Paris: Croque Madame

Croque Madame - Cheese, Tomato & Ham Grilled on Toast w/ a Fried Egg 

Champagne Flavoured Foie Gras with Fig Chutney & Toast

It was a gloomy day in Paris and we just left Coco Chanel's apartment at 31 Rue Cambon. We ended up at a lovely cafe located at the Royal Saint Honore Hotel. The Croque Madame was delightful, more dishes should be topped with a fried egg. We also got our first taste of Parisian foie gras and it was lovely. It's not everyday you get to shop at the first Chanel store and dine on Champagne flavoured foie gras. 

#ParisLife

Paris: Latin Quarter

Pop is more expensive than Wine. Drink up.

Mussels in a Cream Sauce

Escargot = Snails

The French love their Escargot!

Duck a l'Orange - Roasted Duck with an Orange Sauce

Crème Brûlée = Burnt Cream

My favourite dessert!

Gelato

If you are ever in Paris, you must dine in the Latin Quarter. Everyone knows how expensive the City of Light can be but here's a really good tip, you can get a three course dinner for 15 Euros. Yes I said three courses and yes I said 15 Euros. We feasted on French favourites like Escargot, Duck a l'Orange and Crème Brûlée. I know some people may not like the thought of eating snails but they were delicious.

Paris, Je T'aime.

Paris: Steak Frites

Steak Frites and the Eiffel Tower.

A perfect first night in the City of Light.

Sentro

Ripe Mango Shake

Sinigang na Corned Beef - Corned Beef and Boneless Beef Shanks in Tamarind Broth

Nilasing na Hipon - Drunken Shrimp

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Daing ng Bangus - Boneless Milk Fish

Grilled Eggplant with Bagoong

Pork Belly

Chicken and Pork Adobo

Kare-Kare

Sentro 1771 is located in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. The restaurant is famous for their Corned Beef Sinigang, which was delicious! Who knew Corned Beef would be good in Sinigang? They also bring you a cup of the broth to taste and you can make it more sour, salty or keep it as is. Mmmm Sinigang is my most favorite Filipino dish ever! Another item that I would recommend is the "Nilasing na Hipon" which translates to Drunken Shrimp. The shrimp was crunchy, crispy and extra delicious dipped in the vinegar sauce. I would definitely go back to Sentro but hopefully it won't take another 5 years to go back to the homeland.

Thank you Philippines for inspiring me to start blogging again!
#itsmorefuninthephilippines

Paul

PAUL Boulangerie and Patisserie - SM Aura, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig

Complimentary Fresh Bread

 Pain au Chocolat

Chocolat Chaud PAUL - Hot Chocolate & Milk

Ham & Cheese Croissant - Farmer's Ham, Emmental Cheese & Bechamél Sauce

 Tartine Saumon Fumé - Smoked Salmon, Tomatoes & Cucumber on Country Bread

Green Tea

  Thé Surprise = Tea + Moelleux Chocolat Slice + Macarons + Crême brûlée 

 Thé Surprise = Tea + Moelleux Chocolat Slice + Macarons + Crême brûlée 

 Eclaire Vanille - Traditional Choux Pastry with Vanilla Créme Pâtisserie Filling

The Dessert Window

PAUL Boulangerie and Patisserie is located in the beautiful new SM Aura in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. I was so excited when I heard they opened a PAUL in the Philippines because I was visiting over the holidays. PAUL started back in 1889 and let's be honest, if something is around for 125 years then you know it's good. Except PAUL is that good. My cousin and I went for lunch so we got to try the food and the desserts. I was a kid in the candy store, drooling over the entire menu. I wanted to try everything, which is probably why I ordered everything. I started with the Hot Chocolate and the Pain au Chocolate. Hands down PAUL makes the best chocolate croissants in the world. After that we ordered our main course, mine was the Tartine Saumon Fumé and it was delicious. Even the salad dressing was tasty, and I don't usually pay attention to something so boring as salad. For dessert, I ordered Thé Surprise and it was ah-mazing. I couldn't decide on just one dessert so why not get three? The Moelleux chocolat cake and macarons were great and all but for me, the crême brûlée was perfection. I always have such high expectations when I order crême brûlée and PAUL's version was so creamy and not too sweet, which I loved! 

Je t'aime PAUL. Thank you for bringing back Parisian café memories.

Hungry Hound

Hungry Hound - Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, Philippines

Calamansi - Filipino Lime

Duck Fat Fries with Rosemary, Garlic & Parmesan

Braised Short Rib with Gremolata, Fine Beans and Tomato Risotto

Gremolata = lemon zest, garlic and parsley

(now we both learned something new today)

Sautéed Chicken Breast with Mashed Potatoes, Chorizo & Nut Stuffing and Fine Beans

Roasted Tomato Spaghetti with Basil, Pine Nuts and Parmesan 

The dish doesn't come with meat but I added a Chicken Breast.

Connected to Hungry Hound, Niner Ichi Nana serves some pretty unique cocktails.

A peek inside Niner Ichi Nana.

Hungry Hound is located in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. When I think of Manila, I think of people and traffic. Surprisingly, the Fort was quiet because everyone was away on holidays. After 3 glorious hours at The Spa (look how relaxed we look, I really just woke up from my massage), we were ready to eat. My cousin took us to the The Hungry Hound, which was on my list of restaurants to try in the Philippines. The ambiance reminded me of a pub but with better food. The Duck Fat Fries were a great starter. Now when I think of Duck Fat Fries, I think of the Duck Fat Poutine from Charcut. For me, the Duck Fat Poutine is still the crème de la crème but it's kind of hard to beat duck fat, cheese and gravy. I'm Canadian, I love my poutines! Another highlight was the Braised Short Rib. Tender, fall of the bone, get in my belly kind of love. Plus the Roasted Spaghetti was simple but yet so flavorful. Definitely reminded me of my days in Italy. Thank you to my cousin and his girlfriend for taking me to the yummiest places and for being such lovely tour guides in the Philippines. I love how my cousin's girlfriend also takes photos of her food because we could be cool together. Foodies are the coolest people, you should always befriend them.