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. 😀

Continue reading Bon Appetea : A Unique Take on Milk Teas

Winners of our Jollibee Breakfast Joys Treat

Jollibee Breakfast Joys MealsFinally, after a couple of days deciding on who should win in our Jollibee Breakfast Joys giveaway, we have picked 3 winners. It was difficult, not only because there were a lot of good entries, but because we have different opinions. BUT, we ended up with a unanimous decision.

Since most of the entries had similarities, we picked those with the most unique statements or tips, but are more on the realistic side, meaning both of us can actually apply them in real life or those that we’ve tried ourselves and have been proven effective. 🙂

Again, the task was to share your top THREE (3) tips on how to start your day with a bright and positive note.

Without further ado, here are the THREE (3) winners who will each win a treat for 5 of their friends or family to a Jollibee Breakfast Joys meal:

Continue reading Winners of our Jollibee Breakfast Joys Treat

The Search for the Ultimate Sooo Pinoy Blogger is On!

A few months ago, Ken was part of the Sooo Pinoy food tour where they went around the Metro to have a taste of specialty dishes from different restaurants featuring Filipino cuisines and our all-time favorites. The goal of the Sooo Pinoy advocacy was to help deepen the appreciation and awareness of Filipinos towards our own food. They launched their Facebook community awhile back and now, they’re looking for the Ultimate Sooo Pinoy Blogger with the purpose of promoting Filipino cuisine. I know you all would agree that the Pinoy flavor is something we should be proud of. 🙂

Sooo Pinoy advocacy promotes appreciation of Pinoy cuisine

WIth that said, I invite our fellow foodie bloggers to take on this challenge. This will not just test your passion for our local cuisine, but also your blogging prowess.

The Search for the Ultimate Sooo Pinoy Blogger is on!

There will be 3 rounds for this challenge to determine the Ultimate Sooo Pinoy Blogger. But, before I tell you about that, let me tell you first what you can win if you join:

What’s at Stake?

A chance to rediscover the Philippines and experience the richness of Filipino cuisine

• 10 destinations
• 30 days
• 101 restaurants
• PhP 25,000 cash

Now, if the prizes didn’t pique the interest of the foodie in you, I don’t know what will. Imagine getting to travel around the Philippines and enjoying the food different restaurants here have to offer. Plus, you get Php 25,000 cash prize! 🙂

If you’re excited to know how to join, let me just remind you that you only have until October 24, 2011 to submit your entry to make it to Round 1. Here are the mechanics:

ROUND 1
1. Post an article about Why Should You Be the Ultimate Sooo Pinoy Blogger. The
blog post must have a minimum of 300 words and a maximum of 500 words, with at
least 3 food shots and a photo of you dining in the restaurant. These are just the
minimum – there is no limit as to how much you want to express creativity!

2. Take a screenshot of the blog entry and email it to Sooo_Pinoy@yahoo.com. The
email must also contain the blog post URL, the contestant’s name and mobile number,
and the blog article itself (preferably in .doc or .docx format)

3. The blog post must not be altered or deleted until the end of the Search (until
December 15).

 

Key Dates for Round 1:

• October 5 to 24 – Submission of entries (3 weeks)
• October 25 to November 5 – Round 1 judging period (2 weeks)
• November 7 – Announcement of shortlisted contestants and Round 2 Challenge.

If you make it to Round 2, you’d get the next set of mechanics. Isn’t this exciting?!?!

Ken and I are still figuring out if we could make it to the deadline. We’re both having a VERY hectic week, but this is something we would LOVE to experience. Oh well. *sigh*

If you’re joining the search for the Ultimate Sooo Pinoy Blogger, let us know so we can check out your entry. 🙂

Start Your Day Right with Jollibee Breakfast Joys Meals + Contest Alert!

The giveaway has already ended. Click here for the winners announcement.

Enjoying a fulfilling breakfast to start off your mornings is one thing most of us neglect. Breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day and there are scientific facts to back that up. Our nanay knows this that’s why it’s been a family bonding moment for us since it’s actually the only time we get to enjoy a meal together during weekdays. 🙂

We believe that starting your mornings by having a delicious breakfast can affect your mood and can get you energized for a busy day ahead of you. Now, there’s no excuse to skipping breakfast no matter how hectic your schedule gets with the new Jollibee Breakfast Joys line-up of heartwarming meals.

Jollibee Breakfast Joy meal - Chicken Sausage with 2-pc Pancakes

Chicken Sausages with 2-piece Pancakes – Php 52.00

 Jollibee Breakfast Joy meal - Chicken Sausage with Rice and Egg

Chicken Sausages with Rice and Egg – Php 52.00

Continue reading Start Your Day Right with Jollibee Breakfast Joys Meals + Contest Alert!

See You at the Appetite Restaurant Festival 2011!

Have you heard? Appetite Magazine is celebrating their anniversary again with a bang! Foodies like us can indulge ourselves as we enjoy specially prepared dishes at their yearly Appetite Restaurant Festival. It’s happening on October 13th at the Shangri-la Plaza Mall.

Appetite Restaurant Festival 2011 - Taste the World! 

If you want to win an exclusive invite for you and a friend, join their Facebook promo. Here are the mechanics:

1. Download the photo above from here or by going to Appetite Magazine’s Facebook page.

2. Upload the photo on THEIR FB page’s wall with the following caption / text:

I want to go to the Appetite Restaurant Festival!

3. Ask your friends to “like” your post.

The  top 3 photos with the most number of likes will get 2 invites each to this exclusive event.

What are you waiting for?! Join now! If you get in, let us know so we could meet you at the Appetite Restaurant Festival 2011. See yah! 🙂

Orchard Road Restaurant : A Taste of Singapore in Megamall

First off, I honestly don’t know much about Singaporean food, though I’ve always been enthralled by the diversity of their dishes. And I have been wanting, for the longest time ever, to try their cuisine. Little did I know that I will be able to have a taste of the dining experience in Singapore that’s friendly on the pocket right here, at Orchard Road that is. 🙂

Orchard Road in SM Megamall - CertifiedFoodies.com

This restaurant is named after the famous Orchard Road in Singapore renowned for its remarkable dining scene, where the food court is done up as a series of hawker carts.

We were invited to a food tasting at Orchard Road in SM Megamall. The restaurant exudes a very relaxed atmosphere and surely you’ll find pleasure strolling along the Orchard Road’s stylishly designed facade.

They prepare your orders right in front of you at Orchard Road - CertifiedFoodies.com

And if you’re like me who happens to be curious (as always) to see how dishes are prepared then voila! Feed your curiosity as you see how your food is being cooked right before your very eyes. You can see all the tools and everything they do during the preparation of your orders – something a lot of foodies enjoy. 🙂

First things first: What do they have to offer? Orchard Road houses a wide array of Singaporean dishes like the Hainanese Chicken, Laksa, Chicken Satay, and Mee Goreng, to name a few. I’m sure you would find a dish to satisfy your craving.

Orchard Road's best sellers

You have two options on how your orders will be taken. You can either opt to have a waiter take your order while you are seated or you can go directly to the counter and place your order with their cheerful staff. 🙂 I suggest the latter, so you can see photos of their signature specialty dishes. It’s a great help in choosing. Of course, that’s an advice for the fickle-minded and first timers like moi! 🙂

Continue reading Orchard Road Restaurant : A Taste of Singapore in Megamall

Our First Anniversary Giveaway Winners!

Join CertifiedFoodies.com's First Anniversary Giveaway

Finally!! I know you’ve waited too long for the winners announcement of our first anniversary giveaway. Please accept my sincere apologies for the anticipation. There were just too many entries I needed to verify so it took me longer than I expected, plus it’s been really hectic for us lately. But, here we are!!

I made an announcement a few days ago that the total number of entries were around 2,100+. But, after I tallied AGAIN, there were actually a total of 2,373 raffle entries! 😀

Now, I know you waited too long for this already so let’s not prolong the announcement anymore.

Continue reading Our First Anniversary Giveaway Winners!

Celebrating 10 Years of Heartwarming Goodness from Bizu Patisserie

Bizu Patisserie and Bistro in Greenbelt

Last week, Ken and I, along with fellow foodies, were invited to Bizu Patisserie and Bisro’s Bloggers Party over at their Greenbelt branch. Having been there during the Cadbury Chocoholic night, we were both looking forward to having a taste of more dishes from this pastry shop / restaurant.

Bizu Patisserie Bloggers Party - CertifiedFoodies.comI took this photo using my new Nikon D3100. Woot! Stay tuned for better photos soon 🙂

The dinner was graced with the presence of Aaron and Annie Tanco who started it all. They shared with us how their pastry shop was conceptualized, including how they came up with the name of their restaurant. It was all very interesting, especially the part where Aaron told us that Bizu came about after her mom Annie dreamt of people kissing each other on the cheeks (beso-beso) at a restaurant. They decided to use the French word for “kiss”, which is “bisous”, but added a twist by spelling it the way it’s pronounced.

Aaron Tanco, Chrissy of Marketing and Annie Tanco from Bizu Patisserie

I just want to mention this – I enjoyed how Aaron and Annie spoke to us about their restaurant. You can really feel they’re truly passionate about their food and the service they offer to their diners. They were all very accommodating, even laughing and sharing stories with us throughout the night. Even Chrissy, the lovely lady in the middle of the photo above, was very cheery. 🙂

Continue reading Celebrating 10 Years of Heartwarming Goodness from Bizu Patisserie

California Crunch Cassava Chips Giveaway Winners!

We apologize for the delay in announcing the winners in our first anniversary giveaway and our California Crunch Cassava Chips giveaway. We had too many things going on the past week, both at work / school and personal.

California Crunch Cassava Chips in Barbecue and Sour Cream and Onions

BUT, we’re almost done collating the raffle entries for our anniversary giveaway so we hope to already announce the winners this coming week. Heck, the prizes are already with us! 😀

Anyway, we are so happy to announce our THREE winners of a gift pack EACH of California Crunch Cassava Chips.

(Video of the raffle after the jump)

Continue reading California Crunch Cassava Chips Giveaway Winners!

Ken Takes On the KFC Demolish the Tower Burger Challenge

We can’t help but admire how Kentucky Fried Chicken or simply KFC remains at the top of their game in the fast-food industry. One key strategy to their success is innovation. People from KFC Philippines are not afraid to experiment. Every now and then they come out with their latest creations which are quick to become huge knockouts to KFC-fans nationwide. Remember that only a few months ago, we all went gaga over the California Maki Twisters and their Double-Down Burgers (also released in other countries), and now comes another surprise – the KFC Tower Burger.

KFC Tower Burger - CertifiedFoodies.com

KFC Tower Burger: Php 110.00 (Ala carte) or Php 140.00 (with Fries and Drinks)

The KFC Tower Burger, proudly standing at 2 1/2 inches tall, is layer after layer of So Good – an Original Recipe chicken fillet, blanketed by a layer of premium cheese, topped of with a crispy hash brown, dressed with lettuce and mayo,  and sandwiched by two halves of a sesame seed bun!

Our KFC Tower Burgers - CertifiedFoodies.com

I really had a hard time finishing the burger by myself in one sitting, so just imagine my shock when I was challenged to devour the whole thing in under two minutes! My inner competitive self took the best of me, so I gladly accepted the challenge. Bring it on!

Here’s a recording of my attempt to demolish the tower:

 

The challenge is to completely finish the KFC Tower Burger in 2 minutes or less to get a chance of winning a trip for two to Singapore and witness the 2011 Formula 1 Night Race.

KFC Demolish the Tower Burger Challenge - CertifiedFoodies.com

So do you think you can beat my record time of 1 minute and 47 seconds OR even make it before the timer hits 2 minutes? If yes, then what are you waiting for? Go get yourself a KFC Tower Burger and start demolishing!

How to Join:

  1. Buy one KFC Tower Burger.
  2. Take a video of yourself eating the Tower Burger in 2 minutes or less. For video to be considered valid or qualified, it must show:
    • That 1 Tower Burger is completely consumed within 2 minutes.
    • The video is not edited, cut, or spliced together.
  3. Upload video on YouTube.
  4. After the successful upload, get the YouTube URL of your video and enter it into the KFC Demolish the Tower Facebook App, together with your name, mailing address, email address, and mobile number.

 

Note: Deadline of uploading of videos is on September 16, 2011 (12 midnight).

Good luck! For more info, check KFC’s Facebook Page.