Category: Food Business

OZEN Japanese Food Haven in Malabon Serves the Best Takoyaki We’ve Ever Had!

There’s this small Japanese hole-in-the-wall food stop near our house that we usually see jam-packed with customers at night. We really had no plans at all of trying the place, since we’ve had authentic Japanese fare from topnotch restaurants and hotels in Manila (Yabang naman! 😀 ) and we’re quite sure that the place will be nothing less than a disappointment. But it was until we met a fellow foodie who raved about how awesome their Takoyaki was that we finally decided to pay OZEN Japanese Food in Malabon a visit.

OZEN Japanese Food - hole-in-the-wall food haven in Malabon City

Our first try was a total disaster, service-wise. They had 3 groups of families that were dining in, so we had to wait over an hour to finally get our food. We ordered three sets of Takoyaki — two to-go and one for dining in because we wanted to take a quality photo of their Takoyaki for the blog. I didn’t get my hopes up, since my first encounter with a mall-bought Takoyaki was totally unremarkable.

You can order your Takoyaki for takeout too

I picked up a piece and took a small bite. My eyes widened in amazement, and from then I knew that it’s the best Takoyaki I’ve ever had my whole life! Well, I exaggerated a bit there. 😀 It took us a couple of balls to finally establish how delicious their Takoyaki was. It was so good that we came back the next day – in the afternoon this time – so we didn’t have to battle a crowd of patrons to get our food.

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Have a Merry Cremas with Alaska Crema!

All year round, especially during the cold months of December and January, we find ourselves longing for some good ol’ comfort food. But not just any kind of comfort food, we crave for something rich, hearty, delectable and, most of the time, creamy. That’s why, they say, calories don’t count during the holidays. 😉

Merry Cremas Food Bazaar at Eastwood by Alaska Crema

We were invited as judges at the Merry Cremas Food Bazaar in Eastwood last month. Good thing it was a Sunday so Ken and I were able to go together.

We know, from personal experience, that there’s a wide range of dishes you can prepare using Alaska Crema all-purpose cream. We knew there’ll be a ton of desserts and pastries there, but we were really hoping to see more savory dishes. There were only a few who did. Thankfully, they were all quite successful with their dishes too along with the food purveyors who served desserts.

Red Velvet brownies

With that said, let’s begin with our top favorites from the Merry Cremas Food Bazaar in Eastwood. These might help you with recipe ideas for your celebrations or any holiday, especially for Noche Buena and Media Noche.

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The Maya Kitchen Baking Class with The Burp Society

After our dinner at Van Gogh is Bipolar, we thought it’ll be fun to organize a different kind of activity for the next The Burp Society meet-up. Thankfully, The Maya Kitchen gladly helped us organize a baking class for our group, which turned out to be a completely fun and learning experience for all of us.

The Burp Society and Ms Rory at The Maya Kitchen

Ken’s an excellent pastry chef, which has inspired me to want to learn how to bake. So, I thought it’ll be a great idea to hold a baking class exclusively for The Burp Society. And, almost immediately, I thought about The Maya Kitchen Culinary Arts Center.

Maya Kitchen display of products

I’m sure you’re all familiar with Maya, the brand well-known and trusted for decades by us Filipinos because of the quality of their products. You’ve probably prepared pancakes, brownies, cakes, cookies or even champorado at home with ease because of Maya’s mixes. But, did you know they have been helping out entrepreneurs and home bakers and cooks for years now through the classes they hold at The Maya Kitchen? You can learn more about this through their website: www.themayakitchen.com.

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Get Your Cookie Butter Fix from Joe and Cherry

2013 is the year when a ton of tasty goodies from abroad, specifically the US, made it to the Philippines and became more accessible to us foodies here. Thanks to the number of online sellers who made it all possible. The thing is, there are just too many of them out there that first time buyers often think twice about who they should order from. Well, we’re here to help – our cookie butter fix will now be coming from Joe & Cherry. 🙂

Cookie Butter addiction

Joe & Cherry is a partnership between two sisters – one who’s living in the US and another living here in Manila. They started their business just this March when they saw the opportunity to bring the most sought-after food products from the US to us here in the PH. They wanted to keep the prices as affordable as they can so more Pinoys can get a taste of some of the yummiest treats that are sadly not readily available here. And this all happened through their Facebook page.

Joe and Cherry's online store on Facebook

If you’re wondering who Joe is, I was told they got it from Trader Joe’s. 😛

Since I badly needed to find out why there’s such a high demand for Biscoff and Speculoos cookie butter spreads, back in April, I went online to check the sellers who offer them. I browsed fellow foodies’ social media posts and blogs, including their online reviews of various online sellers here, and most of my close blogger friends were buying from Joe & Cherry.

When I checked their prices and compared with other sellers’, I was immediately convinced I should buy from them. So, before my first bottles of Biscoff cookie butter (bought from somewhere else) were depleted, I sent my order form and, just to make sure, I also sent them a message. The transaction was pretty smooth, though I had to patiently wait, just like the rest of their foodie customers.

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Moonleaf Tea Shop and Sweet Studio

Who would’ve thought that Filipinos, young and old, would become as addicted to tea as we are now? Credits to the introduction of milk teas to our Pinoy tastebuds, we started to appreciate the wondrous flavors of various teas. We were no longer limited to tea bags as we began to venture out to other tea variants and blends. And if you’re a fan of milk teas, I’m sure you’ve heard about Moonleaf Tea Shop.

Moonleaf Tea Shop Milk Teas - hot and cold

I have to admit, I’ve been loyal to one milk tea shop for the longest time. Ken and I have tried other milk tea shops and we see ourselves returning to that familiar place all the time. So it was definitely about time I found Moonleaf.

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Go Bananas over Sugar Stop’s Minion Cupcakes!

The sold-out stock of collectible toy versions of these cuties, the nonstop posts from people who can’t seem to get enough of them and the thousands who lined up on the first week of Despicable Me 2‘s screening are clear indications of the minion mania here in the Philippines. Adults and kids alike LOVE them and couldn’t resist their cuteness, so it was just inevitable that edible versions of these minions will soon take over our newsfeed. On our top favorites are definitely Sugar Stop’s Minion Cupcakes.

Sugar Stop Minion Cupcakes - so darn cute!!

If you’ve watched Despicable Me 1 and 2, you’d see how much more screen time the minions got in the sequel. Universal Pictures knew it, we all fell in love with the multi-lingual minions (yes, we paid attention 😀 ), so much so that people are now demanding for a movie featuring only the minions. Well, we think that’s a crazy idea, but let’s get back to the Minion Cupcakes by Sugar Stop.

We found out about them through Twitter. They sent us a tweet telling us to check out their minion cupcakes. Ken and I are both in love with these minions, so when I saw the photo, the first thought that came to me was, “How can anyone eat them?!?! They’re too darn cute!!”.

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SARSA : Gourmet Sauces for Quick and Delicious Meals at Home

When it comes to home-cooked meals, we’ve got very high standards because of an excellent cook at home – our nanay. She can whip up sumptuous dishes from scratch without any need for a recipe guide, and just flavoring each dish from taste. We’re THAT lucky and blessed as kids. 🙂

Easy homemade dishes with SARSA gourmet sauces

Enjoying her home-cooked meals has been one of the many highlights of our childhood. For us, it’s of utmost importance that families enjoy a home-cooked lunch or dinner from time to time. And if you don’t have the know-how to prepare delectable meals at home, no worries. We discovered delicious, ready-made sauces you can use that will make cooking at home less of a hassle. We’re talking about SARSA Gourmet Sauces by Chef Eugene Catipon.

We were sent three (3) samples of SARSA’s gourmet sauces to try at home. We were delighted to see the ones we received: Beef Stew, Korma (curry) and Kare-kare. We were expecting to be disappointed by the latter since our nanay prepares a killer Kare-Kare, but we were pleasantly surprised.

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Foodgasm II : Our Top 6 Picks

UP Economics Society's Foodgasm II event at Mercato CentraleBecause of our current jobs, Ken and I barely have time to go out together to dine out (we really couldn’t complain because we love what we’re doing 🙂 ). When we received the invite to be part of Foodgasm II by UP EcoSoc, since it was a Saturday, I thought we could go together. Sadly, Ken had to work and so I tagged my high school friend along with me.

By the way, and you probably already know. this post has been delayed for 3 months. I thought I already posted this in March only to see it in my Drafts. 😀 Sheesh.

We arrived past 7pm (I think) and already, there were many foodies there. I think Foodgasm II was more organized than last year, especially because we survived the tasting without getting too sweaty even on a humid weekend night.

There were two sections at Mercato Centrale that were dedicated to the event. It was funny though that we didn’t know there was another section outside the main Mercato tent. 😀 I didn’t hear anyone announce or see any signs that there’s a whole bunch of Foodgasm II stalls on the other side of Mercato, just outside the tent. Good thing I noticed while we were busy rating the ones we already tasted.

Anyway, I’m quite happy with what we’ve tasted at Foodgasm II since there were many new food purveyors with dishes that stood out for us. I wish Ken was with me though ’cause my friend Tina was feeling guilty to continue with the tasting mid-way. Now I know who I shouldn’t invite at events like this. Hahahah 😀

Okay, enough blabber. Here are our top picks from Foodgasm II.

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To Jollibee : Bring Back the Amazing Aloha Burger!!

We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again – food has drawn my brother and I closer throughout the years. It’s not just because of the flavors or the pleasant aroma in our kitchen brought about by our nanay’s cooking. It’s because of sharing. We’ve always believed food is meant to be enjoyed with others, as what our nanay instilled in us when we were growing up.

Aside from sharing, we believe that food has been a big part of some of our most memorable moments as siblings. I can count with my fingers the number of food or dishes that trigger such happy memories. One of them is definitely Jollibee’s Amazing Aloha Burger.

Jollibee Amazing Aloha Burger

I remember clearly, the Amazing Aloha Burger was one of the few splurges Ken and I allow ourselves to indulge in when we feel like celebrating or when we finally find time to spend a relaxing weekend at home. It’s just so uniquely good that we regard it as something to be enjoyed on special days. 🙂

You might think the addition of the pineapple to the combination of pure beef patties, bacon, cheese and lettuce is too simple, but we beg to disagree. It was even featured on Bloomberg Business Week as one of the world’s most original burgers. It’s one of the tastiest food combinations we’ve had in our lifetime and that’s why we’re soooo craving for it! 😀

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Mezza Norte Now at Trinoma!

Probably the best foodie news we received this past month was this: Mezza Norte has moved to Trinoma in Quezon City! Finally, a food market that’s closer to our home! 🙂

Mezza Norte - The Mercato of the North

Dubbed as the Mercato Centrale of the North, Mezza Norte is finally opening this Friday, May 3rd, at the Trinoma Mindanao Open Parking Lot. Starting this week, they’ll be open from 4pm to 3am every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Woot! 🙂

Mezza Norte schedule - night market in Quezon City

We can’t wait to find out the food purveyors who’ll be selling their yummy goodies at Mezza Norte. It’s a night market so foodies who are living or working at night in QC, particularly those from West Ave and even those around Munoz, will be happy about this. If you’re looking for a place to go at night, finally, we know where to go when we’re craving for some tasty snacks. 🙂

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