Green Bar Cafe

Bianca and I have a diet made up of mostly meat. We love a good steak! The truth is, we don't eat enough fruits and vegetables and even though we make lots of plans to go healthy, we always fail. 

When we heard that a new vegan eatery and juicery opened in our neighborhood, we couldn't be more pleased! We're not turning vegan just yet, but we're happy that there's a convenient place to go for some healthier choices.

Veganism is a type of vegetarian diet that excludes all animal derived ingredients such as eggs, dairy products and meat. A vegan diet is made up of grains, beans, legumes, vegetables and fruits. We know that there are many benefits to this type of diet and we were excited to try out the different dishes that Green Bar has to offer.

Green Bar's menu choices include salads, snacks, sandwiches, and wraps made with delicious, satisfying fillings. You won't even miss the meat because they use a vegan alternative called seitan - a satisfying veggie meat derived from the protein portion of wheat. Who knew?

One of our favorites is this Cuban Burrito that's filled with red rice, black beans, fried plantains, seitan sausage, pico de gallo, and chimichurri sauce that's served warm by the grill.

This seitan sandwich is inspired by NYC's finest foodies, and filled with crisp seitan sausage topped with caramelized onions, cashew cream and vegan mayo.

Vegan pizza.

Chocolate, Vanilla and Bourbon flavored cupcakes are made without eggs or dairy.

Green Bar Cafe was born from the shared dream of these three sisters, Michelle Araneta, Jade Santos and Sadara Santos. All vegans and diehard foodies, each recipe they prepare and serve is inspired by their years of travel and dining around the globe, be it in world renowned restaurants, hidden food trucks or hole-in-the-wall cafes.

We really enjoyed our vegan brunch last weekend. Everything we tried was delicious and filling sans the meat. We can't wait to be back for more : )

Green Bar is located inside
Beyond Yoga Alabang
Westgate Center
Muntinlupa City
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The Way We Ate- Mary Grace Cafe

Mary Grace Cafe in Alabang Town Center is one of our favourite places to go to when we’re craving for comfort food. Famous for their delectable, pillow soft ensaymadas and cheese rolls, the Mary Grace brand has become a household name for the best pastries, cakes and breads.

The café’s menu also includes a good selection of hearty sandwiches, flavorful pastas, fresh salads, appetizers and many more.  And with its cozy, home inspired interiors, it is the best place to find refuge from the busy mall. The food and service here is consistently excellent, that is why we’ve been loyal customers. Even friends and family visiting us from abroad always request for us to bring them here, and we’re always happy to oblige.

Vigan Longaniza served with rice and eggs. The green mango and tomatoes on the side are the perfect compliment to this dish.

 Homemade Iced Teas and Mary Grace Mushroom Cream Pasta.

Perfect pair! Valencia Orange Hot Chocolate and fresh out of the oven Ensaymada topped with grated edam cheese.

We’ve spent many leisurely lunches and afternoons in Mary Grace Café. The comforting and relaxing ambiance together with their delicious food is just so conducive for the many mother-daughter talks we’ve had over the years so each visit is always memorable.

This article also appears on PhilStar.com.


Mary Grace Cafe
Ground Level, Corte de las Palmas
Alabang Town Center
Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila
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Kate Spade Afternoon Tea at Raffles Makati

We were so excited when we found out that the Writers Bar in Raffles Makati put a posh New York twist on the classic Afternoon Tea with their Kate Spade tea set! We set out to try it last weekend and it was the perfect mother and daughter date. Mom and I had both been really busy and it was so fun to be able to wind down after such a long week, drinking tea and enjoying each other's company.

Savory Selection: Tomato, mozzarella and pesto bruschetta, Turkey pastrami, cheddar and green apple on rye bread, Cream cheese smoked salmon mini bagel and Grilled marinated bell peppers on sundried tomato ciabatta  

Tea Selection: Sweet Paris and Vanilla Grapefruit

Mini eclair, Mini chocolate beau bag, Mini Religieuse, Mini cakes

Macarons and mini donuts

Chocolate Chip Scones

Homemade Chocolate

We were so in love with all of the cute sandwiches and pastries. The quirky New York vibe we got from our little tea time made us want to see the city even more. We can't wait to experience The Big Apple with our own eyes very soon!

Prêt-à-Portea: Kate Spade Afternoon Tea is available from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM daily until September 14, 2014.

Raffles Makati
1 Raffles Drive, Makati Avenue

Makati City, 1224

Phone: (02) 555 9777

The Way We Ate- Rustique Kitchen

Chef Bruce Lim serves up comfort food with a Filipino twist at his new restaurant, Rustique Kitchen in Makati City.

An American born Filipino-Chinese chef and a graduate of Le Cordon Blue in London, Chef Bruce made a name for himself in the Philippines as a TV personality and restaurateur. He is currently the host of Asian Food Channel's The Boss which showcases his take on modern Filipino dishes.

At Rustique Kitchen, he promises to treat your taste buds to an explosion of flavors in a comfortable, homey ambience. "We're serving comfort food," he explains. "We don't want to intimidate our customers. We'd like to make them feel right at home."

 Chef Bruce with Bianca & Cynthia.

We were treated to a generous sampling of some of the restaurant's bestsellers and new dishes. Thank you so much to Rustique Kitchen for inviting us, and many thanks to Ross Del Rosario and Aldous Calubad for organizing this special event.

 Freshly baked bread served with Herbed Butter and Coffee Maple Butter. 

Pata Fritters- new on the menu!

 Cozy dining at Rustique Kitchen.

 Lapu lapu Ceviche- Fresh rock fish marinated in citrus vinaigrette, topped with crispy danggit.

 Country Pumpkin Pasta- Pasta tossed in a kalabasa cream sauce, served with roasted Cornish hen and deep fried squash blossoms.

 Soon to be introduced is a Slab Menu- family style servings of salmon (shown above), steaks, pork confit and other seafood.

 Warm Chocolate Tart.

Quesong Puti Cheesecake- Classic baked cheesecake served with mangoes and strawberries.

Congratulations, Chef Bruce! We'll see you again soon!

This article also appears on PhilStar.com.

Chef Bruce Lim's Rustique Kitchen

Ground Floor, Leelin Building

820 Arnaiz Avenue, Makati City

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The Way We Ate- Chateau 1771

It's been so long since we've last eaten at Chateau 1771! We were so excited to go back and enjoy the restaurant's food and charming ambiance. It was the highlight of our trip to Greenbelt last Saturday - we love walking around and looking in lots of stores together, especially because we rarely go to this part of town. Definitely worth the trip!

Goat Cheese & Grilled Apple Salad - Malagos Farm chevre (goat cheese), green ice lettuce, mizuna, grilled red apples, kalamata olives, Pommery vinaigrette topped with bacon bits.

Pasta Chorizo - Spaghetti tossed in brown chorizo and garlic sauce.

 Beef Tenderloin with Cafe de Paris butter

Baked Potato

Lemon Basilic Sorbet- very refreshing and perfect for summer dessert!

Chateau 1771

Greenbelt 5, Legaspi St  

Legaspi Village, Makati City

(02) 729-9760

The Way We Ate- Green Pastures

I've been wanting to try Green Pastures ever since it opened last year, but because of the considerable distance we have to travel to get there, it's only recently that Bianca and I got to check out this restaurant since we were in the vicinity last weekend.

Green Pastures, located at the sprawling new wing of Shangri-La Plaza in Ortigas Center has been drawing in the crowds for their unique farm-to-table dining experience. 

What does it mean when a restaurant is labeled "farm-to-table?" 

It literally means that the food that you are served at the restaurant's table comes directly from a farm. This translates to meat, fruits and vegetables served at their freshest so this usually means you are eating healthier because the ingredients that they use are not canned or processed.

Duck You! - duck fat fries, duck skin chicharon, duck confit.

Green Pastures uses the best natural and local ingredients, and everything from the ketchup, the pasta, to the cheeses are all house made. Nothing is imported except the olive oil. Knowing this made me quite impressed with all the effort put in each dish we ordered and made me understand that I was getting what I was paying for because their prices are not what you would usually pay for at a regular restaurant.

Scampi Chorizo Pasta- river shrimps, ALBA'S chorizo, light sofrito, linguini.

We actually arrived at Green Pastures with not so hungry stomachs because we had just come from having some yogurt and fruit snacks elsewhere. Thinking that we had a long drive home, we decided to get something light for our dinner to tide us through the traffic we were expecting to encounter. We ended up ordering one dish after another and realized that we had already spent a good 3 hours at the restaurant! Time flies when you're having fun and lots of good food to keep you company : )

80/20 Burger- 80% Wagyu beef 20% double smoked organic pancetta with house made stracciatella, buttered brioche. Served with sweet potato fries.

Milkeggshoney- organic honeycomb. house made Greek yogurt, citrus curd.

Whenever we eat out, Bianca takes charge of all the food photos plus she likes snapping unguarded photos of me. I try to take photos of her too when I have a steady hand : )

Here's a pic I took of Bianca, rocking her new specs. She's gone back to wearing her glasses for her astigmatism and nearsightedness. She looks a a bit, uhm, scholastic, don't you think?

And that's me on the right. Bianca caught me trying to take a selfie. Lol.

Green Pastures

4th level East Wing

Shangri-La Plaza, Ortigas Center

Mandaluyong City

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The Way We Ate- Spectrum at the Fairmont Hotel

I've been busy with family matters lately and I am finding it difficult to sit down and blog. Please forgive us for the lack of posts. Hopefully, everything falls in to place soon so I can relax my weary mind and start enjoying the summer before Bianca gets busy with all her planned activities.

Thank goodness for friends who provided a welcome distraction by planning this super fun lunch date at the Spectrum at Fairmont Hotel, Makati. It's always good to catch up with good friends. All the food and laughter we shared certainly cheered me up. Thank you!

The Spectrum buffet was actually on our 23 Restaurants last summer. We didn't get a chance to go then, but I'm glad we're finally ticking it off. That makes Spectrum no. 22 on the list, leaving us with Zubuchon in Cebu City as the only restaurant we haven't tried yet. We might not get to go to Cebu anytime soon, but I'm hoping we could ask someone to hand carry some dishes for us from their outlet at the Cebu airport. We'll keep you posted!

Spectrum is an all-day dining restaurant featuring an array of cuisines from across the globe. Dishes are prepared in an open kitchen so you can easily request for made to order food such as stir fried noodles, pasta and pizza.

Here are some highlights of the food we had.....

Honey Station with live bees!

 Roast beef and Porchetta.

Fresh Manila Clams.

 Strawberry Pannacotta.

White Chocolate Raspberry ice cream.

Cafe Macaron at Fairmont Hotel

Since we were already at Fairmont, we decided to also drop by Cafe Macaron. Serving an array of gourmet sandwiches, bakery items, cakes and handcrafted macarons, it's the perfect place to enjoy a cup of coffee with their sweet or savoury offerings. We experienced excellent and attentive service here and we'll definitely be visiting this outlet again soon.

 Cafe Macaron's unique selection includes flavors such as White Chocolate Calamansi, Dark Chocolate Panucha, and Apricot Pistachio macarons.

  Assorted local fruit jams from Antonio's and The Fruit Garden.

Spectrum and Cafe Macaron
Fairmont Makati, Philippines
1 Raffles Drive, Makati Avenue
Makati City
website

Blue Bell Ice Cream

My mom and I are ice cream monsters - we've consumed more than 4 gallons of ice cream in the last five weeks. No joke.

It started when we bought a half gallon of our favorite local brand vanilla ice cream and a box of wafer cones. When the ice cream ran out after a few days, we decided to buy more to finish off the leftover cones. But as soon as we devoured the cones, we still had more ice cream, so we bought more cones. And then more ice cream. Then more cones. It is a vicious cycle. Because of all this binging, I won't be surprised if we gain weight this summer.

I did try to eat healthy once by eating some green salad, mostly to take away the guilt of eating too much sweets. Mom loves salad and makes sure I get my daily dose of fruits and veggies in my school lunch box as well as force feeds me vegetables for dinner. : )

A few weeks ago, we were introduced to Blue Bell Ice Cream. Manufactured in Brenham, Texas, using the very best and freshest ingredients, Blue Bell Creameries has been churning out great tasting, homemade quality ice cream since 1907. That's more than 100 years in the ice cream business, which is awesome. It's no surprise that they are one of the three best-selling ice cream brands in the USA. So, when they asked us if we'd like to have some ice cream sent over to try, how could we say no?

Blue Bell ice cream products are now available in the Philippines! First introduced by Visfood Corporation in Cebu City sometime in September 2013, it is also now available in selected supermarkets in Metro Manila. Yay!

 Strawberries & Homemade Vanilla- Blue Bell's famous Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream blended with juicy ripe strawberries. We love strawberries, so this is easily one of our favorite flavors! One taste and you'll know this is ice cream made the old fashioned way. Yum ♥

Rocky Mountain Road- Rich, dark chocolate ice cream combined with dark chocolate-coated peanuts, milk chocolate-coated pecans, white chocolate-coated almonds, and roasted walnuts, all surrounded by a flavorful marshmallow sauce swirl.

Cookies n' Cream- Creamy vanilla ice cream with tasty chunks of freshly baked chocolate crème cookies. Blue Bell Creameries were the first to create this now very popular flavor. This is my personal favorite! There's still a bit leftover in the freezer because I'm savoring every bite. Sooooo good : )

We are so happy that Blue Bell Ice Cream is now available in the supermarket near our home. And with the summer heat in full blast, we'll make sure that we have lots of ice cream stocked up. I think I should start going to the gym, too - there's a supermarket right beside it that sells different kinds of sweet treats I want to try. Lol.

Visit Blue Bell Philippines for a complete list of available products and flavors and to find out where to find Blue Bell in Metro Manila, South Luzon, and Cebu City.

Blue Bell Ice Cream

distributed in the Philippines

by Visfood Corporation

www.bluebellicecream.com.ph

The Way We Ate- The Girl + The Bull

After our lunch in BF Homes, Paranaque a month ago, Bianca and I promised ourselves that we would plan another eating adventure in the area. So many new and interesting restaurants to choose from!

I've been reading a lot about The Girl + The Bull. Owned by young art and food enthusiasts, Thea de Rivera (aka The Girl) and Gab Bustos (aka The Bull), this artsy resto tucked away in Paranaque has a young and hip vibe. We got to try out their food last weekend, and as soon as we entered the place, I immediately noticed that the staff, servers, and even the kitchen was manned by people who all looked like they were only in their early twenties. The mom in me wanted to scream out "What are you all doing here without adult supervision?!" but decided against it for the risk of being disowned by my own daughter. Lol : )

I was skeptical at first, wondering if the food or service would be any good, since everyone looked so young and inexperienced, but everything turned out okay. They're just on their soft opening stage, so there's still a lot of room for improvement, but they are highly commendable and we enjoyed our lunch.

The Girl + The Bull is currently open Thursdays to Mondays only, with a limited menu. If you're around the area, do take the time to try them out!

Buttermilk Fried Chicken- served with Brioche French Toast, Balsamic Maple Syrup. (available Fridays & Saturdays only)

Crispy Pork Belly Banh Mi, hoisin mayonnaise, red cabbage, cilantro, pickled carrots & radish on brioche.

Korean Barbecue Rib Eye, Kimchi Fried Rice, Fried Egg.

Homemade Faux Twix Bars, sea salt.

The Girl + The Bull

346 Aguirre Avenue, 

BF Homes Paranaque

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