Rufo's Famous Tapa: A Saucy Experience

Hello foodies! It's been a looong time since my last post. Anyways, during the Christmas season, me and my two best girlfriends went on a quick catch up bonding within the vicinity. I chose Rufo's Famous Tapa since I was really curious on their food. I waited for a couple of months from the first time I saw their "Coming Soon!" banner along the main road.

Luckily, it was their grand opening that day so balloons and a bunch of guests welcomed me as I entered the place.

Neat and well-lit place! Another good place to catch up with good friends. The staff were also kind and accommodating!

We never knew that the owners of the place were just in front of us. Though, I haven't got a chance to personally greet them.

 

Good thing about Rufo's is that they offer variety of Fil-Am and Filipino food.

Yummy treats from Rufo's. Now, what to order? :)

My date for the day! Hahaha. Naah, my other friend was late that's why she doesn't have a picture.

Mushroom Adobo ( P104.00 ) - I love these mushrooms! I like its sweet-salty flavor. Swear!! I can eat these all. It's a perfect appetizer to munch in especially when you're waiting for a friend who's running late. Hahaha! :p

Rufo's Famous Tapa ( P108.00 ) - As first timers, we decided to order this for the three of us. Looking on the plate, the serving was quite reasonable. I never knew that their tapa is saucy like this. Though, I like the tenderness of the tapa. It's mildly flavored, saucy, and all worth it!

Ending this post with their tag line:

'Sauce pa lang, ulam na!'

-which is really true :)

Rufo's Famous Tapa
Alabang Zapote Road, Las Pinas City
Website: http://www.rufos.com.ph/index.html

Dinner with My Girls at Nolita

It was a great year for me and my friends who graduated college and passed the board exam this year. Some of us looked for jobs right after these events, and some chose to take it one step at a time to savor the moment of being an unemployed, yet licensed engineer.

Months have passed and chances of hanging out with my friends become smaller. Days have gone by, and this one sweet night was the time we finally had a chance to meet each other. Angge and Reanne were my close girlfriends during college days, they were also my block mates. Five years ago, we were just normal college engineering students with a heavy drawing set and some books; and now, we are already Electronics Engineer and already establishing our chosen career.

Fast forwarding to the get together, we had a hard time picking the restaurant of the night where we can chit chat and eat. Angge wanted Pesto, and we wanted less carb treats (diet, yeah right). Nolita was a great choice for the night. One thing I noticed that we didn't bother about the price of the food, unlike when we're just students. Yeah, perks of being working girls.

Small place with a self-service environment. Big pizzas welcomed me as I place our order. Customer start to come in after I placed my order. Nolita is indeed a hit here! Now, I wonder how good their food is? ;)

Look how cool their 'number' is! I'm not sure how they'll differentiate one from another.

HOW TO MAKE IT IN NOLITA

[1] Line up

[2] Pick from the menu

[3] Pay for your meal

[4] Grab your food

[5] Find a seat

[6] Eat

[7] Repeat Make NOLITA a habit

Mixed Green Salad ( P150.00 ) - Fresh vegetables to start off dinner! I like the simplicity of this salad, and the lightness of the dressing. 

Black Olive Pomodoro ( P290.00 ) - It was OK for us. What I really like here was the hint of zesty flavor of fresh tomato chunks and tomato paste. 

Pesto Pasta Al Telefono ( P310.00 ) - Pesto pasta dishes are my favorite. I love the generous serving of the pesto sauce! Chunks of mozzarella cheese were also visible on this dish. Great pasta!

Honey Garlic Buffalo Wings ( P350.00 ) - I was really craving for buffalo wings and they agreed when I suggested this dish, sweet! Light-flavored buffalo wings with perfect blending of spices. 

Vegetable sticks were also served on the side to munch in that can help neutralize the taste buds in between every wing. A dip on the bleu cheese creates a different kick; whether you dip it or not, it tastes great!

Water, anyone? :)

Hello there, Angge! You're getting fat!

Hello there Reanne! :)

Now, who needs diet? :)) It was totally a great night for us girls. Next time, I want to try their pizzas and burgers! It really looks good and almost every customer have that on their table! ;)

...and even as we leave our table, the place was still full of customers dining in! Now I know why people choose this place! ;)

Nolita = North Of Italy

Nolita

7th Ave. cor 29th St. South,

Bonifacio High Street Central,

Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Facebook: Nolita

Discovering the Paradise of the South

E and I had a quick adventure going to Cavite. Even I'm from the south, I rarely go to Cavite by myself. And even if E's from Cavite, he's not that sure on how to go on our destination. Cavite welcomed us with an intense heat from the sun. An hour or two of being aware on the landmarks and places we passed by, luckily, we arrived at Paradiso Terrestre early enough before lunch. 

Paradiso Terrestre is an events venue in Bacoor, Cavite. You can either choose a closed or an open venue with a touch of an earthly environment because of the landscape. Aside from the events place, they also have a swimming pool and a couple of cottages and cabanas. The place wouldn't be complete without their restaurant, Via Romana.

Quite big land area, just right for big events and get togethers! On the right is the Via Romana restaurant.

Now, let's take a look on what Via Romana has to offer.

Spacious place with modern interiors and native furniture welcomed me as I entered the restaurant. The place is lit with yellow lights and is enclosed mostly with glass windows.

Simple and sophisticated Filipino-esque wall and ceiling accent that creates a relaxing ambiance... that made me realize how beautiful simple things can be.

This furniture got me! I really like this piece of art!

Breads and spreads to start off the lunch!

Shrimp Exotic Salad with Ripe Mango Balls ( P155.00 ) - Boiled shrimps with ripe mango balls on top of beds of organic Lolla Rossa lettuce and Iceberg lettuce dressed with french vinaigrette.

The lettuce were freshly picked greens from Paradiso Terrestre's own garden. Sweet-sour taste of the ripe mango combined with the softly boiled shrimps produced a great combination on the fresh greens. A good start for our lunch!

Feta Cheese & Aubergine in Filo Salad ( P190.00 ) - Broiled eggplant mixed with Feta cheese, black olives and cream cheese wrapped and baked in Filo pastry on top of a bed of tomato concasse and pesto sauce.

Aubergine is another term for eggplant. This dish intrigue most of us. But, as I taste this dish, my inner goddess start to dance even under the heat of the sun! It was so delicious, and has a very creamy texture! It has thin and crispy wrapper. The ingredients used were meant for each other! The unique flavor of this dish really got us oh-so-addicted! 

Pinakbet ( P185.00 ) - Mix of assorted vegetables, pork belly & shrimp with our own special shrimp paste sauce.

This dish has a good mixture of sweet and salty flavors. The vegetables were half-cooked and remained fresh and crunchy. What a great and healthy meal for us!

Pancit de Paradiso ( Solo - P135.00 / Platter - P205.00 ) - Pancit Canton/Bihon. Sauteed noodles in sesame oil with chicken, peeled shrimps & vegetables flavored with oyster sauce.

Loaded with a bunch of meat and vegetables, this pancit was bursting with flavor. The noodles were firmly cooked, as well as the vegetables. It will surely bring you to paradise the moment you took a bite on this dish!

Lengua Con Setas ( P310.00 ) - Braised Ox-tongue with Shitake mushroom with red wine brown sauce.

Good thing ox-tongue looks the same with the usual 'meat'. In general, I'm really not a fan of lengua, but who knows, this might enlighten me on the on what it has to offer. I tried a couple of bites and the meat was really tender and flavorful. I want to commend the sauce, because it tasted really good, the spices were mixed well. E loved this!

Paella ala Paradiso ( P450.00 ) - A classic Spanish rice dish topped with chicken chunks, squid, pork chunks, shrimps, chorizo, eggs and crab.

Most of us were unfamiliar on what Paella tastes like. The rice was moist and has a light flavor. According to Ben, it was not too zesty. Nevertheless, this dish was not bad for our taste buds!

Most of the Filipinos love Kare-Kare. In get together and family celebrations, this dish is one of the most-awaited one. It's hard to prepare and to create that just-right-sweet-salty-and-creamy flavor of dish. I'm really picky on what kare-kare has to offer, I only eat this dish when it has 'meat' (not the exotic parts like face, tail, etc.). Thank heavens, Via Romana offers not only one, but three kinds of Kare-Kare dishes.

Now, what do you want in a Kare-Kare? :)

Seafood Kare-Kare ( P300.00 ) - A combination of shrimps, squid, chunks of fish and vegetables in special peanut glutinous sauce, served with green mangoes and shrimp paste.

Seafood lovers will surely adore this kind of Kare-Kare! Freshly prepared treasures from the sea paired with garden-fresh vegetables.

Beef Kare-Kare ( P350.00 ) - A combination of braised Ox tail, Ox tripe, Ox face and vegetables in special peanut glutinous sauce, served with green mangoes and shrimp paste.

Classic Kare-Kare. I'm sure every Pinoy would love this kind of Kare-Kare! The meat was so tender and the vegetables were half-cooked retaining its sweet and fresh flavor.

Crispy Kare-Kare ( P450.00 ) - Deboned deep-fried pork leg served with vegetables in special peanut glutinous sauce, served with green mangoes and shrimp paste.

Wait, what? The all-time favorite Crispy Pata  matched with one of the Filipino's favorite Kare-Kare in one!

I'm drooling now! Creamy Kare-Kare sauce poured in a plate of Crispy Pata and boiled vegetables! 

Sided with slices of green mangoes and bagoong! Now, what more can I ask for? This was the star of the table, the most-awaited and most-talked about dish before, during, and after the meal! Everyone liked the crispiness and tenderness of the crispy pata, yet each one of us loved it even more when it was paired with the kare-kare sauce and bagoong! I'm so in love with this dish, swear!!

Our lunch wouldn't be that complete with Via Romana's refreshing Iced Tea. :)

But wait, there's more! How would anyone forget dessert? Even though we're so full with the delicious dishes served, I'm sure our tummies spared some space for this!

Turon de Paradiso ( P85.00 ) - Our own version of turon with banana slices, ube & sweetened jackfruit.

Tired of the usual turon? I bet you would like this one! Sweet and soft blends of banana slices, langka, and ube inside the lumpia wrapper! Put some ice cream, and I'm sure this dessert is a great meal-ender for you! :)

And, by the way, here are more pictures of the place!

Events place

Garden

Swimming pool

Via Romana Restaurant
National Road, Molino IV, 4102 Bacoor, Cavite
Contact Numbers: (046) 477-1097 ; (02) 584-4127 (Manila)
Facebook: Via Romana Restaurant
Website: www.theparadisoterrestre.com

Slice Cafe: Where Good Food and Laughter is Best Shared

After college, me and my friends started to blog about our life. They focused on fashion, and I'm more on personal things. Three months or so ago, I started to blog about food. It's been a while, yet I can still remember the happy moments me and my friends shared during our first gig.

Recently, I started to embrace the corporate chapter of my life. It's not that related to my course in college, but still it's technical enough. I took the risk of choosing this kind of field, I don't know where it will get me. I just want to enjoy life at this moment, be adventurous, and embrace the beauty of life God gave to me.

After a long day at work, I rushed to Slice, Fort Bonifacio. Heavy traffic on a friday night welcomed me on my way to Fort. I came in late, yet I was just in time for the appetizer!

Slice is owned by Pia Cayetano. We didn't had the chance to meet her personally, but we met the Manager, Mr. Pat Bocobo.

Slice always have a lot of customers every time I pass by their place. I can say that one reason for this is because of their famous red velvet and choco yema. Slice not just only offer pastries but they also have dine in goodies for the customers to enjoy.

Hmm. Let's see what they've got for us!

A slice of the good life in every bite.

Slice has a modern setting on their place with their bright lights. They offer a relaxing ambiance and a casual dining experience to its customers.

Cranberry, Apple & Chicken Salad ( P290.00 ) - Greens tossed in cranberry dressing topped with grilled chicken, apples, cranberries, very light glazed walnuts and goat cheese.

Fresh greens welcomed me as I have my seat. It has a light dressing that didn't overpower the taste of the salad. 

Belgian Dark Chocolate with home-made breadsticks. You shouldn't miss this one. :)

Seafood Medley ( P250.00 ) - A meal in itself - a big bowl of seafood stewed in a tomato-based soup. Comes with chunks of salmon and shrimp and home-made breadsticks on the side.

One great soup for the night! It has a light and not-so-thick texture with lots of seafood chunks to dig in.  It's bursting with rich tomato flavor that's perfect any time of the day. 

A perfect match on Slice's home-made thin and crunchy breadsticks!

Beef Rice Melt ( P420.00 ) - Thinly sliced Angus beef on brown rice covered with cheese.

Beef strips headed my way as I dig in on this scrumptious cheesy dish. Heavy yet somehow healthy since they used brown rice. This is ideal for sharing, I swear it's really good and filling!

Barbecue Chicken Rice Melt ( P390.00 ) - Barbecue chicken strips on brown rice covered with cheese.

A lighter version of rice melt. Tender and succulent chicken strips to dig in under the melted cheese. Satisfaction guaranteed! :)

Seafood Puttanesca ( P390.00 ) - Shrimp & salmon in lightly creamed puttanesca sauce tossed in linguini pasta.

A unique dish on our table mainly because of the pasta used. Squid ink was used to make this pasta look darker. Rich and creamy sauce on this dish. A good twist on the usual puttanesca!

Aglio Olio ( P390.00 ) - Shrimp & salmon sauteed in garlic and extra virgin olive oil tossed in linguini pasta.

Looks ordinary, but guess what, this is one of the best pasta ever. Enriched with crab fat, chunks of shrimp and salmon were very distinct and made the pasta flavorful! I almost ate the whole plate because it was so delicious, you could even ask my friends! :))

Something just right for Halloween! Great pasta to look forward when dining here!

Cheers for the wonderful night we're having!

Belgian Dark Chocolate ( P150.00 ) - Legit. Rich chocolate goodness in a cup. Just a perfect way to stimulate the sugar rush in my nerves.

Slice Champorado ( P200.00 ) - Granola served with banana and peanut butter with the choice of milk chocolate or belgian dark chocolate. 

One of the many unique dishes of Slice. I'm not a champorado fan but I told myself not to miss this one delectable dish.

Renz, our very accommodating server for the night, pours milk and dark belgian chocolate on the granola. Crunchy granola with belgian chocolate and hearty bananas was a good match! The whole staff was so kind and prompt on taking care of their customers.

Mochamisu ( P200.00 ) - Slice version of Tiramisu.

Cold and frozen-like cake. A slice of not-so-sweet piece of cake! Just a perfect way to end the night with a bang of Slice's most wanted cakes!

Red Velvet Cake ( P240.00 ) - Velvety and moist vibrant red cake with two kinds of rich cream cheese frosting.

Luscious and creamy cream cheese frosting made this piece of cake really special. I just couldn't miss any bite on this slice! :) 

Double Choco Yema ( P240.00 ) - Dubbed as "Death by Choco Yema". Slice signature yema between layers of moist chocolate cake then covered with sinfully decadent chocolate ganache.

Their very own and famous cake! Moist chocolate cake with rich and creamy yema! Who wouldn't be tempted to have a bite on this cake? No one! This is so good that one could ask for another slice! Just make sure you're still on the safe sugar level! ;)

Ending the night by having a group picture with other bloggers! Look, it's Hefty Foodie on the right! ;)

Slice doesn't only offer great selection of pastries and drinks, but also unique dishes like pasta and rice melts perfect for a casual dining with friends. To tell you frankly, this was one of the best food trips I had. Everything was so distinct and delicious that we even didn't noticed that we're just laughing and chatting over good food for hours! I enjoyed the night especially the food served in front of us. :)

Slice

Bonifacio High Street Central

West Superblock, 7th Ave. cor 29th St.

Fort Bonifacio, Taguig

(02) 565-1998