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.

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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.

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Bizu Patisserie: Oranges, Strawberries, and Love, Love, Love

If you have a sweet tooth, then don't pass up on Bizu.

best place for: quiet conversations with friends and special someones
budget: 300-1000+

I've always been a fan of chocolate and orange concoctions. Unfortunately, there's not much orange-choco goodness to go around when it comes to desserts.  Which is why I was so happy to taste this delectable Bizu creation.

The Amour cake is an orange Varlhona Mousse with a brownie base and creme brulee filling. The circumference is coated with thin white chocolate, which I don't care much for (not because it doesn't taste good, but because I'm not a white-choco person). The smooth gooey center is enough to make me love Bizu forever.

Amour, P335

If you'd rather have strawberries and cream rather than oranges and chocolates, then try the Strawberry Chiboust. This is a classic French-style cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries.  The cake itself is very light, while the strawberries are very sweet.  Unsurprisingly, the presentation drew a chorus of wows from us girls.

Strawberry Chiboust P295

The personal cakes may look small. But if you just came from a filling meal and just want to eat something sweet, they're enough to share with a friend.

Ren told me that the Roca cake and Tea Set (good for three people) were also to die for. They also have macarons in all the colors of the rainbow, plus other fruity/chocolate-y desserts such as these:

Wash the sweetness down with a pot of loose leaf tea (P185/pot) like we did.  I recommend the Chocolate-Mint tea, which is perfect if you just want to sink down on Bizu's soft purple cushions and relax with your mint-loving friends.

Greenarcher friends Renchan, Aichan, and Leochan with abbygabyfoodie

 Bizu Patisserie is located in Greenbelt 2, Ayala Center, Makati. For catering and reservations, call 02-757-2498.  Other branches are in Greenhills, St Luke's Global City, One Rockwell, and Lobby Cafe by Bizu.


*thanks to Leo Atobe for the photos :)
  

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Chocolate Store Gives Free Chocolate in Exchange for Good Deeds

In an innovative marketing brand strategy, Danish chocolate brand Anthon Berg turned heads while setting up a “Generous Store” where consumers had to pay with good deeds instead of cash.   The project conceptualized by agency Robert/Boisen & Like-minded had people queuing up for one and half hours, so they could purchase chocolate boxes in exchange for tasks such as serving breakfast to a loved one, talking nicely to their mother, and over 30 other generous deeds. Through an iPad app, people who “bought” the chocolates then had to log-in to Facebook, select a person they wanted to be generous to, and post the info along with a photo of the chocolates to their Facebook walls. 

You can watch the awesome video right here:

I think this is a genius move by the ad agency. It kept up with the Anthon Berg tradition of generosity, became an instant attention-grabber, and was a great way to inspire people.  Most people would line up for chocolates without any added motivation (I would).  But to hand out sweet freebies AND inspire people to do a good deed at the same time?  That's one superior chocolate-loving move that's going to be hard to beat.

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Unlimited cake challenge at Secret Recipes

The challenge: eat seven cakes within an hour. Can we do it?

half of the team ready for action
girls in their mean-guy pose, while ron acts girly for the cam 

We got Secret-Recipes-unlimited-cakes-and-coffee-or-tea-until-6pm coupons for only P199 (P950 value) and couldn't wait to take up the challenge.  The rules were simple: strictly no sharing and eat your cake as fast as you can, since we started eating at 5:00pm. 

Just look at all the cakes we had to eat!

five slices out of seven delivered

pretty girls + cakes = love love

ready for battle!

writers are all smiles

 My first cake was of course, chocolate. As early as now, I have to tell you it's the best out of all I tried.

moist chocolate cake was not as moist as expected, but it's okay

Wolfed the choco down in around five bites and ordered cake number two.

White Strawberry - light and tasted a bit medicine-y

Cake number three was called the Golden Nugget. The middle was rich and creamy, but I didn't really like the taste.

no gold in this Golden Nugget 

There were still four cakes to try -- Black Forest, Mocha Walnut, Cocoa Mocha, and Almond Coffee -- but I was already too "sugarified" to take in more.  

Challenge result:  FAIL at 3/7 cakes consumed. Boo. 

Unfortunately, we weren't too happy about the subpar service at Secret Recipes that day.  We made a mistake in printing one of the coupons, but the staff wasn't too helpful in improving the situation.   Yes, we knew the rules (coupons had to be printed out), but if I were the manager, I would have done something to make my customers feel better, especially since the restaurant's own database showed that we did indeed purchase the coupon.  They were also very strict about refills.  The waiter made sure I finished every drop of my jasmine tea (which went well with cakes, by the way) before I could have another cup.

No refills until I finished this

Good thing the sugar rush with my hyper officemates more than made up for this disappointing detail.   

girls girls girls girls :)

Just look at all our plates and imagine how full we were!  

I love this weird and geeky bunch of Marketing ninjas.

Secret Recipes is open from 10 am- 10 pm and is located at 5/F Shangri-La Plaza Mall, EDSA cor. Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong, Metro Manila.  For reservations and deliveries, call  02-6370367.

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Chocolates from home: Theo & Philo Artisan Chocolates

When I was in high school, I tried eating green mango with chocolate and liked it.  My friends thought I was crazy.    I don't think they'd be thinking the same thing when they try Theo & Philo artisan chocolates.   Theo & Philo is distinct from other artisan chocolates because of its infusion of Filipino flavors, and no wonder because these specialty chocolates are Philippine-made.

The Theo & Philo story extols its homegrown ingredients; cacao comes from Davao, while the sugar is from Bacolod.  It's founder Philo Chua says:

"...each batch of chocolate is produced in small quantities (actually, it would be "micro" in industry standards) and overseen personally by people instead of machines. We take great care, time and effort to ensure that each step starting from the selection of the cacao bean to the final step of molding and packing, we are only offering the best we can offer."


Ching and I tried two unique flavors, Dark Chocolate with Siling Labuyo (Chili) and the best-selling Green Mango and Salt.

I love Theo & Philo's packaging
*thanks to Ching for the photos

Proudly Philippine-made

Don't expect a big chunk of chocolate though, as we did when we saw the website photos.  Each bar is only 1.3 oz but totally worth the foodie experience. When I first took a bite from my Dark Chocolate with Siling Labuyo I was thinking, what's so special about it? That is, until I swallowed and felt the slight kick from the chili.  The spice would leave your throat with a slight burning sensation that's -- you might find this weird, but I can't put it any other way--  surprisingly pleasant.

Any choco-lover would appreciate Theo & Philo 

I can also understand why the Green Mango and Salt is a favorite.  Even though I'm not a green mango fan, it became my choco choice too!   Believe me, green mango goes very well with dark chocolate. Ching and another officemate also gave it a thumbs-up.  So that's 3/3 choco-loving girls...a statistic boyfriends and husbands out there should seriously consider.

If you're looking for a unique gift, why not grab all eight flavors of Theo & Philo?

Theo & Philo is available in Green Mango and Salt, Labuyo, Organic Barako, Pili & Pinipig, Milk Chocolate, 70% Dark Chocolate and Calamansi flavors.  According to their Facebook site, there's also Dark Chocolate and Pandesal, although we didn't see this flavor when we went to the ECHO Store, Podium. Each 38g bar sells for P95.  Other stores are listed in the Theo & Philo website.

Read more on Theo & Philo:

For love and chocolate - The Philippine Star

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Selecta Magnum

My lunch treat for today -- Selecta Magnum Classic made with pure Belgian chocolate and filled with creamy vanilla. Well...they could still improve on the vanilla part, but the choco coating was yum!

My Magnum Model: Ching who blogs from everyday sunday

The recently-launched Magnum is currently the country's most expensive mass-produced ice cream at 50 pesos.  According to Selecta, it belongs to the impulse market category; that is, it's one of those products you buy out of impulse because of greed, urgency, fear of loss, or indifference.  I don't want to think about what my impulse purchase was borne out of.  I just know that this yummy cooler is perfect for the summer heat.

edit: As I told my best friend,I kept wishing that they had a "choco box" version of this..filled with orange, strawberry, mint, caramel, or coconut ice cream. Then you could order a box of different flavors. Calling Selecta!

Buy Selecta Magnum Classic, Chocolate Truffle or Almond from groceries and convenience stores.

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I took a bite out of an iPhone: iPhone Chocolate by Park Avenue Desserts

What do you do when you need a quick pick-me-up?  Get your phone and take a huge bite. 

 I just did...from this creamy bittersweet Belgian chocolate iPhone creation by Park Avenue Desserts.

Our boss (who tells me that PAD makes the best brownies too) gave each of us this fun treat for Christmas.  He also tells me the icons are all wrong.  Who cares? It's a big block of CHOCOLATE I can gobble up!

I couldn't take a nibble at first, since it looked too cool to ruin with my little teeth.  But today, I couldn't resist. It was calling me!

There's still some left on the table, waiting for the next big bite.  Who wants to answer?


Belgian Chocolate iPhone is on limited supply at Park Avenue Desserts.   PAD by Chef Buddy Trinidad is located at #7 G/F MagaCenter, Paseo de Magallanes Commercial Center, 1232 Makati, Philippines.  For inquiries and reservations, call 02-8526141.

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Sweet Christmas Gelato Cakes at Cara Mia Gelateria - Di Lusso and Mango Felicity

I was excited to stuff myself with dessert while out on a date with Tiffany, one of my very best friends.  After a filling dinner, we checked out the delectable-looking treats at Cara Mia Gelateria. There were so many gorgeous gelato cakes to choose from!

abbygabyfoodie does not know what to eat

Gelato is an ambiguous italian term for frozen sweet treats like ice cream and sorbet. However, it has come to mean something different from your usual ice cream. Gelato is made with less butterfat, has more milk, and has less air than ice cream. You can also zest it up with with fruits, nuts, spices and liquor flavors.

I wanted something chocolate and something strawberry, and finally settled on Di Lusso (lusso is italian for luxurious or rich). The description sounded lavish enough -- a combination of pistachio, chocolate and strawberry gelato enrobed in chocolate ganache and resting on a bed of crushed graham.

Di Lusso, photo from Cara Mia Facebook page

Tiffany placed her sweet bet on Mango Felicity, fresh mango chunks on a soft sponge-y bed.

Mango Felicity, photo from Cara Mia Facebook page

Both cakes were beautifully presented.  I couldn't wait to dig in!

I liked the rich ganache which went perfectly with the more subdued sweetness of the strawberry, chocolate,  and pistachio center.  You can't go wrong with this combination of flavors; they just melted, blended, settled, and just like that, they were gone.  So you just have to take another tongue-cooling bite.

What I didn't like were the chocolate flowers on top.  They looked so pretty and yummy, but eating them was like putting a spoonful of butter in my mouth.

The Mango Felicity was even less sweeter.  As Tiffany said, without the graham crust, this cake would lack taste. The mangoes were also not as "succulent" as advertised.  In fact, I could barely distinguish the mangoes from the gelatin they were embedded in.

I don't think I could be blamed for expecting a rich gelato treat. Since gelato has less air, it's known to be denser and to have more intense flavors. However, these cakes were very light and in the case of the Mango Felicity, the flavors were a bit imperceptible.

Still, I had fun with my bestie. Cara Mia's atmosphere was good for girl bonding.

gift-giving...

taking crazy pictures...

...and of course...

eating!

Cara Mia Gelateria is located at SM Megamall Atrium, 3rd Level EDSA corner Julia Vargas Ave., Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines.  For inquiries, call 02-6361341.

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What's the best food to eat for Christmas?

Some people dread the Christmas season, because they're expecting inevitable weight gain from all the tempting food they'd have to resist.  All I can say is...hwaaaattt?!

Christmas is about spreading love and joy and fun and celebrating Christ's birth.  Jesus was born in a simple manger and we don't even know what Mary and Joseph ate there.  Definitely, it wasn't turkey and cranberries and chocolate towers and fruit cakes. But that doesn't mean that we should unnecessarily starve ourselves.  Thank God if you can live a prosperous and healthy life and eat well.  Share all the blessings with someone!

Before you think that this is just an excuse to stuff myself silly for the holidays, of course it is! Kidding aside, the best food is eaten in moderation (a-hem).  This way, you'll have to make time to savor each bite...smells wafting, juices trickling, flavors bursting in your mouth, textures playing on your tongue...hmmmmm...yummmm!

So anyway, thinking about writing a pre-Christmas post made me hungry for food I'd love to eat this season.  Here's my top five.

I need my meat!

Christmas ham.  Honey glazed pure meat with thin ribbons of fat

Honey Baked Ham Recipe

Holiday Turkey with Cranberries. Slivers of turkey blanketed in sweet cranberry sauce.

Turkey Milanesas with Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Seafood gooooood!


Lobster Thermidor. Melted cheese on a pillow of fresh lobster meat.

Lobster Thermidor Recipe

Sweet thoughts

Chocolates.  The dark kind.  Truffles would be awesome.

Lindt Lindor 60% Extra Dark Noel Christmas Truffles

Lindt Lindor Dark Chocolate Mint Truffles Review

Dark chocolate and almond layered cake from Lolo Dad's Cafe.  This is absolutely delectable!  My review and a picture of this next year... :)

So right now, I am absolutely salivating and craving for everything.  If you're craving for what I'm craving, I placed the link to all the recipes/reviews on the captions.  I tried to get Lindt and Lolo Dad's recipes for you, but they threatened to toss me in a huge pool of chocolate (I would have gladly said yes, but I can't swim).

 What's on your list?  :)

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