Best Desserts in a Filipino Restaurant, Sentro 1771

You would not probably expect to get the best and yummy desserts from a Filipino restaurant. At most you would ask or be offered with their best selection of cakes, sometimes halo-halo, purple yam or more known as ube, or probably leche flan. But you can easily get halo-halo probably from Razons or ube and leche flan from your trusted bakeshop. 

Sentro 1771 invited some bloggers today to sample their food, which for me is my personal favorite, anytime of the day! But what I want to highlight now, is their dessert menu, which is filled with really delicious and noteworthy entrees.

Let's start off with their signature Sentro's Cheesecake, a baked but light, no crust cheesecake served with queso de bola and red egg. "Parang bibingka na hindi!" they say. You can distinctly taste the deep flavored cheese in the cheesecake, just perfect rendition of the popular "leche flan," but made differently.

If you are not into cheese, then probably their Coffee Bean Sans Rival is for you. It is more exciting and upbeat that the regular Sans Rival you see arround. Look at how it was presented! It is like a work of art which you hesitate to destroy, but you have to because it is really yummy.

Their Fried Suman and Magoes is made of rolled out suman fried to a light crisp and topped with ripe mangoes and served with sweet coco jam. Perfect Filipino dessert to end your meal.

Another must try is their Maja Blanca Crepe, a delicate and thin rice crepes filled with melt-in-your-mouth coconut milk custard with corn.

Last but definitely not the least, is their bestseller, which is really heavenly - the Coffee Pie. I love coffee, and infusing it in your pie is just so genius and satisfying. The coffee pie is one of its kind. Chocolate-cashew crust with coffee fillings topped with cream cheese and tofee sauce. Spell dessert porn.

Thanks to Kirk and Vannah for the invitation for lunch. :)

Village Tavern of the Bistro Group of Restaurants

One of the newest restaurants of the Bistro Group is Village Tavern, a US-franchise which celebrates classic American comfort food with huge portions good for sharing, located at the Bonifacio High Street Central.  It's definitely worth a try for food lovers, and for those wanting a good drink after work.

The other night, we were treated to the best of what Village Tavern has to offer: rustic whole wheat flatbreads made from scratch, fresh seafood dishes, juicy burgers, wide selection of cocktails and signature dishes, and decadent desserts. Village Tavern celebrates quality, value for money and complete satisfaction.



Asian Tuna Salad - Fresh center-cut Ahi tuna, seasonal greens, carrots, snow peas and edamame is sesame ginger dressing.



Grilled Chicken Spinach and Mixed Greens - Fresh spinach, seasonal greens, bacon, apples, cranberries, spiced pecans, blue cheese, sliced egg, and grilled chicken in sweet vinaigrette.



Blackened Shrimp - Shrimp served with Bayou cream sauce and toasted garlic bread.



Tavern Whole Wheat Flatbread - Homemade tomato sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, hamburger, onions and mozzarella cheese.



Gruyere & Applewood-Smoked Bacon Whole Wheat Flatbread - Gruyere, applewood-smoked bacon and caramelized onion.



Crispy Chicken Tacos - Chicken tenders with mango slaw and chipotle sauce, served with black beans in melted chocolate sauce and rice pilaf.



Maryland-Style Crab Cakes - Premium lump crab meat served with french fries, coleslaw and homemade tartar sauce.



Cowboy Burger - Applewood-smoked bacon, Cheddar cheese with caramelized onion and barbecue sauce.



Chicken Colorado - Grilled chicken breast topped with applewood-smoked bacon, barbecue sauce, tomatoes, scallions, Monterey Jack and Cheddar, served with black beans and rice pilaf.



Some of Village Tavern's Signature Cocktails: Tavern Mojito - Rum, Lime Juice, and Mint Leaves; and Honey Berry - Berry Vodka, Raspberry Vodka, Honey Syrup and House Champagne.



Very Best Carrot Cake - Fresh carrots, pecan and cream cheese icing served warm.



St. Barths Chocolate Torte - Rich and very moist French cake, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.



Double Decker Cheesecake - Layers of chocolate and traditional cheesecake served with raspberry and chocolate sauce.

I definitely enjoyed my Village Tavern food experience. I will certainly come back! Props to Chef Josh Boutwood, the corporate chef of the Bistro group, for making sure that what Village Tavern offers to its customers is simply the best. Thanks to Mitzi and Spanky for the invite! :)

Boholano Cuisine at Amorita Resort's Saffron Restaurant

While I really absolutely had fun and enjoyed my Bohol Country-side Tour and my fantastic Garden Villa accommodation, care of Amorita Resort in Panglao Island Bohol, my main purpose that night was to try and taste the signature Boholano Cuisine prepared by Amorita's Saffron Restaurant.



If I am to summarize the food experience and the taste in a word, it would be gingery. Bohol’s cuisine is characterized by the use of a lot of ginger, lemongrass and a turmeric. So here's what Amorita's Saffron Restaurant made for me that evening. Let's start the food adventure!

Hong Kong: Tim Ho Wan 添好運點心專門店

Welcome to the cheapest Michelin Star Restaurant in the world, Tim Ho Wan 添好運點心專門店. We came, we saw, we conquered. This restaurant was on my must try list of restaurants and food in Hong Kong, which one really should not miss, so during our last day, I made sure we freed up some time to try out this restaurant.



I told Adi, the navigator of the trip, the address and he located it on the map. Good thing he is an expert map reader (he says he got the skill from playing GTA). Tim Ho Wan is located at Flat 8, Ground Floor, Phase 2, Tsui Yuen Mansion, 2-20 Kwong Wa St, Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The street was easy to locate, but the restaurant, not really. I had to ask around before we finally found the restaurant.

We went at around 10 in the morning, opening time. I hurriedly asked for the menu and for a number. Make sure to ask for the English version of the menu, or else, you would not really guess what it is you are ordering because they usually give out the full Chinese version of the menu/order sheet to the customers. #37. Wow. We arrived 10 minutes past 10 am, and we are already #37, and they were serving #8 at that time.



We waited for a while, until, the attendant was trying to say something in Cantonese. If I got it right, she was saying that we go away first, and just come back. I have read from the blogs that you can actually go around and do your shopping or sight-seeing first and just come back without worrying because they will put you right back to "next to serve" if your number has been skipped. Cool huh? Yeah, so instead of just waiting around and wasting time, Adi and I proceeded to do our list of bargain/item hunting.

P.S. I just read that they opened a new branch, which is a lot bigger, and does not have that long queue or wait time to be seated. Proceed to 9-11 Fuk Wing Street in Sham Shui Po if you want to avoid the long lines. Although, they say that the quality of food is still better in the flagship branch. You decide.



We went back, fulfilled, at around a little past 12nn, and they were already serving #83. I showed my menu form to the attendant, and they put us right back on top of the list to be served next. Nice! :) We were starving, and excited to try this restaurant out. As we were ushered into our seats, they got the menu/oder form. Now, is the restaurant worth the wait? One by one, our orders came. They served us each a cup of pu-er tea.



Steamed rice with beef & pan fried egg (HK$17) Adi did not like the beef, so he just ate the rice, while I ate all the beef and little rice. :))



Steamed fresh shrimp dumplings (ha jiao) (HK$22) One of the best Hakaw I have tasted. The shrimp is just so fresh, and it just explodes with pure joy in your mouth.



Fried noodle with soya sauce (HK$12) Nothing fancy or extraordinary, we both did not like this. This is probably the least enjoyed dish during that lunch.



Now, this is the famous Baked bun with BBQ pork (HK$14) This dish earned Tim Ho Wan its One Star Michelin reputation. This is definitely the star of that lunch, a must try, must order dish, I tell you. The crust and outer layer is crispy, and the char siu filling is just so irresistible. In fact, we ordered another plate for us. Writing this post during lunchtime is not healthy. Now I am craving for this, as I write this blog. :))


The next two dishes, Steamed pork dumpling with shrimp (HK$22) and the Steamed spareribs with black bean sauce (HK$14) are equally as yummy. Dimsum love!!! The Hakaw, Siomai and the Baked Buns (made in heaven) are the trio I would love to have again, and again, and again. Absolutely yuh-meee.



This place is definitely worth the wait (well, if you are smart, you could avoid the long line and wait...it's up to you, maybe you like the thrill of waiting, haha!) and the money. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who's visiting Hong Kong. :)



Tim Ho Wan 添好運點心專門店
Flat 8, Ground Floor, Phase 2, Tsui Yuen Mansion, 2-20 Kwong Wa St, Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong
9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po.

Other One Star local new-comers include:
a.) Loaf On: No. 49 See Chueng Steet, Sai Kung.
b.) Hung's Delicacy: G/F, 84 Wharf Rd North Point, tal +852 2570 1108