Conti's Bakeshop & Restaurant at Robinsons Magnolia

The Christmas and New Year holidays were filled with family gatherings. Even though the kids in our immediate and extended family are now all grown up and mostly working already, all look forward to spending precious time with one another, especially during Yuletide. Sadly, finding the perfect schedule for a gathering, when everyone could come, was a futile effort for us because of different days off at work and for one nephew, being under the weather. Before New Year's Day, we watched a movie at Robinsons Magnolia then had dinner at Conti's Bakeshop and Restaurant, which turned out to be a good choice (it was my second time dining in, the first being several years ago already). Our huge group was comfortably 
seated and everyone enjoyed great food. 

Our orders: 

Appetizers and Entrees

Gambas y champignon al ajillo, P195.
One of my nephews, a geek, chose this -- a dish of mushrooms and shrimps cooked in olive oil. Rice was separate order at P45. per cup.

Baked prawns, P495.
My niece's. I felt envious when I laid my eyes on it. Haha! Both the 
fried rice and prawns looked delish.

Roast beef, P395.
Twin orders of this for one of my daughters and her beau. I was kinda jealous of this as well, 
as the meat looked luscious while swimming in gravy. Tee-hee.

Breakfast B, P680.
My eldest daughter and her boyfriend shared this humongous all-day brekkie plate that's served with two bowls of fried rice. An order of this set is actually good for up to three persons and I helped myself to some of the beef tapa, fried milkfish (I can't remember if it was daing or tinapa), pork adobo and minced boiled egg (which we wished was 
salted egg instead..maybe they ran out?).

Buffalo wings, P220.
Kids always, always love fried chicken. But I do too!

Linguine in pesto sauce, P245.
My nephew and youngest son did a twinning on this. They both loved their pasta, but 
my nephew said the serving size was kinda small for him. 

Pancit palabok, P135.
My sister and I also did twinning over the palabok. I guess the love for this pansit dish runs in our family. It's also our mom's default order at restaurants! Conti's version is delish although adding 
a little more of the sauce to the noodles would make it better.

Desserts

Mango bravo cake, P215.
I know, I know, this one's Conti's' famed cake and we wouldn't want to miss it. 
It was a hit among our group!

Sans rival, P155
I found Conti's sans rival quite dry.

Mango cheesecake, P135.
Thumbs up for this! It's firm enough to hold up but still velvety and creamy. 
Yup, we love anything mango for dessert!

Halo-halo Jr., P85.
This was my guilt-ridden dessert. Halo-halo is not among my favorite snacks or meal-enders, and in fact, I rarely eat it, not because I dislike it, but more because I could never finish an order, which is usually served on a tall glass. But I was drawn to Conti's halo-halo when I saw on the menu that it's available in junior size. I was happy over my dessert -- petite, 
yes, but big on enjoyment.

Drinks

Bottomless iced tea, P105.

Dalandan juice, P110.; Calamansi juice, P85.

Brewed coffee, P75.

Menu

Interiors

Conti's at the ground floor (al fresco area) of Robinsons Magnolia 
along Aurora Blvd. in Quezon City

It was a memorable dinner that our family had at Conti's. Not only was food generally good, prices were reasonable and service was fast and friendly. Even though we came in a big group, our orders didn't take long to be served. I do recommend Conti's Bakeshop & Restaurant for a hassle-free and enjoyable gathering whether 
for lunch, merienda cena or dinner. 
Happy eating!

Sad goodbyes and a flicker of hope

The year 2018 had just ended, but not without bringing with it some of the things close to my foodie heart. As I bid goodbye to the year that was, so did I say "adieu" to two of my favorite restaurants -- Kamuning Bakery in Quezon City and Amor Bakery in Manila (all of the latter's branches closed down as well). These two were on top of the places I loved to lounge in to have coffee and do some writing. 

Kamuning Bakery -- which had existed for seven decades -- was, however, razed by fire in February 2018. On the other hand, Amor Bakery announced in its Facebook page just last week as 2018 was drawing to a close, that it would cease operation effective Jan. 1, 2019. Just like that. No explanation. For loyal patrons like me, that was one sad news. I felt much like a woman dumped without reason by the love of her life. The beauty and comfort of the flagship España Blvd. store and my favorite food 
and drinks would now be nothing but a sweet memory.

Personal memories of Amor Bakery in Espana, Manila

Thanks to my optimistic self, however, I have the belief there's something good awaiting foodies like me who have grown to love Amor Bakery. What exactly it is, I still don't know. Maybe, it's opening again under new management? 
So, till we meet again, Amor! 

My Kamuning Bakery and Cafe memoirs

As for Kamuning Bakery, I'm sure it wont be long before it opens its doors again to its loyal customers, though the nostalgic feels of the old, original store 
won't be coming back by any luck. 

I hope, too, for more great foodie discoveries this year. I would be in wait for 
a place I could love as much as I did Amor and Kamuning Bakery. 

Well, hello, 2019!

Dark Specialty Roast: My last foodie find for 2018

After partying left and right just before Christmas Day, I found myself tired of eating meat. So I decided to take a break from pork, beef and chicken for one whole day on the last Saturday before the 25th of December and stick to fish and veggies. It would be a bit of a challenge as I had to go out to do some gift shopping, I thought, as not all restaurants have fish on their menu. Fortunately, I found Dark Specialty Coffee at SM North Edsa because it's where I discovered a fantastic pasta dish with smoked milkfish or tinapang bangus which is one of my top favorite all-day breakfast food. Yay, goodness without red nor white meat! As a bonus, they serve good coffee, too, although I chose a cold coffee and tea blend as thirst quencher.

My lunch at Dark Specialty Roast:

Pasta Maria Ana, P165.

This has milkfish flakes, fresh tomatoes, capers, black olives and extra virgin olive oil.

Iced Cafe Matcha, regular, P160.
Green tea and coffee in a single cup, and the combination of flavors was awesome! 

Dark is my last foodie discovery for 2018 and I was glad to know about and be able to try it. It's a small coffee place with not much on the menu (three pasta dishes, I think, and some meat pies and cakes plus drinks) and shares space with Onesimus men's wear store. Don't let the size of the physical store keep you from visiting this coffee shop, however, as I guarantee, you'll be in for quite a nice surprise, based on 
my first impression of the food and drink.
Will I go back? I would love to! That tinapang bangus pasta would be 
something worth coming back for!