Category: Comfort Food

Gelatissimo Christmas of Chocolate Buy One Take One Promo : Until January 8th only!

Gelatissimo Christmas of ChocolateI know, it’s December and the cool breeze we get now even in the afternoon might not put you in the mood for anything iced or cold, but I just got to tell you a promo Gelatissimo is offering to anyone who’s subscribed to their newsletter – a free scoop of their featured gelato for every scoop you buy.

Currently, you can avail of their buy one, take one promo on their 16 chocolate gelato flavors with their Christmas of Chocolate promo. Take note that this is only available until January 8th!

These are the 16 chocolate flavors you can choose from: Veronese Chocolate, Chocolate Fondant, Chocolate Sorbet, Belgian Chocolate, White Chocolate, Chocolate Truffle, Black Forest, Milk Chocolate, Chocolate Almond, Chocolate Orange, Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Rum Cake, Chilli Chocolate and Sugar-free Chocolate.

You MUST present the voucher that they send out to their newsletter subscribers for you to avail of this. Simply go to the Gelatissimo website and click on the register link under “Join our Mailing List” on the right. If you’ve already subscribed and haven’t received the voucher yet, leave your email below and we’ll forward it to you. 😉

Continue reading Gelatissimo Christmas of Chocolate Buy One Take One Promo : Until January 8th only!

Unlimited Treats from Cravings Restaurant

Last October, Ken and I were invited to try out C2 Classic Cuisine Restaurant’s Signature Series featuring Pinoy Favorites like their own version of Kare-kare and Bangus Belly (our post about this is up next!). Since the closest to us was C2 in Cravings Katipunan, there we went.

Cravings Restaurant

As soon as we entered the restaurant, this display of cakes made us look forward to the end of our meal. Our invite from C2 didn’t include desserts, but we found out Cravings has an Unlimited Cakes and Coffee promo for only Php 150 per person. How can we pass that up?! 😀

How can you resist not availing of their unlimited cake promo

Their unlimited menu includes a wide selection of cakes, but you can only order their four featured cakes at the time you were dining in. When we were there though, we had five different cakes because we had to stay a bit longer as Ken prepared a list for our shopping for our birthday celebration.

Unlimited Coffee and Cakes from Cravings for only Php 150

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Dillingers 1903 Steak Brew RestoBar in Greenbelt 3

A few weeks ago, my nanay and I went out for our much-needed mother-daughter date. I had four vouchers bought from CashCashPinoy for 52% off on food and drinks from Dillingers 1903 Steak Brew restobar in Greenbelt 3. After hours of pampering from rO2 Beauty and Wellness Center, we were starving so we headed straight to the restaurant.

Dillingers 1903 Steak Brew in Greenbelt 3

Upon our arrival on the third floor of Greenbelt 3, we immediately saw Dillingers 1903. Okay, I asked a guard for the exact location. 😀 It was beside Red Box. And as soon as we got there, I couldn’t help but admire the design of the outside of the restaurant.

The wooden doors, the brick wall, the mix of hues of black, gold and gray, and the wide glass windows are reminiscent of something you’d see in a mafia movie. So, let’s go inside…

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Certified Foodies Ultimate Taste Test 7 Experience and Top Picks

Ultimate Taste Test 7 in Mercato CentraleNovember 17, 2011 – It was that time again for foodies to come together and discover new offerings from various home-based food suppliers at the Ultimate Taste Test 7.0. This time, the venue was in Mercato Centrale in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

The food showcase was scheduled for 3 hours only so we were hoping to be there on time. But, unfortunately, we arrived almost an hour late. Thankfully, we were able to have a taste of all except 3 out of all the purveyors who were there to present their products.

When we got there, a lot of fellow foodies were still coming in and there was a long queue outside the tent area in Mercato Centrale. We were glad to see that there were a lot of tables set up inside and outside the air-conditioned area where people can sit and relax while they enjoy the food.

Foodies were lined up and seated inside the tent area in Mercato Centrale

Since we needed to take photos of the food for our feature here, we had a hard time squeezing in. Of course, we didn’t want to cut the line as that’ll be unfair so we opted to stay in line. It was a long wait and it did test the patience of most people. But, hey, we were excited to taste all the food there ‘cause they were all new to us, except for one dessert purveyor – meaning they weren’t at the Ultimate Taste Test 6 in Rockwell or we haven’t had the chance to taste their products yet. So, we waited for our turn.

We thought UTT 6.0 was better though in the sense that there were more room for people to move around, going from one booth to another. We didn’t get to sit at the tables ‘til the very end when we were rating the food because we wanted to, as much as possible, go through all the 30+ booths.

Now, on to our top picks. We’re not unanimous with our favorites so we’re not going to rank them again, just like in our UTT 6 Top Picks. Here we go! 🙂

Note: Pardon the quality of the photos. We had to take quick shots ‘cause there was a long queue of people behind us. We didn’t want to irritate them. 😉

 

Sweet Favorites

 

MERRY MOO

(Food for the Gods and Queso de Bola with Fiesta Ham)

Merry Moo Food for the Gods and Queso de Bola with Fiesta HamBetween the two, we LOVED the Queso de Bola with Fiesta Ham. The bits of meat made this so delectable, mixing in with the sweet-salty flavors of the cheesy ice cream. We wanted to have seconds! Definitely, we’re coming back for this! 🙂

Merry Moo Ice Creamery
Email: merrymoo@ymail.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Merrymoo.icecream
Contact #: 0917-528-9590

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T.G.I. Friday’s in Eastwood City

Most of us look forward to Friday. It’s the end of a busy week and, at the same time, the start of a well-deserved weekend for all those who hustle and bustle at school or at work. It’s the ultimate day for relaxation and enjoyment. But, guess what, we don’t really need to wait for Friday just to have fun. With T.G.I. Friday’s infectious energy and with their excellent food and customer service, everyone would feel like it’s Friday every single day of the week!

T.G.I. Friday's Sign - CertifiedFoodies.com

After more than 15 years since setting up their first in 1994, T.G.I. Friday’s opens a new branch in Eastwood City, Libis. This is their 13th and now considered as their new flagship branch since it’s the location where the brand has decided to implement major changes in architectural and interior design. It is the first free-standing Friday’s branch. All of the other branches, as we all have known, are located in major shopping malls around the Metro.

T.G.I. Friday's Facade - CertifiedFoodies.com

From outside, the facade looks bright and very inviting. They have replaced the old canopies and awnings with movie theater-like sheds, giving the place a more modern feel. Almost everyone who comes to Friday’s has their own camera, and surely they wouldn’t be able to resist having their pictures taken with these life-size models of Superman; the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley; and the iconic, Marilyn Monroe.

T.G.I. Friday's Superman, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley - CertifiedFoodies.com

Friday’s is known for having an “artistic clutter” of memorabilia from decades as early as the ‘30s. Now they have decided to move forward in time by including pieces from later decades like the ‘80s, ‘90s, and even from the new millennium.

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KFC Zinger Double Down : A Hot Meaty Surprise

When I took my first bite on a KFC Double Down sandwich when it was launched months ago, I enjoyed its sinful meatiness. A lot of my friends and fellow KFC enthusiasts have also raved about it, and were demanding for the return of this sandwich. Now, imagine how excited we were when we found out they decided to bring it back with a hot new twist – KFC Zinger Double Down Sandwich.

KFC Zinger Double Down - up-close

Our family, especially Ken, enjoys spicy food. So we really, really wanted to give this a try. The KFC branch in Malabon no longer delivers to our area for some reason (why?!? 🙁 ) so we had to go to their store to order.

To prepare ourselves for this spicy experience, my nanay and I bought KFC Krushers too. She picked the Strawberry Lush yogurt Krusher, I got the Kookies n’ Cream. We ended up finishing them off before our orders were completed. It’s ‘cause of the weather! 😀

KFC Krushers Kookies n' Cream and Strawberry Lush

There are more new Krushers flavors now and I want to try the rest next time we go to KFC. I’ll order the Mocha Krunch, Rockin’ Road or their Christmas Krushers Winter Berry and Dulce de Leche. The classic Krushers are priced at Php 65; yoghurt ones are at Php 75, while the minis are at Php 45.

I really hope they include us again in their delivery areas. 🙁 Sorry, can’t get over the fact that just a month ago, they still deliver and now, they can’t anymore. 😀

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Our Top Picks in the Ultimate Taste Test 6.0 in Rockwell

We know, this is an uber late post. But, we still think it’s worth posting about our top picks for UTT 6. It’s better late than never, I guess. Stay tuned for our faves the last UTT 7 at Mercato. 🙂

We first told you about our experience at the Ultimate Taste Test in Rockwell. Now, let us share with you all the yummy food we had that day.

Our ticket to Rockwell's Ultimate Taste Test - CertifiedFoodies.com

It took us a couple of days to finalize our top picks for the Ultimate Taste Test because we couldn’t agree on all of our choices. That’s what you get when you have 2 people (and siblings) with different tolerance to flavor intensities and with varying preferences. 😀 So, we agreed to not rank anything and just feature the ones we absolutely loved and those that were worth mentioning. 🙂

But, before we continue, please take note that we only got to taste what 38 out of 55 food suppliers have to offer.

Without further ado, in no particular order, here are our Top Picks for the Ultimate Taste Test 6.0 in Rockwell, starting with the sweet stuff…

 

 

Sweet Delights

 

Carmen’s Best and Holly’s Milk

Paco Magsaysay, the owner of Carmen’s Best Ice Cream and Holly’s Milk, was the very first food supplier who approached us. Even before we got to taste his products, we were totally convinced!

Paco Magsaysay of Carmen's Best and Holly's Milk - CertifiedFoodies.com

We first got to try the Salted Caramel and Coffee flavored ice cream (sorry, we didn’t get to take a photo of the actual product :D). And let us tell yah it was the creamiest ice cream we’ve ever had! We both nodded at each other in total agreement. 😀

Paco proudly continued on to tell us that their ice cream and milk are all fresh, even using this very catchy tagline “From Cow to Cone”. And you can truly taste the freshness from the milk and the ice cream. The flavors and creaminess of the spoonfuls of frozen delights served to us lingered in our mouths. 🙂

They don’t have this available in supermarkets yet so if you want to have a taste of their products, contact them to order:

Carmen’s Best
Contact info: 809-2042 or cb_icecream@yahoo.com
Carmen’s Best on Facebook

 

Holly’s Milk
Contact info: 813-1385 / Website: http://www.hollysmilk.com/ Holly’s Milk on Facebook

Update: They were the #1 pick by the UTT 6.0 foodies! 🙂 Congrats!

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Enjoy these Holiday Indulgence from Starbucks this Christmas

Last week, we were at SM Sky Garden to try something from the list of Starbucks Philippines new food items this Christmas 2011. We ordered a slice of their Triple Decker Cheesecake with Snickers (Php 130 / slice, Php 1,250 whole) because the name just sounds so delectable.

Starbucks Triple Decker Cheesecake with Snickers

It’s a 3-layer cheesecake with a chocolate cookie crust, caramel, chocolate fudge icing and chunks of Snickers candy bar mixed in, topped with roasted chopped peanuts. Being a Snickers chocolate lover, I enjoyed every bit of this. The mixed textures in my mouth lingered ‘til we got home. 😀

We also ordered two (2) of their delightful seasonal drinks – the new Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha for me and Peppermint Mocha for Ken.

Starbucks Peppermint Mocha and Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha

The Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha is a combination of, as the name implies, white chocolate, freshly steamed milk, and topped with a generous serving of whipped cream, a tart cranberry drizzle and crystallized cranberry sugar. I enjoyed sipping it as it’s not too sweet even with all the extra sugar added. Or maybe I just have a sweet tooth, I don’t know. Try it and let me know. 🙂

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Something Interesting and Sweet about Chocolates

I never met a chocolate I didn’t like.

– Deanna Troi, Star Trek: The Next Generation

Who doesn’t love chocolates? I mean, seriously, we see anything with the word CHOCOLATE and we start drooling. Come on admit it! 😀

Do you remember those days when a chocnut is just what you need to cheer you up? Nowadays, however, we are bombarded with a variety of chocolates. How, then, do you know you’re getting the good stuff?

First off, we need to know that there are two general classification of chocolates, couverture and compound.

Compound Chocolate Chips(Image credit)

Compound Chocolates

 

Let’s start with compound chocolates. These chocolates are the supermarket variety – cheap and mass-produced. These products may or may not contain cocoa butter. Those that do not have cocoa butter are made with shortening and/or substitute fats.

The percentage that you see on the bar of chocolate indicates the percentage of cocoa solids, meaning the amount of cocoa mass and cocoa butter.

 

Couverture Chococlates

Now this is the real deal. Couverture chocolates must have a minimum of 32% cocoa butter in order to be considered as such. Some brands use only cocoa butter while others mix in a bit of shortening for stability. Some of the well-known brand of chocolates we normally find in the grocery have a bit of shortening mixed into it to increase their tolerance for warmer temperatures. Ideal storage for pure chocolates is 20ºC.

Couverture chocolate bars

Chocolates, much like wine, have different subtle flavor notes. These flavors notes are best savored when the chocolates are at room temperature.

Different chocolate makers use different blends of beans to create their own flavor profile.

The 3 main kinds of cacao trees are

  1. Criollo
  2. Forastero
  3. Trinitario

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Farmer John Premium Potato Chips : A Flavorful Discovery

A few weeks ago, we were part of the first ever Blogapalooza, a project conceptualized by Vince Golangco of When in Manila and his friend Francis. Their goal was to provide a venue for businesses to connect with bloggers directly. At the event, each of the 50 brands was given their own time to pitch their products or services and gave us free samples and ways to try what they have to offer in the hopes of piquing our interest to write about them. One of the brands featured was Farmer John’s Premium Potato Chips. And after I got a taste at home, I just had to blog about them.

Farmer John's Premium Potato Chips

Farmer John Premium Potato Chips are products of Leslie’s Corporation, a well-known snacks company here in the Philippines. We actually featured one of their offerings before, Wild Willy’s Chicharrones, which we also loved. So, we had high expectations of this new product from them, especially after hearing their claims that these chips are made of farm-fresh (imported) Atlantic potatoes.

They are prepared right after they’re harvested to ensure freshness. They even have a Guarantee of Freshness seal at the back of the package saying that if you’re not satisfied with the freshness of the contents, they’ll replace them for free.

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