Mom and Tina's Bakery Cafe (Regis Center, Katipunan)

Beloved and I had dinner at Mom and Tina's Bakery Cafe. Located at Beloved's new favorite food and drink street, in the same building of BonChon Chicken and Moshi Moshi, this cafe had a welcoming atmosphere to it when we first passed by. It reminded me of Mary Grace, where we had a wonderful experience. Hoping to get a similar one, we decided to try it out.

The place was packed full, only having a couple of tables free when we entered. This further heightened my expectations of the place. Seeing the prices on their menu items increased it further. Their pastas almost cost 200 Php apiece, and their other menu items, consisting of sandwiches and food you would expect from a cafe, aren't really the most affordable I've seen. Hoping for the best, I ordered their Sirloin Burger (295 Php), which comes in half-pound or quarter-pound versions; I took the larger. Beloved ordered their Lengua con Setas (395 Php). In addition, Beloved also asked for their Iced Mocha (95 Php) and I had their Bottomless Green Iced Tea (70 Php). Finally, since this was a bakery, and I thought it would be waste not to try any of their baked goods, Beloved also ordered their Beehive (65 Php).

Moshi Moshi (Regis Center, Katipunan)

Beloved and I had dinner at Moshi Moshi last night. This Japanese food joint is located beside the BonChon Chicken at Katipunan, at relatively newly-opened Regis Center. Beloved had already researched this place beforehand, and got pretty excited upon learning that this place specializes in donburi, or rice toppings. To be honest, I can't think of a place that specialize in just Japanese rice toppings, though I can think of other non-Japanese exclusive rice topping places. After learning of their prices from their Facebook page, I thought it was pretty affordable, so I had no fear trying this place out.

The first thing that Beloved noticed were the imported KitKat bars that were displayed by the single counter taking orders. After asking how much they were, though, her disappointment was apparent. Nevertheless, their real menu items weren't as expensive, and, in fact, were quite appealing, perhaps to sway in student customers who are the main demographic here. They have your usual katsudon (pork), gyudon (beef), and chicken teriyaki don. In addition to that, you can order extra toppings such as egg, beef, and special mayo which I first thought would be mixed in your bowl. Since I was feeling for shrimp, I decided to have their Tendon (165 Php for the "level-up" size). Beloved had their Katsu Currydon (165 Php) and asked for Kimchi toppings (25 Php). We also got 6 pieces of their Takoyaki (55 Php), which is the most affordable takoyaki we've encountered so far. Finally, our drinks consisted of their Green Tea Shake (75 Php), one for each of us.

Banana Leaf (Trinoma)

Beloved and I had our first 2012 food adventure at Trinoma's Banana Leaf. I've actually eaten at this Thai-Malay restaurant before with a couple of friends, but didn't manage to chronicle that particular time. And since that was a pretty decent experience, we weren't afraid of trying it out, despite knowing little of Thai cuisine. Anyway, this place is sort of special for a couple of things. First, each order is good for two to three people, making this a family-friendly restaurant. Second, their plates are substituted with banana leaves, hence the name, and further making sharing a must. While there were only two of us, we decided that Beloved takes home any leftovers that we expected to have.

I loved what I ordered the last time, so we made sure to get it—their Phad Thai - Banana Leaf Style (188 Php). I also wanted to order the flat bread we had the last time, but I forgot what it's called. And since Beloved found an item that looked very appetizing in the picture, we decided to go for that instead: their Deep Fried Cod Fish with Malayan Seafood Curry (388 Php). We also got their Royal Thai Style Deep Fried Beancurd with Crabmeat (168 Php) because it sounded good to me. Finally, for our drinks, Beloved had their Iced Hong Kong Milk Tea (68 Php) and I ordered their Thai Iced Tea (68 Php), because I know that Beloved would like to be able to taste different kinds of milk tea, especially after our adventure at Sentosa. The servers were a bit surprised we didn't order rice, but I was certain we would have leftovers from what we already ordered.