Wildflour

Just yesterday, I graduated from Culinary School at ISCHAM (International School for Culinary Arts and Hotel Management) and got my Diploma for Baking and Pastry Arts. Ultimately happy and most of all thankful for everybody who believed in me and supported me. Watch out a video post of my little journey in school soon! 

Anywhoo, this post is not at all about school or graduation... but I just want to apologize again for not posting entries as much as I'd used to. I promise to try and update my blog more often now that I've graduated. :)

A few weeks ago, my mum introduced me to this little cafe + bakery at The Fort called "Wildflour". It's relatively new but is always packed with people! 

I fell in love with the simplicity in their cafe. The high ceiling, framed doodles and white bricked walls definitely gave this modern bistro character. 

I felt a bit parched and decided to order their ' Green Tea Mojito with Pineapple and Basil ' ( P110.00)

It was pretty good! It was non-alcoholic, of course. 

While waiting for my order I couldn't help but stare at this Chocolate Cupcake of theirs.. Isn't it drool worthy?! I ordered it immediately and devoured it in less than a minute. *I hope you aren't judging me right now HAHA.*

Chocolate Cupcake (P95.00)

Something not a lot of people know about me is that I sometimes eat my dessert before my meal, or at least half of it. I end up craving something salty after having my dessert.. hence the habit. ;)

California Burger with Cheddar, Caramelized Onions, and a Brioche Bun (P450.00)

Honestly, I think it was a bit over priced. It was good, but it wasn't exceptionally great or anything. I also thought it lacked a bit of cheddar, too. 

Caramelized Onions, Brie Cheese, and Apple Tarte Flambe. (P425.00)

Macaroni and with Gruyere and Cheddar Cheese (P280.00)

I had this after my burger.. I don't know if it was actually really heavy, or if I was just a bit full already. It was good! I loved the cheese. :)

Bone Marrow with Mango Salsa and Baguette (P350.00)

After lunch, we saw them bring out a tray of Pain au Chocolat. My brother and I jumped out of our seats and smelt 'em. There's nothing like fresh pastries that come straight out of the oven. <3

I was a bit disappointed because croissants are supposed to be flaky, and this was definitely not that. Nothing beats Le Coeur de France still. 

Chicken Meatball Sandwich with Mozzarella, Tomato, and Ciabatta (P380.00)

Sticky Buns (P130.00)

Caramel Nut Pie (P65.00)

All in all a great first experience at Wildflour! Word around the metro gets by quite rapidly, I've been hearing lots of great things about their breakfast, so I can't wait to go back and try it for myself. :) 

Wildflour

G/F Net Lima Bldg., 4th Ave cor 26th StFort Bonifacio, Taguig(02) 856-7600

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Twenty Something

WOW. It's been quite a while since I've blogged. A lot of you have been wondering why perhaps? Well, I've just needed time off from the cyber world to focus on finals and such. Which by the way turned out just great! I won a silver medal for my Australian Finals which I'll probably expound on more in another entry. 

Anyway, I can't believe that I'm finally twenty! I still refuse to say it out loud. I can't call myself a "teen" anymore. It's crazy really how time flies... it's scary yet thrilling at the same time. 

Everybody's been asking me "So, how does it feel like to be twenty?" Honestly, I don't exactly know how I feel. I don't think I feel any different, I mean after all, age is just a number. All I know is that I'm excited to finally be graduating soon because I want nothing else but to travel and see the world!! 

So yesterdays celebration was simple but nice. I celebrated my birthday just chillin' with some of my favourite people followed by dinner in Cav with my family.

If you've read one of my entries months back on my brothers birthday: A Wonderful Turn of Events. You'll know why last nights dinner meant the world to me, so I'm glad that it happened. At least one of my birthday wishes came true. :) 

It was my first time at Cav last night, and just like every restaurant review so far in my blog, it was my mum who introduced me to this Wine Bar Cafe. 

Upon entering, you may feel a bit daunted by the dim-lighting that's quite popularized in fine dining restaurants, but I love how Cav feels formal yet not too formal that you'd have to suit up or anything. Smart casual would be just fine. 

This was the first time I ever got to mechanically have wine poured onto my glass! You can choose either: tasting (25 ml), half glass (75 ml), or full glass (125 ml). Being the easily amused girl that I am, I was definitely impressed. 

I'm not really one who enjoys the company of wine, but my mum's always trying to get me accustomed to it for future travels. 

I got the Beringer White Merlot. I usually loathe wine for the bitter taste it leaves in my mouth, but this was very light and fruity. :)

Last night's Amuse Bouche was composed of:

Green Pea Soup, Spanish Torilla, and Pickled Beetroot with Goat Cheese Panna Cotta.

All very good! The Green Pea Soup was surprisingly my favourite though. 

Crustacean Spaghettini with Lumpfish Caviar

My dad really enjoyed his order. It was "rich and creamy". Serving portion looked quite small but at the end he said it was just about right. 

Dry Aged U.S. Rib-Eye with Mushroom Ragu served with Spinach Gratin and Country Fries. 

Being the steak lover that I am, it was no surprise that this was the first thing in the menu that caught my eye. -- I had it cooked to medium-rare as usual. Cav's steak was definitely one for the books! It was presented beautifully and was melt-in-your-mouth yummy. :)

I'm not really a big fan of vegetables, but I love spinach. (Especially the spinach dip in Cibo. AHH, the best!) The gratin was perfect when paired with the steak. 

Angus Beef Short Ribs served with Cream Cannelili Beans, Kamote Curls and Burgundy Sauce.

My dad ordered this dish. I had a bit of it though, and I was quite jealous. The short ribs were really tender. The whole dish in itself had a great play of textures and of course, flavours. -- It's cooked for about 48-hours, explains why it's so tender!!

Duck Leg Confit with Truffle Macaroni, Red Cabbage, Capers, and Cranberry.

...Now my favourite part, the dessert!!!

Gold Chocolate Dome with Carrot Sherbet

This was pretty good! It was rich, not too sweet, and dense. 

Part of what made my Aubergine dining experience during my last birthday special was the complimentary Macarons. :") I was definitely surprised they served us some here, too!

White Chocolate Brûlée with Chocolate Tuile and Caramelized Bananas

I'm a big fan of Creme Brûlée! Any flavor whether it be plain, chocolate, or in this case my favourite! White chocolate. The delicate flan like texture with the sudden crunch of torched sugar leaves me in smiles. :)

They surprised me with a Valrhona Chocolate Souffle Cake with Grand Marnier, Ice Cream Melt on the Chocolate Tuile and Mixed Berries. :)

It was definitely one of the best birthday cakes I've had! Anything that screams Valrhona never disappoints. 

Outfit of the night:

Chiffon top: Cotton On - High Wasted Shorts with Belt and Nude Mary Janes: Forever 21 - Watch: Fossil - Gold Necklace: The Ramp - Quilted Clutch: Taipei

I apologize for the shaky photos! My camera wasn't set to it's usual setting and was too lazy to fix it. 

Last night was definitely one of the best birthday dinners I've had yet. Not only because of the company, but because the food was outstandingly great! It's quiet atmosphere is perfect for business meetings and intimate gatherings. I had no bad remarks on the service, too. I can't wait to go back and try the rest of what Cav has to offer!

Thanks to everyone who greeted me and made my birthday a happy one! I love you all. :)

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Cav Wine Shop and Café

Bonifacio High Street

G/F The Spa Building, Lot 5 Quadrant 8, 11th Ave.

Fort Bonifacio, Taguig

(02) 856-1798

Music of the Night

Growing up, I was exposed to a lot of the arts. Musical theatre to be exact. I watched numerous plays from The Little Mermaid to Miss Saigon to Legally Blonde and many more!! 

Being the Disney lover that I am, one of my favourite plays as a kid was Beauty and the Beast which I got to watch on Broadway in New York! 

I loved musical theatre! There was nothing like it. The thrill I got from watching plays was just ineffable. I also got to act in a few plays growing up which was extremely fun too! I played this Princess in Sesame Street when I was about 7, I think? Rizzo (Pink Ladies) from Grease and Lucy (this Bitch role) from 13 just to name some. Weird thing is, I'm always give the Bitch role... :( But I end up loving it afterwards because ironically, they're really fun to play! 

I started the month of September with Phantom of the Opera. It's been running since August 25, and I was just counting the days honestly... I was extremely excited to see this play! Everyone's been going on and on about how amazing it was. Truth be told, they were absolutely right! It was jaw-droppingly amazing. 

From the set, to the actors, to the orchestra.. everything was just one major production! I know that nothing's perfect, but this was just that. Certainly one of the best plays I've seen yet. Part of my top three, along with Wicked which I saw in Singapore. :) 

I love to sing!! I sing all the time. In my room, the shower, and when I'm driving alone in my car. Not saying I sing well, but I just love it. Music makes me so happy! I wouldn't know what I'd do without it. :) 

Tickets are pretty costly, but believe me, you won't regret it! Luckily, Phantom of the Opera is extended. So I suggest you call and reserve right away!

Tickets are still available at Ticketworld or call 891-9999. 

ENJOY!! 

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PS. Finally uploaded a song to my Soundcloud account, check it out! :) http://soundcloud.com/alyssaarellano

Poles Apart

A happy customer experience, results in a loyal customer who will share his experience to others ten times over. While a dissatisfied customer, will do just the opposite. 

Today like every other weekend, was spent in Rockwell. It's been quite a while since we've last eaten in Mamou. So we decided on making a lunch reservation. Boy, was it a full house! Well, it was Sunday which just means family day, so it's only to be expected. Luckily, someone cancelled their reservation and we were bumped into a table inside.

When eating at Mamou, we have no need for the menu anymore because we always opt to order the exact same thing. Every single time. That is...

Lorenzo's Truffle Cream Pasta (P335.00)

It is absolutely to die for! Definitely one of my favourite pasta dishes. It is with out a doubt always cooked to perfection. The noodles are always Al dente, and the truffle cream sauce is just... WOW. Certainly a must try!

Angus Rib-eye Steak (P1,680.00)

Steak, steak, steak. I cannot imagine being a vegetarian! Steak is way too yummy to give up. :( I'm a big fan of steak and one of my favourite steaks would have to be from Mamou. We always have it cooked to medium-rare and it's always the same each time we visit. Flavourful and melt-in-your-mouth-yummy! 

P.S. It's best paired with rock salt! It adds a little crunch and helps bring out the flavour. ;)

Corn Pudding (P95.00) Creamed Spinach (P115.00)

These are the two side dishes we always get. Corn pudding is my favourite!  

If you're looking to have dessert in Mamou, I'd highly recommend the Key Lime Pie! It's ultimately refreshing and just the perfect ender to an utterly perfect meal. :)

Though today we did not opt for the Key Lime Pie, we decided to have dessert at Brida. My brother and I were craving their Mango Torte but just when ordering we find out that it's already out of stock. So we ordered the Red Velvet and their Chocolate Decadent instead.

I apologize for only taking a photo after having devoured half of the cake... but upon receiving the cake, we were already quite disappointed at how they did not even bother fixing the plating. Both cakes were lop sided, and the Red Velvet did not succumb to our standards. We've tasted this cake once or twice before and it was better. I guess what I'm trying to say is that consistency and presentation are very important and sadly, Brida did not have that. 

It doesn't end there. So like I said, we ordered one Chocolate Decadent as well and received it heated and just messily presented. It isn't at all their fault for heating the cake before serving it if their standards are like that, what we didn't appreciate was how they did not really respond back in a way that we would've liked after asking them to change the cake because we didn't want it heated and appreciated if they'd tell their customers next time...

I've worked at this cafe before, and there I was taught that "customers are always right" and that when one customer isn't happy and wants to change his/her order, they'll do it ever so willingly with a smile on their face. After all, we are paying for good service. Here at Brida, yes, they did offer to change our cake but only if we paid for the next one. Honestly, we were really disappointed. I wish they would've handled it a different way... and because of that, they've lost us. Frequent visitors in Rockwell. 

Outfit for the day:

Cardigan: New Look - Tank top: Forever 21 - 

Bubble skirt- Terranova - Accessories and bag: Taipei - Flats: H&M

I'm guessing now you know why I named this entry "Poles Apart". It's really sad when establishments don't try their best to keep their customers happy, because one bad experience may just be the last experience spent there. 

I bet I can speak for many when I say that the service in Mamou is just superb. :) I love how we're always so taken care of in both branches, Serendra and Rockwell. (I remember when I dined in Mamou Serendra with my furry friend Bailey, they gave him a chair to sit in and served him ice cold water because he was panting like crazy!) It's really the little things that go a long way. If you haven't tried Mamou yet, I suggest you do go and make a reservation soon! Tell me how your experience goes. :)

Mamou, Serendra

Serendra, 26th StFort Bonifacio, Taguig(02) 856-3569

Mamou, Rockwell

(02) 822-6218

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