Skydreamer Dines in Cebu: Cafe Sarree

Yesterday, li'l sister-in-law wanted to take us out to dinner, along with Ate Yvette (also known as Yvette Yzon, a Filipina actress) and family friend. Since I was just gushing all about Pizzeria Michelangelo last week, I naturally suggested that we have dinner there; however, sis-in-law had other plans. She wanted us to try Cafe Sarree, located right next to my favorite pizza place in Escario Central (*hint hint* - beside Pizzeria Michelangelo). She has been forever raving about this place even before she moved to the States but I never found the time to drop by.

The place is homey, but seemed too small so we decided to stay outside.

Outside where the air is fresh

He won't let go of Ate Yvette's hand

While waiting for our order to arrive, we bought some fluffy looking ensaimada from Brioche, a bakery just across Cafe Sarree. We opened it excitedly, used our forks to take small pieces, and -------- silence.
Too dry, no hint of cheese. And this small pack cost us P240. Too much, it's just too much. Tsk tsk.

Ensaimada from Brioche - DRY

With the ensaimada forgotten after that disappointing first bite, we got a little too excited when they served our cheese pate. It was to die for! I am seriously addicted to it. It had a little bit of everything, and my baby boy kept coming back for seconds. When we ran out of melba toast, we used Brioche's ensaimade to mop up the remaining cheese. This is seriously one of my favorites and I'll definitely be back for this!

Cheese Pate - Serious YUM!
Spicy cheese with pesto and sundried tomato, served with melba toast

They thoughtfully served our Apple Lemonade after serving the cheese pate to wash down the creaminess of our chosen appetizer.

Apple Lemonade modeled by the As

It started to rain so we had to move inside, but not before ordering capricciosa from Pizzeria Michelangelo. I was really really determined to let them try my new favorite Italian place. :D

Adobo Flakes - Shredded, crispy adobo with rice
Pork Schnitzel - Deep fried, breaded pork cutlets with mushroom sauce

Baked Mac and Cheese Burger -
Pasta smothered in cheese sauce, topped with burger patties,
and baked with more cheese on top (SOOOO GOOD!)

Capricciosa from Pizzeria Michelangelo

Jambalaya a la Mama - Spicy sausage in a rich
tomato stew, with Jambalaya rice

We were so full from all the food we ordered, and our stomachs had no room for dessert. *burp*

After dinner, the rain stopped thankfully and we were able to chill and relax outside while the others finished their food and the As paid for dinner. :D (thank you!)

Daddy and Seth goofing around

Chillin' with Seth after dinner

Family picture - waiting for the others who were still eating
(you can see them in the background)

Check them out if you like fusion dishes - they are seriously one of the best. xx

Skydreamer Eats: The Best Mug Cake EVAAH!

I grew up with a mom who bakes the most amazing homemade cakes. Almost every afternoon, at around 3 or so, we could smell wafts of something really good baking in the oven. I lived for those days. All throughout my childhood and even when I started working, she would make her famous baked goodies. Yellow cake, chocolate cake, pineapple upside down cake, birthday cake, chewy brownies, papaya brownies, cream cheese brownies. And how can I forget her tiramisu? If blogging was available in the 80's, my mom would have rocked as a food blogger.

With that said, I wanted to try something easy in the cake department. I do not know how to make cakes, cupcakes or anything of the sort. I started and stopped at mango float (you know, those yummy homemade refrigerator no-bake cakes). Now that I'm a mom, I wanted to whip up something sweet in my (microwave) oven in under 15 minutes - and make my son smile.

That's ambitious.

So I researched, researched, researched (in Pinterest) until I came upon THE MUG CAKE.

Good for one.
Very easy.
Uber cheap.
Ridiculously good.

There were a lot of different recipes out there, and I had a lot of trial and error sessions. My first ever mug cake was an epic fail. But now, I'm finally ready to share this with you!


Ready for this? The best ever mug cake?

Gooey chocolate mug cake

Then this is what you need to do.

In a regular mug, mix well together 2 tbsp all purpose flour, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa, 1/4 tsp baking powder, a pinch of salt.
Now add 2 tbsp fresh milk or water and 1 tbsp vegetable oil to your dry ingredients and mix well together.
Take 1/3 of a regular sized banana, and mash it well. Add it to your mixture and blend well together.
Add a few chocolate chips, mix again.
Now, here's the fun part - take a look at your pantry. Check if you have nutella, peanut butter, cookie butter, or any buttery/chocolatey spread. You're good? Take 1/2 tbsp of that and add to your mixture, pushing it to the bottom. *Please make sure that your spread is at room temperature*
Next, put the mug inside your microwave and bake on high for 1 minute (50 seconds for me).

Take it out, smell that wonderful cocoa.

Mmmm-hmmmmmm.....

Fresh from the oven

Get a plate and transfer the cake to it, upside down. It would look like this:

That cookie butter looks really good on top of my cake

Restrain yourself from eating everything all at once because you're not done yet.

Now, take a look at your freezer. Got some ice cream? Good. Add that on top of your cake and you have yourself a winning dessert. Good for one. Or you can share with your son (if you're feeling selfless).

Mug Cake with ice cream and shaved chocolate

It's moist, gooey, chocolatey, buttery, and all those good things. It's like a cake but not really. It's not a brownie too. It's almost like a cupcake, but really it's just the best ever mug cake.

In less than five minutes I made my son smile and laugh and now he's bouncing all over from all that chocolate and sugar. *sigh*

Go on, make some. I'm excited to know what you think! :D

Skydreamer Dines in Cebu: Pizzeria Michelangelo

Once in a while, you "discover" a place and fall in love with it. This happened to us with Pizzeria Michelangelo. Oh, I know a lot of Cebuanos have declared their love for this homey Italian place and this is definitely not a secret place, but its charm and warm good food seduced us and convinced us that this is our new go-to place.

We woke up late Saturday afternoon with hungry stomachs and huge appetites for food. Without changing into anything nicer, we went out in our house clothes - shorts, shirts and flip flops. We headed to Escario Central with no particular restaurant in mind. We figured that if we couldn't find a place to eat, there's always Mcdonald's nearby.

We first checked Cafe Sarree because I heard a lot of good things about this place, but right beside it was Pizzeria Michelangelo Ristorante Italiano. A quick glance at their simple menu, and specially their prices hooked us in.

Here are the dishes we ordered:

Gnochhi Al Tartufo - P320 - OUR FAVORITE!
(Black Italian Truffle Sauce, Cream, Cheese)

Robertino Pizza - P360 (15")
Tomato, Mozzarella, Farmer's Ham, Bacon Strips,
 Egg, Arugula, Parmesan Cheese

Alla Carbonese - P260
Bolognese + Carbonara

*Please take note that prices are subject to change. The prices also exclude a 10% service charge.

Gnocchi - We loved the black Italian truffle sauce, but didn't really like the gnocchi as it was too chewy for me.
Robertino - Sometimes, arugula tends to be a bit spicy, and I don't like that variety. The ones they used were perfectly nutty and did not have a hint of spiciness. Love!
Alla Carbonese - Pasta was al dente, and they used fresh parmesan. We thought it was a little bit too salty for our taste, though. But that's just us.

Oh, and one more thing, the servings were HUGE! Pasta servings are good for 2-3 Filipino people with normal appetites. The pizza is a whooping fifteen inches for a little over P300. How crazy is that?
If there's one thing I think they should invest on - a couple of high chairs for children. We weren't the only family with a kid there and the nannies had to keep on holding to the wee ones.

Here are some more random pictures:

The place - LOVE at first sight!

The food - LOVE at first bite!

Reasonable prices? Check
Awesome food? Yep
Great customer service? You bet!
Should you check it out? Go, now! xx

*Update*
My husband went back to buy gnocchi al tartufo and alla carbonese to go. The attendants were very friendly and gave him lots of extra focaccia. When I ate their gnocchi at home, I noticed that it was very soft and buttery and not as chewy as the first time we tried it - great job! :D