#ValentinesatEVIA - In The Mood Food Crawl

I've been to Evia Mall only once before, almost exactly a year ago. I loved their atrium which was so bright and spacious, and best of all, air-conditioned! It's a perfect neighborhood mall, just the right size with all the necessities like a supermarket, cinemas, shops (Mango, Uniqlo, H&M to name a few), and lots of dining options to choose from.

I remember me and hubby walking around last year, just checking all the restaurants and what they had to offer. And fast forward to now, I finally get a chance to try out most of these places!

Last February 6, Mothers Who Brunch hosted another fabulous event - a food crawl, wherein we got to explore seven (yes 7!) amazing restaurants right here in Evia Lifestyle Center.

Anyway, I'm sure a lot of people are already thinking about where to spend Valentine's Day, which is already next week. If you're from the south, here's some great options perfect for romantic or family dates.


TIGER LEAF

Serving Asian Cuisine, this place is surely a feast for the eyes and belly! We had the Catfish Salad and Chicken Satay, an excellent start to our food adventure.

MAMA LOU'S ITALIAN KITCHEN

The first time hubby and I tried this place was during Valentine's Day back in 2014! So I guess it really is a great date place ;p Their original restaurant in BF Homes will forever be a favorite and I'm glad they've expanded to several branches around the metro already.

We were greeted by their amazing grazing table of cheese and cold cuts. We also got to try their Braised Short Ribs with Fresh Egg Yolk Pasta and Spinach & Honey Goat Cheese with Truffle Pizza.

MERLION'S CUISINE 

Singapore is one of my favorite countries so this place definitely brought back a lot of good memories from our family travels.

The Fried Tofu, Char Siew, and Roast Pork are definite favorites and don't forget the Mango-Sago Pomelo for dessert.

 

MESA

Whenever we have guests from out of town, we always end up eating in Mesa when craving for Filipino food. Their dishes are innovative, appetizing, and consistently satisfying.

We had their signature dish, Crispchon, which is crispy lechon wrapped in malunggay crepe served with several sauces.

Also a treat was the Suahe, live shrimps steamed in hot rocks, which they cooked right in front of us.

We were also all raving about their kamias shake which was so refreshing!

ANOTHER STORY

This restaurant is definitely a favorite, based on the ambiance and decor. Every inch of this place is "Instagram-worthy" with vibrant bursts of colors, mismatched chairs, a mix of prints and patterns that somehow all go together perfectly. I. LOVE. IT.

And the food is amazing too. We had the Grilled Salmon and the Angus Prime Ribeye Steak, both perfect dishes for a romantic date.

TEPPANYA

I think I was most excited for this last food stop because I've been hearing such great reviews about this place from a lot of people. Teppanya means "House of Teppanyaki", and they take pride in serving a wide variety of authentic modern Japanese cuisine.

We started with Salt Crusted Hokkaido Oysters, prepared right in front of us.

Then, finally what we've all been waiting for. We were served the A5 Wagyu Ribeye BMS 9 Teppanyaki. If you aren't familiar with the Japanese beef grading system, A5 is the highest grade given only to the finest beef. Meanwhile, the BMS (Beef Marble Score) scale goes from 3 to 12, with 3 being the basic minimum of marbling a steak should have, and 12 being a steak that is almost white with marbling. More marbling means a tenderer, creamier texture, so the higher the BMS score, the more expensive the beef is.

The wagyu ribeye was definitely melt-in-your-mouth goodness! To be honest, I could have finished that entire slab of meat haha ;p

THE CHEESCAKE FAIRY

For dessert, we had our pick of four cheesecakes - Ube Macapuno, Salted Caramel, Strawberry, and Oreo. Like Tiger Leaf and Another Story, The Cheesecake Fairy's ambiance is magical, very Alice in Wonderland feels. I definitely felt like I was having tea in an enchanted forest!

MY MOTHER'S CUPBOARD

Our last stop was a quick workshop from Michelle and Sab, the amazing ladies behind Mothers Who Brunch. They capped the tour by showing us how to make an easy dessert board for Valentine's Day.

As usual, I had such a great time with my fellow mommas. Thank you Sab and Michelle for always inviting me to these things! I always make it a point to go since I know I'm in for a treat every single time.

Oh, and I love how they always take solo pictures of us right before the event starts. Pang new profile pic and OOTD shot as well haha ;p I wore my new top and jeans from Zara, plus my new bag which was hubby's gift to me for our 9th wedding anniv this month (and fine, I guess Valentines na din ;p).

So have you decided where to go this Valentine's Day? Me and hubby have already planned out our date and I for one can't wait!