Bizu - this is my favorite brunch place. It's very cozy and I just love the purple and pink interiors. On a lazy Saturday morning, you can find me in one of the purple chairs in Town, as I enjoy a good cup of hot chocolate with my Eggs Benedict. Their French Toast is also a must! For lunch (or even dinner) fare, the Chicken Waldorf Salad hits the spot and the Wild Mushroom Carbonara is a staple. The Salmon with Risotto (available in their Greenbelt branch) is also a winner. They also have a variety of appetizers which are quite filling for a late afternoon snack. And don't get me started with the desserts! I absolutely love their cakes and my personal favorites are the Mango Chiboust and the Strawberry Shortcake.
*****
Cibo - when I'm craving for pasta, Cibo is the place to be. My favorites are the Rigatoni Al Alfonso and Linguini ala Ghiota. The Prosciutto di Parma pizza is also my fave - I love the combination of parma ham, mozzarella, parmesan cheese and arugula. For an afternoon snack, I usually go for their Spinach Dip, Gamberetti sandwich or a bowl of Crema di Zucca Pancetta (summer squash soup). Their fresh Red Grape and Pomelo shakes are simply refreshing and their Lemon Iced Tea is perfect on a warm summer day.
*****
Claw Daddy - they definitely know their crabs and this is my go to place when I just want to get my hands dirty and enjoy seafood goodness. I frequent their Bonifacio High Street branch and my staples are the 52nd Street Beer Battered Calamari and All American Cobb salad for starters, then down to business - the Crab Maritess or the Typhoon Shelter crab, going for the latter if I'm in for tons of fried garlic goodness.
*****
Cyma - another favorite for Greek cuisine (not to mention their cute waiter at the Shang branch...hihihi). We usually go here for weekend family dinner. Good thing we're 6 in the group (ok 5, not counting the little one) so we get to order a lot. For starters, we usually get the Spinach and Artichoke Fondue (cheesy goodness!), and the Kalamarakia (crispy baby squid) - I love the tzatziki sauce served with it. We also get the the Roka Salata (can't get enough of the shaved parmesan and candied walnuts) and Watermelon and Lamb salad - such a good combination! For the main course, we usually have any of these - Chicken Gyros (I get it with extra honey mustard sauce), Pork, Lamb or Steak Souvlaki (again, with extra yoghurt garlic sauce for me!), Solomos Angel Hair (salmon pasta), Garides mi Feta Spaghetti (roasted shrimp with feta cheese) and Moussaka (one of the few eggplant dishes that I can eat). On the rare occasion that we still have room for dessert, the Skolatina (molten chocolate cake) is the perfect ending.
*****
Cafe Breton - this is my favorite dessert crepes place. They used to have a branch in Town but that closed a long time ago but transferred to just the nearby Westgate. We usually go here for dessert after our weekend family dinner. Their dessert crepes are all good but my favorites (which are my staple order) are the Funtastyc, which I always request to change to mangoes instead of bananas (I love it when they pour the Grand Marinier just before serving it and the whole dessert flames up) and the Blueberries and Cream. Yummy!
*****
Cheesecake Factory - this is a must every time I'm in the US. When we were in Minneapolis, my roomie and I ate here almost every week especially when we were too lazy to cook (we were actually lazy on purpose so that we have a reason to eat out...hihihi). I introduced my family to this when we were in the US just this summer and they blamed me for the extra pounds that they gained. Hahaha. Everything I've tried are all good but my favorites are the Thai Lettuce Wraps (something healthy to balance the sinful cheesacake afterwards!) and the Shrimp Scampi and Chicken Madeira combo - a sure winner! And of course, the cheesecakes are absolutely sinful...my faves are the Fresh Strawberry, Ultimate Red Velvet and the Godiva Chocolate cheesecake. I get selective amnesia when it comes to how much calories a single slice has. Calories? Huh, what calories?
*****
Maggiano's - another Italian favorite. This is also one of the reasons why we're lazy to cook at home. Hahaha. Everything is just good - from the appetizers, salads, pasta down to the dessert. And the best way to try a little of everything is go as a group (8-10 is a good number) and have it Family Style - where you get to have unlimited servings of 2 kinds of appetizers, 2 kinds of salads, 4 kinds of main courses and 2 kinds of desserts. Whew! Among all that I've tried, my favorites are the Tuscan Steamed Mussels, Mushroom Ravioli and the Four Cheese Ravioli.
*****
Serendipity - the Frozen Hot Chocolote is reason enough to go back again and again and again.
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