Entries Tagged 'Quezon City' ↓

I love ice cream cakes since I was a child. And Dairy Queen rekindled it with their newly launched product Mango Cheesecake ice cream cake specially made for the summer season.

Called the Mango Cheesecake Blizzard Cake, it is made with two layers of creamy vanilla ice cream with real mango chunks in between. Although a little pricey at Php749, it is made with 100% ice cream and topped with icing buttons, mango puree spread,  and chewy cube combination of cheese and grahams. For me, more than just a cake, it’s an experience of having an ice cream cake altogether.

Dairy Queen Mango Cheesecake Blizzard Cake

Mango Festival

DQ: Served Upside Down

It’s a festival of everything Mango at DQ as well. In addition to the ice cream cake, Dairy Queen is offering a myriad of other cool mango concoctions such as 2 new mango blizzards, a smoothie, and citrus coolers.

Mango Blizzards

The 2 new DQ Blizzards are Mango Cheesecake Blizzard and Mango-Pineapple Blizzard.

Dairy Queen Blizzard

The Mango Cheesecake Blizzard is the soft-serve ice  cream version of the cake (also with real mango bits and cheesecake chunks) while the Mango-Pineapple Blizzard is for those who want some citrus sting from the pineapple bits which can be a good contrast to the prior double sweetness of mango and cheesecake. It costs P59/6oz, P79/9oz, P99/12oz, P119/16oz.

Mango Smoothie

I wan’t able to try this but DQ also has s new Mango Premium Fruit Smoothie which is a creamy blend of fresh orange, mango and a creamy soft serve vanilla ice cream. At P79/12oz & P99/16oz, I’m trying these next! 🙂

Dairy Queen Smoothies & Citrus Coolers

Mango Citrus Cooler

Much simpler is the Mango Citrus Cooler which is a blend of lemon and mango fit for a cool summer drink. The citrus coolers are also available in Lemon, Strawberry, Pineapple, and Strawberry Pineapple flavors. P49/12oz & P59/16oz.

Check more information about Dairy Queen (DQ) at www.dairyqueen.com.ph or their Facebook. 🙂

Dairy Queen Blizzard

With Filipino’s penchant for anything cold during the summer season, these blizzards and smoothies will surely be a hit. These flavors were available since early March and will stay at all Dairy Queen menuboards until the first week of May.

Being a predominantly Catholic country, one would immediately observe if the lent season is approaching in the Philippines. One of the give-away signs is that restaurants offer their non-meat alternative to their customers. One of the early movers this year is Max’s restaurant which has started offering their Max’s Seafood Fest since yesterday.

Fish Fillet for the Lent

Fish & Seafood Fest

Max’s has started its Seafood Selections Promo and offers non-meat dishes familiar to the Filipino taste.

The seafood spread include Filipino cuisines like Camaron Rebosado and one of my favorites Sinigang na Hipon.

A wide selection of fish dishes are also part of the option such as Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet, Spicy Laing Tilapia, Fish Fillet in Black Bean Sauce, Sinigang na Tiyan ng Bangus, and Steamed Fish Fillet in light soy.

Max's Seafood Fest Promo

“…the timeless flavors of Filipino cuisine and warm memories of sharing these meals with their friends and family. ..this is what Max’s brings to the table with its Seafood Selections Promo… a taste of home with every hefty serving of these traditional recipes,” says Bobby Simborio, Corporate Communications Officer for Max’s Group of Companies.

Seafood Fest Frequency Card

Seafood Selections Frequency Card Promo + Chicken-All-You-Can GCs

Max’s also launched a special seafood fest frequency card where each purchase of a qualified seafood selection dish with a glass of Pepsi gets a sticker for a card slot.

From March 8 to April 30, 2011, diners who can complete the six sticker slots will get a free Max’s Chicken-All-You-Can gift certificate.

Frequency Card Promotion Mechanics

Max's Offering for the Lenten Season

Have a non-pork meat diet with Max’s Seafood Fest and enjoy a meatless Lenten season. 🙂

Max’s Restaurant invited NomNom Club for their Blogger’s Night a few days ago. Max’s introduced their new Crispy Pata Feast Meal.

What is it?

The Max’s Crispy Pata Feast is a a complete meal suitable for a group or family of four. The set consists of a serving of Max’s large-sized Crispy Pata, a serving of Sinigang na Tiyan ng Bangus, 4 servings of Rice, 4 softdrinks, and 4 Buko Pandan single-serve cups. All for P865.

Max's Crispy Pata Feast Meal

NomNom Says

Crispy Pata Bone

Just a few months after their previous promo of “Chicken All You Can P165,” here’s the next one.

Although our table group hoped that the crispy pata meat was more fork-tender, we were able to finish it up nonetheless. 🙂

Undeniably, crispy pata would always be a hit in any Filipino dining table. It was amusing as well that the served crispy pata indeed looked similar to the one in their promotional photos. 🙂

Tiyan ng Bangus

The sauce mix of Max’s was also good and very Filipino with all the common spices. It was also crunchy-crispy, standing true to it’s name.

Ironically, we enjoyed the Sinigang na Tiyan ng Bangus more.

The four chunks of Tiyan ng Bangus meat was immersed in a mildly sour sinigang soup and vegetables.

It was our champion of the night.

Sinigang na Tiyan ng Bangus

It was capped by four servings of solo Buko Pandan served by waiter Kim. Buko Pandan is one of my favorite so I asked for the cup of Buko Pandan they didn’t touch from the other table (sayang naman, di ba?). 🙂

4 Servings of Buko Pandan Solo

Max's New Delivery Uniform and Bike

Max’s also presented the new uniform set for delivery including the new bike design incorporating the electric and luminescent labels for Max’s delivery.

Savings

If you compute all the items individually off the menu, your total bill would have been P1206; which means savings of P341 if you’ll be having the Crispy Pata Feast meal instead.

Max’s Crispy Pata Feast is currently available (since January 20) until February 20, 2011 in all Philippine Max’s Restaurant branches nationwide for dine-in or take out.

It was a busy day, but right after my classes, I proceeded on to Eastwood City for the Carnation Bloggers Night held last night at Buenisimo in Eastwood Mall.

China Cojuangco & Carnation

Cook At Home with Carnation

The program started with host Issa Litton welcoming us. After which, China Cojuangco held a cooking demo of Beef with Peppercorn Sauce; of course, with Carnation as one of the ingredients.

It was also my first time to know that China is the face of Carnation’s Facebook Page called Cook At Home.

I recently participated in their page and shared a photo of mine taken last night.

I hope you find it succulent and earn a “LIKE” from you guys. Please, please, please, NOW NA! 🙂

Beef in Peppercorn Sauce

Carnation Dishes

The highlight of the night followed – a dinner buffet of six dishes created by Chef Chris of Buenisimo used with Carnation products and ingredients.

They are the following:

Main Course:

• Canadian Glazed Ham
• Lengua Legislativa
• Tri Color Pasta with Salmon Cream
• Croquettas De Pollo Con Huevos with Aioli

Desserts:

• Chocolate Truffles
• Panacotta

Buenisimo Chef Chris & Carnation Evap

Tasting the Carnation Dishes

The Canadian Glazed Ham‘s sauce was good (perhaps because of the Carnation ingredient, lol) [top photo], but I expected more from the quality of the ham itself, I wonder if they used CDO Holiday Ham? 🙂

Although Lengua Legislativa hinted much of menudo more than lengua, it was my second top choice in taste. It was tender and the mixture of the ingredients, delectable.

Buenisimo @ Eastwood Mall, Eastwood City

Tri-Color Pasta

The Tri Color Pasta with Salmon Cream topped my bill for its delightfully creamy sauce and taste.  As the name suggest, a tri-color pasta is a combination of three color pastas – yellow, red, and green. The yellow pasta is made of durum wheat flour, water, and sometimes with eggs and salt similar to a fresh egg pasta. The red pasta is similar to common pasta but flavored with tomatoes while the green one is flavored with spinach.

However, a fellow at the dining table suggested that the cream should not have been ready-mixed with the pasta at the presentation buffet. Since the event started late, plus the cooking demo, and bloggers had to take photos, this consumed time and affected the noodle’s firmness (al dente).

Croquettes

Chocolate Truffles

Last from the main courses is Croquettas De Pollo Con Huevos with Aioli.

Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, the deep fried croquettes coated with beaten egg and bread crumbs was accompanied by a garlic-flavored mayonnaise.

Desserts were the lush and rich chocolate truffles and corn-topped panna cotta. The panna cotta was good but the corn can be better. The chocolate truffles championed the desserts category and ended the night in bliss.

Panna Cotta & Chocolate Truffles

Lengua & Corn-Topped Pannacotta

Finale

Towards the end of the night, Lengua Legislativa was declared as the Blogger’s Choice. If only China‘s Beef with Peppercorn Sauce was included in the line up of dishes, I bet it would have won the Blogger’s Choice. Overall, it was an interesting Blogger’s Night with Carnation

🙂

“Pwede na akong mamatay” is a local euphemism which literally  means “I can die now.” Indeed, after you have tasted Pizza Hut’s Lechon Pizza, you could say that without hesitation, especially if you know you are going to Heaven. And well, because your cholesterol shoots up double time. 🙂

Pizza consumption by itself is one  the West’s strongest influence in modern Filipino food culture. The number of competing brands alone speaks for its itself.

The varieties also testify the market’s complex taste and preference of their own pizza. You have the thick, the thin, the stuffed, the pop-ups, and the top thats.

On the other hand, the “Lechon” (roasted suckling pig) is a major food centerpiece for big gatherings, fiestas and celebrations here in the Philippines.

I never thought the day that the lechon and the pizza would meet can actually happen. But Pizza Hut did it. Pizza Hut dared and successfully combined the goodness and crispiness of lechon and the quality of their pizza.

Lechon Pizza Slice

Think of Pizza Hut layered with generous cheese with chunks of lechon meat and slices of the sought-after crispy lechon skin and you have your deadly but delicious Pizza Hut’s Lechon Pizza.

The skin is not the traditional shiny lechon skin but more of the fried and crunchy. Good thing I liked it more this way. Pizza Hut intentionally air dried the skin separately and adds it as topping on top of the pizza only as it is served. This allows the lechon skin to maintain its crispiness.

Your initial temptation is to pick the crispy lechon skin atop the pizza slice and eat it by itself. But that might  leave your pizza lacking as a whole. I prefer to hold my guns and consume it altogether and experience the crispy lechon skin as I take one bite at a time of the lechon pizza. 🙂

You could also request for the sauce to be held and not immediately spread on top of the pizza as served. Although the lechon pizza sauce is still on the sweet side, it is not as much as your retail favorite Mang Tomas lechon sauce. This can either be good or bad on a person-to-person basis. 🙂

Hold that saliva from dropping. The Pizza Hut’s Lechon Pizza comes in two sizes – medium and large.  The Lechon Pizza price starts at Php 329 for the former with 10 inches and Php 499 for the latter of 14 inches.

You can also have it as part of a special package under the Manila Signature Dishes where it is paired with  other servings and wine for the price of P799.

“Inspired by the popular local favorite, this new flavor celebrates the Filipino creativity and ingenuity.“

Manila Sugnature Dishes 2010:
Pizza Hut Bistro New Lechon Pizza Set P799 (Price still subject to service charge and local tax)

• Medium Lechon Pizza
• Seafood Supremo
• Olive Garden Salad
• 2 Glasses Casillero del Diablo Merlot

It has the rustic burnt lechon aroma you can smell from afar as it comes nearer your table. It is an ultimate dream come true for pizza and lechon lovers. Have the best of both in a single serve. You should not let this ultimate foodie comfort food pass this Christmas holiday season as it is only available until about the end of January next year.

Pizza Hut Lechon Pizza

I recommend the Pizza Hut Lechon Pizza with a thumbs up for those who love pizza and lechon. Be sure to bring family and friends to share it with as  I myself was only able to consume 3 slices. Try one before you die, it’s Pizza Hut Lechon Pizza or forever hold your peace. 🙂

HalfMoon Asian Cafe is known for their, well, half-moon BibingCrepes. BibingCrepes on the other hand is a combination of Filipino delicacy ‘bibingka‘ and western crepes.

Giant BibingCrepe

A few weeks ago, HalfMoon Asian Cafe invited us over to witness their record-breaking gigantic bibingcrepe cooked right at their branch in Timog, Quezon City.

Survivor Bibingcrepe? 🙂

The giant bibingcrepe spanned a huge table a little bigger than a clan’s dining table. It would take at least 6 people with arms wide-stretched to ‘hug‘ the bibincrepe‘s circumference.

The live cooking of the bibingcrepe was broadcast live that same day over GMA’s Unang Hirit morning show.

Yes, we missed the cooking and mixing of their bibingka recipe but we were the consumers that night. The halfmoon giant bibingcrepe had two kinds of spread – chocolate and cheese. I liked the chocolate more  (And here we are again on the Dove chocolate and Toblerone chocolate series). 🙂

Hot Bibingcrepe

Full Moon Bibibngcrepe 🙂

Just like bibingka, you should always have your bibingcrepe served hot and fresh, jst like what I had in HalfMoon Asian Cafe that night. Needless to say, it is matched perfectly with a serving of their hot chocolate for a very chocolaty experience. 🙂 A cup of low-sugar brewed coffee would also do to avoid a sugar-rush.

Bibingcrepe Designs

If you can’t get attention with size, try the cuteness factor. We, the guests, gamely joined a mini-contest later on which is ‘Dressing-Up-Your-Bibingcrepe.’

Aside from the Halfmoon bibingcrepe, we are to squeeze out our creative juices accessorizing it with marshmallows, chocnuts, chocolates sprinkles, cupcakes, cheese cubes, and M&M’s.

HalfMoon Asian Cafe Bloggers

Half Moon Asian Cafe

Of course, ourteam won. 🙂 We didn’t eat it though ‘coz our hands were all over it while decorating ’em. ‘Til the next BibingCrepe experience at HalfMoon Asian Cafe! 🙂

I first saw Bubble Tea when they opened their first branch in SM Megamall in Ortigas. Through the years, Bubble Tea proved to maintain its quality amid competition using authentic, natural, and freshly shaken premium milk tea in contrast to powder-based fads. Eventually, other branches came about in SM North Edsa and  Timog. And later this month, they will be opening their newest branch with a function room along Wilson St. in Greenhills.

Bubble Tea's Black Sesame Milkshake

It was only recently that I began to appreciate their other servings of Tokyo-inspired Japanese dishes and some Japanese-Western fusion including pasta, burgers, and sandwiches.

In line with new discoveries, I ventured out from my usual Bubble Tea favorites such as the Royal Milk Tea and Taro Milkshake when I visited their branch in Timog with some foodie friends.

Egg Pudding Add-on for Bubble Tea Milkshakes

I initially got to sample a small serving of the Azuki Red Bean Milk Shake and was extremely satisfied. For a change, the red bean flavor was different, to say the least. It was a welcome respite  from the usual sweet milkshakes. Moreover, it provided a unique texture to taste because of the red beans.

I also saw a new flavor in their table menu – the Honey Dew Melon with mango bits available in both milk tea or shake. But I ordered the Black Sesame Milkshake for curiosity’s sake. It was my first to try this one and similarly, it was not too sweet and of course, had the black sesame flavor. It was a good choice.

Milkshakes are priced at P135 for medium size and P145 for large. Milk Tea are at P115 (medium) and P125 (large). Hot milk tea is at P80. Other flavors include Japanese Green Tea, Almond, Coconut, Double Chocolate, Mocha, and Jasmin (I’d like to try this next). For an additional P20, you can have add-ons which include extra-bubbles (big/small/combi), vanilla ice cream, and the egg-pudding which you goy to try out. I really love chewing on their soft firm bubbles (sago/tapioca), I go for the big bubble add-ons. 🙂

Bubble Tea Japanese Food

Now for the dishes. It was a fiesta of comfort foods in Bubble Tea. With servings big enough to share, it seems like the photos came right out of the Japanese menu and landed in our tables where no empty space were left.

Okonomiyaki Japanese Pizza

Japanese Ceasar Salad

Tonkaktsu Omurice Bubble Tea

Beef Stew Curry

The dishes we tried out include Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pizza – P125),  Japanese Ceasar Salad (Ceasar salad with Fried Chicken – P195), Tonkaktsu Omurice (Breaded Pork & Omelette – P265), Beef Stew Curry (Jap style sliced beef stew w/ sweet and mild spicy curry, rice, & egg – P265), and Takoyaki (P175).

Takoyaki : grilled octopus-filled balls made of pancake batter, topped with mayonnaise, katsuobushi and sweet soy sauce.

Pasta

Tori Pesto Spaghetti

Spicy Mix Seafood Tomato Spaghetti

We got to try out two pasta dishes. The first is Spicy Mix Seafood & Tomato Spaghetti ( P295) which has salmon, tuna, squid, prawn, clam and mussel.

The second is Tori Pesto Spaghetti (P265) which is pan-fried Chicken w/ pesto cream sauce.

Maki Sushi

Nippon Ebi

It flooded with maki and sushi such as Nippon Ebi (P285),  Unagi Lover (P295), and Vancouver (P285). The latter is made with breaded prawn and spicy tuna in teriyaki sauce.

Another home-developed sushi is Bubble Salad Sushi (P165) which is a mini mixed salad topped with sushi rice. On the rightmost of the four photos is the Spicy Tuna (P195).

They have combination platters in case you want to have a try of each.

Bubble Tea Maki Sushi

Recommendations

But among the myriad of choices, there were five which greatly satisfied my tastebuds (in reverse order of preference).

Salmon Foil Yaki (P345)

Salmon Foil Yaki

The tender fish meat of the steamed salmon fillet gave it away with its freshness retained by the wrapping in foil. Surprisingly, it also had a mildly sweet twist.

Chicken Teriyaki Doria (P245)

Chicken Teriyaki Doria

It’s baked casserole rice covered with melted cheese. Topped with grilled boneless chicken and teriyaki sauce, this dish is sure to fill you up.

Aspara Bacon Yaki (P185)

Asparagus Bacon Yaki

It’s a skewer of grilled asparagus wrapped with bacon and cheese on top. Bacon and Cheese is love; no need for further explanation. 🙂 The asparagus is the healthy angle to reduce your guilt in exchange for this pleasure.

Japanese Fried Chicken

Tofu Steak (P165) [Top Photo]

Light, fresh, and soft. Those are the three adjectives befitting this small simple dish called Tofu Steak.

Lightly breaded and mixed with sweet sauce and vegetables, this soft, melt-in-your-mouth and warmly served tofu is my perfect appetizer.

Japanese Fried Chicken in a Basket (P385)

Actually, I am surprised as much as you are that a common friend chicken dish ended up on top of my recommended list.

I did not expect much when I took a bite of the leg portion. But the taste and crispiness, albeit with almost nil bread crumbs, was fantastic.

Aside from the quality of the chicken itself, I would say the cook have a certain style in cooking this thin-skinned fried chicken to maintain such level of crispiness and juiciness in the white meat.

Perhaps more than just deep-frying it to perfection.

With only four pieces, it may also be dismissed as expensive at P385. But this juicy Japanese fried chicken served with noi ginger sauce and japanese potato salad sidings is very much worth it.

Bubble Tea Experience

This is what you call a Bubble Tea fiesta in this humble Tokyo milk tea place started by Reagan Tan who developed most of Bubble Tea’s menu and is also its CEO.

Check them out online at http://www.facebook.com/tokyobubbletea or email them at tokyobubbletea@gmail.com

Join their current contest called “Pichur Pichur” and get to win a Nikon Coolpix S230 camera with touchscreen LCD and Bubble Tea gift certificates.

Bubble Tea Branches:
Tomas Morato – #220 Tomas Morato Avenue, QC (4123573)
SM North Edsa – LGF SM North Edsa, The Block, QC (4410097)
SM Megamall – LGF SM Megamall, Mandaluyong (6387479)
Greenhills – Unit 3 #229 Wilson Street, West Greenhills, San Juan City
Delivery Option: www.citydelivery.ph or 87878

Bubble Tea : Tokyo Milk Tea Place

Try out Bubble Tea in any of their branches in Metro Manila, Philippines and have a bubbly Bubble Tea experience!

Seriously? It’s Starbucks Philippines‘ 400,000++ fans which prompted Starbucks Philippines to give the second Creme Brulee Macchiato for free to their customers.

Having reached more than 400,000 likes in their Starbucks Facebook Fanpage, Starbucks Philippines is treating all their customers to a second Crème Brulee Macchiato.This means after buying a Creme Brulee Macchiato, you get another one free, of any size, of equal or lesser value, of what you ordered, instantly.

I got this from the Starbucks Philippines Facebook page

Free Starbucks Philippines Creme Brulee Macchiato

Creme Brulee Macchiato is a warm mix of creme brulee flavored syrup, steamed milk, and Starbucks® espresso. It is then topped with foam and lined with roast dark caramel. ‘Tall‘ is priced P130, with ‘Venti‘ and ‘Grande‘ at P145 and P160, respectively.

All you need to do is say this line to the Starbucks Barista “I am a Starbucks Philippines Facebook Fan“. This treat started yesterday and will run from until tomorrow October 28, 2010.

You may have your Starbucks Creme Brulee Macchiato hot or cold (Iced Creme Brulee Macchiato) but Crème Brulee Frappuccino Blended Coffee is NOT included in the offer. Congratulations Starbucks Philippines!