L'opera

I went there for a late lunch before going to S&R, but was greeted by a “closed” sign.
Hungry, I just settled for the free taste at S&R bakery and the Chicken Baked Roll.


After grocery shopping, it’s now time for dessert at L’opera of Panna Cotta al Miele Tartufato P290 or panna cotta with honeyed truffle syrup and sweet balsamic vinegar.


Panna Cotta means cooked cream in Italian.


I tried the panna cotta different ways.


If plain, it was densely-creamy. It’s as creamy as a leche flan but not airy. It’s more like a firm tofu. It was also not that sweet.

When paired with honey and truffle oil, it became sweeter and with balsamic, slightly tangy.

I don’t know how something this weird (on paper), can all work and blend together and produced something different and good.

I wouldn’t mind having this again. But next time I’ll make sure to have a big space in my tummy for it. It was very satiating. I wouldn’t recommend it after a heavy meal.

Before I forget, they’ll also serve you complimentary bread basket with 3 dips (salsa, liver pate and butter).


The breads and salsa were good, the pate was bitter and the butter’s just okay.

Overall, L’opera’s a great place to chill or have a romantic date in.

Happy Eating!

L’opera
The Fort, 26th St. Cor 5th Ave
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

S&R

I went at the Fort branch of S & R for their annual sale.

There were lots of people, and with every minute, the items were going by fast. It was hard not to get dizzy just by looking at them. And since I went there past noon on the second day of the sale, a lot of the good stuff were already gone =(


It was a known fact to not shop on an empty stomach, to resist shopping impulsively. But since I don’t want to waste any more time, I went ahead & shopped. Good thing there were a lot of free taste at their bakery, from Brownies to their Chocolate-O-Ring. All were moist and chocolatey.



Since I was not up for housewares, linens, appliance, etc., I just stocked my cart with food. Burger King’s Onion Rings (a new product, they also have Ketchup and Fries & Flame-Broiled Chips), TGIF’s Quesadilla Chips, Pringles Sour Cream and Onion, US Apple Pie and US Assorted Muffins, were just some of them.








I have read that the US Apple Pie is a favorite of Lucy Torres. No wonder, since it really was good. Glistening creamy brown crust, tart, cinnamon-laced apples, silky, maple-flavored syrup, yummy!



If you like apple pie, you’ll definitely love S&R’s US Apple Pie. It’s my second favorite apple pie, the first being Starbucks Apple Pie (this comes with caramel sauce and whipped cream).



Since I wanted to try all the muffin flavors, I bought the 6-pieces assorted pack. It has 2 Blueberries, and 1 each of Chocolate, Chocolate Chips, Black & White and Poppy Seed. I was told that Blueberry and Poppy Seed are the best sellers.



Well, all of them were good. Soft, moist and huge muffins. Reminiscent of the muffins made by Ina Garten. Great for brunch, snack and dessert. I can say that they’re the best muffins I have ever had. And personally my faves are the Black & White and Poppy Seed.




Eventhough my container at home were already bursting at the seams with fullness, so to speak, I’m already planning for my next S&R trip. Another 6-pack muffins? Why not.



Happy Eating!

S&R
FORT BONIFACIO
32nd t., 6th Ave., Fort Bonifacio Gobal City,
Taguig City
Tel No: 888-0640/888-0433

S & R Baked Chicken Roll

On my way out of S&R, I chanced upon this store, open only to S&R members.


They sell pizzas, calzones, roast chicken, baked rolls, salads, soft-serve ice cream and pretzels. For that night I chose the Chicken Baked Roll P109.


Baked chicken and cheese inside a log-shaped dough.


It was cheesy, a little bit salty and with a chewy crust.


It should be eaten warm, because the dough has the tendency to be a little resistant when allowed to cool.

The baked roll was served with a mayo-like dip, or maybe it really was mayo. I would have preferred it more with marinara or even alfredo sauce. Still, I would definitely order this again.

Happy Eating!

Kopiroti

After a few minutes of walk post-Tokyo Café, we had another snack of Kopi and Choco Buns at Kopiroti.


Since I’m a choco-lover more than a coffee-lover, I like their Choco Bun more. Especially the chocolate coating on top and the crusty chocolate excess.


It was not too sweet and possessed the right chocolate level, meaning strong and dark.


Contrasting the crusty outside was a buttery-soft inside.




Happy Eating!

KOPIROTI
SM Mall of Asia

Juan's Bistro

For dinner last Sunday at MOA, we tried the Pamilya Meal 1 and 2 of Juan’s Bistro at P650 each.

Meal 1 has kare-kare, white rice, ensaladang mangga with bagoong and chicken bbq. While Meal 2 has fried hito, white rice, liempo and bicol express.



Each meal is served with 4 glasses of iced tea and 4 cups of soup (nilagang baka that night).

They also served us different sauces for our dishes, like atchara, bagoong, chili soy sauce and sweet chili sauce.


I like everything we ordered, from the soup to our order of taba ng talangka (crab fat), to pour over our rice.



Their version of bicol express was different from the norm. Theirs has okra, eggplant, sitaw and shrimps. It was not even spicy.

The kare-kare was already tasty on its own that we didn’t use the bagoong any more.

The taba ng talangka poured over the rice complemented our viands. Disclaimer: eating too much may cause nausea, like what happened to my niece.

Of all the dishes, my favorites are the ensaladang mangga with bagoong, chicken bbq and bicol express.


Happy Eating!

JUAN'S BISTRO
SM Mall of Asia

Tokyo Cafe

While waiting for my sister and her family, we snacked at Tokyo Cafe of All-Meat Pizza, Adzuki Parfait and Coffee Jelly Parfait, all new offerings of the cafe.

The Adzuki Parfait P105, has green tea and vanilla ice cream, red beans (adzuki), topped with whipped cream and choco wafer stick.


The green tea ice cream tasted like the Green Tea Frap of Starbucks, while the vanilla ice cream has a creamy and milky taste.


The parfait has lots of red beans that made me like it more. It is now one of my favourite cold desserts.


The Coffee Jelly Parfait P105, has three flavours of ice cream (chocolate, vanilla and cheese)and coffee jelly at the bottom.


It was also delicious and would satisfy any coffee lover.

The choco wafers in both parfait were very chocolatey and don’t taste like the usual wafer sticks in supermarkets.

The All-Meat Pizza has pepperoni, bacon, ham and salami on a thin, crusty and chewy crust , with a tangy tomato sauce.



It’s a mix of different flavors, from peppery to salty and sweet.


The items at Tokyo Cafe are good alternatives to the usual Starbucks, CBTL and the likes. But unlike them, the seats at Tokyo Cafe are not comfy and they don’t entertain overstaying customers. They’ll buss your table as soon as you put down the utensils, even if your companions are still eating. It was annoying and borderline rude.


Happy Eating!

TOKYO CAFE
SM Mall of Asia

Estrel's Caramel Cake

At last, God heard my prayer.

Last Friday I was able to buy a slice of Estrel’s Caramel Cake P100 at the Bakers' Dozen.


Though I have eaten it countless of times already, I can’t help but crave for it every now and then. And even if I want to eat it every chance I get, it’s hard since they don’t sell miniature versions or by the slice. They only sell whole cakes and it should be consumed within a day. I can do that but I won’t or else I’ll die young and fat.


I was told that you can only purchase the caramel cake slice at the Bakers' Dozen. They won’t offer it at their Scout Tobias store.

The slices that they sell are with caramel fillings and flower icings.


All I have are praises for the cake, from the sponge cake to the flower icing. They were all good and delicious.


The sponge cake was soft, the caramel though creamy and rich, was not extremely sweet nor cloyingly-rich.

This cake I would love to eat every day. And if calories and blood sugar were not an issue, I would really eat a whole cake every day.


Happy Eating!

ESTREL’S
64 Scout Tobias St. cor Sct. Limbaga,
Bgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City
Tel No: 372-2965, 371-7938