Resto Bites: Sunshine Kitchen

I love eating out, but that habit can be tough on the pocket especially when you want to eat in a good restaurant. To get quality food, sometimes you have to pay a high price. That's why I am so thankful discount websites have sprung like wild mushrooms everywhere! I've gotten so many good deals from those sites be it for health, beauty, and of course, food! It can get addicting though, so make sure you purchase stuff you really need. Everything in moderation. :)

Marye, Ten, and I shared a coupon for Sunshine Kitchen. It was a consumable voucher that allowed us to order items on the regular menu. That was good because usually when restaurants tie up with a discount website, they offer a special set menu. I forgot how much the coupon was, but what we did was pay for the additional cost of our orders.

My first impression when we entered Sunshine Kitchen was that it lacked sunshine. Maybe because we came on a gloomy day, or maybe I was just thinking about a different restaurant. You know, white furniture, bright and cheerful walls, birds chirping. Heh, my bad.

Sunshine Kitchen has brick walls, black tables, and yellow chairs. The sunlight comes from the huge picture windows covered by the restaurant signage in the middle. A bar with high black stools gives a peek into the restaurant's kitchen.

The sunshine comes from the food they serve: flavorful, well-seasoned, and with generous servings. Each dish is worth the price.

For appetizers, we had mixed mushroom with poached egg (P280). Two thumbs up for this dish. Even the bread was great.

We also ordered Pasta Al Nero (P410). It's squid ink spaghetti with shrimp, squid, snapper and cream. I love anything pasta, and this was a hit for me. Creamy and tender, it's good for sharing but I have no doubt I can finish it on my own.

Another great dish, this is the 6-hour Slow Roast Porchetta (P450). We also split this among the three of us (their menu says it's good for two), but if you're not too worried about your cholesterol levels, then go ahead and eat it solo. The pork was cooked right, and it has the right mix of crisp and tender, crunchy and juicy. It comes with three dipping sauces, but it's delicious even on its own.

One of the reasons we headed to this restaurant was to try out their "artisanal pizzas," and boy we weren't disappointed. We tried their signature dish, the Sunshine Pizza (P550). It has a bed of marinara sauce topped with Cabanatuan longganisa, porchetta, mozzarella, ricotta, bell peppers, and what we think could only be quail eggs on each slice. Smoky, savory goodness in every bite. This is definitely not from your neighborhood pizza joint.

Oh but the happiness didn't stop there. We finished our delightful meal with two scoops of Key Lime Pie Ice Cream topped with crushed grahams (P240). Ah, I could sing this dessert praises all day! I've mentioned before that I have a different taste when it comes to desserts and sweets, but this, this is definitely my type. It is exactly what you need on a hot summer day: cold, tangy, and refreshing. Actually, you'd want to eat it even if it's cold and raining! I can still taste it in my mouth as I type this. I shall come back for you!

Service was good, the servers efficient and knowledgable of the menu. I won't be surprised if this place is always packed with customers.

Sunshine Kitchen
The Fort Strip
7th Avenue corner Katipunan Circle
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig/Makati City
+632-8472791
+63928-8212625

Book Bits: An excerpt from Marisa De Los Santos's Falling Together

Marisa Delos Santos is the Filipino-American bestselling author of When Love Walked In and Belong To Me. Her latest novel is Falling Together, and it has got to be the best book I've read this year (and I'm not even finished with it). I fall in love with books, mostly because I can relate with the characters and what they are going through. I'm not going to post spoilers here, but let me just say that each of the protagonists has to deal with losing a loved one.

I've been going through some stuff lately and reading this book not only helped me temporarily escape the stress (that's what I love about reading, you get lost in another world), but some of the dialogue and situations seem to speak to me.

My apologies to the author, I just edited the pronouns in the following excerpts:

Will had thought about pointing out that his own ______ wasn't actually dead, unless you counted her heart and soul, or that you had to first have a ______ in order to lose one, or that his ______'s exit from his life had left nothing that required healing.

***

"Whether I do or I don't, though, I figured something out."
"What's that?"
"I need her gone," Will had told her, looking her straight in the eye. "For good. No seeing her. No more phone calls or e-mails. Nothing."
He had braced himself.
"Good," said his ______ firmly. "Cut her out."
"Really? I thought you'd be upset."
"Of course not," said his ______. "Whatever you need to do to take care of yourself, do it. And good riddance."
"Hold on," Will had said. "I thought you forgave her."
"I did. I do. I let go of my anger and blame, but I know her."

"...unless that woman undergoes a radical change, which could happen because miracles do happen, but which I'm sorry to say seem unlikely, she shouldn't be anywhere near you."