Cafe Mary Grace

'Tis the season of lights, giving gifts and tipping the scales! At Cafe Mary Grace, however, the warm fuzzy feeling of the Christmas season seems to linger all-year-round. 

They are famous for their bite-sized dozes of comfort - brownies, grilled cheese rolls, pies, lemon squares, cheesecakes, and cheesy ensaymadas. I went to their Greenbelt 3 branch with friends last month, and had their grilled cheese rolls, carbonara, and apple & cinnamon honey iced tea. A divine combination! I forgot to take photos of the food, a common indication of hunger. We ended up eating and chatting for hours, and had plenty of room for dessert. 

I had the brownie a la mode, a big slice of their famous brownies topped with creamy vanilla ice cream and sprinkled with melted cheese.

 Needless to say, I was a very happy girl that night. Cheers!

Parvati

Parvati is a quaint restaurant/cakes and pastries shop at Trinoma, which didn't make a big impact on me the first time I tried their food. Recently, however, I find myself craving for Parvati's Taco Salad and Carbonara more often! The taco salad is exactly what you would expect tacos to taste served with more greens, and the carbonara isn't too different from the ones I've tasted before. The Bacon Chowder is creamy and comforting as it should be, and my favorite apple honey juice is well, apple juice mixed with honey. 

In essence, the dishes on their own taste fairly good, but serve it in a cozy corner with relaxing music and perfect restaurant lighting, and voila! I am one satisfied customer. The service is noteworthy, given that they don't even bill you for service charge. Affordable and satisfying, indeed. 

Now, time for some photos to drool over...

Start your meal with the creamy bacon chowder

Work your way into this gorgeous taco salad

Enjoy a mouthful of creamy carbonara

Alternating bites

For dessert, try these divine custaroon poppers

We all deserve a happy ending.

Getting Techie in the Kitchen

The iPad has made its way into our lives, and inevitably, into our kitchen! Time to give the dusty cookbooks a rest, and try Summit Media's new iPad app, Yummy Filipino Recipes.

Choose from different Filipino recipes that are easy to follow, and made of ingredients which can be bought locally. This app retails for $3.99, but Summit Media was kind enough to give Manila Foodistas the app for free! Read more about what I had to say here. 

Discovered great apps you'd like to share? Just leave your comments! :)