Comfort Food Archives - Page 11 of 18

Haagen-Dazs Up to 50% OFF Sale + Must-Try Local Ice Cream

Last week of June, we wrote about Haagen-Dazs closing all their Philippines stores. To cap off their stay here, they are holding a massive “clearance” sale. You can now buy Haagen-Dazs ice cream for UP TO 50% OFF (note that not all products are sold at half off)!

Here are the participating stores and supermarkets nationwide (Metro Manila, Baguio, Pampanga, Tarlac, Pangasinan, Cebu, Bacolod, Davao, CDO, Gensan, etc) that are selling Haagen-Dazs ice cream at half off (click image to view a larger version):

The promo will end on September 15, 2012, so you still have 2 months to grab all the Haagen-Dazs ice cream you can get before they finally say goodbye to the PH. We’re planning on checking the Haagen-Dazs products and their sale prices at S&R and Landmark Trinoma to see if they’re worth the fuzz. If you can give us feedback, let us know at the comments section.

NOTE: This promo was posted on Haagen-Dazs Philippines’ official Facebook page.

Like what we’ve said before, we’re not completely saddened by this news about Haagen-Dazs stopping their sales here since there are a ton of other selections available to us Pinoys that are much cheaper and even uniquely ours. We’ve got artisan ice cream makers who produce high quality frozen products at various numbingly delightful flavors, so don’t fret. 🙂

Last time, we told you about the other ice cream brands you can continue to enjoy like Magnum and other Selecta products, Magnolia, Nestle, and even Arcee Dairy (wait for our upcoming ice cream series!). Now, let’s share with you our favorite artisan ice cream makers:

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About Guilty Pleasures

Guilty pleasures – these can be food, activities or anything that gives you so much pleasure that you don’t mind the guilt you feel right after. Guilty pleasures are usually kept secret from others probably because you want to maintain a certain image, you simply don’t want anyone judging you for giving in to temptations or it’s just plain embarrassing to admit.

Though we enjoy discovering new restaurants or cooking up unique dishes, we have a list of food and drinks that we can’t simply get enough of. We always come back to them because nothing else can give us the same level of satisfaction. They’re our comfort food, so no matter what others may say about how unhealthy they can be, we felt that it’s about time we share with you our own guilty pleasures to hopefully entice you into admitting what you always crave for. 😉

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MHEL: I was one of the many people who were saddened upon learning that A&W stores stopped their operations here in the Philippines years ago. Imagine my joy when I found out that leading grocery stores still sell A&W rootbeer in cans. I blogged about that here. And every so often, I bring home at least 2 cans of A&W rootbeer to enjoy at home (I actually have a can currently chilling in our refrigerator). The intense rootbeer flavors and its frothiness can never be surpassed by any other rootbeer brands, and I know a lot of you would agree with me. 🙂

KEN: What’s not to love aboutÂ Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups? Reese’s combines the two best things in the world – chocolate and peanut butter! I have tried countless times to make my own version at home, but nothing really beats the original. These peanut butter cups, covered in their bright orange wrappers, are, hands down, the best candy in the world!

MHEL: I LOVE cheesecakes, but since I had a taste of Ken’s version of Blueberry Cheesecake (New York style), I can’t get enough of it. I think we’ve had it numerous times over the past year. He doesn’t complain though ’cause I’m always the one buying the ingredients. 😀 Plus, he’s addicted to cheesecakes too. It’s the best Blueberry Cheesecake I’ve ever tasted, and I share this opinion with a lot of fellow foodies. 🙂

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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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Our New Yummy Favorites from Jollibee

Jollibee has been a part of our lives since we were really young kids. I know we’re not alone in this. Throughout the years, their menu has evolved and almost every year, we get to taste their new offerings that have proven to tickle the Pinoy’s fancy, young and adult alike. We love their Chickenjoy,Â Jolly Hotdog and spaghetti, but let us share with you the most recent additions to our Jollibee favorites:

The Jollibee Hash Brown Burger is the ultimate comfort food. Potatoes and the tasty beef patty Jollibee is known for – it’s like a complete meal rolled into one. 🙂

The Jolly Crispy Fries that come in Cheese and Sour Cream flavors. Ken prefers the latter, while I like the salty-sweetness of the cheesy fries.

Jollibee Chicken and Mushroom Pasta – I swear, when I found out about this new pasta offering from them, I couldn’t wait to try it. My nanay and I share a common liking for it. 🙂

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J.CO Donuts : Now in SM Mall of Asia

Oh, you know how much we love J.CO Donuts. We’ve blogged about them here before the opening of J.CO’s first branch in the Philippines. We also featured their J.Pop bite-sized donuts, which we absolutely adore. They’re definitely one of our top favorites from the past year. 🙂

Their first branch is in SM Megamall at The Strip. ~~This Thursday, May 24th,~~Â (update!) On May 28th, Monday next week,Â J.CO Donuts & Coffee is opening their SECOND branch in SM Mall of Asia! We know that’s definitely good news for all you foodies who are from the South or Manila area. 🙂

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Malabon Kulinarya Festival 2012

Before I tell you what happened at the launch of the first ever Malabon Kulinarya Festival last Tuesday, we’d like to invite you first to the bazaar happening until tomorrow, May 18th, 8am to 5pm, at the parking lot of Malabon City Hall. It’s a 3-day event, but I only got to post today, so you only have until tomorrow to come to the bazaar. There’ll be 30 food and non-food establishments participating. So, if you like anything you see in this feature, you might want to visit the Food Bazaar and Tiangge.

On May 21st, which is the official Malabon Day celebration, there’ll be a cooking competition among senior citizens and cooking enthusiasts aged 18-35 years old at the Malabon Amphitheater. Pinoy Junior Master Chef finalist Miko Manzano will be there for a cooking demonstration too. His family originates from Malabon, which is most likely one of the reasons why he has such passion in cooking at a very young age of 12. Miko was also present at the launch of Malabon Kulinarya Festival 2012, which was held at Dampa sa Paseo restaurant.

The launch of Malabon Kulinarya Festival was aimed at showcasing the diversity of Malabon cuisine and our rich culinary tradition. We’re originally from Navotas and we moved to Malabon 6 years ago, but we can honestly say that the flavors that Malabon has to offer have played a big part in our love and passion for food. And we do hope that this project by the city government, headed by Acting City Mayor Lenlen Oreta and the Malabon Tourism Council, would indeed boost the tourism and economic activities here in Malabon.

The launch of the festival was graced by none other than Annie Pascual-Guerrero, the founder of Center for Culinary Arts, Manila. I was surprised to learn that she is from Malabon, and she couldn’t be any prouder. She told us stories about how growing up here in Malabon and being influenced by her mother developed her deep passion for cooking.

At the event, Ms. Annie Guerrero shared her recipes for Sumpia with Garlic Vinegar Dip and Adobong Pusit Malabon Style (we’ll share these recipes on our next post). She was assisted by Chef Mira Cruz (she’s also from Malabon) and Chef Melissa Sison (not in the photo) from CCA. They gave really helpful tips on cooking, which I know the audience appreciated.

I didn’t get to taste these dishes, but our nanay also prepares them at home and they have almost the same recipes, so I know they are delicious. My fellow bloggers who were there could attest to that. 🙂

If you ask me about the food in Malabon, I would tell you that we serve ultimate Pinoy comfort food. You might be all familiar with Pancit Malabon, Dolor’s Sapin-Sapin, and Arny-Dading’s Peachy-peachy (they have products at the event too, but I wasn’t able to take photos), but there are so much more food that we have to offer. Let me share some of them that were showcased at the launch of Malabon Kulinarya Festival 2012.

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Magnum Ice Cream and the Thin Line Between Love and Hate

We may not be the pickiest eaters in the world, but we are somehow slightly cynical when it comes to trying out something we think has been done before. We are more adventurous now though and we’d try anything once. If something’s overpriced and it didn’t wow us, there’s no way we’re coming back to try it the second time. With all that said, we don’t easily fall for products that get all hyped online or even through traditional media. We’ve been seeing and hearing a ton of raves about this Magnum Ice Cream that when Ken and I were at the grocery last week, we finally decided to try it. The verdict? Read on.

We really thought it’s one of those overhyped or overrated ice cream products, but we were pleasantly surprised when we took our first bite of this new frozen delight. We agree with someone who said it’s the poor man’s Haagen Dazs. 😀

For Php 50 (at SM Hypermarket), you get a generous filling of creamy and rich vanilla ice cream, lovingly coated with lusciously good Belgian chocolate. Two of our favorites combined!

There are currently three (3) variants – Classic (bittersweet), with Almonds, and Chocolate Truffle. We have yet to try the last one, but Ken and I already have our favorites – mine’s the classic, Ken loved the almonds because of the combination of nuts and milk chocolate. I also heard there were other flavors available in other countries like Mochaccino, Dark, White and Mint. Those, I gotta try! 😉 And I’m sure Ken will drag me to S&R in a few days since it’s the only place where we heard the Double Caramel flavor is available. 😉

By the way, Ken saw a photo circulating saying this is the social climber’s ice cream. Seriously? For Php 50-60, you call that social climbing? 😀 Just like what Ken said, if he’s to “social climb”, he’s going to buy one of those Haagen Dazs stick bars, keep the wrapper and iwawagayway nya pa while inside the jeep or while strolling at the mall. 😀

We buy ice cream here at least once a week because of the humidity these past 2 months. We get much more flavor, satisfaction and goodness from this ice cream than the regular ones being sold at Php 21-45 here at our area in Malabon. So, no, we don’t think this is overpriced.

I honestly don’t understand why a lot of people are hating on this, saying it’s overpriced Pinipig Crunch, or it tastes “normal”. For us, no, it’s not your regular ice cream stick. Well, if you’re used to eating Cadbury or Belgian chocolate, and creamy vanilla ice cream at least 3 times a week, it may be normal to you.Â 😀 Just saying. 😉

For us regular peeps, Magnum Ice Cream is a very affordable high quality ice cream and we won’t mind paying Php 50 for it. Magnum is more of a luxury indulgence for people on a budget. 🙂

The amount of haters this product now has could be a result of all the hype it received online that started a few weeks ago. And you know what happens when something gets that much buzz online – it produces a wave of positive and negative reactions from everyone. I’m not to argue that many participated just to be “in” (and those who blatantly say they hate it are also part of this, if you ask me 😉 ). Curiosity got the best of us when we finally gave in and bought it at the grocery, and I believe that majority of those who did try the product was bit by the bug.

I hear a lot of people saying it’s not worth all the raves it’s been getting. If it was advertised or promoted the regular way, I think people’s reactions will be completely different. But, kudos to their marketing strategy because it did keep everyone intrigued. Admit it or not, all that somehow persuaded you into finally tasting it (or if you haven’t, how you badly want to see for yourself what the buzz is all about). 😉 Some even blogged about it just to say how much they hate this new ice cream and that they’re never buying it again. To that we say to each his own. 🙂

Again, it was all a very effective marketing strategy. You may hate all the buzz this ice cream is getting, but if you were vocal about it, again, you played a part in promoting this product. 😉 I say GET OVER IT. It’s a yummy ice cream, PERIOD.

By the way, I’m not a big fan of the name “Magnum”. Nonetheless, it’s one of our favorite ice cream products now. It’s so accessible and a great addition to our usual comfort food. It might not be the best ice cream out there, but for its price, we think it’s way above average. Yet, we still have to try those Korean ice cream someone suggested (Melona, etc). 🙂

Oh, and lastly, Magnum ice cream was originally a brand from Denmark. It’s now distributed by one of the top ice cream brands in the country, Selecta in partnership with Unilever and RFM. We wonder how long this hype will last or if they can maintain it.

When we posted a photo of Magnum Ice Cream on Facebook, we got a lot of mixed reactions and a couple of recommendations too. We’re now on the lookout for more high quality ice cream. Keep posted for more cold delights features here that’s just so timely. You can use the comments section to suggest your favorites. 🙂

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose since this isn’t sponsored. We just love it. 🙂

McDonald’s Eat All You Can Promo is TRUE!

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you check the date on the coupon below and when this post was published, you’ll see this is from 2012, not 2014. Thanks.

Earlier today, I saw someone tweeting about McDonald’s eat-all-you-can promo. My first thought was, “Are they crazy?!”. We’re also fans of McDonald’s and so just the thought of an unlimited offering of items on their menu drove me wild. Is it true?

Brian (The Philippines and Beyond), the guy who tweeted about it, shared with me the above photo that’s been spreading like wildfire. Upon further research, I learned it was posted on 9gag. Knowing the site, you’d think twice about believing anything posted there.

So, I posted the photo on our Facebook page and on my wall. I got a ton of responses (’cause I said walang KJ 😀 ) when I asked what item off McDo’s menu they’d want to get unlimited of, and we thought it was all a gag.

The sign clearly shows it’s McDonald’s branch in Baguio, along Session Road. Fortunately, someone from Baguio (shoutout to Clar!) replied to the thread saying it’s true, that she even has tickets to the buffet / eat-all-you-can happening on March 26, 2012. I requested for a photo and here it is:

Credits to Baguio Food Adventures – Thank you Clar! 🙂

Not sure if they’re still selling tickets or they’re sold out. If you have any idea, let me know so we can update this.

Update:Â From Marianne Cristine: Not all the items on their menu are part of the promo.Â Since they’re only selling limited tickets, I think this is okay. If you’ll be there, we’d appreciate it if you’d share photos so we can post it here, with credits to you, of course. 🙂

Let’s set aside the health concerns and what-nots for now. No mentioning of having to request for a free quote for health reasons. Basta! ALL FOR FUN. I know a lot of you who aren’t from Baguio are also jealous that they have this promo there.

So, again, let me ask you a question: Which item off McDonald’s menu would you eat if you happen to get your hands on one of the eat-all-you-can buffet tickets?

I know Ken and I will have the same answers: fries and caramel sundae! 😀

You’re Invited: Taste the Goodness of Jollibee MILO Sundae Mix-Ins this Saturday at Mercato Centrale

We recently featured the Jollibee Sundae Mix-Ins MILO Blast. We know a lot of you got excited to try this because of the yummy combination of their soft-serve, Milo powder and Milo breakfast cereal. My friends who have kids already were especially delighted about this news. Milo has been one of our favorite drinks when we were growing up so we are well aware of this energy drink’s health benefits. So, pairing it with Jollibee’s soft-serve sundae just makes it double the fun, double the goodness! 🙂

If you haven’t tasted this yet, here’s your chance to try it for FREE! This Saturday, Ken and I will be at Mercato Centrale where Jollibee will have a free sampling of this new dessert.

Come with your kids or friends, especially those active young to teen ones, and you might get a chance to win special prizes from Jollibee when you’re seen and photographed by us and other foodie bloggers who’ll be there. If your photo enjoying the Jollibee Sundae Mix-Ins MILO Blast is chosen as the winner, you will get gift certificates and possibly other surprise prizes.

Here are the details of the sampling event:

When: March 17, 2012 – Saturday – We’ll be there by 9am, but Jollibee’s sampling starts at 7am and ends at 2pm.

Where: Mercato Centrale at Bonifacio Global City

We hope to see you on Saturday! Watch out for me and Ken. 😀 Now, here’s a yummy teaser….