Go Home, Go EAT!

Like every Filipino family, we bond through homemade and authentic Filipino food.

Sunday has come, and this is the only day of the week that my family and I spend the most time together. And to culminate the day, we always try to sit at the dinner table to some good homemade hot meal. This night, Tita made an extra special dinner starring to Filipino favorites - Pancit and Lumpia. 

Although both dishes technically come with a Chinese origin, Filipinos have made a way to make it their own. Our pancit had the usual egg noodles and bihon (thin noodles), baguio beans, carrots, cabbage, and slices of pork belly. And the very yummy lumpia (spring rolls) were modified to contain not only ground pork, but also togue (bean sprouts). 

Hooray!  

Nacho Business!

Knock knock. Who's there? Nacho. Nacho who? NACHO BUSINESS. (BA DUM TSSS). 

I literally can't even with the amazing impromptu jokes I make up. HAHA. 

Here I have a ginormous bag of natural flavored Tostitos, lightly salted and crisp to perfection. And I believe  that every nacho should have a good dip, so we also bought a jar of Tostitos Spinach dip! A yummy and healthy low-calorie dip with real spinach bits and creamy dipping sauce. 

I can easily eat half a bag of this things. HAHA. <3

Mango Lovin' Snackin'.

It's another hot hot hot day out. 

Soooo, the fam decided that the best way to cool off was to get halo-halo. A yummy Filipino dessert which generally consists of shaved ice, milk, sweet beans, gulaman (jelly), sweetened bananas, langka (jackfruit) strips, a spoon of ube, and little crispy nibs. 

One of the best places to get halo-halo would have to be in Mang Inasal. And I have to say that their halo-halo topped with this creamy mango ice cream makes it more Filipino. 

Don't forget to grab some when you get the chance! 

Kisses? Chocolate Kisses?

The shake monster strikes again! 

What is it about malls and the need to drink something while you're window-shopping? Lol. Per usual, I was walking and window-shopping with the fam, and when we saw the Black Pearl stand, I just had to get one. Haha. 

Here I have their Chocolate Kisses shake, gooey chocolate shake with actual bits of chocolate in it. All this in a very affordable and friendly price. ;)

Reduce the Calories, not the Chips.

May I present to all of you . . . 

Finally finally finally. Pringles has made chips that are reduced fat! HAHAHA. Now this makes  me a little less guilty for eating more than the prescribed number of chips. Lol. 

Seriously though, if you guys want a pack of Pringles without feeling like you cheated on your diet plan, you should all go get their new Pringles 25% reduced fat in Original Flavor and Sour Cream. I assure you it's the same tasty chip, only, it's designed to make you feel better about eating it. HAHA. 

Go go go!  

Milk + Tea.

Milk teas have started to become the next trending beverage everywhere. 

For all the people who isn't so keen on caffeine and fraps, milk tea is a definite alternative. And to amp up the game, Cobo has released their "house" milktea, the Cobo Milk Tea blend. Here is a 22oz. yummy blend of milk and tea. And of course, I especially love milk tea with pearls. HAHA. 

Good stuff. 

When It's Dark, It's Good.

Dark chocolate seems to be a recurring theme with M. 

This time, he had a bar of Frey Chocobloc Dark, dark chocolate blocks with bits of nougat at the base. I've always been wary of dark chocolate, what with its slightly bitter taste, buuuuut, I have to admit that the past few months of tasting dark chocolate from various brands changed my mind and my palette. 

Dark chocolate. <3

I'm All For Surprises.

Who doesn't love surprises? Especially if its a chocolate kind of surprise. HAHA. 

I remember that M left me text message telling me to check my table when I arrive at work. And sure enough, at the left side corner of my office table, this KitKat was casually propped up, ready for me to take it and eat it. Lol. 

Thank you for this four-piece KitKat bar, M! ;)

A Taste of La Marea - A Memory of You.

It's been a while since you and I have talked. 

And this is just one of the convos I remember, especially when I drop by at the La Marea booth in SM Cebu. 

Him: You should eat at La Marea. They have this warm brownie with ice cream. It's really good. You'll love it. 

Me: La Marea? I don't think we have that here in Cebu. 

Him: Of course you do! I ate it there when I went to Cebu last year for Sinulog. 

Me: Are you sure? Maybe you've mistaken it for some other place.

Him: I'm sure of it! It's definitely there.

And this argument went on for a good 10 minutes.

Too much memories and too much feels in La Marea's Warm Brownie Cup. [Warm gooey chocolate brownie, topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and chocolate sprinkles]

Anniversary Coffee : The Cafe Coffee Chronicles Part 3

HAPPY 3RD ANNIVERSARY! 

3 years ago, I walked in at the same Starbucks cafe here in Oakridge Business Park, wearing my USC uniform, bringing my thesis papers, and with my good friend Christie. Since this was my first time in cafe - much less a Starbucks - I got what Christie got. 

3 years later, I walk in the same Starbucks, and ordered the same drink. A tall Java Chip Frappuccino. To commemorate this moment, this historical moment when I became slightly addicted to overpriced caffeine. 

So now I'm reposting this, sharing and reliving the moment I crossed over the dark side. Lol. 

Beef Sizzlesss.

Back here at Smokin' Toppings at the SM Consolacion Foodcourt. 

I did tell you that their food here was absolutely delish and at the right price, right? Well if I didn't, then I'm telling you now. HAHA. 

For lunch today, I decided to get their Sizzling Beef with Mushroom meal. At only 75php, you get really tender beef in a mushroom sauce, a healthy serving of white rice, and a side of pancit. And since it's sizzling, it made the entire meal "hotter" - if you know what I mean. HAHAHA. 

Anyway, go to the nearest Smokin' Toppings and experience their sizzling meals!

Really Chili, REALLY.

Another new resto tried with M this afternoon. 

On the left wing of JCentre Mall, a new Korean-themed food kiosk called Masitta, The Delicious Fooshoppe was ready for service. And by the looks of it, quite a lot of people were enjoying their food. 

Masitta, as it is now commonly called, serves a variety of Korean instant noodles. There was definitely a lot of flavors to try here. But for my maiden order, I got their Chili Noodles. 

And yes it was chili noodles alright. Real chili noodles. The best thing about Masitta is that every serving of noodles comes with a side of kimchi and rice. And may I say that their kimchi is by far the best kimchi I have ever tasted. M even got an extra plate of kimchi. Lol. 

Go ahead guys, and try out their noodles! Affordable and delish. ;)

Mango Floating You to Foodgasm.

One word to describe this block of heavenly mango float : FOODGASM. 

Sundate with the fam and Mama ordered us dessert from King Wah at the foodcourt at SM Consolacion. King Wah is a Chinese-themed restaurant partly owned by Mama's boss. That day, she chose to order us each a slice of their Mango Float. 

I cannot even begin to describe how delicious this was. Just the right balance of texture and taste between ripe mangoes, cream, and graham crackers. Each bite was too good to handle. Haha. 

And when I posted this on my Instagram account, it earned 42 likes overnight. The taste must have transcended in its photo and convinced those who saw the photo that this was one hell of a mango float. 

Good news is Mama has decided to order one big tray of King Wah Mango Float for December. Yeeey. 

YEMAst Be The One For Me.

Again, pure genius on my title right there. Lol. 

Tonight Mama brought home a box of yummy Tower Yemas from Manila. Out of all the yemas I have tasted, and even cooked when I was in elementary, these yemas were the best. 

In case you were wondering, yema is a local Filipino custard candy made primarily from egg yolk, condensed milk, and sometimes even peanuts. 

Some yemas that I've tried were too sweet that I always ended up having sore throat or some sort of throat irritation after a few hours. But this Tower Yema was an exception. 

It's really rich and creamy and not overly sweet. 

Baby, It's Dark in Here.

Dark chocolate. 

They say that this variety is the healthiest kind. When most people prefer the classic milk chocolate, I sometimes step out of my milk chocolate comfort zone, and grab myself a dark chocolate bar. And what better brand than Hershey's? Right? 

Well, in this case, I didn't grab this bar, it was handed to me by M. Now, M here is a dark chocolate-eater and he has influenced me piece by piece. 

I admit that this is really good. And that I will voluntarily get myself a dark chocolate bar the next time I'm in a grocery store. 

Try it to believe it. ;)

I Hopia Love Me the Way I Love You!

Admit it. My title is genius. Pure genius. HAHAHA. 

Another delicacy fresh and only found in Manila is the infamous Eng Bee Tin hopia. I once saw a documentary on Rated K - a local TV show - on the inspiring story of how one hopia recipe changed the lives of a normal Chinese family. And sure enough, their hopia did not disappoint. 

Now, ube is my favorite favorite favorite hopia flavior. And Eng Bee Tin just takes it to another level. Super moist crust with rich ube filling. 

If you guys haven't tried this yet, you definitely should. I think this might even revolutionize the hopia market. Lol.

Seriously good tho. 

Eat Like A Dino, Eat Like A T-Rex.

A new resto has opened just a few meters from the office - Tex Rex Texas Style Barbeque. 

As usual, I was curious on how their barbeque differed so I decided to bring along M for lunch to try out their food. When I got there, there was a faint smell of grilled meat, and that was enough to make my stomach grumble. 

I admit that the food was a teeny bit pricey, but I still got myself the Ranch Style Grilled Chicken Leg. Although it looked like just a normal grilled chicken leg, but what made this different was that the meat was really tender and juicy. Also, the marinade used in the chicken was really good. 

Will try more of their menu when I can! 

JCo(ming) Home To Me.

Lately, there's been a lot of talk about a certain doughnut shop, JCo. And you know me, I can never resist trying out a good food fad. Haha. Only problem is, they haven't opened a franchise here in Cebu yet. 

Sooo, when M went to Manila for that week-long seminar, I insisted that he bring home a box or at least a piece of the infamous JCo doughnuts. And that he did. 

To my surprise, it wasn't just a piece, but a whole box of 12 gloriously delicious JCo doughnuts. Each doughnut had a unique flavor and the best part is most of them have a rich filling. Not to mention that the dough itself was moist and fresh. 

I love all the flavors and I love that M made the extra effort of lining up a JCo branch, and bringing them hand-carry style from Manila to Cebu. ;)

Bo and Caramel : The Cafe Coffee Chronicles Part 11

After a week in Manila, M was finally back. 

That day, his flight arrived around late afternoon, so we decided to meet up at a nearby Bo's Coffee shop for a little reunion. Haha. 

As I sat and waited at the far end of the cafe, I got myself this Caramel Latte to keep me warm. Honestly, I wad feeling a little bit under the weather - both physically and emotionally - and the only thing that got me through was this steaming mug of delightful caramel. Your usual creamy latte mixture but made especially delish and unique with the sweetness of caramel will melt your exhaustion away. 

It's been a rough week, and I've had a lot of thinking done about me and M, and I was starting to feel quite unsure. I really don't want to publicly bore you with my personal problems, so I end my post here. 

This is meant to be a happy and encouraging blog to those out there to open up their taste buds to the amazing variety of food. ;)

PS. I loved every warm drop of the Bo's Coffee Caramel Latte. 

Flanning To Tell You Something.

As you may know, I have an attachment to leche flans. 

And as usual, when I saw that Smokin' Toppings had a leche flan in their menu, I knew I had to try one. So, I ordered one serving of their leche flan and let my taste buds be the judge. 

The sweet syrup of the flan was good, but the actual flan itself was not as creamy as I expected it to be. Honestly, it could have been better if there was more eggs into the flan. 

But overall, it was still a good flan. More eggs tho! HAHA.