Snacks Archives - Page 7 of 10

Parvati : Your One Stop Desserts Shop

When Ken and I thought of coming up with a monthly theme for our blog, the first thing that came to mind is desserts month. And the first store we wanted to visit was, of course, Parvati in Trinoma, a one-stop desserts shop.

With the growing number of home bakers in the country today (oh we canâ€™t be thankful enough! :D), getting their products out there can be a challenge considering the logistics of opening their own store. This is where Parvati comes in, providing a venue for talented pastry makers to showcase their homemade creations in one roof.

It was August last year when we first went to Parvati at the Mindanao lobby of Trinoma (I know, this is a very late post that has been sitting in the drafts folder for months). Upon walking in, we were welcomed with a smile and were directed to check their selections of pastries posted on this line of chillers / refrigerators located at one corner of the store. We were in dessert heaven! 😀

Based on the information on their Facebook page, Parvati features 40 best-selling desserts from 27 different home bakers. They have various cakes, cookies, cheesecakes (love, love, love), revel bars, pudding, cupcakes, pies, brownies, etc. If youâ€™ve got a sweet tooth like we do, I tell yah, youâ€™d probably spend a long time choosing what to order. We wanted to try everything, but we know we HAD to limit ourselves to just three. 😀

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J.CO Donuts and Coffee Philippines

A few days before Christmas, we were surprised with these three boxes of delights from J.CO Donuts and Coffee. This popular donuts and coffee brand that has satisfied the tastebuds of foodies in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and China is finally here in the Philippines! And I canâ€™t wait to show you whatâ€™s inside these boxes.

To give you a brief background on J.CO Donuts and Coffee, they opened their first store in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2005. Since then, they have opened over 100 branches across Malaysia, Singapore and just recently, in Shanghai, China. Our fellow Pinoy foodies who have travelled to these countries and got to taste of their premium donuts are for sure happy about this exciting news.

You might be thinking, oh, itâ€™s another donut shop and cafe. We thought so too, not having the slightest idea of how good their donuts were. So, we were pleasantly surprised with what was revealed to us when we opened these boxes.

First are these almond-covered donuts they call Al Capone. These are J.COâ€™s best seller and their signature flavor.

The donut is covered with white Belgian chocolate and then topped quite generously with almond slivers. Iâ€™m not a fan of nuts on my food, but Iâ€™m starting to really get used to it. I mean, how can I not enjoy these donuts?

The donut itself is soft to the bite (all of them were!) and the crunch from the almonds gave them a very interesting texture. It was my first time to taste such a delectable piece of donut so I looked forward to trying out the rest of their flavors.

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F Restaurant : A Flavorful Feast at BGC

It was the first day of December last year (sounded like a really long time ago eh?), we were headed to Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. It was a very familiar place to me since I used to work there at ePLDT Ventus so now, I always look forward to any opportunity that brings me to this same place where I spent two years working. This time though, the whole BGC is populated with more establishments everywhere you look and itâ€™ll take some time before we can try all the restaurants here.

The reason why we were at BGC : we were invited to dine at F Restaurant on the fifth floor of Best Western Premier F1 Hotel, the first hotel in the area and is located (strategically perhaps) in front of St. Lukeâ€™s Medical Center. Just by the sound of the name of the hotel where the resto is located, youâ€™d know our expectations were set high. 🙂

As soon as we entered, we were welcomed with a very festive scene â€“ beside two tall Christmas trees is this house made of candies, marshmallows, and other goodies. I began to understand Hansel and Gretel. 😉

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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.

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 couldnâ€™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 youâ€™d see in a mafia movie. So, letâ€™s go insideâ€¦

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T.G.I. Friday’s in Eastwood City

Most of us look forward to Friday. Itâ€™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. Itâ€™s the ultimate day for relaxation and enjoyment. But, guess what, we donâ€™t really need to wait for Friday just to have fun. With T.G.I. Fridayâ€™s infectious energy and with their excellent food and customer service, everyone would feel like itâ€™s Friday every single day of the week!

After more than 15 years since setting up their first in 1994, T.G.I. Fridayâ€™s opens a new branch in Eastwood City, Libis. This is their 13th and now considered as their new flagship branch since itâ€™s the location where the brand has decided to implement major changes in architectural and interior design. It is the first free-standing Fridayâ€™s branch. All of the other branches, as we all have known, are located in major shopping malls around the Metro.

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 Fridayâ€™s has their own camera, and surely they wouldnâ€™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.

Fridayâ€™s is known for having an â€œartistic clutterâ€ of memorabilia from decades as early as the â€˜30s. Now they have decided to move forward in time by including pieces from later decades like the â€˜80s, â€˜90s, and even from the new millennium.

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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.

Itâ€™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 â€˜til we got home. 😀

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

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 itâ€™s not too sweet even with all the extra sugar added. Or maybe I just have a sweet tooth, I donâ€™t know. Try it and let me know. 🙂

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Cha Dao Tea Place : A Memorable Milk Tea Experience

We are quickly getting addicted to milk tea and itâ€™s no surprise how it has become a popular preference by Pinoys nowadays as an alternative source of caffeine. Itâ€™s healthy and yummy at the same time so weâ€™re happy if these milk tea places continue to mushroom around the Metro as long as they offer their own distinct flavors. One of our latest discoveries is Cha Dao Tea Place.

Cha Dao Tea Place opened its first store in Katipunan, Quezon City back in June 2011 (they now have 5 branches, with one more opening up very soon â€“ check bottom of this post for the list). Theyâ€™re one of the more popular milk tea places we know so when we were invited to try their milk teas, we gladly accepted. A couple of days ago, after a meeting at SM Megamall, we headed out to their tea shop in Kapitolyo, Pasig. It was easy to find since it was located right smack near the front gate of Barangay Kapitolyo, beside Cebuana Lhuillier.

As soon as we entered, we were greeted by their staff, particularly this jolly lady named Vanie (I just remembered, I forgot to properly introduce ourselves. But, I gave her our card and pointed at Ken. I need to do better introductions next time, I swear! :D). She smiled at us and had to attend to another group of customers who came in before us.

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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 Johnâ€™s Premium Potato Chips. And after I got a taste at home, I just had to blog about them.

Farmer John Premium Potato Chips are products of Leslieâ€™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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Catch Up and Enjoy a Meal with Friends at Greenwich with Presyong Kaibigan

A few weeks ago, I got an invite from Greenwich for a pizza party with 10 of my friends. I immediately thought it would be a fun opportunity for me and my classmates from culinary school to finally bond. Sadly, the date we were supposed to have the dinner fell on the same day our school competed in WOFEX 2011.

Then a few days passed, I was invited the second time but was told to bring just 3 friends for a more intimate dinner setup. And I thought that would be even better because it would save me the hassle of gathering up a bigger group.

I asked my friend, Rhea Grace (watch out for her blog!), to tag along. She agreed and was very excited. Believe it or not, we havenâ€™t seen each other for more than 6 years, so we had a lot of catching up to do. I missed her a lot for sheâ€™s one of my closest friends back in high school. Weâ€™ve kept contact through Facebook and Friendster, but nothing can really compare to the joy of â€œphysicallyâ€ enjoying a delicious dinner with people who are important to you.

Thanks to Greenwich for it was a wonderful opportunity for our reconciliation; and also for coming up with their Presyong Kaibigan promo which offers their mouth-watering pizzas and pastas at very affordable prices.Â Now me and my friends can bond and enjoy nonstop without worrying about our food bill hitting sky high!

The Presyong Kaibigan promo presents a wide selection of very affordable pizzas and pastas. Enjoy Greenwichâ€™s Double-size Overloaded Pizza for only Php 199 which comes in two flavors â€“ Ultimate Hawaiian Overload and Triple Ham & Cheese.

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Only the Finest Decadence from Van Houten Chocolates

Chocolates. I’ve always loved them ever since I was a little kid. I mean, who didn’t enjoy the sweet flavors of chocolates when they were children? Back then, I only knew how to chomp them all up ’til my nanay would tell me I’ve had enough. It was after over 2 decades when I learned how to enjoy chocolates the "right" way. And a few weeks ago, at Society Lounge in Makati, Van Houten reminded me of how I can truly savour the decadent goodness only quality chocolates can offer.

Van Houten has been around for 180 years. I remember having my first taste of it when a family friend who came from the US brought us a canister of their chocolates back when I was in my teens. I can still recall thinking that they were indeed imported, high quality ones because I haven’t tasted anything that good from any loot my nanay brought home whenever she goes on her bi-monthly sweets shopping for us.

Van Houten is widely available here in the Philippines and they now offer varying flavor combinations that would surely please the cocoaphile in you.

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