Q&A

Q: What is your favorite vegetarian restaurant here (in Manila)?

BPS: Uhm...none?

Granted, there are vegetarian places around town, but I wouldn't say they are my favorites. I like going to Bodhi when I want to eat something tasty, but most of the dishes there are cooked with veggie meat. Same goes for Greens, which is why I think Corner Tree Cafe is a cut above the rest because the dishes there are cooked with real vegetables but are still tasty and interesting. But that doesn't make CTC my favorite vegetarian restaurant either. (I have only been there once and haven't really thought about going back anytime soon.)

I have therefore been hitting a lot of Italian restaurants lately because Italian dishes offer a wider selection of vegetarian (not vegan) dishes. Unfortunately, I have had so much cheese in the last few days that I think I can survive for a while without it. (But I might hit Pagliacci again really soon as Queen J will be home for Chinese New Year, and I have to share the joy of eating great Italian food at a reasonable price with her.)

So, below, hopefully my last Italian food post for the time being--Cantinetta at Rockwell:

Bread basket, mushroom risotto, spinach cannelloni, and margherita pizza

I thought hard about whether or not it is relevant to blog about a restaurant that I didn't even like, because I believe sharing negative experiences tends to alienate some people who do not have the same views. I just think that for the same price, the food in Pagliacci is way, way better than the food in Cantinetta.

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Health-wise, it's been one of those terrible weeks for me. I drank too much coffee and not enough water then I binged on junk food. And now, my skin is paying for my lack of discipline.

I'm guilty of wearing a lot of loose shirts. They're just so comfortable especially when worn with jeans, and I'm also guilty of wearing this pair of super old UCBs a little too often. My eyes were so puffy that they'd been reduced to slits here. Yikes.

I'm wearing M.A.C.'s Girl About Town lipstick here. The color looks super nice and creamy on the lips and it stays on for hours, but taking it off at the end of the day is the tricky part. I end up with a pink line around my lips the next day. Ugh.. The wooden ring is from Agatha, a great place to pick up fun accessories like this ring.

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Q: What do you do when you're feeling sad?

BPS: I eat.

Oh so you're always sad then.

BPS: Har har har

Pagliacci

Lately, I've on a food run (evidence: consecutive blog posts about restaurants I've been at recently). I don't really have much to share about coffee nowadays. Ever since I got a coffee maker here, I've been to a coffee shop at most 3 times. And unfortunately, apart from Starbucks, CBTL, and other similar coffee shops, there isn't really anything exciting on the coffee front as of late.

Italian restaurant Pagliacci, which means clowns in English, is located across the cinema in Podium. I've been there only once before when it was still on the ground floor beside UCC Coffee. Back in 2001, my family was crazy about Pazzo in Powerplant, especially the spaghettini vongole there, that was until we heard rumors that the chef there, Chef Maurice, left to open his own place, which was Pagliacci. But a place where a plate of pasta cost Php 400 (around twice that of Pazzo's) was not really a place to go back to regularly. Fast forward maybe 5 years, the pasta here still cost around Php 400, but after factoring in inflation, I think this price is now quite reasonable. I'm glad we went back because I haven't had Italian food here or in HK (at comparable prices) that tasted as good as Pagliacci's for quite some time now.

From top:

1. inside Pagliacci

2. gelato stand outside

3. one of the best complimentary bread baskets around - It's not crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside as Colette in Ratatouille described the perfect bread should be but this will do.

4. home-made pasta with truffle cream and mushrooms - The pasta was al dente and the sauce was creamy enough that it does not turn into a soupy puddle at the bottom of the plate. I also discovered that truffle is a crop that often grows beside the roots of trees, but I'm not sure if this is the same truffle used in chocolates. The consistency is similar to milk-based cream but feels much lighter after eating.

5. mushroom risotto - This dish took around 20 minutes to be prepared. It was so naturally tasty from all the different mushrooms used and the rice was not soggy at all.

6. margherita pizza - This did not seem as special as the pasta and risotto but it was topped with a generous amount of mozarella cheese and was just heavenly when it was still hot.

7. me - This chain bracelet is my current favorite accessory. It's from the Jimmy Choo for H&M line and came together with the zebra print platforms. I only started wearing it recently as I found it a little too tough-looking at first, but I think it looks normal on my wrist after all.

8. Finally, eating gelato was the worst way to end such a beautiful meal. I got the panacotta (like leche flan) flavor which was too sweet, and the cone was just awful. Anyway, what I really want to show in this picture is the effect created by the lens where the subject totally stands out from the background. All pictures taken by me except for this and the previous one.

Hossein's

Since the first time I dined at Hossein's along Makati Avenue ages ago, the restaurant has expanded to include Arabian and Indian cuisine to its originally Persian roots. I need not say more as this place has a long list of vegetarian dishes. I do, however, wonder about the authenticity of the food here. The paneer was a little salty rather than spicy while the roti was sweet. Of course, the food here is a far cry from Ar-ya, where we were served sauteed vegetables in soupy curry sauce. Nonetheless, Hossein's is a great place for a relaxing and quiet dinner.

I got into the whole boyfriend jacket thing a little late because I couldn't find one with the right length and fit. I got this one from Uniqlo recently, and here I'm wearing it with my very old and trusty gold Mango mini.

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I spotted these coffee makers in Alessi while strolling along High Street. Made in and imported from Italy, the colorful one costs 21k, 5 more than the plain one. The mini Kenwood I use at home cost me less than Php 1,500. I wonder if my coffee will taste even better if I have one of these. Anyhow, Alessi has lots of really cute household stuff inside and most are pure eye candy.

All photos taken by me using Olympus E-P1, except for my pic.

Melt with You

Our obsession with ice cream probably stems from two things. One, it is a temporary relief from the sweltering heat we experience 90% of the time, and second, having ice cream always feels like there is something to celebrate. We have Cold Rock, FIC, BTIC, Selecta, Haagendazs, McDonald's sundae cone, sorbetes, Fro-yo, Red Mango, Amici gelato, to name a few. And now this:

Stick House's gelato on a stick! imported all the way from Italy and available outside the cinema in Trinoma (as well as in the Activity Centre and by the carousel). I tried the Milk Cream without toppings (choice of toppings includes chocolate, coffee, and pistachio, among others). It was so creamy (and yummy!) that the gelato had a sort of rubbery, elastic (!) texture.

A close-up of the shirt I was wearing: Hello Kitty by H&M sweater

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I finally got a hold of this book which I first spotted in Relay in HKIA. My reason for becoming a vegetarian is not entirely aligned with Foer's, but this personal memoir on his "struggles with vegetarianism," which is peppered with research and facts, is definitely a subject that vegetarians in a largely omnivorous setting can identify with.

Corner Tree Cafe

Vegetarian restaurant Corner Tree Cafe at 150 Jupiter Street serves only vegetarian and vegan dishes. While some of the food concepts are derived from familiar dishes such as kare-kare and burger, veggie meat was not used as replacement. The wooden furniture gives the place a cozy feel suitable for weekend brunch. I think the place kind of looked like a more grown up Healthy Kitchen. The food here is a great alternative to home-cooked vegetarian meals. Just a note, the dishes are not meant for sharing.

From top: Corner Tree Cafe; CTC after everyone was gone; me (Side note: In pursuit of luminous skin with a natural glow, I gave myself a DIY facial consisting of Clarins purifying then hydrating masks and Shu Uemura Depsea eye mask while watching Lost. The whole process felt more comfortable than having someone touch my face.); Tofu Walnut Burger with red rice (alternative to wheat bread); Broccoli Torte - highly recommended; Biryani and Kare-Kareng Gulay, the latter also recommended; CTC location and contact information; more me; Iced Chai Latte from The Cake Club (again)