Elena's Lechon Manok

Let’s start my Tagum City food reviews with this all-time fave lechon manok of mine. No lechon manok in the whole Philippines can ever beat Elena's and when I say none, it’s truly none! :) I have not tasted one that is close to Elena’s in terms of flavor and “sarap to the bones” factor. Elena's originated in Tagum City and can only be found in Davao del Norte. I’ll throw in one funny fact about me, when I’m in Tagum I don’t eat any other lechon manok. It should only be Elena’s!!! :)

Sbarro

I love Sbarro! It’s my perfect comfort food. Oh yeah, I know it's sinful but it’s so good I simply can’t resist it! Baked ziti with white sauce and spinach pizza are my ultimate favorites! It has just the right amount of flavor and tang to it and who would have thought that a veggie pizza could taste so damn good?

I also have tried the lasagna. It’s too heavy for me though and the flavor is too powerful. The seafood pasta on the other hand is somewhat bland. The cheese pizzas, pepperoni and other regular varieties are ok. I’m not a fan of Chicago deep dish pizzas maybe because I just prefer my toppings on top. Overall it serves yummy food and I’m sure you’ll leave happy and full.

Italianni's

I’m not new to Italianni’s. I have eaten here several times already. This time we tried the angel hair pomodoro and quattro carne pizza. The angel hair pomodoro was an instant favorite. I liked that the pasta was cooked al-dente and blended in with the right spices. The Quattro Carne pizza was a new item thus the curiosity. It was a bit dry for me and didn’t have enough toppings.

Italianni’s is just ok. You would not hear me rave about it. It’s even a tad bit pricey for me. I can recommend other Italian restaurants that are more affordable and better in terms of flavor and serving size. I am two thumbs-up for their customer service though.

Italianni's can be found all over Metro Manila and in major key cities nationwide.

Let's go Korean!

Dolsot Bibimbap, Jap chae and Pajeon are more than enough to fill your hungry tum-tum! I now appreciate Korean food more after I learned what to order. (special thanks to Pinky Tan) :) Trying it out for the first time can be quite intimidating especially if you don’t know what you will get. Mom and Dad learned it the hard way but with practice and a little research a Korean food trip is truly worth it.

If you’re in Davao you can try KIMCHI SOMANG which is just across Victoria plaza besides Chowking Bajada or you can also try SIGOL BAP SANG Korean Restaurant, this one's across Grand Regal Hotel. The latter also has a Korean grocery store beside it where you can buy yummy Korean ice cream for dessert. Enjoy!

Filipino Appetizers

Crispy Kangkong

Yes, I’m a fan of this yummy appetizer. Just a simple dish of kangkong leaves mixed in batter and then fried to crispy goodness. I like how the delicious flavor of the leaves comes out in this dish. Heck, I’d even choose this over pork chicharon anytime.

Crispy kangkong can be usually found in restaurants serving Filipino food.

You can also try it in Delongtes (Davao city) and Papa Pin’s (Tagum city)

Chicharong Bulaklak

Chicharong Bulaklak is a Filipino street delicacy. This is usually sold on the streets together with fishballs, kwek2x and isaw. It is made from pork intestines, seasoned and then deep fried. One would be surprised to find that this is truly very tasty and flavorful. Word of caution though, this is high in uric acid and cholesterol. Eat in moderation.

Cyma Greek Taverna

I love Cyma! Almost everything’s delish! :) I tried the beef pasta and lamb gyro! Both were super yummy.

Lamb gyro- It’s similar to a shawarma but richer. Bits of spices, veggies and roasted lamb meat rolled in pita bread and topped with garlic and hot sauce.

Beef pasta- Fat spaghetti noodles topped with meaty beef shank and mixed in full-flavored red sauce.

Everything’s so heavenly and tasted so right with my lemonade.

Cyma has five branches in Metro Manila: Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Greenbelt 2, Eastwood Mall, Trinoma Mall and Robinsons Place Manila

Provincial branches: Boracay and Ayala Center Cebu

Friuli Trattoria

It's a lazy friday night and I'm here in a coffee shop in my hometown drinking frappes with my cousins and brother. We were talking about pizzas and pasta and I suddenly remembered that at this time last year I had a pizza and pasta feast together with my Jodera family back in our favorite little Italian restaurant located inside UP Village, Friuli Trattoria!

I first tried this restaurant sometime in July 2007 when a friend and I were looking for somewhere to eat and saw this little green shop and got enticed by it. We decided to try it and it was one of the best discoveries of my college life. Too bad I was already in my last year then.

One of our favorites is their tuna pasta, the pasta's cooked al dente with savory spicy cream sauce and served with garlic bread. The serving's quite big. It's already good for two persons.

A trip to Friuli would never be complete without ordering the house's specialty, PIZZA :D It's truly filling, delicious and heavenly. They have a lot of choices to choose from. The pizza below is Tres Formaggi which roughly means "three cheeses", basically it's a pizza topped with three different kinds of cheese. Perfectly melted cheeses over a perfectly baked crust. What more could you ask for?

Tres Formaggi

We also ordered their version of the Hawaiian pizza, bite sized pieces of ham over melted cheese and tidbits of pineapple. Hot and tasty with just the right touch of sweetness. The food is great and yummy and they also serve gelato cakes for dessert.

Hawaiian pizza

The Friuli Trattoria dining experience is truly pizza and pasta heaven! It's also very affordable plus the ambiance is relaxing. A trip to Friuli will indeed leave you full, satisfied, happy and still wanting for more.

It is located along Maginhawa street, Teacher's village, Quezon City.