Late Night Snack at Larcy's Cupcakery Cafe

Cupcakes are one of the latest crazes in the country right now, and it's a craze that I have never really gotten along with. I'm not really a fan of sweet things and as such I'm very picky when it comes to desserts. With that in mind, I found myself pleasantly surprised with Larcy's Cupcakery Cafe. Located at 178 Aguirre Street, BF Homes, Paranaque City, it's an increasingly familiar name for the sweet tooths out there.

While there has been a growing number of cupcake stores opening up in the metro, it's unusual to find one of this size. It's a two-story building with a balcony and function rooms on the second floor, with its interiors making use of pastel colors (the usual 'girly' stuff)! We found ourselves arriving at a little past ten on a Saturday and it was still booming with a fair enough of customers. While it can accommodate a good number of people, it's still spacious and a nice place to just hang out in and talk. As an FYI, it's open 11 AM to 11 PM (Sun-Thu), 11 AM to 12 Midnight (Fri-Sat).

There are all kinds of desserts to choose from. There are several types of cupcakes: cheesecakes, pink velvet, brownie, etc. And since it's October, aside from the place being decorated for Halloween, they also had some Halloween-themed cupcakes. And then there was that one type of cupcake I couldn't resist ordering -- Vanilla Cookie Butter!

We ended up ordering one cupcake for each of us. I ordered the Vanilla Cookie Butter Cupcake which costs P85. The cookie butter flavored frosting was not overly sweet which I always prefer, and it's topped with bits of Speculoos Cookies (which makes sense because they use the popular Speculoos Cookie Butter). The cupcake itself was soft and moist, and after a couple of bites...

I found out that there was cookie butter inside! Yay! I honestly thought only the frosting had the cookie butter. I don't even know if this is the norm for cookie butter cupcakes, because like I mentioned, cupcakes aren't really my thing. Anyway, since I've been obsessed with cookie butter these past few months, I really liked it.

The boyfriend ordered a Cookies and Cream Cupcake for P80. The cheesecake was soft and not too sweet either. It was topped with oreo bits and its base was oreo too. It was pretty good as well. I like cheesecakes a lot too and it's nice to order one in this manageable size.

We picked this corner for our short snack. Really comfy and perfect for dates.

Verdict
Cupcakes range from about P70-90 pesos each. A tad pricey but each one satisfies your sweet cravings. Staff was accommodating and the place itself is a nice hang-out/date spot.

Taste - 5/5
Ambiance - 5/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 3/5
Overall Rating - 4/5

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Crazy Katsu's Unique Touch

I've noticed that katsu is gaining more and more popularity in the foodie world. As an fyi, katsu refers a style of cooking wherein the meat is breaded and deep-fried. There are many types of dishes with 'katsu' in its name so I know it's a familiar term for most.

Crazy Katsu is a Japanese restaurant specializing in its namesake. We were able to visit the branch in Aguirre Street, BF Homes, Paranaque (they also have branches in Quezon City, Marikina, and Taft Avenue). While their menu is not as extensive as, let's say, Yabu: House of Katsu, they sure are on the same level and with their own touch of uniqueness. While these two restaurants are focused on katsu, it's honestly very difficult to compare it with the two seeing as the presentation is much different.

The photo above is the chicken katsu (P145). It comes on a bed of shredded cabbage and a sauce which is spicy and sour. You have the choice to have it served even spicier, wherein the cook will put additional sili. This dish was an instant fave. The meat was tender and the breading was crunchy... and the sauce was fantastic! I couldn't help but dip the meat again and again in the sauce in an attempt to get as much of its flavor.

We also ordered the pork gyoza (P140). We didn't find anything special with it and it was pretty much an average dish. My friend actually said that he thought the flavor was quite lacking. However, I thought it was a nice way to complement to main dishes.

Finally, we decided to try out their coffee pudding (P80). Their pudding comes in two flavors: caramel and coffee. Since I can't help but be a sweet tooth, I ordered a serving even if I was already very full. The taste wasn't too sweet, which I prefer. Basically, it was pretty much a coffee version of the Filipino dessert leche flan.

As I mentioned, the branch that we went to was the one in BF Homes, Paranaque. It was small and cozy and, by my estimate, could probably fit around thirty people. We arrived at around 7 PM on a weekday and there was not a lot of people, adding a peaceful ambiance. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how full the place gets during the weekend. As for the wait staff, they were nice and accommodating.

Verdict

Loved the chicken katsu. The place has a nice ambiance and the staff is accommodating. The prices are really affordable as well! The menu, however, is not very extensive -- it would be nice to see even more versions of katsu.

Taste - 5/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 4/5
Overall Value - 4/5

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New Additions To Manang's Menu

Lately, my one place for good chicken is Manang's Chicken (which I posted about before). I always order the same thing when I go there -- and that's their chicken meal. I prefer their recipe to the other similar restaurants out there because their sauce is tastier. Unfortunately, because of my addiction to the chicken, I haven't had a chance to try out their other dishes. Good news though is that I was recently informed about their new additions to the menu and was also given the opportunity to experience them.

First up is the Garlic Pork Rice Meal, which costs P109. It's a big serving of pork topped with A LOT of garlic. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. What I like about the garlicky taste of it is that it won't give you a tummy ache afterwards, rather, it has a salty taste to it which compliments the pork and the vinegar sauce that comes with it.

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Kenji Tei Ramen House at GB5

Kenji Tei Ramen House, found in Greenbelt 5 and B.F. Homes, specializes in Ramen (...just as the name should imply). If I'm correct, they started off in B.F. Homes. My companion was the one who chose this place when we went to Greenbelt 5, and I think it was a good choice.

Kenji Tei, GB5

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Buffalo's Wings n' Things

You know, I could have sworn I've posted this before... but apparently it was in my drafts. If by some mistake I'm posting this the second time around, and I'm not sure how that happened, please forgive me!

Marcus and I were driving around BF Homes the other day, looking for somewhere "new" to eat. While I bet Buffalo's Wings N' Things is a familiar sight to most people from BF (everyone seemed to be regulars), it was the first time either of us had seen it. We took a gamble... and I'm glad we did. The place offers buffalo wings in three servings: 1/2 pound - P129, 1 pound - P254, and Triple Sampler - P379.

Buffalo Wings 1/2 Pound - P129

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Okiniiri, Japanese Restaurant and Izakaya

Marcus and I were driving along Aguirre in BF Homes looking for a place to eat when we spotted Okiniiri. Since we wanted an affordable place, Marcus made me go down the car and check the prices first. :P Honestly, the place looked quite expensive... but to my surprise, the prices were affordable! I guess looks can really be deceiving, huh? It was a good thing he made me check first rather than just driving past by.

On-the-house Appetizers

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Ice Cream Pie from FIC

Banana Walnut Pie - P195

This Ice Cream pie is from FIC, or from Fruits in Ice Cream. When I first caught a glimpse of this, I was overjoyed, because a lot of things I loved were combined into one desert... ice cream, bananas, caramel, and a cookie crust. Yey! I've been eyeing this for some time now but was never really able to try it because it's kind of a big serving. 

However, I have to admit, I think I expected way too much. When I was finally able to try it, I found it way too sweet. It was okay for the first few bites, but after awhile, it was an overload of sweetness. :) Also, the crust was really hard! It was difficult to eat. I do think it's a good buy though, especially since 2-3 people could share it and still feel satisfied in the end. I shared it with one other person, and in the end we were really full.

As a note, FIC is a good place to eat dessert at. I admit that I haven't purchased normal ice cream from them in a loong time, but I rarely fail to get a quick bite of mochi ice cream (not confirmed, but said to be same owners with Mochiko)!


Verdict

Taste - 3/5
Ambiance - 3/5
Service - 3/5
Price - 3/5
Overall Value - 3/5


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