Food Porn / Photos Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Certified Foodies

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Villa del Conte’s Box of Chocolates

I’m not a big fan of flowers. So, when I think of Valentine’s day, the first thing that comes to mind when we talk about the perfect romantic gift is a box of exquisite chocolates. 😉 And if you’re thinking of sending some AMORE (Italian for “love”) to your special someone this Heart’s day, here’s a sure-fire hit: a box of Villa del Conte’s chocolates.

Villa del Conte is an Italian artisanal chocolate shop well-known for their expertise in the creation of the finest cioccolato (Italian for chocolate) using handpicked cacao beans and premium quality ingredients. You might have heard of them already as they have shops all over Metro Manila. They’ve been in the art of making chocolates for 81 years, and so our expectations were high when we received this gorgeous box of their chocolates.

Continue reading Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Villa del Conte’s Box of Chocolates

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. 😉

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.

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.

Continue reading Have a Merry Cremas with Alaska Crema!

Bohol Bee Farm : a Foodie Haven

When we planned to travel to Bohol back in 2012 for our birthdays, Ken kept on insisting that we pick Bohol Bee Farm for our accommodation. He told me nonstop about how good their food was and that I’ll love our stay there. He was 100% spot on!

What we love most about Bohol Bee Farm is they continue to stay true to what they are all about. They boast of using organic ingredients in preparing their dishes, which means no fertilizers, pesticides or anything harmful were used in their farming. Most of them are produced from their own farms, and right there at Bohol Bee Farm (read about our tour on Travelsilog -soon!). They highly support organic farming and, in turn, has given jobs to Boholanos, especially with their livelihood projects at the farm.

Since they were also planting their own herbs and vegetables, you can taste the freshness of the ingredients. And the food wasn’t just healthful, but quite good too.

Continue reading Bohol Bee Farm : a Foodie Haven

Brownies! Unlimited New Flavors and Brownie Chips : Your Kind of Brownies

If you’re looking for more foodie gifts for the holidays, here are our last minute recommendations: Brownies! Unlimited‘s new flavors and their addictive Brownie Chips. 🙂

First, let me tell you about their Brownie Chips. When we posted about the Brownie Brittle we recently got to try from Joe & Cherry, we found out (from a fellow foodie) that there’s actually a local version of it and it’s from Brownies! Unlimited.

Continue reading Brownies! Unlimited New Flavors and Brownie Chips : Your Kind of Brownies

Moist Chocolate Torte Recipe

I recently got myself a new Nikon D3200 DSLR. I have been very envious of my sister Mhel ever since she got her D3100. On the weekend that I got my camera, I had no idea what to take pictures of, so I decided to bake something to put our food photography skills to the test. I remembered we bought a packet of Hershey’s semi-sweet chocolate chips the last time we were at the supermarket. From then I knew just what to make with it â€” Moist Chocolate Torte.

This is probably the simplest yet the yummiest cake that was taught to me by my pastry chef at the hotel where I previously worked. I recall eating all the leftovers by the kitchen sink, so I can easily pretend that I’m washing our kitchen tools because our executive chef is very sneaky. 😀 He’ll just pop out from nowhere the moment you’ve already put something in your mouth. I’ve been caught a couple of times, but never really got scolded for it. He knew I was always hungry. 😀

Continue reading Moist Chocolate Torte Recipe

NACI Comfort Food at Bonifacio Global City

If there’s one thing we all (yes, including you!) have in common, it’s our love for pure, unadulterated comfort food. The difference lies on where we find that sense of satisfaction. It could be your nanay’s home-cooked meals, or simply from a restaurant that means business when it comes to comfort food (no pun intended). And we recently discovered one that takes it seriously, they had to add it to their name – NACI Comfort Food.

NACI Comfort Food is a family-owned restaurant located at Bonifacio Global City. We were invited to have a taste of some of their dishes, including their Kid-friendly Meals. Though they’re hours away from our home, we thought it’ll be a perfect time to revisit BGC. The restaurant was initially located at Greenhills, and they later on moved to BGC.

We got to meet Nadine (daughter of Lovely Rivero) and Natasha. They told us a little bit about their restaurant. We initially thought the name was an abbreviation or something, but we later found out that the name “Naci” actually means “rice” in Kapampangan. The menu, however, at NACI Comfort Food is not merely inspired by Kapampangan cuisine, but a fusion of various flavors. Some of the dishes at Naci Comfort Food were even concoctions of the late Chef Ed Quimson. They also have a Cohen-friendly menu. Continue reading NACI Comfort Food at Bonifacio Global City

Fall in Love with Chocolates from CMBV Confectionaires

If there’s one thing Ken and I have in common, it’s our deep love for chocolates. We’re more into dark chocolate, he likes milk chocolate more than I do and I think we have the same amount of liking for white chocolate. So when a common friend offered to let us taste the chocolates he makes, how can chocolate lovers refuse? Let us introduce you toÂ CMBV Confectionaires Co.

CMBV Confectionaires is a chocolate shop owned by 2 friends – Christian, the general manager, and Marvin, the head chocolatier. They’re a fairly new business which started in November 2012 out of their passion for chocolates, skills in chocolate-making and business savvy. Fast forward to 2013, you can now find CMBV Confectionaires’ hand-crafted gourmet chocolates at Manila Polo Club (Manila’s Best), VASK Modern Tapas & Gastronomic Cuisine Restaurant and soon at KYO Patisserie (the last 2 are located at BGC). They also have a shop at Fort Bonifacio. You can find their complete address and contact info near the bottom of this post. 🙂

Continue reading Fall in Love with Chocolates from CMBV Confectionaires

Recipe: Chocolate Lava Cake aka Molten Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Lava Cake (a.k.a. Molten Chocolate Cake) is a common dessert in fine dining restaurants and hotels, and that’s the reason why people think it’s very hard and expensive to make. But surprisingly, it’s completely the opposite. It’s so easy that you can make it in 15 minutes. 🙂

The only ingredient that may be considered costly are the dark chocolate chips. We used Hershey’s semi-sweet chocolate that we got for Php 180. Believe me, you won’t even regret having spent that much once you get your first spoonful of the chocolate lava cake. 😉

We’re sure you’ll love this recipe for Chocolate Lava Cake. We highly recommend you serve this with vanilla ice cream to make the whole experience complete. The warm, oozing decadence from the molten chocolate cake is best enjoyed with ice cream, trust me. 🙂

Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe (a.k.a. Molten Chocolate Cake)

Continue reading Recipe: Chocolate Lava Cake aka Molten Chocolate Cake

Biscoff vs Speculoos : The Cookie Butter Battle

Being certified foodies ;), my bro and I have always been curious. We LOVE talking about food and how much people enjoy recommending restaurants and food products we simply must try. On our spare time, we check on social media and our favorite food blogs for what other foodies’ are eating or craving for. And early this year, probably the most talked about was the cookie butter, specifically Lotus Biscoff and Trader Joe’s Speculoos.

We’ve always loved peanut butter. We buy from the market here and not the commercial ones you see at the grocery. A spoonful of peanut butter is our usual indulgence after a meal. We thought it couldn’t get better than that when it comes to simple guilty pleasures. Well, we were wrong. A rich spoonful of cookie butter makes a whole lot of difference. 😉

Continue reading Biscoff vs Speculoos : The Cookie Butter Battle

Dimsum Break : Steamed Rice Craving, Satisfied!

I wrote about how excited I was that Dimsum Break is opening a branch in SM North Edsa last year, and I was desperate to finally have a taste of their Steamed Rice again after years of longing for it since I moved back here in 2009 after my 1-year stay in Cebu. Days after their opening in October 2012 (I know, this post is a year late), I dragged my nanay to their first branch at SM Annex and ordered away.

Cebu may be known for many delicious food, but I’m willing to bet that Steamed Rice is on the list of dishes that Cebuanos, or anyone who has lived or even visited Cebu, are craving for when they go anywhere else.

Dimsum Break is the self-service, fast food restaurant of Harbour City Dimsum House, one of the popular Chinese restaurants in Cebu. I’ve dined in both restaurants there and the quality of the dim sum and Steamed Fried Rice are well-kept, so I know they’d make sure to maintain the quality even here in Manila.

So, Steamed Fried Rice, or simply Steamed Rice, is like your typical rice topping dish – rice topped with a savory mix of their ‘secret’ rich sauce, peas, shrimp and pork. The sauce is what makes this rice bowl so irresistible. We’ve tried making them at home – check out Mai’s Steamed Rice recipe – but we have yet to finally uncover the formula of Dimsum Break or Harbour City’s Steamed Rice.

Continue reading Dimsum Break : Steamed Rice Craving, Satisfied!