Category: Beverages / Drinks

Bon Appetea : A Unique Take on Milk Teas

For almost a year now, our family have been tea drinkers. It all started with our dad who wanted to improve his wellness by regularly drinking tea. We saw the effects on him so we decided to try it ourselves.

At first, I admit, I was a little uncomfortable with the taste of tea in my mouth. I’ve been a coffee drinker most of my life so having to switch to tea for my dose of caffeine everyday wasn’t an easy transition. But, after a week or so of habitually drinking tea, I got so used to the taste that it became something I actually looked forward to everyday. And it helped me lose 30 pounds early this year, along with my less-rice diet. Drinking tea made me feel lighter and healthier in a way. 🙂

Bon AppeteaWe know the taste needs a lot of getting used to, but thank goodness for the milk tea places around the Metro, we can now enjoy the same health benefits of tea and milk while enjoying a cold (or warm) tasty thirst-quencher. One of the fairly new milk tea places we discovered is Bon Appetea (oohh, I just love the wordplay… but, wait, there’s more!).

We were invited to have a taste of what they had to offer when we dropped by the Bon Appetea Express Bar in Ortigas, at the Strata 2000 food court (this branch opened in mid-August of this year). Owner Tom Pestano, along with fellow foodie Jonel Uy, was there to introduce us to the milk tea flavors they have on their menu.

Unfortunately, I don’t have my notes from the said taste test anymore because of Typhoon Pedring, BUT, I can still remember which ones I loved and those that I can remember.

First, let me tell you that they have 7 menu groups that should make it easy for you to pick what you want.

For the purists or true-blue tea enthusiasts, you should go for the Simplicitea that you can order either hot or iced. Among the 5 variants under this menu group, I remember having a taste of the Jasmine Green Tea and Assam Black Tea. Between the two, I enjoyed the latter ‘cause I’m not really fond of anything flowery (long, funny story that goes back to my childhood days :D). I prefer stronger teas, even with coffee, so it was no surprise that it was what I remember the most among all the teas we had that warm afternoon. 🙂

You can see them prepare your milk teas at the Bon Appetea Express Brew in Ortigas

For beginners or those who don’t like the herby (a friend described it “grassy”) taste of tea, you should go for the Milk Teas offered by Bon Appetea. I loved Ambrosia – a combination of Assam Black Tea and brown sugar syrup. Obviously, it’s because of the black tea again. Well, I also liked the Morocco Nights, which is Jasmine Green Tea and peppermint. The slight minty flavor helped mask the flowery taste of Jasmine.

Our group's Bon Appetea milk teas

They also have other tea groups such as the Yogurt Teas, Fruit Teas, VitaliTea, and Herbal Teas. But, the other tea variant I loved was their NaughTeas. I told you there’ll be more wordplay, right? I just love how they came up with the names. Now, you might be wondering what the NaughTeas are all about. Well, they actually have a unique kick with a bit of alcohol content in the toppers added to them. I actually ordered a Long Island Iced Tea with vodka pearls for takeout. The alcohol content is subtle so I don’t think you’d have to worry about getting drunk over these NaughTeas. 😀

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Your All-Time Favorites at Flapjacks

A good restaurant values its customers’ opinions and suggestions. A way of showcasing this is when a certain dish makes a re-appearance on the menu due to popular demand from their avid patrons. And this is exactly what Flapjacks is doing now, by re-introducing four (4) of their signature dishes with Back…Better…Best!

You can start your meal by experiencing a nice play of textures and flavors with a plate of Mango Exotica. It’s a light but quite filling meal with a delightful mix of Romaine lettuce, sweet bites of California raisins, croutons, succulent grilled chicken slices, with almond slivers for that extra crunch, all tossed in a tangy and sweet mango vinaigrette.

Mango Exotica - Flapjacks - CertifiedFoodies

Mango Exotica (Lunch Php 195 | Dinner Php 325)

Another dish that is making a comeback is the Chicken Stuffed Parmigiana. It’s a plate of tender chicken breasts, stuffed with fresh cheddar cheese which are breaded then fried and topped on a bed of linguine pasta and marinara sauce.

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Chicken Stuffed Parmigiana (Php 325)

This one is a personal favorite. The Lemon-Pepper Pan Seared White Fish is a plate of heavenly flavors with its mildly seasoned white fish with freshly squeezed lemon and pepper, pan fried in olive oil. It is served with herb rice and chef’s veggies.

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Lemon-Pepper Pan Seared White Fish (Php 295)

The Original Hashbrown Burger closes the list of dishes for Flapjack’s “Back…Better…Best.” This huge burger is made up of mouth-watering pan-seared all-beef patty with fresh tomatoes and lettuce, topped with golden fried hash brown and American cheese, served with potato fries on the side.

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Original Hashbrown Burger (Php 350)

And of course, aside from the “Back…Better…Best” selection, there are lots of other dishes, desserts and beverages you can try at Flapjacks.

For our beverages, I ordered the Ginger’s Lemonade, which was an amazing discovery. I’m a huge fan of lemonades, but this interpretation was surprisingly good and very refreshing. And come on, I used to hate ginger, but now with this drink, I don’t think I’ll ever want my lemonade without it.

My sister Mhel opted for the Granny’s Favorite probably because she’s ancient and all that. 😀 Kidding. I pushed her on ordering this because I was very intrigued how a combination of apples, oranges, and grapes would taste like. And again, the drink was such a revelation. You would think it’s a smoothie of a single fruit if you don’t stop and really taste what’s in it.

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(Left) Ginger’s Lemonade – Php 75   |   (Right) Granny’s Favorite – Php 125

And to feed my obsession with hot wings, we ordered their Traditional Buffalo Wings. These are chicken wings lightly breaded, cooked to perfection, and served with bleu cheese dressing. Just the way I like it, the wings were very spicy and tangy because of the cayenne pepper hot sauce. And I loved how spooning out some bleu cheese dressing helped lessen the spiciness on my tongue.

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Traditional Buffalo Wings (Php 295)

We also ordered the New Orleans Seafood Gumbo, which is a plate of  sautéed cajun spiced shrimps, calamari, and dory fish, served with garlic rice. And a little running tip for those who would like to try this dish: Don’t forget to squeeze the lemon. If not, the dish would come off as too salty.

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New Orleans Seafood Gumbo (Php 265)

My sister and I really hope that this Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions will never leave Flapjacks’ menu. It was so good that my sister can’t stop raving about that Tex-Mex (Texan-Mexican) rice giving a nice complement to those moist and tender pork medallions.

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Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions (Php 345)

Lastly for dessert, though I was really craving for some cheesecake, we ordered a plate of Bread Pudding. This dessert was just of the right sweetness. And it would have been better if the bread pudding was warmer than it was to provide a nice contrast in temperature with the vanilla ice cream. Not Flapjacks’ fault though. It took me over 10 minutes to get the shot that I want, so it went cold.

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Bread Pudding (Php 195)

We dined at Flapjacks’ in Robinsons Place Manila Midtown. I loved the look and feel of the interiors, especially those light fixtures on the ceiling.

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And this is me drinking Granny’s Favorite. It was my sister who took the shot. I was busy thinking of what to say about the drink, hence the serious face. 😀

Me seriously thinking about what to say about Granny's Favorite

Flapjacks made our wishes come true by bringing back our all-time favorite dishes with “Back…Better…Best,” and now it’s our time to drop them a visit and indulge.

Flapjacks restaurants are located in Greenbelt 2, Ayala Center; Theater Mall, Greenhills; Al Fresco, Midtown; and UP Ayala Technohub. To receive special news and deals from Flapjacks, sign up at mybistro.com.ph or visit their website at flapjacks.com.ph.

Plates of the Caribbean: Surf and Turf Goodness from Fish & Co

Fish & Co - CertifiedFoodies.com

Ahoy, mates! Fish & Co., the Singapore-bred restaurant that has enticed the Filipino palates with their best-selling seafood fare, had set sail across the Atlantic Ocean and captured the flavors exotic to the islands of the West Indies in their latest menu addition the “Plates of the Caribbean”.

Plates of the Caribbean - CertifiedFoodies.com

Being a Filipino, I’m accustomed to having rice and meat combinations in most of my meals, so a dinner of merely “fish and chips” may deem unsatisfying to my appetite. Relatively, Fish & Co. recognized the need to introduce more meat dishes in their menu as a strategy to reel in more rice-and-meat-loving Pinoys.

Early this year, they launched the Fish and Ribs as a means of testing the waters to see how their meat dishes will fare in the market. The dish was well-accepted by their guests, thus resulting now to the creation of the Plates of the Caribbean, which promised to incorporate more fish, seafood, chicken, pork, beef, and vegetables into Fish & Co’s menu.

The Plates of the Caribbean presents 5 new surf and turf dishes named after five island destinations in the Caribbean. They are the islands of Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Montserrat, and Saint Lucia. And to complement these five sumptuous fare, three new refreshing beverages were also added – the Juice Almighty, the Cool Cucumber Breeze, and the Veggie-Fruit Blast.

Fish & Co's Plates of the Caribbean - CertifiedFoodies.com

From Top Left: Saint Lucia, Montserrat, Dominica, Barbados,Bahamas, Juice Almighty, Cool Cucumber Breeze, and Veggie-Fruit Blast.

 

For Sharing or for the Lone Pirate?

The Plates of the Caribbean are available in Regular and Just For Me portions. Regular is enough to feed 2-3 hungry pirates, while the Just For Me portion is for those pirates dining alone, or for those who prefer smaller servings of the dishes.

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Free McCafe Premium Roast Coffee at McDonald’s – August 8-12 Only!

For all my fellow coffee lovers out there, you can now enjoy a good cup of McCafe Premium Roast Coffee for FREE at any McDonald’s breakfast store nationwide. All you need to do is present your “FREE COFFEE” coupon from 4:00am up to 10:30am starting August 8th until the 12th.

Free McCafe Premium Roast Coffee only at McDonald's - CertifiedFoodies.com

This is definitely good news for those who need their dose of caffeine in the morning and can’t find a cafe that’s open really early in the morning. There are McDonald’s stores nationwide that are open 24/7 that you can visit from August 8-12 to experience the goodness of 100% Arabica coffee from McCafe.

The McCafe Premium Roast Coffee is made from 100% pure Arabica beans, which they claim are hand-picked from the best coffee-producing regions globally. It’s roasted and blended perfectly to give you that classic aroma and great brewed coffee flavor. You can add this to your breakfast meal or solo for only Php 25.00.

Wondering how you’d get your hands on a coupon? Well, they started giving away free coupons in offices, transportation terminals, colleges, universities and McDonald’s stores yesterday. For the complete mechanics or to find out where they’re handing out these coupons, check McDonald’s on Facebook.

GSM Blueniversity and Flair Idol 2011

A few weeks ago, we were invited to attend a GSM Blueniversity Mixology Seminar exclusively for bloggers. Being social drinkers, it was truly something we were looking forward to. We enjoy mixing our own cocktails and punches at home when we host parties for friends or relatives. And GSM Blue has been a big part of why our mixes were well liked during those occasions.

GSM Blue's Blueniversity aims to educate, not intoxicate - CertifiedFoodies.com

GSM Blue has this very smooth flavor which makes it perfect for blending your own cocktails. You can keep it light or strong, however you and your friends prefer it. The subtle sweetness masks the alcoholic smell and taste that most light drinkers hate. Plus, based on our experience, you won’t suffer from nasty hangovers when you use it for your own alcoholic concoctions. Truly, it’s “Masarap makihalo” with GSM Blue. 🙂

GSM Blueniversity, just to give you a brief background, is a program where you can learn how to mix drinks and flair-tend in a leisurely and fun-filled environment. You’ll be trained by no less than flair-tending experts and professionals themselves. Most of your “classmates” here are HRM students, future bartenders, and bartenders-at-heart. You won’t just be trained how to mix cocktails and bartend, but also they’ll help you develop the confidence you’d need to be an awesome flair-tender in the future. 🙂

Our GSM Blueniversity Dean that night, Jayce Perlas - CertifiedFoodies.com

Going back to the Mixology Seminar, we were entertained and educated by our GSM Blueniversity Dean for the night, Jayce Perlas, and well-known flair-tenders Derick de Borja and Erwyn Unigo.

Derick de Borja tells us more about GSM Blue's Flair Idol - CertifiedFoodies.com

Derick explained to us that GSM Blueniversity aims “to educate, not intoxicate”, which we completely support. He continued on telling us more about the different products of Ginebra San Miguel such as their gin products, Antonov Vodka, Don Enrique Mixkila, St. George Premium Whisky, Tondena Manila Rum, and Mixx. We’ve only tried, so far, the MIxkila, Vodka and MIxx.

Some of Ginebra San Miguel's alcoholic products - CertifiedFoodies.com

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Starbucks Mocha Frap Please!

I love enjoying a cup or two of coffee any time of the day. When I’m at home, I usually end up with instant coffee mixes and I prefer a hot cup of coffee. But, whenever I’m out with friends, Starbucks is my favorite coffee place. I love, love, love their Mocha Frappuccino.

My favorite Starbucks Frap - Mocha! - CertifiedFoodies.comMy Mocha Frap at Starbucks Gateway Mall, Cubao

I love the bittersweet taste of mocha, mixed with coffee and milk. I honestly haven’t tried their Dark Mocha Frappuccino yet, but I know I gotta try it real soon! It’s just that I keep on forgetting whenever I’m at Starbucks (I think I’ve been to Starbucks once or twice weekly for the past month). I think my mind’s programmed to always order their Mocha Frap. That’s how much I love it! 😀

I’ve tried and loved their Java Chip Frappuccino, too. The mocha flavors mixed in with chocolate chips, topped with mocha drizzle – just heaven! I don’t order this as often as the plain mocha Frap though ‘cause I usually prefer to drink my coffee straight up, without any chips mixed into it.

Everyone in my family are coffee lovers. Well, Ken used to be. But, after drinking too much coffee when he was studying for the Nursing Licensure board exams (which he passed with flying colors, by the way :)), he can no longer enjoy coffee as much as before.

So, he goes for Starbucks non-caffeinated drinks like their Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino.

Starbucks Strawberries and Cream and Mocha Frappuccino - CertifiedFoodies.comStrawberries & Cream and Mocha Frappuccinos at Magallanes

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The Stock Market at Bonifacio High Street

Last week, Ken and I were invited to an intimate dinner with fellow bloggers at The Stock Market Cafe in Bonifacio High Street to introduce us to their new menu.

The Stock Market Cafe at B3 Bonifacio High Street in Global City Taguig - CertifiedFoodies.com

We were told to come in our 1930s clothes. Ken dressed up all in black, with a buttoned up polo and hat. Hannah of FlairCandy was also there and she wore a Chicago-inspired dress. She looked more like Cleopatra and was really pretty. Here’s the 3 of us right before dinner:

Us with Hannah of FlairCandy.com - CertifiedFoodies.comI know, I only wore that printed blouse. I don’t have any skirts or dresses in my wardrobe. 😀

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Cheers to Tanduay Ice!

The rainy season’s almost here. And years ago, I’d usually enjoy the cold, wet weather by inviting friends over for a movie marathon party or just to sing videoke and drink.

I admit, I’m a li’l on the heavy social drinker side, especially back when I was younger. My usual drinking buddies are mostly my male friends so just imagine how drinking with them increased my tolerance to alcohol.

No, I’m not an alcoholic. I only drink socially, or when I really, really need to sleep so I can wake up early the next day (I’m an insomniac :|). Recently, though, I’ve discovered this light alcoholic drink that’s just perfect for those parties or drinking sessions with friends and you don’t want any of you to get really, really drunk – Tanduay Ice.

Tanduay Ice AlcoMix - Perfect for light to medium drinking sessions with friends - CertifiedFoodies.comThe label says “Triple Distilled Spirit with Natural Citrus Flavours”.

 

With just 5% Alcohol, you’d barely taste the strength of this booze. Okay, that’s my point of view. I used to drink beer with friends, or mix our own cocktails (we’ll share our Mindoro Sling recipe next time). Now, if possible, I’d prefer drinking Tanduay Ice.

When it’s ice-cold, it’s so good that it’d feel like you’re just drinking a citrusy soda. But, be careful ‘cause even with just 5% alcohol, it’s still a very decent booze.

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Craving for A&W Sparkling Vanilla Cream Soda

One of my top indulgences when it comes to food or beverages is A&W’s Root Beer. I actually wrote about it last year and it was awesome to find out that there are many others who miss their root beer, too.

A&W Rootbeer - my favorite! - CertifiedFoodies.com

A&W stores here in the Philippines closed back in 2004. I was one of those who were disappointed by that news ‘cause I super love their root beer floats. That’s why everytime I see cans of A&W root beer when I go grocery-shopping, I can’t help but grab 2-4 cans of it. That’s how much I love root beer.

In my previous post about A&W root beer, someone in the comments section mentioned A&W’s Root Beer Cream Soda.

veeraf: guys, do you know where I can find A&W root beer cream soda? yung vanilla? 😀

I haven’t tried it and wasn’t familiar with it yet, hence I only got to reply to the comment now. Sorry. 😀

Anyway, while we were grocery-shopping at SM Hypermarket in North Edsa, I found it!

A&W's Sparkling Vanilla Cream Soda - CertifiedFoodies.com

I’m a li’l skeptical if I’d enjoy it so I only got 2 cans just so I can have a taste. How was it? Imagine enjoying a mug of A&W’s Root Beer float, with the vanilla ice cream already completely mixed with the root beer. It’s a bit sweet for my taste, but I super enjoyed it when it was really ice-cold. Great for those days when you just want to sit back and enjoy a movie with popcorn or homemade burgers. Wew. 😀

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Emohruo Beach Restobar in Saud Beach, Pagudpud

One of our main destinations during our 5-day North Luzon getaway last week was the beautiful and relaxing beaches of Pagudpud in Ilocos. I’ve been wanting to go there for years now, especially after I saw photos of my brother Ken with his friends during their Pagudpud trip.

Evangeline Beach Resort's Emohruo Beach Restobar at Saud Beach in Pagudpud, Ilocos Sur - CertifiedFoodies.com

We stayed at the Saud Beach Resort hotel because there weren’t too many people staying there so we can enjoy the beach mostly all on our own. They’re one of the more expensive hotels in Pagudpud. Since we were only staying for a day, I thought screw my budget and let’s stay at the lovely Saud Beach Resort. We only paid Php 4,356 for a room good for 5, and I thought that’s already a good deal considering how lovely their resort is. Their resort seemed more relaxing than the other ones next to them.

Anyway, when we finally checked in, it was almost lunch time (they allowed us to check in earlier since there weren’t too many people staying at the resort). Ken said we should check out the other restaurants in the area. So, we immediately headed out to the other restos on the other side of Saud beach. It was a long walk so imagine how hungry we were when we finally arrived at the area where the restaurants in Saud beach were lined up.

Among all the menus we saw, my brother and I liked Emohruo Beach Restobar‘sof Evangeline Resort the best. And, the prices were also very affordable. All I can tell you now is the long walk was so worth it!

Emohruo is actually “Our Home” spelled backwards. Cool, eh? I love the whole vibe at their restobar. People dine al fresco and the rustic design of their area just complements the whole feel of dining near the beach.

Though the sun was really up and shining brightly, we didn’t feel uncomfortable because the wind was cool and fresh. Ahhhh… I so miss it! That’s why I so love the photos I took while we were at Emohruo. It reminds me of how relaxing the resort was.

Emohruo Beach Restobar has a wide range of dishes on their menu, mostly Asian dishes with their own twists. They all sounded really good that I wanted to order one of everything! 😀

Everyone with me – my mother, my bro, our aunt Zeny and Beth (my mom’s best friend) – were all supportive of our food blog so we all agreed to order different beverages. 😀

First up, my Banana Mocha Shake (Php 98.00), marked as one of the favorites on their menu. I love, love, love Mocha flavored anything, but I didn’t completely enjoy this one. I guess it’s because of the banana. But, it was still really good and Ken enjoyed it. I guess I was expecting the mocha flavor to be stronger than the banana.

My Banana Mocha Shake from Emohruo Beach Restobar - CertifiedFoodies.com

Continue reading Emohruo Beach Restobar in Saud Beach, Pagudpud