June 2012 - Certified Foodies

Haagen-Dazs Bids Farewell to the Philippines

After what we would consider a brief period of delighting us with their high quality ice cream, HÃ¤agen-Dazs is closing operations in the Philippines. They have made this announcement official on their website and on their Facebook page.

We’ve only had Haagen-Dazs ice cream twice – once at the Haagen-Dazs store in SM Mall of Asia and the last time was when we bought their ice cream bars at a grocery store. Though we absolutely love their ice cream, we find it too pricey for us, even on those days when we desperately need a creamy pick-me-up.

And we believe this is the reason why they’re closing their stores here. Pinoys are not keen towards buying ice cream at Haagen-Dazs’ price range when they can be satisfied with a more affordable alternative, like Magnum ice cream that only costs Php 50, or frozen products from Magnolia, Selecta, Nestle and the Korean ice cream brands ( watch out for our upcoming ice cream series 🙂 ). This is sad news for those who love Haagen-Dazs ice cream. But, I bet we can still buy their ice cream from S&R.

Haagen-Dazs stores in SM Mall of Asia and Robinsons Mall (Ermita)Â are closing after June 30, 2012. Their Shangri-la Plaza Mall and Eastwood Mall branches will stop operations by August 31, 2012. So, if you want to give them a proper adieu by treating yourself to their ice cream, take note of these dates.

Haagen-Dazs Promo Alert:

As a show of appreciation to everyone who supported Haagen-Dazs here in the Philippines (plus, you wouldn’t want all those ice cream to go to waste, right?), they’re offering some delicious promos for all.

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Jollibee Crisscut Fries are Finally BACK!

If you’ve seen our last post about Jollibee, you know that they’ve launched a variety of new additions to their regular offerings over the past year. Some stayed on their menu for good, while others were available at a limited time only. And I know many of you have been wishing for them to bring back some old favorites from a long time ago. On my wishlist are theÂ Jollibee Crisscut Fries. The last time I had them was like ages ago. But, guess what. THEY’RE BACK!! And they’re even better! 🙂

After a long wait, Jollibee has finally brought back their Crisscut Fries. They’re now crispy and you can order them in TWO (2) NEW flavors! Choose between the Savory BBQ and the Zesty Cheese. Ken would probably pick the BBQ, while I go for the cheesy Crisscut Fries. 😉

You can now order the Jollibee Crisscut Fries ala carte (Php 33 for regular, Php 51 for large) OR by upgrading your Jollibee value meals (Php 21 for Go Large Crisscut Fries or Php 25 Double Go Large Crisscut Fries, which also upgrades your drink to large).

If you’re as excited as I am about this, you can call the Jollibee Express Delivery Service hotline at 8-7000 or order online through www.jollibeedelivery.com. Or visit any Jollibee outlets nationwide.

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Marios Sunday Lunch Buffet

A few months ago, we went up to Baguio with a couple of fellow foodie friends and bloggers to celebrate Mario’s Restaurant‘s 40th year. Throughout our 2-day, 2-night stay, we enjoyed meals in their restaurant in Upper Session Road (watch out for part 2 of our feature). The whole Baguio trip concluded with a sumptuous meal at Mario’s Sunday Lunch Buffet.

Since this was an eat-all-you-can buffet, I initially thought that the dishes they’re going to serve won’t be the same as the ones on their regular menu. Most of the buffets we know only serve mediocre food compared to the items on their ala carte menu, but I was pleasantly surprised to know that Mario’s Sunday Lunch Buffet spread will give you a chance to enjoy their delicious regular menu dishes eat-all-you-can style.

Since I usually take a round of photos first before I eat, I initially planned on going to each buffet table armed with my camera. But, when I passed by the meat table, I couldn’t help, but pause my photo-taking. 😀

I went straight to get a serving of the Cochinillo, a suckling pig roasted to perfection! They serve this with lechon sauce, but the crispy, thick skin and the meat of the pig are flavorful enough on their own. I had to control myself and not get another serving of this. However, I couldn’t resist to take some from Ken’s plate when he went back for seconds. 😀

They also have a big slab ofÂ Roast Sirloin of Beef, sliced as you order and then served with Brandied Peppercorn sauce.

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Breakfast Magazine : Uniquely Fresh, Satisfyingly Delicious

There is no doubt about it, my love for food can be traced back to my younger years when I first learned how to cook with my nanay‘s guidance. Since then, my thirst to learn more about food continued to grow and I enjoyed reading about everything related to food, may it be on a magazine, book, or a website. I lived vicariously through the writers’ stories of their latest food discoveries, how they travelled different parts of the country and the world to satisfy their curiosity (and tummy). And I share this passion for food with my brother Ken, one of the major reasons why we get along well. Little did we know that this year, 2012, after almost two years of writing for this blog, we’d be given an opportunity to write for a food magazine – Breakfast Magazine.

Breakfast Magazine is a bi-monthly publication. Their maiden issue was released last February 2012. I can describe the magazine as fresh and young, just like the team behind it led by Editor-in-Chief Alexis “Kim” Cuizon.

The first thing that comes to mind when you hear “Breakfast Magazine” is it’s going to be all about the most important meal of the day. But, they’re more than that. They aim to acquaint us with the people, where the ingredients come from and the stories behind the food, the restaurants, the products. Just like this blog, Breakfast Magazine is more personal. They take on a unique angle in their feature stories and theme in every issue. Heck, even the covers are so fabulous. 🙂

You’d probably expect a food magazine to have photos of delectable dishes on their cover, right? But, no. Breakfast Magazine’s first 3 issues feature people on the cover as they’re as interesting as the stories they have to tell. First was Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo. Second is the lovely Iza Calzado. Followed by Pokwang – unlikely and unexpected, right? But, just look at how fab she looked at the front cover of the latest issue. I say the whole Breakfast Magazine team did an AWESOME job. I seriously can’t stop looking at that glamorous photo of Pokwang. 😉

And we’ve said it before, food triggers memories that we most likely have forgotten already. It can bring people together. It can heal us and comfort us on those very stressful days. What we eat, our relationship with food can somehow reveal something about us, what we’ve been through, our personality. And Breakfast Magazine puts focus on that. 🙂

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6th Manila Foods and Beverages Expo : Back to Basics (Win Tickets Here!)

On June 13 to 17, at the World Trade Center Metro Manila and WTCMM East Wing, the biggest and most anticipated food event of the year is set to satisfy every food enthusiast with yet another impressive line-up of activities in this 5-day expo – it’s the 6th Manila Foods and Beverages Expo or MAFBEX 2012.Â You’ll bear witness to the skils of culinary experts in the scheduled cook-offs, learn from the seminars led by the food and beverage industry experts, and sample a wide variety of international cuisines from renowned local and international chefs.

With the gaining popularity and enthusiasm of Filipinos towards discovering new dishes inspired by flavors from around the world, it’s no wonder businesses in the F&B industry continue to grow and we see more and more people delving into the world of food. And through MAFBEX, this potential is maximized. It’s exclusively dedicated to food suppliers, distributors, manufacturers and retailers that cater to food service and hospitality industries.

This year, the theme for MAFBEX is “Back to Basics“. Since the demand for organic food and healthier choices are increasing and becoming more popular all around the world, it’s important to showcase the organic and healthier food products that are out there and are available for us to consume.

MAFBEX is organized by the leading exhibition and trade show organizer Worldbex Services International (WSI), in cooperation with the De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) and for the benefit of ABS-CBN Foundation. This year, there’ll be over 500 booths that should keep all expo-goers busy. Last year’s turnout was at 50,000 visitors, and this year’s MAFBEX is bigger with the addition of the World Trade Center East Wing as an extension venue for the seminars and competitions.

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Tupperware Speedy Chopper : A Kitchen Must-Have

When Ken and I decided to feature some of our top favorite restaurants and products we wrote about here on our blog over the past year for our anniversary giveaway, the very first thing that came to mind was the Tupperware Speedy Chopper. I swear, it’s one of the niftiest kitchen tools ever. 🙂

Among everyone in my family, I’m the one who’s most ecstatic about the Speedy Chopper because I don’t like the hassle of finely chopping ingredients for anything I’m planning on cooking at home. I mentioned on our first post about it that I do love to cook, but because of my very busy schedule, preparing ingredients has been one of the reasons why I spend less time in the kitchen actually cooking. This lightweight chopper has changed that. 🙂

The one ingredient I HATE chopping the most is garlic, and I bet a lot of you can relate to this. I don’t like its pungent smell on my fingers. But, it’s one of the best ingredients there is that can give dishes a kick of flavor. Thankfully, with the Tupperware Speedy Chopper, I won’t have to worry about its strong smell staying on me.

Hand model is our nanay 🙂

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