Familiar Favorites

You might say that these two restaurants are my fail safe options as I am guaranteed never to have a bad meal here. 

Giovanni's Bar & Ristorante

My friend at work would usually ask me which restaurant we could eat out if the payday falls on a weekend. Her go-to cuisine is Italian. I made three suggestion in the Araneta City area and we finally zeroed in on Giovanni's Bar & Ristorante.

Upon first impression, the Italian restaurant can be misconstrued as a puny little watering hole with the appearances of buckets of San Mig Light in almost all the tables the staff were waiting on. 

Don't let that fool you as Giovanni's truly serve serious Italian fares, evident with the pictures of the owner dotting the restaurant's interior for posterity and a wood fire oven that is open for everyone to see.

The Margherita Pizza we ordered is delightfully doughy with the right amount of marinara dressing and cheese. Our pasta plates were marvelous. Especially the Pescatore, teeming with the bounty of the sea. 

I liberally drizzled my food with the provided chili oil to elevate their deliciousness even more. A return trip is already on my checklist.

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Mom & Tina's Bakery & Cafe

I haven't been back to Mom & Tina's Bakery & Cafe in ages. Tagging along my Nanay, it seems providential to pay this much beloved cafe a visit once again.

I initially requested to order the Roast Beef Sandwich. However, it was not available that day. They've also scrapped off the Roast Turkey with Giblet Gravy & Cranberry Sauce from their menu. Ended up ordering the Big Momma Burger, a hefty sirloin burger with all the necessary trimmings. 

My Nanay got the Chicken Burger. Towering in size, this burger is well seasoned and pleasingly to the bite that I almost ask for us to trade orders.

We also had some Waffle, Bacon & Eggs. I'm pleased with the waffles. It's hot, with crunchy exterior but mealy inside. The bacon was cooked too crunchy to my liking though and my preference with eggs have permutated. I'm not too keen with very runny yolks  nowadays. I still like it wet but a bit firmer. That didn't sound right, but you do get my point, yeah?