Entries Tagged 'SM Mall of Asia' ↓

Red Ribbon came up with another new cake going to the end of the third quarter – the Choco Fudge Cake!

Choco Fudge Cake

I got to taste it for the first time a week or two ago at a colleague’s birthday celebration. Being familiar with Red Ribbon cakes, I knew it was a new cake. 🙂 I tried it with anticipation and I was not disappointed. It was so chocolaty from top to bottom and from side to side being smothered and literally covered with chocolate icing!

I say it’s a chocolate cake for the real chocolate lover. It’s a leveled-up classic chocolate cake with layers of moist chocolate pound cake and chocolate fudge filling inside. Be cautious though that the more conservative cake consumer might find it too chocolaty or too sweet.

Priced a little lower than its predecessor – the Chocolate Heaven, the Choco Fudge Cake is a perfect gift for your chocolate-loving friend or those with a sweet tooth; but might not be so for those on the ‘sugar guard‘. The regular size costs P460 and junior size is only P275.

Moreover, you could have the Choco Fudge Cake served warm or cold. Try it warm for a change! 🙂 It comes perfect with a hot cup of brewed coffee as well.

Crispy Chicken by Red Ribbon

Interestingly that same night, I came across one of Red Ribbon’s newest meal – the Crispy Chicken. To say it plain and straight – I loved it! I’m not really a fan of chicken skin, but if it is this good and crispy, I’ll take it. 🙂

It was good mix of chicken meat and crispy skin with new twist to barbecue sauce – the mango barbecue sauce. A full order is P150 and P90 ala carte.

Red Ribbon Fort Bonifacio Branch

I finished the chicken before I remembered I haven’t taken a photo of it. 🙂 So make do with my small photo of the menu board at Red Ribbon’s new and spacious branch at Fort Bonifacio in between Jollibee and Chowking along Rizal Street.

Choco Fudge Cake by Red Ribbon

Partnering the Choco Fudge Cake and the Crispy Chicken might be a little odd, but hey, it was all good. 🙂

Greenwich Pasta Supreme dlites

Greenwich Pizza recently released the latest addition to their Pasta Supreme line – the Pasta Supreme DLite!

Boasting of 70% less fat* by using healthy ingredients like olive oil and spinach noodles, Greenwich had the girl’s predisposition to be figure-conscious in mind when they came up with the Pasta Supreme dlite variants Tuna Tomato and Shrimp Aglio Olio.

*The fat comparison is versus the saturated fat from other existing Greenwich pasta.

The Tuna Tomato is a mix of chunky tuna, black olives, tomato, and as mentioned – the spinach noodles. Aside from the ingredients, it’s the spicy kick which sets it apart. (Photo Above)

Greenwich Shrimp Aglio Olio

The Shrimp Aglio Olio is the ‘sosyal‘ one with shrimps, olive oil, and chopped mushroom which I initially mistook for ground beef (lol). 🙂

Thsi is not me, ok? 🙂

On the side note, I tried these last month at the same time when Greenwich released the Limited Edition Level Up Pinoy Shirts.

For those who want it on the lips but not on the hips, try the new Greenwich Pasta Supreme DLites in selected fast casual stores like Greenwich Megamall.

Positioning itself as a Filipino cafe in a sea of coffee shops in the metro, Figaro Coffee Company has adopted itself to something unusually found in a typical coffee shop setup: a Filipino Breakfast Meal.

Corned Beef Breakfast

Prepared by Chef Carl Marxist Tan, I’ve all tried Figaro‘s three breakfast meals namely: Pork Longganisa, Classic Corned Beef, and Gourmet Crispy Tuyo (Dried Fish).

I am torn between the pork longganisa and corned beef, they are both good. Perhaps, I’ll just leave that for you to decide.

If you have the Filipino sweet tooth and doesn’t mind the extra fat, go for the homemade Pork Longganisa. You’ll love it and ask for more.

Figaro Pork Longganisa

If you decide to get more serious and prefer it a little salty in the morning, the corned beef sauteed in onion breakfast is for you.

However, I would say that the Crispy Tuyo needs a little improvement in the preparation. Given that it has the “crispy” on the meal title, it somehow fell short of that expectation. Other than that, the tuyo flakes was ok.

Figaro Crispy Tuyo (Dried Fish)

All three sets priced at P175 come with a fried farm sunny side up egg and tomato-cucumber salsa on the side. It is also paired with an 8 oz. Figaro brewed coffee.

New Desserts

Chocolate Eclair Dessert (P65)

Figaro's Ambrosia (food for the gods - P70)

Figaro also adds 2 new desserts to its sweet line: the Chocolate Eclair and Ambrosia.

Eclairs are long custard-filled pastries. This one is covered with chocolate on top. I recommend Ambrosia, also known as Food for the gods.

And yes, you can order the Figaro All Day Breakfast “all day.” 🙂

Figaro is a 100% Filipino owned coffee company and sources its coffee beans locally to support the industry.

If one is coming from Quezon City, the San Miguel By The Bay area across SM Mall of Asia can indeed be considered a far “Ibayo” (the next town). But it can be a worthwhile visit for Filipino cuisine lovers.

Ibayo Barrio Fiesta

Barrio Fiesta has been an iconic restaurant here in the Philippines representing good old classic Filipino dishes well-loved and tested through time.

And with the onset of the owners’ third generation family members in the person of Tristan and Tyrone Ongpauco, they have decided to give it a new twist. From the Filipino home-inspired rattan tables and chairs, Ibayo gave it a touch of modernity with new interiors while retaining the Filipino touch.

From a full-pledged restaurant into a bistro, you could now find bar chow, beer, and cocktails (such as the Ibayo Sunset) in the menu, obviously catering to the younger crowd. The Ibayo branch in San Miguel By The Bay also serves alfresco.

Ibayo Firesticks

I tried it about a week ago with some friends. We had the ever-staple Crispy Pata (deep fried pork knuckles), White Adobo (Adobong Puti), Lechon Kawali, Mama Chit’s Special, Ibayo Firesticks, and  Pinaputok na Pla-pla wrapped in foil.

But before all that, we had the Ibayo Firesticks (or should I say “they” because I never got to try one). My comrades are very fast on the plate. 🙂 These firesticks are jalapeños & cheese rolled up as a spicy appetizer

Ibayo Crispy Pata - P425 Regular P525 Large

White Adobo / Adobong "Puti" - P190

Pinaputok na Pla-Pla - P265 per 500grams

The twist to White Adobo is the combination of chicken and pork marinated in vinegar but without the soy sauce (hence ‘white’) while Mama Chit’s Special (P695) is a mini fiesta of sorts served in a bilao. There’s shrimp, calamares, lumpia, chicken, bangus, and others – all fried. It serves 4-5 persons.

Barrio Fiesta Rice, Kare-Kare, and Buko Fresh Fruit Shake

But what I loved about dinner that night is the Barrio Fiesta Rice, a native Paella style rice. The paella rice was flavorful on its own, surrounded by tahong (mussels) and topped with shrimp and crab.

Barrio Fiesta Rice - P250

Another winner that night was their Kare-Kare, tender oxtail and tripe stewed in peanut sauce. Heat is maintained with a small fire at the pot’s bottom. Kare-kare would be one of the few dishes we can expect to be consistent through all of Barrio Fiesta branches and Ibayo as the peanut sauce they use all come from one source.

Kare-Kare - P220 Regular P350 Family

Buko Fruit Shake FTW! - P105

I can’t rave more about the Buko Fruit Shake I had. If there’s a drink you should not miss in Ibayo, it’s this one. It’s not overly sweet, but it’s creamy. The shaved-ice’s texture and consistency was also perfect It’s so good it could pass for a sherbet.

Turon Ala Mode / Majablanco - P75 / P65

We also had Turon Ala Mode and Maja Blanca for dessert. I’m not sure why it’s “majablanco” in their menu. Maybe it’s an alternative term. I’m just used with ‘maja blanca‘ since I was a child. 🙂

Ibayo by Barrio Fiesta

Dining @ Ibayo

That’s my Ibayo by Barrio Fiesta experience. Try them out at Building G, Unit 7-8 in San Miguel by the Bay, SM Bay City (bayside behind MOA). Don’t forget the Barrio Fiesta Rice, Kare-Kare and Fresh Buko Fruit Shake!  They are open 3pm-12mn on weekdays and 3pm-2am on weekends. Call 0917-5376062 or 0906-5002782 for reservations.