Loving Caffe Ti-Amo

  

RESTAURANT: 
Caffe Ti-Amo
LOCATION: SM CITY NORTH EDSA ANNEX UGFloor

PRICE RANGE: Php 80.00 up
Kai Cafe Rate: 

Taste 10/10
Environment 9.5/10
Service 9.5/10
Price 8/10 

Caffe Ti-Amo SM North Annex Facebook

Ok so I admit it. I'm a sucker for cafes that combine COFFEE and ICE CREAM in one place. Recently though, with the advent of Gelato craze in our country, I've stumbled upon one of the cutest and most delicious gelato place that I've ever been-- Caffe Ti-Amo at SM North Annex. Caffe Ti-amo is quite new since it officially opened its store at SM City Annex just this May 2010. After doing a bit of online searching and reading, I was surprised to find out that its a franchise from Korea and now partly owned by Jollibee Foods corp. I'm  happy to find out about this coz then it would mean more Caffe Ti-amo's to visit here in the Philippines. So far, the only branch I've been to is the one at SM City Annex.

Lets talk GELATO.  So lets cut to the chase and let me just say that the Gelato here is DIVINE!! I swear, they have the BEST dark chocolate gelato EVER! I've been to several places and ate all sorts of gelato already and this is definitely one of the BEST gelato place ever!!! I know I sound redundant but I'm THAT in love with their gelato. So far I've tasted Dark Chocolate (my rate - 10/10!!!!!), Chocolate (comes a close 2nd), Tiramisu, Cookies and Cream, and Yogurt. I guess the reason why I love their yogurt so much is because its NOT too sweet. Its got the right amount of sweetness and flavor that makes you want to eat more! Not only that, just for 15 pesos, you can add some toppings to your gelato to make it your own unique experience. I was very surprised with the yogurt. I'm not a big fan of yogurt (coz its sour.. lol) but their yogurt grew on me! It wasn't too sour but in fact quite creamy and I really enjoyed it that much that I'm now torn if I should order Yogurt or Dark Chocolate whenever I'm there. 

 This is dark chocolate and chocolate gelato. The very first thing I ordered at Ti-Amo. PERFECT combination! For one scoop of their gelato, a Singolo order, you only pay Php 80. For two scoops, called Doppio, you only pay Php 130. Its a perfect deal for me especially if you want to taste two different flavors and share it with a friend.

Of course I couldn't leave Ti-Amo without tasting their coffee. I love the coffee and it went perfectly with the yogurt! I ordered Mocha and I enjoyed the drink very much. I thought it was really cute because I really enjoyed the tiny details that they put effort into make your Ti-Amo experience worthwhile. The adorable smiley face spoons, the small unique Ti-Amo labels on the cups and table tops, and even their smiling and accommodating staff made us feel that indeed Caffe Ti-Amo is a place that you'll fall in love. There are still a lot of Caffe Ti-amo which I haven't fully experienced yet. I have yet to taste their blendemos (blended drinks), Honey Bread with gelato, and their affogatos. I can't wait to go back there to try out more. You'll definitely hear me and more about my Caffe Ti-amo experiences when I drop by there again. Hopefully soon. Some people think its a bit expensive. Actually, it is compared to other gelaterias that I've been to. But its worth every single penny. Yes, its that good! I'm totally recommending it to all my friends!

                               

                             Me and My bestfriend Rache at Caffe Ti-Amo

Pasta Fun at The Old Spaghetti House

RESTAURANT: The Old Spaghetti House

LOCATION: SM Marikina, SM North Edsa Annex (and so many more)

PRICE RANGE: Php 100.00 up
CUISINE: Italian

Kai Cafe Rate:

Food 8.5/10

Environment 8.5/10

Ambiance 8.5/10

Service 8/10

"Welcome to The Old Spaghetti House! A great dining experience doesn't have to cost a lot. Indulge on mouth-watering spaghettis, delightful dishes and heavenly desserts in a unique and fun environment. Indeed, there are Treasures Waiting to be Discovered."

They definitely got their description right! As a pasta lover, this is one of the places I love to go to even on a tight budget. This year, I actually celebrated my birthday at The Old Spaghetti House at SM City North Annex. It was really a happy moment for me coz I got to celebrate it with my family and church friends. I've also eaten at TOSH for several times already with my bestfriend or coworkers.

EXTERIOR/INTERIOR. What I like about TOSH is the "old red brick house" look that they have that makes it look.. well old and established! It gives the subliminal message that they have been there for a long time already and they know what they are doing.. cooking rather! TOSH restaurants in the mall still exude the same feeling. The interior of the restaurant gives a warm feeling as well with the dark brown, black, and brick red colors used in the furniture and walls.

AMBIANCE. I love the lighting at TOSH. It does exude a warm, inviting, and also romantic atmosphere which I'm pretty much sure is appreciated by couples who eat there. Also the atmosphere does give off a semi-posh feel to it which is pretty amazing since the food offered is definitely within one's budget!

FOOD/SERVICE.  Of course one cannot mention TOSH without lavishing praise on the food! I love the variety of pasta that they offer! And not only because they all taste delicious but because of their amazing low prices. The price for appetizers or starters begin even below 100 pesos. Then they offer different spaghettis, red sauce pasta, white sauce pasta, pizza, rice meals, pasta meals, and so much more! My personal favorite pasta at TOSH is the Sun-dried Tomato Pesto. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water! What I usually order is the Pasta Meal which is Pepper crusted fish with sun-dried tomato pesto. Its price is actually Php 190.00 and I swear, worth every cent! Other pasta that are quite famous at TOSH is Pasta Negra (pasta cooked in squid ink) and Gourmet Tuyo with Lemon Rind. Its uniquely TOSH so if you are willing to have a pasta adventure, I would suggest that! And surprisingly, the desserts are actually divine! As I mentioned, I celebrated my birthday at TOSH and they actually gave me a slice of cake (forgot what its called). Service was good and the waiters were accommodating. It does take a while though for the food to be served so I wouldn't advise this place if you were in a hurry.


OVERALL IMPACT. TOSH gets high rates from me for the great food, affordable prices, and "date-able" location! 

A Taste at Tokyo Cafe

RESTAURANT: TOKYOCAFE
LOCATION: SM CITY NORTH EDSA, THE BLOCK
PRICE RANGE: Php 170.00 up
CUISINE: Italian-Japanese
Kai Cafe Rate:
Food 8.5/10
Environment 8/10
Ambiance 8/10
Service 8/10
"Tokyo Cafe is the only Japanese style family restaurant that offers Western dishes with that distinct Japanese touch and prides itself with genuine Japanese hospitality and service."


This is the description  that you can read off Tokyo Cafe's website. I do agree, its definitely a family restaurant coz the first time I ate there was with my family just this Father's day! Honestly, I've been most curious about TokyoCafe for sometime now. I love Japanese food! And I love Cafes (or more specifically anything that has something to do with coffee).. so seeing the two of them together in one place thrilled me. But I never got a chance to drop by and eat there with my friends til just recently. And boy was I surprised! 

EXTERIOR. The first thing that attracted me here was really their cute signboard and the interesting fake food display they have on the side. That really helped a lot coz it gave you an idea of the menu and how big the serving is. It had a description of the food with its price attached it making it very convenient for those passing by to consider eating there.


INTERIOR. It was a bit of a tight fit. But it wasn't really that bad it coz it encouraged closeness with the family members. The modern black and brown furniture was classy and showed off nicely with the tastefully beige walls. I especially loved the wallpaper poster of a street scene in Italy. I was facing the it when we were eating and it was quite a conversation piece and gave the illusion as if you are looking out the streets of Italy!

AMBIANCE. Lighting was dim probably to encourage the cozy feel. Loved the Music! They played soft J-Pop music in the background which helped remind you of that its a "Tokyo Cafe" feel despite the interior that you see. 


FOOD. It was fantastic! We ordered 1 All Meat Pizza (P 265), 1 Mango Chicken Ceasar Salad (P178), 1 Kaibi-ju -beef w/rice (P218), 1 Tokyo Boneless Chicken (P175), 1 Chicken Ala Pobre (P175), 1 Bacon Tomato Pasta (P 218), and 3 servings of Plain Rice (@ P35). There were 7 of us who ate there and yes believe it or not, the serving was good enough for all of us! Especially the Chicken dishes that we ordered. One serving was good enough for 2 people to share. You just have to order additional rice. Most importantly, the food was great! We really enjoyed our meal! My mom even said that it was worth every centavo! (which means a lot by the way.. hehe) My personal favorite was the Bacon Tomato Pasta. I chose that particular food because it looked so good on the picture.. and to our surprise.. IT ACTUALLY DELIVERED! lol. I loved the way that the bacon did not overwhelm the tomato sauce but the two of them blended together to make the pasta taste incredible! And it also felt light to the taste! Definitely one of my favorite pasta dishes from now on. I would so recommend it to pasta lovers out there!
(>__< we enjoyed the food so much that we totally forgot to take a picture of it first before eating.)

SERVICE. I think they did a good job. We were properly greeted, graciously served, and they were quite accomodating when we asked one of the waiters to take our family picture. Most of their greetings were in Japanese which added to the novelty of the cafe.


OVERALL IMPACT. LOVE IT! ^___^ I can't wait to drop by their again to sample their coffee and desserts. We hadn't had much time during Father's day to order dessert so thats one treat I'm looking forward to taste.


RECOMMENDATION: GO VISIT TOKYOCAFE! I personally think its a great place to have a group date there with your close set of friends or family. Good food. Light on the pocket! :)

Welcome to Kai Cafe ReViews!

As a coffee addict, one of my favorite things to do is to discover new cafes and coffee shops where I can eat yummy food, drink heavenly coffee, and hang out with my friends! I've been to some awesome places and ate some delicious food (and the not so good ones as well) and I thought that I'd like to share my discoveries with you all!

So this blog won't be just specifically for food trips, restaurants, and cafes.. but I'll also be reviewing and sharing my opinion on specific food and drinks as well. 

My ReViews and rate on the food/restaurant will include taste, ambiance, price, and overall impact. Again this is my personal opinion. You are welcome to rant, rave, or argue (hehe.. within reason ok?) with me about my opinion on my posts. I will be posting some of my food escapades as well. It might take some time but I'm looking forward to share these things with you! Hope you will stick around and also recommend me some good places to go to as well.