Entries Tagged 'Greenhills' ↓

Crystal Jade Shanghai Delight

Traditionally, Chinese New Year in the Philippines is celebrated with the colors red and gold. ‘Red’ symbolizes luck in the Chinese culture while ‘gold’ represent prosperity.

But in the new Crystal Jade Shanghai Delight restaurant in Greenhills, you have more colors to celebrate it with care of their multi-flavoured Xiao Long Bao!

New Look

Aside from changing their old name Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao, Crystal Jade Shanghai Delight also revamped its look. In my second visit to the restaurant a few weeks ago with my wife,  I was surprised to know that they had a renovation sometime mid of last year. I didn’t know about it since my first visit was perhaps back in 2012. I felt it was a let down at first since the see-through noodle kitchen was gone. It provided an interesting view from the outside whenever I pass by V-Mall in Greenhills.

New Crystal Jade in V-mall Greenhills

On another thought, the changes were also good in a way that the new ambience was refreshing to the eyes dominated by light purple shades and the skyline of Shanghai on one wall adding to the casual dining experience.

Xiao Long Bao

Xiao Long Bao

Having grown-up in a Chinese family, Xiao Long Bao (a steamed soupy pork dumpling) was a common sight in big family gatherings in Chinese restaurants. But I have never seen a Xiao Long Bao other than its traditional plain and white form. Needless to say, the Multi-colored Xiao Long Bao (Php 229) came as a surprise. 🙂 Wifey and I discovered that the rainbow-colored Xiao Long Bao set was a mix of 5 flavors including Shrimp (orange), Spicy Chicken (dark orange), Spicy Beef (red), Vegetable and Dried Beancurd (green), and interestingly - Cheese (yellow). :) You can mix and match any of the five as a package for only Php 229. One piece is about P49-P59 each. I think this is the only colored Xiao Long Bao in the Philippines.

Multi-Flavored Xiao Long Bao

With a more piqued interest, we just had to try it! 🙂 And so we did. For a spice-averse couple like us, you can easily guess our favorites. The seafood-lover in me cherished the shrimp while wifey went for the cheese. The spicy chicken and beef flavors were tolerable for our standards so you need not worry either. The vegetable and dried beancurd was a good one; it was my second choice, actually.

Yummy Beverages

Crystal Jade Shanghai Delight Menu

Beyond the signature Xiao Long Bao,  Shanghai dishes are mostly represented by La Mian noodles, Tan Tan Mien, Spicy and Sour soup, and sauteed chicken with cashew nuts, among others. Here are some more new and interesting dishes we tried from their menu over lunch.

Braised Pork with preserved vegetable in Claypot (Php 300) [NomNom Recommended]

Lion’s Head – braised minced pork & mushroom with cabbage (Php 358)

Crispy Eel in “Wu Xi” Style [NomNom Top Choice]

Deepfried Mushroom in Salt & Pepper (Php 288)

Mango Pudding (Php 120)

Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Taro (Php 120 3pcs)

We also got a ‘Fried Mixed Rice in Hot Stone Pot‘ (Php 348) but organic red and brown rice is not for everyone. They usually turn out tougher than ordinary rice; so think twice about this. We liked it for it’s health benefits though. Check out our Costales organic farming adventures here.

The Braised Eggplant with Pork in Claypot (Php 300) from the menu looks interesting as well so I think we will try this in our next visit.

Moreover, Crystal Jade is open for breakfast in the morning from 7 to 10:30 a.m with a special breakfast menu. Pair up your favorite dimsum with a bowl of their signature congee or pulled noodle offerings and conclude with a Chinese tea.

Crystal Jade Shanghai Delight
Address: Unit 117-121 Ground Floor, V-Mall, Greenhills
Operations: 7 to 10 p.m. Monday to Sunday
Telephone: (+632) 570-5233 & 570 6910
Website: www.crystaljade.com

Crystal Jade Shanghai Delight also delivers via City Delivery at (02) 87878.

Crystal Jade Shanghai Delight Restaurant

Did you know that Crystal Jade also offers Black Truffle and Foie Gras Xiao Long Bao flavors? 3 pieces cost Php 188. So why not celebrate your colorful Chinese New Year with the family at Crystal Jade Shanghai Delight tomorrow? 🙂

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? 🙂

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!

After almost a year now when it last came out, Starbucks’ Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino is back together with another Starbucks returning favorite – the well-loved Mocha Cookie Crumble Frap.

Starbucks Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino

For the unfortunately unfamiliar, the Mocha Cookie Crumble Frap combines the goodness of Starbucks’ signature roast coffee and the classic Mocha Frappuccino® Blended Coffee. Add to that the lovely chocolate cookie bits.

Starbucks Mocha Cookie Crumble

It is made with rich mocha sauce, vanilla syrup, milk and ice, topped with chocolate whipped cream, chocolate drizzle and a dash of cookie crumble. Price starts at P170 for the tall size, P180 for grande, and P190 for venti.

Now, for my second all-time favorite (after Hojicha Tea Jelly) Red Bean Green Tea Frap blended beverage – it is your traditional finely-milled green tea called matcha combined with whole kernels of red azuki beans.

The invigorating combination of green tea with the sweet- savory azuki beans give this beverage a rich distinct flavor that will be loved by everyone from children to adults.

Starbucks Broccoli And Mushroom Quiche

It is slightly cheaper that the Mocha Cookie Crumble at  P160 for Tall, P170 for Grande, and P180 for Venti.

Starbucks Food Items

Starbucks also came up with new food items including the Blueberry- Licious Cheesecake, German Pretzel, Grandma’s Classic Meatloaf On Brioche Bread, and Broccoli And Mushroom Quiche.

However, so far, we were only able to try the Broccoli And Mushroom Quiche(P95). Flavorful and packed with eggs, the unsweetened pastry combination of mushrooms and broccoli did not disappoint.

Starbucks Red Bean Green Tea Frap

The quiche goes well with both Starbucks returning favorite beverages mentioned above which are completely customizable as well. Make sure to try them soon as these beverage offering will last until July 14, 2013 only.

This is for the hardworking men and women of today. Regardless from which industry you come from, you deserve to reward yourself from time. This Friday and  weekend is a good start as the salary also just came in. 🙂 Reward yourself with Jollibee’s new Ultimate Burger Steak!

Jollibee Chicken Joy, et al.

The Ultimate Burger Steak Meal

From the same food chain who gave you the Chicken Joy, Breakfast Joys, the 39ers, and the more recent Grilled Pork Tenders, Jollibee offers something new for the hefty foodies – the Ultimate Burger Steak Meal.

Without having to wait for 5 to 10 minutes anymore, Jollibee supersized their burger steak meal into a pan-grilled 1/3 lb. CHAMP patty, smothered with mushroom gravy, mushroom slices, and a dash of toasted garlic on top. A bed of crunchy french fries supports the ultimate patty from below while a  a sunny-side-up egg rests on a serving of rice on the side.

For the Ultimate Appetite! #TheUltimateMeal

Priced at P109 for solo and P119 with drink, I say this is one power-filling meal for the demanding appetite.

NomNom Verdict

Together with a group of foodie bloggers, we got to take first dibs of this new offering in an intimate gathering at their Research and Development Center in Ortigas.

It was a filling treat of 100% Pure beef but it didn’t stop me from being among those who finished the whole serving in just a few minutes (including photo-taking, instagraming, twitting with #TheUltimateMeal, and Facebook-ing; have you seen the photos of Jollibee Singapore circulating around Facebook yesterday? They said it’s located at the 4F of the Lucky Plaza. 🙂 ).

Back to the ultimate story, it’s “The Champ” meets “The Burger Steak” kind of thing and consuming them altogether. 🙂 I was quite hungry then but I held half the rice; the rest disappeared in an instant, nonetheless.

I would also like to share the same sentiment of another food blogger last night – Melo from Pinoy Cravings, that the combination of the french fries and the mushroom gravy (which spills over to the fries) made an interesting combination you might also want to try.

Jollibee Ultimate Burger Steak: 1/3 lb. CHAMP patty + mushroom gravy + mushroom slices + toasted garlic+ french fries + egg.

Available all day, come and celebrate with Jollibee the ultimate 35th year anniversary with the Ultimate Burger Steak Meal to satisfy your ultimate cravings! 🙂

Likas sa pamilyang Pilipino ang palaging magkakasama – sa hapunan, sa pamamasyal, at sa iba’t-iba pang okasyon. “Isang malaki at masayang pamilya,” ika nga.

Max’s Restaurant in Lipa City, Batangas

Ang aking pamilya ay mula Lipa City sa probinsiya ng Batangas. Doon nagkatagpo ang aking mga magulang at doon sila nagsimula ng kanilang pamilya. Subalit ako’y ipinanganak sa Maynila, dito rin ako nag-aral at nagtapos. Sa makatuwid, dito na ako lumaki…malayo sa kanila. Ngunit tuwing may mga okasyon tulad ng kaarawan at Pasko, sinisigurado kong makakauwi ako.

Ngunit may mga panahon talagang mahirap maiwasan tulad ng nakaraang Disyembre kung saan ako’y nagbagong taon sa Bulacan kapiling ang aking kasintahan at ang kanyang pamilya. Ito ay aming napagkasunduan dahil sa Batangas naman kami nag-Pasko, kasama naman ang aking pamilya.

Max’s Restaurant Website & Online Delivery

Ngayong ako’y nagbabalik-tanaw, bigla kong naalala ang Max’s Restaurant at ang kakaibang paraan nila nang pag-order at pag-deliber. Sa pagsipat ng www.maxschicken.com gamit ang iyong kompyuter o telepono na konektdo sa Internet, makikita na isa sa paraan ng pag-order ‘online‘ ay ang ‘Delivery Now‘ o ‘Deliver Later‘ at pwede ko itong ipa-deliber sa iba’t-ibang lugar sa Pilipinas.

Naisip ko na kahit wala ako sa Batangas sa piling ng aking mga magulang, pwede ko itong gamitin na pang-sorpresa sa kanila. Pwede akong magpa-deliber ng ‘sarap-to-the-bones‘ fried chicken, Kare-Kare, Crispy Pata, Pancit Canton, o kahit Sinigang! Kakaiba, hindi ba!  Para kaming ‘sama-sama kahit malayo!’ 🙂

Max’s Chicken on facebook

Magandang ideya rin ito para sa mga kababayan nating OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers). Kahit nasaan man sila sa mundo, kahit wala sila dito sa Pilipinas, pwede silang umorder at magbayad gamit ang internet at surpresang darating ang Max’s Chicken sa kaarawan ng kanyang mahal sa buhay o sa pagtatapos ng kanyang anak na parang nandoon din siya sa kasiyahan.

Salo-salo kahit malayo!

Panoorin ninyo ang napakagandang video na ito:

At siyempre, nandiyan parin ang Max’s Delivery hotline 7-9000 para sa regular na pagpapadeliver. Nasasabik na akong subukan ang kakaibang pag-order na ito sa www.maxschicken.com. Sino ba ang may nalalapit na kaarawan? 🙂

Choco-Chip Pancakes

I have to admit, I’m not a morning person; but I always try to be one for health purposes. So when KFC Philippines made a surprise delivery of their Fully Loaded Breakfast Meals at about 10 am this morning, they woke me up to my liking. 🙂

I’m a night person so I sleep late and expectedly get up late as well. But for office people on the go who have to go to the office from 8 am to 5 pm, they have to be morning people. Just the other day, I had to wake up at 330 am to catch the day 1 of the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival 2013 in Clark.

And it’s good that KFC gives us additional options to power-up their day with their new KFC Fully Loaded Breakfast Meals. As they say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

KFC A.M. Breakfast /Fully Loaded Meals

First in line is the Filipino Breakfast FLM which includes chicken longganisa, chicken tocino slices, garlic rice, scrambled egg, and soft chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup and whipped butter. It also comes with free coffee.

Second is the Breakfast Steak FLM (top photo) which includes your favorite original recipe chicken fillet with steak sauce, garlic rice, scrambled egg, and chocolate chip pancakes like the one above plus free coffee.

These two new Fully Loaded Meals joins the Longganisa Burger and A.M.Snacker in the KFC A.M. Breakfast range which is served until 10 am (9 am for delivery).

KFC Filipino Breakfast Fully Loaded Meal: Chicken Longganisa, Chicken Tocino slices, Garlic Rice, Scrambled Egg, and Chocolate Chip Pancakes with maple syrup and whipped butter, free Coffee

KFC A.M.: KFC Fully Loaded Breakfast Meals

Verdict

As mentioned above, it immediately became my actual breakfast at home this morning. :) Both are tummy-filling and good-tasting but the Filipino Breakfast FLM gets my recommendation if I needed to choose only one. It satisfies my craving for a Filipino breakfast not just with one, but two iconic Filipino breakfast symbols – the longganisa and tocino! Add to that the aromatic garlic rice, scrambled egg, and the filling pancakes.

I love the pancakes as well, they’re not your ordinary regular pancakes, they have chocolate chips hidden at the back which can surprise yet again the unfamiliar. 🙂 Make sure you consume them hot just like any other pancakes or you’ll end up disappointed. I hold half of the maple syrup and whipped butter for health purposes though.

Price

Both the Filipino Breakfast and Breakfast Steak Fully Loaded Meals are priced at P105. Value-wise, it is a good deal, a street-wise deal perhaps since the set is really ‘loaded‘.

You may also have it delivered via 887-8888 KFC Delivery (Metro Manila) or through their website KFCdelivery.com.ph. Follow them at Twiiter @KFCPhilippines and Faceboook at /KFCPhilippines.