It's been a few months since we first discovered about Tous Les Jours and we've been huge fans ever since.  Whenever we go out and spot a branch, we'd definitely go in and go out with a large paper bag filled with Tous Les Jours pastries.  I have to admit, we always to tend to buy more than intended because the staff is so friendly and they always advise us of their hidden promo like buy 300 php worth and get a FREE macaron and stuff. 

So when I was invited to Tous Les Jours' opening at SM Jazz Mall, I was ecstatic to come!

*P.S. The new Jazz Mall is a foodie's haven with lots of restaurants that are soon to open!

Tous Les Jours is a French-Asian Bakery that originated in Korea with over 1,000 branches around the world including the United States.  Jazz Mall branch is bigger with lots of pastry display and a dining area.  They offer FREE wifi too.


The shelvings are consistent with the other branches.



It's my first time to visit them in the morning so I'm quite amused that the selections are more bountiful than it is during late hours.

Belgian Waffles
The Belgian Waffles are their new product. 

Blueberry Waffles (48 php)

I chose the Blueberry Waffles. Their version was thin, golden brown and crispy on the outside but slightly fluffy with blueberry bits on the inside.  It was like a hybrid of Holland waffles which is thin and crisp cookie-like waffle and the fluffy American waffles that we Filipinos are well-accustomed to.

Strawberry Waffles (48 php)

Chocolate Waffles (48 php)

Belgian Waffles (48 php)

Cakes

I've always dreamed of trying their cakes. =)  TLJ's cakes are so cute!

Each cake is created with passion by their pastry chef.  I was able to witness how they decorated their Rose Inspiration Fresh Cream Cake (498 php).  Check out the video if you want to learn to how to cake decorate (cake decoration 101).  But seeing how much skill it requires, I feel so lucky that I can just purchase them at an affordable price at TLJ. =)

Classic Chocolate Cake (598 php)

The first I tried was the Classic Chocolate Cake.  I really like Tous Les Jours light icing consistency.  This is probably the lightest chocolate cake I've ever had in terms of texture, consistency and taste.  Too bad, I'm more of a bitter-sweet chocolate lover.  
 

♥ Blueberry Berry Light Cheesecake (598 php)

The Blueberry Berry Light Cheesecake had the exquisite lightness yet still rich in cheesy flavor of a Japanese cheesecake.  It was delicious! 
 

Cookie Cream Cheesecake (798 php)

I'm naturally biased towards everything with Oreos.  So I can't help falling in love with this Cookie Cream Cheesecake.

So this is the dining area.  You enjoy your beverage and pastries here.

I tried the Iced Citron Tea (88 php).   It was a bit diluted compared to those served by other Korean coffee shops.

Almond Kouign Amann (78 php), ♥ Mango Bagel (78 php), Milk Bun (48 php) and Madelaine (38 php)

I already have my own favorite at Tous Les Jours but I took the opportunity to try something new. I tried the Almond Kouign Amann, Mango Bagel, Milk Bun and Madelaine.  I'm adding the Mango Bagel and Madelaine to my favorites list.

It's actually my first time to try the Breton originating cake called Kouign Amann.  TLJ's version was different from what I expected.  According to my research, a Kouign means "cake" and Amann  means "butter" in Breton.  It is a round crusty cake made with bread dough containing layers of butter and sugar folded in resulting into layers like a puff pastry i.e. croissant.  The Almond Kouign Amann was a thin-layered pastry glazed in thin crisp caramel coating with almond bits.  It was good albeit the sweet coating.


Tous Les Jours Patisserie Connoisseur Card

Tous Les Jours Patisserie Connoisseur Card

With the Tous Les Jours Patisserie Connoisseur Card, you can get 2% rebate with a minimum of 100 php worth of purchase.

Tous Les Jours Patisserie Connoisseur Card

How to avail and activate this card?
Step 1:  Purchase a minimum single-receipt purchase of 500 php and get this new Tous Les Jours Patisserie Connoisseur Card for FREE.  
Step 2: Activate by registering at www.tlj.ph

Macarons (28/38 php/piece), Tofu Chips (68 php), ♥ Sweet Black Rice Bread with Cream Cheese (48 php), ♥ Cream Cheese Walnut Bread (128 php) and Pumpkin Muffin (58 php)

Of course, my family will not forgive me if I didn't bring home some pastries for them.  Like I mentioned in my previous post, I love the Cream Cheese Walnut Bread!

♥ Sweet Black Rice Bread with Cream Cheese (48 php)

The Sweet Black Rice Bread with Cream Cheese is now our ultimate favorite!  This is a must buy for us in every visit. 
 

Macaron de Paris: Classics (28 php) and the Premiums (38 php)

We also love their Macaron de Paris.  Aside from being affordable, it's delicious too.  There are two types.  The Classics and the Premiums.  For the Classics, our favorite is the ♥Green Tea as the other variants are too sweet for us.  For the Premiums, we like Grape, ♥Korean Cherry and Green Apple.

Aside from their already reasonable pricing at great quality, the additional incentive of the Tous Les Jours Patisserie Connoisseur Card will surely make us frequent TLJ more.  It's also great that they continue to offer more pastry offerings so we can try something new every once in awhile. 

As our neighboring mall, the family has found Robinson Place the go-to mall for last minute shopping necessities.   As shopping is such a tedious task, it is a must for dinner to immediately follow.  Piadina Italian Passion Food seemed like a reasonable choice due to proximity. 

I believed we've dined here before but the experience did not leave a lasting impact.  So, I was intrigued to try it out once more. 

It had black tables and red chairs that matched its red walls.  It had Italian movie posters hanged on its walls. 

Food

Contorni

Zuppa Del Giorno (Soup of the Day) (75 php)

The Zuppa Del Giorno (Soup of the Day) was cream of asparagus.  It was served with Piadina bread.  It was served warm so it quite a soothing starter.

♥ Panzerotti (Italian-Style Empanada) (80 php/3 pcs.)

I don't believe I've tried a Panzerotti before.  This is an Italian-styled empanada with thin crispy shell and savory meat filling.  It is topped with zesty tomato sauce.     

♥ Allete Di Polo (Specially Marinated Chicken Wings) (400 php)

The Allete Di Polo is their specially marinated fried chicken wings served with Piadina bread and soup of th day.  Flavor-wise is pretty good but I hope it was more tender and succulent.

Piadina Classico set (All Served with Soup of the Day)

Piadina Con Pollo Rosto (with Roast Chicken, Mozzarella and Lettuce) (180 php)

The Piadina Con Pollo Rosto is a tender and moist roast chicken strips, mozzarella and lettuce wrapped in Piadina bread.  I rather enjoyed this more than the Allete Di Polo.

Pasta (all original recipes served with 2 slices of Piadina Bread)

Meat Based Pasta

Pasta Con Polpette (with meatballs, onions, and smoked cheese in spicy tomato sauce) (250 php)

The Pasta Con Polpette is pasta with chunky meatballs, onions and smoked cheese in spicy and tangy tomato sauce.  This is my kind of spaghetti with meatballs.

Vegetarian Pasta

Pasta Al Pesto Pomodoro Secchi (with sundried tomato, garlic and olive oil) (260 php)

The Pasta Al Pesto Pomodoro Secchi is a combination of two bases: tomato sauce and olive oil.  It offered the rich zesty flavor and smoothness in texture.  The sndried tomato and garlic couldn't have done a better job in enhancing its taste.


Seafood Pasta

♥ Pasta Architetto (with fresh mix seafood and garlic in olive oil) (275 php)

The Pasta Architetto is a mild tasting pasta with garlicky olive oil base.  It is filled a variety of seafood: clams, squid and shrimps.  Nothing interesting but I do have to compliment the softness of the squid rings.


Update (January 2014): This branch is now closed.  Check out their other branches instead.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Piadina Italian Passion Food stroke me as a so-so Italian alternative.  It seemed to lack identity and authenticity to make me want to dine there again.  The serving size of the dishes are advisable only for solo as its not the usual Italian-sized serving. 

We've tried a number of Korean Fried Chicken since the concept has landed in the Philippines.  But, our quest continues as we try more of it.  Our latest discovery is 4 Fingers Crispy Chicken.  Good thing it's beside our favorite coffee shop, Seattle's Best, at SM Mall of Asia so we noticed it despite the mismatch of colors that made its lighted sign difficult to read.

I've heard a lot of raves about this joint since it was brought here in the Philippines from New York inspired concept from Singapore last January 2012. 

“4 Fingers” signifies the four friends who established the fast-food branch.  At the same time, it also pertains to using "4 Fingers" that you use for eating the chicken. 

It was quite funky with this "4 Finger" glass window that let's you peek through the kitchen.  It also had a printed wall with remarks about "4 Fingers"

We wanted to try dining at this unique high table and chair but it was occupied.  It looked way cool that the usual table sets located in the inner part of the restaurant. 

Given their limited space which was mostly taken up by the kitchen area, they were able to utilize it well with the narrow dining set up. 

Food

Ala Carte

♥ Chicken Drumsticks 6 pcs (369 php) (Someone was quick to grab 1 before I snapped the photo!)

I was expecting our chicken to be served at the stainless steel lunchboxes like from the other tables but
perhaps they only use that for meal orders.  We ordered in sets and got the Chicken Drumsticks in 6 pcs. 
According to the box, this 4 Fingers should be kept secret but their chicken is so good to be kept as one!

Its coating is perfectly crunchy.  Their blend of sauce is savory yet not overpowering.  And, the chicken is juicy too!

Sides

Kim Chi Coleslaw (55 php)

The Kim Chi Coleslaw is just alright.  It had some spice that could tickle the taste buds and break the monotony of just devouring over their chicken.

Skinny Fries Small (45 php)

The Skinny Fries a nice side of crunchiness and red pepper-y and seaweed flavor.

Rice with Spice & Teriyaki (20 php)

The Rice with Spice & Teriyaki was not as enticing as the menu image.  Quite frankly, we'd appreciate more teriyaki sauce on it.  Plus, it was on the dry side.


Update (July 2014): Noticed that this branch is now closed.  Try their other branch instead.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
4 Fingers Crispy Chicken is one of the best Korean Fried Chicken that we've tried yet.  Pricing is within the benchmark of its kind.  I also love the funky street-style ambiance.  I'm glad they opened in SM Mall of Asia so we were able to try it out.  Although I'm generally not as eager as the rest when it comes to this type of dish, I'd would never hesitate coming back to enjoy 4 Fingers Crispy Chicken!

A few months ago, I got to watch my idol foodie blogger and friend Sumi on the TV show Pop Talk which paved way to my discovery for Silantro Fil-Mex Cantina.  Aside from getting along well, Sumi and I had a lot of similarities when it comes to food preference.  Thus, when she recommended Silantro, I quickly added it to my must try "ASAP" list.

Like most food places in Kapitolyo, it is evident that Silantro is converted from a typical house.  It has an indoor and outdoor dining area with simple wooden tables and benches or stools.  The place was crowded upon our arrival, we had to wait a few turns prior to getting seated.

Lucha Taco Station

They have a Lucha Taco Station filled with meat ingredients by the bar counter which failed to look alluring even to a hungry customer.

Food

Appetizers

Calliente Wings (170 php)

For appetizer, we ordered the Calliente Wings. It was spicy deep fried wings rubbed and drenched with their special sauce and drizzled with guacamole and topped with shredded cabbage and cilantro.  Not only were we delighted with the generous serving portion, we all didn't mind getting our hands dirty just to enjoy every bit of this.
 

♥ Silantro Quesadillas (145 php)

We were quite surprised to see the thick and overloaded Silantro Quesadillas.  It was literally spewing with melted gooey cheesy goodness enhanced by their special sauce together with the tomatoes and cilantro bits.  The thick cut potato fries were a good accompaniment too.

Main Course

♥ Silantro's Pork Ribs (175 php)

By the time the Silantro's Pork Ribs were served, we noticed that every dish has their special sauce as base and of course, as their name implies, cilantro.  But, we didn't mind the redundancy as it was so good that we just couldn't get enough of it.  The Silantro's Pork Ribs were try rubbed with the special sauce and topped with cilantro.  It was tender but not the fall of the bone type.  It was also served with guacamole and a cup of rice with corn. 
 

Silantro Paella Fajita Mix (175 php)

The Silantro Paella Fajita Mix is not the typical paella we've enounctered before.  But I have to admit, its a hefty sizzling plateful of meat, mussels, eggs, tomatoes, cilantro and carbs.  This was so heavy that I'd suggest you have this for sharing.
 

Mouldy Fajita Wrap

The Silantro Paella Fajita Mix was served with Fajita Wrap which was stale and mouldy.  This made me wonder if the quesadilla wrap was the same too but it was too late since we've consumed it already.  We could've sent this back to the kitchen but since we were all too stuffed to eat it anyway, we left this as it is.

♥ Silantro's Burrito (160 php)

The Silantro's Burrito had a rice of a similar blend with the Silantro Paella Fajita Mix but with meat cubes, tomato salsa and cilantro.  It is served with guacamole andsour cream which was on the diluted side.

Lucha Tacos

Chicken Hard Shell Taco Ligero (65 php) and ♥ Lengua Hard Shell Taco Ligero (65 php) (Both orders looked alike)

For Lucas Tacos They Offer More Customization Options:

Step 1: Size: Ligero - 1 choice of meat, Medio - 2 choices of meat, Completo - 3 choices of meat
Step 2: Choice of meat: Beef, Pork, Chicken, Lamb, Lengua or Oxtail
Step 3:. Choice of shell: Hard or Soft

Good thing we only ordered the Ligero!  Because we were overwhelmed by the time these arrived.   We tried the Chicken Hard Shell Taco and Lengua Hard Shell Taco.  I personally liked the Lengua Hard Shell Taco more.

Other Reviews at Kapitolyo Pasig
Bullchef
Lia's Cakes in Season
Mad Mark's Creamery & Good Eats
Nav Modern Thai Cuisine

 
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Silantro Fil-Mex Cantina offers unbelievably affordable Mexican food with a Filipino twist.  It's really something new for me since I've only tried authentic Mexican, Cali-Mexican and Tex-Mex.  This is a very bold move and it surprisingly works!  Every dish was delicious.  Given its pricing, I'd say its a great place for any casual meal or gathering.  It's definitely the place where you get your "bang for the buck"!