Always, Mi Amor

As a food blogger constantly looking for new places to eat in and write about, I rarely go back to restaurants that I've already reviewed. However, there's this one place that I keep coming back to even if there's nothing new to write about it. It's Amor Bakery along the busy street of Espana in Manila, near UST.

I first blogged about this place that was really just a "bakery" when it opened in April 2015. Today, I'm happy to report that it has grown really big, with several branches already! Amor also is now already a full service 

restaurant serving hot meals.

The new stores are in SM City Manila, Ongpin St. also in Manila, Tandang Sora in Quezon City, Katipunan also in Quezon City, and SM Center in Sangandaan, Caloocan City. There are also two stores now outside Metro Manila -- at SM Baliwag in Bulacan, and in Cagayan de Oro City. Soon, there will be branches as well 
in Pulilan, Bulacan and in Pampanga.

I visit Amor-Espana every now and then, usually on Sundays after going to church. I love whiling away time there, writing my blog. Sometimes, I tag the kids along; one time, a friend, who came all the way from Mindanao, and knew Amor is my favorite spot that really has a soft spot in my heart. Aww..

What do I love about Amor? The beauty of the place itself. If you haven't been to any of its stores, I strongly urge you to go and see for yourself the lovely interior and experience the relaxing ambiance especially at night when the lovely chandeliers are on, casting faint light as well as shadows. The capiz lamps on tables also 
set a fine, subdued mood that soothes. 

Now on to the food. It's last August that Amor-Espana started to offer hot meals. Before, I would just have bread and coffee or fruit tea as those were all that's available. Nowadays, I could go to have lunch as there's pasta, rice meals, soup and salad. Sliced cake is also available now, in case I'm in need of dessert. Haha!

These are what I've tried out of the new menu so far:

Corn-infused Cream of Cauliflower soup, P139.
This soup is healthy as well as tasty. I thought having cauliflower, it wouldn't taste as good as say, mushroom soup, but I was wrong. For once, I could have something both healthy and delicious. It's flavorful and creamy, only, too thick. I would have liked it more if it were a little more watery. But the piece of garlic toast was love. It was crunchy! 
I wished there were two pieces instead of one.

Kani Spring Roll Salad, P139.
This salad is heavy on the tummy because of the crabmeat and noodle-filled Vietnamese-style spring rolls. The greens are topped with very thin strips of kani or seaweed and everything is drizzled with a sweet peanut sauce. Delicious!

Kung Pao Pasta, P179.
You've gotta give this Asian-style pasta some love because it's really good! It's basically spaghetti noodles with maybe, soy and sesame oil and seeds, with lots of bite-sized chicken, carrots, peanuts and what seemed to me to be either cubed chayote or turnip. Thumbs up to this dish that could give one a filling and satisfying meal.

Braised pork belly with Buttered Vegetable Spears and Mashed Potato, P145.
I loved that there's a lot of veggies here. And the pork is really good! 
The sauce, with it's glorious red color, is sweetish and delightful. 

The only downside to this dish? The pork slices were horribly fatty and there 
was just so little lean meat for me to eat! Oh, Amor, please choose leaner pork 
as this one's gonna give me a heart attack! If you do, this Braised pork belly 
is going to be a perfect dish for lunch or dinner.

Matcha Red Bean cake, P89./slice
This was very new on the menu, offered starting only last Saturday, September 30, 
the server told me after asking if it was good. For me, this was heavenly 
although I'm pretty sure not everyone would agree. This cake's level of 
sweetness is really low, that's why it's the perfect cheat day dessert for
 diabetics like me. Haha! I love matcha and I shun anything too sweet, 
so me and this cake are a match made in heaven, methinks!
Meanwhile, Amor has made available several new bread varieties that 
aren't only visually appealing but yummy too! My top faves are the 
Sausage Danish and Ham BBQ Danish, while the others 
were my kids' orders which they loved.

Sausage Danish, P79. and Ham BBQ Danish, P59. I ordered these 
together with Cappuccino, P145.

Hawaiian Pizza, P79.

                                                Chocolate Bun, P45. 

Pork Floss Bun, 59.; Ham, corn and egg, P49. 

Drink is Chocolate Milk Tea, P95. 

                 As for the drinks, these are what my kids and  I love at Amor:

Caramel Macchiato, 500 ml, P170.

Mocha Frapmor, 500 ml, P160.

Lychee Smorthie, P120.

Lychee Fruit Tea, 500 ml, P85.

In and around Amor in Espana, Manila

Upstairs:

Downstairs:

Counter

Yummy-looking all!

Menu 

                Amor at the corner of Espana Blvd. and Tolentino St., 

Sampaloc, Manila

Amor Bakery won't be "mi amor" for nothing and you can take my word for it -- you're gonna love it there. Enjoy the food, drinks and the place itself 
together with your family and friends. 
Happy eating!

Of coffee and fond memories

Do you have that one foodie place that you keep coming back to not just because you love their food but also because of the memories it evokes? I do. It's Cafe France at Robinson's Place in Ermita, Manila. This coffee shop reminds me of the times I spend with my US-based sister whenever she comes vacationing. She would stay at the Adriatico Tower condo on Adriatico St. yearly when she's here, the reason we frequent restaurants at the said mall. Among our favorites is Cafe France for several reasons: 

it's near the entrance to the condo, the coffee and food are good, 

and there's free and reliable wifi. Sometimes, we wouldn't just be twosome when 

our eldest sibling would decide to join us.

These are what we order and love at Cafe France: 

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad, regular, P180 

Seafood Soup, P130.

                                                                   CF Premiere Clubhouse, half, P110. 

Pizza Baguette Vegetarian, P120.

Pierre Tray Couture, P290.

Marguerite Tray Couture, P290.

 Espresso Chocolate Cheesecake, P145.

Red Velvet Bites, P50.

Café Latte, P110; Cappuccino, P110; Mocha Frappe, P155.

Fresh Lemonade, P95; Four Seasons, P95.

Everything is love, love, love! The salad, sandwiches, pizza, pasta--all are fresh, delicious and crave-worthy! One more thing I love at Cafe France is their 

Espresso Chocolate Cheesecake which is heavenly with its robust coffee flavor 

and just faint sweetness. My two sisters love the Tray Couture sets which 

are a complete meal (with a sandwich, pasta, soup, dessert and a drink) and were really filling and satisfying, they say.

Meanwhile, coffee, whether hot or cold, is pure bliss and is just the perfect 

drink to have with bread or dessert. The coffee, food and those 

conversations and the laughter I share with my sisters are 

among my treasure trove of memories from Cafe France, which I visit even 

when my sisters are not around. It's my go-to place

 for a quiet afternoon coffee.

By the way, Cafe France has recently opened a new branch at the Times Plaza at 

the corner of UN Ave. and Taft Ave. in Manila. This is just downstairs from the 

clinic where I consult with my doctors and also just a stone's 

throw away from our church. 

Happiness indeed!  

Have a haunting Halloween at Amor Bakery

I read that we Christians must not celebrate Halloween because it supposedly glorifies evil creatures, but I can't help but find spooky and creepy things cute. When I went to my favorite Amor Bakery in Manila yesterday afternoon for some snacks after a visit to the doctor, I found out this lovely cafe is all spruced up for Halloween and I couldn't be more amused. You know - cob webs clinging onto antique-style chandeliers, spiders, ghastly masks -- all those things meant to bring fright. I loved it! Even cakes, cupcakes and some breads were baked to scare! I ordered a spidey cupcake and another one with a mummy face which I paired with my favorite lychee fruit tea.

Halloween cupcake, P69. each; Fruit tea, P80., 500 ml

Amor- España ready for Halloween

I love Amor's cupcakes as they are light, fluffy and not too sweet. They are really best to have with coffee but yesterday, I chose a cold drink over a steaming cup of joe as it was very hot and sunny outside. The weather and a viral infection (the reason for the doctor's visit) left my throat dry and itchy and the fruit tea that I asked to be made not with too much ice (and with no sugar!) soothed me. 
Anyway, I was thankful for a "spacious" Amor on a Saturday afternoon, with a good number of vacant tables (because students are on their semestral break and many, I suppose, have gone home to their provinces for the "Undas"). On most days I was here, this place was jam-packed with students, their faces buried either on laptops or textbooks. What a relaxing stay it was indeed yesterday afternoon at Amor so I decided to while away the time, playing my favorite game on my cellphone.

Have you tried Amor Bakery, folks? If you haven't, I suggest you do if you feel like having coffee and a light snack. Some branches now offer heavier stuff like pasta, that's why I'm jealous for the Espana branch which is the first store, I believe, but is left behind when it comes to the menu. 
Amor Bakery now has 5 branches (Espana, Ongpin, Tandang Sora, SM Sangandaan and Katipunan) just a year and a half after it first opened its doors. Visit the one nearest you and chill it out!

Amor sBread Your Love: Manila's hot, new thing

Last month, my daughter and I saw a new foodie place, still closed, on Espana Blvd. in Manila as we commuted going to church on Taft Ave. Both of us were baffled by its name: "Amor, sBread your Love". I thought something was wrong with it and tried to figure it out. Do they mean 'Breads you Love'? I wondered. Then, one day last week, my daughter came home from work telling me Amor had opened and looked really beautiful outside. I decided that we go there before going to church last Saturday. And I'm glad we did! I was instantly enamored by this lovely place. On the ground floor is where their assortment of breads and the ordering counter are. On the second floor is the dining area. After ordering our food and drinks, we went up and my jaw dropped upon reaching the top of the stairs, amazed by the beauty all around me. The walls are unpainted cement but the lamps and chandeliers all around, the wooden tables and chairs, lamps on every table, dried tree branches from where more lamps are hung, all made the room look both classic and modern. The beautiful lamps hanging from the ceilings, particularly those that seemed antiquated, elicited the most superlatives from me. There was not one bright lighting fixture, giving an ambiance of coziness and relaxation. 

Then, our orders arrived and it was time for a snack:

Strawberry Donut, P45 

Blueberry Cupcake, P59 

Sausage Bun, P49. 

Lychee Fruit Tea, P85.

Wintermelon Milk Tea, P95.

Afternoon tea and munchies 

Chocolate Milk Tea, P95.

Caffè Americano , P135

Interiors

Students hang around here to chat with their friends and study

There's a mural of women working on a farm on this wall.

Gentlemen's restroom on the left, ladies' on the right

Chandelier inside the ladies' room. Beautiful!  

Pick a book here 

Please excuse my bottle of water. Haha! 

Stairway 

Counter
 

Order numbers are printed on the teddy bears' shirts. If you order for take-out, 

they give you a teddy to play with while waiting. Hehe 

Bread display 

Cakes

Amor on Espana Blvd. corner Tolentino St. in Manila

Truth to tell, there was nothing outstanding about the food at Amor. My bread, the so-called sausage bun, has a big room for improvement with regard its quality, particularly its texture. It would have been better if it were softer and fluffier. Also, the filling looked and tasted like hotdog and not sausage. They should have called it a hotdog bun instead. Hehe..My daughter liked her strawberry donut, yes, even though she was not really heaping praises on it. The filling was good, she said, but the donut itself again, should have been softer. The blueberry cupcake, however, gave me a little bit of surprise because it had the consistency of mamon (sponge cake), not a cupcake. Not that it was bad. It was good! I liked, too, that it was just a little bit sweet. As for our drinks, we both loved our own - Lychee Fruit Tea for me, Wintermelon Milk Tea for my daughter. 
Again, I loved that mine was just a little bit sweet. 
Anyway, the following day, I returned to Amor with my youngest child. This time, we didn't order something to eat because we came straight from two parties - our office anniversary and my sister's despedida - and had no more room in our tummies except for drinks. So, it was Chocolate Milk Tea for my son and Americano coffee for me. My son so loved his drink that he had me buy him a second cup. I liked my Americano too, which, by the way, is expensive here at P135 a cup! Latte here costs P155! Pricier than in most coffee shops, right? Also, after paying that much for coffee, I expected it to come on a nice china cup. However, it came to me on a paper cup. How disappointing..Nevertheless,  I now have "amor" for this chic and lovely place aptly called "Amor". Well, they're still on soft opening so there's still plenty of time for improvement with regard their products. 
Surely, I will always be dropping by Amor on church days for my caffeine fix.