Check It: Tea-riffic!

Aaagh so happy!

If you’ve been following my blog, you would probably know that I have had a love affair with coffee since forever. But I recently switched to tea for health reasons & because it’s more dainty & I feel automatically quaint when I’m sipping on it while I read my classics or listen to some chanson. I like some atmosphere with my beverage, thank you. I was quite sad when that tea kiosk at SM (where Auntie Anne’s is now) was replaced. But good things come to those who wait. I found a stall that sells tea again! Pefect for my impulse cravings! In between Zagu & King Corn (near Pizza Hut) is Tea-riffic.

So happy when I came upon this a couple of days ago! They serve teas-to-go which, to me, is perfection. The variety isn’t bad either: fruit teas, fusion teas, iced teas & milk teas, even. And the best part? The prices are cheap! At around Php65 you get a grande sized milk tea. I got myself a large Wintermelon Milk Tea at Php55 only. Not bad. Take a sip!

Recipe: Pasta On A Budget

I think I acquired some rare disease called cookingitis.

I seem to be throwing stuff inside a saucepan or frying pan whenever I can & with whatever I can find at the refrigerator or pantry. I keep throwing what I think goes well together & I end up with tupperware after tupperware of food enough to feed my friends. Lucky them, no?

One day I am faced with leftover angel hair pasta so I decided to do a simple oil-based sauce that is light but packs enough carbs to get me going. So I end up with a simple Garlic & Butter Pasta. Plain. Simple. Try it out sometime with your own version! Here’s mine.

• garlic, minced
• butter
• olive oil
• seasoning
• salt
• black pepper
• parmesan cheese

Cook pasta al dente. Saute garlic in olive oil & butter. Toss pasta in with the garlic, oil & butter. Add salt & pepper to taste. After tossing well, add seasoning (I used Italian) & cheese.

I also made my too easy version of bruschetta with whatever I could find. Bruschetta is basically an Italian way of salvaging bread on the way of going stale so that was what I was going for most definitely.  I grabbed some kinihad bread & rubbed cloves of garlic on it along with butter, olive oil & a little salt. Pop in the toaster for about half a minute or so. Insant yummy side for my pasta!

What’s your idea of a good oil-based sauce? Or bruschetta? Share!

Good Grease: Matthew’s Burger Café

If there’s one thing I love, it’s eating like a dude.

And what says “dude” better than red meat? I love the feeling of chomping down a huge slab of meat with my favourite condiments sandwiched between bread to boot. And who does not love a siding of potato goodness – be it in the form of fries or wedges? A completely satisfying meal all on its own. At lunch today, I got together with the usual suspects for my weight gain. We started talking about juicy details BUT – no pun intended – (HAHAHA HI GUYS!) nothing was as juicy as what we were about to devour. Our hungry selves went ga-ga over  Matthew’s Burger Café’s specialty. What else but hamburgers!

Matthew’s opened recently near our school. They serve “burgers from around the world” — a variety of different flavoured burgers inspired by cuisine from different countries: Italy, America, India, Mexico & the Orient. At Php150 for their big & flavourful burgers, they really hit the spot. Pasta dishes (Mac & Cheese, Italian with Ratatouille, Mongolian Pasta, etc.) as well as side dishes (Burger Fried Rice, Texas-Mexican Nachos, Potato Wedges, etc.) are available on the menu within a price range of Php100-130. Gourmet coffee, smoothies & frappes priced at Php55-120 are also available for your refreshment.

They offered us a set meal of one burger, one pasta, potato wedges & red iced tea for Php290. It was shareable so we got two sets for our group of four:

Set 1: Indian burger, Italian pasta with Ratatouille, potato wedges, 1 red iced tea

Set 2: American burger, pesto pasta, potato wedges, 1 red iced tea

Set 1

Set 2

Another ordered for himself a platter of Italian Pasta with Rataouille (Php130/plate) & we were surprised it came with a burger patty too! Another companion ordered a Banana Blizzard (Php100).

The platter was good enough for 2-3 people & the burgers were tres bien in terms of taste, size & quality. The pasta perhaps may have been a little too parched & the flavours didn’t stick to the noodles so well & the potato wedges could have tasted better with more crisp. But their burgers, no doubt about it, were superb!

Matthew’s Burger Café is located at the building where Namie Japanese Restaurant is found (I still don’t know what it’s called) near Ybiernas & Delgado street & is open from 9 AM to 9 PM daily. Urging everyone near UPV or IDC to check it out!

What I wore to lunch:

A pop of color always brightens a rather monochrome ensemble. White tank top, houndstooth vest, mustard shorts, black flats, orange watch, maroon belt. Pardon the horrible photo & face. And pose. I’m trying

Recipe: French Toast

I’m trying to cook on a daily basis so bear with my recipe posts un moment.

Breakfast makes me a really happy girl & nothing makes me happier than toast. One of my favourite breakfast staples is French toast — sweet, cripsy & best paired with almost any viand. Here, I give you an easy recipe of French toast — so easy that a kid could do it! You could pair this with several sides:

• jam
• maple syrup & fruits
• any meat (ham, bacon, sausages) with sunny side up eggs
• hazelnut or chocolate spread

I paired mine with honey & sausages. A happy breakfast makes Jillian a happy girl. Hope this toast makes you happy too!

• slices of white bread
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 tbsp cinnamon
• butter
• confectioner’s sugar

Combine egg, milk & cinnamon in a bowl & mix well. Place butter in frying pan. Dip bread in mixture & fry each side until golden brown. Top with confectioner’s sugar. Serve with your side of choice.

Recipe: Bologna & Herbed Cheese Roll Ups

I have been meaning to do some cooking for a long time but my schedule does not permit me to do so. Fortunately, the weekend came about so I had the chance to look around for ingredients in my favourite grocery store and unleash the domestic goddess within! And it helps that I’ve been too broke to eat out lately.

Here, I have bologna & herbed cheese roll ups, a quick snack using 5 ingredients only. I have been addicted to making anything with tortilla wraps lately & this isn’t any different from my pizza wraps, really. But the tang in this one is deliciously wonderful. The process is easy schmeasy & I ended up with something good. Enjoy making them as much as I ate them! x

• 1/2 cream cheese, softened
• 1 tbsp herb of choice (basil, parsley or chives)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 4 flour tortillas
• 4 slices of bologna (or ham, any meat you’d like)

In a bowl, combine cream cheese, herbs, salt & pepper. Mix well. Warm tortillas in a hot skillet until lightly browned. Spread cream cheese concotion over warmed tortilla. Top with your meat & spread again with cream cheese. Roll up tightly into a log & do the same for the others. Cut up each tortilla into 4-5 pieces.

And you got yourself something yummy! Perfect to stash in a tupperware to school, work or eat at home.

Almost A Year

In three months my blog will celebrate it’s anniversary!

So far away I know, but it has me giddy. Not only that, next month something else will be celebrating its annual. More giddiness. Hee. Hee. Hee.

Ocean City Bistro: Worth The Wait

We finally got a table at Ocean City Bistro!

My family & I had a hard time getting a table at one of the newest restaurants in Ayala Technohub as the tables were always full & the place overflowing. Ocean City has always been one of the places where the food is good & the bistro version had a better ambiance & location. So of course we were excited to try it out! So on mom & dad’s anniversary, I decided to finally get a table reservation & treat the family out to dinner.

The wait was too long because there were too many customers & there were very few waiters. The proximity of the tables were too close to each other which was slightly annoying. The wait was worth it however. Aside from old Ocean City favourites, new items were added to the menu to suit the bistro feel. I absoultely enjoyed what I ordered:

Some specialties of the house were in order: Tinapa Rice (Php150) which was a yellow rice with salted egg & sardine bits — starchy goodness which went well with all the other dishes I got. The Grilled Backribs (Php250) was surprisingly more than enough for our party of four. We all commented on how chewy & soft it was, not rubbery at all. But my favourite among them all was the Beer Battered Fish & Chips (Php170) — soft fillets wrapped in a batter that crunched so deliciously & tasted more so. The homemade potato chips & dip added to the flavours. Pure, sheer bliss with every bite.

We ordered Frozen Iced Tea (Php50) to down the food we had. A platter of Oyster Rockafeller (Php160) upped my expectations. I think buttered talaba is better though. Although the toppings were rich, they failed to enhance the oysters’ flavours. Brother ordered himself a Cheesy Bacon Burger (Php90) which was so-so. And as tradition, we order Birthday Miswa (Php140) for the special occasion & at the end of the meal, we were patting our bellies with smiles. The slow service & endless lines were definitely worth the wait. With low prices, moderate servings & delicious food, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ocean City Bistro’s tables will always be full. Wished you were here Pa!

What I wore to dinner:

Rushed straight from a 300 item marketing exam so I was in shorts for our early dinner. Knit heart top, khaki shorts, brown belt, houndstooth bag (I rarely change school bags), red abaca mary janes & white watch. Pretty much minimalist when it comes to accessories.

Le Rêve Deli & Café: Coffee Dreams

Basically, Micah & Innah are my go-to buddies when it comes to eating & they are probably one of the most overused names in my blog.

On a Friday like any other, we were wondering what to do on our break. The answer was of course “to eat,” but the question was, “where should we go?” We remembered to happen upon a coffee shop in Timawa Street, so amidst the wind & heat, we walk lengths in the quest of the four letter word: food. This is where we found Le Rêve Deli & Café.

Le Rêve in French means The Dream & the store was tagged as “a dream coffee shop from the heart.” I don’t get it but hey, they serve food & coffee! We order a bunch of food even though we were pretty broke & they did not dissappoint. The menu consists of iced & hot drinks (chocolate, tea, coffee, frappucinos, smoothies) as well as cakes & pastries (cookies, cakes, biscuits) along with meals & appetizers (pasta, sandwiches, international dishes). Quite complete, actually. Prices range from Php40-220.

Iced White Mocha & Green Tea Frappe

Micah got herself a Green Tea Frappe (Php90) & Mushrooms Al Ajillo (Php50). I super loved the mushrooms & wished it came with toast & the matcha frappe was very good too! We were quite surprised at the food quality.

Muhrooms Al Ajillo

Innah on the other hand got Iced White Mocha (Php75), Italian Ladyfingers (Php20/2 pcs) & some cookies (Php12/pc). The drink tasted like a bar of white chocolate & the pastries were — well, pastries. Nothing special.

Pastries & cookies

I am particular about trying to order house specialties whenever I go somewhere new so I tried a specialty drink & dish. Because I am special. Or so I like to think. I got a Le Rêve Hot Capuccino (Php70) & their Le Rêve Club Sandwich (Php148). I liked their coffee blend as it was not too strong nor too watery & the froth left a nice touch. The sandwich justified the price: it came in four cuts filled with bacon, tomatoes, egg & veggies & even came with fries.

Le Rêve Capuccino

Le Rêve Club Sandwich

UP & IDH students should come by lest they are tired of the usual spots that surround the school. It’s near, reasonable & has free wi-fi. Plus the waitresses are really, really nice! What is not to love? Le Rêve is open at 7 AM onwards & is located in Timawa Street (near the College of Dentistry area).

What I wore for merienda:

It was a hot school day so I opted for a shirt & skirt combination as I was also feeling quite feminine & all that echos that come with being a woman. Camera print shirt, pink jersey skirt, black flats, white watch, houndstooth tote bag. And yes, I cut my hair.