There's nothing like "Mom's" cooking

In a very busy place in Pasig, where the hustle and bustle of vehicles passing the C-5 road can be seen and heard, is a simple and cozy reatsurant/pastry shop that you wouldn't want to miss. The name of the place is Mom & Tina's Bakery Cafe. Not like any ordinary bakery cafe's in the Metro, Mom & Tina's offerings are simply to die for and will keep you coming back, especially for it's delectable dishes. They serve different kinds of dishes, from all-day breakfast meals to pasta's, and of course, breads and other pastries. When you enter the cafe, you'll simply adore the ambiance as it really will make you feel comfortable. Mom & Tina's ambiance is that of a simple home, a comfy-inspired wallpaper is placed while fine China's and beautifully designed plates adorn the walls. Service will make you more comfortable, as waiters greet you and courteously take your order. The main attraction, however, is still the food. Mom & Tina's food is good and reasonably priced.

Anyways, here's what we ordered:

Lemon Iced Tea, 45php-glass/60php-bottomless

Glutton Guy: This is just the normal iced tea. It's not a house blend or anything. However, I would prefer bottomless, especially for those who really are "heavy drinkers" when eating. They actually use a black straw for the bottomless and a white straw for the regular one, but the same glass is used. If you're a prankster kind of guy you could just switch straws so that both of you could have bottomless iced tea's hahaha Of course you'd have to wish that the waiter serving you won't recognize which is which hahahaha : )
Glutton Girl: I think that their iced tea is different (Sorry Glutton Guy hahahaha). It had that lemon-y kick which is very different from normal iced tea's. It actually made me think that they probably don't use the powdered kind. It wasn't that sweet too, unlike the normal iced tea served in restaurants. It was actually good for me.

Soup of the day, 100php


Glutton Guy: When we were there, the soup of the day was cauliflower soup (I forgot the exact name but it had "cauliflower" in it). The soup is actually good for 2 persons. So, you just have to pay 50php for your half of the soup. It also comes with 2 garlic breads, a perfect contrast to the soup. This one is really really good. It was served not too hot, but also not too cold. It's actually my favorite among all the food I ate there. I did wonder why they called it "cauliflower soup" when there actually is no trace of cauliflower in our soup. We assumed they just mashed it and added it there. : )
Glutton Girl: This soup was actually one of my favorites. It was creamy and delicious. It was neatly and beautifully served. Plus, I like the bread that comes with it. It's soft and delicious. It's also nicely designed, not like the normal garlic breads being served in other restaurants. For 50php, I'd say it's an absolute must-try.

Beef Stew, 175php

Glutton Guy: This was my order, so Glutton Girl can't comment on this one hahahahaha The beef stew was perfectly cooked and it was also delicious. It was served with rice, by the way. (You can also change it to mashed potatoes. However, you'd have to add 25php) However, it didn't really satisfy my palate. It didn't make me jump and crave for more. So, I guess it was an okay dish for me. I'm not saying I didn't like it, though. It's still good. But I do think that I've tasted other versions which are actually better. : )

Salisbury Steak, 195php-Quarter Pound/ 375php-Half Pound

Glutton Girl: I ordered their Salisbury Steak, which means that Glutton Guy can't comment on this one. This is also another fave of mine. It's also another must-try when you visit Mom & Tina's. Their Salisbury Steak was served grilled, which is very very very very very good (and did I say it was very good?). It was served with mixed vegetables, rice, and mashed potatoes, which were also perfectly cooked and made that nice balance with the steak. The gravy for the steak and the mashed potatoes was also delicious. The steak wasn't hard at all. It was delicious and easy to eat. You won't regret ordering this when you visit Mom & Tina's.


Overall, we'd say that Mom & Tina's is still a place worth visiting. We really enjoyed our experience there, and we think that you would, too.



Rating: Buddhalicious!

(Mom & Tina's has 2 branches: Makati - Perea cor. De La Rosa/Pasig - 106 E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, just in front of McDonald's Silver City)

CAUSEWAY: Dimsum Heaven

If you want authentic Chinese cuisine, especially traditional (and needless to say, yummy) dimsum, at affordable prices, Causeway is the way to go. They offer a wide variety of dimsum: pork siomai, sharksfin, shrimp hakao, kuchay dumpling, asado siopao, chicken feet, spareribs, fish head, and many more. What's great about this restaurant is they have a dimsum cart that goes from table to table so the customers would just get what they want to eat right then and there. You might think this roving dimsum cart will increase your bill to be paid as you just eat continuously, but it is rather the opposite. Causeway's dimsum are so affordable you can eat 2 whole stacks of dimsum trays and just pay below 500php. If you think that's quite cheap already, that's still not the end of it. Each branch has a dimsum promo during their off peak hours wherein they lower dimsum prices by as low as 30php (Talk about AUTHENTIC and CHEAP Chinese dimsum). The Libis branch offers the promo from 9pm until closing time while the Timog branch offers the promo from 2pm to 6pm. We're just not sure about the Banawe branch but we've asked some waiters and they say that they offer the promo at the Banawe branch the same time as the Libis branch. For viands and rices, you have to order them from the waiter and wait for about 10-15 minutes. They offer the normal sweet and sour fish and Yang Chow fried rice to the eccentric sauteed ostrich meat. You basically can get everything authentic in this restaurant.

What we ordered:
Seafood Fried Rice, 2 bowls of plain congee, 4 trays of chicken feet, 2 trays of spareribs, 1 tray of hakao, 1 tray of siomai, and lots and lots of water and Chinese tea hahahaha


All of those for 740php only. Amazing, right? :) (The rice actually cost around 200php. So, yes the dimsum is absolutely cheap hahahaha - Glutton Guy)

Glutton Guy: Since I'm part Chinese, I have been a fan of Chinese food (Well, who doesn't, right?). But when my family and I think of good spareribs, soft and easy to eat chicken feet, and delicious hakao and siomai, Causeway would be at the top of our list. What I like best are the spareribs and the chicken feet. Basically, all their dimsum are tender and easy to eat. They're flavored really well and you'll never regret ordering almost anything from that cart of theirs. It'll leave you with a bulging stomach, a satisfied appetite, and a craving that will keep you coming back for more. : )
Glutton Girl: I love Causeway. My family and I have been going there since I was in college, and what we usually do is we just order plain congee and plain rice, and finish the whole dimsum cart. Haha! It is that affordable. I especially love their chicken feet, of which I can finsih about 4 trays, all by myself. (Yes, Glutton Girl indeed. Haha!) What I also like about Causeway is they give on-the-house tea, which is very essential to eliminate that bloated feeling after eating so much (delicious) Chinese food.

Rating: Buddhalicious!

(Causeway has 3 branches. Banawe-Banawe cor. Del Monte Avenue, Quezon City/ Libis-8th Acropolis Center, just in front of Shopwise/ Timog-Timog Avenue, near Burger King)

Som's: Great Thai food at affordable prices

Thai food isn't so popular here in the Philippines, and it's very rare that you find this cuisine around the metro. That is why it's so great that we were able to find Som's, a Thai restaurant in Rockwell that offers a great variety of popular and authentic Thai dishes. Add the fact that the prices of the food are soooo affordable, one surely must try this restaurant.



When we visited Som's, we ordered the following dishes:

Pad Thai (Pork), 150php

Glutton Guy: It was actually my first time to eat this dish. It was okay for me. It didn't actually make me crave for more. It was like spaghetti Thai style (with a different pasta, different taste, and different ingredients). However, it's not that bad of a dish. : )
Glutton Girl: This is a very well-known Thai dish. It was okay. Som's version was too ketchup-y for me, though. And the pork slices were too big for me to chew.



Oyster Chicken, 120php

Glutton Guy: I suuuuper dooooper love this dish so much. It's actually my favorite. This dish can also be served with pork or beef. We ordered chicken, though. It was still good. The chicken was easy to chew, and the sauce is really really good. But for me, beef version is still the best. : )
Glutton Girl: I looooved this dish. The chicken was cooked very well, so it was tender and easy to chew. Plus it had green bell peppers with it, which was a great add for contrast, in my opinion.




Shrimp Fried Rice, 180php

Glutton Guy: One of the best fried rice I have ever tasted, so far. I'm actually a seafood lover, which is why it's hard for me not to like this dish. The shrimps were so good. Plus, the rice really had that "ginisa" taste. The serving is actually good for 2-3 persons, which I liked since I'm a rice person. The dish can also be served with beef, pork, or chicken instead of shrimps. : )
Glutton Girl: Tasty fried rice, almost like Yang Chow, only saltier. I especially liked how the tomatoes and onions were largely chopped; the flavor was infused with the rice more. The shrimps were just too few for me.




Thai Iced Tea

Glutton Guy: I really don't like Nai Cha. But, this is one Nai Cha I really loved. When I first ordered it, I didn't know it was Nai Cha since it was labeled as "Thai Iced Tea" on the menu. I even ordered 2 bottles since I was really curious of what Thai iced tea would taste. And I must say, it was really really good. It didn't have too much bitterness like the normal Nai Cha would have. It's like creamier because it has more milk. And that's what I like about it. : )
Glutton Girl: It's like Nai Cha, but better because of the caramel taste put into it. I don't like milk; it makes me gag, but I liked this drink. That says a lot. A must-try.


Their food is generally good for two people, but if you feel like eating a lot, why not. Be sure to go there before 12nn, as people start to pile up during lunch. The seats are just outside, so ask the waitress to light up the candles to make the flies go away. (Trust me, you don't want them bothering you while eating. It ruined my experience. -Glutton Girl) The place is jam-packed too during evening (Seriously, you'll be waiting for people to finish eating if you come late. -Glutton Guy).

The place is kind of difficult to go to if you don't have a car, but if you know the rockwell area, you won't get lost.

Over-all, the experience was very nice, especially when you get to eat yummy Thai food at affordable prices. Good start for all you Glutton Guide readers out there. Go check it out, and tell us what you think about it. :)

Rating: Buddhalicious!
(Som's Noodle House can be located at Alger Street, Poblacion, Makati. It's just behind the Ateneo Law school)