Comfort Food at Mom & Tina's

They've got good hearty food that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Also, the prices are wallet-friendly (a.k.a. Michelle-friendly).  Definitely my kind of restaurant.  lol.  Mom & Tina's Bakery Cafe puts a twist on classic dishes to make them truly memorable.

It used to be an itsy bitsy stall stationed at the main entrance of Panciteria San Jacinto (which is beside the building where they are now).  Mom & Tina's Bakery has been there for more than ten years if I remember correctly.  My mom and brother (big fans of their desserts) used to buy their mini cakes without fail every time we'd eat at Panciteria San Jacinto (our go-to restaurant for big family get-togethers and such). 

Now they've upgraded and moved into the neighboring building with the same inspiring American country-ish decor and feel.  Leaps and bounds from the stall we used to visit.  Never would I have imagined that they could accomplish such an amazing feat.  It's really inspiring.

Yuri and I stopped by last week to check the place out.  Yes, it took us this long to dine here even though they had moved into their new home for more than a year now.  You see, every time we attempted to go we'd be deterred by the lack of parking or by the amount of time we seemingly had to wait in order to get good seats.   We managed to snag one of the three tables with comfy couches on this visit so were quite happy.

We ordered the first two things that jumped out at us in the menu.  I was immediately drawn to the U.S. Beef Tapa and Yuri went for the Chicken & Spinach Lasagna.  

U.S. Beef Tapa Php 185.00

It was wayyyy better than what I was expecting.  I did a double-take when the plate was placed in front of me because my beef tapa looked like bacon.  Hey I wasn't complaining.  Everyone knows that bacon is the fastest way to my heart any foodie's heart. It was crisp and just had enough fat on the sides to really give it that bacon look and crunch.  It came with garlic rice, oh-so-fluffy scrambled eggs, a dollop of atchara, and vinegar on the side.  All this for P 185.00.  I was more than satisfied.

Chicken & Spinach Lasagna with Garlic Cheese Rolls Php 160.00

Now this was a treat.  Just look at that overflowing cheesy bechamel sauce just begging to be tasted.  I only got to try a few forkfuls because Yuri kept shooing me away from his plate.  Hmph.

I liked it that they served the lasagna piping hot.   The bechamel sauce was both exquisitely creamy and light.  All the flavors blended together perfectly.  Comfort food in a decent-sized ramekin for just Php 160.00.  My only complaint (and it's the teeny tiniest one) is that the spinach part was missing in the dish.  Other than that, it was lovely and we'd definitely order it again.

Our verdict: 

So hmmm yeah.  We pretty much wiped out those plates.  I'm giving them a solid 4.7 stars (out of 5), on account of the parsley we left on our plates and because Yuri's ramekin wasn't licked completely clean.  Seriously though, they've got great value for money, cute decor, and a relaxed ambience.  Mom and Tina's Bakery Cafe is definitely worth visiting again.  And again.  And again.    

We only had thirty minutes to eat so we skipped out on dessert.  A mortal sin, which I will do penance for on my next visit there.  One of the servers told us that their steaks and callos dish are crowd favorites.  Oh and my brother tells me that their Shepherd's Pie is amazing too.

And so on our next visit, Chuck Steak, Shepherd's Pie , and Callos it shall be.  :-)

Address: 106 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave, Bgy. Ugong, Pasig City