A Little Hideaway in South

4:43:00 PM

If you feel like taking the other way instead of always driving going Northbound, then bring yourself at the South of Manila—be sure to find this special bistro and spend some time here for a little hideaway.

Welcome to Pito & Mita.

I and my friends were fortunate enough to be invited by Pia de la Fuente-Kasilag, the owner of this fantastic restaurant.“My brother and I started it, my younger brother Paolo de la Fuente. We name the restaurant after our parents. Most of the dishes we serve here are family recipes and that our friends enjoyed when they came over to our place before." Kasilag relates.

with my friend Jona

with my friend Byron

with the owner Ms. Pia Kasilag

A mother of four adorable kids, Pia attests that choosing the best ingredients will produce food that can be enjoyed by everybody.“We served time-vested dishes. The quality of ingredients is important to us, which is why I personally do the daily shopping so that I can make sure that the ingredients are fresh every day. We also cook our food in a traditional way because most of the food now is commercialized already.”

As we entered from the doors of this sophisticated and modern Mediterranean bistro, we were welcomed by its colorful cozy ambiance which was designed personally by Mita.

photo by Byron Henry Santiago

With its lovely interiors, the hues of the walls, chandeliers and ceiling drapes, made the place very Victorianesque. From elegantly arranged chairs, and detailed table settings that are divided to your special corner, you can get to enjoy some of the most exciting and delectable dishes of Mediterranean region—some Spanish and some Italian with a few French and Greek dishes that will let your taste buds to crave for more.

Pia chose, what she thought are the best dishes off the menu and she was right. Just to name a few, for the appetizer, Spinach-Artichoke Dip with Melba toast (P150), a simple yet crispy toast bread dipped into the flavorful blend of spinach. It is best served when warm.

Spinach-Artichoke Dip with Melba toast (P150)

For the entrees, served were Parmesan Crusted Baked Fish (P220)—one of the restaurant's best sellers. Baked white fish fillet topped with a creamy and crunchy Parmesan crust and served with your choice of Potato Gratin (P180), or mashed potatoes with vegetables. According to Pia, this dish was personally experimented by her.“This dish is so easy to prepare. I do the cooking; I trained my staff to do the cooking as well. I'm more hands-on to this and still it's always my last taste".

Parmesan Crusted Baked Fish (P220) with Lemon-Moringa Juice (P60)

Next, was Eggplant Lasagna (P280), topped with three famous cheeses (Cream Cheese, Mozzarella and Parmesan) and oven-baked. “Eggplant is something different. Usually, when we heard of lasagna, it comes with pasta. I thought of this dish, the pasta there is the eggplant. Some people say, they think its pasta but it’s not. I would recommend this to our vegetarian diners.” explains Kasilag. After having consumed all these delectable’s we washed it all down with a one of a kind Bottomless Lemon-Moringa Juice (P60)—sweet, lemon-flavored Malunggay juice— a spiced bit of heaven.

Eggplant Lasagna (P280)

Pito & Mita opened in BF Homes, Parañaque City last August 2010. This homey bistro is the latest food hub in the city. Pito & Mita is actually short for Papito and Mamita, which the owners (and their children, nieces and nephews) fondly call their parents.

BTS: Byron behind the camera

Right now, Pito & Mita is into catering service and just started a few months ago by accommodating small groups with a minimum of 20 and maximum of 50 people, concentrating first in the south area including Paranaque, Alabang and Las Pinas.

BTS: Jona and Byron checking the photos

It's no wonder why celebrities like the Ms. Saigon Lea Salonga, Dimples Roma, BO Sanchez, and Quinito Henson are keep coming on back for a pleasant dining experience in Pito & Mita.

PITO & MITA

176 Aguirre St, BF Homes, 1700 Parañaque City

Opens every Tuesday to Friday and weekends at 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM / 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Phone +63 2 826 3634

Email pitoandmitafood@gmail.com

As seen in a magazine SPARK 2011 issue:

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ABOUT THIS BLOG

I am curious. I travel. I am soul searching. Curious Tootling Soul, 3 words referring to me. In our everyday lives, we wander, and we ask questions. Yes, and sometimes it is hard to explain to someone who doesn’t quite see the world how you do— the way you do. Life to many can just be sectionalized and put into little boxes. A box for your true self; a box for your sociable self; a box for your fancies: your wants, your desires. Looking at your bucket list—list, highlight, and check. For some though life isn’t quite so simple. Some of us don’t know exactly what we want to do next or where we want to go, we just know there is so much out there we want to experience. We visit and travel new places often without knowing exactly what for, just that we know in our soul we need to. Mundane, humdrum existence and material things don’t impress us. We are in search for answers, for fulfillment and gratification. We need to be surrounded by love and warmth, growth and good. We know there is nothing better than a genuine laugh or a heartfelt hug. We are moved by the storytellers, the dreamers, the drifters, the people whose lives are different than ours, that we can learn from. We are drawn to new surroundings and unique experiences. As we fall in love with so many things around us, sometimes it is hard to keep track. We love and we continuously holding on for that love. We love different. We love doing things that terrify us because we know those are the moments that we grow. We love looking back and seeing that we have accomplished what we never thought we could, things we never thought were even a possibility. Because it is in those moments we know we are becoming the people we were always intended to be. We leap before we look sometimes. It is finding ourselves when we didn’t know we were lost and continuing to find ourselves over and over again. It is kissing a cute stranger under the stars, waving at a baby we pass on the street, helping someone who cannot repay us. It is jotting down a funny memory or a beautiful quote we can’t forget. It is finding out what makes us smile the biggest, what our passions are, what makes our eyes light up just by talking about it. (an excerpt from A. Twigg, 2015) I fall, but I keep on rising. My faith has been tested, but it always remains. I have grandiose plans and an endless list of options; the places that I want to explore and journeys that I want to take. I don’t always know how I will accomplish something, I just know some ways and the courage of somehow—I will. Life for me is a puzzle of creating moments. It is finding my next adventure. It is setting my feet on new sands, diving into new seas. It is laughing with a group of strangers, singing words to songs that I don’t know matters. It is knowing that there is a whole wide world out there just waiting for me to discover it. It is the feeling that there is no better time than right now to do what we have always wanted to do, so why not go? Do it.