Friuli Trattoria -- for the nth time

Summary: Affordable Italian comfort food. Bring your friends or a non-maarte date.

If there's a restaurant I'd never tire of visiting, it's Friuli. If you're special in my life, chances are, I've eaten with Friuli with you (if I haven't, let's set a date soon).

Friuli is located in the humble street of Maginhawa, QC -- the popular home of many other culinary delights perfect for UP Diliman's stereotypical artsy-hippie-laidback counterculture.  Friuli serves funky and affordable Italian food. Funky because I love the sound of funky, never mind that it doesn't seem to say anything.  And affordable, because it's affordable compared to the there-goes-my-budget-this-week prices of other Italian restaurants you'd find in the posher areas of Manila. It's the perfect place to hang out with friends or to go on a casual date -- you know that type of date where you don't have to care about impressing each other.  Let the food impress you.

Pizza Margherita 

"Simply a combination of garlic and herbs, smothered with two layers of of mozzarella topped with fresh tomatoes."

A favorite. So much so that I don't seem to crave ordering any other pizza flavor. Crust is thin and crispy, and I love the healthy combination of tomatoes, herbs, and garlic.

Pizza Margherita - P180

Angel Hair Puttanesca

Olives -- check. Italian sauce with fresh tomatoes (not sweet Pinoy style) -- check. This pasta dish is simple yet tasty. I think you can request for normal spaghetti noodles for this recipe, but I personally love the texture of the thinner Angel Hair pasta.

 Puttanesca - P130

After Eight Gelato Cake

If you love dark chocolate and mint, don't miss out on this. Melts pretty fast, but you'd want to eat it pretty fast, anyway. See, the cake in my picture is melting already!

After Eight - P85

Nero Tartufo 

Since I love dark chocolate, the Nero Tartufo has to be part of the mainstay desserts. The Nero is a ball of thick dark chocolate dusted with cocoa powder. You'll either be pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised with the cherry center. This dessert is still worth ordering even if you don't like cherries (I don't).  You can easily weed out the small cherry and give it to your friend. If you're not a fan of dark chocolate, you can get it's white version, the Bianco Tartufo.

Nero Tartufo - P100

Aside from pasta, pizza, and gelato; Friuli also serves tea, soup, and appetizers. I suggest getting a reservation beforehand since the place tends to get full, especially on weekend nights.  Also, don't expect clean tablecloths and a quiet ambiance all the time. If you want a quiet meal and a sure parking space, I suggest going here for lunch or for an early afternoon snack. Or you can always have your meal to-go and eat your pizza and pasta in the comforts of your own home.

I've visited Friuli many times. But since it's my friend's Leo's birthday today, and all my Friuli pictures are from Leo, and eating is all about relationships; here are some of my eating-at-Friuli-with-a-friend-named-Leo pictures:

Friuli Trattoria is located at 79-A Maginhawa St., UP Village, Quezon City. It's open from 10am to 2am daily. For reservations, call (02) 434 1416.

Tweet

Famous Belgian Waffles - Blueberries and Cream Cheese

There's always room for dessert. It just so happened that my dessert could also pass for breakfast.

Klaris and I didn't have to travel far from work to satisfy my sweet craving. If you can believe it, Star Mall in Shaw Blvd. is home to a newly-opened Famous Belgian Waffles food kiosk. Just a trivia, what is known as  a Belgian waffle in North America is actually called a  Brussels waffle in Belgium. The Belgian waffle is supposed to be larger and crisper than the "original waffle" -- the Liege waffle, which has an impressive 600-year history. The Belgian waffle also has deeper honeycomb pockets and is usually topped with confectioner's sugar, chocolate, whipped cream and/or fruits.

Famous Belgian Waffles adds a bit of a twist to your usual Belgian waffle by folding it into an easy-to-eat "waffle sandwich". So, is this self-advertised "latest craze in town" worth it?

My favorite fillings and toppings for donuts, cakes, and bagels would be blueberries and cream cheese, so choosing a flavor was an easy decision for me.

Famous Belgian Waffles are freshly-baked as advertised. The waffle itself is crispy outside and soft inside.  And well, who can go wrong with a combination of blueberries and cream cheese? My only complaint is that I wanted more blueberries and cheese inside my waffle.

All in all, Famous Belgian waffles makes for a great snack, breakfast, or heavy dessert for 55 pesos. Other items on the menu would only cost you 30-45 pesos. Not bad huh?

If you're not a blueberry/cream cheese fan, you can also choose from other flavors: Plain, Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Cheddar Cheese, Strawberry, Cream Cheese, Blueberry, Hazelnut, Ham and Cheddar, Banana Peanut Butter, Banana Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Banana Hazelnut, Ham and Cream Cheese, and Strawberry Cream Cheese.


Famous Belgian Waffles is open for franchise. This branch is located at the 2nd floor, Star Mall, Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong, Metro Manila.  

Tweet

Cafe Breton: Eden and Le Magnifique Crepes

Had a date at Cafe Breton with the best friend one late night. The Technohub branch is great for chilling out and having private conversations. After I wolfed down a Hungarian Sausage sub sandwich (yum!), we ordered the popular Cafe Breton crêpes.

For chocolate lovers, there's the Le Magnifique -- almonds, whipped cream, and creamy Nutella on a crêpe bed stuffed with bananas.

The best friend had it with a glass of Mango smoothie.

Here's a closer look at delectable goodness of this crêpe. It's making my mouth water just looking at it.

Just to balance the sweetness, I opted for a simpler fare.  This dessert is for those who like their sweets a little less sweet. Stewed apples hark back to the heavenly garden of its namesake. Eden is topped off by cinnamon, cream, and whipped cream.

Here's another look. I would have loved to drizzle this with chocolate. 

Cafe Breton crêpes are thick and filling.  Needless to say, we were both satisfied afterwards. Thanks for spending time with me best friend!

Cafe Breton is located at UP Ayala Land Technohub, Quezon City.  For reservations, call 02-355-6971.

Tweet