Entries Tagged 'Restaurants' ↓

Buon Giorno is the brainchild of Mark Floro and his wife, Linda Floro, both of them are food enthusiasts. The couple decided to share their passion with their friends through a quaint Italian restaurant, Buon Giorno.

It was first established at Cliffhouse, Tagaytay City where it has been hailed as one of the most romantic destinations in Tagaytay. The Cliffhouse Buon Giorno branch is very famous for its Opium bed because of the countless marriage proposals that has happened there (the Opium bed is the most reserved spot at the Cliffhouse branch- so better call them early if you’re planning special for your lovey dovey).

With the success of the first branch at Tagaytay, the Floros decided it’s  high time to bring Buon Giorno back to the Metro once again (they opened at Shaw Blvd a few years back but it was closed down).  Buon Giorno is currently located at Rockwell Business District in Ortigas.

I had the privilege to join fellow food bloggers as Buon Giorno introduced their palatial menu.

Antipasti/Antipasto (Appetizer) *this is not a complete menu list

Trio of Crostini P218

A thin of lightly-toasted bread served with pesto, chicken liver pate and  mushroom dip

Bruschetta P180

Tomatoes, mozzarella and basil on olive-toasted toast

Antipasto Platter P335

Marinates olives, pearl onions, roasted peppers, cheese cubes and Italian meats

Insalata (Salad)

B’uon Giorno’s Special

B’uon Giorno’s Special P218

Crema de Brocolli

A mixed of Buon Giorno’s best salad greenies and fruits drizzled with their delectable house dressing

Zuppe (Soup)

Crema de Brocolli P140
An awesome blend of cream and broccoli

Pizza

Mare Pesto P265

Mixed seafood brought together with lots of basil, pesto and cheese. The pizza is super thin crust which gives a crunchy feel with each bite.

Buon-Giorno-Pizza

New York Pizza

New York Pizza P295

It’s composed of assorted meat, bell peppers, and cheese topping on crisp, crusty dough.

This is truly a great break from the pizza that we usually order. Though it’s still far from the original Italian pizza, it’s as good. The chef needed to tailor the pizza according to the Filipino taste 

Other pizza flavours are: Vegetarian, Peperroni, Hawaiian, Salsiccia, Prosciutto A Funghi, and Al Margherita.

Pasta

Canneloni Spinaci P294

Tender bits of chicken & mortadella ham rolled in sheets of spinach pasta smothered with tomato sauce and cheese

Pescattore Alla Puttanesca P308 (Top Photo)
Assortment of seafood in spicy and peppery tomato sauce

Canneloni Spinaci

Risotto (Italian Rice Dishes)

Pollo E Funghi P302

It’s basically chicken in rice dish. It’s by itself a complete meal and will immediately fill your hungry tummy.

Piato Principale

San Prieto Con Basilico John Dory P470

Perfectly cooked cream dory fillet with creamy sauce and spinach

Beef Wagyu in Mushroom Gravy Sauce was also served that night and it’s available by request (in case you are dining in the future).

Chocolate-Pistachio Sans Rival

Dolci (dessert)

Chocolate- Pistachio Sans Rival P207

Layers of wafers covered in chocolate icing and drizzled with pistachio.

This may not be my favourite version of sans rival but if you’re a chocolate lover, you’ll dig it.

Buon Giorno Cheesecake

Cheesecake P170

It’s creamy and fairly yummy but I tasted better cheesecakes (but then I’m biased because I am not a cake person, I’d rather have cold desserts than sweets and pastries).

Bevande (beverages)

Fresh Fruit Shakes P120-P144

Watermelon shake, Grape shake, and Mango shake

Buon Giorno Watermelon, Grape, Mango Shake

Few facts on Italian dining:

Olive oil is a staple in any Italian pantry. There are many varieties of Olive oil and usually, different kinds are used for salads, entrees and cooking.

Italian Dining

For those wondering how to use olive oil with food and cooking, these could help you:

•    Use quality olive oil. Never use an olive oil if you can’t eat it as it is.

•    The most widely used olive oil on restaurants are the extra virgin oil and cold pressed olive oil. It’s also the highest in quality though it’s pricey as compared to the other varieties. Extra virgin olive oil is the best variety used over salads or for dipping bread.

•    If you do not want too much aroma from the olive oil, you may opt for virgin olive oil. It contains fairly less flavour and aroma that’s why it’s best used for frying, grilling and oven roasting. But ordinary or pure virgin olive oil contains even less flavour and aroma than virgin olive oil and is best used in recipes that flavour from olive oil is not desired.

•    Italians can easily determine the variety of olive oil. I was told that they can also tell if the olive oil was from Italy or from other parts of the world.

This has been your resident NomNomClub writer, Renz of Pinay Mommy Adreamer, saying Hanno un Grande Giorno!

Buon Giorno
Grnd Flr, Tower 1 Rockwell Business Center
Ortigas Avenue
Pasig City
Tel number- 5719092

We’re exploring Singaporean food…again! Yes, we’re returning to Singapore and will check out new spots!

My gratitude extends to Renz Alcantara, my associate writer, who gamely catched foodie assignments in my absence. I hope she enjoys the dinner at Boun Giorno in Rockwell Land and the upcoming San Miguel party. Wait for her awesome articles on that!

Back to Singaporean food, here’s a teaser:

• Wild Rocket
• Marina Bay Sands’ Ku De Ta (has nothing to do with any mutiny)
• Rasapura Masters
• Baits Restaurant
• Lantern (at Fullerton Bay Hotel)
• Jumbo Seafood Restaurant (at East Coast Seafood Centre)

Add to that the Singapore Food Trail. It’s one of Singapore’s newest major foodie spot right beside the Singapore Flyer which was previously just an empty parking lot. 🙂

Hainanese Chicken Rice @ Singapore Food Month

And with these, I declare April a Singapore Food Month @ NomNomClub.com. 🙂 Watch out for the posts soon!

I love ice cream cakes since I was a child. And Dairy Queen rekindled it with their newly launched product Mango Cheesecake ice cream cake specially made for the summer season.

Called the Mango Cheesecake Blizzard Cake, it is made with two layers of creamy vanilla ice cream with real mango chunks in between. Although a little pricey at Php749, it is made with 100% ice cream and topped with icing buttons, mango puree spread,  and chewy cube combination of cheese and grahams. For me, more than just a cake, it’s an experience of having an ice cream cake altogether.

Dairy Queen Mango Cheesecake Blizzard Cake

Mango Festival

DQ: Served Upside Down

It’s a festival of everything Mango at DQ as well. In addition to the ice cream cake, Dairy Queen is offering a myriad of other cool mango concoctions such as 2 new mango blizzards, a smoothie, and citrus coolers.

Mango Blizzards

The 2 new DQ Blizzards are Mango Cheesecake Blizzard and Mango-Pineapple Blizzard.

Dairy Queen Blizzard

The Mango Cheesecake Blizzard is the soft-serve ice  cream version of the cake (also with real mango bits and cheesecake chunks) while the Mango-Pineapple Blizzard is for those who want some citrus sting from the pineapple bits which can be a good contrast to the prior double sweetness of mango and cheesecake. It costs P59/6oz, P79/9oz, P99/12oz, P119/16oz.

Mango Smoothie

I wan’t able to try this but DQ also has s new Mango Premium Fruit Smoothie which is a creamy blend of fresh orange, mango and a creamy soft serve vanilla ice cream. At P79/12oz & P99/16oz, I’m trying these next! 🙂

Dairy Queen Smoothies & Citrus Coolers

Mango Citrus Cooler

Much simpler is the Mango Citrus Cooler which is a blend of lemon and mango fit for a cool summer drink. The citrus coolers are also available in Lemon, Strawberry, Pineapple, and Strawberry Pineapple flavors. P49/12oz & P59/16oz.

Check more information about Dairy Queen (DQ) at www.dairyqueen.com.ph or their Facebook. 🙂

Dairy Queen Blizzard

With Filipino’s penchant for anything cold during the summer season, these blizzards and smoothies will surely be a hit. These flavors were available since early March and will stay at all Dairy Queen menuboards until the first week of May.

Steak Buffet

I got the chance to dine with some of the best food bloggers in Metro Manila a few weeks ago. It was a steak night dinner buffet at Diamond Hotel‘s Corniche.

Diamond Hotel Philippines offers choice cut steaks for its customers every Thursday night. Labeled as Corniche’s Savoring Steak Nights, the dinner buffet offers a variety of steaks such as the US Striploin Steak, US Rib Eye Steak, US Hanger Steak, Beef Tenderloin Steak and  Roasted US Prime Rib.

Add to that other entrees with free flowing red wine for only Php 2,285 nett per person from 5:30pm to 10:30pm. This is inclusive of 10% service charge and local government tax.

5 Plates - 5 Rounds @ Corniche Buffet

I was only able to try the striploin, tenderloin, and prime rib. As expected, the meats were fork-tender and juicy, coming from Diamond Hotel.  However, I have observed that steak grill was only about a meter wide and can handle a limited number of steaks at a time. As per experience, there were only three us by the counter and the grill was already full (partially because we had multiple orders each 🙂 ). Maybe Corniche can improve on that, specially when customers flock in.

Seafood Buffet

More Entrees

I also enjoyed the other dishes at Corniche such as the seafood choices, salad selections, and Asian, Western, Japanese, and Indian cuisines prepared by culinary experts headed by Executive Chef Nickolai Stoyanov with general manager Vanessa Ledesma Suatengco.

Other International Cuisine Buffet @ Diamond Hotel

Diamond Hotel Philippines - Corniche Buffet

Barbequed Shrimp w/ Kumpati

A New Discovery – the Kumpati

I discovered an interesting stove as well. As per the cook at the Indian counter, it’s called a ‘kumpati.’

A kumpati is a traditional earthen cooking stove like a palayok, but much larger almost like a ‘banga‘. The traditional ones use charcoal and firewood to cook food but the one in Diamond Hotel is of course, electric.

Kumpati Indian Stove

Corniche uses it to “charcoal barbeque” some of the food like the tandoori chicken and  the grilled shrimp in the photo. They also use it to heat and toast the tasty Naan bread. Yum yum!

On Cheeses

I also saw a table of varied cheeses in different color and textures like Sage Derby, Iberico, Fontina, and Brie. I did not try any of them though as I am illiterate when it comes to cheese appreciation. 😛

Table of Cheeses (lower right side)

Desserts

I love their dessert choices though. There was much to choose from and I was able to try only less than half. Maybe I’ll try the other half in my next visit.

Lastly, it was glad to finally meet Lori Baltazar of DesertComsFirst.com. Also with us were prominent food bloggers Spanky, Ivan Man Dy, and Jane Chua, among others.

Corniche Desserts

Lori Baltazar & NomNom (right); Jane Chua & Ivan Man Dy (left)

Corniche Buffet Restaurant, Diamon Hotel

Corniche is located at Diamond Hotel’s lobby level with a 650 square meter space that can accommodate up to 200+ persons within a chic environment and contemporary overtones. However, I believe they can have more lights on the food. But I think the elegant interior necessitates the ambiance to be dim. With that in mind, they could have mini spotlights efficiently installed on focus entrees, at the least (or maybe I’m just used to other hotel buffet restaurants which are well-lighted). 🙂

I like the pocket-seating layout throughout Corniche providing spatial privacy for intimate groups. They also have a grand bird chandelier at the center and full height windows which offers a view of the garden and water features on one side.

Corniche Buffet @ Diamond Hotel PH

For reservations:
Corniche
Diamond Hotel Philippines
Roxas Boulevard, cor. Dr. J Quintos St., Manila.
Tel. 528-3000 / 305-3000
E-mail bizcenter@diamondhotel.com
Website: www.diamondhotel.com.

It’s a Thursday! Steak night tonight, Anyone?

From years of hiatus in the Philippines as a brand, Domino’s Pizza is back!

Domino's Store

Now with Goldilocks as one of its business partners, Domino’s intend to leverage on the partnership’s strength.

President and CEO of Domino’s Pizza Philippines, Mr. Tong Hong shared that with Goldilocks’ expertise in the fast food and franchised business, he believes the alliance will work.

Domino's Pizza

In fact, some of the ingredients/raw materials are sourced from Goldilocks’ commissary as well. Moreover, expect tie-ups and promotions with the two brands in the near future.

Domino’s Branches

Currently with 2 branches, Domino’s targets to open six to eight more stores in Metro Manila within the year.

The two branches as of press time are in:

• Marvin Plaza Building, Pasong Tamo (Chino Roces) , Makati City and

Domino's Makati

• Silver City, [along Frontera Drive (Tiendesitas)] Pasig City

Domino's Silver City, Pasig

The Pizzas

There are currently nine flavors which are a mix from different sides of the world. While the Pepperoni Pizza is the best-seller in the United States, Korea craves for the Potato Pizza. Extravaganza is an all-time favoritte.

Other flavors include Domino’s Deluxe, Shrimpus, and Hola Spain. They also have Buffalo Chicken Wings and pasta offerings. My favorite for the night was the Domino’s Shrimpus. I highly recommend it.

Domino's Shrimpus

Delivery

Having pioneered the 30-minute guarantee delivery in the pizza industry, Domino’s Pizza brings it back as well serving nearby areas. To check on your area, call the following:

Domino’s Pizza Delivery
Makati 745-3030
Pasig – 576-3030

Check Domino’s Pizza online at www.dominospizza.ph.

End Note

Potato Pizza

The Potato Pizza really got me curious. Considering that the bread dough is already heavy on the stomach, having potato slices for toppings makes it doubly filling. It should really taste good to justify its slot in the menu board. I hope to try that one when I go back at Domino’s Pizza. 🙂

Being a predominantly Catholic country, one would immediately observe if the lent season is approaching in the Philippines. One of the give-away signs is that restaurants offer their non-meat alternative to their customers. One of the early movers this year is Max’s restaurant which has started offering their Max’s Seafood Fest since yesterday.

Fish Fillet for the Lent

Fish & Seafood Fest

Max’s has started its Seafood Selections Promo and offers non-meat dishes familiar to the Filipino taste.

The seafood spread include Filipino cuisines like Camaron Rebosado and one of my favorites Sinigang na Hipon.

A wide selection of fish dishes are also part of the option such as Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet, Spicy Laing Tilapia, Fish Fillet in Black Bean Sauce, Sinigang na Tiyan ng Bangus, and Steamed Fish Fillet in light soy.

Max's Seafood Fest Promo

“…the timeless flavors of Filipino cuisine and warm memories of sharing these meals with their friends and family. ..this is what Max’s brings to the table with its Seafood Selections Promo… a taste of home with every hefty serving of these traditional recipes,” says Bobby Simborio, Corporate Communications Officer for Max’s Group of Companies.

Seafood Fest Frequency Card

Seafood Selections Frequency Card Promo + Chicken-All-You-Can GCs

Max’s also launched a special seafood fest frequency card where each purchase of a qualified seafood selection dish with a glass of Pepsi gets a sticker for a card slot.

From March 8 to April 30, 2011, diners who can complete the six sticker slots will get a free Max’s Chicken-All-You-Can gift certificate.

Frequency Card Promotion Mechanics

Max's Offering for the Lenten Season

Have a non-pork meat diet with Max’s Seafood Fest and enjoy a meatless Lenten season. 🙂

I recently came from a weekend trip at the Nurture Spa in Tagaytay and I would simply like to share the unique dishes I had over my weekend stay.

Nurture Spa Menu

Upon arriving at the place in the morning, we had ‘Suman with Mangga‘ (Sticky Rice with Mango) with a small cup of hot ‘tsokolate‘ (chocolate) on the side. It was a filling morning snack to begin with.

For lunch, it was an option between “Chicken Kare-Kare” and “Ossobuco” (beef).

I chose the chicken kare-kare for it’s uniqueness. We often, if not always, had pork or beef kare-kare.

An ossobuco is an Italian recipe of braised veal shanks usually with broth and vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, celery and onions.

Chicken Kare-Kare

Pinoy Beef Steak

The chicken kare-kare was a good one.

It provided a refreshing alternative to the usual pork and beef preparations. It still goes perfectly with ‘bagoong‘ (shrimp paste).

Dinner was a simple beef steak pinoy-style. They got the Filipino taste just right but the tenderness of the beef could have been better.

The next day’s breakfast was also the typical Filipino breakfast of tocino, egg, tomato slices, and of course – rice.

Ossobuco

Garden Salad

And before we left Nurture Spa Village, lunch was a crispy serving of Lechon Kawali. It had noticeably less fat and is really crispy. I wanted to have another serving but resisted to do so.

My general experience with Nurture Spa’s menu was really good. I just observed that the amount of servings were just right for a….woman (no pun intended). I mean, as a guy, I think can order two servings of each everytime. 🙂

I haven’t visited Mercato Centrale (the day market) since it started, but I was able to check out Midnight Mercato first with other blogger friends last weekend. This is defiintely for night people like me who can’t wake up early on weekend mornings. 🙂

Chilled/Hot Taho by Tahooo!

It was also the launching night of Midnight Mercato at the Bonifacio Global City last Friday so there was a simple opening ceremony, ribbon-cutting, guests, and the likes.

Briefly to the unaware, Midnight Mercato is a weekend late night food bazaar where foodies and barkadas can hanging out and enjoy great food you can’t easily find otherwise. You can feast on a wide array of food choices from gourmet selections to ‘lutong bahay‘ (home cooked) dishes; even sosyal street food and balut included. Add to that acoustic musical performances by Rock Ed – all in an air-conditioned ‘kubol.’ Yes, that is Tagalog for ‘tent’ (as fellow blogger Alex shared).

Here are some food trip photos I’m sharing from:

Buy 1 take 1 Sausages @ P150 and Chips To Go Booth (similar to Potato Loops)

Monster Burger & the Monster Burger Challenge (finish it in 4 minutes and it's FREE!)

Nutsylicious have different kinds of nuts including walnuts and pistachios!

After all the photos, it’s my tummy’s turn. So I got an authentic shawarma (P75) from a Mediterranean-looking guy whose booth I forgot, three Mochiko mochi ice cream, and  some Takoyaki balls.

Mochiko Mochi Ice Cream @ P70

Mochiko had a very long line and was out of stock before 12midnight. That speaks for itself. 🙂

I also had a set of Armenian Lavosh Chips with Pesto Mozarella Cheese dip (P145) from the stall with a witty name of ‘5 loaves and 2 Fishes.’

Armenian Lavosh Chips (right); Claypot Chicken Rice (left)

Big Bob's Quarter Pounder Burgers

I also got a bottle of Raw Honey and Organic Gourmet Rice from ‘Fresh Start‘. They’re quite pricey actually but I know mom would love the brown rice while I use the honey as sugar substitute in my morning milk (there goes the revelation). 🙂

Fresh Start Organic Gourmet Rice (Brown Rice P200) & Raw Honey (P300)

There were a number of media outfits and got to spot some celebrities including Mara’s Mom in ‘Mara Clara‘ , Ashlee Gosengfiao, Sarah Meier (I think), Mercato Centrale guy RJ Ledesma, and others. I also spotted Anton Diaz and wife Rachel at the Human Nature booth.

Rachel @ Human Nature booth (right); Mexican Kitchen (left)

Balut (Duck Embryo)

I wanted to try so much more but I can only take in so much having come from a full dinner at Rai-Rai Ken a few minutes before going to Mercato Centrale.

There were also other food finds which caught NomNom’s fancy and instantly became a favorite.

Watch out for that post coming out next week including my predictable Mochiko review. 🙂

It was a haven of grilled food, hamburgers, and suasages outside the Midnight Mercato Tent.

Moreover, I got some tips from foodie friends and is looking forward to try the following in my next visits:

Off Beat Burger‘s Krispy Kreme Burger,  Ravioli’s of Natalia,  and the Angus Beef Tapa Rice Toppings, among others.

Krispy Kreme Burger

I also got news from Antin Diaz’s blog that Bale Dutung will start tonight @ Midnight Mercato! I’ll have to wait a little longer though as I will be going to Thunderbird’s Resort in Rizal tonight and I’ll be at the Pyromusical competition in SM Mall of Asia tomorrow.

Check out more about Midnight Mercato and Mercato Centrale here.

Midnight Mercato Tent, Tables, and Interiors

Midnight Mercato happens every Fridays and Saturdays at Bonifacio Global City from 11pm to 3am the next day. They are located at the corner of 31st and 9th streets (vacant lots between Serendra and STI Fort). Mercato Centrale day market continues Saturday and Sunday 7am to 2pm.