My mom, little sisters and I are huge Korean nobela fans.  In fact, one of the biggest necessities in our home are a box of tissue and internet.  When my little sisters come home after work, they'd watch an episode of some subtitled Korean drama online.  And they'd be "kilig" over it and then cry... thus, the tissue.  On the other hand,  as a logical type of person, I also try to watch them from time to time because it makes me familiar with feelings.

One of the Korean cafes featured in Korean shows is Caffe Bene.  So when we spotted it in Eastwood City Walk, we couldn't pass up the chance to try it.   We have always been an easy bait for "As Seen on TV" stuff anyway. =p

It had the same interior as its Korean counterparts delivering a cozy woody ambiance.  It had a very inviting view from the outside that one can't help but be lured in.

On the first floor is the counter and a couple of tables. 


The second floor had a more comfortable feel to it.  But, both areas are packed when we arrived so we had to wait awhile.

Hyun Bin as Kim Joo-won in Secret Garden

One of their endorsers is the famous Hyun Bin!  He was so appealing with his mysterious and ominous character that turns romantic in his role as Kim Joo-won in Secret Garden. 

Song Seung-heon (송승헌) from Autumn in My Heart with Han Ye-seul (한예슬) from Forbidden Love

Also, Song Seung-heon from one of the best Korean dramas of all time, Autumn in My Heart.  I'm sure he made you teary eyed!  I wonder why Forbidden Love did not become famous here in the Philippines but it is definitely one of the most unforgettable dramas for me.  Han Ye-seul played her role well.

Jang Keun-suk (장근석) from Mary Stayed Out All Night and You're Beautiful

I have yet to watch him in Love Rain but it looks interesting too even though some say it's a lot similar to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.  But aren't most romance dramas and movies?  So yeah, I'm pretty sold with Jang Keun-suk drinking a cup of Caffe Bene coffee.


Oops! Sorry about the sidetrack...  It's all those romance dramas' fault that girls are hopeless romantic right? ^_^  Let's get back to the topic.  Caffe Bene had a chiller filled with enticing gelato.

They also have cakes, pastries and drinks. 

After ordering and paying at the counter, we were handed our buzzer.  

Drinks

Coffee

Caffe Latte Regular (110 php) and Caffe Mocha Regular (125 php)

My brother who doesn't want to load too much caffeine at night ordered the Caffe Latte.  On the hand, my caffeine addicted little sister chose the Caffee Mocha.  Both of them seemed please with their drinks.

♥ Cappucino Regular (110 php)

My mom had the Cappucino and again, she was impressed!


Bene Gelato (Italian Gelato)

Green Tea Single Gelato (95 php)

My youngest sister who isn't fond of caffeinated beverages, opted for the Green Tea Gelato.  It was delicious but I personally prefer a stronger flavor.

Bingsu (Iced Parfait)

Coffee Bingsu Large (195 php)

I tried the Coffee Bingsu.  I just have a soft spot for cold treats so this was the obvious option for me.  The fine and smooth shaved ice, crunchy cocoa flakes, beans and creamy coffee gelato transformed this into a magical treat! This was so good, I wanted it all for myself. =p

Bakery (Freshly Made)

Honey Bread

♥ Choco Banana Honey Bread (155 php)

Seeing honey breads on almost all the diners' tables made us add this on our order.  It was my first time to try a Korean style toast which they refer to as honey bread.  The Choco Banana Honey Bread is a big thick slice of bread cut into cubes and topped with nuts, banana, whipped cream, cocoa powder, sugar powder and chocolate chips.  It also had chocolate syrup underneath.  Although I'm not a toast lover, I enjoyed this. 

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
We're so fortunate that Caffe Bene is now here in the Philippines.  I definitely see why it's one of Seoul's coolest cafe with over 800 branches there with a total of more than 1,000 stores internationally.  If only this was nearer to our place, I'm sure my family would frequent it.  The price is also quite reasonable given the great ambiance and product quality.

I don't really recall much about my childhood.  But, I seem to recall my odd preference over dishes back then.  I was literally crazy over two things: Old Swiss Inn's Cheese Fondue and Schwarzwalder's Farmer's Chicken.   I'd always suggest and beg my parents to eat there as often as I could.  Good thing, this addiction faded along the years as I became more adventurous. And, my quest to try more restaurants made it difficult to have favorites I'd frequent.  

To celebrate my birthday, we dined one again at the rustic and nostalgic Old Swiss Inn Restaurant at Garden Plaza Hotel & Suites in Paco. 
It's old wooden door was enough to light up our excitement.  And, it also gave me a homey feel.

They have a display of cakes and chocolates by the cashier. 

It was a mid weekday but the place was packed. Former President ERAP and President PNoy are regular customers here. 
 
It also had a bar where drinkers can enjoy. 

Food

Complimentary Bread Roll with Butter

After our orders were taken, we were given a Complimentary Bread Roll with Butter.

Appetizer

Bundnerteller (560 php)

I let the family decide on what they wanted to order.  And, they chose the Bundnerteller which is an assortment of air dried Swiss meat specialties such Proscuitto, Dried beef, Salami and Smoked Sausage for appetizer.  Each variant had its own richness and meatiness which piqued our taste buds.

Soup

Barley (210 php)

The creamy Barley with brunoise vegetables, dried beef and smoked bacon served with croutons was mild tasting.  It was served warm so it was quite comforting to drink.

♥ Zweibelsuppe (210 php)

I personally liked the Zweibelsuppe which is the German version of onion soup better.

Salad

Classic Caesar Salad (240 php)

The Classic Caesar Salad was satisfactory too!  This had a generous serving of meat strips with it. 

Signature Dishes

♥ Gnagi (Pork Knucles) (545 php)

The Gnagi or cured pork knucles baked (could also be boiled at your preference) was served with tangy sauerkraut and boiled potatoes.  My family is not much of a meaty eater but they loved this to the last bit!

Fondues (Good for 2)

♥ Fondue Bourguignonne (1,050 php)

The highlight of the evening was the Fondue Bourguignonne.  Uhuh... we forgoed the Cheese Fondue for this so it better be worth it right? 

♥ Fondue Bourguignonne (1,050 php)

The Fondue Bourguignonne is prime beef tenderloin cubes dipped in hot oil with a carousel of sauces served with french fries.  

prime beef tenderloin cubes

♥ Fondue Bourguignonne (1,050 php)

We had a lot of fun enjoying the Fondue Bourguignonne.  It was a great bonding activity for the family as we dipped our beef cubes in oil and waited till it was fully cooked.   It was also fun to try the various sauces and mix and match some of them together. 

♥ Toblerone Cheesecake (215 php/slice)

As it was my birthday, I had this complimentary Toblerone Cheesecake delivered with a joyous birthday song.  This is their best-seller and I'm so glad that its still as good as when I've enjoyed this decades ago.

Carrot Cake (215 php/slice)

When we got home my family surprised me with Old Swiss Inn's Carrot Cake which they must have bought while I went to the restroom or turned my back haha! =p  It's also good as it was moist and not too sweet.  But, my heart is already captured by their Toblerone Cheesecake a long time ago and I'm quite loyal when it comes to matters of the heart you see...


Tip: Watch out for their price roll back promos on their Anniversary Day (August 25)

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
There's no better place for Authentic Swiss and European cuisine like the Old Swiss Inn Restaurant and they've got their 70 years of credibility to prove it!  I'd definitely loved to go back again.  But, now that I'm the one paying... I have to admit it that price is a bit steep.

Every time we passed by Project Pie, we can't help but notice the full parking and the long line of people.
I thought the family would never try it because they do not have the patience for that.  But, I guess last night was an exception. 

Since parking was full as always, the guards instructed us to double park.  I think while we were ordering, my brother was attentive enough to notice the our plate number written on the white board being waved by the guard around the place so he was able to park it accordingly. 

I thought the place looks huge from the outside.  But, I then realized that its seating capacity is limited since the line and the counter occupies most of the area.  It had three long table with metal chairs.  And, three individual tables with cozy lofts by the wall filled with random scribbles.

It had a lot of dangling yellow utility lights.  It had a tall bar area and two round tall tables by the line area. 

It also had a non-functional photobooth.

There's a huge menu board indicating the start of the line.  At the back, there's also the paper menu holder. 

I grabbed one of their paper menu and marked the ingredients I wanted to put on my pizza. 

It took about 20 minutes to reach the pizza bar. 

The staff asked me whether I wanted white sauce or red sauce. 

The pizza dough base comes out of a machine so size and thickness is quite accurate. 

Next is the cheese section. 

 You could just say "ALL CHEESE" if you want to try them all.

This section is where it gets a bit confusing to distinguish which is which so better hold on to your menu and mention what you want.  This would be better if they had labels on it.  

This is where the rest is if it isn't on the prior station.  Aside from those listed in the menu, some ingredients used for the salad is here too.  You can request them too like the craisins and walnuts.



So, here are our 7 pizzas!  We ordered one for each.  Most of us "Built our Own" except for my brother and youngest sister who both chose "Order Number 2"

This lady right here writes the main ingredients of the pizza just by looking and places your name on it for ease in identification.

They also sell bottled drinks. We just requested for water.  =D

Around 15 minutes, we heard our name called as our pizzas are ready.  The problem was... we didn't have any seats as some were already seated before ordering when it was supposed to be the other way around.  Luckily, a lady was waiting for her take-out by the counter and told us she and her companions were about to leave and offered their table.  A very nice and appreciated gesture indeed. =)


There's a self-service dispenser for softdrinks and ice tea.  So, its bottomless at the fair price of 65 php.

Opposite the soda machine is the condiments counter.

Food

Our Pizzas!

Order by Number

Order Number 2 (285 php)

Order Number 2 has their signature red sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella, Italian sausage, garlic and crumbled meatballs.  It's one wholesome garlicky and meaty pizza.  But, ingredients are not as fulfilling as when you "build your own".  And since their priced the same, I'd really recommend choosing the latter.

Build Your Own (285 php)

My Mom's Pizza

My mom is a great cook so she has an instinctive sense on what to put on her pizza.  Who would have thought Candied Walnuts would go great with Mushrooms. =)

Lil Sister's Pizza

My Build my Own Pizza (sorry for the crappy photo)

My "Build my Own Pizza" had Italian sausage, Jalapeños, Mushrooms, Cilantro, Tomatoes, Feta, Gorgonzola, Ricotta, Mozzarela and Artichokes.  It good but I thought it could have been better with more ingredients.  I also love the crunchiness of their crust and the chewiness of their dough.

This is what's left!  We skipped the dessert since we noticed most tables have those as left overs. 


They adopt a clean as you go policy which we happily complied with.  Just empty your trays and stack them there.  But as I've observed, it's generally not followed.  And, doing the cleaning job adds to the queuing time as well. 

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Project Pie offers a whole new experience by making your own artisan custom designed pizza.  I'd give it a thumbs up for concept, price and quality.

Turnover is really fast and this place is very crowded during peak hours.  It's not the ideal place to seat back and relax because you'd feel guilty as other people are standing and waiting for you to empty your table.  I guess that's what the Starbucks next door if for.

Since the parking space is not enough to cater to its customers, cars were mostly double parked.  We literally spent 35 minutes stuck on the parking area because the white board had incurred a bottleneck as the owner of the previous cars probably did not know that they should be on the look out for it.