One random night, uncle invited us for dinner to one of his latest discoveries: Sky Deck View Bar at The Bayleaf Hotel.  He said he was invited over there for a business meeting and since the view is worth-sharing, he thought of treating us there.

Even though we are Manila residents, we just found out about The Bayleaf Hotel.  Since Intramuros is small, we didn't have a hard time finding it.  Parking slots are limited so we had to park outside The Bayleaf Hotel compound. 

Going up the flight of stairs, we already got a glimpse of the view.

Uncle was right!  The ambiance is indeed stunning.  


The service is slow and it was difficult to call the attention of the servers but we didn't mind.  We kept ourselves occupied with the view.

I dont think there's any place in Manila that can offer a beautiful sight of the city.

Food

Appetizers

♥ Quesong Puti Fondue (365 php)

For starters, we had the Quesong Puti Fondue.  We loved the local white cheese sprinkled with salted fish flakes.  It is a great dip for the crunchy garlic bread.

Fresh Salad

♥ Shrimp and Pomelo (390 php)

The Shrimp and Pomelo is an asian inspired salad with greens, Davao pomelo and green mango.  It had a fish sauce-based dressing.

Main Course

Beef Tenderloin Fillet (750 php)

The Beef Tenderloin Fillet is so tender.  This is definitely worth it!

♥ Seabass Nori (400 php)

The Seabass Nori is another hit among us.


Heritage (comes with rice)

Bayleaf Bagnet Classic (400 php)

My family is originally from Ilocos so our standard for bagnet and pinakbet is quite high.  And, the Bayleaf Bagnet Classic passed with flying colors.

♥ Classic Beef Kare Kare (470 php)

The Classic Beef Kare Kare is so tasty.  This will make you want to have more rice!

Beef Tenderloin "Bistek" (490 php)

The Beef Tenderloin "Bistek" is also good.

Pasta

Seafood (450 php)

The Seafood is good but it was robbed of the spotlight by the other dishes.


Desserts

"Our" Crepe Suzette (270 php)

Nothing special with the "Our" Crepe Suzette.

♥ Ensaymada Pudding (240 php)

The Ensaymada Pudding was highly recommended by our server.

♥ Ensaymada Pudding (240 php)

Indeed, the Ensaymada Pudding is a must try!

♥ The Chocolate Wall (300 php)

The Chocolate Wall is so beautifully plated.  The chocolate mousse is rich.  I found the caramel to be superfluous as it is already sweet enough.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
The Manila City view makes the dining experience at Sky Deck View Bar totally worth it!  The price is reasonable for such a unique rooftop experience.  The food is pretty good too.  Overall, I highly recommend this place.  It made me appreciate Manila more.

Last December, I was invited to take part in the Blogger Roadtaste by Balai Pandesal.

Since I was in the area for my Christmas Shopping tasks, I decided to give it a try.  Although I've passed the Dela Rosa Car Park before, this somehow escaped my attention. 








They had a lot of pastry options displayed.


You can have them dine in or take out.
 

Cheddar Ensaymada (40 php) and Ham & Cheese Bun (39 php)

I must admit, I have been drawn into the expensive Queso de Bola Ensaymadas.  But upon trying their Cheddar Ensaymada and Ham and Cheese Bun, I fell in love with this classic all over. 

Baguio Raisin Bread

I'm not a fan of the sugary kind of raisin bread.  But if it's your type, give their Baguio Raisin Bread a try.  It's so soft and the price is very reasonable.

18" Super Meaty Pizza (79 php)

If you like pinoy-style pizza, which has a dough base that isn't chewy but has a defining crispy like biscuit to it and a slightly sweet tomato sauce, you'll enjoy the 18" Super Meaty Pizza.

Pandesal (7 php/each), Pandesalitas (3.50 php) and Soya Milk (37 php)

They have two kinds of Pandesal and Pandesalitas: Sweet and Salty.  I prefer the latter.  I also liked their Soya Milk.

Balai Wheat Bread (75 php/whole) and Wheat Pandesal (36 php/pack of 6)

What I love most in Balai Pandesal is their whole-wheat selections.  The family tries to be health conscious and opts for whole wheat ones when as much as possible.  We've been buying whole wheat pastries for decades and we have whole them every single day so believe me we've tried a lot of brands and variants over the years.  So far, Balai Pandesal has the softest and smoothest whole-wheat bread I've tried.

Our family has a lot of foodie moments.  But, cute foodie moments are quite rare.  Our dining experience at Vanilla Cupcakery is one of those.


Vanilla Cupcakery has a very enticing facade and interior for the ladies. 


I don't think my brother would really choose it as a place to eat.  But, our excited dazzling eyes must have stopped him from hesitating. 

Somehow the ambiance made me recall our childhood day of playing barbie dolls and paper dolls. 
They have matching fancy gift boxes for take outs.  I noticed that many would simply drop by to make a takeout purchase.

There's a chiller filled with beautiful cupcakes. 

Seeing the ensaymada cupcake is the last piece, we reserved it and paid for it even before our dinner meal.  We also ordered the Tiramisu Cupcake together with our dinner.


Taking photographs and munching on the made waiting for our other orders pleasurable.  

Food

Starters

Garlic and Spinach Dip (150 php)

We were all very impressed with the Garlic and Spinach Dip.  The Spinach Dip is one of the best one we've had.

Soup

Potato Leek Soup (165 php)

Since they didn't have any other soup available, we had the Potato and Leek Soup.  It is very warm and soothing to the tummy.  It had the right blend too.

Pasta

Herbed Bacon Carbonara (245 php)

Creamy Penne Pasta (245 php)

Since we're prefer red sauce, we appreciated the Creamy Penne Pasta more than the Herbed Bacon Carbonara. 

Main

Chicken Parmigiana (265 php)

The Chicken Parmigiana is the most fulfilling among all our orders.  Look at that gorgeous cheese!

Salisbury Steak (265 php)

The Salisbury Steak is fried egg with burnt burger pattie underneath.  We were disappointed with this.

Beef Salpicao (295 php)

The Beef Salpicao is tasty and tender.  We loved how evident the garlic essence is here. 

Roast Beef with Mushroom Gravy (295 php)

The Roast Beef with Mushroom Gravy is one of their best sellers.  I have to agree with the majority that this is indeed a great choice.

Cupcakes

♥ Vanilla Signature Ensaymada Cupcake (75 php)

We had to wait 20 minutes for the Vanilla Signature Ensaymada Cupcake since they sold the last piece to someone else.  My hunch is they had to get this from the other nearby branch so it took a while.  This was served warm with a semi-melted cheese.  I liked it but it didn't pass the family's standards.

Tiramisu (75 php)

Drinks

Hot Cappuccino (115 php)

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
The cute interiors of Vanilla Cupcakery is really inviting.  Hanging out here will bring a pleasurable experience.  I think cupcake prices are reasonable but meals and drinks are slightly more expensive.