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Starbucks 2014 Planner

The new Starbucks Planner 2014 was unveiled to online media outfits last night at one of Starbucks Philippines’ landmark branches – Starbucks 6750. Last year, we gave you 13 reasons why you should get the Starbucks Planner 2013. A year later today, we’re giving you 14 interesting facts I know you’d be happy to know about the upcoming Starbucks 2014 Planner tomorrow – Nov 2.

14 Interesting Facts About the New 2014 Starbucks Planner:

1. This year’s Starbucks Planners 2014 come in 4 symbolic colors: Black, Magenta (Red), Brown, and the surprising Yellow. The Yellow from the Blonde Roast, Brown from the Medium Roast, Magenta from the Dark Roast, and the Black for Starbucks Reserve which has yet to come to Philippine shores
   

   Starbucks Planners 2014 Colors : Brown, Magenta, Yellow, Black (Top to Bottom)

2. The symbols and figures on the cover of the Starbucks 2014 Planners are based on Starbucks coffee icons.
3. The 4 metal bookmarks represent four Starbucks Coffee icons: The House Blend, Kape Vinta, Starbucks Cup, and the Coffee Bean. Sorry, you cannot exchange the bookmarks, which means you need to get all 4 planners. 😛
   

   4 Metal Bookmarks: House Blend, Kape Vinta, Bean, and Cup (top to bottom)

4. There are 4 QR Codes scattered on the inside pages of the planner. Scan this and get to view informational videos about Starbucks and their coffee.
5. The side magnetic clip returns! This time, it has has a collage of the Starbucks Stars embossed.
   

   4 QR Codes

   

   Starbucks Stars-embossed Magnetic Clip

6. The planner has a portrait layout for the calendar entries.
7. The free stickers page has the same coffee icons found on the cover of your Starbucks Planner (see No. 2). This is the first time a Starbucks planner will contain a page of stickers.
   

   Starbucks Planner Stickers 

   

   Starbucks Planner Coupons

8. The 2014 Starbucks Planner has 14 promotional coupons this 2014 in contrast to last years’ 13 (2013). How many coupons do you think would the Starbucks 2015 Planner have? 🙂
   

   Starbucks Promotions

9. You need 18 stickers/stamps to get your free Starbucks Planner 2014 this year, in contrast to last year’s 17. I’m already guessing 19 stickers for Starbucks Planner 2015. 😛
10. Collect stickers starting November 2 until January 8, 2014. With 8 weeks, this means purchasing the Starbucks beverages on the average of at least twice a week plus Christmas Day and the New Year. I’ll bet though the deadline will be extended come January 2014. 😛
11. Don’t have the patience to collect 18 stickers? A classmate of mine back in high school who is now a doctor bought P5,000 worth of GCs which you can use to purchase anything in Starbucks. As a result, she got an instant Starbucks 2014 Planner! Plus you don’t need to consume all the GCs within the 2 months period.
12. Load or Reload your Starbucks Card with P5000 worth of load from Nov 2- Jan 8 and get an instant 2014 Starbucks Planner. If you put it the other way around, it’s like buying or putting a P5,000 price on your Starbucks Planner and getting P5,000 worth of Starbucks beverages/items for free.
    

    Starbucks Planner Inside Pages

    

    Starbucks Planner Design

13. Buy using the Starbucks Card, you get your Starbucks Stars with every purchase, and you also GET your Starbucks stickers for the planner! Double benefit!
14. On November 2 only, the first 300 customers in all Starbucks Philippines branches nationwide get one free sticker! This means your first purchase gets 2 stickers by default!

2014 Starbucks Planner

So which among the 14 facts struck you best or you found most interesting? Which among the 4 Starbucks Planner 2014 colors are you getting? Which one do you think will sell most?

It’s the coffee planner and journal season once again! As the Christmas season starts early in the Philippines, Seattle’s Best Coffee, revealed their Seattle’s Best Coffee Dream Journal 2014 as early as October sometime last week.

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KFC Cheezy Bacon Fest

No flowery words needed, cheezified and baconized blogs will do. Or better yet, have some cheezified fries and baconized burgers!

Well, you can even have ’em both with the new KFC Cheezified & Baconized offerings!

Cheezy Bacon Pasta Bowl (P80)

Drizzle cheese and sprinkle bacon to literally anything and it automatically becomes a crowd favorite!

Pessimist? Then try KFC Philippines‘ Cheezy Bacon Fest and give in to your insatiable craving as the KFC Rice Bowl (top photo) and KFC Pasta Bowl are indulged with creamy cheese sauce and helpings of smoky bacon.

It turns into the Cheezy Bacon Rice Bowl (P90) and Cheezy Bacon Pasta Bowl (P80), respectively. Have your KFC’s Original Recipe Chicken Fillet covered with Cheese Sauce and Bacon bits on top.

Moreover, KFC snacks such as the Twister (P85), Chik’n Fillet, Bucket of Fries and the Zinger were also delightfully cheezified and baconized.

Cheezy Bacon Zinger (P105) – KFC’s Original Zinger with Sliced Cheese and Bacon Strips

Cheezy Bacon Chik’n Fillet (P50) – Original Recipe Chicken Fillet sandwich with Cheese Sauce and Bacon Bits

Cheezy Bacon Bucket of Fries (P75)

NomNom Club‘s favorite though is the Cheezy Bacon Bucket of Fries where the signature KFC Fries is loaded with Cheese Sauce and Bacon Bits for P75. I bet you’ll surely enjoy this.

My second favorite is how the classic mashed potato was made more enjoyable with cheese sauce and bacon bits as toppings. The Cheezy Bacon Mashed Potato costs P29 for the regular size and P49 for the large one.

Cheezy Bacon Mashed Potato

Cheezify & Baconize Anything

You can actually go beyond the above-mentioned KFC meals and snacks and go about cheezifying and baconizing anything on the KFC menu according to your fancy for an additional P30.

As you can see, I tried adding some cheese and bacon bits to my favorite blueberry krushers (I called it Blue Bacon)! It wasn’t actually my best idea but hey, I am adventurous enough to try something wild! YOLO! 😛

Cheezified & Baconized Blueberry Krushers

You can come up with your own crazy combinations as well! Check KFC on Twitter/Facebook @KFCPhilippines / www.facebook.com/kfcphilippines for some crafty ideas.

Which KFC snack or meal, do you think would be possible to cheezify or baconize? 🙂

26th Bistro CBT

More commonly known as ‘CBTL’, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf turns 50 this 2013 with an extraordinary celebration. Going beyond being the pioneer of the original ice blended drinks and the first to offer tea lattes, CBTL recently unveiled its latest unique dining concept by the name “26th St. Bistro by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf”.

Dipping its fingers into the full-service restaurant industry, CBTL intends to deliver ‘#everydayextraordinary’ dining experiences to its customers through its everyday meals that are of high quality while maintaining affordable prices.

Salmon Fishcake

The #EverydayExtraordinary Dinner

This is exactly what we experienced last week when NomNom Club was invited together with a long table full of food writers and bloggers. We got to try taste-sized servings of some of the best of what their menu has to offer, from soup to dessert.

Salmon Fishcakes with Greens

We started with a medium-sized salad plate of Salmon Fishcakes with Greens (P345). The basic mixed greens was complemented well with the balsamic vinaigrette while the pan-fried Norwegian salmon cakes with smoked paprika aioli beside it was cooked just right.

I started the meal right as it turned out later on that this was my favorite dish of the night.

Salmon Fishcakes with Greens

Wild Mushroom Soup

The appetizer was followed by a good serving of Wild Mushroom soup (P225). I’m not so much a fan of mushroom soups but this one was good. It’s flavorful concoction was due to the fact that it was a combination of button, portobello, and shiitake mushrooms. The latter dominated the taste.

Wild Mushroom Soup

Tiger Prawn & Shiitake Mushroom Linguine

The entrees was started by the Tiger Prawn & Shiitake Mushroom Linguine (P395) which is a white sauce-based linguine pasta served with seared tiger prawns and shiitake mushrooms. I love prawns and needless to say, the dish was gone in a dash.

Hanging Tender Steak with Potato Gratin & Marsala

From light to heavy, the second dish – Hanging Tender Steak with Potato Gratin & Marsala (P475) – will fill your craving for meat as the pan-roasted steak was fork-tender. Completing the dish was potato gratin and marsala sauce on the side.

Hanging Tender Steak with Potato Gratin & Marsala

Chocolate Lava a la Mode

Chocolate Lava a la Mode

With the series of good food, my expectations for my well-anticipated dessert/s was high. Sadly, similar to another food blogger across the table, it fell short as we expected the Chocolate Lava a la Mode (P235) to be more moist with some actual ‘chocolate lava’ at the center.

Nonetheless, the chocolate cake was generally ‘ok,’ The others had the apple crumble a la mode.

Breakfast. Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks

The 26th St. Bistro by The CBTL caters to the whole day foodie from breakfast to lunch and dinner, including in between snacks and coffee. The restaurant is brimming with yuppies and executives from surrounding buildings and offices around Bonifacio Global City (BGC).

Pepper being added to the Tiger Prawn & Shiitake Mushroom Linguine

For breakfast, I’d like to try the following soon: Toblerone Pancakes with Salted Caramel and Peach Stuffed French Toast, savory Steak & Eggs and Smoked Salmon Florentine, and the Tapsilog-inspired Filipino breakfast served with U.S. Angus Beef Tapa and Baked Pesto Tomato.

The lunch and dinner menu has a selection of light and heavy salads, soups, pastas and entrees including Spinach and Blue Cheese Farfalle, Slow Roasted Braised Beef Short Ribs, and Lamb Chops with Ratatouille and Rosemary Marble Potatoes.

They also have an expanded range of sandwiches including the vegetarian option Portobello Mushroom Ciabatta.

For desserts, I look forward to trying the Pannacotta Sampler paired with a cup of hot African Sunrise tea, the decadent Turtle Pie, Apple Crumble ala mode, and any of the Chicago–Blueberry–Toblerone–Triple Decker family of cheesecakes in my next visit.

Of course they also serve the signature CBTL coffee and tea beverages plus imported wines and beers.

The 26th St. Bistro distinguishes itself from the usual Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf branches with its larger and more comfortable dining area, as expected from a full-service restaurant. The ambiance is also upscale while maintaining the relaxed atmosphere.

#EverydayExtraordinary @ 26th St. Bistro by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

26th St. Bistro by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
26th St. corner 5th Avenue
Bonifacio Global City
Twitter/Instagram: @CBTLph

Everyday Extraordinary Colors of the CBTL

Join their tagline and share your #everydayextraordinary experience in Facebook, Twitter or Instagram whenever you visit the 26th Street Bistro. They also have a branch for those in the Ortigas business district at the East Wing, 5th Level of the Shangri-La Plaza Mall.

Chef Christopher Gallaga

If an all-American buffet sound good to you, then you should waste no time in trooping down to Diamond Hotel at the heart of Manila City.

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For those who haven’t heard it yet, there is an ongoing foodie craze which originated from Dominique Ansel in New York a few months ago and has now hit Philippine shores – Cronuts, a wordplay of ‘croissant‘ and ‘doughtnuts‘.

Krispy Kreme Baked Creations

Krispy Kreme seemingly gave in to peer pressure as the cravings for cronuts has reached hyped levels. We first heard about it from WildFlour Cafe in BGC. Dunkin’ Donuts, Chatime, InterContinental Manila, and Dolcelatte, among others, immediately followed.

The Hot Light Girl came up with their own Krispy Kroissant released as their newest Baked Creations member. The Krispy Kroissant joins the sweetness of croissant and the fancy flavors of doughnuts / donuts.

They started serving it just today – August 15, 2013 – in all Luzon-based Krispy Kreme branches. Similar to other restaurants offering cronuts, it is available only within a limited time frame of 10am to 2pm.

4 Variants of the Krispy Kroissants: Apple Cinnamon (lower left), Chocolate (middle), Vanilla Cream (lower right), and Strawberry (the red one).

Krispy Kreme Cronut Craze!

Krispy Kreme Cronut Flavors

The Baked Creation Krispy Kroissant comes in 4 flavorful variants including the Apple Cinnamon with caramelized cinnamon sugar.

The second one is the Chocolate variant. It is topped with Belgian Chocolate ganache which would surely tickle the fancy of chocolate lovers.

The other two cronut flavors are Strawberry and my favorite – the Vanilla Cream.

I surmise that the Vanilla Cream is somehow the equivalent of the Original Glaze as it is also dipped in sugar glaze.

Furthermore,  it is complemented by the sumptuous vanilla cream in the middle in character of the famous cronuts.

Krispy Kreme Krispy Kroissant Price

Are Cronuts Just Fads? What do you think? Share with us your thoughts in the comments section!

Vanilla Cream Krispy Kreme Kroissant

So if you think you’ve tried all the cronuts around, then the Krispy Kreme Krispy Kroissant should also be on your list. It is affordable compared to other cronuts at only P55 each.

It’s a journey from East to West as Starbucks Philippines introduces a cool twist to their Green Tea and Dark Mocha Frappuccino – they infused it with White Chocolate Pudding!

Starbucks Green Tea White Chocolate Pudding Frappuccino

Green Tea & Dark Mocha White Chocolate Pudding Starbucks Frappuccino

Starting today, all Starbucks Philippines store will be offering their newest pair of blended beverage called Green Tea White Chocolate Pudding Starbucks Frappuccino and the Dark Mocha White Chocolate Pudding Starbucks Frappuccino.

Green Tea White Chocolate Pudding Starbucks Frappuccino

I love the added soft and chewy texture of the white chocolaty pudding to the Green Tea Frappuccino which lends it an extra decadent taste to the oriental take of the Green Tea Frap.

Topped with whipped cream, a Tall serving is at P 180 while the Grande is at ₱190. Venti comes at P200. I say get the Venti with a small addition to maximize the enjoyment,

Dark Mocha White Chocolate Pudding Starbucks Frappuccino

At first thought, the White Chocolate Pudding Dark Mocha Frap would sound like an overdose of chocolate. Given the dark mocha frap, adding more chocolate, albeit white, seem to be overdoing it.

Starbucks Dark Mocha White Chocolate Pudding Frappuccino

But hold that judgement and test it to the taste. I was not disappointed as the beverage came out to be a good combination as well. If you think about it, the white chocolate pudding is soft and does not provide an overwhelming white chocolate taste hence complementing the dark mocha in a good way.

Chocolate lovers would find the combination of the dark chocolate and smooth white chocolate pudding to satisfy their chocolate cravings. It is also combined with Starbucks roast coffee, dark cocoa, chocolate chips, and milk blended with ice and topped with whipped cream and chocolate powder.

P10 more than the Green Tea counterpart, the Dark Mocha variant costs : Tall – P190, Grande- ₱200, Venti – ₱210)

Newest Starbucks Frappuccinos with White Chocolate Pudding

Verdict:

As much as the Dark Mocha is good, I’m settling for my good ‘ol refreshing Green Tea frap enhanced by the goodness of my white chocolate pudding.

Try it now as it is only available from today until September 9, 2013.

Buy One, Get One

Check out Starbucks Philipines’ Facebook App: SNAP OF THE WEEK from today until August 8, 2013 (my birthday) where fans will be asked to upload photos based on a weekly theme via the Facebook application.

Chosen photos will be winners of various Starbucks items and merchandise.

Starbucks Philipines is also now on Instagram! Check them out at @OfficialStarbucksPH. I’m at @JonelUy. 🙂

But wait, there’s more! 🙂

Starbucks Dark Mocha and Green Tea White Chocolate Pudding Frappuccino Blended Beverages is offered today on Buy One, Get One promo only from 2pm to 5pm in any Starbucks store in the philippines!

New Starbucks Frappuccino: Dark Mocha White Chocolate Pudding and Green Tea White Chocolate Pudding

So which one is your favorite Starbucks Frappuccino – the Green Tea White Chocolate Pudding or the Dark Mocha White Chocolate Pudding?

A bonfire is not only found at the beach front encircled by a group of people for an activity, it is also a new restaurant where people can gather for a simple get-together or a  celebration.

Bonfire Restaurant

Replacing Sumosam at the Greenhills Town Center, Bonfire Restaurant opened just a few months ago offering straightforward comfort-food. Although they are slowly getting known for their steaks and baby back ribs, I love them for their pizza more.

Here is a straightforward list of Bonfire dishes you shouldn’t miss: at Bonfire Restaurant

1. Shrimp, Mango, and Alfalfa Salad

Start your meal right with the Shrimp, Mango, and Alfalfa Salad (P185) as appetizer. It’s a handful toss of fresh shrimp, mango, and alfalfa salad combination good for 2 persons. It will clean your palette ready for the main dishes.

Shrimp, Mango, Alfalfa Salad

2. All-in-One Pizza

The All-in-One Pizza is similar to the super supreme pizza which you are familiar with, only better. Topped with ground beef, olives, button mushrooms, bell pepper, and more, It’s a really tasty treat priced at P340 per serving.

All-in-One Pizza

3. Bonfire Grilled Chicken Pizza

And when you thought you already had All-in-One Pizza above, it just gets better with the Bonfire Grilled Chicken Pizza (P295). The chicken strips complemented well with the cheese on thin crust highlighted by the brown sauce you can see from the photo. I wasn’t able to confirm though if this was some kind of barbecue-related sauce.

Moreover, it was odd to find grapes slices on a pizza but they’re not bad at all. This is actually the flagship dish in this list; at least for me. It was not named after the restaurant for nothing.

Bonfire Grilled Chicken Pizza

4. Pan Seared Creamy Dory and Spinach Fillet

And now for the first main dish – the Pan Seared Creamy Dory and Spinach Fillet. Seemingly shy and covered with crispy spinach leaves, the soft dory came with a rich cream sauce and mashed potatoes on the side.

Although a bit expensive at P305 for its size, the taste and symphony of flavors made it all worthwhile.

Pan Seared Creamy Dory and Spinach Fillet

5. Baby Back Ribs

And now for the big boys, you should not leave Bonfire without having a serving of their Baby Back Ribs. The pork ribs are delightfully tender smothered in rich hickory barbecue sauce. It will remind you of your mother’s home-cooked recipe.

It is also served with mashed potato, sweet corn, and some veggies on the side.This one goes for P385 per serving.

Bonfire Baby Back Ribs

Bonfire Smores

Desserts

A meal is not complete for NomNom Club with out desserts. So we tried Bonfire Smores and Dulce de Leche Cheesecake.

The former had chucks of roasted marshmallows in between graham crackers topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzles of chocolate syrup. P125 per serving.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

I prefer the latter however. Although it is almost doubly expensive at P210, the cheesecake-and-cream melody was almost perfect and light. It was a seemingly suitable ending for the heavy pizza and ribs.

Bonfire
Greenhills Town Center (near Gilmore corner Aurora Blvd)
#2 Granada St., Barangay Valencia, Quezon City

Chef Tristan Encarnacion

Cheers to head chef Tristan Encarnacion of Bonfire restaurant. I’m certainly going back even just for the pizza!