New Find: Mommy Patch

I came across this brand as I was strolling the aisles of the St. James Bazaar a few weekends ago.  I absolutely loved some of their stuff so I want to share my new find with you.

Mommy Patch is a Manila based company established in 2010.  They specialize in handmade, natural bath and body care products for the entire family.  Their products are already available not only here in Manila but also in Singapore, Malaysia, India and Indonesia.  

Here's the product that caught my attention...

It is called the Mommy Patch Anti Mosquito Rescue Stick.  One stick costs Php195.  It may seem a little bit on the expensive side but it is definitely worth the price.  I love how it isn't sticky or oily on your skin plus you don't have to rub it on like a lotion or an oil.  You just dab it a few times on the exposed parts of your body and that should protect you for about 3 to 4 hours.  The stick should last you a while even if you use it everyday.  The stick is just as big as your normal lip balm so it is easier to carry around as well.  No more big bottles of lotion or oil to put in your bag right?

Here's a little background on the stick....

This is the best part for me...  it's proudly Philippine made!!!  

This is how I found it during the bazaar...

Isn't it just eye catching?  The whole booth actually caught a lot of people's attention which is why I couldn't take a picture of everything.  I didn't want to bother the other customers.  But I was able to take a picture of the other thing I found interesting....

Those white spray things you see are called the Mood Alchemy Perfume Spray.  It is just too cute and they smell good too.  They are just as big as a credit card and almost as thin as well.  Its so easy to put it in your bag.  No more big bulky perfume bottles right?  It is Php180 for each 20ml container.  It comes in 5 different scents:  Dark Vanilla, Olive Dream, Merry Berry, Lemon Drops and Silk Tea.

They have other amazing and interesting products.  You can see and buy all the different products they have on their website www.mommypatch.com or you can find them on Facebook by clicking here https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mommy-Patch/116385675084081.  

Happy shopping everyone!

Restaurant Review: Cantino

This restaurant is hidden from plain sight but it is a wonderful find.

I have been wanting to try this restaurant for some time now and I finally did.  I LOVE IT!!!

Cantino supposedly started as a little "karinderia" which serves food to the employees of European Motors and nearby offices.  It was renovated and turned into this lovely little hole in the wall restaurant by the owners, which are the same people that own European Motors, that only a few people know about.  It is located along Pasong Tamo Extension behind Saatchi and Saatchi Philippines and European Motors.  The restaurant has no parking space so you will have to park your car along the single lane road that leads to it and leave your keys with the security guard of European Motors so they can move your car in case someone decides to leave.

This is the entrance of the restaurant...

Cute, isn't it?  Upon entering those doors, this is what greets you...

Yes, its a tiny place.  There are only about 6 tables on the first floor. I never went to the second floor so I don't know how many tables they have there.  As you can see, it was quite full.  We went there during the lunch hour and there was just so many people from the surrounding offices eating there.  You order your food at the counter and then get a table and wait for them to serve your order.  Here's what the counters look like....

You can order anything from the board which pretty much consists their everyday menu.  

Or you can pick your food from here...

Their food display changes everyday.  When we went, they were serving Tinolang Maok, Menudo, Humba and Tilapia.  The concept is like the usual Filipino style "turo-turo" or "karinderia" restaurant but with a much nicer presentation.

Here's what we ordered... or at least some of it...  I competely forgot that I wanted to blog about it so we ate pretty much everything before I remembered to take pictures.  But here's what I was able to capture...

That's the Hungarian Sausage Omelette.

That's what they call The Suicide.  It's made with peanut butter.  Kind of like french toast.

That's my favorite... the Salted Caramel Eclairs.  It was really nice.  There was the usual cream inside but the caramel on top was salty and sweet at the same time.  Just perfect.  They were small though.  I could eat the entire thing in two bites but, of course, I took little bites so I could savor and enjoy it.

That is the Hungarian Sausage with Sunny Side Up Egg and Butter Rice.  It was really good too.

We also ordered the Aligue Pasta, Humba, Spaghetti and some coffee. Trust me...  they were all good too.  We finished everything down to the last bite.  The servings are quite small so you can actually order two different things and still finish it.  The servings are like kiddie servings.  But the food is super cheap.  We spent a little over Php400 for all the things we ate.

Don't get me wrong.  This isn't a hotel type of restaurant.  What I like about it is...  it's like home cooked food with a really cozy ambiance plus the food is cheap and great tasting too.  Where can you find places like that in Manila?  Sure, we have a lot of amazing restaurants but this is just different.  You have to try it to understand what I'm saying.  I highly recommend this.

New Find: The Popcorn Factory

I found this as I was walking by one of the many stalls in World Trade Center.  There were 3 women tasting all the different flavors then they ended up buying 2 of each flavor so I got curious.  I went up to the sales lady and asked if I could try the Salted Caramel flavor.  One taste and I knew why the women couldn't decide which one to get.  I decided not to end up with the same dilemma as the 3 women so I quickly paid for one tumbler of the Salted Caramel and left.  I refused to try the other flavors cause i might ended up bringing them all home too.  When i got to where my sister, nephew and my sister's brother in law was, I opened the popcorn and made them try it.  The popcorn disappeared in a matter of minutes.  We all loved it.  i ended up going back and tasting the Caramel with Cheddar Cheese...  I ended up buying another one of the Salted Caramel and one tumbler of the Caramel with Cheddar Cheese as well.

My husband and I enjoy eating popcorn while watching a movie in the US (unlimited butter.. who wouldn't right?!?) but I've never been to fond of our popcorn here.  They are normally a bit tough and they make the throat itch.  The Popcorn Factory popcorn though... they are amazing!!!  They are light and airy plus the flavors are so perfect.  Not too sweet and not too salty.

Aside from the 2 flavors I mentioned, they also have Wasabi and Nori, Barbecue, White Cheddar and Peppermint.  While i didn't try all of them, I would think that they would all taste great as well.

One container of the popcorn costs Php220.  I got my stash from the Noel Bazaar at the World Trade Center.  For inquiries, you can reach them via email at thepopcornfactory.manila@gmail.com or you can call them at +63917.321.8078 or +632.577.2436

Oh!  Sorry if my picture shows half empty containers.  I completely forgot to take pictures before we ate them.  These are full to the very top when you buy them.

Happy eating!!!

Restaurant Review: Victorino's

I did a quick review for this restaurant at Zomato and it was featured for a while.

Victorino's is a Filipion-Ilocano restaurant located at Sct. Rallos corner Jamboree St. in Quezon City.  You won't miss it.

The place is very homey.  It boasts of modern filipino architecture.  It has a lot of antique or wooden pieces on display all over the area such as cabinets, bottles and tables.  It really makes you feel like you've entered a Filipino house.

Upon entering, you will already feel at home.  This is what greets you when you enter...

 There is a showcase of different items made in Ilocos and are being sold there such as towels,  blankets, native bags, brooms and a whole lot more.

This is what the dining area looks like...

They are also selling some native delicacies such as salabat, garlic pickles, mango jam, chili powder, vinegar, garlic, etc...

They have a cakes and pastries section which sells savory creations by Heny Sison...

I was very curious about their Cashew Butter...  It looked really good.

Here's what their menu looks like so you have an idea on the food they serve and the prices...

Here's what we ordered...

The Bagnet which costs Php320 is crispy, fatty and simply delish!!!  It is served with the Ilocano bagoong (which is not your normal fermented tiny shrimps but fermented fish if I'm not mistaken) that has tomatoes, onions and garlic.  You can't go wrong with bagnet. 

Then we also ordered the Kinirog which costs Php180.  It is basically rice with bagoong, longgonisa egg and pindang.  It was topped with crispy salted fish which looked like dilis to me.  This rice went well with everything we ordered.

Then I chose the Adobo Nga Baby Pusit which costs Php290.  This was the best.  I was craving for adobong pusit but I didn't want the one with all the black ink on it so I asked which one they had and the waiter happily informed me that they can do both so I chose the one that's oil based instead  of squid ink based.  I'm so glad I asked cause I loved every bite of this!!!  

Of course, we had to get the Mangga Salad since my friends and I love green mangoes.  One order costs Php135.  This was so good with all our food.  It had green mangoes, onions, salted egg, tomatoes and bagoong.

You should never pass up dessert when you see all the lovely cakes on display right?  So we tried the Caramel Coated Yema which costs Php18/pc.  Its a little bit pricier than your usual yema but it is so good.  All you need is one piece and it will definitely satisfy your cravings for sweets.

We also tried the Strawberry Shortcake.  One slice costs Php207.50.  This I wasn't too happy with.  I've definitely had better strawberry shortcakes before.  I found it very bland.

The service was great too.  The servers were very patient with us.  We went on a weekday and we got there at around 1:30PM i think.  In the end, we were the only ones there talking but the servers happily accommodated us til the very end.

To sum it all up, I would highly recommend this place.  Even if I live all the way in Paranaque, I would still take the time to drive all the way there to have lunch or dinner there again.  It was definitely worth it.

Restaurant Review: Mom and Tina's

I first discovered Mom and Tina's a few years back.  I've never stopped going since then.  

I like the branch in E. Rodriguez Avenue, Pasig City since it is bigger and has ample parking space.  They also have a branch near Greenbelt but it's hard to park there.

Anyway, I took my nephews with me to eat at the E. Rodriguez Avenue branch before heading to Las Farolas in Tiendesitas (I'll blog about that too).  The kids loved the place just as much as I did.

Honestly, the food is nothing spectacular but it is good and reasonably priced.  What they have managed to perfect are some of their desserts.  

The restaurant has a country theme which I love.  Everything is wood and plaid.  They have couch seating all over the place as well as normal dining chairs too.  The place is just so homey and cozy.

They have one of my favorites in this pastry shelf...  the kesong puti pandesal.  I love it.  You can just take some to go and pop them in the oven to heat them up and you will have the best breakfast or mirienda food.  They also have Empanadas, Cheese Rolls, Cookies, Cinnamon Rolls and a whole lot more...

They also have cupcakes and large cakes for sale.

Their freezer houses my favorites...  I love their Mango Walnut Torte!!!  You can order the large ones but they have small cups for individual consumption.  Some of their other desserts in here are Toblerone Walnut Torte, Double Chocolate Mousse, White Toblerone Walnut Torte, Strawberry Walnut Torte and a whole lot more.

 I ordered the US Beef tapa that day and so sis the yaya of my nephews.  This tapa is different.  It reminds me more of bacon than tapa.  It's cut as thin as bacon and fried to a crisp.  It is definitely good especially if you like bacon.

The boys ordered Fish and Chips... which they loved.  It was more like home made fish and chips.  It was actually really good.  Don't expect it to be like Chili's fish and chips though or you'll end up disappointed.

The boys also ordered the Waffle Pancakes... they loved it too but I wasn't so thrilled by it.  I like my waffles crisp while my pancakes soft and airy.  This reminded me more of soggy waffles.  But the boys loved it so I guess it's cause i expected it to be more like waffles that's why I didn't like it.

Of course I had to order dessert...  I got the Mango Walnut Torte.  It is sooooo good!  Don't just take my word for it...  try it.  Its not too sweet but not too bland.  Its just right.  The Mango and Walnuts and so good plus all the cream is just heavenly.

I spent a total of Php1,170 for 4 entrees, 1 dessert and 2 drinks.  I would say that it was definitely worth it.

Happy Barn Invades Rockwell..

I'm one of those people who love to try out new things so when I saw that Happy Barn has finally opened in Rockwell, I obviously had to try it.  

A little background on Happy Barn...  It first opened its doors in Alabang and it has received some good reviews.  When I would read about it online, I would normally see pictures of people eating this weird looking thing in a glass called Eggettes and people drinking their milkshakes.  You would also read about the owner since she is a very popular actress here in the Philippines.  When Happy Barn opened in Rockwell, Jodi Sta. Maria, who is one of the owners, serves customers from behind the bar.  Who wouldn't want to buy a milkshake right?

Anyway, I finally got to try it for the first time in Rockwell the other day.  Here's what I got...

That's what they call the Eggettes.  What it is really is just some sort of waffle and pancake mix thing that is a bit crispy on the sides but soft in the middle.  You have the option to add different kinds of dips and I opted for the Caramel dip since the server said it was their bestseller.  

That's the Vanilla Milkshake with additional marshmallows and sprinkles on top.  You can choose from their different milkshakes and add different toppings on them if you want.

Here's what their store looks like....

You can choose from the list on top for the different toppings or mix-ins as they call it.

The pictures below are of their menu....

What did I really think of their stuff???

Well, the Eggettes is nothing great.  I personally am not a fan of pancakes so I'm not someone who would buy this again.  To each his own though so you have to try it and see if it's something you might actually like.  

Their milkshakes though...  It was quite good.  Not only did we get the Vanilla but we also tried the Oreo and Strawberry Banana ones.  They were nice and thick and not like some of the ones we get here in the Philippines that are watery.  I would definitely go back for the milkshakes especially if I'm going to catch a movie in Rockwell.  

Oh... You can find Happy Barn on the side of Rustan's Supermarket.  It's not something you would see right away unless you come from the parking lot underneath Rustan's Supermarket.  Its beside Majestic Ham and Chuck's Grub I think.