For quite some time I had been rejecting invitations to attend food blogging events. I got two reasons for this; first, I narrowed my niche to traveling and coffee, second, I am watching my diet and stopped eating pork and beef since the year started. Imagine if I’d been invited in a food event and most of their dishes are meat, what would happen then? I don’t want to be the diva that tells the business owners my diet restrictions. My last food review is in January 2017, that long ago. Soon, I stopped receiving invites and I was fine with that. I only wanted to receive travel-related sponsorships, I love traveling more than eating anyway. Then one day I got an email from Toni & Sergio, an Italian-Spanish restaurant that I reviewed back in 2016. They opened a branch in Eastwood Mall and invited bloggers to sample their dishes last August 1st. I didn’t think twice about accepting it for 2 reasons; I work in Eastwood, I would have no trouble getting to the venue, second, I know Toni & Sergio’s food, they are legit delicious.

The Event

I was expecting there’d be a lot of guests because there were over 50 people in the e-invite. But I came to an almost empty restaurant with the servers outnumbering the bloggers.

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There were 4 other guests and I saw them sharing tables, chatting with the owner. I didn’t want to interrupt so I stayed at another table. I introduced myself to the waiter who approached me. After we’ve established that I am one of the bloggers, he asked me what do I want for a drink. He offered their sodas and cocktails, I chose the latter. I went for his suggestion, Sangria.

Drinks

The Area Manager/OIC for Operations, Andrew Pangilinan explained to me briefly their promos. Apologies that I wasn’t able to publish this post early but they had a grand opening last August 4, in which they treated the first 50 tables to a 20-peso 10-inch pizza of any flavors. They have another flavor, but I am not quite sure if it’s still ongoing, but I’ll mention it anyway just in case. All guests have a chance to win discounted or free food if they get lucky with the spinning wheel. 

When it was clear that no other guests would arrive, the food started coming in. They served more than we could handle but of course, nobody is complaining, not even me. That week, I had been dieting like crazy, it was the first time I put something heavy in my tummy. 

Starter

We started off with Gustoso Chicken Poppers. This is Toni & Sergio’s version of chicken poppers and you can choose from their 3 flavors, Sriracha Spicy, Honey BBQ, and Truffle Aioili.  We didn’t get to try the honey bbq, but I was fine with what they served us particularly the uber spicy Sriracha. I am used to spicy food, but even I had to reach for a glass of water whenever I pop a piece in my mouth.  

Pizza

The Creamy Spinach Pizza has strips of chicken (the only meat that I permit myself to eat) for toppings. Spinach is one of those vegetables I am not quite sold on. It really depends on how it is cooked for me to like it. Fortunately for this pizza, it works. I loved it so much I helped myself with 2 slices. It’s cooked in a brick oven, thin-crust, and chewy, just the way I prefer my pizza. 

Risotto

I hereby give Toni & Sergio the award for having the Best Risotto. Their Creamy Baked Risotto is baked in a brick oven and is made with corn, Italian bacon, mozzarella and mushroom topped with bechamel. It was delightful and probably sinful, but I didn’t care because it’s so delicious. I had to pick the bacon bits off my serving though but it’s ok. I am not a very strict vegetarian, well not yet.  

Pasta

We tried two of their pasta, Aglio & Olio Salpicao (garlic and oil stirred pasta, topped with hint of spiced beef salpicao) and Fried Chicken Pasta in Aurora Sauce (tomato cream pasta topped with fried chicken marinated in mojo sauce). The other guests preferred the latter but I found myself leaning towards the Aglio & Olio because it’s light but has a more distinct flavor. I know Aglio has beef so it might be the reason it tastes better, but I just stick with the pasta.

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Paella

They served us two paellas, Paella con Pollo (paella topped with chicken chorizo, eggplant, black olives, baguio beans, and marinated Italian roasted chicken), and Paella Negra. Because these were served a little late, I was already full that I barely touched the paella con pollo. The Paella Negra was not as good as I remembered it, to be honest, it was a little dry. I think I mentioned this to one of the staff just so they are aware and maybe improve on it. The Toni & Sergio McKinley has the best-tasting paella negra, so I’m not sure what happened here.  

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Dessert

I am Marjorie, I always have room for dessert. They offered us four kinds: tiramisu, panna cotta, apple crumble, and another one, which name I wasn’t able to get. Out of all of these, my number recommendation would be the panna cotta, it is just as good as the one that I had at the McKinley branch. Creamy, smooth, almost like a flan, I love it.  

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Toni & Sergio can be found on the second floor of Eastwood Mall and it is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

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Thanks for reading!