Boulangerie22 for the perfect aftie snacks

Boulangerie22 is one of the places I like having my coffee at when I'm running errands or shopping at SM City San Lazaro. It's a simple, no-fuss cafe and bakeshop with quite a short list of offers. Their pastas are really good, though, as well as their 
assortment of breads and of course, coffee. 

Recently, I found out Boulangerie22 also has a store at SM City Sta. Mesa and was impressed by its spaciousness compared to the San Lazaro branch. This one's not just much bigger but also sleeker with a more homey ambiance. What surprised me more was that Boulangerie now offers the Vietnamese sandwich called Banh mi. I just got to try it! So I hurried with my shopping and strutted back for a banh mi and cup of joe.

Spicy Korean Pork banh mi, P149.
The filling is really spicy, and yummy too! Some veggies provide additional flavors and surely, much needed nutrients. And I loved that the baguette is fresh, it's firm but soft enough to enjoy this banh mi as a filling meal in itself. The sandwich is huge, 
I only ate half of it.

Meanwhile, these are what I, together with my youngest child, had one time at Boulangerie-SM San Lazaro:

Truffle Fettuccine Alfredo, P129.

Yum! I loved the creaminess of this. Bits of bacon lent so much flavor too!

Italian Spaghetti Bolognese, P149.

My (not so) little boy loved his pasta as well. I liked that it leaned more on the Italian side rather than Pinoy -- meaning, it's not sweet!

Hungarian Sausage Mozzarella Bread, P59.

Japanese Heart Chocolate Strip Cookie, P12.

Caffe Americano, P79.

Loved everything on the tray..soft bread, strong coffee, sweet cookie, the perfect antidote to weariness due to shopping. Haha!

Matcha Creme Frappe, P99.

I knew my boy would order this. He's an avid green tea fan and 
finished this in no time.

Inside Boulangerie22 at SM City Sta. Mesa

Boulangerie 22 is one great idea when you're running low on caffeine (and carbs, dahleens!). Get your much needed cup o' joe in between shopping or after the movies, or when you're wanting to work on your gadget whilst sipping (I like doing my writings while filling on coffee and bread or pasta). They have 13 locations 
in Metro Manila so find one year you.
Happy eating!

Makchang Korean Grill Restaurant in Ermita, Manila

Ermita district in Manila is a haven for Korean food lovers as the area teems with restaurants serving this cuisine. This, I learned when my friend and I dined at Korean Village along J. Nakpil St. last year and walked on our way to Robinsons Place. Such restaurants are lined up from one end of the street to the other. Some of them are big, others almost merely holes in the wall. 
One of the bigger and more decent-looking places is Makchang along M. Adriatico St., just across the street from Robinsons. My sister treated our family and some of her friends to dinner there some months ago, so we were able to appreciate what this place boasts of -- fresh meats for grilling and veggies, 
reasonable prices and good service. 
Our orders:

Samgyeopsal, P300.

Pork Galbi, P350.

Ramen, P150.

Sundubu jjigae, P300.

Sweet-chili scallions -- just among the unli-sides

We also ordered L.A. Galbi, which is marinated beef, but I wasn't able to take a picture of it. Anyway, the food -- everything -- from the Korean barbecue, to the ramen and sundubu (soft tofu stew) -- is fantastic. And I loved that the restaurant crew grilled the meat for us 'coz I dislike having to do it myself, for fear of hot oil splatter. Haha! 

Now we wait excitely for our Korean 

barbecue to be ready

Menu

Interiors

Makchang Korean Grill Restaurant 

at 1547 M. Adriatico St., Ermita, Manila

I recommend Makchang for your Korean cravings, dearies. Pay it a visit one of these days. 

Happy eating!

Abe for exquisite Capampangan cuisine

I am happy to start my gastronomic chronicles early in 2019 as I had a new foodie discovery on the first Friday of the year. And what a good choice it was -- Abe, a Capampangan restaurant at SM Megamall (with several other branches). It's been existing for a few years, yes, but it was my first time to dine at this modern-traditional restaurant that belongs to The LJC Group of the late famed restaurateur-journalist Lorenzo "Larry" J. Cruz. Thanks to my nephew, who treated his mom and me to an advanced birthday lunch in between post-Christmas shopping, 
I finally sampled Abe's exquisite dishes. 

Our orders:

Paco fern and tomato salad, P185.
A great, healthy starter of fresh leaves, tomatoes 
and sliced salted egg.

Bamboo rice, P325.
I was really hungry, I didn't mind finding out what was in the rice. Haha! I just remember the pleasant bamboo smell and that we loved how the rice tasted.

Tuna panga sa bawang, P345.
We raved about this one -- deep fried pieces of tuna head topped 
with lots of toasted garlic. Yum!

Ginataang langka at pusit, P375.
This seafood-veggie dish cooked in coconut milk could have been really, really good if it weren't bland. A bit more salt and we would have loved it more.

Maruya ni Maria, 150.
What's different about Abe's maruya is that it isn't made with saba but with lakatan banana, thus, it's a notch higher in sweetness and much yummier. And being crowned with vanilla ice cream makes this dessert heavenly and a perfect ending to our meal.

Dalandan juice, 135.

My sister's hot citrus drink.

Americano, 99.
My drink -- a super strong cup of joe -- so strong I had to ask 
the server to add some hot water to it.

 Wine on every table
We didn't open our bottle :)

Interiors

Abe at the 3rd Level of Mega Fashion Mall, SM Megamall Expansion Building D

Was I glad to finally try Abe coz id heard about how good their food was. No mistaken word, we really loved what we had. Great ambiance, too -- no crowd, no noisy diners, and a whiff of simple elegance. I would love to bring the 
whole family over to Abe someday soon!