In the Mood Food Crawl - Momma 'N Manila

I am so super excited that Sabrina and I were able to plan the In the Mood Food Crawl, in partnership with Evia Lifestyle Center.

For those of you who visit the site often, you know that Sabrina and I both have a common love for good food.

Beautiful spaces, excellent company, delicious food, happy surprises and learning about new things to enjoy with our loved ones. This was what yesterday was all about. Michelle and I (@motherswhobrunch) showed a bunch of willing moms around @evialifestylecenter to find out first hand what #ValentinesAtEvia is really all about. While I choose (and drool while at it!) photos from my camera roll, please go ahead and check out the hashtags #inthemoodfoodcrawl #evialifestylecenter #motherswhobrunch for posts from the lovely women that were with us yesterday. Can I just say, #ilovemyjob!!! ???? by @sheilacatilo ????

A post shared by Sabrina (@sinfullysabrina) on Feb 7, 2018 at 4:50am PST

We love eating it just as much as we love preparing it for our families.

But sometimes, we just don’t want the hassle of preparing a full meal at home.

This is just one reason why we both love all the options that the new restaurants in Evia Lifestyle Center offers our families. And it’s because we love this mall so much, that we thought it would be a great idea to share with the mommas just how many different ways they can celebrate the month of love not only with their husbands or significant others, but also with the whole family!

Our first stop was Tigerleaf for appetizers.

In hindsight, I believe Sabrina and I should have prepped our friends. We should have reminded them at every restaurant that there was more to come. We should have told them to take small bites, and not indulge too much in any one restaurant.

This might have enabled our friends to enjoy the food crawl a little more. Perhaps, I should have reminded myself of these suggestions as well.

After we were done with introductions, pleasantries and appetizers, we moved onto Mama Lou’s.

Because we like Italian, we have actually eaten at Mama Lou’s before. Gia and I both enjoy the escargot, while the boys LOVE their thin crust pizza.

But I must admit.

I was smitten the moment I saw this.

Oh Croque en Bouche…how I have l missed you!

Once we were done enjoying our Italian Antipasto Buffet complete with cream puffs and home made papardelle, our next stop was Merlion’s Cuisine.

Truth be told, our family enjoy’s Merlion’s Cuisine as well, and I was happy that they served two of our favorite dishes on our third stop of our food crawl.

If you are going to visit Merlion’s any time soon (we like to go before our movie dates) be sure to get the Meat Platter 2 ways, and the Tofu! Crispy on the outside, warm and pillowy soft on the inside with just the right bit of veggies, tang, and sweetness.

I must admit, the group started to slow down by this time. We were not even half way through our itinerary of seven restaurants at this point!

We knew we had to do something to wake up the ladies who were now, so full, that we were all joking that it was nap time.

Part of the reason, why I think the ladies love getting together so much is that you could really feel the energy of the ladies and know that this was a wonderful break from the norm. I mean how often is it that you get to try out the very best dishes of 7 fantastic restaurants in one day?

After our group shots, we went back to our main job for the day.

EATING.

Mesa is a great restaurant to go to with the family as well.

This restaurant rejuvenated our purpose for the day.

How interesting is this dish?

They cooked this shrimp on hot rocks in a clay pot! I was so amused, and was already thinking how much my kids would enjoy something like this. (Of course, I would have to peel the shrimp for them.)

If some of us had been feeling a bit full from the first three restaurants, Mesa’s Kamias shake not only refreshed the palate, it also lightened our tummies.

Photo Credit: Mothers Who Brunch

This was deliciously light and not overly sweet. Just the way I like it.

One of our favorite brunch places to visit in Evia is Another Story. Nino and I do not need it to be an evening type of “date night,” In fact, many times our quality time is spent over coffee and brunch.

Hence, one reason why we are very familiar with Another Story and their nooks and crannies that are perfectly styled for our Instagram feeds.

Since this restaurant was nearing the end of our food crawl, the dishes were getting heavier and heavier. (As if Crispchon wasn’t heavy??)

I really enjoyed this herb crusted salmon. This is actually, the perfect meal for me for brunch. And one thing you can do when you order in Another Story, is choose to order for one, or for a group.

How do you compare two steaks that are delicious in their own rights?

YOU DON’T.

YOU ENJOY BOTH OF THESE STEAKS FOR EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE.

DELICIOUS

And you make sure you pair them with delicious Hokkaido Salt Crusted Oysters.

I bet you didn’t know that you could get A5 Wagyu here in Evia?

Just so you know and understand, I had quite a few bites of the very best steak I have ever had. Buttery soft. Rich and deep in flavor, I actually asked if it was aged? Silly me. You don’t NEED to AGE WAGYU like this?!?!

This is where Sabrina and I had to peel off from the #InTheMoodFoodCrawl, and make our way downstairs to My Mother’s Cupboard to prepare for our dessert board demo.

When we asked our guests how they celebrate Valentine’s Day, and if they gift their loved ones with anything special, many of our friends said they don’t really go out of their way to honor this Hallmarked Day of Love. Some complained of traffic, others said the kids were always with them, and still others said, we don’t need it to be a special day to gift our loved one with something special.

Sabrina and I enjoy a good challenge when we are preparing things in the kitchen for our families. BUT we also love DIY EASY.

Hence the reason for this demonstration on how to put together a dessert board for gifting.

Assembling items that you can buy in any grocery store is always an easy win!

But because we wanted to treat our friends who made it all the way to the end of the food walk, we added Rosé Jellies and Churro Poppers with a healthy Homemade Chocolate Sauce.

But if you don’t want to take the time to do any of these thing? You can make it even easier on yourself by skewering strawberries and brownie bites together and drizzling with some melted chocolate.

Easy, right?

Semi HOMEMADE for the win!!!

Now, if you are interested in making Valentine’s Day special this year, you can check out any of the restaurants in Evia, or you can check out this super special dinner concert which will take place with couples at sweetheart tables being serenaded by the Manila Symphony Orchestra.