Homey, Comfort Food

cake slices from Chocolate Kiss Cafe

Have you ever been to a restaurant where the whole dining experience gave you a very lasting impression? That the food served was downright good and homey that you're still thinking about it even days after? This happened to me on the following restaurants where good food and the somewhat shabby chic ambience created a perfect harmony for me to totally enjoy my meal.

Benassi Ristorante Italiano

pizza from Benassi

Tucked away hidden from the maddening crowd at the ground floor of the Exchange Regency Residence Hotel in Ortigas is a gem of a restaurant that people who love Italian cuisine would definitely fall hard for. Benassi Ristorante Italiano (even its name almost sounds lyrical) is somewhat hard to find if you're searching for it the first time, but once you see Family Mart and Tully's in Exchange Road, you're on the right track.

interior

ravioli con spinaci

I relish the somewhat playful ambience of Benassi with caricature-style graffiti adorning one wall. On another wall I spy framed pictures of objects with its corresponding synonyms or names from different languages as you can see from the picture above. I take these all in as I nibble on the complimentary bread slices placed before me.

Benassi prides itself of serving fresh homemade ravioli so it's easy for me to choose the Ravioli Con Spinaci. Was flabbergasted when asked what type of sauce to ladle the ravioli with. I asked the server what she can recommend and she offered to serve it on pomarola sauce or tomato sauce. The resulting look wasn't appealing to the eye but looks can be beguiling at times. It was indeed an astounding ravioli dish, this one. But next time, I get to pick the type of sauce to serve it with.

Margherita

mascarpone cake

Some said the true benchmark of knowing how good the pizza offered in an Italian restaurant is how well they executed the Margherita Pizza. Benassi's own rendition is utterly rustic with its imperfectly round shaped pizza with a very minimalist appeal of just mozzarella, tomato sauce and basil leaves. Thin crust this maybe, it wasn't crackly light but has a chewy, doughy texture that would appeal even to those who adores thick crust pizzas like myself. Drizzle it with some fiery chili oil and chili flakes and you're all set for a delicious bliss.

Much has been said on the Mascarpone Cake, Benassi's own take of the Tiramisu which is a staple on any Italian restaurants where dessert is concern. This one was truly luxurious looking with a darkly cover of chocolate and shreds more chocolate littered throughout. But somehow I wasn't that impress after taking a bite. Don't take me wrong, it's good. Maybe I was expecting something really monumental because I hyped up the dessert in my mind far too soon.

BENASSI RISTORANTE ITALIANO

The Exchange Regency Residence Hotel
Exchange Road cor Jade St.
Ortigas Center, Pasig City

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Marmalade Kitchen

inside Marmalade Kitchen

I was practically ecstatic being here at Marmalade Kitchen. I'm a big fan of Chef Aileen Anastacio ever since I saw here, along with Chef Jackie Ang Po and Sam Oh of the now defunct cooking show True Confections. I was a bit starstruck when I saw her at one side of the restaurant holding a meeting of some sort with some of the other chefs.

Beef Burger

Lasagna

But before I get so much distracted with the presence of the chef-owner and the somewhat shabby-chic interiors of the restaurant, I must feed my growling stomach. I perused the menu and of utter excitement ended up ordering food good enough for two people.

I always ordered burger if I see it on the menu and I'm quite happy with the Marmalade Kitchen Beef Burger. Substantially thick and very tasty, thanks to the truffle cheese that was smeared on the buns. The thin onion rings stacked on top the burger gave it a whimsical appeal.

Lasagna is also one of the default things I order, and the cheesy goodness of this pasta dish with the right tang of tomato is spot on good. 

pancakes w/ baana & toffee sauce

chocolate tart and latte

I'm big on breakfast but I'm too lazy to leave the house way too early to get one so I thank the heavens above for food establishments that offers all-day breakfast on their menu. The Fluffy Pancakes w/ Banana & Toffee Sauce at Marmalade Kitchen indeed made my heart go aflutter. The three stack pancakes are quite big in diameters each, Rightfully fluff but not too airy, made more lush as I trickled some of the toffee sauce to it and smeared with some butter. Yum!!! These are the kinds of food I could never tire eating.

Of course, a meal is not a meal without ending it with some desserts. I already forgot the exact name of the dessert so I'll just call it the Decadent Chocolate Tart, which is a moist, chocolaty affair which one could finish after a few bites. Especially if you're as ravenous as me to chocolate cakes. As I finish the crumbs of my cake and sip the last few drops of my latte, I decided the I concluded this meal with such flourish. A return visit is definitely in order.

2-5 Forum South Global
7th Ave cor Federacion St.
BGC, Taguig City

www.marmaladekitcheninc.com

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The Chocolate Kiss Cafe

quezo cake & cookie dough cake

Who wouldn't be enchanted with a restaurant that has The Chocoalte Kiss Cafe as its name? I usually frequented their branch in A. Roces Avenue but I've read somewhere online that this particular branch has permanently closed. Sure, I could still get my fix of Dayap Chiffon Cake and Devil's Food Cake at their Bahay Ng Alumni branch in UP. But I would still miss the A. Roces branch. I like it more there, truth be told.

grilled cheese

spareribs

iced coffee

I ordered quite heavy on this visit at The Chocolate Kiss Cafe, the pangs of hunger that I felt was so strong it needed to be satiated with aplomb. For starters, I had the Grilled Cheese in Gouda cheese, tomatoes and butter in a whole wheat bread was grilled to achieve that desirable charred look. I loved this! And I quickly polished this one off in no time along with the side of potato chips.

I initially wanted to order the Beef Stroganoff but was told they've run out of ingredients to make me one tonight, so the server offered the Hickory Smoked Spareribs as an alternate option for me instead. I acquiesced. Instead of rice, I asked for the garlic mashed potato for my carbs. I find the meat tough and not as malleable as I would like but the smoky, sweet sauce with the peppery kick compensate for it. It was a humid night and the Iced Cappuccino served as a salve to my overheated body. I've been walking for quite a distance before coming here, you see.

quezo chiffon cake

cookie dough chocolate chip cheesecake

It's a must for me to try the cakes whenever I'm here at The Chocolate Kiss Cafe. With the two cake slices I ordered, I was indecisive to choose which one is my favorite. The Quezo Chiffon Cake is indeed very light and looking so pristine with the finely grated cheese capping its top form. While the Cookie Dough Chocolate Chip Cookie surprises as the chocolate chips made its presence known while relishing the sweet yet tangy flavor of the cheesecake.

www.thechocolatekiss.com