Every time we visit Fully Booked, there is always something new to learn. This time however, it is not book-related. For such a long time, we've been visiting Press by Fully Booked solely for its beverages that we buy before or after we check out the book.
To our defense, look at Press by Fully Booked's logo? You see two things: a book and a beverage cup. We'd also like to add that it serves really good coffee and lemonade.
Food
One of the distinct characteristic for us with Fully Booked is that although it is a mass-scale of a bookstore, you can still feel that it is inviting and has a personal touch to it. It's the kind of a charm of "The Shop Around the Corner", a small boookstore that is depicted in the movie "You've Got Mail" that was casted by Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
We had the same feeling with Press by Fully Booked and its menu. Aside from its regular menu, it also has seasonal offerings like the Christmas Holiday Meals.
We had the same feeling with Press by Fully Booked and its menu. Aside from its regular menu, it also has seasonal offerings like the Christmas Holiday Meals.
Soup
Since we love classics, we'll start of with items in the regular menu.
Mushroom (160 php) |
As far as cream-based soups, our favorite since childhood has always been cream of mushroom. Press' Mushroom soup is one of the best we've had in years.
Salads
Classic Caesar (250 php) |
All the dishes we're tried like the Classic Caesar made use of the freshest ingredients. Because of that, the price here is quite reasonable especially for this branch which is located in Rockwell Power plant.
Pasta
Agli e Olio (200 php) |
The serving size is also quite generous.
Carbonara (250 php) |
Holiday Set Meals
For this Christmas, Press by Fully Booked has prepared a Holiday Group Meal Set inspired by our Filipino Nocha Buena tradition.
Arroz Valenciana |
Homestyle Fried Chicken |
Lechon Belly |
Cakes & Pastries
Chocolate Cake (1250 php/whole) |
Chocolate cakes are one of the most popular cake variant available in the Metro. Till the time we've encountered Press' Chocolate Cake, we thought we've tasted all the best ones. We've read all sorts of top lists or best chocolate cake in Manila list and none of them has mentioned Press by Fully Booked. What a wild card! What a hidden gem! This Chocolate Cake is rich, bitter sweet and oh so soft and moist. Although huge and thick, you won't hesitate to take each and every bite.
Holiday Pastries
Like the meals, Press also has holiday pastries.
Ube Custard (650 php) |
Four Seasons Cheesecake (Php1,350) |
Variety is always well-appreciated in every potluck. Can't decide on which cheesecake to bring? Take the Four Seasons Cheesecake with Original, Caramelized Banana, Queso De Bola and Hazelnut and let your guests decide for themselves. But for you, we highly suggest that your take from the Queso De Bola cheesecake part right away cause it is surely the first one to be wiped! The Caramelized Banana and Hazelnut is also an interesting pick. We were so surprised with the Hazelnut which delivered cute little crunchiness in every bite. We rarely encounter a hazelnut product that makes used of fresh tiny bits of the actual nut itself so we were really impressed.
Cookie Sampler (Php440) |
And, because variety is well-appreciate, there also a cookie and bar counterpart with the Cookie Sampler with Chocolate Chip, Cranberry & Raisins, Double Chocolate and Double Mint Chocolate Chip...
Bar Sampler (550 php) |
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Like every visit to Fully Booked, we found our visit to Press by Fully Booked to be a wonderful experience. We found all the dishes we tried to be affordable and in generous portions. We also found the bright yet solemn atmosphere which makes it conducive for reading, meetings and conversations to be a great consideration for dining here.
Tsinoy Foodies Review Rating | Press by Fully Booked Menu | |
Ambiance | ★★★ | NA |
Taste | ★★★ | |
Service | ★★★ | |
Price | ★★★ | |
♥=Favorites or Recommended |
Press by Fully Booked | |
Business Address | The Powerplant Mall, 3/F, Rockwell Center, Lopez Drive, Makati, Metro Manila |
Business Hours | 10am-9pm (mall hours) |
Payment Options | Cash |
Service Charge | NA |
Budget/Person | 250-500 |
Free WiFi | No |
Contact | (02) 7901-4177 |
Other |
From Chef Robby Goco of Cyma, Chester Villas of Akulturado Vancouver, and Jon Balangay of Le Monet Hotel comes 1950 Restaurant.
2nd Floor Dining Area |
Food
The food fare in is 1950 Restaurant Modern fusion inspired from the travels and familial recipes of Santaromana family. You'll surely find the menu selections quite intriguing.
Soil
♥ Kale Soba (400 php) |
Caesar Salad (400 php) |
Land
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Bites (300 php) |
The Buttermilk Fried Chicken Bites is a levelled up version of the popcorn chicken. It comes with spiced honey and brown butter gravy to boot.
Sea
♥ Grilled Octopus (325 php) |
Lobster Bisque (600 php) |
Filipino Classic
Baked Hipon and Laing (375 php) |
♥ Adobo Classics (350 php) |
Sweets
Bavarian Cake (280 php) |
Molten Lava Cake (280 php) |
Baked Alaska (280 php) |
White Chocolate Blondie (280 php) |
Toasted Ensaymada (80 php) |
This is the first time we encountered an ensaymada that did not captivate us to finish in one seating... The Toasted Ensaymada is better when dipped in the hot chocolate and topped with candied bacon bits. However, even then it isn't anything spectacular.
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Oh 1950 Restaurant, the concept seems fun and timeless. Yet, it wasn't so evident in the execution of the dishes. Perhaps, we need another visit to know you better...
Tsinoy Foodies Review Rating | 1950 Restaurant Menu | |
Ambiance | ★★★ | N/A |
Taste | ★★ | |
Service | ★★★ | |
Price | ★★★ | |
♥=Favorites or Recommended |
1950 Restaurant | |
Business Address | 14 Castilla Street, Near One Castilla Place, Valencia, Quezon City |
Business Hours | 11am-10pm |
Payment Options | Cash |
Service Charge | 10% |
Budget/Person | 500-1,500 |
Free WiFi | No |
Contact | (0917) 816-2599 |
Other |
Residing in Manila has limited our foodie exploration around Alabang. In fact, our rarity in the area is evident by our number of Alabang posts. So, we're happy to share the our latest discovery in the area called Southbank Cafe + Lounge.
Yes, we traveled all the way to the South because there is no existing food establishment in the Metro Manila area yet like Southbank.
The long operating hours of Southbank Cafe + Lounge from 7 am until 1 am is complemented by its versatile and expansive food and drink offerings. As a Melbourne-inspired food establishment, Southbank seeks to be the melting pot of cuisines and drinks.
Southbank's coffee concoctions are produced using Victoria Adruino espresso machine and hot air roasted beans of Allpress Espress (quality coffee branch from New Zealand since 1989). It is proudly the first cafe to offer Allpress Espresso.
It also offers cocktails and wines.
Cafe
Coffee
♥ Mocha (190 php) |
Fellow coffee enthusiast, we highly recommend Southbank's premium bold and flavorful coffee. We tried the Mocha which was by far the best one we've tried yet!
Cold Drink (with Vanilla Ice Cream)
♥ Iced Coffee (190 php)
Another must try is its Iced Coffee that comes with Vanilla Ice Cream with milk chocolate bits. Its amazing how the coffee maintains its richness despite the ice and ice cream. We'd say its even stronger in flavor than other cold brew brands we've tried. It's also a plus that it used plastic free straws which are made of 100% biodegradable PLA cornstarch which decomposes after 200 days.
All Day Menu
Breakfast
♥ Classic French Toast (370 php) |
Southbank's french toast isn't just savy with all the colorful dusts and edible flowers, it is also so delicious that all my companions preferred this over pancakes. It was an interesting discovery for us that whipped ricotta adds a complementing creamy texture and wholesome flavor to the Classic French Toast.
♥ Croquettes (350 php) |
We've always been a fan of croquettes. We loved Southbank's version comes with potato, cheese, sous-vide egg and roasted capsicum.
Southbank Pancakes (390 php) |
Mains
♥ Ricotta Salad (390 php) |
♥ Southbank Burger (580 php) |
The juicy 100% beef patty and the truffle mayo for us was the winning factor that made the Southbank Burger as our top choice amongst the dishes we tried.
♥ Squid Ink Pasta (450 php) |
♥ Tiger Prawn Risotto (580 php) |
The Tiger Prawn Risotto is a medley of all our favorites: prawn thermidore, mushroom and sun-dried tomatoes so it was instant love upon first taste. When it comes to risotto, another essential factor is the texture. As you can see, it is creamy and the rice isn't too sticky, heavy or mushy so it was pleasurable to eat.
♥ Salmon Aburi Bowl (620 php) |
At its price point, we could compare Southbank's Salmon Aburi Bowl with Your Local's famous Torched Salmon Donburi. Quite frankly, we love this better!
Hickory BBQ Pork Belly Bowl (420 php) |
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Southerners are surely lucky to have Southbank Cafe + Lounge just around the neighborhood. We'd definitely love to have some of the food and coffee as much as we can. Aside from having one of the best coffee we've had, Southbank also offers free WiFi and power outlets which makes it our ideal work station. For those who aren't from the South, we still recommend Southbank for your foodie exploration. It is definitely worth the trip especially if you haven't been to Melbourne or can't afford the average dish rate in Melbourne pegged at around 20 USD per meal.
Tsinoy Foodies Review Rating | Southbank Cafe + Lounge Menu | |
Ambiance | ★★★★ | Menu |
Taste | ★★★★ | |
Service | ★★★ | |
Price | ★★★ | |
♥=Favorites or Recommended |
Southbank Cafe + Lounge | |
Business Address | Central Plaza, Westgate Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa CIty, Philippines |
Business Hours | 7am-1am |
Payment Options | Cash |
Service Charge | 10% |
Budget/Person | 250-1,500 |
Free WiFi | Yes |
Contact | (0916) 247-8516 |
Other |
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