Cafe Adriatico Express: Goodness that lasts

Last May when I was at SM North Edsa with my two older sisters, we decided to have merienda (snacks) at Cafe Adriatico Express located at The Block.

Cafe Adriatico is an established restaurant in Malate, Manila, where it opened in 1979. It is now called Cafe Adriatico Premiere, maybe to differentiate it from the mall branch, which, I guess, offers a shorter menu. This is just one of a number of similar establishments under the LJC Group of famed restaurateur Larry J. Cruz. The other restaurants owned by the group are Bistro Remedios, Cafe Havana and the more contemporary Fely J's Kitchen, Abe and Lorenzo's Way. Cafe Adriatico 
specializes in Spanish, Filipino, and Italian dishes.

Anyway, when we were at Cafe Adriatico Express, both of my sisters went for palabok while I had the black pasta. We also had pandesal with kesong puti, 
and brewed coffee to wash everything down.

Pancit Palabok, P255.
This, I read somewhere (in the menu, I guess?), was one of the bestsellers at Cafe Adriatico and my sisters really loved it. 

Black Squid Pasta, Regular, P275.
My choice turned out to be wise. This dish, despite not getting a high grade in the looks department, tasted really good! I love squid to start with, and I commend the idea of making it a main ingredient for a pasta dish instead of simply turning it into viand. The flavor of squid is strong without the fishy stench or taste, and adding parmesan cheese 
brought out the best out of this dish.

Kesong Puti with Pandesal, P165
We had two orders of this, which were originally served with hot chocolate. We asked that the drinks be changed into coffee, though. The pandesal was big, fresh and tasty. But I wished the slice of kesong puti was bigger because there wasn't enough to fill up the two pieces of bread. 

Brewed Coffee
I was happy that Cafe Adriatico serves really good coffee. It was aromatic and bold. Also, it's served with milk, which I prefer over non-dairy creamer.

I'd always held an image of Cafe Adriatico as a restaurant for the old rich of Manila. I'm glad the management had decided to open a branch in one of the most patronized malls in the metropolis to reach out to more people of varying social standings. 
Despite the idea of "reaching out", Cafe Adriatico, to my humble opinion, has done well maintaining the high quality of its food. I know because I had dined at the flagship restaurant in Malate many years ago with two of my "bestest" of friends. I don't remember what exactly our orders were but I do recall loving the food and having a great time.

Vanilla Cupcake Bakery: Great food, great place

It was on one weekday afternoon when my good friend in the office decided to give me a "merienda" treat. God bless her. :-) Since we would have to go first to a bank on Quezon Ave. corner Sct. Albano where she had to make a transaction, I suggested we go to Vanilla Cupcake Bakery on Mother Ignacia St. Trusting me wholeheartedly 
when it comes to food, she readily obliged. Haha!
 It was my second time at this very lovely and highly Instagrammable restaurant but the first was at the Trinoma branch. The one on Mother Ignacia is even prettier! Once we stepped inside, my friend and I immediately felt good and happy to be there. We then placed our orders, after which I started clicking away with my camera, forgetting about hunger with the dollhouse-like charm all around us. 


Mismatched chairs in pretty prints


Lovely lamps and chandeliers all around


Spiritual and inspirational messages on the wall


On one side, the wall is a big montage of patterns and designs.



Not too long afterwards, it was time to eat and we marveled at such
 beauties again - our food and my drink - which were all lovely-looking 
in the way they were served.

'A Shrimp-y Situation'
Despite the quirky name, you just have to take this dish seriously. My friend chose this for us to share. I admit that initially, I wasn't very happy over her choice because I disliked the first seafood marinara that I had in another restaurant some three years earlier and haven't forgotten about it. But I had a change of heart when I tasted this one. It was sooo good! The sauce had the perfect balance of sweet-sour-salty tastes and bathed every strand of al dente pasta. Every mouthful would flood the taste buds with a delightful 
burst of flavors. Both my friend and I were blown away by 
how luscious this shrimp pasta was.

'Famous Chicken Sandwich'
Chicken spread, lettuce, egg, -- these filled our delightful sandwich that was served with potato wedges with a creamy-slightly sour dip. It went so well with the pasta and indeed 
filled our happy tummies.

Strawberry Shortcake
A visit to Vanilla Cupcake wouldn't be complete without having one of their heavenly-looking cakes and cupcakes. With the many lovely variants on sight, choosing dessert is the one difficult thing about being at Vanilla Cupcake. Thankfully, our choice was great - striking the perfect balance between sweet and sour. And the sweetness wasn't even too much and quickly overpowered by the sourness of the strawberries. My food buddy and I shared this slice of strawberry cake that gave a happy ending to our afternoon meal.

Cappuccino

My friend had a can of Coke to wash down the food while I, as usual, had coffee. I went for 
this artful cup of deliciously bold cappuccino. 

A frenzy of mouthwatering desserts

Meanwhile, more of the interiors:

           I'm sure this would look good hanging over our dining table at home.

Lookie here! Even the restroom could make anyone love to hang around.

Huge menu outside

What greets you when you arrive

Vanilla Cupcake Bakery on Mother Ignacia St., 
South Triangle, Q.C.

Vanilla Cupcake Bakery proves that good food and great ambiance is a surefire formula for a successful restaurant business. For what better way is there to have a relaxing time with a friend than to eat tasty food in a cozy, lovely place? A lot of foodies like me 
have this concept of one good time!
If any of you, guys, haven't been at Vanilla Cupcake Bakery, hurry and be there to see how delightful it is to the senses. Aside from the Trinoma and Mother Ignacia branches that I've been to, there is also one at UP Town Center, Eastwood Mall, Alabang Town Center, BGC, Glorietta 3 and 4 and also in Subic, Zambales and Baguio City.
Happy eating!

'Out-of-this-world' coffee and more at Artesania MNL Cafe

My daughter and I went to lunch on Maginhawa St. in Quezon City last week. I was happy and excited to be back in one of my favorite places under the sun! It was my first visit this year to this well-known "eat street" (What took me so long? I wonder now.), and this time, we decided to try Artesania MNL Cafe. 
This resto, as the name implies, doubles as an artsy place, where diners who love to doodle and color can whip up a masterpiece while filling their tummies. But while I do love art and would sometimes draw and paint, I wasn't at Artesania 
because I wanted to sort of destress by engaging in these. I wanted 
to see for myself its Instagram-famous "galaxy coffee"! 
But since it was lunchtime, food first before coffee. 
Our orders:

Vegetarian Pizza, P230. 
Pizza at Artesania is thin-crusted, which I love for that crackle under my teeth. It's not greasy too! I chose this veggie pizza for the added health boost.

Carbonara, P290. 
I let my daughter choose our pasta, which was good for sharing, and she picked the white sauce spaghetti. We both loved this one for its creamy-and-rightly-seasoned goodness. There also was a lot of meat in the pasta - not just tiny bits but long strips of pork. This carbonara was as yummy as it was filling. By the way, it's called "Love me tender" on the menu 
and you know what? It isn't a bit hard to do.

Galaxy Cappuccino, tall, P115. 
Who wouldn't fall for such a beauty as my cup of cappuccino? I certainly was mesmerized and wholly captivated by the swirl of colors and those glittery stars! My dilemma was how to finish my coffee without ruining the barista's work of art. Thankfully, with much care, I was able to successfully preserve the beauty till my drink was down to the last sip. Don't think this one's all beauty, though, 'coz it tasted great, too - bold with an undertone 
of sweetness from the milk. 

Peach Mango Iced Tea, P105. 
My daughter's thirst-quencher which she described 
as mildly sweet with a sour hint.

Pop-up menu. How cute is that?

                      Inside and outside Artesania MNL Cafe which is at 
             #140, Maginhawa St., Sikatuna Village, Diliman, Quezon City

So, is Artesania MNL Cafe worth coming to? Yes! I could even actually be back. I've had Galaxy Cappuccino, I'll have Galaxy Latte the next time around. 

See you this part of Maginhawa, folks!

Happy eating!