Fee, Fi, Pho, Fum

Fee, fi, fo, fum. I smell the aroma of tea in my pho!

Had lunch at da.u.de Tea Lounge at the Net Lima Building in Bonifacio Global City, just a few steps away from Wildflour Café + Bakery. Writing another entry on the teas as the da.u.de Pho deserves its own post!

My sister and I shared a huge bowl of the chicken pho. Its tea-infused broth gave the dish a clean, refreshing taste, without overpowering the flavor of the meat. It may be on the bland side for some, but while I often like my food oozing with flavor, I also appreciate this pho's pure and succulent tastiness. 

But if you prefer your pho hot, salty, sour, or a combination of the three, da.u.de serves lime on the side, along with chili, soy and hoisin sauces, so you can adjust it to your taste. 

A definite must-try.

The CityLifeStylist

Levante: A New Mercato Rises in the East

The Mercato Centrale Group gives us another reason to look forward to Fridays: Levante, a new night market, this time at Eastwood City Walk 2 in Libis, Quezon City! 

Featuring bestselling fare from top Mercato Centrale vendors as well as exciting up-and-comers, Levante will be open every Friday from 6:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. starting May 17.

Mark your calendars! See you on the 17th for the Grand Opening of Levante!

The CityLifeStylist

Mezza Norte: the Madness Continues at TriNoma!

Last week, a big event made me even more excited about Friday: the relaunch of Mezza Norte at TriNoma!

You know how much I love the Mercato Centrale weekend food market in Bonifacio Global City. While I was happy about the first opening of the "Mercato of the North" at the UP Ayala Technohub, I was more ecstatic about its big move to TriNoma because it's closer to home!

There are currently over 50 vendors offering a wide variety of dishes, drinks and desserts. There was live music and this fun, giddy energy from the food-loving crowd.

Here are some of my picks from our first night at Mezza Norte 2.0. Looks like the fam and I will have a new weekend habit!

The Filipino favorite, sisig, is traditionally a mix of chopped pig ears and cheeks with vinegar, calamansi, and onions. The humble dish has seen many variations, such as bangus sisig, squid sisig and chicken sisig, but Chef Bab's Sisig offers more than these. Vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike would be delighted to find veggie sisig and tofu sisig at this stall!

The Veggie Sisig, in particular, is the one I couldn't stop raving about. As my mom said, "You won't miss the meat!" It had the same chewy texture of pork sisig, and it tasted spicy, a bit salty and a little sour. Their dishes are cooked on the spot with your choice of add-ons.

I don't think I'll be craving for the real thing anytime soon!

Sinangag Trip serves good ol' Pinoy silogs--sinangag and egg paired with tapa, longganisa, bacon, and even Hungarian sausage. 

While owners Grace and Jay Santos say the bestsellers are the Hungsilog and the Special Baconsilog, I believe their Sirloin Beef Tapsilog deserves a lot more credit! The beef was soft and flavorful with a fresh, pure taste. I learned that they source their meat from their own market stall in Quiapo--truly market-fresh! 

The Baby Back Ribs at Edgy's Food Trip look so succulent even from afar that I doubt anybody would miss them. This dish drew me in and when I finally took a bite, I was not disappointed. The meat was fork-tender and the sauce was sweet and salty. Ask for extra sauce--it was superb!

Roasterrific! was a big hit at the first Mezza Norte, and its success led to the opening of its first restaurant along Maginhawa Street in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City. 

The Chow and Hao families continue to serve the famous Herbalicious Lechon and Peking Style Roasted Chicken at the new Mezza Norte. Both are packed with flavor, but the lechon was divine. Roasted and toasted to a crisp, you can say it's healthier because there's less fat!

There was no shortage of pork at Mezza Norte. The Crunchy Belly by Carlo's Kitchen was deliciously crispy with just enough saltiness. I wish they'd start serving beer because this would make the perfect companion!

For dessert, I started with Merry Moo. Tried the Strawberry Basil and Cookie Butter but ended up ordering two old favorites: Sea Salt Caramel and Earl Grey Tea! These never get old.

My mom went for some gelato from Mio Gelati. I loved the combination she chose--Chili Chocolate and Bailey's!

These flavors were surprisingly refreshing! The Chili Chocolate was indeed hot and chocolaty at the same time, but I think it would be even better with dark chocolate. The Bailey's flavor complemented it well. It's probably the best kind of alcohol to turn into gelato because it's already nice and creamy.

Another highlight of the night was the Chocolate Crepe Cake from Cakes by K. It was delectably light and not too sweet, with layers of crepe, rich cream in between, and chocolate sauce smothered on top. The melt-in-your-mouth goodness will leave you wanting more. True enough, the 'rents returned the following night and took home more of this. We're hopelessly hooked!

I can't wait to go back. Mezza Norte, now at the Mindanao Open Parking Lot of TriNoma mall (located at the corner of Mindanao Avenue and North Avenue) is open from 4:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. 

See you there!

The CityLifeStylist

Make Your Vote Count

It's election season once again. Who's getting your vote?

No candidate is perfect, but don't you think a track record of honesty and integrity as well as experience in public office should be basic requirements? 

Thanks to a MEGA assignment, I managed to get a head start in the decision-making process a couple months ago, beginning with the female senatoriables. We need more capable women in politics, but it looks like it's slim pickings even with eight vying for those Senate seats. But that's just me. 

I do hope every Filipino tries to do a bit of research before May 13. It's best to gather all the information you can get from different credible sources. 

Perhaps a starting point can be the feature on the eight women in the running by yours truly and Nante Santamaria in this month's MEGA. 

But please don't take our word for it--that's the beauty of democracy. Read print and online news, and make sure to hit the archives. Go through the candidates' platforms. Watch the debates. 

Here's hoping we will all make informed choices this time.

The CityLifeStylist

Wildflour Weekends

It took me a while to finally try the much talked about Wildflour Café + Bakery at the Fort Bonifacio Global City, mainly because all the hype made me skeptical. Thank goodness I gave in to my curiosity or I wouldn't have discovered that the predominantly positive buzz about the place was actually well-deserved.

Here's my take on the grub, particularly the dishes I'll definitely be ordering again.

Pictured above is the Arugula Salad, which was topped with a fried egg and served with warm bacon vinaigrette. We had the parmesan on the side (as I'm allergic) and asked for a side of bacon. Arugula is always good, and while the bacon vinaigrette was a tad too oily for my liking, the salad was still refreshing and very tasty. My companion thoroughly enjoyed it, though. (Maybe because he hasn't tried arugula with my own homemade sweet balsamic glaze... but that's another entry!)

I'm a huge fan of the yogurt, granola and fruit combination, so I had to try the Homemade Granola. At first I was disappointed with the limited fruit selection of bananas and mangoes, but after I mixed it all up and took my first bite, I was immediately impressed. The chunky granola underneath the fruit and yogurt had a nice balance of sweet and nutty flavor. As for the texture, it was sticky (in a good way, in my opinion) with a delightful crunch. 

Another one of my favorites is the Baked Escargot with garlic butter and puff pastry, which was divine. Take note, however, that I am also an escargot lover, so this may not be something everybody would enjoy. But my companion and I loved every bit of it! 

We ate it by popping off the top and dipping the bread in the little cups before eating the escargot, and also tried poking through the pastry to scoop up the escargot along with the bread. It had just the right amount of garlic and butter, plus a sprinkle of basil that tickled my taste buds. I normally dislike flaky puff pastry, but in this case, I thought it was perfect. It was pricey for an appetizer, but definitely worth it!

The Steak and Egg served over kimchi fried rice was another winner. The steak looked amazing so I dared to try it, along with the rice, even if I didn't like kimchi. Surprise, surprise--I thought it was spectacular! My friend who actually suggested ordering the dish wasn't very fond of it, though, mainly due to the rice. But she did enjoy the steak, which we both found tender and tasty. 

photo credit: Wildflour Café + Bakery's official Facebook page

It being a bakery, of course I had to sample the baked goodies. During one of my visits, I bought the Roasted Garlic Knot with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt for takeout. I loved tearing it apart. It was delectably crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, with a heavenly garlic filling that'll make you feel fuzzy all over. It's the ultimate garlic bread!

I've been obsessed with bread pudding since my first encounter with a homemade version in Cebu a few years ago, and nothing has topped my "first love" until I had this baby. Wildflour's Bread Pudding takes 20 minutes to make, but it's definitely worth the wait.  Fresh out of the oven, it was toasty warm on the outside and a bit gooey--as it should be--on the inside. The bread pudding, chocolaty chunks and creamy vanilla sauce was an incredibly rich combination, but at the same time, it was not overly sweet. My companion and I were practically swooning with every bite!

The Molten Chocolate Beignets is another wonderfully rich dessert that combines soft and warm chocolate beignets with a cool scoop of banana ice cream. The molten chocolate filling might be too sweet for some, but those with a sweet tooth (ahem) will find it pretty amazing, especially combined with the ice cream. Great for sharing!

Wash everything down with your choice of tea, coffee, or cocktail. You may also opt for their Green Tea Mojito with Pineapple and Basil, which I found fresh and summery! If I were to make it at home, I'd probably use mint instead of basil, but it was good nonetheless.

Some of the items I wouldn't recommend are the Banh Mi Sliders with crispy pork and chili on brioche, as I found them very oily and lacking in flavor, as well as the Roasted Bone Marrow with mango salsa and ciabatta, which was just all right. The latter looked and sounded sinful, but didn't taste like it was worth all the cholesterol. But apart from these, I don't think Wildflour could ever disappoint me again. 

Excited to try more of their new offerings!

The CityLifeStylist

Magazine Subscription Deals You Cannot Resist--Only Until April 2nd!

I know it's April Fools' Day, but this is for real: Zinio is offering two-year digital magazine subscriptions for the price of one on some of your favorite titles! 

The offer ends tomorrow, April 2nd, so better act fast! Click on the link above to see the entire selection, which includes bestsellers like Newsweek, The Economist, Eating Well, Every Day with Rachael Ray, AFAR and Islands! (Yep, I've got my eye on those. Hopelessly hooked on Zinio!)

Enjoy!

The CityLifeStylist

The Contest's Over, but Zinio's Promos are Still On!

Congratulations to the nine winners of Zinio digital magazine subscriptions! You will each receive an email notification including instructions on how to claim your prize.

The contest may be over but you'll still feel like a winner with Zinio's current offerings, with a number of magazine titles at up to 50% off! You've only got until March 19 to avail of the promo so click the banner now to choose your titles and place your orders!

You can also browse through some of its featured magazines for free and access thousands of articles that you can also share with friends. Use Zinio on your desktop computer, laptop, tablet, Android mobile phone, iPhone, iPad, and even on your Kindle Fire.

Recognized as the Best iOS Magazine App during the the Best Ever Apps Awards at the 2013 Mobile World Congress, Zinio offers thousands of the world's top magazines in digital form. It has delivered over 70 million issues worldwide in 2012, truly making it "the world's largest newsstand."

The CityLifeStylist

*Thanks to Zinio for sponsoring this post.