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Mamou part 1

 

Mamou is one of the restaurants in Manila I frequent. Food + service + ambience are always consistenly good. From their warm bread to their key lime pie, you'll definitely enjoy each part of your meal here. What I love about Mamou is that they've got a very honest, no-frills approach to food. They don't need to bother with overly fancy presentation, their food speaks for itself. It's almost as if you're having a home-cooked meal, with the friendly atmosphere, family-size servings and honest-to-goodness great food.

Don't skip the bread- ever!

Refreshing Four Seasons Shake

Classic Pasta with Marinara sauce

Lamb tapa with red rice and scrambled eggs w/ truffle oil- one of my favorite brunch dishes

The ultimate! I order this almost every time I dine here. Pork and Chicken with Black Beans, Plantain and Red Rice - comfort food at its best!

I love their Key Lime Pie- simple but amazing.

Va Bene Pasta Deli

Went to lunch to catch up with my friend Dennis last week. He suggested we eat at an authentic Italian restaurant called Va Bene, that happens to be on the second floor of a gas station. I'd never heard of the place before but after tasting their food, I was so glad he suggested it. Va Bene is small and intimate, and the owners are there to personally greet customers and walk you through their menu items. The food is really worth going back again and again. Make sure you try their pasta dishes with freshly-made noodles. I love places that make their noodles from scratch; it makes a huge difference. 

Their salads are light, fresh and flavorful

I especially LOVED this one with fresh mozzarella!

We really enjoyed their Minestrone Soup

I forgot what this was called exactly, but it was a filled pasta with a Lobster sauce. Really good!

Their famous Squid Ink Pasta

Panna Cotta with mango, the perfect light ending to a great meal

Chef Massimo Veronesi's Va Bene Pasta Deli
2nd Floor, Petron Gas Station,
Edsa Corner Pasay Road, 
Dasmarinas, Makati City Philippines
(info from OurAwesomePlanet.com)

Sentro

I love Sentro's Filipino food! It's remained consistently good for years now.

I always order their bottomless Sago't Gulaman or the Dalandan shake

Butong Pakwan

String Beans

I never come here without ordering their Sizzling Tofu

Catfish, my absolute favorite!

Crispy Trotter

Coffee Pie

Coffee Bean Sans Rival

 Sentro
Greenbelt 3, Greenbelt
Paseo de Roxas cor. Legaspi St., Ayala Center
Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines 

Apartment 1B

My best friends and I have been frequenting this place a lot lately. We love the comfy, relaxed vibe, great food and the friendly service. Apartment 1B is one of those cafes you can stay and talk for hours in.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Salmon Quiche- I love this!

Turkey Burger

Their famous frozen pie! This was wiped out in a minute or so.

It's got an Oreo crust and vanilla ice cream filling that's then drizzled with chocolate, caramel and nuts

Apartment 1B
One Lafayette Square
132 L.P. Leviste Corner Sedeno St
Salcedo Village, Makati City 1227
Tel: 843-4075 

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao

After reading about Crystal Jade in Our Awesome Planet (click here to see the blog post), I couldn't resist making the trip to Greenhills to taste their famous Xiao Long Bao. These little pork dumplings, believe it or not, contain a flavorful soup inside. Dip them in the accompanying sauce and you should be transported to dumpling heaven. I like to have them in a bowl because these aren't exactly a one-bite affair. Lastly, have a spoon on hand and you should be good to go.

Whoops! This dumpling fell into the sauce

I LOVED Crystal Jade's noodles.. I can't get over how good this was.

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Pork Dumplings

We just HAD to order another round of Xiao Long Bao!

 

Red Bean Pancake

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao
Unit 117-121 (near Haagen Dazs and Goodwill Bookstore)
V-Mall, Greenhills Shopping Center
Greenhills, San Juan City, Metro Manila
(info from OurAwesomePlanet.com)

Revisiting Manila Favorites: My Two Favorite "Palaces"

It's been about a year and four months since I've been back home. Although I've tried some really great places in the States, I still find myself craving for my Manila favorites. Shang Palace and People's Palace are two amazing restaurants that have been serving consistently excellent food for years now. So excellent that I made a mad dash to eat at these places with my family within my first two days here.

Shang Palace

Roast duck, century egg and seaweed

Xiao Long Bao

Shrimp and Scallop Dumpling

Dessert: Mango Pudding and Buchi

Almond Jelly with Lychee

People's Palace

Refreshing Mango Lassi

Prawn and Pomelo Salad (no other restaurant does this dish better!)

Chicken Wrapped in Pandan Leaves

Kapi Fried Rice with Sweet Pork Bits

Dessert: Mango and Sticky Rice

Monsieur Marcel @ The Grove

 

What to do on a rainy day? I had the most random craving for something hot, rich, and comforting. Not soup, I thought.  Something like a cheese fondue with day-old bread..yum! So we headed to The Grove on a very rainy afternoon to get our fondue fix. In the mall's Farmer's Market, we settled in for some amazing French fare @ Monsieur Marcel. 

Normally full, we were lucky to find this place virtually empty because of the extreme weather in LA

Nice assortment of breads and crackers

 
A nice hot cup of mocha

Ham with olives and pickles
 
  
Finally, the rich and delicious fondue! We ordered the Fondue Savoyarde, which has melted Gruyere de Beaufort, Gruyere de Comte, Appenzeller, Morbier, Roquefort, white wine, and kirsch. 

 
Beautiful melting cheese

Our busy table
 
 
Clams & Mussels. The white wine broth was amazingly savory with a tinge of creaminess. Perfect for dipping bread in!
 
 
Seasoned fries. Addictive!
 
  

Monsieur Marcel
Farmers Market
6333 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90189

(323) 939-7792
www.mrmarcel.com
(from yelp.com)

PAL's Arroz Caldo

 

For those of you who fly Philippine Airlines (PAL) and/or are members of the Mabuhay Miles Club (their take on the frequent flyer program), you've probably stumbled upon this unassuming little bowl of Arroz Caldo, or rice porridge. Chances are, you probably know someone who loves or is addicted to it. There's nothing like a steaming bowl of hot Arroz Caldo during a long flight. It's comfort food like this that makes it easier to bare the  12+ hour travel time between Manila and the US.

 
 

Mini Birthday Cupcakes

Found this in my iPhoto. These little ones are such a hit at parties!

Order yours : http://thesweetlifebyange.com

 

Bread Pudding at Myron's

I'll let the photos do the talking.

 

Myron’s
P1 Power Plant Mall,
Rockwell, Makati
728-5555 / 728-9898
(from dessertcomesfirst.com)