Christmas food tripping begins in Lolo Dad's

The Christmas Tree is up. Gifts in all shapes and sizes fill up the bottom of the tree. Several versions of Santa Claus can be seen all around town. Colorful Christmas lights excite little kids and grown ups alike. Yes, it is Christmastime indeed.

To echo the song, this is really the most wonderful time of the year for me. And yes, it's partly because of all the delicious food served in back to back Christmas parties and reunions. My first Christmas food trip began in Lolo Dad's with the most awesome officemates in the world.

(I think this was a special menu because I couldn't find most of these items on the regular menu. And so my apologies for not having the prices here)

Judging from the menu, we knew we were in for a treat that night

For our starters, we were served Romain Caesar Salad. This is probably one of the prettiest salad presentations I have ever seen. The taste definitely lived up to the visual appeal of this dish. The lettuce tasted so fresh and juicy, as if it was just freshly picked from the garden. It was covered with slices of Parmesan cheese, had half of a soft-boiled egg on the side (see how perfectly runny the yolk is?), and was sprinkled with anchovies. As you can see from the photo below, the salad wasn't swimming in Caesar dressing, but the amount of it was just right to bring out the flavor of the entire dish.

Romain Caesar Salad

Next came the soup. It was a very simple Mushroom Broth that warmed up my stomach for the more exciting part of the meal. It was alright, nothing too special, and I guess this was done on purpose so we can further appreciate the mains :)

Mushroom Broth

Now on to the main course. It was an "All you can surf and turf" main course and we had the choice of ordering unlimited servings of steak, prawns and starch. I picked the Tajima Wagyu Topside (medium well), Baked Prawns, and Mushroom Risotto.

There were two big slices of Wagyu on the plate, beside two big baked prawns. The meat of the steak was very tender and tasty up to the fatty part, even without the sauce. It was not the kind of Wagyu beef that melts in your mouth, but it was pretty close. 

The prawns topped with cheese were the perfect complement to the meat. It was baked just right to make the prawn meat not too soft but instead very slightly crunchy. 

Tajima Wagyu Topside with Baked Prawns

For a closer look

I am not a huge fun of risotto (because it's still rice, after all), but I didn't mind feeling guilty after eating this particular one because it was just so good. It was so soft and creamy, with slices of mushrooms and grated cheese to add to the flavor. It almost looked like it was mashed potato!

Mushroom Risotto

By the time we got to the dessert, I was already so full. But I was not one to pass on dessert. The chocolate cake was quite good. I really like chocolate cakes that are not too sweet, just like this one. The scoop of vanilla ice cream sat prettily on a small piece of wafer. The sweet-with-sweet tandem of chocolate and ice cream always makes a great combination.

Dark Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream

Feasting on great food and enjoying the night with great company brought the Christmas spirit closer. I'm looking forward to the many more scrumptious meals to come, and to a season filled with nothing but hope and love for all of us.

Happy Holidays!

THE GOURMANDE'S SCORE: 5 out of 5

Lolo Dad's is located in the ground floor of 6750 Ayala Avenue, Makati City.

Bright lights and good food at Momo Cafe, Ayala Triangle

Ever since C and I witnessed the beautiful lights of Ayala Triangle last Christmas season, we knew we had to go back this year. This time, they had a lot more in store for their audience as they included a full lights and sounds show that would play every 15 minutes or so. The garden was packed with families, children, couples and barkadas wanting to get a feel of Christmas as early as November.

After watching the lights and sounds show, we walked down the line of restaurants to find a good place to have our dinner date. Just like two excited kids at the strike of midnight on Christmas day, we were so thrilled to find a branch of Momo Cafe in Ayala Triangle. We've been wanting to go back every since we tried their Eggs Benedict in Eastwood. It took us a while to get a table because it was full, but not as full as the other adjacent restaurants where hungry customers found themselves occupying #20 on the waiting list. Lucky for us, we made it to #2.

Spot the cute snowman

I've always liked the warm ambiance inside Momo. I love the interesting little details on the walls - from the wallpapers to the lamps. The Christmas decors inside the restaurant added to the festive feel.

Happy customers enjoying their meal

It's Christmas in Momo!

The beauty is in the details

Now, on to the food. Of course, we ordered what we came here for - the Eggs Benedict. I was slightly disappointed to see this branch's version of Momo's Eggs Benedict. I clearly remember it being a bigger serving, looking more tasty, with the poached eggs placed on English muffins instead of ordinary bread. While overall the combination of the eggs, bacon and hollandaise sauce still made a good dish, it just wasn't the same without the English muffins.

Eggs Benedict (P 350)

The bigger highlight of our meal was the 3-inch Glazed Smoked Bacon. The thick pieces of bacon came with mashed potatoes, sweet corn and some veggies, which for me gave it better value. The bacon was so tender and tasted perfectly smoky and sweet. The layers of fat were so well-cooked, you would think it was still the meat. Take a look at our photos below, and drool.

Glazed Smoked Bacon (P 350)

A closer look

Just so you can have a point of reference

Momo Cafe will always be a comfort dining place for me and C. I just wish they can be more consistent with the quality of their dishes from branch to branch. I'm hoping this is just one of those fluke circumstances. Perhaps we'll try it out in Eastwood again to see if there really is a difference.

THE GOURMANDE'S SCORE: 4 out of 5

For reservations, call 621-6161.