Cool Treat at Honey Creme, SM Aura Premier, Taguig City, Philippines

Sometimes having your dessert first is a good idea. 

Case in point; we were walking around SM Aura at 7 in the evening and saw this.

Yes, we haven't had dinner yet but I was so excited to try this out that I couldn't wait 'til after. 

It was a toss up between the Organic Cotton Candy or the Caramel Popcorn topping. Can you guess which one won??

While they were getting the soft serve in my cup, it gave me time to look around.

Brunch Getaway at Breakfast at Antonio's, Tagaytay City, Philippines

Sometimes you just need to get away from the hustle & bustle of life. A short road trip to Tagaytay seemed the most fitting for this particular drive out the city.

Left at 9:45am and we made good time; arrived at Breakfast at Antonio's at around 11:45.

Was surprised to see that there were still a lot of empty parking spaces.

What's even more surprising was the sight that greeted us once we got inside... We were the only ones there. 

We asked to be seated at the table with the best view.

After several attempts, I still couldn't find an angle that showed Taal Volcano at its finest. *Sigh*

Here's a snapshot of their menu. 

To start us off, we ordered their Bread Basket (Php 175). This was freshly baked bread that you enjoy with their homemade jams. For this particular morning, the bread basket consisted of Raisin Bread, Wheat Bread, Banana Bread & White Toast.

You get unlimited refills of their Homemade jams. This is Pineapple, Berries & Blackberries. We managed to polish off half of the bread basket while waiting for our entrees. ;p

Shobe's Birthday Treat 2015 at Hong Kong Master Cook, Dampa Macapagal Boulevard, Pasay City Philippines

Ever heard of the term "Dampa Eating"? Well, it's a style of eating wherein you have the option of personally buying your meats/seafood/veggies from the numerous available stalls (aka palengke). A stone's throw away are your choice of restaurants who will cook them for you (aka paluto). 

For tonight, Shobe was treating everyone for her birthday and her chosen restaurant was Hong Kong Master Cook in Dampa Macapagal Boulevard.

This wasn't our first Dampa experience but this was our first time to try this particular "Paluto" restaurant.

Arrived at around 7:30pm and the place was packed! Good thing they made reservations.

After the palengke & the paluto (which took around an hour), here's what we had for dinner....

To start us off, we had Clam Soup (Halaan). Fresh clams in ginger & onion stock mixed with spinach. Sounds so simple yet oh so yum. This got wiped out in no time :p

Japa-Eats at Ooma Japanese Rice Bar, Mega Fashion Hall, Ortigas Mandaluyong City, Philippines

I've always said that good food is best enjoyed with good company. 

For this evening, it was early dinner with Krystle at Ooma Japanese Rice Bar.

Arrived at SM Megamall Fashion Hall with 15mins to spare. They accept reservations until 6:30pm only; beyond that & they'll only place you in the priority list.  With that strict of a policy, I was surprised to see a lot of empty seats when we arrived.

 Hunger pangs started to show at around 7:15 so we ordered while waiting for Krystle to arrive.

Scallop and Tuna Aburi Maki (Php 295) 

Torched scallop + Tuna + Cucumber + Sesame Seeds + Nori Crumbs + Scallion + Teriyaki Sauce + Spicy Mayo + Kimchi Aioli

Okay before we get into this dish, I need to show you how best to enjoy it.

Yup, you get to play with your food before eating! ;) Instead of dipping your maki, you paint it with soy sauce. Cute right? Now let's get into the taste. Presentation-wise, you can see for yourself that it's Instagram worthy. As for the taste, well that's another thing. Wasn't able to taste the scallop & the nori crumbs and scallions didn't really do much to help.

By this time, Krystle arrived.

Ebi Tempura Maki (Php 225)

Crispy Prawn Tempura + Avocado + Tobiko + Aligue Mayo

First time to try sushi that's partly cooked and liked it. The crispiness of the tempura worked really well with the cool avocado and yummy aligue mayo. Food-Stars Verdict? Liked this better than our other maki selection. No need to paint it with the soy sauce.

Snack Bites at Potato Corner, Maginhawa Street, Quezon City Philippines

Sometimes, it's good to come back to something old & familiar. 

Giga Fries in BBQ & Cheese flavor (Php 169)

Shoti requested for one before the ride home from The Nook Cafe. 

And a Potato Corner stop is always a good idea! ;)

'Til our next Good Eat!

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Potato Corner

104 Maginhawa St., UP Village,

Quezon City

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Potter Heads at The Nook Cafe, Maginhawa Street, Quezon City, Philippines

When I read about this Harry Potter Cafe in Quezon City, I knew I just had to visit. More than anything, I was in it for the Butterbeer. Yup, still a foodie through and through.

I timed it with my Sunday visit to my mom's house; I planned on bringing her here for some drinks & snacks. Unfortunately, she wasn't home & failed to let me know beforehand (attended a Tagaytay wedding). Brought my shoti along who was left home alone.

Phoned ahead & asked if we can make a reservation; but they only follow a "first-come-first-served" policy and even informed us that there's no guarantee that we would be able to get inside. :x 

Decided to still go ahead. 

Arrived just in time before the rain started pouring. Here's the first Potter art you'll see; Hedwig chillin' in the tree. 

After signing in at the counter, be prepared to wait for about 30-40 minutes for an available table downstairs. A request to be seated upstairs takes about another 20 minutes.

Here's a shot of their counter which was constantly buzzing with activity due to nonstop people lining up to order or to ask whether their table's ready.