Eat, Drink, and Be Italian again with Italianni's Improved Menu at its Newly Renovated Gateway Branch

I have mentioned in my previous post about Italianni’s Restaurant that way before I fell in love with Bellin’s and Amoroma or other impressive Italian Restaurants for that matter, there is always Italianni’s that serves as my default choice whenever I am craving for good Italian cuisine.

Late last year, I had a chance to try one of their holiday offerings, Tre Combinazioni with some friends which got us raving about how still good Italianni’s food quality after all these years.  I can say that it is one of the reasons why Italianni’s has always been one of the best Italian restaurants in Manila for me.  I love the fact that consistency is one of their strong points in terms of good quality food, great ambiance, and superb service.

When I was invited recently to the re-opening of their newly renovated Gateway branch, I was already equipped with great expectations from the get go. After all, Italianni’s has always been tried and tested in my book. Truth be told, my expectations were not just met, Italianni’s delightfully exceeded it.

Mooncake Treat and more at Edsa Shangri-La, Manila

Mooncake is a pastry originated from China which is considered as an indispensable pastry during Mid-Autumn festival.  It is made of crust with rich thick filling and yolk from salted duck eggs in the center.  Tradition dictates that moon cakes are best shared and eaten during this festival.

Ongoing until the 30th of September 2012, Edsa Shangri-La Manila offers majestic mooncakes, stays, and dining specials in line with their celebration for Mid-Autumn Festival of the Chinese calendar.

The hotel’s Chinese restaurant, Summer Palace is offering special mooncake packages available daily from 7:30am to 9:30pm at the Moon Cake Counter in the hotel’s main lobby.

Makanan Lazat: A Malaysian Food Festival at Corniche Restaurant, Diamond Hotel Philippines

Diamond Hotel Philippines celebrates culinary diversity of Malaysia as they present Makanan Lazat, a Malaysian Food Festival at Corniche. Malaysian cuisine is known for its variety of flavors and cooking style influenced by Malay, Indian, and Chinese together with other ethnic group hailing from its region. With this delightful combination of palate pleasers prepared by guest Malaysian Chef Cheong Yan See of Enderun Colleges, lunch and dinner buffet at Corniche Restaurant is made all the more special.

Ongoing until the 16th of September 2012, Makanan Lazat features gastronomic feast of Malaysian cuisine to add to the already festive buffet spread at Corniche Restaurant. 

Homemade Treasures Ensaymada, How Do I Love Thee?

Despite countless recommendation for best ensaymada in Metro Manila, there are only two ensaymada I normally enjoy; one is Diamond Hotel’s Ube Ensaymada for its luxurious decadence, the other one is Hizon’s Ensaymada for its pleasantly rich panache.  I have tried several other ensaymadas but still, these two are by far are the best, at least in my book. I guess I am loyal that way.

Then recently, I was introduced to Homemade Treasures Ensaymada.  I had a strong grip to the notion that this can be just another ensaymada which will try to lure me into including it to my top three best ensaymada but will fail miserably in the end.  Yet, after tasting a forkful of this impressively delicious treasure, dare I say, life is never the same again.

Love at first bite can be such a cliché for foodies like us. But cliché is a cliché because it holds certain truth in it.  I was bitten by this cliché as I bit into Homemade Treasure Ensaymada’s cheesy and buttery glory. 

So, how do I love thee, you might ask.  With all respect to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, read on and let me count the ways.

The Fog City Creamery Ensaymada Ice Cream

Ice cream and ensaymada.  Who would have thought that these two unlikely pair could yield a beautiful marriage meant to be savored in this lifetime?
 

Enter The Fog City Creamery’s new addition to its line of artisanal ice cream, ENSAYMADA ICE CREAM.  The first ever ensaymada ice cream to hit the market. 

Of the many collaboration I have witnessed, The Fog City Creamery and Homemade Treasures is definitely one of the best.   A combination of The Fog City Creamery’s Brown Butter Ice Cream and chunks of Homemade Treasures Ensaymada made from an heirloom recipe of the 1930s. 

Casa Armas Tapas Bar Y Restaurante

When you are scheduled to attend two dinners in one night, with a daunting 15 minute interval from the end of the first to the start of the second, begging off to either one seems like the most humane thing to do.  But if you are a twenty something foodie who believes that given your age, you can stuff yourself silly and still get away with it, you held your head high and man up. 

A dinner at Casa Armas Tapas Bar Y Restaurante located in Greenbelt 2 is not something you would just pass up. Even if you are scheduled to revisit another restaurant which you deem as one of the best restaurants in Metro Manila on the same night, Spanish cuisine at Casa Armas is well worth the extreme degree of satiety you’ll be nursing hours after. So, unless you fancy being haunted by the drool worthy sight of Casa Armas’ Cochinillo in your sleep, you carry on.

That epic dinner I was talking about happened couple of months ago. Yet, the memory remains as vivid as the glistening skin of the cochinillo hinting of brittle candy-like crispiness.  Definitely a memory I will not soon forget.