Apartment 1B

Over the years, Apartment 1B has become a personal favorite. I'm sure everyone has that one restaurant they can rely on for meals at absolutely any time of the day--breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, coffee...you name it--and Apartment 1B is that rare place for me. I always feel the most at home here...so at home that I would not mind eating alone, which is the whole point of the restaurant anyway. I love the cozy table setups featuring sofa chairs and rugs that mimic...well, an apartment setting. I also realize that no matter how long I've been away, every time I come back, the servers are still the same.

They had a new specials menu that night. It's always nice seeing a restaurant expand their menu, regardless of whether or not they already had a good, original one to begin with. There is always room for improvement!

Pimm's

My mom usually encourages us to order cocktails, wine, or champagne when we're out for dinner. I never realized how others might see this as worrisome, despite our orders not involving any hard alcohol, especially when K is around because she looks like she is forever 13...which she is not. It just makes me all the more appreciative of how awesome my mother is for giving us this little bit of freedom even when she is around.

K's kid-friendly mimosa because someone had school the next day, hehe.

Mom's Mojito 

R approves of her drink! 

Spot the not

I think that's why we are all so comfortable talking to our parents about drinking and not at all afraid to be seen drinking. They know what goes on because they were teenagers once upon a time, so we appreciate the trust and try our best to be responsible at all times. I mean, check out my refreshing dalandan shake. 

I will miss this when I leave! Is there a US equivalent of dalandan?

Featuring K's French study notecards. How responsible ;)

We all ordered different salads for starters. R got the Asian Salad, I had the Arugula salad with the watermelon chunks, my mom had some sort of a blue cheese with walnut salad, and K ordered the caesar salad...I told you she was forever 13.

Asian Salad: white cheese, grilled chicken, papaya, sweet potato,
ginger lemongrass dressing 

Wheat bun, ground turkey breast, gruyere cheese, cranberry, alfalfa sprouts

R and I decided to split the turkey burger for our main course. I'm not a fan of burgers, but I adore Apartment 1B's turkey burger. The turkey patty is always just right and the cranberry sauce is amazing. I love the touch of alfalfa sprouts, too.

That was one of the special main dishes they had that night. If I remember correctly, it was lapu lapu with some sort of a truffle sauce. Good stuff.

K ordered the half roasted chicken.

To end our meal, we decided to share two types of dessert. You can't leave a restaurant with the tagline of "gourmet comfort food" without satisfying your sweet tooth. If you don't have one...how are you human? Without a doubt, Apartment 1B desserts are a must-try! #effubody #whatdiet

White toblerone cheesecake with raspberry coulis

This cheesecake was so rich! No wonder it's their bestseller, it's divine. I felt like they garnished it with too much whipped cream, and I was never fond of whipped cream. It tastes like air, as dumb as that sounds.

Frozen pie: vanilla ice cream, oreo crust, walnuts, chocolate, caramel sauce

Dissected turtle pie! YUM.

This turtle pie was glorious. It was like a snickers bar in ice cream cake form...but so much better. I haven't had good ice cream with this many toppings or mix-ins in a long time, so I enjoyed this rare, sinful treat.

I feel like I usually prefer something less chocolate-y and typical, which I thought the frozen pie would be, but they were both equally delicious. To our surprise, even my mom who always eats clean and has an insane amount of self-control devoured spoonfuls of dessert. "Gym fuel!" she says with a smirk.  So now she uses MY excuse. 

SAVAGES

You know the food is good when girls forget about being ladylike and end up with plates that look like the ones above.

Apartment 1b

E-101 G/F One Rockwell East Tower, Amorsolo Drive

Salcedo Village, Makati

869-3530

Lusso

A day of shopping and walking around with the mother almost always ends with dinner and drinks. It used to be a weekend tradition back when my older sister and I were still in high school, but now that we're home just a few months every year, it  happens almost every chance we get to be together.

I like dining in Lusso because of its luxurious interiors. It's perfect for a relaxing, late night dinner when you just want something small but indulgent. Specifically if you're craving truffle or foie gras anything.

 Complimentary spinach breadsticks. It took me a while to figure out what this was, exactly.

Champagne with raspberry essence. Pour and stir!

Niçoise Greens

salmon with orange salt, champagne cream, lumpfish caviar duet

As usual, my mom got the pan-seared salmon which used to be everyone's favorite. A fun fact about my mom is how long she can go eating/drinking the same thing without getting tired of it (i.e. a specific type of iced tea or milk tea).

R and I both got the 3-egg omelette with truffle cream. We both are obsessed with eggs and eggs paired with truffle cream makes for a divine meal. Good stuff.

Lusso
Greenbelt 5, Makati

The Cake Club

J and I hopped on over to The Cake Club to grab some post-dinner coffee to go with the signature supermoist cheesecake. Always a good time with this one.

The Cake Club

7th ave, corner 29th street, BGC

Vask Modern Tapas

I first read about Vask on one of the many Manila food blogs that I stalked when I was desperate for a study break during finals week. I was intrigued to find that its chef worked for some of the top restaurants in the world (specifically the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 8th best restaurants)--all of which are based in Spain. He wanted to venture off on his own and give Manila a taste of authentic Basque Spanish cuisine--hence the name Vask--by offering traditional tapas and modern dishes using molecular gastronomy techniques (you know this is true when you find degree symbols making an appearance on the menu).

So when the Filipinos from Penn wanted dinner and drinks, I knew exactly where to take them.

Vask consists of three sections: the tapas bar and dining room area, the degustation art gallery (solely for special tasting menus), and the al fresco lounge (good for drinks and small bites). We sat in the dining room, which featured an eclectic mix of bathroom mirrors angled haphazardly (we had fun creeping on each other through these mirrors) and other quirky trinkets. Of course, as per tradition, a Pennoy gathering always involves good drinks.

La Reina: Early grey and vanilla infused vodka, apple liqueur,
 passion fruit, fresh apple. 

I forget what drink this was, but it had a gummy worm surprise in it!

Vask: basi and pepper infused rum, triple sec, apple liqueur, cider. 

I ordered the Vask and was pleasantly surprised every time I took a sip because of the kick I got from the pepper. It was quite fierce, for lack of a better word. The Las Islas (not pictured) tasted like a mix of peach and mango juice and was a crowd favorite.

To start of the dining experience, a few friends ordered the popular pintxos, which is essentially toasted bread with gourmet toppings.

We were all given this complimentary chorizo and lentil soup, but it turns out the waiters made a mistake and assumed the entire table ordered the tasting menu, when really it was only one of the guys. Hah.

I shared the foie gras on mango toast starter from the Modern Tapas menu (Est. 21st century) with my friend I:

Mango, foie gras mousse, caramelized

There was no 'toast' but the slice of mango underneath the foie gras looked exactly like it. It was delicious and oh so delicate. The creamy mousse was very flavorful and went well with the mango. We devoured every crumb. And licked the plate.

62° sous vide leeks, tomato, hazelnut, garlic

I had the 'lapu lapu con romesco y puerros' (what) for my main course, also from the modern menu. I loved the tomato paste and kind of obsessed over the leeks. I was surprised by how small the serving size was, though.

Hi Matt

One of the guys who ordered the 7-course menu didn't finish his plate of wagyu steak with what seemed to be a side of mushrooms mixed with mashed potatoes. I could be wrong, but the steak (look how rare it is!) was divine. M raved about the side, "Try the mushrooms!! Try the mushrooms!!" So I did. It was off the charts.

Considering I sat next to G and I, it was impossible to end a meal without dessert...so dessert we had. Two different ones, to be exact #effyoubody #whatdiet. I think these hashtags will appear every time dessert is mentioned aka every post. All the desserts came from the traditional menu (est. 13th century):

Torrija: Brioche, Milk, Anise ice cream

This was amazeballs. It was so moist and tasted like creme brûlée in a warm, crumbly form. The Anise ice cream that accompanied it was very good so we used it for the chocolate cake, too. 

Hot Chocolate Cake: chocolate, orange, vanilla ice cream

This was your average lava cake. Nothing special.

Almost everyone!

We were not able to take a complete group photo because the bills took ages to arrive and some people were rushing. I suppose that's what happens when we all ask for individual bills but share many dishes. Oops.

I'm glad we got to try Vask, although the small servings were disappointing. Truthfully, I probably came in with too high expectations because I think I still prefer Las Flores (especially the cocktails!) over Vask. You get more bang for the buck, which I'm sure others appreciate as much as I do.

Regardless, we walked out feeling just right and ready to hit Rocket Room for more drinks on drinks on drinks.

Vask Modern Tapas & Gastronomic Cuisine
5th Floor, Clipp Center, 11th Ave. corner 39th St. BGC

Wildflour Cafe + Bakery

If there is one thing you must know about me, it is that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. When mornings are rough, it only takes the thought of breakfast to get me out of bed. It is only natural then that brunch is a close second. So when my friend K wanted to eat late one afternoon, I made the effort to look up new places to try, only to decide on Wildflour, which always happens.

I can say I am picky with where I eat out, and there are only a few no-fail restaurants on my Manila list that I frequent to get my fix of comfort breakfast food. Wildflour is definitely up there. Just be ready to be a little more patient with the service.

Smoked salmon with caramelized onions, lemons, capers

Wildflour is known for their tarte flambeés -- a thinly rolled out bread that to me is comparable to flatbread but is softer and flakier. We went with the smoked salmon. It was delicious and not as salty as I thought it would be because of the white sauce drizzled on top. Sweet and Savory. What's not to love!

Kitayama flat iron steak, kimchi fried rice

We also shared that beautiful plate of steak and eggs. I love kimchi and I love runny yolks. I always try to change up my order when i'm at Wildflour but this ends up in front of me every time.

To finish off our hearty meal, we ordered a slice of cake for dessert. #effyoubody #whatdiet
Since Wildflour is also known for its pastries, we had a hard time deciding on dessert because everything sounded good. All we knew was we wanted something cold because the Manila heat takes some getting used to after you've been away for a while!

We settled with the salted chocolate cake because it came highly recommended. As a die-hard fan of dark chocolate with a hint of sea salt, I was already eyeing it to begin with. 

The verdict? It was good but nothing I would crave unlike The Cake Club's "supermoist chocolate cake." The cake itself was pretty dry so it was really the frosting that made the dish. It was almost like eating cold chocolate fudge--the really good kind that stuck to your teeth and is the slightest bit chewy. The slice was HUGE though (both our eyes widened when it arrived at our table) so we didn't end up finishing it.

Also got my little sister a yogurt parfait to-go. I love yogurt parfaits and Wildflour's version is perfect. It can be a little too sweet at times because of the honey but the thick Greek-like (could be Greek?) yogurt they use perfectly balances the sweet mangoes and homemade granola.

As always, meals at Wildflour make me feel just right -- not too stuffed but certainly satisfied. Especially because I had even better company to reminisce high school moments and talk endlessly about love, life, and all things good with. 

Wildflour
4th ave., corner 26th st. Fort Bonifacio Global City
856-7600

And so it begins

In French, Le Trou Normand translates to the Norman Break, which originates from Normandy in the form of apple brandy but is known to the rest of the world as a palate cleanser during a multi-course meal. I've always wanted to start a food blog but I struggled just thinking of a blog title and imagining the amount of time i would need to blog religiously. Most importantly, I was seriously concerned about the amount of time it would take before my dining companions could touch their food so that I could snap away...and no one wants to lose eating buddies! Fast track to 800 food photos on my phone album later and an instagram account featuring mostly food (as I am constantly reminded by my friends), I decided it was only fitting to start documenting my food adventures elsewhere.

Watermelon sorbet 

Although I tried realllyyyy hard to avoid French terms or anything that sounds too pretentious and/or is stereotypically a foodie term, I settled with Le Trou Normand for a number of reasons. Firstly, I love how palate cleansers are chef experiments with consistently unique outcomes. There is so much flexibility when it comes to concocting a palate cleanser, which varies depending on the chef's mood, availability of ingredients, the season, etc. Additionally, different regions usually incorporate a special, locally produced ingredient, so you'll never get the same thing twice! As such, it is usually the component of a meal that stuns people as they wonder what exactly it is made of, all the while feeling refreshed afterwards and ready to take on the next dish. In the same manner, I hope you find the content of this blog intriguing enough to try the dishes and restaurants you read about.

Fruit jelly

Lastly, the purpose of a trou normand is to clear the mouth of any lingering flavors so that the following dishes can be enjoyed with a fresh perspective. Beyond recommending both hip and new and established restaurants and dishes, I hope to give you my take on what tickles my tastebuds. Do keep in mind though that I am no expert on food or photography!