2nd Level - Il Terrazzo Building
Sct. Madrinan cor. Tomas Morato, Quezon City
+63 (02)413-2675
09 May 2010
I posted a message in the forum for a photowalk. Two of my friends, Woody and Nathalie saw it as a good way of roaming around, so we scheduled it for this day. We all met at the weekend market in Lung Center of the Philippines, then we went to the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Rescue Center to take pictures of anything nature. It was a little past lunchtime when we finished, so the next question to answer was where to eat lunch. Nathalie knew I still haven't tasted Banapple's foods, so she suggested for us to check it out. She already tasted their foods at one of the Katipunan branches, so we went to check the branch in Il Terrazzo building in Timog area.
It was a very small food place. Tables were very close to each other, and it was difficult to get inside. When we got there, the place was a full house, but since we already decided to eat there, we patiently waited to be seated. Actually, we had to get to number just so the staff wouldn't get confuse who to be seated next. She asked if we wanted to sit inside or outside, and I figured inside would be better so I could take pictures of the interiors, but I failed. I found it difficult to take pictures because I felt people were looking at me. Hahaha.
So many food choices in their menu, but since we were feeling a little hungry after all walking around, we had:
Pan Fried Porkloin with Herb Mushroom Gravy (p160). Woody's meal. I gave it a taste, and for a pork cut this thick, it was really tender, it was like eating the meat of baby back ribs. The sauce had a little hint of sweetness, something I am not really fond of. Still, it was a good meal - all this meat for p160? Awesome.
Lasagna Roll-Ups (p145). First time I saw this dish from Nathalie's photos, I was instantly intrigued by it, so for my food choice, I went for it as well. By the looks of it, it seemed as if it was very easy to eat, but as soon as I ate the first roll, I was already full. As for its taste, at first I found it a bit bland - the rolls had cream cheese inside (I guess), but as I eat more of it, the sauce blended well with the pasta and filling, and bit by bit I was able to appreciate it. Overall, it was a good meal, but seriously, if you want to eat this, be sure you have someone to share it with. :)
Glazed Pork Tocino with Creamed Parsley Eggs (p120). Nathalie's meal. Like Woody's meal, I also gave this a taste and I liked the tocino. It was fork tender and not too sweet. Recalling Nathalie's remarks about this dish, she said it seemed as if they made their own tocino, because its taste clearly wasn't the type you get to buy off a supermarket.
We all went for their signature iced tea for our drinks, and it was so different from the usual iced tea. It was so good, I wished they'd have bottomless version of it. :)
All of us were hungry when we got there, yet when foods were served, we didn't eat right away - Nathalie and I pretty much took our time in taking pictures of the foods, and she even let me use her Nikon P80 camera to try and use it in taking food pictures. Understanding the relationship of the aperture and shutter speed was a bit tricky, but I was able to get it (a bit). The picture of the lasagna roll-ups was taken using her camera, the rest was taken using my trusty Canon Powershot A1000is.
The name of the place is Banapple Pies and Cheesecakes, giving an immediate thinking that this is a pastry shop. So why didn't we have the pastries instead? Well, we really, really wanted to... but, we were just so full, our tummies didn't have space for desserts anymore! I saw it as a blessing actually, because their signature pie - the Banoffee Pie - was currently unavailable as they were still making the next batch. We hoped to get back there later in the afternoon, but we weren't able to. Given the great taste of their food and its very affordable price, I would really hope to eat there again, but I might check out their other branch - possibly any of the two Katipunan branches, or the one at the Ayala Triangle.
The Banapple Pies and Cheesecake is located at the second level of the Il Terrazzo building in Timog area.
*** Jenn ***
I come from a family who loves cooking and eating. I never had any formal training in cooking and that I taught myself how to cook based on the handed down recipes, but I could say that I can cook good food. In 2008, I started documenting my food trips for my