Very Affordable Fine Dining: Cesca Wine Cafe

A friend of mine brought me to dine at this wonderful wine cafe in the heart of Quezon City. Located at Il Terrazzo mall in Tomas Morato, this cozy and elegant wine cafe might intimidate you with the interior at first but don't let it kill your curiosity! This place is more affordable than your usual weekend dining experience!

Upon entering, you would immediately feel the fine dining ambience. Classical victorian-inspired design with matching classy paintings and elegant silverwares. This is because the owner of this place is an interior designer and architect in one! Architect Francis Ong, according to my friend Cheftonio is the architect of several famous establishments here in Metro Manila. One of his many works is The Spa in Fort Bonifacio.

Going back, upon receiving the menu from their highly professional staffs, I was shocked on how affordable such a beautiful striking place would be! I would imagine paying 500 pesos above for a single meal on other places similar to these one but NO! Just bring around 200-250 pesos and you would be stuffed already! Buurrrp!

I loved their Salmon, Pasta and Salpicao! This is what we got as I listened to Cheftonio's recommendations. It was delisssh! To finish the dinner meeting was their very own homemade out-of-this-world cheesecake. Don't leave Cesca without trying that!

Anyway, that place has good everything! No wonder customers who went there just to try become repeat customers!

Read Cheftonio's review of Cesca Wine Cafe here.

Photos courtesy of AQC Photography - http://aqc.com/photography

Binalot - A Must Eat Filipino Food in the Philippines

Any Filipino restaurant can serve good Filipino dishes with rice and a side of red egg and tomato. That’s no mean feat. But only one food chain has the distinction of serving Filipino favorites with red egg, tomato, and rice, all wrapped in fresh banana leaves. And don’t forget the sprinkling of salt conveniently tucked between the layers of leaves. The name is Binalot, and they serve affordable Filipino comfort food in a fresh, green, and incidentally, environmentally friendly package. Binalot was initially established as a food delivery service in Makati’s business district in 1996. The owners apparently found the business profitable, because a year after they began operations, they started opening branches in various malls. Demand for Binalot grew increasingly over the years, and now Binalot has grown to 31 branches.

Residents, office workers, grocery shoppers at Puregold QI Central, or just passersby who happen to be in the E. Rodriguez – Araneta Avenue area in Quezon City are in luck because they can satisfy their craving for cheap Filipino delights at Binalot, located at the food court of Puregold QI Central in E. Rodriguez corner Araneta Avenue. Binalot’s meals all have amusing monikers, a clear reflection of the brand’s fun and breezy approach to simple Pinoy dining.

Among the offerings are Tapa Rap Sarap, Fiesta Adobo, and Anytime Inihaw na Baboy, all of which are Binalot bestsellers. Other meals on the menu are Viva Tocino, Bistek Walastik, Sisig na Makisig, No Bones Daing na Bangus, Pork Bongga Longganisa, Bopisticated, Pride Tilapia and My Dinuguan & Only, all of which range from Php70.00 to Php90.00.

There are also Adobonanaza specials that pair your favorite viand with classic adobo rice (with drinks and fried egg), such as Tipidobo, Tapadobo, Tocidobo, Longgadobo, and Bangusdobo, all priced from Php55.00 to Php75.00. You can also order vegetable dishes to go with your Binalot fare, such as You Bet Pinakbet, Along Came Talong with Bagoong, Where Have You Beans?, and Togue-ther Again. Other desserts and sidings to choose from are banana turon, banana cue, sago’t gulaman, Binalot Leche Flan, red egg, fried egg, tomato, and steamed rice.

Binalot allows customers to mix and match various dishes according to their liking, thus making for a plethora of dining possibilities. Binalot is a hit with customers because of its fail-safe formula—good food, affordable prices, and convenient locations.

Binalot does not stop at reaping the fruits of its market success; it also gives back to society and the environment by making use of recycled paper in its packaging and, more importantly, by supporting the livelihood of subsistence farmers who produce the banana leaves used for wrapping. Binalot’s success shows that, with a fail-safe formula coupled with a commitment to social progress, you can’t go wrong.

For bulk orders, call 3962636
http://www.yehey.com/lifestyle/food/article2.aspx?id=27863

To go there, just visit maps.google.com and search for this: 14°37'5"N 121°0'50"E