Of Clothes, Collectibles and Coffee, at the Appraisery

It has been a long year since I last had an experience with some friends just shooting the breeze at Cubao X. I used to refer to it as Cubao Expo, but now I think it's known to many as Cubao X.   A few weeks ago I got an SMS invite from a fellow blogger about this seemingly new cafe at the venue.  I almost forgot how I missed the place, so even though I was busy conceptualizing and building up my new blog which is all about DIY weddings and design, I just had to say YES.

I got all giddy, not minding how hard it was getting on the MRT late in the afternoon, that I would see my favorite art gallery and shops there.  Upon reaching the place, I realized that I didn't bring extra cash, for I know I will get something for my girls and myself, of course.  I remembered last time, I went home with a lot of accessories and old children's books.

I came a bit late than the other bloggers, but I know I have to go around the vicinity first and see if The Reading Room and the craft store is still there.  Sad to say, The Bead Lady, Heima and some other art galleries were replaced with other businesses.

But it sure was glad to know a new store popped up bringing with them a great selling concept, where you can buy pre-loved branded fashion items, get a glimpse of rare collectibles, play or trade collectible cards and have some great grubs and fine coffee concoctions.

 The Appraisery, as the namesake would imply is more than just your friendly "UK" store, or "ukay-ukay" to the "less sosyal."   It is where you can bring your pre-loved or unused branded fashion items to be appraised, then to be sold.  Once appraised, you have two options whether to sell it at the appraiser's determined price or get a voucher in replace for it, the voucher can be used to purchase other items from the collection or to buy coffee.  Nifty, don't you think?  Well that is,  if they can accept your item/s in mint or good selling condition.  The owner, Victor Prieto has all the standards, so don't hesitate to look for him and ask him all about how you can have your items sold.  Victor, though is not the appraiser but he is to count on when you ask for the cafe's lead barista.

Let's talk about their coffee mixes and food, shall we?

Let me start with a non-murk beverage which happens to be one of the most asked in Appraisery.  Tea drinkers would love this.  I used to detest tea and milk when combined but this one made me love the idea.  Of course, the vegetal taste is there and I like that it's not too sugary like other matchas I've tried.  The creaminess from the milk and the comforting frothy matcha tea will play in your palate while the strong tea aroma lingers leaving a note of bitterness at the end of every sip.

If you have been addicted to fraps, well trying something out of your regular franchised coffee fix can be worth the treat.  On that note, you may want to sip in this cold glass of  Mocha Frappe. It's a mix of choco and coffee in ice, adorably topped with a milky foam and cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup..   

Another drink that was served to our group was Michelle.  This is not your typical gal, hehe, hot coffee, it's a Christmas-y taste sans the ambiance in your cup.  Served in Irish coffee glass mug, the hot coffee have hints of pumpkin spice, cinnamon and white chocolate.  But before the splendor of the coffee comes first the ultimate milk froth which has that cinnamon essence.  Since the concoction was mixed with white chocolate the consistency of the hot beverage is tad thick and creamy, the experience of one sip (since the coffee was not mine) comes to a close encounter with a usual eggnog but on a different level.

Another much raved for drink from their regular customers is the drink called Kumbaya.  Named after the song, everyone who have tried it can easily say it's the drink best described as "the camp fire coffee fix."  This is another kitchen testament when one who has the passion in whatever he does, he does it best even when he plays around with ingredients.  Victor, the main Barista slash chef slash owner would seriously attest that his kitchen at times would be his laboratory and art room at the same time.  This espresso-based drink was mixed with graham crackers, and marshmallows.  I only got a sip, though I could not really tell whether bits of smores were dunked in the cup of espresso.  

So, till my return, Kumbaya!

To put this brewer joint to the test I got myself their regular brew, Cafe Americano, in black.  According to Italians this is how foreigners like their caffeine fixed.  It's espresso but diluted in hot water with a ratio of 1:1.  What I like about this shop is that they support local coffee farmers.  This amazing cup of lifeblood actually comes from the Cordillera Mountains, and one that Victor isn't ashamed to tell.  And yes I thought they are using imported coffee beans.  And yeah!  This is one bold yet smooth coffee.  No wonder one of the Italian who last visited them coined the cafe having the best coffee in Manila.

The Appraisery boasts not only of their unique coffee blends, yet can be equaled to expensive franchised coffee shops.  They prioritize quality coffee beans which are brewed within a certain period and make sure that they don't reuse filtered coffee grains.  Victor even asked us if we want to bring home their filtered grounds which can be good as fertilizers or coffee scrubs for the skin.  He also showed us how to check if the coffee maker is doing a fine job with how the filtered grains need to look like after it was used.

I'm sure you would love to pair your coffee with something to munch on.  Here are some food that you would love to have.

This Seattleite, knows his sandwich too well, and let him give the excuse of being lived and studied in Seatlle for coming up with archaic sandwich ideas.  Say for example this Chicken, Avocado, Pesto Triple Decker (P 175).  I have been in love with the scent and explicit taste of creamed basil ever since I first had one as a sauce on my pasta.  Though pesto was used as a sandwich filling (which I have only seen here) it did give a different spin to the usual grilled chicken sandwich.  But wait there's more, there is also guacamole on the sandwich.  I thought it would ruin the taste of the pesto, but it didn't I found the sandwich really refreshing and healthy at that.

So, on the previous sandwich was a blend of Mexican-Italian, how about a Japanese take on a your sandwich.  Now, can you still say humdrum?  These sushi-like sandwich, also called Sushi Sandwich (P 185) is a rolled up sandwich with two kinds of filling, creamed corn with crunchy veggies and avocado, ham.

Oh, let me segue for a bit by introducing their cassava chips, or Namaste, which is served at the side of every sandwiches. Though the Sushi Sandwich plate has something more special with it, the garlic aioli  dip, once you dig in, you might want to dip and dip, my blogger friends thought it was so addicting.  What fancied me though was the different consistency it has.  At first look, it may seem to resemble a white frosting or a merengue.  It did have a sweet note to it, but of course it is also savory due to the garlic infusion.

Pull-pork sandwich had become a craze for a time, in some regions in the US.   I don't know why it didn't get the same welcoming spirit here in Manila.  I can honestly say that I'm not a fan as well, but I find this quite intriguing. It has that Indian spice going on in the sauce atop the pulled pork pieces, with a little spiciness and sourness, plus the fact that the pork meat was slow-cooked to have achieved a tender meat.  I did like though.

For a more adventurous take on your sandwich of choice how about having it with slices of grilled eggplants?   The Grilled Veggie Panini is for every vegetarian and non-vegetarian diners of The Appraisery.  The paninis are spread with a light mayonnaise then filled with grilled eggplants, bell peppers, tomatoes and onions.

If you want something sweet for a sandwich, well, they also have some.  We got to try the Sweet Grilled Panini.  It's like a toast sandwich with cookie butter spread, mallows and Nutella. To make it even sinfully sweet, a dollop of cream with caramel syrup and MnM's goes with it.

******
Cubao x is more than a hang-out, it's a place for everyone, a barista, a vintage collector, a book-lover, for the gamer, for the hard-core artists and those who love inventive meals that's worth trying.  I used to think about the place as "where you can find Bellini Italian Restaurant," but now it is a lot more than that.

Did I also mention that Jericho Rosales would often hangout here for a coffee and chit-chat? He does get a lot of that when the chatterbox of Appraisery is there.  Since Echo, also co-owns the surf shop just in front of the cafe-cum-boutique-cum-gaming station.   Shhh!  That's our little secret.

1109 Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines
Phone (02) 921 2682
Website http://theappraisery.com

HOTEL REVIEW: Wingate Manor Weekend

Because the marriage need to take a break from daily hardships, the houseband has the obligatory duty to take the housewife away from the regular workload at home and give a weekend of retreat where pollution is less, this includes social pollution.
However, since it's the time when budget calls for more and more reviews and assessments, inexpensive means still would be a major priority.  A few help from group buying sites  have been answering that for us for quite some time now.  But there are cases in which a well-thought of plan can still go berserk, like when one child gets sick and that you need to decide whether to pursue the weekend get-away or just bring her along.  In worst cases, you can not only bring just one kid, since we will be bringing one, might as well bring the two of them to ward off more child-sensitive issues.

Coming Back to Designer Blooms

It was a supreme pleasure of finding out that Designer Blooms is owned by Christians coming from Victory Church.  No wonder the place seems to overflow with love.  Actually, it is of love why the business have evolved.  We know giving flowers are not just symbol of honor and respect, more so it is a way of showing how one is loved.

I was there at the launch of Designer Blooms Cafe more than a year ago and I got so in love with the concept of having a cafe and flower shop in one.

So when an opportunity strikes for us to visit it again at Molito, Alabang (since it was a rare occasion for us to go to South area) I was overjoyed.

Hot Star Large Fried Chicken Now in the Philippines

What's the hottest color in Manila right now? Light Blue!
Yes! Light blue is the new red when it comes to food and casual dining.  Gone away are the popping red and  startling yellow themes on fast food franchise, and it's now cool to be blue.
I am feeling this way because I am so drawn to the color, in fact I'll be delegating a post in my wedding blog in honor of it.  My kids would back me up on this, for until now we can't get over the Disney movie, Frozen.
And my husband and I have been babbling about the new Taiwanese fried chicken craze that is soon to storm the foodie world.
I guess you are saying in your mind, what the hell am I talking about.
Before I go trivializing let me just say that this is probably the first coolest thing to happen in the foodie industry right now.  The famous Hot Star Chicken which originated from Taiwan is here already in Manila but with a whole new branding and business strategy.

Watami Now Dishes Up in Shangri-La Plaza

We don't usually get in the habit of going back to high-end restaurants which we had tried unless it's a damn good one.  My kids have been acquainted to traditional Japanese restaurants years ago and every time they would crave for Japanese food we would usually resort to ramen houses or an eat-all-you can sushi and sashimi.

We had recently concluded that there are so-called newbie Japanese restaurants that tries to serve them but fail to satisfy diners with factors such as customer service, quality of food, etc.   Well we had a few bumps trying them out and I dare not talk about them anymore.

But there is this certain Modern Japanese restaurant that won my heart even when I had tried their food for the first time.  Another great thing to this is that it is under one umbrella of one of the finest group of restaurants garnering a lot of success nowadays, even with the continuous emergence of  new food establishments.  I'm talking about The Bistro Group.

The modern Japanese restaurant I'm referring to is Watami which now have opened up it's third branch in the posh Shangri La Mall, East Wing.

The invitation that came to me was for a "meryenda" but turned out to be my second lunch.  I tried one from  their Lunch Set Menu, since all servings from the menu are served either for sharing or individual.  The set menu consist of  a glass of their house tea (cold), a bowl of soup, salad and the main dish. Comes with a stunning price ranging from P 375 to P 425.  One can have the Stone Pot rice-toppings or Ramen.

The Chicken Cutlet with Scrambled Egg Sauce is one that my seatmate Trish of leftoverjinx.com, which I got a bite of, hehe.  It's a lovely battered chicken breast fried to a crisp surrounded by perfectly coagulated scrambled egg in chicken broth.  I think I wrote rice-toppings for the lunch menu, this however is also served with rice but separately.  

Mine also is of chicken-meat, but in a different rendition.  Oh yes, topped in jasmine rice, with some fresh veggies.   Imagine this, a cup of huge rice serving, topped with fresh salad with sweet mayo dressing and amusingly graced with crunchy pieces of chicken spiked up with some kinda honey glazing.  Heaven!  And it's all for P385.  There are some dishes I would usually get tired of easily having it again and again, but not this!

 Isn't that a winner's lunch?  The Miso with mushroom soup is also something to look out for, very hearty.

 Watami's best-seller, Beef sukiyaki has always been the office-gangs' favorite.  It is best served right after cooking.  Won't you look at all those fresh ingredients, making it a healthy lunch option, specially high-grade beef (sukiyaki cut) that sans the marbled  fats (though I still prefer having it once in a while for the delicate flavor it renders the beef cut.

The staff will prepare everything at your table, including the stove.  Also, a little nugget of info - do you know that the soup used for this dish is warishita (割り下 which contains water, dark soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar.  The mirin and sugar gives it's subtle sweet aftertaste at the end of your palate.

When you order the set, the staff will gladly prepare it right in front you.  You can also make the meal more special if you do the cooking yourself whilst your companions are watching or making fun of you.

The finish product...Tadaahh!

Here's Abu, a fellow  blogger and famous minimalist Instagramer (@knowkneetoe) dividing the cooked Sukiyaki among all of us in the table.

Another marvelous first for me here is Watami Japanese Casual restaurant is the Self-grilled Short Ribs.  I don't know about you, but my most favorite meat part is the right next to the ribs.  And this sliced short rib meats  are just to die for, for it flavorful succulence and the simplicity of the dish itself impressed me.

My eyes are glued at those meat being pan fried and was really captivated by the beef soy, buttery aroma.

Make sure to dip it in the sauce that comes with it to complete the recherche dining experience.

Make sure to try their beverages as well.  I had my favorite fruity iced green tea with black pearl sinkers with passion fruit to go with all the grubs I had for my really early dinner.

To cap it all off, every dining experience I have at Watami proved to be top-notch, from the service,  the modern-chic ambiance, the homey-feel despite it being a sought-after Japanese resto, down to the very details of what a casual Japanese dining set up is but with the touch of Filipino hospitality.


"Anata no shokuji o tanoshimu! " That means enjoy your food (thanks Google!)

FOODGASM IV

Oh yes! It's the time of the year when up and coming food businesses, food-lovers and food-bloggers  converge.   When foodie entrepreneurs bring out their most enticing products and bring forth foodies from all corners of the metro to sample and judge each business participants.

Want to take the bite?

Check this out!

FOODGASM IV, UP Ecosoc will be organizing its main fundraising project, the fourth edition to the highly successful Foodgasm events that took place last August 31, 2013, March 09, 2013 and August 25, 2012.

Foodgasm IV is an event that aims to highlight 30 upcoming food businesses and their best dishes through a food tasting competition to be judged by 800 foodies, well-known food bloggers and respected chef-judges.
This food festival is to be  held on March 08, 2014, Saturday, 6pm-11pm, in Mercato Centrale, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

C' Italian Dining Experience

Long after I found out that C' Italian had opened a branch in Ortigas, I just sulked and dreamed on the time I could get my hands on those panizzas and enjoy them where they originated, in Clark, Pampanga.  I was a hopeful and God had answered my prayers.

And there I was at the place where it all started, but without the man who invented them.  However, I have come to know this incredible idea of  rolling a fairly thin crust pizza at Chef Chris' restaurant at My Kitchen in Paco, Manila.  With that thought, let me also tell you that there is a new restaurant with an endearing "scholarly" concept which also serves the same Chef Chris recipe of panizzas- Recess along Jupiter St., Makati.   

The place was simply elegant, white floors, paintings hanging on the walls, light green leathered seats, and wine cabinets some corners.

Every Italian course have to begin with a baguette to be dipped in a mixture of pesto, olive oil and parmesan.

Nina, all cheese and bacon, no herbs ( P 710)

And the pièce de résistance, the illustrious, panizzas.  Panizza is a portmanteau of panini and pizza.  Chef Chris Locher also known as the "panizza guy" happens to be the originator of this flat bread craze which other restaurants follow suit in the likes of Yellow Cab (Hello Darla Pizza) and Uncle Chefy. 

When you order one, what comes to your table is a 9 X 9 inch-square thin crust pizza, sliced into strips of about an inch and served with alfalfa sprouts and arugula.  The idea is to roll a strip of panizza with the alfalfa sprouts and arugula inside and eat it as if you would a spring roll.

Like this...

Stefano, parmesan garlic and rosemary (P 690)

 But however you eat, rolled or alone, without the micro-greens you still would get that slightly salty and crunchy strips of bread topped with whatever meat, veggies and cheeses of your choice.  Chef Chris have developed a few different varieties of it.

My blogger friends at the same table got stuffed with a few panizza rolls, then came the hearty bowl of Pumpkin and Carrot Soup (P 200).  It was delish, the creaminess, cheesy flavor infused in the coagulation of pureed boiled squash and carrots is a must to try here.

A complete Italian dining experience would not be downright without the pasta.  You can either try their Spaghetti Carbonara or the Spaghetti con Frutti de Mare.

Their Carbonara per se is not really how Italian make their Carbonara sauce.  C's use a parmesan cream sauce mixed with bacon, mushrooms and basil leaves.  I did not however tried it for I'm guessing it's the typical restaurant carbonara just that it has basils.

The seafood based sauce however was fantastic ("panalo talaga")!  Oh yes," frutti di mare" means seafood in English.  It has salmon, mahi-mahi prawns and mussels all soaked in tomato and herb-based sauce.  

The Honey Pork seemed a heavy slab of sliced meat drenched in some sweet sauce.  If you look closer though, the pork covers a whole bunch of blanched broccoli and polenta.  We initially thought it was a bland mash potato,  but it's polenta, though still bland.  The pork meat doesn't make a mark either so better sauce it up to give it some taste.

But then again, Italian cuisine isn't suppose to be flavorful, it has to taste natural and not overpoweringly salty or sweet, unlike our Filipino dishes, but nonetheless, everything has to be exemplary, specially in the taste.

For dessert? Hallelujah! The finality of this heavy binge eating has come to a sweet end with a lemony slice of heaven.  

A must-have should I say, when dining over at any C's branches is the Lemon Cheese Cake (P 230).  This is a baked lemon-flavored cheesecake, which is what I want in a cheesecake, with an almond crust, drizzled with lemon syrup and topped with a dollop of cream and almond slivers.  Every tarty fork-bite is a glorious treat for a dessert-maven like me.

C' Italian Dining

Address:   Pavillion 5, Berthaphil III Clark Center, 

                Jose Abad Santos Avenue, 

                Clark, Pampanga, Philippines