Kubiertos

Because of the Filipinos’ love for food and all things delicious, dining establishments have appeared left and right. Many go to culinary schools and chefs are this year’s celebrities. Bake fairs have become a popular event in malls and bazaars. With all these variations in cooks, chefs, and dishes, you are bound to come across those that meet your fancy or those that fail your standards. It is the same with mango-inspired cakes and desserts.

With mangoes being so easy to purchase in the Philippines, even I can have an easy mango-sago dessert right in the comforts of my own home. My ultimate favorite and one I have for the longest time is Red Ribbon’s Mango Cream Pie. My husband and I have a special place in our hearts for this dessert because it was the one he used to woo me during our dating days. (wink wink!) Ever since, it has been a mainstay in many of our celebrations.

Just recently I have discovered another mango favorite. I liked all the cakes that I have tasted in Classic Confections so it was not surprising that I would in turn like their Mango Torte. Their torte is made of a cashew nut meringue crust filled with vanilla custard and fresh mangoes and topped with fresh whipped cream. Doesn’t that sound just heavenly? Well I assure you it tastes that way as well. The crust was pure meringue yumminess so for those who are a fan, you will find this absolutely delicious. The core was filled with so much mango that was perfectly frozen that I could not help but have a bite after bite after bite… I stopped though long enough to take some pictures of this mango delight. I’m drooling just thinking about it.

And then there is the Mango Madness from Starbucks. This particular confection is only sold at select Starbucks locations and this one I bought at the one in Pearl Drive. I was intrigued as I had not ever seen that particular dessert before. It was a multi-layered mini cake of sorts made with mango cream and crushed graham. I was prepared to be delighted. I wasn’t. A dessert named Mango Madness is expected to live up to its explosive name so it was truly disappointing to have a dessert that wasn’t so much mango as it was cream. First, the crushed graham layer disintegrated at a light touch. Second, it was pure cream. I did my best to look for the mangoes or even a hint of mango flavoring but found it missing. The cake was topped with thin mango sliced but the rest of it was plain cream. It was so chokingly creamy (not in a good way) that I could not bring myself to finish everything. I was so guilty for having leftovers but it was that or barf it all out (pardon my readers).

So you see, having many does not mean having them all good. Tsk tsk.

My husband and I had planned to eat lunch in Glorietta, Makati while waiting for our car which was in the shop. Red and green colors of a nearby dining place caught our eye and we stopped to read the menu. It was impressive at first glance. The name of the place is A Veneto Pizzeria Ristorante. Having such a name makes me think authentic italian and italian always makes my mouth water. We entered excitedly and hungrily.

The place was… shall I say trying hard? It appeared to want to look more high end but ended up about 10,000 steps short. The sign at the entrance said "Please wait to be seated", but no one greeted you at the door so my husband just charged in and picked the nearest table there was.

We were given thick laminated menus that were neither chic nor cheap.  The selection though was interesting. There were several choices for appetizers, salads, pasta and pizza. Everything sounded delicious even though the pictures on the menu were far from enticing. It may have been to my husband though, because he ordered enough for 6 people (we were only 2).

We chose the A Veneto Family Platter, the Baked Zitti with 3 Hungarian Sausages, and two sliced of pizza - Bacon Cheeseburger and New England’s Best.

A Veneto Family Platter - This barkada appetizer included french fries, onion rings, breaded crabsticks and chicken wings. It came with catsup and sour cream for dipping. The first piece I tried was one of the onion rings. It came big, round and floured. Someone though forgot to put in seasoning and the whole thing just tasted like fried flour. The sour cream did wonders so it was bearable enough for me to wolf down a couple. The crabsticks tasted… well weird and soggy so I stopped at one piece. The fries tasted like the frozen one I buy at the grocery for my kids or those that are cooked by Potato Corner using a turbo broiler. The saving grace of this dish is the chicken. It was fried crisp and salty and doused with chili sauce. Yummy.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza - Large, thin and oh so bacon-ly. It might have been my love for anything bacon but this pizza tickled my fancy. I am embarrassed to say I finished every last bite. It was thin. It was sweet. It was salty. It was soo yummy.

Baked Zitti with 3 Hungarian Sausages - The dish came very hot and oozing with cheese. That was about it. You could have eaten 3 spoonfuls and not notice anything. It was that forgettable and disappointing. My husband kept nibbling trying to find some sort of flavor. I advised him to eat some sausage with the pasta and it worked. He said it indeed tasted better. I still beg to differ. The sausages added flavor to the dish, but it could not hide the fact that it lacked taste and quality.

I no longer tried the New England’s Best pizza. I thought if that was New England’s Best, I do not want to imagine their worst. The pizza looked like a bigger version of a Greenwich pizza, only bigger. Tsk tsk.

You may think I am being too harsh and I do not mean to be. But naming your place A Veneto Pizzeria Ristorante, one would expect some sort of authenticity in your establishment. There was nothing authentic about the place. It was all store bought and assembled. From the sauce which tasted like canned tomato paste cooked and seasoned, to the canned mushrooms spread on top of the pizza, to the fries, and even the black pepper. We saw the servers earlier spooning black pepper into McCormick containers from a big pail of black pepper (not sure if it was generic or just tons of McCormick black pepper in a pail).

Ok I will say one good thing about the place. You get what you pay for. The dishes are served and priced enough for sharing. To me, it was more a like a casual place where you took your friends if you want to and save money. The place feeds hungry diners and that’s about it. If you wanted to eat pasta or pizza and enjoy it, why not just go to TOSH. Its got a simple name but delicious food at least.

A Veneto Pizzeria Ristorante
Ground Level
Glorietta 3, Ayala Center, Makati City
Tel. No: 818-3090

Ingredients
2-3 big dori fillets
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup garlic cream dressing (you can use the bottled one from dizon farms)
1/4 cup butter (melted)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt, pepper, italian seasoning, garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine breadcrumbs, grated cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder and seasoning. Mix well. Next, put in the melted butter and lemon juice. Rub the dori fillets with a dash of salt and pepper. Line the baking dish with the olive oil but leave some to sprinkle on the fillets. Dip teh fillets first on the garlic cream and then on the breadcrumb mixture. Lay them out on the baking dish. Pour the remainder of the garlic cream on the sides of the dish. Cover with the rest of the breadcrumbs.

Bake for 15 minutes. Preheat broiler. Broil fish for 5 minutes or until crust is dark brown. Be careful not to let the crust burn. Serve with pasta or mashed potato. Enjoy!

Coke Zero is finally here. I witnessed the stacking of these cool new black bottles of soda at the grocery last weekend. I immediately waved the men aside so that I could get my hands on one. I was excited to have my first taste of this diet soda as I have heard a lot about it from my friends in the office.

Coke Zero is a sugar-free variation of the famous cola. It has been re-packaged and marketed to appeal more to the supposedly weight-conscious people of today. I am a fan of Pepsi Max which is a softdrink that is has no sugar but maximum in taste so I was sure coke zero was a must try.

I must say that Coke Zero brings the original taste of Coke without the heavy feeling associated with it. It also kept the zing that is brought about by the fizz as you drink it. Pepsi Max on the other hand, although tasty to me - lacks that zing that tickles your nose as you drink. The verdict? I love ‘em both. What about you? What is your poison?

Even if I am named Apples, I am not a fan of the fruit. I never was and I don’t think I ever will be. If I were faced with choosing among a variety of fruits, I would either have banana, strawberry or mango. I think caramel apples were created to change my point of view on apples.

It was my husband who made it possible for me to taste SanFo Treats caramel apples. Although I have passed many of their stalls, I was never enticed to buy myself any of their products.

I must say though that I think our country’s weather is too hot for these caramel apples to last. By the time, my hubby came home with it, the chocolate covering the apple was already melted making it impossible for me to take a good picture.

As for taste, I did like the way the caramel and chocolate complemented the crispy apple. The caramel chocolate covering was thick and stuck to the fruit like glue. Eating the whole thing was messy but I feel it was worth the experience.

Recently, I was given the Bluebell for Valentines. It was a granny smith apple covered in caramel with blue sprinkles and white chocolate. It was not much different than the Chocolate Sprinkle except it was blue. But I am starting to get a hang of the taste and I am actually looking forward to trying their Triple Dipped Caramel Apple.

Glorietta
Ground Floor Activity Center, Makati City
In front of Tag Haeuer

SM Megamall
Ground Floor Bldg A, SM Megamall, Manadaluyong City
In front of Toy Kingdom

Robinsons Galleria
Level 1 Food Court
In front of Deli France