Nomnomnom at Tomas Morato

I can’t believe we just ate in this hidden gem just last week. We’ve always wanted to eat here but have failed thrice – we always seem to go there when the place is closed. Finally, finally, we caught Nomnomnom open and it was certainly worth the wait!

The charm is from the baby's room design

The places looks like it’s been designed by a 12 year old girl. Think bedroom theme with storybooks, rainbows, lights and soft contours. I wanted to order pajamas but unfortunately it wasn’t in the menu.

Wooden tables and quaint photos

Handpainted stone as tableware and an exhibit of books turned into canvas

Your bedside table can be found inside Nomnomnom

Menu

Nomnomnom is said to be the home of “happy foodies” – lots of the menu items are organic or semi-vegetarian. Take a look at some of the items:

Vegetarian menu items at Nomnomnom

More organic menu items

You won't run out of things to order

We got the Enchilada (P160) and the Vegemeat Curry Rice Crater (P98). Now, woe is me, unfortunately my camera decided to die at this point so I don’t have shots of the food

The enchilada tasted fantastic though! It was a huge chunk of corn tortilla filled with kangkong and cream. It had a certain taste to it that makes me crave it even as I’m writing this article.

The rice crater was just that – a huge mountain of rice with the vegemeat curry put in a crater in the middle of it. There was too much rice for the viand, but I was able to mix in some of our enchilada so no worries.

For dessert, we grabbed the Boom Chika Wawa (P80) because it looked appetizing in the photo (think ice cream sandwiched between cookies with lots of candy sprinkles), but the cookie didn’t taste as good so we ended up shaving the ice cream off it.

Also, take my word for it, the orders are filling and HUGE. Really. Don’t over-order or you’ll find yourself taking these things home.

Because it will only take a couple of orders and perhaps dessert to get you filled and the food prices aren’t that extravagant, you’ll only need about P200 to P250 each – not bad for a casual date!

Eat here when you’re not in a hurry. It’s slow food – everything is cooked from scratch, and it actually takes a certain while to serve. Also, the food is piping hot and it’s best eaten slowly, enjoyed with the relaxed ambiance.

Also, note their opening times – 12 noon -1am, Tuesdays to Sundays.

Nomnomnom

1 Tomas Morato cor E. Rodriguez Ave.

Besides Shell Gas Station

Make your own Boom Chika Wawa – ice cream sandwiches!

We’ve always been passing through this restaurant in A.Venue on the way to the other restaurants. It’s quite memorable because whenever we pass by, their statue always gets to me – I always imagine it to be a real person! So it was one Thursday night when we finally gave it a try.

How cute - a hand-painted condiment holder

The place is very eclectic. There are some bits and pieces that don’t really fit together. Outside there’s a brunette statue wearing a Thai costume. Inside, the chairs are fitted with florals reminiscent of your grandmother’s table linen. There’s a tv in the corner playing Malaysian telenovelas. On the counter, you’ll see fruits and a fruit juice maker. I guess that’s what gives the place its charm – it’s very similar to the way your grandmother’s kitchen is put together.

You'll feel like dining with relatives in this cozy restaurant

The mishmash that's the counter

Menu

Just as the place is a mishmash of South East Asia, the menu is the same. You’ll find Thai, Singaporean, Malaysian, Indonesian and of course, Filipino food. With the variety, you’re sure to find something for your taste.

Pork and Chicken in different Asian ways

Noodle represent!

Here’s their whole menu:

The Full Menu from the Plate & Yummy website

So we got the Hot and Sour soup (P198) and the Chicken with Coconut (P230) to split. The Hot and Sour Soup was a surprise – it tasted a little bit like sweet and sour sauce made into a soup and turned very spicy. It tasted strange, but it was addicting and grew on my like no other strange soup has. It also had a lot of seafood meat in it for something that’s not so expensive. We were pleasantly surprised to find fish meat in our soup as we were fishing through it.

Hot and Sour Soup at P198 - value for money

The Chicken with Coconut tasted great. The chicken was soft and tender and it tasted infused with the sauce really well.

Chicken Coconut at P238 - good to share

More shots from their website:

More food shots from the Plate & Yummy food shots

Not at all expensive by Makati standards. Expect to be filled with about P250 per person. They also have special group meals (for 4) that look very interesting at about P150 per person!

It’s a great date place because of the charm, the friendly staff and the kick you’ll get out of watching Asian telenovelas on the screen. Of course, it may not be the ideal place for a first dinner, but a 3rd lunch out would actually be ideal.

Plate & Yummy
A.Venue Event Mall No.103
7829 Makati Avenue Brgy. Poblacion Makati City
Telephone: +63 (2) 7560202 ; +63 (2) 9940621
Mobile Number: +63 (917) 8487698 ; +63 (917) 8987984

A great Thai coconut chicken recipe!

The time has come – Gelatissimo is now open at Greenbelt 5!

Oh gelato joy – you’ve never seen gelato flavors as yummy and as creative as this.

The place is quite stylish and yet exudes an Italian charm. Being in Makati, you’ll probably see a lot of business people eating. But don’t worry, everybody loves the gelato and all will be in equal footing.

The selection is simply amazing and can be overwhelming! 100+ gelato flavors available – who can top that?

The description form the site about their Gelato says:

Gelatissimo’s award winning gelato is made fresh daily in store to an authentic family recipe. Manufactured to the highest standards using the best natural ingredients and freshest produce, it is Australia’s most popular gelato.

With flavours to suit the most discerning palate, we offer both classic favourites like Chocolate and Mango as well as unique flavours such as Caramelised Fig and Honey Toffee Malt. Our inventive Gelato Craftsmen add seasonal varieties so that each time you visit a Gelatissimo store there’s a new flavour waiting for you to try. Whether it is Lemon Cheesecake or Berry Pavlova, every season offers up a new temptation to our customers.

And the best part? This temptation is guilt free with sorbet being 100% fat free and premium dairy between 90-97% fat free. Whether you enjoy fresh sorbets or the creamy indulgence of gelato, even the health conscious can enjoy. We also have gluten free and dairy free products to accommodate special dietary requirements.

The flavors are just so many! Check it out:

Tons of yummy Gelatissimo flavors

Bring your date here and I guarantee a sweet time!

I’ve sampled the Pistachio (generally, my usual gelato favorite) and the Mars actually tastes like Mars (with caramel). The gelato here is just div-ine.

Confused on which flavor to get? You can taste each one before finally deciding. Don’t be afraid to ask the server.

A scoop costs around P95-P110, 2 scoops at P150, and 3 scoops at P198. Sounds expensive, but a single scoop can fill you, and it will be definitely worth it!

Gelatissimo
2nd floor, Greenbelt 5
Makati City

Make your own gelato!

The Ice Cream Bar at Rockwell is one of the quaintest, most genuine places you’ll find in Rockwell. Normally I don’t go to Rockwell to go on a date – I find the place a bit pretentious and it’s hard to be genuine or get a genuine of a person’s personality in such a high strung place.

I prefer grittier, hole-in-the-wall places. But The Ice Cream Bar changed my mind.

Of course, it’s hard for it to not to.

Ambiance

The ambiance of the place matches the food it serves: nice and sweet. White mixed with fruity colors will set the mood for playfulness, and you can never go wrong with kiddie drawings posted all around the place.

I must admit that the menu is quite limited – I didn’t find all the ice cream and sweet stuff I was hoping to find. I know that there are 41 flavors of FIC ice cream to choose from, but somehow it didn’t feel that many at all. But what’s good is that they also serve meals, from pasta to sandwiches.

We tried the yogurt for a bit of a healthy punch and it was a BIG serving, topped with all kinds of fruit you can imagine. It was yummy and just had the right mix of sweet and sour.

Frozen Yogurt with Everything On It

There are a lot of things to taste and for sure you and your date will be coming back to try everything.

Prices are reasonable and not at all insanely expensive. You’ll find sundaes and splits for about P150, and it’s such a big serving you can split it with your date.

Moderation is key: Don’t be in a hurry to finish your ice cream or else you’ll get a headache from the sugar rush. Take your time finishing off that bowl of ice cream so you’ll have the best satisfaction.

The Ice Cream Bar (Flavors by FIC)
Rockwell Center

Joya Tower,
Joya Drive (beside Power Plant Mall),
Rockwell Center
Makati

The Perfect ice cream! You can actually make your own:

There is no denying it – Cav at Bonifacio High Street, Taguig is certainly a posh and snobbish wine shop and cafe at High Street. It’s not homey, it’s not quaint, it’s not cute – it’s decidedly mod, snobbish and haute couture.

The place is dark and slightly smells like an alcohol distillery. The wine bottles are displayed like trophies along the lobby. Red, white, sparkling, bubbly… you name it and Cav probably has it.

Just to give you an idea of how snobbish the place is, note that the restroom even has a doorman!

Menu

The servers will ask you for your name and will address you personally all through out the night. The menu is alright, with it’s own selection of canapes and meals.

They even offer food pairing so you don’t have to pretend to be knowledgeable about wines in front of your date. Know the basics and let the server suggest the best options depending on you and your date’s tastes.

Cav

We’ve tried a bit of their canapes and everything is delicious, I might say. The smoked milkfish and salmon tian with horseradish cream and crisp apple beet salad are to die for. The mushroom tart is something else, with the crust more tastier than the sauce on top.

Tapas and Tarts at Cav have to be tasted to be believed

The prices are quite cheap taking into account the place, actually. The three course meal costs P890, and you just have to add P490 for 2 glasses. The four course meal costs P1,100, and tasting 3 glasses of wine costs P720.

If you’re in the mood for tasting wines, Cav has a wine tasting card you and your date can avail of. They’re sort of prepaid cards that you load money into, insert into machines that drop the wine samples. The wine tasting is offered daily, and you have a selection of 24 vintage wines t enjoy with your date.

For more information, you can visit the Cav Wine & Cafe’s website. You can also download the Cav menu here.

Cav Wine Shop-Café
Bonifacio High Street
Quadrant 8,
Taguig
(near Magnet and Agave)
Phone Number: (63 2) 856-1798

If you’re going the wine tasting route, here is a video to know the basics first