SWEET Bella -- beyond sweetness!

For our 4th monthsary, my boyfriend and I tried out Sweet Bella Cakes and Pastries Dessert Bar at Bonifacio Global City. Sweet tooth me did have a great dinner plus John Neil allowed me to taste two cakes of my choice. Sugar rush! Yehey! :)

Sweet Bella Dessert Bar occupies two floors. First floor is where my eyes grew bigger (literally bigger lol) upon seeing the array of sweet treats perfectly stationed in their dessert bar.

Chef Cristina designs these fanciful cakes. She is the daughter of Melo Santiago, famous owner of Melo's Steakhouse.  (Read more about Sweet Bella: http://www.sweetbelladesserts.com/page/view/about-us)

Aside from cakes, Sweet Bella also offers macarons that look magnificent in their separate trays. We didn’t try these but they look yummy too :)

  

The first floor of the café is stunning in pink: Dessert bar looks divine and the boxes are piled gorgeously. Thumbs up!

The second floor is the dining area for their “real food”. Oh well I mean real food because I’ve known Sweet Bella just for their beautifully crafted cakes. I didn’t know they serve other dishes also.

The dining area is heavenly! It’s prominently clad in white and hot pink hues. And since we arrived at the café earlier than the usual post-work dining, we sat in a beautifully located couch. It’s so fluffy I can sit there the entire day chatting with friends, a perfect spot for dining if you want a serene atmosphere.

Pink - it’s the night’s hue! And I love how they positioned their food mats and table napkins. Add the attractive contrast of colors to that :)

When we got the menu, boyfriend and I were like “whooooah too expensive!” But hey, we’re comfortably seated already so might as well try the dishes they offer. Oh well, we’re both pesto lovers and pizza meat monsters so we still ended up choosing the most expensive pasta and pizza from their menu haha!

For our pasta, we ordered FARFALLE CREAMY PESTO (Php 395.00)

It’s a blend of garlic, olive oil, pesto sauce, parmesan cheese, with bacon and mushroom. This pasta is superb! A must try. I was delighted as it wasn't as oily as most pesto dishes plus the pesto sauce had this fantastic texture. Yum! The noodles were ribbon shaped and made it more appealing. This is one of the best pesto’s I’ve ever sampled.

 

For our pasta, we chose RUSTICA (Php 450.00)

It’s a thin crust pizza crowned with Italian sausage, Hungarian sausage, Frankfurter sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese. We both loved this more than the pasta. 10/10 for this mouth-watering pizza! And I should praise our waiter for serving it straight from the brick oven. The considerable amount of mozzarella cheese topping made it stringy and brought us to crave for another slice. Yummy! 

'DELICIOUS' is an understatement for these two fantastic main dishes!

After a good meal, it’s time to satisfy my sweet cravings! Yey!

When we ordered our desserts, we didn’t see the prices as they were not specified in their menu or even in the dessert bar labels. I actually dared not to ask because I might choose the cheaper cakes instead of savouring those I’d love to taste hehe. I had a hard time choosing! They’re all tempting and food for the eyes.

First sweet pick: CHOCOLATA (Php 230.00)

This cake was displayed on top of their dessert bar. It’s labeled “voted Best Dessert for 2007” by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Sounds yummy!

                                     

I would like to mention that this cake became even more appealing because of the chocolate butterflies accenting it. I want to keep that cute butterfly if only it wasn’t edible. Boooyeah, I had to eat it.

Anyway, Chocolata is a moist chocolate cake layered with rich ganache topped with chocolate glass. It’s a full-bodied chocolate cake layered with even more chocolate flavors! It’s a chocolate overload indeed! If you enjoy overwhelming chocolate flavors in your dessert, you will definitely love this.

I just found this cake too pricey. If it’s priced at Php 150.00, they would have given justice to its size and taste.

Finally, the wonderful pick of the night: MIDNIGHT HAZELNUT CRUNCH (Php 130.00)

It’s a dark chocolate mousse with a pinch of hazelnut in its crunchy crust. The cake was so yummy I devoured fast. Like 3 bites only? Hahaha!! I looked like a cake greed upon the first bite. The hazelnut was so flavorful that I took pleasure from the crust more than the cake mousse. It’s so delectable I can say that this is now my favorite cake of all time. Swear! I recommend everyone to try this.

Total bill is Php 1,325.50 including the 10% service charge.

If you’re looking for the value of food without having to consider a budget, this restaurant is just right for you. But if you have a tight budget, you might just want to have a taste on their heavenly desserts that they can certainly brag about. After all, the place is so ideal for catching up with friends over a slice of their delicious cakes.

The servers were all attentive and friendly. They knew their foodstuff very well and they can always suggest what’s best to try if it’s your first time there.

The place is really peaceful that it’s ideal to bring your friends, family, and romantic partner and talk over things. Plus, they offer free wi-fi so bring your laptops, ipods, and ipads and stay connected to your social networking world :)

**Sweet Bella Cakes and Pastry Dessert Bar**

Products: Cakes, Macaroons, Chocolate Pralines, Specialty Breads, Sandwiches, Pizza, Pasta, Coffee

Location: Forbes Town Center, Burgos Circle corner Rizal Drive, Bonifacio Global City
Taguig City, Philippines
Store Hours: 7:00 AM - 12:00 MN (Weekdays) / 7:00 AM - 2:00 AM (Weekends)

Contact Number: +632 846 8243

Website: http://www.sweetbelladesserts.com/

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House of LASAGNA: true to its name

House of Lasagna is located at J. Abad Santos Street – one of those variety of restaurants situated in a restaurant strip in San Juan.

The place is small and their signage is somewhat confusing. The signage displays “House of Lasagna” and below, “Cakes and Pastries.” Hmm… But yeah, they have the BEST LASAGNA IN TOWN!

The vines, hanged decors and beautiful lamps, wooden chairs and tables, and little wooden windows complemented the place’s homey ambience. The lack of good lighting made it dark inside the restaurant. This dimness however was harmonized by the vibrant yellow painted walls.

There were only three other tables occupied during the entire visit, which I found positive because we were able to spend a really quiet time dining. But one thing I noticed is the empty dessert glass display.  Too bad, I wasn’t able to relish their cakes and pastries.

The menu is so enticing as it said “100% Ground Sirloin Beef” and “No Extenders” to the beef lasagna. 

 

I ordered a single serving of BEEF LASAGNA (Php 220.00). My lasagna was freshly made upon ordering (like 20 minutes prep time) and it came with a basket of garlic breads since all their lasagnas are supposed to be served with unlimited garlic breads. The serving was really big that boyfriend and I decided to share this purportedly single serve of lasagna.

It was mouth-watering and served straight from the oven! We both agreed that it was delectable. The melted cheese overload made it exceptionally cheesy (oh how I love cheese. Yum!). The pasta was cooked to perfection. Al dente! Not too soggy and not too rubbery – just the perfect pasta texture.  It had overwhelming layers of flavor that I can remember its taste notably. The mozzarella and cheddar cheese, tomato paste, ground sirloin beef, and other ingredients were all wrapped in between and echoed in every spoonful.

I was also delighted by the garlic breads they offer. It was warm but crunchy, tasted so buttery, and loaded with this herby taste. They are to blame for the full consumption of my entire garlic bread basket hahaha.

True to its name, the beef lasagna was truly remarkable! 

My rice monster boyfriend ofcourse ordered a rice meal – SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN (Php 220.00). It had this luscious aroma and came with a small serving of fries and coleslaw. It also had a very ordinary serving style (white plate, not even a single garnish in the plate). I had a taste of the chicken also and I found it perfectly golden cooked, juicy, crispy and not too greasy. The breading of the chicken is just right, unlike those over-breaded chickens in fastfood chains. But I found this meal kinda overpriced for the small chops of chicken.

This is indeed the “House of Lasagna” which offers the best beef lasagna I’ve ever tasted.

**House of Lasagna**

Products: Lasagnas, Southern Fried Chicken, Steaks, Seafood, Cakes and Pastries

Location: Unit 1-B Ground Floor, J. Abad Santos Street corner V. Cruz Street, Little Baguio, San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines
Store Hours: 11:000 AM - 10:00 PM daily

Contact Number: +632 570 8610

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National SPORTS Grill

National Sports Grill describes itself as the "Undisputed King of Sports Grills" and the first international sports bar to blend dining and sports together. I have seen this restaurant on various walks along Greenbelt 3. So when boyfriend decided to treat his family, I suggested we try National Sports Grill. It’s home court is at Level 3 of Greenbelt 3, Makati City.

 

 
The menu features a wide variety of all-American appetizers, salads, specialized sandwiches, hamburgers, pizzas, alcoholic & non-alcoholic specialty drinks, domestic & international beer and refillable soda & iced tea.

  
Sports memorabilia are overly noticeable within the restaurant. Those are from both international and local stars creating a sports museum setting. It is equipped with a projector and several TV monitors, tuned in to sports channels showing several sporting events. A pool table is also available in the outdoor dining but you have to pay for it in an hourly basis.

 
*SUPERBOWL PASTA*

 
We picked ANGEL HAIR POMODORO (Php 235.00) for our pasta.

It’s an angel hair pasta tossed with fresh diced roma tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil and red sauce.

This is the most critical pasta pick for me because if the pasta itself isn’t good, there is no way I will surely like it. At National Sports Grill, the pasta was great. The texture of the pasta was exceptional – just what I was looking for. But the sauce was just satisfactory. You can distinguish diced tomatoes blanketing your noodles, but I didn’t find it impressive. The serving was big but we didn’t gobble into it that much maybe because it wasn’t served warm. I don’t know how long it took the waiters to place it out of the pan before it was served to our table. I wasn’t really amazed by this one.

 

We also ordered CHICKEN PARMESAN WITH PENNE PASTA (Php 425.00)

It’s a choice of red or white sauce to top our breaded chicken breast with melted cheese and penne pasta plus garlic bread on the side.

The breaded boneless chicken breasts were cooked tender, but their taste were simply neutral. They're pale, and better cooked to golden brown. I was not able to savour the red sauce we requested on top of it before melting cheese. Oh well, the cheese on top of it added a little flavor to the chicken. This may have tasted good if it was served warm. Tssss

The penne pasta was good. But I don’t know why they don’t serve the pasta straight from the pan. Anyway, the penne pasta didn’t lose its smooth tubular shape. They’re perfect. And the texture? Al dente! They truly know how to cook their noodles. The sauce was hearty but the taste was just like the home-cooked red sauce. Nothing remarkable on the sauce. It didn’t taste bad either. I just pondered that melted cheese on top of the pasta would have added that exceptional tang. (I don’t think National Sports Grill fails to serve good pasta, only serve the pasta hot from the pan next time).

 
*SUPERBOWL PIZZA* 

Pizza monsters ofcourse ordered pizza: PEPPERONI PIZZA (Php 265.00).

The waiter said this is their best seller pizza. It’s a four cheese pizza topped with zesty pepperoni slices.

Nothing wowed or offended – just the right taste. The cheese and crust were nothing special. Maybe because I am not a fan of underbaked crust and the cheese was just like those home-style pizza cheese topping. I only found one great aspect of this pizza, less greasy!

 
*MAIN EVENT MEALS* 

STRIKE & SPARE RIBS (Minor League – Php 315.00; Major League – Php 415.00)

Major league was enough for all of us to share: two strips of grilled spareribs marinated in their signature sauce. Served with garlic rice, coleslaw and fruit of the day (watermelon then), it’s sure a big serving. 3 persons can share this plate. The spareribs were tender and I loved the sauce. Yum! The pork spareribs were perfectly marinated and grilled, and obviously carefully cooked in medium heat. It’s as if during the grilling process, the delicious sauce was brushed to the pork which added moisture, reduced burning, and loaded lots of flavor to the pork spare ribs. While relishing the spare ribs, I know that NSG gave enough justice to its quite expensive price. 

The garlic rice was a real small portion but you can always fill your tummy with the coleslaw served in a fresh cabbage bowl. That serving of coleslaw looked really cute :)    

 

 
KARATE CHOPS (Minor League – Php 315.00; Major League – Php 415.00)

Another major league: two grilled pork chops marinated in teriyaki sauce. Served with garlic rice, coleslaw, buttered corn kernels, fruit (watermelon) and BBQ sauce. This tasted fantastic also. Still worth the price (but strike spare ribs captured my heart best haha). The pork chops were also perfectly grilled and marinated and the teriyaki sauce echoed in every bite.

The garlic rice was of the same portion as in strike spareribs but you can always satisfy your bellies with the coleslaw plus the corn kernels.

CHICKEN BREAST PLATTER (Php 385.00)

It’s actually a choice of cajun, BBQ or Pico de Gallo on top of the boneless chicken breast. We chose Pico de Gallo. It’s served with buttered corn kernels, firecracker fries, coleslaw, fruit (watermelon) & garlic cheese toast.

Although cooked to perfection, the grilled chicken breast lacked flavor. It’s as if only salt seasoned the chicken. The pico de gallo topping didn’t improve the taste of the chicken. In the end, we just had to munch on its overwhelming sides: the fries, corn kernels, coleslaw, watermelon, and garlic bread – they all tasted great.  

 

*STADIUM REFRESHMENTS*

Strawberry Milkshake (Php 175.00) and Fresh Green Mango Shake (Php 125.00)

My strawberry milkshake was good and I loved it because it wasn't a “diabetic-coma” milkshake. Just the right amount of sugar plus lots of milky flavor. Boyfriend described his fresh green mango shake as “just okay.” Though both drinks tasted good, they are obviously overpriced.

 

You will spend big if you decide to dine at National Sports Grill. Most in their menu are overpriced except for their main event meals.
 

Service is great as well but one objection: their waitresses expose their tummies all the time. The waitresses’ uniforms don't suit the sports ambiance. I don’t just see the point because they can always wear decent jerseys :)
 

The place has a real sporty feel. If you’re a big fan of sports and wants to be always tuned in to the latest sports craze while dining, this is just the right place for you.

**National Sports Grill Bar**
Products: All-American Appetizers, Salads, Sandwiches, Hamburgers, Pizzas, Alcoholic & non-alcoholic specialty drinks, Domestic & international beer, Refillable soda and iced tea.

Location: Level 3, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City, Philippines

Contact Numbers: +632 728 4126
Website: http://www.nsg.ph/

 

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About Me

About the blogger: 

SHERIZZA ANN DELA CRUZ BRONDO

An Electronics Engineer but a frustrated chef at heart. A technology enthusiast and event planner in her own right. A certified food adventurer, an amateur gourmet photographer, and a newbie writer out of boredom --- food blogging made way for three things she love to come in full circle.

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Restaurant Reviews

EAT & GO RESTAURANT (Philippines)

THE CREAMERY RESTO AND ICE CREAM BAR (Philippines)

MANILA BAY CRUISE BUFFET DINNER (Philippines)

RED KIMONO (Philippines)

SECRET RECIPE (Philippines)

 

PEPPER LUNCH (Philippines)

SWEET BELLA Cakes and Pastries Dessert Bar (Philippines)

 

HOUSE OF LASAGNA (Philippines)  

 

NATIONAL SPORTS GRILL (Philippines)

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Contact Me / Disclosure

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact asinfulappetite@gmail.com.

**DISCLOSURE**

  

This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, I will and do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations.
 

The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.
 

The owner of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on food products, dining services, restaurant esthetics and promos, and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely mine. I claim to be expert on Recipes and Restaurant Reviews and I will only endorse products, restaurants, recipes, and services that I believe, based on my expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. 

Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.
 

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

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Recipes

Almost all my recipes are inspired by my dad who cooks great -- well okay, just a few changes, plus I always go for the taste, and never relied on ratio cooking (3 cups of soy sauce = 2 cups of vinegar, etc).

Here at my food blog, I would like to see my readers' recipes! Would you like your recipe to be published here?  Please submit it and I will publish it with your name and country from where you are.
 

Email me your recipe (together with clear photos of ingredients and the finish product plus a short story behind your recipe, and ofcourse your name and contact details) at asinfulappetite@gmail.com

"Mere listings of ingredients as in recipes, formulas, compounds, or prescriptions are not subject to copyright protection. However, when a recipe or formula is accompanied by substantial literary expression in the form of an explanation or directions, or when there is a combination of recipes, as in a cookbook, there may be a basis for copyright protection."

So remember these guidelines before submitting your recipes:

1. If you're modifying someone else's recipe, it should be called "adapted from".

2. If you change a recipe substantially, you may be able to call it your own. But if it's somewhat similar to a publisher recipe, you should say it's "inspired by", which means that you used else's recipe for inspiration, but changed it substantially.

3. If you change three ingredients, you can in most instances call the recipe yours.

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOUR RECIPES SOON!  :) 




And look forward to my Pinoy cooking inspired by my dad. I just need to spend more time in our kitchen :)

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