Where to Eat in the City: Recent Places I Scoped Out

 

I've seen the phrase "quarantine body" bein thrown around since last year when we all started to stay home more. The term is being used as a new way to described gaining weight, supposedly from all the eating they do. Well, with all the recent eating I've been doing, I might just start using the phrase! 

The telltale signs have been documented on this blog of course! My last post talked about my visit to a restaurant in Poblacion, Makati, Cafe Fleur. And in today's blog post, I'm once again writing about two more places in the city where I recently ate. 

M Bakery 

First up is this dessert place I went to over the weekend. M Bakery, located in Bonifacio Global City. This isn't a newly opened shop. This popular New York bakery, more known as Magnolia Bakery, came to the Philippines in 2018. It's their first store in Southeast Asia. 

I've been to this bakery before COVID-19. And it was just as busy then as it was when I visited again. It's not hard to see why people flock to this place. A lot of Filipinos have a sweet tooth. And in this pastel and cream colored shop, there's a lot of delicious looking baked goods to choose from! 

 

 

I couldn't find a vacant spot in the shop. Not that I minded any bit. A crowd of people isn't my cup of tea especially these days when the threat of a deadly virus is still around. It's a good thing the city has tables available outside for al fresco dining. 

I got myself this marble cream cheese brownie. Seriously so sweet! I couldn't finish this even when I washed it down with my house bland - I mean house blend - iced tea. Still, I would come back to M Bakery so I could try all the other available desserts in the shop. 

Fifty Nine Flower Cafe

Welcome to Fifty Nine Flower Cafe, a new and very Instagrammable place to dine in at, located at Paseo de Roxas, Makati. My friend, Dom and I dined here after spending a tiring morning of photo walk around Makati. According to this Spot article, the cafe used to be a baking studio where the owner had an unforgettable date with a man who's now her husband. Such a cute and romantic backstory! 

When we arrived, it wasn't packed with people yet so we were able to get a few photos of the cafe so I could show you guys just how pretty it is inside.

 

The cafe has a lot of flower decors all around. I was partly tempted to buy dried flowers from their shop. I've been meaning to add more dried flowers to my work desk' decor. But since I've been doing my best not to do impulse shopping, I decided against it. 

Just one solo photo while we waited for our food to arrive which wasn't such a long wait! 

Dom ordered the 59 House Sandwich - their version of clubhouse sandwich while I got the lasagna. Coming from the outside where it was hot, we helped ourselves to milkshakes. He got the chocolate while I got vanilla. 

In this day and age of smartphones with nice cameras and social media, having a place that looks pretty is a must! Lots of people, millennials like me and Gen Z peeps love taking photos and sharing it online. Well Fifty Nine Flower Cafe's definitely got that part down with its beautiful interiors. But this cafe's got more than its looks going for it! The food, the most important part, is also very good! 

Dom said he didn't feel stiffed at all as the sandwich had a generous amount of tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, ham, bacon and cheese. I was also satisfied with my choice dish. Soon as I took a bite out of my lasagna, I was delighted. Such a creamy lasagna! And of course those milk shakes are love! 

We capped off our lunch at Fifty Nine Flower Cafe with a shared order of New York cheesecake. Sweets overload! But this cheesecake's definitely a dessert must have! 

I would come back to this place again. I mean it's so pretty! Plus that lasagna was good! I imagine the rest of the dishes they offer are too.     

It may be raining nonstop these days but I'm glad the sun shows up even for a short period of time, allowing me to have these food adventures in the city. 

Note: Some of the photos I used for my Fifty Nine Flower Cafe post are courtesy of Dom  

Weekend Brunch at Cafe Fleur, Makati

I had the chance to check out a recently opened restaurant in Poblacion, Makati. I went to Cafe Fleur by chef Sau Del Rosario. According to articles I read online about this restaurant, it is a smaller, more metropolitan version of his restaurant located in Angeles, Pampanga. 

The al fresco dining area was the first thing I saw when I got at Cafe Fleur which only had one other set of foreign customers dining in at the time I arrived. It got busier by lunch time. I immediately felt like I was in a posh boutique resort hotel seeing the wooden floors and panels and the rattan furniture. 

The light hit the restaurant just right, making the whole restaurant area bright and inviting to look at specially with its walls painted white. The ambience of Cafe Fleur was warm and inviting.   

Dried flowers and coffee table books decor added to the cozy feels of the restaurant. 

The Dishes

Main dish I ordered was the lamb shank tangine plus jasmine rice as it was nearly lunch and I was starved! This is one of their best sellers according to the wait staff who serviced our table. So good! It had a hint of spiciness to it but I was able to get past that. The lamb meat was soft and easy enough to chew. First time I ever ate lamb in my life guys! 

For dessert, I had vuko fye. Yes, you read that right. Vuko fye, no mispelling there. According to what I read, it's Chef Sau highlighting the comedic mispronunciation of some Kampanpagans. It's bigger than the usual buko pies you'd buy from Laguna and stuffed with a whole lot of coconuts! It was so delicious! 

I washed it all down with a cold glass of calamansi iced tea which I also would recommend and water. 

I'd love to go back to Cafe Fleur. I know my friends would enjoy dining at this restaurant as much as I did. 

You can visit Cafe Fleur at Enriquez St., Poblacion, Makati City. They are open from Tuesday - Sunday, 10am to 10pm. Follow their Instagram and Facebook for updates. 

  

 

 

  

 

Exploring Legaspi Village, Makati

Being out and about around town was a usual scenario for me before. Of course, with COVID-19, going out became a once or twice a month instead for me. A couple of weeks ago, I was able to meet a few friends for a bit in Makati and I took that opportunity to explore what the city had to offer aside from the malls, particularly Legaspi Village. 

Washington Sycip Park 

This park has been around for years. It was renovated a few years ago and re-opened to the public in late 2017. The redevelopment of Washington Sycip is part of Makati Commercial Estate Association's (MaCEA) commitment to greening projects in Makati. 

Before meeting our other friends for lunch, my friend, Mai and I dropped by the park for a little OOTD. It's a really nice park to take photos in. Also it's the closest thing to nature in the city. Being around green and open spaces these days make me happier. 

 

Walk around to the inner part of Washington Sycip and you'll find some featured sculptures by Impy Pilapil. Needing some words of wisdom and motivation? You'll also find some in this park from business icon, Washington SyCip, the person who the park was named after. 

Even when the park is filled with people working out, there's still some part in Washington Sycip that you can go to for some peace and quiet. This spot looks like a nice place to read and drink iced coffee at. 

Washington Sycip park has a lot of trees such as Narra, Mahogany and Acacia!

Lunch at Monowine Cafe

There are a lot of nice restaurants in Legaspi Village. If you want to avoid the crowd at the mall or simply looking for some place new to eat at, check out this restaurant we had lunch at, Monowine Cafe. 

Creamy chicken and mushroom pasta

Burnt Basque Cheesecake

 

Food was delicious. Our favorite though would be the dessert pictured above. My foodie friend, Ryan, said it was absolutely good! Actually, Mai and I demolished our shared cheesecake in no time at all. 

Monowine Cafe has an alfresco area. We initially intended to eat alfresco but it was just too hot outside. We opted to dine in instead and we had the place to ourselves. Couldn't resist taking a photo with their wine display in the background. It's just so nice! 

Monowine Cafe is located at Perea st., Legaspi Village, Makati. If you're bringing a car, you can opt to park in the street or park at Greenbelt area. It's walking distance from the mall. 

  

So that's my quick weekend trip out. I'd definitely want to explore more of Makati City. The city just has so many to offer! 

Foodtripping Weekend

There's not much to share in terms of places in the cities I've visited considering NCR+ is still under MECQ. But I did do a little bit of food tripping. 

Joybean: Milk Tea for The Lactose Intolerant

Good news for those allergic to dairy but loves milk tea! You can drink milk tea thanks to Singaporean soy milk brand, Joybean. Been here for a couple of years now with their pop up store that opened in Greenbelt, Makati. 

Not the first time I've tried this milk tea brand but it was my first time in a long while. I was out running errands in Greenbelt and Glorietta area last week with a friend and we decided to treat ourselves to a cool drink after walking in the hot sun for a while. This is the cheesecake brown sugar milk tea which was delicious by the way! I scraped off every bit of cheesecake in it and it sure was a good way to cap off errand day.  

Yep, this is my new kind of joy these days. Affordable too at only PHP170. 

Filipino Style Lasagna with Lasagna MNL

I helped myself to a delicious pasta for an afternoon snack and decided on Lasagna MNL. This is a small food business that I first discovered last year. It had a lot of rave customer reviews. If you're after a sweet and creamy lasagna, you won't be sorry with Lasagna MNL. Last year, they only had the frozen lasagna for delivery but now, they've expanded to include ready to order ones. Also great news for anyone who orders via Foodpanda and uses Shopback for some cash back, they're available on the food delivery platform. 

One bite out of this creamy lasagna and you're going to say you got your money's worth. They also have a bigger sized order available so if you're sharing with the family, I suggest you get that so there's more for each of you! Their regular serving is good for 2-3 pax for only Php260 and their family serving is good for about 6-8 pax for only Php890. 

Angel's Pizza: A Healthy Pizza 

This pizza's been much talked about lately online! I was definitely curious to try. I love pizza! Finally, after days of thinking about it, I gave in and ordered via Grab Food. I ordered the family size serving which is Php588. Be prepared to wait for awhile though. I think because Angel's Pizza is so popular, there's so many orders! When I ordered, my Grab Food driver had to tell me there's an hour's waiting time. 

The rave about this creamy spinach dip is justified! Really good. Well that is if you like veggies on your pizza. It is after all, spinach. 

Hot Summer Day Calls for Ice Cream

Last one on my list is this new product from Magnum ice cream. It's the dairy free version of their popular almond ice cream, certainly good news for those who are lactose intolerant. Gave this to my friend, Jackie but I also tried one for myself. 

 

It's as good as the original version! Definitely worth paying Php95 for. 

Have you been doing some food tripping too? What have you guys tried out lately?  

 

Places in the City I Want to Visit

Travelling abroad seems to be a very far fetched idea for me right now and for the near future. After all, COVID-19 pandemic is still here. It's okay though. There's already so many awesome places in the city I want to visit! 

1. Belfry Cafe

This cafe can be found in Intramuros, Manila. It is a newly opened cafe with a name that comes from where it is located: the ground belfry of Manila Cathedral. Dining under a huge church bell! Awesome! 

 

 

2. Flower Ranch Cafe

This cafe has been all over my Instagram feed lately and for a good reason! It's such an Instagrammable place in the city to visit! As the name implies, it's not only a cafe but also a flower shop so if you love flowers and coffee, then this place is a must visit! I love coffee and I have recently come to appreciate having flowers (dried flowers) in the house. 

According to their website, they started out as a small flower shop hidden in the middle of a gray and busy highway of Mandaluyong. After a trip to Seoul, the owner got the idea to marry her dream of having a coffee shop with their flower shop and that's how Flower Ranch Cafe was born.

  

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3. Papakape

This glass house cafe is located in Palanan, Makati. I first learned about it through Spot.ph. Papakape is founded on the Filipino phrase, "Papakape ako" or "I'll make you coffee". This small cafe serves unique kind of  signature coffee or tea that's combined with ginger. I wonder how that would taste like?  

 

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A post shared by PAPAKAPE (@papakape)

4. Hidden Garden

Another place in the city I want to visit is this Hidden Garden located in Lawton, Manila. It's one of the city of Manila's projects that involve open air green space. It used to be a dumping ground and a parking lot. Now it's been rehabilitated and turned into something beautiful! 

The place has a series of pocket gardens, lots of open air place to walk around and there's also a cafe! 

  Photo credit: Tripzilla

5. Presidential Car Museum

I love taking trips to the museum. In fact, pre-pandemic, one of my dearest friends and I were even planning on going museum hopping! The Presidential Car Museum is where you can see the largest collection of historic state cars in the Philippines. This is located in Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City.  

 

 

6. Coffee Shop @ Bonifacio Shrine 

Finally, on my list of places in the city I want to visit is this coffee shop that's also located in Manila. Like the Hidden Garden, I first learned of this place in the news. This coffee place is described as modern meets old. 

 

Tomorrow, it's officially a year since we were put on lockdown. One year has passed and cases have ballooned up again, almost surpassing the peak of our cases last year so I'm staying home as much as I can. For now, these places are just going on my city adventures bucket list. Hopefully when it's safer to go roaming around again, they're still around.  

The Luminary advocacy: Zero waste living

Climate change has been a pressing problem of the world. One of the biggest contributors to this problem has been plastic usage. For so long, we've been encouraged to recycle to reduce our waste. However, recycling is just one way to advocate for Mother Earth. We should also look into reusing. 

That's why I'm more than happy to support the Luminary, a zero waste store that opened a few months ago in our neighborhood.

The store carries a lot of products that can be bought and refilled! You'd also pay less when you bring your own container. They highly recommend that you do! My mom recently one vouchers from our barangay for this store. I was more than happy to come with her for a visit so she could see for herself Luminary's offerings. 

You can also check it out for yourself since I took photos! 

Kitchen and Baking Needs

For your cooking and food condiment needs, Luminary sells soy sauce, vinegar, palm oil and coconut oil. They also have turmeric powder, garlic and onion powder as well as herbs such as dried rosemary leaves just to mention a few. 

Love to bake? Check out their selection of refined white sugar, brown sugar and all purpose flour. If you need toppings for your baked goods, they even carry chocolate droplets.   

The Luminary also sells different types of hulled rice grains. Again, just shop with your own container to help reduce waste!

 

In the mood to cook pasta? Perhaps sopas? Luminary's got you covered with this need too! 

If you don't have enough empty container with you, you can also buy from the store. They also carry various empty containers that can house your liquid or solid purchases. 

Snacks Galore

Is healthy eating one of your resolutions for the year? The Luminary store has a wide array of healthy snacks for you to choose from like garlic peanuts, roasted almonds and trail mix. They also have champoy and sweet dilis. 

 

Got a sweet tooth? Or maybe looking for treats for the kids? Check out these sweet selections! 

Is it only kitchen and snacks that can be found at the Luminary? Absolutely not!

Liquid Refills for Handwashing, Laundry and Dishes 

As we all know hand washing is super important these days. Stock up on your hand soaps at the Luminary! You can choose from lavender, strawberry or green apple scents. Need dishwashing liquid for your dishes or fabric conditioner for your laundry? 1 liter purchase will only cost you Php80 provided you bring your own bottle! 

Don't live near the area? Not to worry! You can also get your Luminary orders by ordering online and you can have it delivered. 

When you support Luminary store, you're not only supporting a local small business. You are also helping to save the only planet we live on. Isn't that amazing? 

The Luminary is located at 2742 Cailles Street, Bangkal, Makati City. 

Your Neighborhood's Deliciously Big Burgers: 100g Burgers

One of my go-to comfort foods are burgers. Who doesn't love a good burger? And when we talk of burgers, there are brands that come to mind instantly like Jollibee and Burger King for the fast food joint burgers; 8 cuts and Shake Shack for the more expensive burgers, and of course there are your neighborhood burgers.

I love a good neighborhood burger! It's a bit more affordable than the fast food joint types and sometimes bigger in size too. At Bangkal, Makati, that's what you'll get when you order from 100g Burgers. I've only recently discovered this neighborhood burger joint located at Estrella street. 

100g Burgers has a space for dine in customers should you wish to take your food there. It's an open air burger place. You can also choose to have your food delivered via Grab. 

100g burgers has a lot offerings! For our order, we ordered Hawaiian burger, 100g burger, double bacon mushroom melt and clubhouse sandwich.

Closer look at our orders

100g Hawaiian burger

100g double bacon mushroom melt burger

100g burger, one of their best sellers 

I have no photo of the clubhouse sandwich since my mother just couldn't wait to eat!😅 But they are all big and delicious! They're also affordable. Their burger prices start at Php75! 

A bonus treat for cat lovers out there when you visit the store, you'd find their adorable cats just lying around. You can pet them while you wait for your order.

This neighborhood burger place is definitely worth checking out so if you live nearby, be sure to try their burgers. You'll not only get to fulfill your burger cravings but you'll also be helping out a small business too! 

 

Review Nail Salon Home Service: VIP Nails Manila

 

There are certain things we used to do that has been badly affected by the pandemic such as pamper me activities like going to a spa for a massage or getting your nails done. Those two things are actually a favorite way of mine to unwind and even though the government has allowed spas and nail salons to re-open, going out for these activities is something I'm not going comfortable with doing just yet with the number of COVID-19 cases continuously rising in the Philippines. 

It's a good thing I found a nail salon that offers home service! I stumbled upon a sponsored ad online about VIP Nails Manila offering nails at home service and was intrigued to check it out. 

On their Facebook page, under About it said: Book with us for a safe, luxurious home service nail spa experience at reasonable prices. And you know what? Their price is competitive with some nail salons I used to go to at the malls! Currently, they service Manila, Makati, Pasay, Mandaluyong, BGC and Taguig. 

Booking a Service

Booking a service from VIP Nails Manila was very easy. I simply reached out through the Send Message button on their pinned post. They are very responsive. 

I set my appointment date and time; told them the service I wanted to avail (a signature foot spa with pedicure) and filled out their booking form so my order could be processed. My invoice/confirmation was issued after awhile. 

Payment

They offer various payment methods such as bank transfer, GCash or COD. 

Safety First

VIP Nails Manila nail artisans are transported by a company service vehicle to their respective appointments so the employees have less risk of exposure to other people when they venture outside for work. 

They also wear PPE gear with mask and face shield when they arrive at your place. As for their tools, they sanitize them before use and after use as well.  

The Experience

On the day of my appointment, VIP Nails Manila community manager reached out to me an hour before my set appointment time to let me know the arrival status of the nail artisan assigned to me. They are usually right on time for the appointment and if in any case they are running late, you would be informed as is the case of what happened to me during my second appointment with them. 

When the nail artisan arrives, she'd come with a huge trolley travel bag which had all the tools we would need for my nail spa session which includes her foldable chair and thermos bottle. All I needed to provide was water and the electrical outlet where she could plug the thermos to boil water. 

Even with VIP Nails Manila's safety precautions, I also added a couple more to it by having my nails done outdoors, specifically our garage area and I wore a mask as well during my appointment. 

 

I like that VIP Nails Manila had a standby hydrogen peroxide that the nail artisan uses when she's already on the part of cutting out dry skin from my big toes which usually falls victim to wounds. The hydrogen peroxide is antiseptic so it helps to prevent growth of disease causing micro organisms in case a cut does unfortunately wound you. As someone who's had a really bad experience with getting nails done (I had a big toe that got wounded and infected a few months before trying out their service), seeing that they use hydrogen peroxide helps put me at ease.

So far though I've been lucky that the nail artisans I've had assigned to me had light hands so my big toes are safe! They also seem very well trained and knowledgeable enough about the service they provide. I've been a regular customer  since the first time I've tried them and all  my experience with them was nothing but good! 

Samples of their Finished Work

If you are looking to get your nails done at home, I recommend you try them out! You're gping to really feel like a VIP with their service.

VIP Nails Manila

https://www.facebook.com/vipnailsMNL   

http://instagram.com/vipnailsmnl 

    

 

Photo Credits: Cover photo and logo are from VIP Nails Manila Facebook page