Mom and Tina's: Vintage Chic Restaurant

I like vintage, floral chic. Case in point, my blog background: pink vintage roses wallpaper. It’s the i-survived-years-yet-I-am-still-pretty feel it exudes that gets my attention. And it always has that warm, inviting feel to it, much like you’re in your Mum’s kitchen waiting for her to serve what she’s stirring in the pot.

So when a restaurant uses vintage floral chic as its theme, it sends a subtle message that I embrace you in and I serve all the home cooking goodness you’ve been craving for.

So this is where we headed to after a couple of hours of table tennis on a Saturday morning. 

The place is well-lighted, spacious and is accented by wooden chairs and floral wallpapers.

It has a mouth-watering display of pastries. Mom and Tina’s is famous for their desserts and pies.

Let me walk you through what we ordered that morning.

Bacon Hashbrown(PhP 215)

Crispy bacon with crunchy hashbrown served with tomato ketchup. It’s well done but not distinct. I think you can have bread instead of rice.

Waffles and Vienna Sausages (PhP ~ 200)

Serving of small waffles, eggs and vienna sausages. Again, it’s good but not spectacular. Something you can whip up in your kitchen. 

Fettucine with Capers and Smoked Salmon (PhP 195)

This one is good. The white sauce and pasta mix well with the salmon. It comes with bread too. The serving is small and good for one person.

Chicken and Mushroom Pie (PhP 45)

This is a solo-sized pie and it’s worth the order . The chicken and mushroom blend well together and don’t overpower each other. This is a teeny-weeny pie.

Choco Mint Shake (PhP 130)

This is a well-blended drink in terms of taste and consistency. Mint renders a fresh taste to the chocolate concoction. It’s refreshing.

Toblerone Walnut Torte (PhP 100)

Most of their desserts are made of frozen cream and this one is no exception. The toblerone is blended into the cream whereas the nut breaks the chilly dessert. This one is also worth coming back for.

Caramel Profiterole (PhP 40)

At the same size as the toblerone torte, this is quite a steal. The thing is the caramel is too sweet. It isn’t your classic profiterole (cream puff) since most of the cream in the caramel is on top of the pastry. A spoonful of this thing is the most I can take: nauumay ako.

In Summary:

1. Mom and Tina’s strength lies in its desserts and pies. The tortes and their English pies are really good and worth coming back for.

2. The place is really pretty. I can imagine hosting a family gathering here, brunch with the special someone, swapping stories with your friends or curling up with a book in one of their couches, of course with a cup of coffee.

3. Price is mid-range relative to Metro Manila restaurants and the serving size is good for one person.

Mom and Tina's
FRDC Building
106 E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue
Pasig City
63.2.9140833 


Mom and Tina's Makati
G/F Unit 104
Tropical Palms Condominum
Dela Rosa St., Legaspi Village
Makati City
63.2.8404299

Alexandre: The French Bakery and Bistro

Last Sunday, I had brunch with friends in this lovely French restaurant at the corner of 31^st and 1^st streets in Bonifacio Global City.

I am a fan of Café Breton and given that French cuisine always has this light feel and taste to it, you can rarely go wrong with any dish that you order. My first encounter with Alexandre is their bread display both at Rustan’s Makati and Power Plant. According to its website, it is a bakery, bistro and a lounge so one can deduce that it caters to the young and not so young crowd.

The subdued black and white interior of the shop with its warm lighting gives it a cozy, inviting feel. You can also opt to dine al fresco, but given the summer heat, it is much wiser to enjoy the food inside.

Breakfast Bonjour (PhP 250)

Alexandre is a bread place. If you choose to order this make sure you share it with at least 2 people because it is 2 baskets full of bread.

Assorted fancy breads and petit croissants: Butter chocolate and almond, accompanied by Honey, Strawberry and Mango Marmalade.

Generally, the bread is one of the better ones. It’s plain and has minimal flavor but the texture of the bread got to be the reason for you to order it. I can imagine pairing it with my cappuccino or even brewed coffee. 

Kahit instant nga.

If I get to choose one, it has to be the almond croissant. The texture plus the flavor makes it unique and wanting you to come back for more.

The order comes with a hot beverage.

I like the marking on the mug.

Le Cirque (PhP 170)

For this sandwich, you can choose your bread among Rye, walnut, walnut and raisin, Ciabatta traditional baguette or whole wheat baguette with chicken.

The presentation is nice and the taste is decent. It’s not unique to the point that you’ll be coming back for it.

Pizza Quatre Formages (PhP 399)

Classic four cheese pizza with thin crust. I like the fact that it’s served on a wood base, the serving size is good for 4 people and the cheeses taste fresh.

I say, “Yum!”

Spinach Ricotta Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce (PhP 310)

This is an Italian-French dish. Italian because of the “re-cooked” cheese (that’s how ricotta is made, just in case you’re interested). French, pertaining to the Bechamel sauce which is made from milk and is a staple in French cuisine.

Given the dish’s origin, I expected it to be light. And light it is so I can barely taste the flavor. I would’ve wanted this to be on the saltier side. Le best friend (not Person A) agrees with me too.

Person A’s Order (which I forgot to take down hence I don’t know how much, too)

Essentially tastes like menudo but made with chicken.

The good thing is it is made with tomato sauce so you can enjoy the tomato goodness. The rice is herbed, I believe.

Iced Latte (PhP 100)

Latte is good. Real Coffee.

Blended Mocha (PhP 125)

This is also good. Though, the blended choice does not pair well with my lasagna. Too flavorful. I would’ve been fine with an iced one.

Apart from these, they have a wide selection of pastries, cakes, crepes, salads, sandwiches, lasagnas, pizzas, coffee, wines and beers.

It has a pretty website too. So chic in black and white. 

So French.

In Summary:

1. I am going back to Alexandre primarily for its ambiance. I can say it is pretty and I can imagine having brunch with friends or having a night cap with a date. The food is decent but still can improve a lot.

2. Breads and croissants are definitely one of the better ones. That is if you don’t mind paying a little bit more. Price point slides to the more expensive side though it doesn’t scrimp on the serving size.

Alexandre

The Grand Hamptons Tower 2

31^st cor 1^st Sts.

Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

63.2.403.2907