terrible freak, if I must say, accident two nights ago. She works at a bank that's very near her house. Despite the short distance, my uncle would still drive out of the village to pick her up. Yes, he's THAT protective of her.

On that fateful evening, my uncle's car broke down forcing my cousin to go home on her own. She was already standing right across the gate of their village along Visayas Avenue in Quezon City. She was at the sidewalk waiting for the right moment to cross when a drunk tricycle driver went up to the sidewalk, hit her, dragged her down and running the entire tricycle over her. Her clothes were in shreds and the kind by-standers quickly brought her to Quezon City Memorial Hospital.

We were not sure if she was still conscious then but we were told that she was already throwing up blood and more blood were gushing out of her ears as well. We felt that if given the proper treatment and with a more experienced set of doctors, they would have been able to quickly do something to save her. Sadly, all they gave her was a bottle of IV and called my aunt (her dad's sister) to inform her of what happened. Just imagine the time wasted from the moment she was brought in up until the time our relatives were informed.

My aunt immediately called Chinese General Hospital and requested for an ambulance. Unbelievably, it took the ambulance 3 long hours to arrive at the QC Memorial Hospital. (Which makes me wonder if they park their ambulance in Laguna or in Tarlac for it to take that long to arrive...sheesh)

From the time she was brought to Chinese General Hospital, she was already in coma and was said to be brain dead. Last night, her parents and fiance insist that she be operated on despite the doctors saying that she has 20-30% of survival and they're not sure whether or not she'll still wake up.

Since we both belong to a big family, I've never met this cousin of mine yet, but I surely know of her as she was also set to get married this year. It's really heart-breaking to hear more stories about the accident.

The drunk tricycle driver is now in jail but really, no amount of punishment given to him can bring my cousin back to normal. How I wish our medical practitioners are more knowledgeable especially towards serious emergency cases such as this. Every minute second counts.

There are a lot of if onlys going around my mind since last night...

... IF ONLY the tricycle driver was not drunk then he would have not went up to the sidewalk and hit her

... IF ONLY the people at Quezon City Memorial Hospital knew exactly what to do then they would have performed the proper emergency procedure on her

... IF ONLY the ambulance from Chinese General Hospital responded right away then they would have brought her in at once

I would like to call on your help to pray as that really is the only thing we can all do now... we will continue to pray and wait and hope for miracles to happen.

May this story serves as an eye-opener for all drivers and medical practitioners out there. May we always bear in mind that whatever we choose to do does not only affect ourselves but of a million others out there. 

[UPDATE: April 1]
This evening, Cathy has already joined our Creator and is surely watching over her family, her dear fiance and loved ones. RIP Cathy...

Quick and Good : Delicious Shortcuts in Everyday Cooking

Cooking has always been a passion of mine but since the start of this year, I hardly had the time to choose recipes to try, to shop and to actually cook. After watching Julie and Julia over the weekend, I was inspired again to bond with my kitchen. It has remained spotless for a couple of months now and how I miss filling up our home with the smell of butter, leaving tiny oil drops our stove and watching both Paul and my family enjoy my little kitchen experiments.

Back then, it would take me hours to be able to cook just one dish, preparation time would take forever, even longer than the actual cooking time. I'm so glad that the team behind Yummy Magazine came out with another book. Browsing through all 75 recipes, I have already tagged a couple of them that I will definitely try this coming weekend.

It has easy recipes using canned products such as the Corned Beef Linguine, the Tempura Meat Loaf (a.k.a. SPAM) and the Chili con Carne. I am also excited to try the different dips, sauces and marinades which is perfect as my family is planning a steak dinner soon!

Check it out, this handy book is available in all newsstands and supermarkets for only P125!

Quoting both Julie and Julia.... Bon Apetit!

Going back to MoMo!

After listening to my endless raves about MoMo right after that delicious lunch that I had with a long-time friend, Paul has been dropping not-so-subtle hints of us dining there soon. Finally, a trip to Robinsons Midtown in Manila gave me the opportunity to introduced him to MoMo and I was really hoping that he'd liked it just as much as I do.

Knowing that I've went through MoMo's menu a dozen times before this particular visit, Paul allowed me to surprise him with my dinner choices.

MoMo's delicious complimentary garlic bread with Country Spread

It was pretty obvious I knew exactly what to do, knowing that MoMo's dishes are pretty big, I decided to just get two main entress for us to share.

First was a repeat of the Sweet and Smokey Hickory BBQ Rib-lets (Php. 350). While the meat remains fork-tender, I noticed that this one was a bit drier as compared to the one that I first had at their Eastwood Mall branch. In fact, Paul had to request for extra BBQ sauce in order to get the right satisfying flavor.

The next dish was actually brought about by my current craving for Mr. Jones' Beef Tapa. I ordered the Good Morning Pilipinas (Php. 225) which is the perfect breakfast choice when dining here at MoMo.

It consists of fluffy egg omelet, garlic longganisa and sweet beef tapa! While our server told me that their beef tapa is different from the one being offered in Mr. Jones, I still enjoyed the same juicy, sweet kind that will surely brighten up ones day. It has the works! It also comes with a serving of MoMo's signature atchara, vinegar and cut-up fresh fruits.

Once again, our attempt to have dessert failed as we found ourselves burping with happiness after enjoying these two entrees.

Momo Cafe has two branches located at the Ground Floor of the Eastwood Mall (900 1006 or 1007) in Quezon City and also at the Ground Floor of Robinson's Place (353 4840) in Manila.

Inspired by Julie & Julia

I woke up earlier than usual today to watch an entire movie on DVD.

Now, for people who are close to me, they all know that this definitely qualifies as a rare occasion.

First of all, I make it a point to make up for lost sleep during the weekend (not unless we have an errand to make that would require me to wake up early to get a good head start to a busy schedule).

Secondly, I can hardly sit through an entire movie without falling asleep or having my mind wander off to never never land...what more having the power of just clicking the pause/stop button while watching it on DVD.

With that, I must say, this particular movie that made me do the impossible must really be a special one...

It was during a conversation with colleagues when we began talking about the movie Julie & Julia. My sister bought the book and told me to read it as, according to her, I would definitely be able to relate with the lead character named Julie.

After going through the first few chapters of the book, I found out that just like me, Julie was also diagnosed with PCOS and she sure was fond of cooking. However, she loves Julia Child while I simply look up to my mom and grandfather whom I can proudly say can cook very very well!

It was amazing watching Julie try every single recipe found in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. My mouth waters as she prepares Beef Bourguignon to which her husband Eric obviously savored and enjoyed.

As a blogger, Julie poured out her thoughts and feelings by sharing her daily experience while going through all 500+ recipes in the book. I laughed when Julie wondered if someone out there was really reading her book. I felt the same way back when I just opened this blog. Thus, a big shout out for all of you who made your presence felt. *hugs*

I love Julia's orange pots! :)

Amy Adams did a good job portraying Julie Powell and of course, Meryl Streep was really awesome as Julia Child. Both ladies really made French cooking look so easy! I'm also a huge fan of Stanley Tucci who played Julia's husband, Paul. I loved him since The Terminal, Shall We Dance and of course, in Devil Wears Prada. He was great once again in this movie.

After watching the movie, I just wanted to do these two things:

1) to Google and to read Julie Powell's original Julie/Julia Project blog
2) to COOK :)

* photo credit: Julie & Julia's Facebook Page

Lunch Out with Jollibee's 39ers

Yesterday was a colleague's first month at work and on our way to the WORLDBEX, I decided to treat her and another colleague out for lunch at Jollibee!

This was because I received an envelope filled with GCs! Woweee! :)

It was another meatless Friday for yours truly so I chose one of the two seafood option on the menu board -- 2 pc. Bangus Fillet with Rice (Php. 109). To be honest, I still prefer the Jolly Spaghetti or the Palabok with Chicken Joy any day but this is pretty good with vinegar and ideally a cup of Garlic Rice.

My colleague K got the Mango Caramel Dessert (Php. 40) as it was really warm that day. It comes with a scoop of ice cream. Definitely a perfect way to cool down after staying outdoors for a couple of hours or even minutes!

B who was celebrating her first month at work enjoyed her 2 pc. Chicken Joy Meal (Php. 128). She was obviously enjoying every crispy bite of the chicken! Yum!

Lunch outs are always fun and this doesn't mean having to break the bank to eat out with your colleagues. I found out that Jollibee actually have a couple of delicious lunch options like the 5 pc. Lumpia Shanghai Meal or the Beef with Mushroom for only P39!!! It's really really affordable and filling too!

With reasonably-priced meals like that, lunch outs can be done not only every Fridays but every single day of the week!

Jollibee has more than 600 stores nationwide and abroad!

When disappointment strikes...at the Orchard Road

I guess I've mentioned a dozen times before how much I love Singapore... both the country and their food. Nothing beats enjoy a plate of Hainanese Chicken Rice, some Char Kuay Teow and drinking a glass of cool Barley Juice.

It was another meatless Friday for me again and after attending two events today, I thought of stopping by the newly opened Orchard Road located at the Bridgeway of SM Megamall for a quick afternoon snack.

A couple of blogger friends have warned me about it... the food was not that good, they say. Still I wanted to try it out to see for myself.

Going around the open-kitchen area, I finally decided to get a plate of Carrot Cake, a roll of Popiah and a glass of Barley Juice.

The Barley Juice (Php. 45) came first and immediately on my first sip, I felt that it was very sweet. Not just a little more than the tolerable sweetness but this one could literally send kids bouncing off the walls all night with too much sugar and/or syrup. I pushed my glass aside and asked the server for a glass of filtered water.

Orchard Road's scrambled egg Carrot Cake
Next came my carrot cake (Php. 75), I first tried this during my recent trip to Singapore and I have been craving for it since. One look and my heart fell... this doesn't look anything like the authentic Singaporean carrot cake. Instead it tasted like scrambled egg with spring onions, something that we can easily whip up in less than 3 minutes at home. I also noticed that this is served plain, I had to request for some sweet soy sauce in order to add a little flavor to this dish. *sigh*

THIS is the authentic Singaporean Carrot Cake... Yum!
Last was the Popiah (Php. 45), I was really wishing and praying that this will save my afternoon snack from being a disaster. Ok, so I haven't tried Popiah before but I heard this is a delicious snack choice in Malaysia. It's like the Chinese fresh lumpia with veggies and shrimp. Orchard Road's Popiah was served already sliced into bite-size portions and drizzled with the sweet soy sauce. I took one small piece and took a careful bite. I felt that the wrapper was a bit dry and I had to struggle in every bite. I got so tired that I sadly just ate half of my Popiah and stood up a bit disheartened for having a not-so-good afternoon snack.

Orchard Road is barely a month old and I guess there's still a lot of improvement needed to be done.

Orchard Road is located at the Bridgeway of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

it's OHrange-y Good at Chowking!

OH, the things I do as a blogger...

... underwent a rigorous, muscle-aching workout but a totally good one for the mind and body

... conquered my fear and ran like I've never ran before inside the country's biggest theme park

and just recently,

... did the chicken dance with Jericho Rosales.

I just can't help it! There was just too much energy and fun going around last night during the 25th anniversary party of Chowking where they also launch their newest dish -- the Orange Chicken!

A month ago, my friend Kat who works for Chowking was telling us about this exciting new offering. She told us how yummy it was and while I was trying my best to visualize how it would taste, I realized that all I have to do is to visit the nearest Chowking branch to taste it myself. It will, after all, be my first time to try Orange Chicken!

I love the mix of citrus-y flavors with meat, I couldn't stop myself from ordering the crispy lemon chicken and the sweet and sour pork to name a few when dining at a Chinese restaurant.

It was the most interactive, high-energy launch party that I've ever attended so far, it began with a mob Chicken dance to the tune of Tick Tock.

Then we were ushered to the 2nd floor to meet, no other than, Chowking's newest endorser -- Jericho Rosales! The evening was filled with a lot of dancing while exciting orange prizes were given away (I won an orange Swatch watch!).

Of course, we were able to try the Orange Chicken however, it all these going on, Paul and I decided to try it once again during lunch today. Before heading to a mandatory seminar in order to get our marriage license, we stopped over at Chowking N. Domingo for lunch. The both of us got the Orange Chicken Lauriat (Php. 99).

I love Chowking's Chicharap and I'm glad that this was part of the Lauriat meal together with the Crispy Noodles, Buchi, Plain Rice and of course the Orange Chicken!

Since we were more relaxed today, I was able to fully appreciate the sweet and spicy flavor of the chicken. I liked how crisp the chicken fillet was that I was hoping they should have added more in. With the warm soft rice and the crispy noodles, it was surely a filling lunch perfect to prep us for our 4-hour long seminar.

Perhaps on our next visit, we will get the Orange Chicken ala carte and a bowl of my favorite Chowking Chow Fan!

* Thanks to Chowking for Jericho's photos

Chowking has 400 stores nationwide. For deliveries, call them at 9-8888!

Jerico Rosales and the latest dance craze!

Ever wonder what is making Echo dance this way?

Watch out for it....

HERE. :)

Taking a Glimpse of Malaysia

In less than 130 days, Paul and I will finally take that much-wanted and much-needed vacation that the both of us have been looking forward to since late last year. While planning for this trip, it was actually a choice between going up north and getting in touch with our roots or to go back to Singapore and to visit Malaysia for the first time.

It seems like the 3 days that we spent in Singapore were not enough for the both of us that we decided to go back and to spend more days to explore the island and later on to hop over to Malaysia to continue our Southeast Asian adventure!

Of course, no trip would be complete without enjoying the local cuisines and this is one thing that I am truly looking forward to. Chatting with fellow bloggers and food experts, majority assured me that I will surely enjoy Malaysian food as it is said to be even better than Singapore. Hearing this brought visions of Char Kuay Teow, Roti Canai with curry sauce, Chili or Creamy Crabs and a lot more! Since then, I have been counting the days left and boy, I can't wait!

It must be fate that I was invited by a fellow blogger to try out the dishes over at Penang Hill. I've seen this restaurant for a couple of years already but I later found out that they have changed management and the look and style is now more upbeat than before. This, I told myself, will give me a glimpse of what to expect in Malaysia!

Malaysian cuisine is interesting. I love the play of colors and their courageous use of spices. Nothing beats smelling the aroma of the dish before taking a bite. You can say, it is a feast for the senses.

Allow me to share with you some of my Penang Hill favorites:

Hainanese Chicken Rice (Php. 185). My mom would tell us before that no trip to Singapore would be complete without having their Hainanese Chicken Rice. My sister and I took her word for it and made sure to have this not once but at least a dozen times over our two-week long visit. I love the salty Hainanese Rice that's cooked with special chicken oil. It's definitely one thing you should all indulge on at least once in a while. I'm glad that more and more Malay-Singaporean restaurants are already offering this here. No need to fly off to Singapore or Malaysia whenever we crave for a plate. Penang Hill's version was pretty good. While I would have liked my chicken to be more tender, I enjoyed the rice and the three dips that's really a must for me to have in every order.

Here's Penang Hill's version of our well-loved pork liempo, the Grilled Thai Pork Belly (Php. 220) has a good amount of lean meat and is topped with refreshing strips of cucumber. I enjoyed this juicy piece of meat that it's pretty tasty even without any sauce to accompany it.

Let me share with you my love story with Beef Rendang...

It was during a lunch meeting with a possible business partner (PBP) when I was introduced to my first bowl of Beef Rendang. You see, even before we opened the menu, PBP kept on saying that he's craving for beef rendang and ordering one bowl of that and a cup of rice is enough to make him happy throughout the meal. I got really intrigued by it that I ended up also ordering a bowl of Beef Rendang for myself. Taking one slice of the tender beef, I immediately understood his sentiments. I love the thick sauce that's mixed with coconut cream, it's like curry minus the spicy flavor. I love the comforting feeling it gave that I've been hooked to Beef Rendang since then.

Imagine my glee when we were also served with Beef Rendang (Php. 260) over at Penang Hill! I think I must have finished off at least half of the beef on the bowl since it was peacefully sitting in front of me.

As they say, no trip to Singapore and Malaysia would be complete without trying their crabs! Likewise, no trip to Penang Hill would ever be complete and satisfying without having a plate of their Salt and Pepper Crabs (Php.120/100g)!

Here's a secret: I rarely eat shelled seafoods outside as I do not like going through the hassle of getting my hands dirty and oily. If ever, I would rather struggle to take out the crab meat by using my utensils. Which, as we know, is not really the best way to enjoy these types of seafood.

Well, for the first time, I gave in to my OC self and used my hands to enjoy a juicy piece of salt and pepper crab claw! It's a good thing, the crab was served with partially cracked shells so just a little force is needed to reveal the delicious crab meat!

Lastly, this drink is perfect this summer season. After listening to Rowena's raves, Michelle and I gave in and ordered a glass of Penang Cooler (Php. 70) for ourselves. This is not your ordinary cucumber shake as it's mixed with calamansi juice giving it that citrus-y refreshing taste! Rowena's right, it sure was a delicious drink and I will definitely be ordering this again on my next visit.

Penang Hill is located at the 6th floor (The Ledge) of the Shangri-la Mall. Call them at 910-2530.

Meatless Friday at Cibo

It was yet another meatless Friday for me, however this did not stop me from heading over to Cibo at the Shangri-la Mall to enjoy a relaxing dinner with two of my favorite girl friends.

I have always loved Cibo for its consistent quality and superb service. In fact, I have my regular set of dishes that I regularly order and it never fails to disappoint me every time I visit.

While bonding with my friends K and B, we agreed to order the Patatine con Maionese (Php. 110) otherwise known as Potato Chips with Garlic Aoili as starters. I really love Cibo's Garlic Aioli and couldn't help dipping each piece of crunchy potato chip before taking a bite. Yum!

K chose the Fiori di Zucca pizza (Php. 330) to which both B and I agreed to. This is a perfect choice for all seafood and veggie lover! It's topped with squash flower, anchovies and lots of cheese! A very light type of pizza that makes it perfectly ok to take in a slice or two.

Finally, while choosing our pasta, I asked K and B if I can share my favorite pasta dish with them. They both responded enthusiastically and told me to go ahead and take care of our pasta choice. I wasted no time and ordered the Farfalle alla Genovese (Php. 465) to share. I can never get over these ribbon-shaped pasta noodles that's perfectly coated with pesto cream sauce and mixed with fragrant mushrooms and cheese. It's my ultimate comfort food and I am glad to be able to share it with my friends.

How about you? What's your must-have Meatless Friday dish?

Cibo is located at the 2nd level of the Shangri-la Mall in Mandaluyong City. It also has branches at Greenbelt 5, Greenhills Promenade, Trinoma, Glorietta 4, Powerplant Mall, Gateway Mall and a lot more. Call them at 631-7753 (Shangri-la Mall).