Icings Cakes. Breads. Cafe

When I and my regular food buddy went to Icings to have a quick meal, the country was then being slammed by one of the strongest typhoons ever to hit Manila and, at that time, heavy floods were already inundating certain parts of the country, including the nearby provinces. But, what can we do? We just love food and no typhoon – weak or strong – can stop us from eating! Hence, soaked and all, we still went to this place. I honestly thought that the security guard wouldn’t let us in because our clothes were literally sodden and dripping with rainwater, but he allowed us to step inside anyway. AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT Icings, by the...

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H.K. Choi by Choi Garden

     I had a fairly fast and traffic-free trip from the province back to Manila on a cold and rainy Sunday night and because I had some time to spare, I decided to get off at Megamall to have a well-deserved dinner. Unfortunately, because it’s a Sunday evening and many families were dining out that day, almost all of my favorite restaurants in Megamall were chock-full of diners, so I decided to go to the Megamall Atrium as I believe there are fewer people around this area. Here, I stumbled across a restaurant called H.K. Choi. AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT I was instantly lured to eat here as the signage says Choi Garden - a...

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Ho-Land Hopia & Bakery

For the best hopia in town, of course, Ongpin Street in Binondo is the best place to go to. Nothing compares to the Chinese delicacies that can be bought in Ongpin. They're affordable and worth every peso you pay for them. Although I've only tried three brands of Hopia here (Eng Bee Tin, Salazar, and Ho-Land), I think Ho-Land's Mung Bean Pastry (Hopia Mongo) is the best one I've tasted so far. This pastry is simply heavenly. It has a very light flavor and just the right sweetness for a Hopia.  I'm not saying that Salazar's and Eng Bee Tin's Hopia are not as delicious as this one but I just prefer this version over the others. It's...

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Happy Lemon

Okay, I have to admit. I’m already left behind. Trends in food and dining are really changing so quickly and sometimes I just can’t follow through. For one, I didn’t really know that tea-based beverages, such as milk teas, have seeped into the otherwise coffee-frenzied culture of the Filipinos. It was, for me, surprising to see so many teahouses sprouting everywhere!      Happy Lemon is among those mainstream teashops, serving modern blends of tea and, because I wanted to feel “in” even if I don’t really drink tea, I decided to give this anime-inspired shop a go.      AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT I’ve seen Happy...

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Gelatissimo Cafe

    I am not really a fan of cafes located in malls because I hate the crowd. However, because of my craving for ice cream, I really had to get past the busy crowd of Trinoma Mall just to have a taste of the gelato they’re serving in this gelato bar.          I had no other option as I’ve noticed that, because of my series of eating sprees, I have gained some extra pounds and I didn’t really want to pack up some more by eating more fatty desserts. I thought that this was just the perfect place because, as I’ve heard, the ice creams they serve here are fat-free. AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT As usual,...

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