Everyday should be Valentine's Day

Valentine's day may be over, but that doesn't mean boyfriends should stop taking their girlfriends out to a nice, sweet, but not necessarily expensive dinner. Since C and I are always on the look out for delicious dinners virtually every week, it really feels like Valentine's day all the time :)

For all you couples out there, here are two date-worthy places we've visited in the past few weeks that you may want to check out when you feel like being extra sweet even during the most ordinary of days.

1. Cafe Juanita - Kapitolyo

I was surprised to find Café Juanita in a new and much better location, but still along West Capitol Drive in Kapitolyo. It had a fully refurbished exterior, looking much more modern than its previous old house-looking façade.

Now, before you can even begin to notice the food, the first thing that'll catch your attention in this restaurant is its very colorful interiors, with furniture and accessories coming from different inspirations--Asian, Filipino, and tribal to name a few.

Where else can you find a restaurant that will greet you with a colorful view like this...

Interest you with wall pieces like this...

Amaze you with artfully-made chandeliers like this...

And surprise you with giant bonggo-looking pieces like these...

Moving on to the food. This restaurant is famous for its Corned Beef Sinigang with Chorizo, which I’ve always wished we could cook at home. I liked how they would let their customers taste the soup of the sinigang before serving the full dish, just so they could assess if it had the right amount sourness that best suits their fancy. 

The sinigang soup had that all-natural sour taste that can only come from fresh sampaloc, which I absolutely loved. I also like adding some spice to my sinigang and so I appreciated that there was a big piece of sili that you can opt to slice open to release the spicy juice, or just keep there for decoration. The beef was very tender, and there were fresh pieces of kangkong, eggplant and tomatoes. The only thing that was a bit disappointing was that there were only two pieces of chorizo in our bowl. We asked the waiter if this was really how the dish was served, and he very kindly uttered an apology and served us more chorizo pieces.

Corned Beef Sinigang with Chorizo

 

We also ordered Bagnet, which C and I found to be very delightful because the pork was so crispy without being dry at all. It also had fresh wansuy and tomatoes for added flavor. My favorite part of this dish was the vinegar dressing, which tamed down the taste of wansuy that I’d rather have in moderation.

Bagnet

 

The pork of the Binagoongan had the same crispiness as the Bagnet, and the bagoong sauce was semi-sweet for a change :) All in all, I'm quite happy with dishes we ordered.

Binagoongan

Needless to say, all of these dishes forced me to have more than my fair share of rice. There’s really something about Filipino food that makes you want to eat unlimited servings of rice. 

So if you and your beau love eating rice and want to be surrounded by an extraordinary ambience, then Café Juanita is a definite must-visit :)

Cafe Juanita Kapitolyo branch is located along West Capitol Drive, Pasig City. For reservations, call 632-0357. The Taguig branch is located in Burgos Circle, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. For reservations, call 403-1952.

2. Aria Cucina Italiana - Bonifacio High Street

Whenever I'm in Boracay, I make it a point to visit Aria for my dose of delicious Italian food, while enjoying the soft white sand in between my toes. And so I was so thrilled when I found out that they finally opened a branch in Manila, in a convenient location in the new wing of Bonifacio High Street. They had their soft opening last January 28, and two weeks after I was able to pay them a visit.

Word really does get around fast, because the place was packed. The turnover was also rather fast and so it felt a bit busy inside the restaurant. It was quite warm inside, I guess owing to the fact that they're still getting settled. The ambience was very different from the Boracay branch. While Aria Boracay was dominantly brown inside, the Manila branch had a very light color palette for its interiors, with both big and small abstract paintings decorating the walls. There was also an open kitchen where the delicious dishes came from.

My all-time favorite Aria dish is the Tagliatelle con Tartufo Asparagi e Prosciutto di Parma. In short, pasta with white truffle, asparagus and parma ham. I think this was one of the places where I learned to love truffle as an ingredient in just about anything, and so I had quite high hopes for the dish. It was still good, although it wasn’t the same as the one in Boracay. For one, the serving was significantly less (in Bora, the pasta serving is good for sharing). I also wished there was more parma ham and more sauce. The noodles were slightly overcooked, too.

Tagliatelle con Tartufo Asparagi e Prosciutto di Parma (P 460)

 

The pizza had a very thin crust and the toppings were almost falling off already :) I think this gave way for the tongue to taste more of the mouth-watering toppings. The edges were slightly thicker, which I liked very much because of its crunchy texture. It had a generous serving of toppings and the pizza went very well with the spicy olive oil that C and I thoroughly enjoyed. It was so subtle and smooth, but had the right kick of spiciness that I was looking for.

Quattro Stagioni (P 540)

Spicy Olive Oil (free!)

Although the Manila branch might not be the same as Aria in Boracay, but I think it’s still worth trying out for dates. I think the other pasta dishes are worth trying as well, so go ahead and pay them a visit!

Aria (Manila) is located in East Superblock, 30th cor. 7th sts., Bonifacio High Street Central, Taguig. For reservations, call (0917) 519-5368.

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Food has played a huge part in our love story, and it’s something that will always be part of both our special and day-to-day celebrations. It’s always a great time for us to sit down, talk, and strengthen our relationship over delicious meals.

I think couples should treat themselves out to great meals from time to time (and maybe even everyday!). Again, they need not be expensive meals. What’s important is the quality of time that is spent and the memories that are made.

Belated Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! Let's all make everyday like Valentine’s Day! :)

A Mamou Birthday Celebration

Birthday celebrations are always so magical to me. For one, it's such a happy celebration of a life that was so generously given to us by our Creator. And it's a sweet reminder to all of us that despite the many terrible things that may happen to us and to those around us, we are still much more fortunate and blessed. 

Last October 13th, my team and I put together a simple surprise for our big boss, Christine, who has worked so hard in the past months to ensure the bright future of our business. And so we thought it best to make her feel special and blessed on her hatch day, in an equally special place.

Mamou had a laid back and homey feel that was perfect for an intimate gathering. I also noticed quite a number of foreigners clearly having a good time. The dim lighting added to the relaxed atmosphere, with the only bright lights coming from the semi-open kitchen.

Inside Mamou

The moment we sat down, the waiter served us a basket of bread. I know it's just bread, but for me this actually ushered in the delicious meal. I particularly loved the brown-colored one, which had slightly more flavor than the others.

The bread started off the delicious meal

One of the interesting items I found on the menu was the Tuyo Salad. It was a combination of fresh greens, brown rice, slices of fresh tomatoes and onions, and chopped tuyo. At first I feared the thought of putting brown rice in a salad, but this one turned out to be a good combination as the rice added more texture to the salad. Having the salty taste of tuyo, the sour taste of the tomatoes and the bite from the onions was a nice complement to the rice and the vegetables.

Tuyo Salad (P155)

Mamou's Greens Salad was already a visual treat with the bright green color of the leafy vegetables. It had fresh pieces of small-sized tomatoes and was topped with grated parmesan cheese. The dressing was just right, not too tangy and not bland either. Enjoying this healthy dish prepared us all for the delicious meal ahead.

Mamou's Greens Salad (P295)

After the salads, we went straight to the pastas. Oh, the pastas. The Lorenzo's Truffle Cream pasta was just mouthwatering. The moment the waiter laid down the plate on the table, the fragrant smell of truffle excited our noses. It looked so simple - just the pasta and the cream sauce. No other sophisticated toppings. Just plain truffle goodness. The taste of the truffle was not overpowering at all, and made us all come back for seconds. Whoever Lorenzo is, and if this dish was his brainchild, I hope to meet him someday. :)

Lorenzo's Truffle Cream (P335)

For our red sauce pasta we ordered the Pasta Andrada Bolognese, which was also very good. Like the truffle cream, this dish was also quite simple with just small chunks of tomatoes and some cheese as toppings. Most bolognese pastas I've tried in the past were not so differentiated, but this one had more character. Out of the two pastas, though, the truffle cream obviously gets my vote.

Pasta Andrada Bolognese (P390)

After two delicious dishes of pasta, it was time for the main event. And this one definitely has to be the highlight of the evening, next to our birthday celebrant. Steak always makes any meal special, and so we just couldn't skip ordering Mamou's Angus Ribeye USDA Prime Grade Steak, done medium well. The steak came in a hot plate, already sliced into pieces so it's ready for sharing. It wasn't served flat, and instead was tilted at an angle to separate the oil from the steak. I regret not asking why they did this, but our theory was that so they could offer a choice for those who like their steak oily and those who don't. The meat was extra tender and juicy in the mouth. I opted not to use any other sauce other than the flavorful oil that came with the steak. I also liked the fact that there were some very, very slightly burnt parts in the meat. Even the parts with the meat fat were to-die-for. It looks a bit pricey on the menu but it's good to share for 4 persons, so I think it was quite a good deal.

The steak comes with your choice of two side dishes, and we had the yummy Corn Pudding and Creamed Spinach.

Angus Ribeye USDA Prime Grade Steak (P2,800 for the Twin size [approx. 800g])

Corn Pudding and Creamed Spinach for sides

After reveling at how great the steak was, we decided to order dessert. I thought the Frozen Hot Chocolate was an interesting and innovative creation. When it arrived, all we could see was whipped cream, but under the thick creamy layer was a scoop of chocolate ice cream swimming in hot chocolate. Thankfully it didn't taste like chocolate overload, with the clashing of hot and cold being a surprisingly good combination.

Frozen Hot Chocolate (P185)

You have to dig through the cream to reveal the chocolate ice cream and hot chocolate

We also tried two of their cakes - the New York Cheesecake and the Pecan Pie with "Schlagsanhe". I found the cheesecake a little dry, and I thought the sour taste of the cheesecake contrasted too much with the sweet crust. I liked the pecan pie better, with the pecan nuts adding some crunchy texture to the cake.

New York Cheesecake (P285) and Pecan Pie (P180)

And of course, we couldn't end the night without wishing Christine a very happy birthday with a red velvet cupcake courtesy of Mamou (and a very similar looking red velvet cake from Sonja's care of the team). As an extra treat, our waiter, Jov, even sang "happy birthday" especially for Christine. Notice the "kilig" in Jov's face below :)

At the end of a night that was filled with plenty of delicious food and heartfelt, laughter-filled conversations, we could only hope that Christine felt how special she was to the whole team. More than that, every one of us felt just as special and just as blessed to be working with such a wonderful team, led by such an inspiring lady.

Cheers to another year, Christine! Happy birthday!

*Photos are courtesy of Jerome Go

THE GOURMANDE'S SCORE: 4.5 out of 5 - The steak and the truffle cream pasta are definitely worth going back for.

Mamou is located in Serendra, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. For reservations, call 856-3569.