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

Asian Food Channel's Chef Robert Rainford in Manila!

Asian Food Channel’s Chef Robert Rainford Makes His First Trip To The Philippines to Tantalise Crowds with His Skill on the Grill

June 15, 2009 – The Asian Food Channel (AFC) the region’s first and only 24-hour food channel is proud to announce it is bringing over celebrity BBQ chef Robert Rainford. As part of AFC’s barbecue month this June, all AFC viewers will be thrilled to know that the channel is hosting television celebrity Chef Robert Rainford for a 3-city whirlwind tour of Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

The Asian Food Channel presents The King of Grill Robert Rainford’s first ever trip to the Philippines with The License to Grill star in Manila from the 21 to 22 June to delight local fans with his grill and share his BBQ know-how with everyone.

Chef Rainford will be tantalising taste buds by entertaining his fans in the Philippines during these gourmet grilling dates, with his dynamic ‘wherever there’s a grill there is a way’ philosophy.

Having undergone formal training at the culinary school at George Brown College, Toronto, Chef Rainford rapidly developed a professional career in the kitchen, working with a variety of culinary talents. However, his curiosity for food and tastes, coupled with his Jamaican heritage, led him to the outdoors and the now familiar smoke of the barbecue.

A world-class chef more commonly known as the King of Grill, Chef Rainford’s passion for the barbecue allows him to transform a variety of fresh seasonal ingredients into an array of mouth-watering, creative barbecued meals.

“Having brought Licence to Grill to our Asian viewers over the past few years we are delighted to now bring the King of Grill himself, the guru of barbecuing, Chef Rainford, to the Philippines. By bringing international culinary talent like him to the region we want to continue inspiring, educating, and delighting our millions of viewers as well as both budding and experienced chefs.” commented Maria Brown, Co-Founder and Managing Director of AFC.

Ms Brown continued: “Economic conditions is withstanding, the very strong feedback from our millions of viewers and fans are telling us that they love the Channel and the stars we feature and the fact that we are bringing them to the region. We see it as a small way for AFC to let our ardent fans know that we love them, their passion for the Channel, and that we continue listening to them.”

With BBQ events galore, AFC Chef Robert Rainford is sure to satisfy all License to Grill fans and grill enthusiasts in the Philippines! The King of Grill,

Chef Rainford, will be creating a special barbecue extravaganza and a broad array of mouth-watering grill inspired delights on 21 June at Greenbelt 3 Park, Makati City and on 22 June at Alabang Town Center.

The event will be made possible by the following Presentors: Asian Food Channel, Skycable, Ayala Malls and San Remo; Other sponsors: Magnolia Chicken Station, Selecta, F&B World, Max 103.5, Jam 88.3 and Wave 89.1.

During the month of June catch Chef Rainford’s top tips and delicious recipes on ‘Licence to Grill’ every weekday at 8pm, only on Asian Food Channel, Skycable Channel 58. So there really is no excuse not to dust the barbecue down and practice your skill on the grill.


About Asian Food Channel
The Asian Food Channel (AFC) is the region’s only 24-hour food channel dedicated to airing the best food and lifestyle programming from around the region and around the world. Based in Singapore, AFC’s wide Asian distribution footprint covers seven territories and 20 million viewers, on basic tiers of all the major pay TV platforms across Southeast Asia.

The channel leads the ratings in its territories, regularly achieving the #1 lifestyle channel in terms of popularity and loyalty. It has achieved a broad following from young teenage food lovers and empty nesters to trendy urban females and aspiring male chefs. Its online presence supports the channel with program information, recipes, content and an e-commerce store. As such AFC regularly executes 360 degree advertising and marketing campaigns and solutions for leading FMCG, Financial and Travel brands.

AFC broadcasts on:
• StarHub Channel 69 (Singapore)
• Astro Channel 703 (Malaysia)
• First Media Digital 1 Channel 76 (Indonesia)
• Prime Indovision Channel 22 (Indonesia)
• Now TV Channel 527 (Hong Kong)
• Skycable Channel 58 (Philippines)

Please visit www.asianfoodchannel.com for more information


For further information please contact:

For further enquiries on Spain…On the Road Again, please contact:

Pebbles Reyes
pebbles.reyes@asianfoodchannel.com
Mobile: +63 9209040758

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