Where coffee is on the house

Where there's coffee, I'm there. But where there's free coffee, expect me to always be there. Haha! After my first time to eat at Parvati last Monday, I knew I'd be going there again whenever I'd crave for cake and coffee. You see, at Parvati in Trinoma Mall, brewed coffee is on the house when you order any dessert worth at least P100. But before I tell you what my dessert was, let me share what my friends and I had for lunch at this specialty dessert shop. By the way, three of my girlfriends in the office were my company for lunch on that working day. Lunch out is a nice excuse from work, isn't it? Hehe! Well, these were our orders:

Smoked Salmon Sandwich with Mango Dill Dressing, P200.

Chicken Potpie Pasta, P240.

Shrimp Etoufee Pasta, P230.

Mini Mango Torte, P95.

Honey Apple Iced Tea, P90.

Hot Tea, P40.

Brewed coffee

Cake gallery

Death by dessert. Haha! Lots of choices here. You can sample cake varieties, too.

Our Smoked Salmon Sandwich with Mango Dill Dressing was delish but we complained (among ourselves. hehe.) that the salmon was too small, it was just single bite-sized. The Shrimp Etoufee Pasta was yummy but lacked spiciness. When we ordered it, the server warned that it was spicy, which was why I went for it. It was flavorful, though, a bit sour and a bit sweet, and we relished it. I didn't like the Chicken Potpie Pasta, however. To me, it was like soup that ran out of broth. I ended my meal with a sweet note - the Mini Mango Torte. The crust was good; a little tough for my teeth but delicious with just the right sweetness. The mango bits and cream topping were oh-so-yummy! The brewed coffee made my Parvati experience nearly perfect. And yes, it came free although my dessert was P5 short of the P100 needed to avail of free coffee. It was one lunch date worth remembering - good food in the company of good friends.

Lunch with a bit of nostalgia

If there's one food place that reminds me so much of my happy salad days, it's Pancake House. When I was a blithe, gawky teen, my older sister, who worked at ADB where she was a champion bowler (our living room cabinet was full of her trophies), she would often tag me along to her practice at Ali Mall in Cubao, after which we would eat at Pancake House. My orders on those occasions were predictable - a taco, bacon waffle and a strawberry sundae. Yep, all those fit into my quite small a tummy (I was very thin as a child and teenager).  Haha! When I got older, however, I rarely got to eat at Pancake House. You know how it is when you always have a kid with you when you go out - you only get to eat either at McDonald's or Jollibee because that's what little rascals want. Sure, my six-year-old would sometimes agree to try new restaurants but a long negotiation would have to first test my patience. Thankfully, it was only hubby and me that went out recently and we agreed to have lunch at Pancake House in Trinoma. 
These were what we had:  

Pan Chicken Special Set, P246. (hubby's order)

Roast Beef Special Set, P273. (my order)

Strawberry ice cream, around P60. (I forgot exactly how much) per scoop

Iced tea that came with our set orders

But while I enjoyed my food, hubby didn't. His chicken was undercooked, with blood oozing from within (gross!). He called the attention of a server, who promptly retrieved his plate, and returned it after a few minutes. Now, the two chicken pieces looked smaller from being refried (not changed!) . Adding to the not-so-nice lunch was the warmth of the place. I told the server about it and he said their airconditioning wasn't functioning well. Well, obviously, it wasn't.Still, I haven't changed heart about Pancake House. I love the food there and definitely, I'll be back to have another taste of the tacos and bacon waffle that I once loved.