Nord's Bread Hub at SM North Edsa

I visit SM North Edsa every once in a while to buy my toiletries from 
Human ❤️ Nature. This store for all-natural, eco-friendly hygiene products is at the 3rd level of The Block, where there is also this conspicuous restaurant/bakery called Nord's Bread Hub right at the top of the escalator. I almost always dine here when I go to Human ❤️ Nature and love everything about this place: the food (Asian and American) and the way it's served, ambiance and service. Prices could be a bit steep but the quality of the food and its presentation give justice to it. I love it when the chef takes time to serve my meal in a beautiful setting. Also, the menu has a lot to 
offer: all-day breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack fares.
What I've had so far:

Frutti de Mare
I love seafood pasta and liked Nord's version. It was a little bland, but 
a dash of salt and pepper did wonders. 

Young Pork Tocino

What I love most about Nord's is that their dishes are served complete with sides. There's a lot included in this order of "tocilog"! So filling!

(Note: They have changed the menu since I ordered this and I think 

this is now called Sweet Cured Pork)

 Sandwich Symphony
Three different fillings in a single order of mini sandwiches -- chicken, ham 
and tuna. What's not to love? Fries and fresh salad complete 
this lovely and yummy set.

 Iced Americano
Refreshing caffeine jolt!

Americano
Nord's serves strong, good coffee - just the way I like it!

Cappuccino
The aroma of coffee and cinnamon was just so heavenly!

Sweets, sweets, sweets!

                    A wide array of breads and pastries to choose from

Menu

Nord's Bread Hub at the 3rd level of The Block, SM North Edsa

There's a plethora of restaurants at SM North Edsa and choosing where to eat 

could be a difficult decision to make. But for me, Nord's Bread Hub is on top 

of the list because there's quite a lot of food choices whether I want 

a full meal or just a light snack. And the place is never crowded so I 

always get to eat in peace and "get lost" in my own thoughts. 

Yes, I love where there's peace and quiet. 

Maybe it's the age? Haha!

Visit Nord's Bread Hub, folks! There's one at the Mall of Asia Complex, 

SM Megamall, and at Capitol Commons in Pasig, 

aside from the SM North Edsa store. 

Happy eating!

Chachago: New tea place to love on Visayas Ave.

Visayas Ave. in Diliman, Quezon City, is my second home, being my work place. This is a long stretch of road dotted by many foodie places which my co-workers 
and I go to during our lunch or afternoon breaks. 
This year, not only new restaurants have been added to our list of favorite places, but also milk tea shops (There are so many of them nowadays!) . Recently, Chachago, said to be a franchise from Taiwan, opened its doors, and I wasted no time before
trying it. I love that they have snacks too, to munch on while I'm having my tea. 

My instant favorites:

California Mix Fruit Tea (L), P140.

Imagine having pineapple, orange, lemon, apple and calamansi all in one cup of tea! That's a lot of flavors for your drink! 

Needless to say (but I'm saying it anyway. Haha!), this fruit tea is bursting with flavors that you'd surely love. I did..a lot! I'd surely keep coming back 
to Chachago for this delicious and refreshing fruit tea.

Chicken Chops, P130.

This is another thing to love at Chachago. Crunchy, flavorful, bite-sized chicken that will keep you munching down to the last bit. So good!

California Mix and Chicken Chops
A match made in heaven! 

For the life of me, I can't remember what this was but I had this one time and didn't enjoy it much because the tea taste was too strong for me. It's not Chachago's 
fault, though. I asked for a no-sugar drink, 
that's why it was a little too bitter.

Some of their best-selling flavors to choose from 

Inside Chachago

Chachago at #45, Visayas Ave., Diliman, Quezon City.

Aside from their Visayas Ave. store, Chachago can also be found in other areas in Metro Manila. Just yesterday, I saw their kiosk at Fisher Mall, also in Quezon City. 
If you're growing tired of the milk tea you're usually having, 
try this newcomer for a refreshing change. 
Cheers!

Delicious Pinoy comfort food at Bench Cafe

Folks, if you belong to my generation, you, like me, probably began buying Bench clothes and other stuff in your teenage years. This iconic Pinoy brand was established in 1987. I was in college when I started patronising it, and loved the brand-embroidered face towel which I, and many of 
my friends, used as a hankie. 
Now, 32 years later, Bench is not just about shirts and towels, 
not even just about scents and bags and other life must-haves, 
it is also about food - - and good food, for that matter. 
Bench Cafe opened in 2017 at the flagship Bench store and headquarters in Taguig City. A branch opened this year at Robinsons Place Manila, which is near where I go to church so I was able to finally try this modern-looking cafe and 
have gone back on multiple occasions since July.
Bench Cafe serves traditional Filipino dishes and comfort food with a twist plus street food, without giving you the fear of jaundice-causing virus. I was fascinated by the menu so I keep on coming back to try new dishes.
 These are what I/my companions have so far enjoyed: 

Bagnet Kare-kare Bench-to 

The Benchto is Bench Cafe's own version of the Japanese bento. There's a cup of steaming white rice, your choice of viand, plus veggies. The Kare-kare was my daughter's choice. It was good! And nostalgic...it almost tasted like home. 

Inasal na Liempo Bench-to

The thick slice of pork appealed to me. It was also flavorful and tender. 

Lechon Kawali Bench-to

This was my choice. I'm a big fan of deep-fried pork! But although I liked the lechon kawali itself, the brown sauce underneath wasn't so much to my liking. I wasn't sure if it was lechon sauce but it was bland for my taste. The laing side dish was superb though. It was creamy and mushy - - the way laing should be.

Pancit Guisado
This has a mixture of bihon and canton noodles, with veggies, some meat slices and chicharon toppings. Good! My sister loved this one. 

Palabok

I'm also a fan of this kind of pansit but Bench Cafe's version was sadly not up to par. It was dry and the noodles seemed to be rather undercooked. I hope this isn't always the case 'coz I would want to order it again. 

Arroz Caldo 

Now this was a game-changer. Rice porridge with all the works! There's fried pulled pork on top, crispy garlic bits which I absolutely love, poached egg and meatballs. I was famished when I arrived at the cafe and having this hot bowl of arroz caldo gave much comfort to my "hangry" tummy. Each spoonful was made even more delicious when I added some of the mashed ginger it was served with. Yummy! 

Tomato Kesong Puti Pandesal
More fried egg taste, less of kesong puti. I loved the fried potato 
and "kamote" (sweet potato) chips, though. 

Tinapa Cones
These look like ice cream, I know, but they aren't cold. Haha! Cones made from fried lumpia wrappers are filled with creamy tinapa mousse. Because I'm such a huge fan of tinapa or smoked fish, I loved this one though I admit it was kinda cloying 
so I wasn't able to finish all three.

Street Food Platter

One time, I came not so hungry so I only had this together with the Ube Latte. It was good to have street food in a "sosyal" setting. Haha! No fear of "hepa" too!

Banana Cue

I was happy to find this on the Bench Cafe menu and for only P20! Sweet and delicious, it was the perfect thing to have with a cup of kapeng barako. 
What a divine pair! 

Bibingka Cheesecake 
This is a dense cheesecake that's not too sweet. The infusion of "bibingka" (a type of native rice cake) flavors renders some saltiness to it. There's even a slice of salted egg on top for a more bibingka look and taste, and which 
gives this dessert a Christmas-y feel. 

Turon ala Mode

If the turon looks boring to you, it's because it doesn't have any sugar, just as I requested, to compensate for the sweetness I would take in from the ube ice cream. Too much of a good thing is bad. Haha! I was happy my request for a sugarless 
turon was granted. Kudos to the cook! 

Ube Halo-Halo

This was a guilt-laden thing to cap a good meal with. It was sweet and delicious! This halo-halo uses shaved ice that's already mixed with Ube, so you could just imagine how flavor-packed it was. The ice was smooth to the tongue, really creamy and definitely heavenly. This Ube Halo-Halo is a must-try! 

Ube Grass Latte

Obviously, this one changes the way you drink your coffee with the 
clever addition of lemongrass and some ube halaya. Another must-try! 

Pakwan Shake

I asked for a sugarless serving and got what I wanted, thank you. 
A guilt-free drink for me! 

Kapeng Barako

Gave me my needed caffeine jolt. Not for the faint of heart 'coz it really is strong!

Sago't Gulaman

Looked good to me but it wasn't mine. Haha! 

Benchanted Iced Tea

My daughter's choice. She said she liked the blend as it 
wasn't too sweet and was refreshing.

Menu

Interiors

Bench Cafe at the ground floor of Robinsons Place Manila

There's a lot more appetizing dishes to try at Bench Cafe and I'm just so sure to keep coming back. It has become my favorite place for a meal and a good drink at Robinsons Place Manila. I definitely recommend that you bring your squad there to enjoy, too, not just the tummy-fillers but the chic, elegant interiors and ambiance as well. The prices, if you ask me, are reasonable, and the crews are very friendly 
and helpful, always willing to grant the customer's request. 
What's not to love about Bench Cafe?