Giveaway Alert: Win Tickets to The King and I from Kit Kat!

If there’s one valuable lesson we learned from studying and working hard all our lives, especially the past few months, it would have to be the importance of taking breaks. It’s not only good for your body, but taking even a 15-minute break from work, studying or whatever you’re doing is vital for your mental and emotional health. This is why we’re joining Kit Kat’s The Break Movement. We believe in the BREAK and you should too!

Kit Kat

A simple 15-minute break can make all the difference to your productivity, trust me! We know you’ve had your own Kit Kat break moments where you enjoyed the crunchy and chocolatey delight of these Kit Kat bars. It’s a simple yet comforting piece of heaven. 😉 We can’t wait to try all their flavors! 🙂
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Papa Johns Pizza Food Trip : Mythical 5 and PBA Meals Promo

After weeks of being stuck at home, my nanay, Ken and I finally got the time to go out on a weekend. Since I’ve been craving for pizza since the beginning of the year and we received gift certificates from Papa John’s, we headed out to their branch in SM North Edsa to try one of their PBA Meals.

Nanay taking photos of our PBA Meal at Papa John's

Yes, our nanay is now addicted to taking photos of our food too and sharing them on Facebook. 😀

Papa John’s PBA Meals are their new offerings for friends and families who enjoy watching the PBA (or for any viewing parties of any sport, movie or TV show really) with pizza to share with their whole group. There are 2 options: Mythical 5 PBA Meal and PBA Meals for 12 (click to zoom).

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Bizu Patisserie Delighftul Holiday Gift Sets

It’s that time of the year again when people are specially sweet and giving towards others. For many, finding the perfect holiday gift may be an issue. But, with Bizu Patisserie holiday gift sets, you can’t go wrong. 🙂

Bizu Patisserie Holiday gift set

Bizu Patisserie is a French-inspired pastry shop where one can indulge in exquisite breads, pastries and even savory treats. We’ve written about them before when they celebrated their tenth year, and have visited them a couple of times after and we can attest to how they live up to their motto, “A taste of Joie de Vivre” (joy of living).

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Cucina Andare : First Food Truck Market in the Philippines!

From all my watching of American TV shows about food (Top Chef, No Reservations, Master Chef, etc), I learned the big part food trucks play in the food culture of Americans. It was something Ken and I believed would definitely suit us here in the Philippines considering we already love street food, food carts, and Jolly Jeeps 😉 . So, when we heard about Cucina Andare, the first food truck market in the Philippines, we got all excited!

Cucina Andare in Gloriette Open Park in Makati

Cucina Andare will finally be open tomorrow, December 14, 2012, and it’s located at the Glorietta Open Park (front of Glorietta 3, Landmark, Makati Shangri-La Hotel and 6750 Ayala Ave). It’ll be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 4pm to 3am, which is just perfect for my erratic schedule. I can’t wait to go during our 1-week holiday vacation! 🙂

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Quench Your Thirst with J.CO Beverages + New Donuts to Love!

We gushed and told you how much we love J.CO donuts. It’s not just about how yummy their donuts are, but it’s more on the creativity behind each flavor they offer. So, it was not surprising that they’re maintaining this level of uniqueness with their beverage concoctions. J.CO Donuts and Coffee is here to prove that, truly, they’re not your usual donut place. 🙂

The delicious delights of J.CO Wonderland

Excited to try their beverages and the other donut flavors I haven’t tasted yet, my nanay and I trooped to their nearest branch – Trinoma. There was a long line of people inside, which, quite frankly, discouraged me. There were about 15 people in front of me and it took about 45 minutes to an hour before I finally got my turn. Everyone was ordering like 2-3 dozens each! 😀

Sadly, many of the donut flavors and the beverages I wanted initially were no longer available when I got to the counter. So, I opted to order their Iced Thai Tea. Good thing I was able to convince my nanay to try the Cafe Avocado. I wanted the Cappuccino Avocado, but for some reason, it wasn’t available.

Iced Thai Tea and Cafe Avocado from J.CO Donuts and Coffee

Anyway, if you think that the combination of avocado, coffee and chocolate is plain weird, you’d be surprised. It was delightful! Made me wish they were still serving Cappuccino Avocado when we were there ’cause I’m sure it’ll have a more intense kick of avocado. We’ll come back next time for that, probably on a weekday when there’s a shorter queue.

Cafe Avocado with Avocado DiCaprio donut

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Top Picks at 2nd Ultimate Taste Test in Rockwell

If there’s one day we allow ourselves to completely indulge on good food, it’s at the Ultimate Taste Test. This time is no different. Upon seeing the lineup of food purveyors that will be presenting their new products for the coming holidays, we couldn’t wait to be there.

Our 2nd Rockwell Ultimate Taste Test tickets

Sadly, Ken couldn’t come because he had to work, so I invited a long-time friend of mine to join me. He’s a food lover too and we both genuinely enjoyed the experience together. Thanks, Alex! 🙂

Since I came from work, I wanted to take a few winks before I went to Rockwell. We finally started our UTT food trip at around 3pm and we finished past 6pm. Take note that we didn’t get to taste everything. Some of the purveyors there are already familiar, so we chose to head on over to the new ones that piqued our interest the most. Plus, the fact that we were already too full at 30+ food items tasted, we just had to skip some.

Just like before, it was hard to pick our (mine and my friend’s) top favorites since there were many standouts, but the decision on who makes it here was all on me. 😉 In no particular order, here are our top favorites from the 2nd Ultimate Taste Test in Rockwell:

 

Bayani Brew Iced Teas

Since there’s only one beverage at the event that we absolutely loved (except for the beer, of course), I’m putting Bayani Brew on top of our list. Dubbed as Filipino iced tea, their line of products are made of nutritious, local ingredients from Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm in Bulacan. Their section at the UTT was mostly crowded because they were very enthusiastic in telling people about their products. And it’s good to see that many were genuinely interested, including us. 🙂

Bayani Brew Iced Tea - ingredients from Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm

We were given a taste of 2 of their iced tea flavors. The original variant was a combination of calamansi, lemongrass and pandan. It has this refreshing aroma, and as soon as I took a sip, the exciting combination wanted me to drink some more.

The other flavor was Purple Leaf, brewed from sweet potato, purple leaf tops and lemongrass. What made this iced tea pink was the talbos ng kamote extract. It changes color after brewing, as we were told, thus, staying true to Bayani Brew’s promise of no artificial colors or flavors. If you like your iced tea with an extra dash of sweetness, you’d definitely love this one.

Ron Dizon, the Social Enterprise Head of Bayani Brew, said that they haven’t officially launched Bayani Brew yet, but the price is Php 35 per bottle when they become more readily available here in Metro Manila.

There’s one thing that Ron said that resonated in me – the fact that foreigners are more aware about the hard work of our very own Filipino farmers and the abundance of quality local ingredients that we have available. The beautiful lady pictured above is French, and she was very eager to tell us about the product and what they do, which is just amazing. That’s why we appreciate events like the Ultimate Taste Test where those businesses who can’t go on full-blast marketing are given a chance to let us know that they exist or what they have to offer.

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See You at the 2nd Ultimate Taste Test in Rockwell!

Last year, we went to the first Ultimate Taste Test in Rockwell (UTT 6.0) and we feasted on a ton of delicious new discoveries like Carmen’s Best Ice Cream, Tina Pie’s tarts, Theo and Philo Chocolates, and more! It was indeed a very memorable foodie experience and we cannot wait for Rockwell’s 2nd Ultimate Taste Test, as presented by Our Awesome Planet and San Miguel Lifestyle Brews!

This time, instead of just one day, this Ultimate Taste Test will be for TWO DAYS to accommodate 2,000 foodies. The 2nd Ultimate Taste in Rockwell will now be on September 15, 2012, Saturday, ONLY! At UTT 6.0, the whole Rockwell Tent was packed with food lovers ready to take on what 50+ food purveyors at the event had to offer. We know you would be excited about the 2-day this food tasting event. Double the fun! 🙂

This is just perfect for the upcoming holidays. I’m sure many of you enjoy gifting goodies come Christmas and New Year like us, so this is your chance to discover something new from established food suppliers / businesses or from up and coming entrepreneurs. 🙂

Tickets are now on sale! Here are the details:

  • When: September 15 to 16, 2012 – Saturday and Sunday11am to 9pm
  • Where: Rockwell Tent
  • Php 585 per ticket per day.
  • If you choose to come on both days, you’d get a discount. Just Php 1,000 for 2 days.
  • The ticket price includes the following:
    – Food tasting of products from at least 40+ food vendors and Power Plant Mall’s restaurants.
    (They should provide different products per day)
    – A bottle of San Miguel Super Dry, Premium All Malt or Cerveza Negra (for 18 years old and above)
  • Maximum of 1,000 foodies only per day.
  • For tickets:
    Rockwell Customer Care: call 898-1702 during mall hours
    Creative Juice Office: call 570-7827 during office hours

If you are a food business owner and you would like to be part of the Ultimate Taste Test in Rockwell, check Anton‘s post on Our Awesome Planet. It’ll be a great opportunity to showcase your products.

Ken and I will be there on the 16th, Sunday, probably in the afternoon (he’s currently working). We can’t wait! 🙂 Since the event will be on the 15th, I think it’s just going to be me and a foodie friend. Ken has to work.

See you at the 2nd Ultimate Taste Test in Rockwell and let’s all be food critics for a day (or two). 😉

Check our past posts about the Ultimate Taste Tests we’ve been to:

KFC Streetwise Cheese Top Burger : Love or Hate?

KFC Streetwise Cheese Top Burger is maybe the most hated among the products that KFC Philippines has ever put out. And if you are among the haters, to tell you the truth, save your energy. Hear us out. 😉

KFC Streetwise Cheese Top Burger

 

First Impressions

When KFC announced that they have a new product, Ken and I, like most of you, chuckled at the sight of their ad. KFC Cheese Top Burger – a burger with cheese on top of the bun instead of in the middle. Sure, that looks weird and sounds funny right?

Still, Ken and I were curious about it. I read people on my network saying it’s a plain ol’ burger, nothing fancy. I mean, c’mon. For Php 50.00 WITH drinks, what do you expect? 😉

The KFC Streetwise Cheese Top Burger - ridiculous, but effective marketing

I had EXACTLY that thought in my head when KFC told us they’ll be delivering Cheese Top Burgers for me and Ken to try. This happened over a month ago, a few days after they released it, and memes about it were everywhere (I know, this is an overdue post). Before this, we were already planning on ordering it for takeout when we go grocery-shopping over the weekend. Good thing they did bring us samples ’cause the KFC branch here in Malabon no longer delivers to our area. The burgers were handed over to us still nice and warm.

First impressions were okay, it’s not messy at all to handle. The cheese is baked on top of the bun, so it’s not like it was just placed on top of it or spread like Cheez Whiz.

Cheese is baked on top of the bun of the KFC Cheese Top Burger

Now, the taste. Ken wasn’t impressed. But, when I asked if he liked it, he said it’s okay, nothing surprising. I guess he still had that thought in his head about how ridiculous this idea was. He finished it off while I took my time to inspect it.

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Indulge in Vermont Classic Frozen Custard by FIC

The weather might be gloomy and it might not be the best time to enjoy anything cold, but you can’t deny the fact that when you’re stuck at home with family or friends, nothing beats a movie or TV series marathon with your favorite comfort food. And Fruits in Ice Cream has something new and delightful for all of us: Vermont Classic Frozen Custard, their latest dessert creation.

FIC's Vermont Classic Frozen Custard gift pack

 

Frozen Custard?

FIC is the first to introduce this frozen custard treat to the Philippines. You might be wondering how it’s different from ice cream. Frozen custard is actually the same as ice cream except it has a higher concentration of egg yolks and is churned more slowly, making this dessert richer and more indulgent. When you see French ice cream on a menu, that’s another name for frozen custard. (Oh, and Ken has a recipe that doesn’t require an ice cream maker) 🙂

Recipe card for making your choice of concoctions with FIC Vermont Classic Frozen Custard

When FIC sent over a cup each of their Vermont Classic Frozen Custard base flavors, we were pleasantly surprised to see everything else that came with the package. Aside from the 3 varieties – French Vanilla, Brownie Batter and Cheesecake – we got an assortment of toppings and a recipe card.

Various toppings for FIC Vermont Classic Frozen Custard

Ken and I tasted each of the flavors first before we combined the toppings based on the recipes, and we literally had a hard time figuring out which one’s our favorite ’cause they’re all darn yummy! Usually, I’d go for anything chocolicious, but the tanginess of the cheesecake flavor and the creamy goodness of the French vanilla was too irresistible. The Brownie Batter still ended up as my top favorite because it has this slight bitterness to it that I love about dark chocolate. 🙂

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Haagen-Dazs Bids Farewell to the Philippines

After what we would consider a brief period of delighting us with their high quality ice cream, Häagen-Dazs is closing operations in the Philippines. They have made this announcement official on their website and on their Facebook page.

Haagen-Dazs is closing down in the Philippines

We’ve only had Haagen-Dazs ice cream twice – once at the Haagen-Dazs store in SM Mall of Asia and the last time was when we bought their ice cream bars at a grocery store. Though we absolutely love their ice cream, we find it too pricey for us, even on those days when we desperately need a creamy pick-me-up.

And we believe this is the reason why they’re closing their stores here. Pinoys are not keen towards buying ice cream at Haagen-Dazs’ price range when they can be satisfied with a more affordable alternative, like Magnum ice cream that only costs Php 50, or frozen products from Magnolia, Selecta, Nestle and the Korean ice cream brands ( watch out for our upcoming ice cream series 🙂 ). This is sad news for those who love Haagen-Dazs ice cream. But, I bet we can still buy their ice cream from S&R.

Haagen-Dazs stores in SM Mall of Asia and Robinsons Mall (Ermita) are closing after June 30, 2012. Their Shangri-la Plaza Mall and Eastwood Mall branches will stop operations by August 31, 2012. So, if you want to give them a proper adieu by treating yourself to their ice cream, take note of these dates.

Official announcement on Haagen-Dazs Facebook page about their SM Mall of Asia and Robinsons Ermita stores closing down

 

Haagen-Dazs Promo Alert:

As a show of appreciation to everyone who supported Haagen-Dazs here in the Philippines (plus, you wouldn’t want all those ice cream to go to waste, right?), they’re offering some delicious promos for all.

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