Cafe Antonio in Elbi

Cafe Antonio in Elbi is a quaint indie coffee bar that serves espresso beverages. They brew their own Coffee, and it is freshly roasted by 18 Days Coffee Roaster and Luca & Tosh Coffee Lab to enjoy that distinctive flavor of taste.

Aside from coffee, they also serve Italian and American menu. I asked the waiter with regards to their house specials, so we ended up ordering different menu which according to them are their "best seller" - Chicken Pesto, Fish Fillet, Classic Quarter Pounder Burger, Calamares and Chocolate Truffles. They say that they promote "Health Walk" so most of their menus are served with vegetables.

Food tastes great and recommended by Trip Advisor, on the other hand, the place is a little bit small and approximately it can only accommodate 12-15 person at a time not ideal for those who are claustrophobic. Then I also noticed that cob webs are filed up in the ceiling, I'm not sure if it's a design or what, but I believe they should regularly clean it.

Rating:

7 out of 10

How To Get There:
1. Located in Brgy Maahas, Los Banos (ask the locals).

Venice - Home of the Authentic Italian Food in LB

My wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary and we were looking for a place that is cozy, yet somewhere that I haven't been into. So we've tried  "Venice", which claims to be the home of the authentic Italian food in Los Banos, true enough the owner/chef is an Italian national so the authenticity is unquestionable.

The place is cozy, which features several Italian inspired paintings. The background music is something that you don't usually hear in your FM radio - Italian songs and tune. The ambiance is great, well ventilated and properly lit.

I like Italian foods and it is actually on the top of my bucket list such as: Spaghetti, Lasagna, Pizza and Fettucini to name a few. But out of curiosity I ordered something that I haven't tried before, like the "Penne 4 Cheese". That was my first time to taste the menu, and im a little disappointed. Aside from the 4 cheese used, it has no other ingredients except for the white creamy saucy and the cheese was quite salty maybe that's how it's supposed to be. We also tried their "Pizza Venice Style", it is a 12 inch pizza with the right mixture of cheese and I can tell that they use tuna or salmon but the addition of oregano leaves is something that I don't really like. We also had Banana and Mango Shake which is good with it's milky delicious taste.

Rating:

6 out 10

Spice Jar Tex-Mex Resto

The Spice Jar, as the name implies serves mostly Texan and Mexican spicy food. The menu are affordable and fit for student's budget. The resto is located along Lopez Ave. in Los Banos. The place is a little bit small and hardly noticeable if not for a small signage that says "Spice Jar Food Hub".

I ordered some of their best sellers but to my dismay, most were not available at the time. So, I ended up with other favorites that includes Chicken Quesidilla, Tuna Mushroom Pasta, Chicken Enchiladas, Cheesy Bacon Wedges, Garlic Pasta, Choco Vanilla and Mango Shake.

The price is reasonable, at first I didn't expect that much considering that their target market are students. But to my surprise, they are comparable to other restos that offer the same Mexican foods yet much affordable. What I really enjoyed are the shakes: Choco Vanilla and Mango Shake - they've included a scoop of ice cream that really made the difference. 

Rating:
7 out of 10

Bonitos Bar and Resto

Bonitos is a bar and restaurant located in Los Baños near UPLB. The resto offers its customers a mix of cuisine ranging from popular Pinoy dishes to Asian cuisine and Italian cuisine. They also serve grilled food, salads, and burgers. 

The ambiance is good, all in all  food taste great. We've ordered Chicken Alfredo (a little blunt on my opinion) Seafood Pizza and Blueberry Cheesecake which I enjoyed the most.  

The downside with this resto is that their menus are no longer the classic menu. Menus can only be seen thru their tablets, thus you won't have the time to browse their food specials and offerings. And lastly, the waiting time is so long, that I almost forgot what we've ordered.

Rating:

6 out of 10

How To Get There:

1. If by chance you are in UPLB, Los Baños or in nearby towns - this resto is a must try.

2. Ride a jeep bound for UPLB, just alight in Sta Fe or tell the driver to drop you off in Bonitos.

Box Stab

When I went to Dalcielo Bakehaus in Lopez Ave., Los Banos which at the time was at capacity,  I chanced upon Box Stab right across the street, so I tried some of the foods that they offer. The resto is a newly opened cafe which specialize in Herb Infused drinks and cold coffee frappe. Their name sounds like back stab which everyone of us surely detest.

Here are my verdict with regards to the foods that I've ordered: Sweet & Sour Fish Fillet is too sour - it's like I'm eating pure citrus. Chocolate vanilla cake is too sweet, not really good for those with serious insulin problem, it somehow tastes like puding sold in local "panaderia". Bacon with chicken cordon bleu is alright with me, though it's quite oily (they should have at least let the excess oil be absorbed somewhere). On the otherhand, I'm satisfied with their Iced White Chocolate and Chicken Pesto, perhaps that's the expertise of their chef. But for an affordable price, I can still say it's okay overall.

Rating:

6 out of 10