Plain, clean, simple, and unassuming - that's how we describe this cheesecake before it was sliced. But after one bite, it was then transformed to velvety smooth, heavenly, divine and deadly. Chef Laudico's White Chocolate Cheesecake (₱1200) obviously does not scrimp on premium ingredients. The uber dense and tasty cheesecake is surrounded by the glorious white chocolate mousse that makes the sweet have a little dance with the slightly tangy. We dare you not to close your eyes with every bite. Another perfect christmas gift right here!

Cakes can be bought at Bistro Filipino, G/F Net 2 Building, 3rd Avenue, Fort Bonifacio

We love a good paella and the Cerveseria Paella (₱760) is our recent discovery. We loved that this paella has so much toppings that it's a meal in itself - we didn't find the need to order another dish to complement the carbo overload. Cerveseria's version of the paella has bacon, chorizo, chicken, shrimps, and squid but the true winner for us was the soft-shell crab. Generous pieces of the soft-shell crab gave this paella that unique edge.. that crunchy and tasty topping that we haven't found in any other paella we've tried. Now this and a pitcher of sangria makes for a perfect dinner!

Cerveseria is located at Greenbelt 3

We've been on a quest to find a really good apple pie in the metro and we believe we've found one of them! Cafe Mary Grace's Apple Pie with Walnut Crumble ala Mode (₱180) makes us want to eat pie every day. Maybe it's the deliciously cooked stewed apples that is not too sweet or the yummy walnut crumble which has the right amount of butter, sugar, and walnut. It could also be the crust that is well baked and give the perfect amount of crunch in each bite of the pie.. heck, it could even be the vanilla ice cream on top with a dash of cinnamon that gives the perfect hint of cinnamon. Whatever it is, we love it and we've included this dessert in our list of Cafe Mary Grace favorites!

Cafe Mary Grace is located at Greenbelt 2, Serendra, G/F Alabang Town Center, 2/F Robinson's Place Manila, Eastwood Mall and at the Rockwell Business Center

One thing comes to mind when you hear Antonio's of Tagaytay - good food. Antonio's actually has 3 restaurants within the vicinity that serves different kinds of food for various occasions, moods, or cravings you might have. The Grill of Antonio's is for the more casual diner who is looking for nothing but good old Filipino comfort food. This restaurant is the easiest to find among the 3 Antonio's (the fine dining, the grill and the breakfast place) and is the perfect pitstop when you are tired and hungry from all that driving. Among the filipino dishes there, we zoomed in on the Squid Sisig (P300). It's nothing like the usual pork sisig nor your typical sizzling squid out there. This version has your chopped squid served on a sizzling plate with sauce on the creamier side. It's perfect with a cup of rice but it is also good to eat on its own.

Antonio's Grill is located Bagong Silang West, Maharlika Highway, Tagaytay City

The croque-madame is essentially the french's ham and cheese topped with egg. The name is based on the verb croque (to crunch) and the word madame (miss because of the egg topping). Sounds simple enough and you can probably make this at home. If you need a quick fix, you won't find anything better than Apartment 1B's version of this sandwich (₱660). Perfectly toasted ham and cheese, with bechamel sauce topped with sunny side up. Using the best white forest ham, wheat bread and Gruyere cheese - It's good breakfast food, but we'd rather this go with some home fries (₱70) and beer.

Apartment 1B is located at One Lafayette Square at Sedeno St. and One Rockwell

Christmas is right around the corner and it's about time you start thinking of goodies and gifts to give! One suggestion that we have is this delectable Gigi Gaerlan's Custaroon Poppers (₱280-350 for a box of 25). Gigi is famous for her custaroons (defined as a unique combination of smooth and creamy flan topped with a chewy, buttery crust) but for chocolate lovers, the Custaroon popper would be even more perfect. Each custaroon is rolled into a ball then coated premium chocolate powder. The chocolate is on the dark side so the bitter taste blends perfectly well with the creamy yema-like taste. It also comes in a very cute and presentable box so wrapping not required. Your gift recipient will be sure to thank you later.

You can contact Gigi at 0918 828 2929

Mr. Jones' is an all american diner that serves all your retro favorites - soda pops, milkshakes, burgers, etc. But of course, when dining in an american restaurant, it is a must that they have the good old American comfort food that is the Macaroni and Cheese. Mr Jones' version is wicked all right! One look and you immediately see that there is more to the yellow-orangey pasta than just the cheese. Bacon, green peas, mushrooms and a waft of truffle in the air tells us that the Wicked Truffled Mac and Cheese (₱395) is a winner. It's so addicting you can forget about the umay factor right here and you'd want to boogie twist and shout!

Mr. Jones is located at Greenbelt 5

Theo and Phili Artisan Chocolates (₱95/bar) is 100% pinoy brand that we can be proud of. Cacao from Davao, Sugar from Bacolod and flavors that we are truly filipino. Our favorite is the Green Mango and Salt - dark chocolate with bits of dried green mangoes and salt. It is bitter, sour, and salty - taste which come immediately right after the other. We also like the Siling Labuyo - dark chocolate with a spicy explosion that comes after a few seconds. There is nothing quite like the experience and sensation of these chocolates. It might come across as weird at first but the more you taste it the more you'll love it. All chocolates crafted in individual/micro batches.

For orders visit Theo & Philo or call (0920) 431-5650

Life was much simpler when we didn't know about the Rodillas' Yema Cake (₱299 for Half; ₱549 for Whole). Now that we've been introduced, thanks to a friend's pasalubong from Quezon, we are constantly raving and craving about this uber delicious cake. Rodillas' Yema Cake is a 2 layer chiffon cake has yema on top, in between and on the sides! It can be likened to the caramel cakes but this one is creamier and the sweetness is more subtle. What we love about this is the grated cheese that is so generously sprinkled on top. Sweet, milky and cheesy - just the way we like it.

In Quezon - Monica & Jett Bakeshop +(042) 7933265. 09086027605/ For Manila orders: http://geicks.weebly.com/

Trick or treat..smell my feet.. give me something good to eat! Oh, if only we can include a slice or two in your pumpkin baskets! This is the ultimate treat for Halloween brought to you by Banapple no less. The Hallow Mallow S'mores Pie (₱110/slice) a special and seasonal cake that is composed of everything that you know and love from smores! Graham in the form of graham whipped cream, toasted marshmallows, chocolate fudge and almonds on top of a fudgy brownie! It's so good you can forget about all the other sweets that you will be getting for Halloween.

Banapple is located at Ayala Triangle, Il Terrazzo Tomas Morato, Katipunan Avenue, Connecticut St. Greenhills and at the Alabang Town Center

Did you know that Mamou has quite an offering during weekends? We especially liked the Rau's Platter (₱395) - two thick, buttered and toasted MSB (that's "Mamou Sourdough Bread" for you) with your choice of bacon fried steaks or sausages and eggs. Can't find the eggs in this picture? Let's leave it up to Mamou to up the presentation by one notch.. it's actually cooked in the middle of each of those toasts! Comes with a side of syrup for that french toast-y taste. But to us, it was good with or without the added sugar. Order a Mimosa or a Velodka on the side and you are in for a perfect and lazy Saturday/Sunday brunch.

Mamou is located at Serendra and Rockwell

Uni lovers and uni neophytes can come together and enjoy this one sea urchin dish. Mangetsu's Uni Omellette (₱295) is a classic egg omelet that is mixed in with fresh uni and swimming in sauce. Uni lovers will like it because a taste of our favorite uni is there in each and every bite. On the other hand, uni newbies will also come to appreciate this dish because the taste of sea urchin (which they say tastes like the sea) is not too overpowering. It's either you love it or you hate it - why not try it yourself and form your own opinion?

Mangetsu is located at Jupiter Ave. Makati

Wildflour's food is straight up unpretentious and oh so yummy. Packed at all hours during the day, our favorite meals here belong to the breakfast variety (up to 3pm). Their version of Steak and Eggs (₱495) features well cooked skirt steak, perfect poached egg and a delicious kimchi fried rice. Who knew breakfast food can feature all 3?

Wildflour Cafe+Bakery is located at the G/F Floor, Net Lima Building, 4th Ave. corner 26th Street Fort Bonifacio

Our favorite Chinese restaurant chain in the US has finally arrived in the Philippines! And we must say, the PF Chang's here reminded us of all the wonderful memories we had in their US outlets (and yes, the food taste and quality seems to be the same for us). Don't expect their food to be similar to the typical Chinese restos we have in Manila as this is the Americanized version of our eastern favorites. Among those we tried, we liked the Shrimp with Candied Walnuts (₱885) as this is something we don't usually find in other Chinese joints. Lightly battered prawns tossed in creamy sauce with candied walnuts and balls of honeydew melon. The melange of flavors and textures miraculously bring this dish together - you must try to have all three elements in one perfect bite! The serving is quite generous, too, so it's perfect for sharing.

PF Chang's is located at Alabang Town Center

If you are to cheat on your diet, a meal at Stella would be the best place to do it. They are famous for their wood fired pizzas, but the other wood fired item we are raving about is the Chocolate Almond Cookie Dough (₱195) Dessert! Served straight from the oven, cookie dough lovers will appreciate this half-baked wonder. It's warm and moist with the right amount of chocolate all over. It give us warm, fuzzy, and happy feelings just thinking about this. It is also topped with Mantecado ice cream, pistachios, and salted caramel to seal the deal. Just one tip, though - ask them to serve the caramel on the side so you can gauge the sweetness of the dessert. If it's not yet too sweet for you, then go crazy and dump the caramel on top!

Stella is located at Boni High Street Central

Are you familiar with Smucker's Magic shell? It's an ice cream topping and it is called "Magic" because it magically freezes in seconds once it comes in contact with ice cream. The Magic Shell makes your ordinary (yet delicious) ice cream more amazing thanks to the additional coating that comes in Chocolate or caramel varieties. Now while we are already happy with those 2 flavors, Smuckers decided to go one step further by creating a cupcake flavor! Smucker's Magic Shell in Cupcake (₱158) is a white fudge topping infused with crushed sprinkles! Now that's like the cherry on top for cupcake lovers like us!

Last spotted in Robinson's Magnolia Supermarket

Every cheese steak has 3 main components - bread, cheese and the steak. While we prefer the greasy cheesy goodness of Charlie's Grind and Grill, and the juicy steak perfection of Elberts, Chuck's Deli's Cheesesteak (₱249 half sub, ₱495 full sub) wins hands down on the bread department. Utilizing chopped steak, Chuck's homemade bread is able to withstand and absorb all of the juice the cheesesteak created. And although we like a messy mess most of the time, the bread (and the excellent cheese and steak) makes this a fantastic sandwich.

Chuck's Deli is located at Serendra and Eastwood

We bet you have never seen nor tasted Halo Halo in this form before. UCC's Halo Halo Cake (₱250) is ingenious! Imagine Halo Halo without the ice - it is Ube cake with leche flan, halo halo toppings, plus more ube! Topped with cornflakes and 2 scoops of langka ice cream. It tastes just like the famous Filipino iced dessert. Now if we can only get a glass of milk with that..

This cake can be found at any UCC branch along the metro

More is more with Marks and Spencer's Cookies, Cake and Cream (₱475) . It's basically cookies and cream added with gooey chunks of brownie and chocolate frosting and flakes. Made from the cornish (clotted cream) variety - this ice cream is a bit "too rich" or far "too sweet" which in our books is just fine.

Marks and Spencer's Ice Creams can be found at their Greenbelt 5 outlet

You can rely on Army Navy for some good old comfort food. We've been going back for the fries, iced tea and burgers, but their newest offering gives us another reason. The Querida Mia (₱195 for the Baja Chicken flavor) is an open faced quesadilla that reminds us of thin crust pizza. Super thin crust (more like tortilla crust) that is topped with cheese, sauce, greens, and baja chicken. What we love most about it is that it is light so it gives us space to eat our other Army Navy favorites.

Available at all Army Navy outlets Nationwide