Feel The New York Vibe At The Heart Of Ortigas

chili chicken burger at Borough

Soft, muted lighting. Earth tone colors. A restaurant that's very masculine in appearance with a very laid back vibe but the ladies were not put off with a dash of floral accents thrown into the picture. They said Borough tries to imbibe the look and feel of a typical New York diner. I'm wont to believe that even if I haven't been to New York. So, imagine my profound excitement when I finally set foot here together with my friends, Pam and Harris, to try out what they call "New York comfort food".

A Perfect Place For A Solitary Diner

table setting at Galileo Enoteca

I've been to Galileo Enoteca before and this is on their flagship store located in Calbayog Street in Mandaluyong City. I like the holistic vibe of the place. Frankly, who would have thought a gem of an Italian resto can be found amidst this gritty district where one could also sight a pharmacy, a videoke bar, a talipapa market, a tricycle station and a honky tonk bar? This somewhat unusual location of the restaurant added more to its charm. Once inside, it really felt like you're dining inside a wine cellar with rows and rows of wines that lined each walls and brooding lighting to match it with. Their servers very knowledgeable in suggesting on what to order on the menu. This somewhat contributed to the outstanding dining experience that I had here. From the fish appetizer placed on top of a creamy polenta, the delightfully spicy Spaghettini Ala Arabiatta down to the very luscious Panna Cotta dessert.

I Dare You To Forget Me Not

French macarons & a chick lit paperback

I seem to be gravitating towards dessert cafe and coffee shops that has a feminine flair to it these days which is quite fine by me. I love tables topped with laced covers, pink and floral accents plus exquisitely detailed cups, saucers, plates and utensils. So it was no wonder that I visited Forget Me Not Specialty Cakes which I first read about on the Dessert Comes First website. It's a fairly new bakery cafe in a not-so-obscure location in Makati and I didn't mind at all getting a little lost trying to find it. I usually take that as a challenge and was never fazed by the unfamiliarity of its location.

The Best French Macarons Ever

the best macarons one could have at Chez Karine

This could possibly be my newest favorite dessert place of the moment. I've been wanting to visit Chez Karine Bakery and try their much heralded macarons which was said to be Pierre Herme calibre. Herme is a renowned French pastry chef known for his macarons and was dubbed by Vogue Magazine as "The Picasso of Pastry" with whom Chez Karine owner, Karen Yang, has undergone training in Paris. But due to it's popularity and frequent rounds on other online sites, I felt if I went here right away I might have some difficulty nabbing a seat and making myself comfortable. Discomfort could easily rob me of my enjoyment of the food that I'm eating, no matter how good the taste is. So I waited till the hype went down a bit. And the wait did paid off.

FACE-OFF: Comforting Cold Desserts

Hawaiian shave ice

Cold weather notwithstanding, I found myself craving for cold desserts these days. Most possibly brought about by a colleague of mine who seems to have a penchant for cold desserts most especially when the weather is cold and got influenced by it at some point. Though I still frequent cafes to get my usual dose of hot coffee, there were certain days wherein the pull of soothingly cold dessert is too strong to ignore.

FACE-OFF: Flat Whites & Latte Arts

flat white & cake at Cafeccino By Dome

I first heard about the existence of a coffee beverage variant called flat white via Dessert Comes First. I was quite intrigued by it and the word "flat white" has a mysterious appeal to me. So, I set about on trying this out on the two cafes Lori's site has recommended where you could get this type of caffeine beverage.

A Secret Coffee Shop in Marikina Revealed

coffee & cake at Biksa

I chanced upon an article by spot.ph listing down 10 Must Try Cozy Cafe In The City. It's already an old online article dated way back in April of last year. However, I was really looking for a coffee shop that I've never been to before and was hell bent on veering away from the usual suspects (e.g. Starbucks, CBTL and SBC). So when I've read about Biksa Coffee on that article (which is just a few blocks away from Tapsi Ni Vivian), I immediately set out a plan to visit the cafe here in Marikina City.