KFC’s California Maki Twister and BBQ Rods

  KFC - It's Finger Licking Good! - CertifiedFoodies.com
KFC – It’s Finger Licking Good!

 

Last week, my brother and I had food delivered from KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), my favorite chicken food joint. We were both craving for their chicken and BBQ rods, so we decided to have them for lunch. We also haven’t tried their new California Maki Twister yet so we added it to our order, plus two KFC Go-go sandwiches for my parents.

By the way, I wish KFC will bring back their Go-go Dragon sandwich. I super love it and I’ve been craving for it.

  KFC BBQ Rods - CertifiedFoodies.com
KFC BBQ Rods – yum!
Php 27.50 per stick

 

The KFC BBQ Rods is currently Kien’s, my brother, addiction. I understand why because it’s good and the sauce really makes it more enjoyable. Not pairing KFC BBQ Rods with rice is like a waste of the sweet taste of the sauce. *LOL*

I ordered 6 sticks of KFC BBQ Rods – five for my bro and one for me. And, I also ordered their two-piece chicken meal. As always, one chicken is Hot and Crispy, the other one’s in Original flavor. What was delivered to us was still warm, so I really enjoyed it even when a couple of customers at our internet cafe were having their photos printed while I was eating away. *grin*

  KFC 2 piece Chicken Meal - Hot and Crispy, Original - CertifiedFoodies.com
KFC 2 piece Chicken Meal – Hot and Crispy, Original
Php 130.90 – ala carte

 

A few minutes after we were done with lunch, my brother and I decided to have a taste of KFC’s California Maki Twister. We only ordered one since we can share it anyway. I haven’t had sushi ever (but I will, soon!!), so I didn’t really know what to expect. Good thing Kien is a sushi guy, so I told him to let me know if it really tasted close to actual California Maki sushi.

  KFC California Maki Twister - CertifiedFoodies.com.jpg
KFC California Maki Twister
Php 86.90 – a li’l expensive for me, but I loved it.

 

When I took my first bite, the mango filling gushed out of my half of the Twister. It was so good, I can eat another one without feeling guilty. Might need women’s weight loss pills afterwards, though. Hahaha. But, seriously, I loved it!

  What's inside KFC's California Maki Twister - Mangoes, cucumber, wasabi - CertifiedFoodies.com.jpg
What’s inside KFC’s California Maki Twister – Mangoes, cucumber, wasabi

 

The KFC California Maki Twister is made up of cucumber, mango and a hint of wasabi wrapped in a toasted tortilla. Kien said it tasted close to the sushi version. That made me want to try sushi on our next food trip. Woohoo!

Again, KFC didn’t fail my tastebuds. I was quite full after everything we ate. It was like our last supper / meal before we start on our “gradual” diet. But, for now, I am really craving for another KFC California Maki Twister!

 

Have you tried KFC’s California Maki Twister already?

What do you think? Let me know if you enjoyed it, too.

Enjoy!

Written by blankpixels

Continue reading KFC’s California Maki Twister and BBQ Rods

Chocolatey Goodness + Gone Chocco, THE Blog for Chocolate Lovers

I am a chocolate lover. Wait, let me rephrase that. I’m a DARK chocolate lover. But, I still enjoy other kinds of chocolates. Just like what we see in movies and on TV, chocolate is a mood-booster for me. It’s still my choice of comfort food.

  Dark Chocolate - CertifiedFoodies.com
Dark Chocolate – CertifiedFoodies.com
Photo credit: Sense & Serendipity

 

I had the chance to try different chocolates over the past years. Most recently, I’ve had these two new additions to the list of my favorite chocolates – Lindt Pistachio and Ritter Sport Dark Whole Hazelnuts – and, my long-time favorite, Ferrero Rocher.

Lindt Pistachio Chocolate - CertifiedFoodies.com
Lindt Pistachio Chocolate
I love that the chocolate is soft and the pistachio gives it a li’l crunch.
  Ritter Sport Dark Whole Hazelnuts - CertifiedFoodies.com
Ritter Sport Dark Whole Hazelnuts
I usually don’t like chocolate with nuts, but I enjoyed this.
  Ferrero Rocher Chocolates - CertifiedFoodies.com
Ferrero Rocher Chocolates
Different variants. I enjoyed the dark chocolate the most.

 

I know, some people may say I might need acne products for eating lots of chocolates. But, you should know that chocolates actually are rich in antioxidants called flavonoids that are known to improve the heart’s health. I guess that’s why eating chocolates is comforting.

I prefer dark chocolate over any other kind of chocolate. I love the bittersweet taste and I’m not really a fan of milk and chocolate. Dark chocolate is my favorite comfort food. I also prefer enjoying a plain bar of dark choco, without nuts or anything crunchy mixed, while enjoying movies at home or writing a blog. I’m trying to lessen my cravings for it since I’m trying to lose weight, so I limit myself to one li’l square of chocolate every now and then.

A few of the more affordable dark chocolate I’ve tried are from Hershey’s, Meiji and Goya. Of the 3, I love Hershey’s the most.

  Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate - CertifiedFoodies.com
Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate
Photo credit: Meals and Miles

 

And, back in high school, I got so addicted to this very affordable milk chocolate – Lala. It only sells at about Php 8.00 now at the market. It brings back a lot of memories for me.

  Lala Milk Chocolate - CertifiedFoodies.com
Lala Milk Chocolate
The more affordable alternative.

 

Gone Chocco – THE Blog for Chocolate Lovers!

While I was doing my daily rounds of bloghopping, I came across this blog that just melted my heart. As soon as I landed on this blog, I quickly browsed through past posts and I can’t believe at how much chocolately goodness I found. The blog I’m talking about is Gone Chocco.

Gone Chocco - The Ultimate Chocolate Lover Blog - CertifiedFoodies.com

The author, Kath Lockett, is the ultimate chocolate lover. And browsing through her blog, reading how she describes or reviews the chocolates she’s tried, really makes me want to try everything she’s featured on Gone Chocco. Really mouth-watering, especially the way she takes photos of the chocolates. Here are a few of the chocolates she featured on her blog that I’d love to try. I wonder where I can buy them here or if they’re even available here in the Philippines.

  Lindt Dark Chocolate Bars - Photos from GoneChocco.com - CertifiedFoodies.com
Lindt Dark Chocolate Bars
Photo credit: Gone Chocco

 

  Choceur Chocolate Bars - Photos from GoneChocco.com - CertifiedFoodies.com
Choceur Chocolate Bars
Photo credit: Gone Chocco

 

 

What’s your favorite chocolate?

Thanks for reading!Written by blankpixels

Chef Ramsay and Hell’s Kitchen Season 8

Chef Gordon Ramsey Hell's Kitchen - CertifiedFoodies.com

Renowned Chef Gordon Ramsay‘s cooking reality TV series Hell’s Kitchen is on its eighth (8th) season and it seems that the show is getting worse everytime. And that’s a compliment.

Even though Hell’s Kitchen is full of Chef Ramsay’s cursing and yelling, I enjoy it because of the food and cooking. When I started watching this series, I gotten familiar with some fine dining dishes that I haven’t heard of or might not even be interested in if they weren’t cooked in the show. One of them is risotto, which I’m planning on preparing myself at home.

For Season 8 of Hell’s Kitchen, there was this introduction in the first episode where they showed a couple of the aspiring chefs in their own elements, inside their restaurants. For the first time, I believed that the contestants are actual chefs in an established restaurant. They never did that in the past seasons so I’m glad they included an introduction for the new chefs.

  LA Market in Los Angeles, Hell's Kitchen Season 8 - CertifiedFoodies.com
LA Market in downtown Los Angeles – WInner will be head chef here.

 

There are 16 chefs vying for the title of head chef. This time, the winner will be the head chef of the multi-million dollar restaurant L.A. Market in LA Live complex in downtown Los Angeles. That’s a biggy because the salary of the head chef is at $250,000! Wow, right!? Plus, the winner will be the official spokesperson of Rosemount Estate Winery. A lot is at stake, really.

Sabrina Brimhall - Hell's Kitchen Season 8 - CertifiedFoodies.com
Sabrina Brimhall – craziest female chef this season.

 

I’ve only watched the first episode, but I can already see how crazier this season is, especially because of the chefs competing this time. Take for instance Sabrina. She’s a li’l slow, and I don’t understand why she chose to wear high heels on the first day when it’s already expected they’ll be cooking their signature dishes. Then, she goes and yawns rather loudly and didn’t even know that Chef Ramsay was being sarcastic towards her. LOLz.

  Raj Brandston - Hell's Kitchen Season 8 - CertifiedFoodies.com
Raj Brandon – was it all the stress or he’s a bit cuckoo or something?

Then, there’s Raj. I had high hopes for this guy when I first saw him during the intro. But, he’s a li’l cuckoo, if you know what I mean. In a cute way though. I guess it’s because of all the stress and the nerves of being in Hell’s Kitchen. In fact, one of the women already was out of the season even before the service started. Antonia, she passed out and was shaking all over. Ahhh.. the things stress can do to you.

  Jillian Flathers - Hell's Kitchen Season 8 - CertifiedFoodies.com
Jillian Flathers – so far, the only sane member of the women’s team.

 

So far, the only chef I’m rooting for is Jillian. I don’t like that she likes Sabrina, but Jillian seems to be the only sane woman out there. A lot of the chefs already made careless, and most of the time, stupid mistakes like Trev overdressing the salad (Sheesh! Even I don’t commit such a thing!), Boris mimicking Chef Ramsay (Did you see that? What’s wrong with him?! LOL), and then, there’s Antonia who didn’t even taste her food before she served it to Chef Ramsay.

  Hell's Kitchen Season 7 - CertifiedFoodies.com
  A scene from last season of Hell’s Kitchen.

 

Watching the show the first time a couple of seasons ago scared me a li’l. Why? Imagine this – chefs arguing while there are a lot of sharp objects and knives around them, hot ovens, pots and pans. I guess they went through psychological screening or something to prepare them for everything they’re going to endure during their running on the show.

I also wonder why there are still people who are dining in Hell’s Kitchen. Did they pay to dine in there or were they invited? I mean, I love Chef Ramsay so I’m guessing that’s one of the reasons why they still come to Hell’s Kitchen. I just can’t imagine enjoying a meal while I’m hearing cursing, a lot of yelling and food being thrown out in the kitchen. Can you stand that?! Hehehe.

Hell’s Kitchen is not really for everybody. But, to tell you the truth, I learned a thing or two while watching this series from Chef Gordon Ramsay himself like how to properly cook pasta so it won’t be too saggy (I love it really soft vs al dente), how to devein shrimps (I normally just take the shell out hehehe), and a lot more.

Egg Station Tokneneng : Street Food Goodness

Have you ever had Tokneneng, one of the famous street food here in the Philippines? Tokneneng is usually quail eggs (itlog ng pugo) coated with orange-colored batter, deep-fried to crispiness. Some may say it’s actually chicken eggs and they’re bigger, but the tokneneng I know and love are the small ones. I know how to cook tokneneng at home. It’s very simple, really. I mostly use sweet chili sauce with it, but I’m not that satisfied. The deep-fried eggs aren’t really flavorful since it’s just plain eggs, so the secret to good tokneneng is to enjoy it with rich, sweet and mildly spicy sauce.

  Egg Station at Victory Mall in Monumento - best tokneneng sauce I've ever had! - CertifiedFoodies.com
  Egg Station at Victory Mall in Monumento

My favorite store that sells tokneneng is Egg Station. We never fail to drop by their stall in Victory Mall in Monumento. I love, love, love their sauces. There’s even this one time that we took more sauce than we needed when we had tokneneng for takeout just so we can try to recreate it at home. *LoL*

  Egg Station sauces on the side - CertifiedFoodies.com
Different choices of Egg Station sauces on the side

We discovered Egg Station one time when we were checking out the mattress salesin Monumento. I like their setup – you order and they have small plastic bowls covered with plastic bags for your orders. They have containers of sauces on each side of their stall. They even have this small table where customers can sit their bowls and eat away.

  Egg Station Price list - tokneneng is itlog ng pugo, penoy, balut, etc. - CertifiedFoodies.com
Egg Station Price list

Their prices are the cheapest I’ve seen. You get 4 pieces of tokneneng for only Php 10.00. You can order 1 piece of balutthat’s also coated and deep-fried for the same price.

  Egg Station sells tokneneng, kikiam, one day old chicken, balut, penoy, squid balls, siomai, etc. - CertifiedFoodies.com
  Egg Station sells tokneneng, kikiam, one day old chicken, balut, penoy, squid balls, siomai, etc.

They also sell penoy, one-day old chicken (awww… poor li’l things *LOL*), kikiam, squid balls, chicken balls and siomai. They have available drinks, too, selling at Php 12.00 a cup. But, we usually just buy tokneneng from them with lots of sauce. Hehehe.

  Egg Station product display - CertifiedFoodies.com
Egg Station street food goodness

I’ll try to recreate their sauce here at home and I’ll share the recipe with you. Might come in handy when we finally open our own carinderiaor eatery here at home.

  Tokneneng from Egg Station - CertifiedFoodies.com
Tokneneng from Egg Station

Do you have your own recipe of tokneneng sauce you’d want me to try? Please share them with me at the comments section. If you posted it on your blog, leave the link and will post it here. Thanks!

Red Ribbon’s Chocolate Fudge Cake

I know we all have had those moments in our lives when the only thing that we needed was some comfort food to warm our souls. The food that we would crave for may be different on person-to-person basis, but they all serve the same purpose: to make you feel like it’s summer on a gloomy and rainy day.

Whenever I feel sad, or sometimes frustrated, I always turn to food to console me. Sweet and buttery things, to be specific. There’s this feeling of healing whenever I stuff my mouth with sweet foods, especially chocolates! Scientists would even explain that there are chemicals in the chocolate that stimulate the body to produce endorphins or something that the body creates to make you feel happy, basically.

I am a big fan of Red Ribbon’s cakes and when I found out about their new Chocolate Fudge Cake and saw a photo of the actual cake. I was like, “OMG! That’s comfort food galore right there!”. I’m hoping I’d get a taste of it real soon. It’s Red Ribbon so there’s no doubt that it’s very delicious.

  Red Ribbon's new Chocolate Fudge Cake - CertifiedFoodies.com
  Red Ribbon’s new Chocolate Fudge Cake

 

Red Ribbon’s all new Chocolate Fudge Cake is now available nationwide. It’s available in regular size at Php 460.00, and Junior size at Php 275.00

 

P.S.
I even wrote a song about this cake.
“I love chocolate. I love cake. Put them together, it’s chocolate cake!”
Real catchy, eh?

 

‘Til next time!
Written by Kien

Strawberry Sinigang?!

Update: Our nanay prepared her own Strawberry Sinigang recipe.

After seeing posts from a couple of bloggers who were invited to stay at one of the hotels in Baguio, I am now desperate to go back there for at least a week’s stay. I so miss Baguio because of the weather, the tourist spots, shopping, and, of course, strawberries!

  Fresh Strawberries - CertifiedFoodies.com
  I can have fresh strawberries for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Anytime!!

 

I love, love, love strawberries. I kinda dislike strawberry-flavored food, but, I love actual strawberries. The last time we were in Baguio, we weren’t able to buy a lot of it ’cause my mom prefers strawberry jam. The next time we go there, I’ll make sure we buy at least a kilo of it so I can enjoy fresh strawberries at home.

Going back to the bloggers who went to Baguio recently, one of the most talked about food amongst them is the Strawberry Sinigang. When I first read it from one of their tweets and on Plurk, I was like, “Seriously?!”

  Strawberry Sinigang - Photo by EntrepreMom.info
Strawberry Sinigang
Photo by EntrepreMom

 

I love Sinigang. It’s a very popular Philippine soup that’s sour in flavor. It’s usually cooked with tamarind (sampaloc), but, some use green/raw mangoes and guava (bayabas). So, discovering that people in Baguio actually cook their sinigang with fresh strawberries was really something for me. I want a taste of it!

I’m really intrigued because strawberries have a li’l taste of tangy sweetness to it. I would love to make strawberry sinigang at home when I find fresh strawberries in the grocery. I heard from the bloggers that it’s not the season yet for strawberries so I might have difficulty buying some good bunch of them at the market. But, I swear, I want to try it. I might just end up having a taste of it in Baguio when we go there next time so I can really enjoy the authentic taste of strawberry sinigang from people who are already experts in preparing it.

I wonder when we’ll be able to return to Baguio. We’re planning on visiting my mother’s childhood friend, who now lives with her family in Baguio, this December. I know I would need my cashmere sweaters when we do ’cause it’ll be really cold up there. But, definitely, a serving of freshly cooked strawberry sinigang will make me warm in no time.

Have you already tried strawberry sinigang?

How was it? Let me know at the comments section.

 

In case you’re wondering where you can find or get a taste of strawberry sinigang, I know for sure that Mines View Hotel serves it. Let me know if you know of other places in Baguio that serves this.

 

Enjoy!

Written by blankpixels

Max’s Delivery in the Philippines through BDO Remit

BDO Remit and Max's Restaurant - CertifiedFoodies.comMax’s Restaurant, one of the country’s leading fast-casual dining restaurants, recently sealed an agreement with BDO Unibank Inc. through its remittance service brand BDO Remit. The partnership pioneers a Food Remittance Delivery Service that will benefit Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families in the Philippines.

Through BDO Remit, OFWs can now surprise their loved ones by sending them their favorite Max’s dishes here at home, in the Philippines. To do so, they just need to visit any BDO Remit office in HongKong, Macau, USA, Italy, Germany or any of the bank’s participating remittance partners in Asia, Middle East North America and Europe.

The meal packages are good for 5, 10 and 20 people. This is available for delivery to Metro Manila and selected provincial areas. For non-serviceable areas, the beneficiaries or the OFWs families may dine in instead at their preferred Max’s branch or enjoy Max’s meals at home.

Jim Fuentebella, Max's Vice President for Corporate Marketing & Genie T. Gloria of BDO- CertifiedFoodies.com

“This is our way of paying tribute to hardworking Filipinos abroad. Through this initiative with BDO, Filipinos overseas can now surprise their loved ones by sending their favorite Max’s dishes to their families even if they’re far away from home,” said Jim T. Fuentebella, Max’s Vice President for Corporate Marketing.

“Through our expanded food remittance services, we can help Filipinos abroad reach out to their families in the Philippines.” said BDO’s First Vice President and Head of Remittance Domestic Operations Genie T. Gloria.

Bake & Churn Ice Cream Cakes : My New Favorite!

I love ice cream and I love cakes. And these 2 combined is just heavenly! The first time I’ve had a slice of ice cream cake was back in Cebu. Since then, I was looking forward to the next time I’ll enjoy another slice of its yumminess. I know of Dairy Queen‘s ice cream cakes, but, I was looking for a more affordable alternative. And, thank goodness for Bake & Churn Ice Cream Cakes!

Bake & Churn Ice Cream Cakes mini-store at Malabon Citisquare - CertifiedFoodies.com

Last time we went grocery-shopping at Malabon Citisquare, I was surprised to see that Bake & Churn has their own stall inside the grocery. I actually had a pint of my favorite Vanilla ice cream in my grocery cart, but, I immediately changed my mind and decided to try one of Bake & Churn’s ice cream cakes.

Bake & Churn offers a wide range of choices of ice cream cakes. I was a bit skeptical if I’m going to like it, so, I picked the safest choice – the chocolate ice cream cake! Just look at their other flavors.

Bake & Churn Ice Cream Cakes - the choices - CertifiedFoodies.com

You can opt to buy a slice or a whole ice cream cake. The prices are very reasonable and affordable, if you ask me. You can try a slice of their cake for Php 40-50. I chose to buy a whole Bake & Churn’s Classic Ice Cream Log for only Php 199.00. Nice, eh?

Continue reading Bake & Churn Ice Cream Cakes : My New Favorite!

Lunch at Best Friends in Monumento

We’ve been meaning to eat at Best Friends in Monumento and we only got to finally do it a few weeks ago. Their branches are open 24 hours a day, so, I’ve dined at some of Best Friends branches all over Metro Manila back in the days when I used to party late at night. *grin* So, in case you crave or want to eat late at night, you can drop by the nearest Best Friends branch for a hearty meal.

Best Friends branch in Monumento - CertifiedFoodies.com
Best Friends in Monumento – Open 24 hours!

 

What I love about Best Friends aside from their operating hours is that their prices are very affordable and the quality of their food has been pretty consistent across all their branches I’ve dined in. Some people, though, might not be comfortable eating at a very open area, but it’s actually one of the things I liked about them.

Dining area inside Best Friends in Monumento - CertifiedFoodies.com
Dining area inside Best Friends

 

One of the famous dishes on Best Friends menu is their Beef Pares. So, of course, it’s one of the dishes we ordered. But, they have a wide range of dishes on their menu.

Continue reading Lunch at Best Friends in Monumento

Wild Willy’s Real American Chicharrones – New Tasty Snack!

Here’s another great-tasting snack that we discovered. I know all of you would love it, too – Wild Willy’s Real American Chicharrones!

  Wild Willy's Real American Chicharrones from Leslie's Snacks - CertifiedFoodies.com
Wild Willy’s Real American Chicharrones – new snacks from Leslie’s

 

Wild Willy’s is the latest product from the company that gave us our all-time favorites Clover Chips, Cheezy and Nacho. So, when we discovered Wild Willy’s at the grocery and found out they’re from Leslie’s Snacks, we decided to try them out.

  Wild Willy's Real American Chicharrones - Made with Premium Quality US Pork Rinds - CertifiedFoodies.com
Real American Chicharrones made with Premium Quality U.S. Pork Rinds

 

I was completely intrigued by the description on the package. It says “real American chicharrones” and that it’s “made with premium quality U.S. pork rinds“. I’m a chicharon lover, so, I was pretty excited to try this new snack. I was a bit skeptical at first because I thought it’ll just be plain chicharon that was just given a fancy packaging and all.

Well, guess what, I was surprised. Actually, all of us were surprised – Kien, Mai and both my parents enjoyed it so much! Definitely not your ordinary chicharon. We still had stock of Marty’s vegetarian chicharon, so, I got to compare it with this new snack – not as tasty as Wild Willy’s, trust me.

Continue reading Wild Willy’s Real American Chicharrones – New Tasty Snack!