Alabang Restaurant

Food, Friends and Fun at Sweet Bella Molito

May 29, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 26 Comments

It has happened. I am becoming old(er) and forgetful. Those of you who are my friends and followers on Facebook know that, earlier this month, I went to a restaurant to do a food review and forgot to bring a camera. That would have been okay if my phone was nice and high tech, but no. I have a BlackBerry and a very, very, very, VERY low-end Samsung. Basically, I sat down and realized that I was toast.

But, because I was with amazing friends that day, this post won’t be a boring, wordy account of what the food looked and tasted like. My new-found friend Jane of Sugar & Spice, and my neighborly neighbor Michelle of Momma ‘N Manila decided to save me by sharing their photos with me. Thank God for these two, because trust me, one look at the photos and you will want to come to Sweet Bella for lunch or dinner.

With wonderful friends at Sweet Bella - Michelle, Kathi, Patty, Cai, Jane, and owner, Veron — With wonderful friends at Sweet Bella – Michelle, Kathi, Patty, Cai, Jane, and one of the owners, Veron

All the other ladies were there when I arrived. I was really rushing that day because we had football in the morning, and then I was scheduled to enroll Little MrC at school in the afternoon. Yes, that’s my excuse for forgetting my camera at home. The other mommies actually brought their kids with them, but mine was too tired to go out for lunch. It was too bad, because they served all of his favorite things at the kids’ table.

Four Cheese and Rustica Pizzas, and Penne Carbonara

I got to try some of the Rustica Pizza (Php395), which is topped with Italian sausage, Hungarian sausage, frankfurter, pepperoni, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Yum. I could even eat this for breakfast. There was also a Four Cheese Pizza (Php395) with fontina, mozzarella, bleu and parmesan cheeses, and Penne Carbonara (Php350) served to the kids. Like I said, all of my little boy’s favorites.

Now that I think about it, a lot of the dishes served to us mommies are faves of my kiddo as well. I swear, I need to take the boys here real soon. For sure, MrC would love the Seafood Chowder (Php250), which is one of the super winner dishes in my opinion. It’s loaded bits of seafood, a definite plus considering that most restaurants have more soup than meat in their chowder. The zigzag bread stick that comes with it is a perfect complement. I also truly enjoyed the HUGE Rockefeller Oysters (Php395) served to us.

Beef Salpicao, Rockefeller Oysters and Seafood Chowder

One dish that deserves special mention is the USDA Beef Salpicao (Php450), which is served with steak rice. The rice has bits of crispy beef and bits of crispy fat in it. So, so, so good. This is perfectly flavored, very garlicky, and an absolute must-try. You won’t regret it, I promise. So worth the calorie splurge.

Gambas with Foccaccia Bread, Grilled Salmon Steak and Capellini Pomodore e Salsa Verde Pasta

Michelle says that she likes to order the salpicao, plus an order of Gambas al Ajillo (Php270) for an instant surf n turf meal. Sounds like a good idea, for sure! The best way to eat the gambas is to pop a piece of shrimp in your mouth, whole if you can, then soak up some of the oil with your bread and pop that into your mouth right after. Mmm, good.

If you’re craving for pasta, you need to try the Capellini Pomodore e Salsa Verde (Php395). It has truffle oil, pomodoro sauce AND pesto sauce, plus crunchy balsamic-glazed eggplant on the side. This goes really well with the Grilled Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce (Php495). I have to tell you, I don’t normally like cooked salmon. I don’t like the rubbery texture that comes from overcooking the fish. Sweet Bella’s though was cooked perfectly. It was tender, flaky and just melts in your mouth.

Actually, everything we ate that day was perfectly cooked. Even the salpicao cubes were a little bit pink inside, imagine that? Now, if the beef cubes were perfect, you can just imagine how amazingly perfect this piece of wagyu beef was.

Sweet Bella is actually the pretty, pink sister of Melo’s and House of Wagyu, so you can be sure that the steaks they serve are superior-grade. I can totally eat an entire Rib-eye Steak (Php995) all by myself, coz I’m takaw like that. But, I was smart enough to only have a small piece because the best part of our meal was yet to come – DESSERT!

As you walk into Sweet Bella, you are greeted by a display of gorgeous cakes. I was so happy when I heard that we were going to be given six different mini cakes to try. I love cake! Oh, note that the prices for the cakes below are for the personal size.

First, there’s the Mangotier (Php275), an oven-baked cheesecake with mango mousse and fresh mango coulis. The Chocolata (Php220), which has been voted as best dessert, is a chocolate cake layered with ganache and topped with chocolate glass and butterflies. So pretty! They warmed this for us before serving, making it all melty and delicious. The chocoholic in me is happy.

Just when I thought that it couldn’t get any better, I had a bite of the Trio (Ph275). It has layers of coffee mousse, and dark and white chocolate mousse, and just literally melts in your mouth. This, along with the Mi Camille (Php295) are my favorites. The Mi Camille dome is made of a delicate Belgian milk chocolate mousse on top of hazelnut praline on top of French biscuit on top of an almond praline crust. Chocolate plus nuts, for the win.

These last two cakes win simply because they are pink. The Strawberry Shortcake (Php275) is a tower of vanilla cake layered with strawberry cream. This is so good with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. And oh, the Hot Chocolate at Sweet Bella is a must-try, too. If you want something unique, try the Pearl (Php295), a pink guava mousse filled with flambeed mango. This one was voted best dessert as well.

I’m really so glad that I got to borrow photos for this post! It wouldn’t be the same without them, right? I’m even happier that I actually made it to this lunch. I almost missed it because of my nutty summer schedule, and I’m glad I made an effort to be there. I know what I would have been missing, and really, it would have been a lot.

Oh, one last thing. Sweet Bella has AMAZING sugar free ensaymadas and cheese rolls. We recently got some for my lola, and she loved them. She had them as a snack, as dessert, as breakfast, and I think as lunch also, once. You have to order these in advance, though, and it takes 2-3 days before they are delivered to the branch.

Thank you, thank you, Michelle for inviting me, Michelle and Jane for sharing your photos, and, of course, Veron for having us. I will definitely be back soon with the family!

SWEET BELLA CAFE
Cluster II, Unit IIB
Molito, Alabang
(02) 556-4247
sweetbella_alabang@yahoo.com
sweetbellacakes@yahoo.com
#/sweetbellacafe

Mmm-Maple

April 22, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 24 Comments

The boys and I finally got to dine at Maple when my sister requested for it as her birthday dinner venue. Yes, I know, that was a month ago. I actually forgot to write about it, and that’s why this post is delayed. And I have to stop saying better late than never. I can think of about three posts off the top of my head where I said those words.

So anyway, we had dinner at Maple last March, one of the newer restaurants in the newly opened second half of CommerCenter. This is the exact same place where Kessaku is located, but Maple wasn’t open yet when we went for our Japanese dinner late last year. What I like best about CommerCenter is that there are a lot of parking spaces available in it’s basement lot. I suppose though that parking may start becoming more difficult once all of the establishments in the building are open.

They have a bar menu and serve cocktails after 5. And for Valentine’s day, Maple had… Lovester. Azar.

We had to wait at an outside (within the mall, outside the restaurant) table for a bit because, apparently, Maple’s dining area is quite small and there were no tables inside when we arrived. We took that time to browse their menu and start ordering ahead. It took me a while to decide what to eat because I was still pretty full from our late lunch that day. and because I wanted to try both the breakfast and lunch/dinner menu offerings!

Once we were seated, everyone basically started doing their own thing

Our orders started arriving one by one, starting with the drinks. The kiddo, of course, opted for a Chocolate Milkshake. I super enjoyed my Country Iced Tea, which had lots of oranges and lemons floating in it.

The kid and I also decided to share a Stuffed French Toast, and that came way ahead of all the other dishes. Since it was getting late, we decided to go right ahead and start eating.

My iced tea and our Stuffed French Toast

Of course, no matter how full I was, I just had to taste all the other food that was served. We chose two pasta dishes, Pasta Leggero, which was farfalle pasta topped with sundried tomato pesto, cherry tomatoes and asparargus, and the Black Truffle Pasta, which was linguine with a black truffle cream sauce, pancetta, prosciutto and a drizzle of black truffle oil. I absolutely loved the truffle pasta. I would go back just for that.

Mom chose the 48 Hour Short Ribs, which had a nice, somewhat spicy sauce, but was a little too soft for my taste. You literally didn’t need teeth to eat it, and I know that some people like meat that is that tender. It’s just not really my thing. MrC ordered the Chili Burger, and I really liked that, too. The fries that came with it were super yummy.

My dad and brother both tried the Big Maple Breakfast with Belgian Waffles, bacon, breakfast sausages, country fries and two eggs. So much food! I tried a bit of the waffle, and came to the conclusion that I prefer the lunch/dinner meals at Maple over their breakfast dishes.

As they were laying down our food, I discretely whispered to the server that it was my sister’s birthday. I love that they made an effort to present her with a bowl of ice cream with a birthday candle to greet her Happy Birthday.

Overall, I liked Maple, and I look forward to going back. Next time, though, I will make sure to go on an empty stomach.

Maple
GF Commercenter Alabang
Commerce Ave, Filinvest Corporate City
Alabang, Muntinlupa City
478-9148 / 477-8388
Facebook.com/MapleRestaurantPH
Twitter.com/MaplePH
Instagram.com/Maple_PH

The Mysterious Chairman Wang and His Prime Beef Noodle House

April 9, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 32 Comments

The little boy and I joined a couple other bloggers last week at an intimate lunch mini-event in the newly opened Chairman Wang’s Prime Beef Noodle House in Molito. We have been excited about this event since mid-March when we received the invite because we are always in Molito, and we’d really been waiting for this place to open for some months now. Chairman Wang’s finally opened it’s doors last February, and I hear from their Operations Manager, Blush, that things have been going well for them so far. It’s not surprising, really, because, as we discovered, the food there is really yummy.

Who is Chairman Wang

This was actually the first question that I asked Blush and the restaurant’s Marketing Malanger, Alyz. I had actually expected Chairman Wang to be a fictional character, but apparently he is real! He is a chef, an expert noodle-puller and restaurant owner in China, and he decided to open a noodle house here together with some Filipino partners. We were told that Chairman Wang trained the chefs in noodle-pulling himself, and he was also very hands-on in developing the menu for the restaurant.

We got to watch one of the expert noodle-pullers in action!

My follow-up question was, “Is he old?” Why did I ask this? Well, it’s because I kind of imagined Chairman Wang to look like those old Kung Fu masters I remember seeing on TV when I was little, when Sunday mornings meant that Chinese Drama Theater was on. As in the ones with long hair, either white or black, long mustaches, long beards, and sometimes even long eyebrows. This was pre-cable, so I don’t know if any of you younger guys out there know what I’m talking about.

Checking out the beautiful restaurant interiors with my fellow bloggers

No, Chairman Wang is not old and he does not look like a Shaolin master according to Blush, who had the chance to train under him. The restaurant, though, looks like it came straight out of a Kung Fu movie set, and I think that might be what sparked my inquiry. Lol. A lot of the accents including their wall panel decor, mural and drop lights were actually imported from China for the noodle house. I really wanted to see what Mr Wang looks like, but I guess his face will have to remain a mystery for now.

Hand-pulled noodles and Szechuan-style cooking

Here in the Philippines, Chinese restaurants usually serve Cantonese cuisine. Chairman Wang’s features more of a Szechuan-style menu, with bolder spices and stronger flavors. In contrast, the freshly made noodles in their signature dish – the prime Angus beef broth – was mild and delicate, perfectly complementing the other food that was served to us.

Blush and Alyz did most of the ordering. Here’s what we had.

We were served a carafe of Chrysanthemum Iced Tea, which is a mix of chrysanthemum tea, longgan, goji berries, honey and mint leaves. This is super refreshing, and really my kind of iced tea. There was also some Lemon Ginger Ale, which I wasn’t able to try. For our appetizers, we tried the Smoked Duck Breast in Hoisin Wrap and the Braised Beancurd Skin with Soy Tofu. I loved the beancurd skin. It was really crispy and tasty. The duck wrap was good also, except that there was cilantro inside, and I really don’t like cilantro.

I know that people would usually try new things when in new places, but because I am a creature of habit (and I had a kid with me), I requested for the Sweet and Sour Pork and Olive Fried Rice. Little MrC actually wanted to try a different kind of fried rice, but it was the olive rice that was highly recommended. He wasn’t so hot on the idea of this unfamiliar dish so he ended up eating plain rice instead. I thought that the olive rice was really flavorful and went well with the sweet and sour. Instead of the usual pineapple chunks, the pork dish had orange wedges in it. It was good, but definitely not what we’re used to.

As for the noodle bowls, we got to try the Chairman’s Prime Beef Noodle Soup, which I loved, and the Poached Sliced Beef with Vermicelli in Spicy Sichuan Broth, which was good but really flavorful and oily. It was also on the spicy side. MrC would super love this.

The kiddo and his special request + my favorites

My favorites of all were the Shrimp Hakaw (I told you, creature of habit), and the Chinese Curry Lamb Caserole, which was a total surprise because this was the first time that I ever had lamb at a Chinese restaurant. I love lamb and I love curry, and so this was an expected hit for my taste buds. This dish needs plain rice though, as it’s really so potently flavored, so I was happy to finish off what was left of the kiddo’s jasmine rice bowl.

Little MrC and I both agree that dessert was the best part of our meal. We each had a bowl of Chilled Coconut Milk Soup with Sago and Fresh Fruits. This was soooooooo good, not too sweet, and super refreshing. It’s perfect for a hot summer snack with the fresh grapes, dragon fruit and other tropical fruits swimming in the coconut milk broth. I would go back just for this. Really.

Thumbs up, Chairman Wang!

This restaurant gets a thumbs up from me. I promised Blush and Alyz that the fambam will come visit some time, and guess what, they already did! Last weekend, my parents and my brother had dinner in Chairman Wang’s and they were pretty happy with their experience, too. One thing that my brother noted was that the servers really knew their menu. He has food allergies, and they were able to tell him what he could and couldn’t eat.

Blush told us, actually, that the servers really were made to learn their food offerings inside-out, and I noticed that when we were there. Of course, I figured they would all bring their A-game for us bloggers. So when my brother told me that the server during their visit knew his stuff as well, I was definitely impressed. I can safely say that Chairman Wang’s staff members really offer top-notch service to their customers.

Thank you, Blush, Alyz and the rest of the Chairman Wang staff!

MrC has yet to try the yummy food here, so we will definitely see everyone again at Chairman Wang’s! Thank you, Blush and Alyz for being such gracious hosts, and of course, for allowing me to bring the little guy along for lunch. I super appreciate it.

Chairman Wang’s Prime Beef Noodle House
Unit 18 Molito Lifestlye Complex
Madrigal Avenue, Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Phone: (02) 828-8477
#/chairmanwangs

My Ratatouille Moment at Kessaku Japanese Restaurant

February 18, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 10 Comments

If you’ve lived in Alabang as long as we have, you will probably remember a restaurant that used to be in Casa Susana, called Okasan. I’ve been trying to look for a photo or anything else online that might be able to prove that it once existed, but sadly, there’s nothing. It vanished before Friendster, Multiply or Facebook became popular, and before everyone had digital cameras and camera phones.

My family and I used to go there all the time. It’s was once our go-to place for birthdays, random celebrations and weekend meals out with the family. I remember that the first time MrC and I went out to dinner, that’s where we went. I think that was during our first anniversary in 2000. We were there so often that the waiters already knew what our favorite dishes were. And when they started offering a delivery service, our favorite waiter from the restaurant would come to the house to bring the food himself. It’s too bad that after they closed, we had no idea if they were ever going to open again, or if they had a sister restaurant or another branch, at least. Okasan just went away, and with it went our favorites – the Tonkatsu with cabbage and thousand island dressing, Ebi Tempura, the crunchy dilis that they serve as appetizers, and the unforgettable Tori Kuwayaki.

The Best Thing About Dating Your Husband

February 16, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 13 Comments

As the Valentine weekend is finally coming to a close, I’d like to share a realization that I had with you. Dating your husband really is a wonderful thing. There are countless reasons why, but this season of love, I’ve found one, very definitive one. Ready?

The best thing about dating your husband is being able to eat Paella Negra without worrying that you look like this practically the entire evening.

At the same time, it also spares you of that awkward scenario where you have to figure out how to tell your date that he looks like this, without completely embarrassing him.

Because my husband knows that I am afraid of traffic and crowds, he took me out to dinner on the 13th instead of the 14th. This right here is another perk that comes with dating your husband – you don’t need to tell him what you want and don’t want to do. In our case, he knows well enough that an evening with good food and a bottle of wine does the trick, and that’s exactly what I got, so, yay!

The food at Barcino is really good. I love Spanish food, and the chardonnay recommended by our server perfectly matched our meal. I’m curious to know if they still have their weekend brunch buffet. I’d love to go back and try that sometime.

We had Pan con Tomate, Gambas, Paella Negra and Croquetas with Jamon Serrano

This was one of the few times that MrC and I actually did something to celebrate Valentine’s Day in our 15 years of togetherness.

February 14 was spent with my little boy. He and I went on an afternoon movie date. Of course, we went home immediately after, just so we could avoid the traffic that was already building up. Then we had a super yummy steak dinner at home, prepared by my mom.

I’m glad that I got to celebrate Valentine’s day with both of my boys this year. How did you guys celebrate hearts day with your loved ones?

Mexican Cravings Satisfied at Hermanos Taco Shop

September 27, 2012 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 3 Comments

If I were a skinny person and I needed to make an effort to eat a lot, chances are you would find me at Hermanos every single day. I kid you not. I love Mexican food. Oh but wait, I love food in general. But Mexican food has a special place in my heart (or should I say in my belly?)

When Hermanos Taco Shop first opened at the Molito Lifestlye Complex, it was MrC who got excited to try it out. Then, during our recent Boracay trip I was really craving for nachos and burritos, but we never got to eat in Mañana. So the day after we got back, which was the actual date of our wedding anniversary (yes, I just HAD to mention that), MrC, the little guy and I decided to give Hermanos a try. And oh my golly, my taste buds were so happy we made that choice.

We had a late lunch that day so we had the restaurant all to ourselves! The place isn’t so big, and I actually found it rather cozy. My one complaint is that they don’t have their own restroom. They only have an area where you can wash your hands.

As usual, I over ordered. I tend to get excited when I look a the menu of a restaurant for the first time, as if I want to try everything all at once. We got an order of Carne Asada Chips to start with, Quesadillas for the little boy, and a burrito each for MrC and I.

Carne Asada Chips aka Nachos
Tortilla chips with diced sirloin steak, melted cheese and sour cream
Plus pico de gallo and salsa on the side

California Burrito
It has french fries inside instead of rice, diced sirloin steak and cheese sauce
Plus sour cream and pico de gallo on the side

Carne Asada Burrito
Marinated broiled sirloin steak, Mexican rice and veggies
Plus salsa on the side

I seem to have forgotten how heavy Mexican food can be. Mr C and I ended up halving the California Burrito and having the Carne Asada wrapped. Other than that, we finished with clean plates and full stomachs after our meal. I’m glad we decided to just have water instead of ordering drinks. Our server did recommend the House Horchata, a milky Mexican drink made with rice, cinnamon and sugar, but we had already ordered so much. Maybe next time.

I heated the Carne Asada Burrito for lunch a couple of days after our visit and it was still really, really good. I could hardly finish it on my own since it was so packed and heavy, so I’d say the servings really are best shared with a friend.

Overall, we enjoyed Hermanos, and we’ll be back for sure. The only thing missing in that place is some frozen Margaritas.

Hermanos Taco Shop

Unit 9B Cluster 2 Molito Complex

Alabang, Muntinlupa

921-5892144

#/ilovehermanostacoshop

Much love and happiness,

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