Baguio Eats II: Volante, Cafe Sabel

VOLANTE

During a late dinner out with Rob, we were able to try VOLANTE and their signature pizzas. There was free music, and apparently, they were open 24 hours. We tried the small-sized pizzas in 4 different flavors :) Of the four, I liked Pizza Hanna and Kenny George. Worth trying, especially since the prices are fair. Not on my 'must' list though...

Lemonade (P24) and Calamansi Juice (P20)

Pizza Hanna (all meat), P75

Veggie Pizza (basil, broccoli, mushroom, onions), P89

Kenny George (Hanna sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, onion, bell peppers), P87

Pesto Pizza, P79

CAFE SABEL
We also visited the BenCab Museum, which is definitely a must-see when in Baguio. After touring the museum, you can drop by Cafe Sabel for some light food and drinks. The view is incredible :)  Food was okay; we tried native snacks Camote Fries, Suman with Latik, and Turon ala Mode -- my favorite was the turon :)

Inside the Museum

View from the Cafe

View of the mountains, with very low clouds

Strawberry Shake (P120) and Lemongrass Iced Tea (P100)

Suman with Latik, P100

Camote Fries, P80

Turon ala Mode, P100

Nolita

Anyone up for Pizza? Nolita at the Fort gives us an alternative to New York style pizza by the slice. The restaurant looks nice; huge, clear windows welcome you inside the place, heavy wooden tables and stools provide ample seating, light fixtures are interesting and bright :)

Restaurant Facade

Interiors

Wall lights

Nolita by the Slice

The restaurant is self-service, you can find instructional posters on how to make it in Nolita:

Instructions on how to make it in Nolita

Order here

Pizza and.,.

More pizza!

We ordered a Shrimp Chowder and a slice of pizza each -- Chicken Parmesan and Spinach & Artichoke. The pizza was h-u-g-e and filling. I found the thin crust to have the right amount of chewy-ness :)  It's quite pricey, I must admit. But they did get the flavors and the consistency of the crust to my liking. They also have a PhP 120 slice of Regular Cheese (and their cheese was yummy). I wouldn't mind trying out the other flavors on my next visit :)

Shrimp Chowder, P140

Our Order!

Chicken Parmesan, P250

Spinach and Artichoke, P210

Focaccia

Found ourselves at A.Venue Makati for a birthday celebration in Attica. We grabbed late dinner at Focaccia. Good thing we made it since it was just about 30 minutes before they close, good thing too that the place was empty and felt quite private.

I liked their interiors, clean and simple with a splash of color. Heard that their panizza was close enough to C'Italia, which happens to have the best ones :)

Interiors

They provide complimentary bread and dip; and since it was already pretty late, we just ordered a panizza and a soup sampler. The bread was hot and crunchy, which was a great start :) Soups we're just okay; among the three, I liked their tomato soup the best. The Panizza, though, was indeed reminiscent of C'Italia -- and at a more competitive price at that! Good job, Focaccia :) The pizza was thin and crunchy, but still full of flavor. I loved it! 

Complimentary Bread

Soup Trio: Squash, Tomato, and Mushroom (P150)

Milano Panizza (P375)

If you want to get a taste of the infamous C'Italia but don't want to go on a long drive or there's a budget constraint, just grab a pizza at Focaccia :) Close enough to the real thing.

Pizza Hut Tuscani

After months of advertising, I took the opportunity to try Pizza Hut's Tuscani line via delivery. Tuscani boasts of thinner crust and full flavors, a move away from their signature pan pizzas. I wanted to see how thin their crust would fare compared to Shakey's and if they can still maintain the flavor in this offering.

As seen on TV, pizza is delivered with a black, circular sticker. Once this is stuck to the pizza box, the word HOT should surface; completing their hot, on the dot delivery promise.

We ordered Chicken BBQ Tuscani. As you can see, thinner does not mean thin ala-Shakey's; but it really is thinner that their usual pan pizza. Good to note though, that toppings are not compromised with a thinner crust...in fact, this is probably the reason why they're having a hard time making it super thin. The Chicken BBQ variant is quite yummy, with a hint of sweetness. It does help that I was really craving for pizza at that time, though.

However, for commercial thin crust pizzas (C'Italia excluded), Shakey's still takes the cake -- flavor and crunch perfectly combined  :)

ted p's

There's a new restaurant along Maginhawa St., UP Village :) From the family which brought us Good Burger comes another new food concept at ted p's. Serving whole wheat pizza and baked sandwiches, ted p's takes healthy food to another level. I'm sure the concept will appeal especially to those who love a healthy pizza alternative.

ted p's is a small space with simple interiors; a few paintings hung on its off-white wooden walls. I didn't quite like their choice of chair color though, blue doesn't seem to fit in somehow. And why ted p's? According to the dad of the owner, the resto name was a mix of the first names of the partners who started the venture. Hope they have another reason behind the name, hehe :)

Prices are not so bad, and were generally at par with the other restaurants in the area. If ever, you give a little premium to the health angle of the food they serve. We had the 1/4 order of the following: Chili Shrimp, Greca, and Kung Pao Chicken. We tried the Brewed Ice Tea and the Choco Banana Cream for dessert :)

Among the pizza flavors, we liked Chili Shrimp the best :) Followed by Kung Pao Chix, then Greca. The whole wheat thin crust was, as expected, not the usual crunchy, thin crust we get in other restos. But I'd rather have a healthy pizza than a super crunchy, oily crust, so I didn't really mind. Just note that it might be better to dine in; the crust may be a bit tough if you get the pizza to go and it becomes cold.

Enjoyed the Banana Choco Cream dessert, but it could've been way better had the chocolate been Nutella :) The whole wheat crust on this one, though, was a bit more tough. Something that they could definitely improve on. Nevertheless, I think chocolate is always a good thing; wouldn't mind trying out their dessert again.

Kung Pao Chix (Chicken, Bell Peppers, Wansoy, Kung Pao Sauce), P110

Greca (Eggplant, Tomatoes, Olives, Garlic Aioli), P110

Chili Shrimp (Shrimp, Garlic, Tomato, Mozzarella, Arugula), P110

Choco Banana Cream, P120

Maybe I'll give their baked sandwiches a try soon :)

Papa John's

There's a new Pizza place in town :) I was able to visit Robinsons Galleria recently, after the longest time, and their new Veranda wing is now lined with about 10 interesting restos, including Johnny Rockets, La Creperie, etcetera. Been hearing a bit about the new pizza place, Papa John's and decided to try it out.

Papa John's boasts of the use of better ingredients, which in turn helps them craft better tasting pizzas. The menu was actually outlined with the different elements which make up a great pizza. Interesting :) The resto interior was simple, but well-lit, and the commitment to better ingredients is even placed on the resto walls. It wasn't a big resto and we see a couple of people waiting for seats the whole time we were having dinner. However, service was quick and waiting time was not much of a problem.

We tried the Vegetable Caesar Salad, Baked Italian Meatballs, and a 9" Super Papa's Pizza. The Salad was nothing special, tasted like a normal veggie salad with Caesar dressing. Baked Italian Meatballs was very flavorful, but the serving was a bit small (Jollibee's meatballs are even bigger!).

Vegetable Caesar Salad

Italian Meatballs, P140

Now, on to the pizza. Pizza is served in 9, 12, and 14" sizes, with a choice of pan or thin crust (thin only for medium and large sizes). They have a choice of Dipping Sauces (Pizza, Garlic, BBQ, Ranch, and Honey Mustard) and their version of 'hot sauce' would be actual chili. Interestingly, the chili is not too hot and really goes well with the pizza :) We ordered the best-seller Papa John's, a combination of pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, and olives.

Admittedly, Papa John's freshness can really be tasted. One can sense the fresh ingredients used and that's actually what makes it a great pizza. Kinda hard to explain, but there is a different texture and crunch created by the fresh ingredients. Definitely one good pizza, which turned around our Papa John's experience.

Only way you can find out... go there and grab a bite! :)

Super Papa's, S-P320 / M-P450 / L - P550