343 – On A 2022 Third Quarter Update (Part 2)

Now that I’ve talked about the goings-on for the past three months, let me talk about the food. This post will touch on some of the food discoveries I’ve had for the third quarter of 2022.

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While the remote working setup allows me to save a lot of money, I sometimes miss going out for lunch. Thankfully, there’s a commercial center right outside the subdivision where I live – complete with a supermarket, a bank, and two food establishments! If I feel too lazy to prepare lunch, I often buy chicken empanadas from local grilled chicken joint Mang Inasal.

Dessert would be a waffle from Famous Belgian Waffles, which unfortunately fell victim to inflation – smaller waffle for a higher price. Thankfully, there’s a Happy Cup milk tea stall too. The Happy Cup franchise was established by the celebrity sisters Toni and Alex Gonzaga.

I also purchased Old Town 3-in-1 White Coffee from Malaysia back in July. I tried out the Hazelnut and Classic variants, eventually preferring the Hazelnut flavor. Dad found the coffee too sweet for his liking, however. I ended up stretching a pack, which is good for one cup, into two. Pouring out one whole sachet into a mug often results in an overwhelmingly sweet drink.

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I also tried out two local pizza brands during the third quarter.

First was this Four-Cheese Pizza from Pizza Plant, a sister establishment of Go! Salads. which prides itself in offering vegan pizza choices. From the sourdough used for the pizza, the cheeses made from non-dairy ingredients like cashews and almonds, to the toppings that contain absolutely no meat – Pizza Plant allows patrons to indulge in their favorite pizzas without the guilt.

The Four-Cheese Pizza – which contained mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan, and gorgonzola – came with a serving of Spicy Bee-Friendly Honey, which was meant to be drizzled on top. The honey tempered the saltiness of the four cheeses and added a hint of heat that livened up the pizza.

Meanwhile, the Creamy Spinach Dip Pizza from Angel’s Pizza – part of the Figaro Group – added a healthy kick to an otherwise indulgent dish. This particular pizza is one of the joint’s best sellers, and for a good reason.

The spinach gave dimension and extra texture to the plain-looking pizza, which also used four dairy cheeses. Mayonnaise was also added to the pizza, contributing extra creaminess as it melted while the pizza was baked. No wonder this was among the more popular flavors of Angel’s Pizza, famous for branding itself as the “pizza ng mga mababait” (pizza for good people).

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Moreover, here are some food items I tried out on my trips during the third quarter.

Aside from pizzas, Pizza Plant also offers vegan calzone – albeit with limited flavors. I tried out the two-piece calzone and iced tea combination back in July, picking the Creamed Wild Mushrooms Calzone and the Peppermint Lemon Balm iced tea. The calzone came with marinara sauce to dip it in, but I found that it tasted better sans the dip. The iced tea, meanwhile, tasted rather medicinal.

I mentioned in the previous post that I paid CO&CO Works a visit. Thankfully, House of Lasagna was a short walk from the co-working space. I last dined at the restaurant years ago, so a return visit for lunch was in order. Shortages of ingredients meant that some menu items at House of Lasagna were unavailable, which almost forced me to give up.

Thankfully, they still had the signature lasagnas on the menu. I ordered a plate of the Truffle Mushroom Lasagna and the Plant-Based Meat Lasagna. The Truffle Mushroom Lasagna used truffle oil-infused white sauce as a base and shiitake mushroom slices as protein. Meanwhile, the Plant-Based Meat Lasagna that had red sauce as a base used the vegan and climate-friendly ingredient.

Between the two, I preferred the Truffle Mushroom Lasagna more as it jived well with the cheese topping. While traditional lasagna uses a mix of white and red sauce, I found that the Plant-Based Meat Lasagna used a higher proportion of the tomato-based sauce. Still, kudos to House of Lasagna for having a non-meat item on its menu.

Lastly, I had this Brown Sugar Boba + Pearl with Milk from Tiger Sugar. The last time I tried this drink was way back, before the pandemic even crossed our minds. I found this drink to lean more towards the dessert side of things with its sweetness, though the ice cubes made consuming the sinkers more difficult.

Interestingly, I no longer had to wait in line just to order – as the joint barely had any customers on a Saturday night. When Tiger Sugar first opened, it was not uncommon to see long queues for ordering and people congregating near the claiming area to get their drinks. I guess the hype died down, and I’m glad I waited it out.

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Also, here are my posts from September since I managed to churn out one entry per week.

336 – On The Tenya Experience

337 – On The Nono’s Experience

338 – On Corner Cafes: Triptych 61

339 – On Beyond Morning Breakfasts

340 – On 6 Throwback TV Tunes

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So that’s it for this third quarter update for 2022. Christmas is but two months away, which means optimism for the coming year. Watch out for a special Halloween post next week!

Until the next post, bon appetit!

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