At that juncture, I did not know anything about Cafe Havana except for two things: (1) it serve Cuban fusion dishes (2) the name reminds me of the Latin Pop song "Havana" by Camila Cabello.



Food brings people together.

Work
In my field of work, I would always be on one of the two adversarial sides. With my workmates, we all have our own cublicles and own tasks.  But once there's food everyone would gather in the pantry and the room will be filled with warmth and laughter.  

Family
Ever since we were young, we were taught to cooperate with each other so we can enjoy a meal together.  My mom is the best marketer.  My youngest sister does the ingredient preparation such as cleaning, cutting and peeling.  My older brother and second younger sister does the cooking.  My  first younger sister does the dish washing and I do the drying.  Apart from daily meals, there are also special meals during occasions shared with all our relatives.

Food Styled by John Bunag

#LJCxZomatoFoodCrawl A flatlay with many different dishes combined together is akin to a foodie event like a food crawl is also like it.  In this food crawl, the LJC group, zomato and fellow foodies gathered together.  The foodie community is the friendliest community.  Even when we just met, everyone will get along and talk with other over food or about food.  Everyone will lend a hand and respect one another's skills.  Usually, in events like this, I am just a bystander awed and inspired by everyone.  This food styling is done by the great John Bunag.  I couldn't do the flatlay as well as they do though so I just shot this as I see it.  

Food
Now that you know the meaning of food for me, ready to dig in Cafe Havana's Cuban Fusion dishes?  Cafe Havana is not just for a chill out place at night.  It's a great place for lunch outs too!

Fun Fact
Because it's my first time to try Cuban cuisine, I couldn't resist digging into some facts.  Interesting enough although Cuba is 15,625 km away from the Philippines, they share a lot of things in common.

Did you know that:

• Both of them were colonized by Spaniards for a long period.  Cuba became part of the Spanish Colony in 1492 until 1898 when the United States took over as the victor of the Spanish–American War.   On the other hand, the Philippines became part of the Spanish Colony in 1521 until June 12, 1898 when the United States took over as the victor of the Spanish–American War. 
• Both of them have a tropical climate.
• Both of them have a cuisine influenced by Spanish and Chinese dishes.

Sopas

Sopa de Frijoles Negros (175 php)

I don't know what black beauty means but this reminded me about a discussion with my work mates a few days back when we were talking about the new female staff.  One of my colleagues said, "I like her beauty.  She is not very beautiful but she looks more beautiful the more you get to see her.".  This Sopa de Frijoles Negros made of black beans has that appeal to the taste buds.  At first sip, it will give you an impression but you aren't sure if you like it.  Then, as you sip more... it grows on you and fall in love with it more and more.

Platos Principales

♥ Caribbean Style Salmon with Mango Mambo Salsa (635 php)

♥ Spare Ribs Habanera (605 php)

I really liked the Spare Ribs Habanera with guava sauce.  I liked it because I don't get to have guava sauce that often.

Caribbean Shrimp Curry (450 php)

Chuletas de Pollo con Arroz Mejicano (465 php)

Pizza Cubana

♥ Doble Cara (545 php)

Ordering the Doble Cara means you get to choose two kinds of pizza.  I don't really know why someone would pass that chance so I dare say it is the best option.  We got the Jamon Serrano and Quatro Quezo.  The pizza is oven cooked so I like the texture and flavor.  Everyone fell in love with the Quatro Quezo!

Postres

♥ Guyaba Pie (165 php)

Pudin de Pan Habanero (160 php)

The Pudin de Pan Habanero  is a Cuban-styled bread pudding.  This is really good!


So that concludes our second stop for our Cafe Havana #LJCxZomatoFoodCrawl.  It was satisfying for my tummy and my epicuriosity.  

There are only a few places in the Metro where you can grab some falafel.  So I was so excited for the grand opening of Falafel Yo! Israeli Falafel & Salad Bar.


Falafel Yo is located at the 4th floor of Greenbelt 3 making it the ideal pre-movie meal or movie snack.

Falafel Yo! aims to preserve traditional recipes passed down from generation to generation.

After paying at the counter, you will be given this thing so you can be buzzed when you're falafel is ready.

Tip: If you're very picky with ingredients, kindly advise the cashier to buzz you before preparation so you can instruct them on what to put in.

Don't worry about the Roasted Green Chili, they put it on top so you can just remove it.

So here's my falafel ready to go.

If you don't go to the counter before preparation, you're falafel will be waiting for you by the counter like this.  I actually ordered two: 1 Falafel and 1 Falafelito.

♥ Falafel Yo! (159 php)

Falafel Yo! made me dig deeper into falafels because this is the first time I've heard of Israeli falafel.  Sure, I've had falafels before but I had no idea that each country in the Middle East has its own take on how to cook it just like the shawarma.  In fact, it has been considered as the national dish of Egypt, Palestine and Israel.

♥ Falafelito (99 php) and ♥ Falafel Yo! (159 php)

Fun Fact: Did you know that in Egypt, they use Fava Beans on their falafel?  On the other hand, most middle eastern countries like Israel use Chickpeas.

The Falafelito only has 3 falafel balls and occupies only half of the pita bread.  You can have this for snack.  While with the Falafel Yo! has 6 falafel balls.  This is a meal in itself.  

I want to try the Falafel Beast with beef next time.

♥ Falafel Yo! (159 php)

Wow to my surprise, the Falafel Yo! is really heavy!  But, it was so good I couldn't help but finish it to the last bite.  What I like about their sandwiches is that they have Fried Eggplant, Homemade Hummus, Sumac (pickled onions), Roasted Green Chillies, Sour Cabbage, Coleslaw Salad, Chopped Salad and Tunisian Salad.  And, they also have a 2 kinds of special dips: amba - sour yellow sauce, made of mango, cumin and tumeric and tahini - mix of sesame seeds, coriander and parsley.

Beverages

Lemongrass Juice Large (105 php)

I found the Lemongrass Juice to be a bit too sweet for me.  The sweetness together with the lemongrass bits made it a bit difficult to gulp down the throat.  Perhaps, more ice would have improved the balance of this drink.


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
I don't think you can grab a superb Israeli falafel other than Falafel Yo!  I'll definitely come back for more.  And I'm sure that if  I'm watching a movie at Greenbelt 3, this will be my choice for meal or snack.  Can't wait for their other branches!

You've probably noticed that my family and I are huge Korean fans.  When I was invited to the grand launch of Mr. Pizza last month,  just had to go!  


Upon arrival at Greenbelt 3, I could already hear the crowd's cheer echoing all over the place.  I was surrounded by crackles of laughter, faint gasps and thunders of applause as I got nearer to see the Korean Dream Team whirling and tossing pizza dough in the air. 

I guess all those heart-pounding stunts got me hungry as I was more eager to check out Mr. Pizza's selections.
 
The interior has a special vibe that distinguishes it from other pizza parlors.  For one, it has a big screen where you can watch Korean shows.


The tables are set up to cater to small groups.  And, there's a second floor to cater to bigger groups. 


While waiting for your orders, you can watch your pizza being made.  And, if you're wondering if they do those pizza dough tosses all-day, the answer is YES! 

The "On Air" lights doesn't indicate an on-going recording but it ignifies pizza doughs being tossed "On Air".

This is their specialty gold crust being made. 
  
This is the fresh ingredients they use.  You can easily see this portion from the second floor.

Food

Premium

♥ Eggta Regular Egg Tart (900 php)

When the Eggta was served, I already had a hunch that this will be one of the best pizza adventures of my life.  Just look at that!  It has camambert cheese, cranberries, beef steak, cherry tomatoes, onions and an egg tart for crust.  I'm telling you.  You have not lived your life if you haven't tried this!  Must try!!!

 

♥ Seafood Island 2 Regular Gold (900 php)

I don't know what happened to Seafood Island 1, but this is Seafood Island 2.  When they say premium, they really mean it.  See!  It has so many ingredients.  What's special about this is that we had it with Gold crust.  Gold crust mean crust filled with sweet potato paste.  It's really as precious as it sounds.

Classic

Bulgogi Pizza Regular (380 php)

I don't know where else you can find a Bulgogi Pizza so better try it here.  It's sweet and savory that I bet even kids will like it.

Sweety Pizza Regular (380 php)

 They don't have dessert options, but they have this Sweety Pizza.  Its rich and creamy sweet potato texture and sweet and fruity flavor is one of a kind.


Premium Pasta

♥ Crab Carbonara (330 php)

 The Crab Carbonara is one of their best-selling items.  I have to agree with the majority on this.


Classic Spaghetti

♥ Oven Baked Meat Spaghetti (280 php)

 The Oven Baked Meat Spaghetti is on the tangy side - my kind of taste.

Risotto

♥ Bbq Galbi Risotto (330 php)

 If you intend to have rice, I highly recommend the Bbq Galbi Risotto.  Everyone loved this!

Side & Salad

Mozzarella Sticks (230 php)

The Mozzarella Sticks are a classic favorite. 

♥ Ms. Chicken (230 php)

Ms. Chicken is their version of the Korean fried chicken.  I don't know why but they made Ms. Chicken fiercer with a spicy kick than the sweet Mr. Chicken.  I mean shouldn't it be the other way around? =p  Haha!  But, kidding aside, this is so good that you wouldn't mind getting saucy fingers.


Salad

♥ Cajun Salad (230 php)

Of course, my favorite part of the meal is my greens.  The Cajun Salad is so good that even my veggie-averse friends enjoyed it.

Drinks

Citron Ade (80 php), Hallabong Ade (80 php) and ♥ Aloe Ade (80 php)

They also have the Citron Ade, Hallabong Ade and Aloe Ade which is a flavored soda for refreshments.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
I can see why Mr. Pizza is the number one pizza chain in Korea.  It's definitely a game changer.  I have never been as impressed with pizza as with Mr. Pizza.  The extravagance of ingredients, the harmonious blend of combinations and the uniqueness of each variation is impressive.