Travel Bites: Bye for now, Manila!

My "something to look forward to" has arrived. See you back here in a few! :)

Home Bites: It's Congelada!

As much as I love eating, I don't really have the traditional sweet tooth most people have. I don't love chocolates. An uneaten bar can stay inside my fridge until it's expiration date and I wouldn't even notice (it's happened a lot of times). I'm more of a savory/main course type of girl. Desserts won't usually come first with me.

But there are still days when I am craving for something sweet, and the usual store-bought ice cream just won't cut it.

My friend Denise Martinez asked me to try her home made ice cream and sorbets. Denise is a teacher who loves to tinker in the kitchen on her spare time. Early this year, Congelada was born.

Congelada means "frozen" in Portuguese. Denise, a linguist, went on an exchange program in Brazil in 2009.

Denise makes all her ice cream and sorbets from scratch. Here are the available flavors:

photo from @itscongelada on Instagram

Congelada is based in the South, but there are pick-up points for clients in the North. Denise and I met at Power Plant one Saturday for my Congelada tubs.

I ordered one ice cream flavor (Caramel) and one sorbet flavor (Zesty Chamomile Crisps). They came in these white tubs and gold gift boxes with two plastic teaspoons. Sorbets are best eaten immdiately, while you can store your ice creams in the freezer.

The Zesty Chamomile Crisps is perfect for cooling down on a hot afternoon. It has the right amount of sweet and zest, with crunchy waffle chips. It's surprising how they stay crispy even when soaked in the sorbet. I couldn't finish the whole tub in one sitting, so I placed it in the freezer. When I ate it again, it retained its flavor and wasn't watered-down. You can be sure Congelada doesn't scrimp on ingredients.

Surprise crisps in every bite!

My favorite is the Caramel ice cream. I love the salty-sweet combination, my kind of sweet. Because it's home made, don't expect ice cream quality from the store. But what it lacks in form it makes up for in flavor. Each spoonful gives you a rich, decadent caramel taste. I finished the entire tub in one sitting! Yes, I'm not even embarrassed about it, haha. I wasn't even able to take a photo!

Denise tries to come up with new flavors regularly. The Speculoos Cookie Butter craze gave birth to Cracker Butter. She also made Cashew Nangka as a special order.

This week, Congelada offered its latest flavor, Pink Velvet Ice Cream:

photo from @itscongelada on Instagram

I still can't decide which flavors to order next, but I'm choosing between Cake Batter and Cracker Butter. I'd probably end up getting both! Each tub costs P245. :)

You can send you orders and inquiries to +09178421986 or follow them on Instagram. The photos and texts are always pretty, it would definitely brighten your IG feed!

Resto Bites: Ba Noi's

Barangay Kapitolyo in Pasig City is a treasure trove of small restaurants that cater to a wide range of food lovers. There are holes-in-the wall, burger joints, milk tea places, delis, and drinking places. Name it, Kapitolyo probably has it.

One recent addition to Kapitolyo's roster is Ba Noi's Vietnamese restaurant. It was formerly located at Perea St., Legaspi Village in Makati. Their loss is our gain! I'm so glad I live near Kapitolyo because if I'm craving for something, I just pick a joint and I'll be sure to come home full and happy.

For Marye's pre-birthday lunch, we decided to give Ba Noi's a try. And we're glad we did!

Like most restaurants in Kapitolyo, Ba Noi's is small and cozy, its tables close one another. I'm not sure but I think it now occupies the space where a beauty salon (Glamourama!) used to be. Bamboo curtains covering the door and windows, dark wooden furniture, and key wall pieces compose the resto's Asian vibe. On one wall you will find enlarged photos of their menu offerings.

Oh, and I found out that Ba Noi means paternal grandmother in Vietnamese. I guess that should clue you in on the kind of food they serve: homey, filling, and delicious. Just like a grandmother's cooking.

Our orders (italicized words from their menu):

Goi Cuon - pork, shrimp and rice vermicelli wrapped in soft rice paper. I prefer the fresh rolls more than the fried ones so it was a no-brainer that we chose this dish. One order comes with three big rolls so we had one each. The serving is big, but I was looking for a citrus kick. Marye also mentioned that when they ate this in Vietnam, there was an herb included that was missing in our order. Good thing Ba Noi's peanut sauce is good, so that made up for the lack of flavor.

Bun Cha Gio Thit Nong - A rice noodle dish served with fried spring rolls and grilled pork in our homemade sauce with pickled carrot daikon. This order was a surprise hit. Marye thought the dish had soup when she ordered it, so we were a bit puzzled when it arrived. A bowl of noodles, greens, and meat comes with small platter of sauce. Mix it together and you have one satisfying meal! The delicious sauce coats the glass noodles thoroughly. I will definitely come back for this dish.

Bo Luc Lac - The house favorite stir-fried spiced beef served with fried basil. This is another winning dish. I'm apprehensive when ordering beef in a restaurant because they have the tendency to get tough when not cooked right. But our order came with tender and juicy beef cubes. Squeeze a slice of lime over the beef, then eat with the fried basil leaves and white steamed rice. Superb! If you want it spicy, then you can cut up the red chilis that come with the dish.

Ca Kho To - Deep fried catfish, simmered in rich caramel sauce, garnished with spring onions and fresh chilis. The catfish was delicious as well. It reminds me of home cooked meals, and savory dishes are always good in my book. Just be careful when eating because the fish slices are not deboned. When I come back, I will also try their fried catfish!

For those four dishes, our bill was around P1,200. Four hundred pesos each for us three. Not bad! I also have to commend their service. Serving time was just right. The servers were attentive, made sure they got our orders right, and we didn't have to get their attention for water refills. We went there on their third day of operations, but save for the "cash only" sign at the door, you wouldn't think they were on their soft opening. But that's probably because they just relocated, and not a "new" restaurant.

One of the owners, Dodjie Violago, was also there. Ten said he's also one of the owners of Borough, and Il Ponticello. Dodjie went to our table and asked how our meal went. He also told us that Ba Noi's is open seven days a week! So you can drop by even on Sundays.

 Ba Noi's
12 East Capitol Drive
Barangay Kapitolyo
Pasig City
(Near Charlie's Grind and Grill)
Landline: (02) 477-97-61

Operating Hours: 
Mon - Sat 11:00am - 3:00am
Sun - 11:00am - 10:00pm