Valentine's Day Shenanigans: Di' Mark's

We’re itching for some Italian. It’s been so long since we’ve eaten a good pizza. It’s Valentine’s Day and it’s exactly pay day (and since we also have to do our groceries), we decided to eat out instead. We haven’t tried Di’ Mark’s pizza yet. I’ve read good reviews about it. It’s a go.    

  

A little Di’ Mark’s History

It used to be a family resto which first opened on Menlo Road, Pasay City. Five decades of home cooked quality food, beat that!

Each Di’ Mark’s Pizza is made with our very own fresh dough, homemade processed tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, oregano and authentic olive oil – the big difference in pizza! (from their website)

Hubby’s vegetarian again for the night. It’s a meat-free dinner (except for his bacon bits!) So, here’s what we’ve ordered:

Tossed Green Salad
 salad greens w/ bacon bits, grated and cheese
 and Di Mark’s vinaigrette dressing

Normally, hubby would order a salad with a creamy dressing. It’s a first that he actually did enjoyed munching a salad with a vinaigrette dressing, so I’m guessing it’s that good. For me, all tossed greens tastes the same (well, it’s just me). 

Fettuccini with Garlic and Olive Oil

This pasta is something. I haven’t tasted anything like it. Not too garlicky, pasta’s cooked just right, generous amount of cheese, has a distinct taste (I noticed it has roasted sesame seeds in it, hence the slight nutty flavor). Except for the excessive oil, overall it’s a WOW.

Menlo Special Pizza
Mozzarella, Native Cheese and Grated Cheese

What sets a good pizza apart? I believe it’s the crust. Di Mark’s Pizza crust is: thin, but not too thin, crunchy on the outside but still soft and chewy on the inside, baked just right and no excessive grease! This pizza is divine! And I love the earthy herbaceous taste of it!

I'm loving the old school picnic feel tablecloth! :)

The place is really small so expect it to be cozy. And I love their yellow walls (the color gives a warm ambiance)! We’re loving the cantina feel of the place. The sight, smell and feel of it. Yes, it’s home cooked quality food at its finest! Reasonably prized menu (we spent around P550 for our meal). The distinct food taste compensated its small serving size. The place was kinda packed that night, so I guess it’s to blame for the blah service.

We’re definitely coming back. Maybe after our long beach trip so I could chomp on more food. Oh my, this diet is killing me!

Located at Alabang Town Center for residents of the South.

Tagaytay Getaway: Tower Ground Bulalohan

This bulalo house is located at Aguinaldo Hi-way, Tagaytay City. A swarm of overlooking bulalo houses in Aguinaldo Hi-way awaits you, plenty of choices to choose from. I didn’t get to eat much, I haven’t eaten Bulalo for almost 6 years now, and I hadn’t had the chance to try Sisig as well. When it comes to food musings, I’m not that good when it comes to describing meat dishes. I’m sorry, but I already asked my siblings to describe it for me.

The place looks like a canteen. It’s an open-house type eatery, so if you’re more on the upper class side, steer away from this place. 

So here’s what we’ve ordered:

Kapeng Barako: P48
Barako coffee has a strong caffeine content.
It's Batangas' well loved coffee. :)  

Pork Sisig: P200

Extra Bulalo: P380
(sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the entire earthen pot) 

My siblings loved the Sisig. I asked hubby to have a taste as well and claims that it’s that good too. (I’m so sorry if I can’t elaborate. Hahaha! I already forgot what meat tastes like!) 

Hubby and I ordered Calamares and Fresh Lumpia (sorry, I wasn’t able to take pictures because we’re too famished, LOL). I’m so disappointed with both. The squid’s overcooked and it’s almost like chewing rubber. I have braces and my teeth hurt like hell! The veggies from the lumpia filling were soggy. It looks like it has been reheated a dozen times.

scenic view of Taal Lake :)

There’s a corkage fee, a minimum of P1300 order so you could use the huts located at the bottom of the resto, which overlooks an amazing view of Taal lake. This place is a good bulalo house, hence, the name. It’s a nice place to hang out with family and friends.

w/ my siblings, Paul and his brother Chie

good cheap eats! for only P200 per head! :)

Next time, I’ll just bring my own food. :P

A Quick Post

Ohhh my! I've abandoned this blog! I'm so sorry, blog. Mommy lost her food writing mojo due to unfortunate twist of events. But I'll post food reviews soon. I miss food blogging. :(

DIY: Pesto-Nut Pasta w/ Chicken Paprika Strips

Ingredients:

garlic

chopped fresh sweet basil

ground walnut

grilled chicken strips

your choice of cooked pasta

olive oil

spanish paprika

salt and pepper to taste 

How to:

for chicken strips

marinate chicken breast in olive oil, 

paprika, pepper, a little salt for at least 15 mins

pan grill until done

cut into small strips

saute garlic in olive oil

add basil and ground walnut

add your grilled chicken strips

toss w/ cooked pasta

season according to taste

**drizzle w/ white sauce for extra oomph** 

Popular Post: Chic Boy Chicken at Baboy

It was just recently that I've been blogging about food posts and I decided to make a separate blog about it. Apparently, eating has been more pleasurable to me nowadays (hence, the weight gain) because it's the only luxury we can afford for the time being. 

So I was surprised when I received a PM on my FB account that says:

click to zoom photo :)

Somebody reads my food blog! LOL. I'm glad they found it wonderful, though it isn't what you will call a review. The Chic Boy post is more like of a rant because it's not that detailed and it's very brief. But thank you, I appreciate it. So, I don't mind at all. :)

I know it's nothing. I'm not a popular blogger and most of the time, I just blog about personal rants. But it means to me because I don't blog to get paid, and definitely I don't do this to become famous (and most of my readers are very few friends). I blog because I love to write and I wanna share my instantaneous search for budget-friendly-yet-to-discover food restos around the metro with the people around me and with the people who also happens to be a cheapskate when it comes to restaurant choices. 

And it made the Chic Boy post the most popular post in this blog of mine. 

Till next! :)

Thank you Ms. Cat Juan for posting the link in your website!
Means a lot to a newbie food blogger! :)  

Cheap Eats: Weekend Munchies

Some random eats over the weekend. :)

Red Dragon's Ebi Tempura:
Yummiest tempura I've tasted from Seaside Dampa Daanghari.

My New Year Munchies:
because I've had too much to eat :P 

Holiday cupcakes:
and because I just can't stop staring at them! :)

Good Cheap Eats: SM Southmall Las Pinas

We went to SM Southmall a few weeks ago and was surprised by the newly renovated mall. We're impressed! It's a knockoff of SM Mall of Asia, but a smaller version of it. There are those high-end stores, stores you can only see in upscale Northern Metro Manila malls. Well, you get the picture. :P

Hubby's sick that day and he's craving for some hot congee and I miss eating from BODHI as well, so we went to the nearest mall within our proximity area. Where else but the MOA of the far south? ;D

approximately p90 and it comes w/ an 8oz iced tea! :)

ME: You always have tofu every time we go out to eat,
Di ka ba naumay? Tofu's all we eat at home!
TATAY: No. Sarap eh. 

Hubby's another attempt at being a vegetarian. ;)

sickly boy on New Year's day

    

Happy 2011, everyone! :)

Tagaytay Getaway: Chateau Hestia

This was also in my other blog, but I'll make a separate post for my food musings.

Chateau Hestia is a garden restaurant, it's more like Sonya's Garden, but the food is authentic European (so it's a variety of Greek, Italian, French food, and etc).

 I love how it is secluded and away from the usual Tagaytay highway dine- in restos. This is located in Lagusan Drive, Barangay Bukal. You have to drive merely two hours from Muntinlupa to reach the place (without traffic of course).

 But the long drive is so worth the food and the romantic country feel. 

I didn't enjoy the food much as I was thinking of a lot of things that time. 

We ordered the following munchies:

Margherita Pizza

This is your usual vegetarian pizza with a twist. It has a minty taste in it and I haven't noticed not until I was almost done with my first slice. Baked thinly and just right.   

Pasta di Mare

A combination of scallops and prawns in Pomodoro sauce.

 I didn't like this pasta dish as it tastes bland to me. Such a disappointment. 

Chicken Geschnetzeltes "Zurich Style"

This is a chicken recipe cooked in a white wine sauce w/ mushrooms and sour cream. Tatay loved this dish! He finished up the whole platter. I think the secret is the sauce, it is very savory and I'm guessing it has beef broth in it.

 Serving is enough to be shared by two people.  

Ferrero Rocher homemade Gelato

I can actually munch on the Ferrero Rocher morsels. Not too sweet and creamy.

 Really small serving as you can see, it just fits the bottom of a cocktail glass. 

More pictures in our secluded nook:

cutesy plate! :)

chairs. have you noticed that I have a chair fetish? hihi. :P

first time to use an actual IKEA utensils. cool, eh? :)

suddenly, I became more inspired to paint again. :)

I enjoyed the food! But more than that, I fell in love with the place.

 Tatay always knew that Tagaytay has always had a special spot in my heart. So taking me to this restaurant for a romantic date was such a delight for me. I didn't enjoy the food as I was thinking of the expensive menu, LOL. He made a reservation in advance so we got this secluded nook away from other customers. It's like we have the place all to ourselves. Our attendants has been really courteous, making sure we have enough water every time they gave us our refill. They even gave us a complimentary dessert and wine on the house! Nice, eh? :)

I would recommend this restaurant for a quick romantic getaway.

 It's also a good place to have a proposal! :)

Read more of it here:

Good Cheap Eats: Chic Boy Chicken at Baboy

It was Tatay who wanted to try the Cebu Lechon Manok at Chic Boy Chicken and Baboy. He's been bugging me for a week to try it. Finally, I agreed to give it a try. 

The place looks like Mang Inasal. There were condiments readily available, free soup and a set meal that comes with unlimited rice. Tatay loved his lechong manok, says it's better than Mang Inasal. I loved my kangkong w/ garlic and my garlic rice. 

while waiting for our food 

Kangkong with garlic bits

Chic Boy lechong manok

ceiling

our bill: only P225

About to go home!
 My hardworking hubby, still managed to do the groceries
 after a hard day's work at the office. ;)

Surprisingly cheap and good! :)

Located at Puregold Molito for Alabang residents.

DIY: Extra Spicy Chili Crabs

This is something I look forward to every Sunday at Mom's place

Cooking extra spicy Chili Crabs

Ingredients:

boiled crabs

1/4 cup oyster sauce

2 tbsp UFC banana ketchup

1/4 cup Jap rice wine

sugar and salt to taste

lots of garlic and chili

How to:

saute garlic w/ olive oil

add chili 

add the crabs

add the Jap rice wine, simmer for at least 2mins

add the oyster sauce and ketchup 

season according to taste 

Yumminess! My DIY extra spicy Chili Crabs!

How about you? How do you cook your crabs? :)

-All the best, Juana ♥

What one thing are you exceptionally good at?

I'm superb in making yummy vegetarian dishes. Just ask Mr. Reyes. ;)

Ask me anything

Cheap Eats: SM Makati Supermarket

Our new food loots over the weekend. :)

Mango Float: YUMMINESS!

Revel Bars

Malunggay fortified Shing-A-Ling & Banana Chips
Cheap and healthy! :))

New Eats: The Sandwich Guy

We went to St. James Christmas Bazaar last Saturday, Tatay, Bes and I.

Of course a Cuenca Bazaar wouldn't be complete without our usual food hunting. :P

We bought sandwiches at The Sandwich Guy. It's just your usual wheat sandwich, nothing really spectacular. Sandwiches are okay. A bit pricey for a Veggie sandwich, costs 100PHP. Tatay loved his Big Time sandwich. It has a little bit of everything and it is as big as a Big Mac burger, no wonder he liked it so much. Bes' didn't like his Bacon Chicken Combo. The reason he just bought it is because of the long line waiting in the Shawarma stall. It's been two consecutive days that Bes has been eating "healthily", lol.

Veggie Delight

Big Time

Bacon Chicken Combo

The verdict:

They have a variety of choices, lots to choose from. A good munch when you're on the go. Healthy and light, but filling. Prices are fair for meat sandwiches. I hope they lower down the price of their Veggie sandwich or at least make it bigger, it's a bit pricey for a regular sandwich. Hey, what do you expect? It's Cuenca Bazaar. :P

Food Trip Friday: Pito & Mita

We initially planned to go to Mercato Centrale, but I found out from their website that they’re only open every weekend, Saturdays and Sundays, 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Too bad, I badly wanted to go there on our Friday Food Trip getaway, it’ll be a breather to go somewhere else because we’re always in the Southern part of the Metro plus we’ll be tagging along friends with us who haven't tried organic munchies yet. Well, anyways, there's always a next time and hopefully, we can go there before the year ends. :)

I searched for restos around BF Homes Paranaque area and stumbled upon Pito & Mita.

Pito & Mita is a casual, sit- down resto that caters to people of all ages.
 They serve dishes inspired by traditional recipes originating from the Mediterranean region- some Spanish and some Italian with a few French and Greek dishes.           
                                                                         

Like most restos in BF Homes, it was an old house converted into a resto. I fell in love with their lovely interiors. I love the yellow hue in their walls (cos of the ceiling drapes). The place is so cozy, there are ceiling drapes and chandeliers which I found romantic, very Victorianesque. I instantly knew that our postponed trip to Mercato Centrale was worth exchanging for a night out in Pito & Mita.

their lovely ceiling :)

I love the old charm feel to their chairs

Because that night, my hubby and our best friend decided to be Pescetarians.

We ordered the 5 cheese dip for our appetizer and Caesar salad for Tatay and Bes
 (yes, they're salad eaters now, lol). Bes and I ordered the Tomato Moringa Pasta while Tatay got the Parmesan-Crusted Baked Fish with Potato Gratin as our main course, Lemon & Moringa juice for refreshments and Apple Pie ala Mode for dessert.

The 5 cheese dip tastes divine! I love how you can still see the variations of the cheese in it.  It is good for 2 people but the actual serving is good for 3 people. 

5 cheese dip

You could actually munch cheese morsels in it! Divine!

The Caesar dressing tastes different. It's the best Caesar dressing I've tasted so far. I guess they make their own dressing as it has a distinct taste in it. I asked the waiter about it and I got a confirmed conclusion. ;)

Tatay and Bes's Caesar Salad

They served our pastas and Tatay's baked fish in a heated plate. 
Nice! Talk about authenticity! 

The Tomato Moringa Pasta is a healthy mix of tomatoes, garlic, basil and malunggay leaves served with Angel hair pasta. It tastes so darn good that you won't even notice it's a vegetarian dish. It doesn't taste like your usual Italian pasta and believe me, you won't even taste the "malunggay" leaves. Bes and I happily ate the delicious pasta dish, nodding every time we had a bite.

Tomato Moringa Pasta

I can't even start with Tatay's Parmesan-Crusted Baked Fish with Potato Gratin. It tastes so delish! It really melts in the mouth. The fish is so creamy and baked just enough. The Potato Gratin was superb! The dish is big enough to be shared by two people.

Tatay's Parmesan-Crusted Baked Fish with Potato Gratin

We ordered the Apple Pie ala Mode for dessert. It looked so cute that for a moment I was hesitant to eat it, lol. It's not your usual slice of pie. It looks like a cupcake with ice cream on top of it. After staring and admiring it's cuteness I decided to have a bite of it. I'm a fan of apple pies but this apple pie is different. The crust is soft but crumbly, you could see the thinly sliced apple when you cut it in half. It's not too sweet. The combination of the warm filling with the vanilla ice cream was heavenly! I just keep on nodding and mumbling "ohhh-ummm" every time I took a bite.

Our Apple Pie ala Mode

The Lemon & Moringa juice tastes so refreshing 
and again, you won't even taste the malunggay in it.

Lemon and Malunggay Juice

We truly loved all the food we've eaten. We looked like silly bunch of kids eating happily, savoring and nodding with each bite. Prices are just right. Besides the good food, it was the service that we liked best. All the waiters are courteous and kind enough in answering my queries. Service is fast. The waiters happily served us, making sure that we have a pleasant dining experience. I love the food, love love the service and we'll definitely be coming back for more Pito & Mita experience.

Because I am usually the one taking photos,
 sometimes a big mirror might come in handy.
 Tatay, Juana and Bes

Find out more about it at: 
Pito & Mita's Facebook Page