Have you tried the two new Starbucks Philippines‘ new featured beverages? Starting today, June 12, 2012, Hojicha Tea Jelly Frappuccino and Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino are now available in all Starbucks branches in the Philippines.
Hojicha Tea Jelly Frappuccino
Hojicha Tea Jelly Frappuccino
I have tried them both recently and the Hojicha Tea Jelly Frappuccino easily became my favorite. I love the refreshing taste of the roasted Japanese tea, also called Hojicha, combined with the herbal aftertaste of the Earl Grey Tea Jelly. The texture of Starbucks’ own Tazo Earl Grey tea-infused jelly is something Starbucks aficionados might find refreshing.
Among the tea variants of Starbucks, I’m fond of both the Green Tea and Chai Tea Latte and I’m glad with the coming of the Hojicha Tea Jelly Frappuccino. Although it will be staying until the end of July only, I hope it would eventually stay longer with the market’s demand. The tall cup is priced at Php 155, Grande – Php 165, and Venti – Php 175.
Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino
The second featured beverage is the Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino. It’s basically your usual Green Tea Frappuccino with added whole kernels of Red Azuki Beans on top.
It is quite an interesting twist if you wanted to perk up your usual Green Tea ‘matcha‘ frapp but the Hojicha Tea Jelly Frappuccino still made more impact with me. The price range is also the same with Hojicha frapp.
Asian Frappuccino Blended Beverages
They also classify the two beverages as Asian Frappuccino blended beverages since they were only released in Asia. The ingredients themselves were sourced from Asia as well.
New Starbucks Food Items
Together with the two new beverages are new Starbucks food items which were offered starting today as well. They are:
Beef And Mushroom Pie
Chicken Parmigiana Wrap
Beef And Mushroom Pie
Baked to golden brown, this flaky pastry consists of beef strips, sliced mushrooms, carrots and mashed potatoes. At Php 95, it can be one filling meal.
Chicken Parmigiana Wrap
It’s a chicken breast fillet in a pita bread wrap with sliced eggplant, Italian tomato sauce, and grated cheese. At Php 150, you can have it sliced and is good for two.
Bacon And Cheese On Italian Country Bread
Crusty on the outside, soft and luscious on the inside – this one’s my favorite new Starbucks food item!
Bacon And Cheese On Italian Country Bread
This grilled cheese sandwich is coupled with six types of cheeses (Gruyere, Emmenthal, Provolone, Mozzarella, Feta and Cheddar). The flavor is further enhanced by the crispy bacon strips, pesto sauce, and Italian herbed butter on bread. Can you already smell and taste it based from the description? 🙂 . Best served warm, it costs Php 150.
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New Starbucks Food Items
Try the new Starbucks food items specially the Bacon And Cheese Bread and don’t forget to pair it with my favorite Hojicha Tea Jelly Frappuccino. 🙂
It’s almost 12 noon, my girlfriend and I were discussing which place to try next with the number of new restaurants in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) and we ended at the quirkily-named Japanese Grill Buffet restaurant – Robotosan.
The big Robotosan logo is not new to me as I frequently pass by it’s brightly lit name-sign at night when I go to Starbucks BGC at the 32nd street.
The name alone is enough to pique your interest and try dining here at least once. It turned out that Robotosan was brought to life by the same people behind Sumosam, John and Yoko, Marciano’s, and Mr.Kurosawa. That explains the Japanese theme and the strikingly similar chairs from the other restaurants. 🙂
Aside from the children’s robot prints at the back of the chairs, the visual impact it would make on its customers would be its jagged interiors dominated by a web of intersecting columns solemnized by thick purple posts while tamed by the elegant grey cushion seats. A refreshing and interesting interior, I should say.
Robotosan Japanese Grill Buffet
Dimsum & Chicken Feet
The Grill & Plate #1
Ready Buffet
Now, it’s a Japanese grill buffet and not an anime convention hall, so we have to try the food. Marge and I decided to try the ready buffet first and do the grilling a bit later.
I got a decent serving of a hot miso soup bowl and some dimsum for appetizers. They have a good salad bar but I decided to go straight for my tummy-fillers.
This was followed by the in-demand ebi tempura and some pizza (see plate #1).
My second plate was defined by some California maki and its relatives, plus some of the main dishes.
Hot Dishes
Short Ribs / Korean BBQ
Fresh Buffet
Grilling
Their grills are of course, electronic. The socket under the table also served as my Wi-Fi charger before we actually used it for the electric grill. 🙂
About half of the long buffet table was comprised of different raw meat including Short Ribs for Korean BBQ and the likes.
For dessert, we had sweet mini cakes and sans rival. There was an option to create your own halo-halo and a selection of ice cream flavors plus some fruits.
Robotosan Plate #2
Verdict
If you are looking at a quick Japanese buffet with the option to grill in Bonifacio Global City, Robotosan is worth visiting.
But as a new buffet place, I believe their selection size still has room for additional variants. I actually enjoyed their desserts, albeit limited.
As much as I love their sans rival slices, maybe some Japanese inspired desserts would be a good complement since they are a Japanese buffet restaurant.
The buffet price of P529 to P669 would have been alright considering the location, but as mentioned above, they need to beef up their line some more. Or maybe they intentionally made it like that – simple and not too complicated. On the other hand, the grill table, ambiance, and service are all ok.
Robotosan Desserts
BigScoop Ice Cream
NomNom Tip:
I eventually got to try Robotosan during dinner time and it turns out that more variants are available at night which explains the nocturnal pricier rates. I was also able to catch some very good sylvanas at night which were missing during lunch. 🙂
It was generally a good experience and the crew/staff were friendly and accommodating from the ground floor until you are done and exit their door.
Robotosan
Japanese Grill Buffet
2F 32nd St., Crossroads, Bonifacio Global City
Tel number: (632)823-6988
Schedule:
Lunch: 11am-2:30pm
Dinner: 5:30pm-10:30pm
Price:
Monday-Thursday
Lunch – P529; Dinner – P629
Friday-Sunday
Lunch – P669; Dinner – P669
Children Below 4ft – P379
Left Over Price per head P789
Robotosan Crew / Satff
Robotosan @ Crossroads, Bonifacio Global City
Robotosan in BGC also offers ‘drink all you can‘ with soda/iced tea/lemonade at P79.
It was interesting to have met BonChon Philippines head honcho Scott Tan last week where he shared a technique on how to eat BonChon chicken wings. As trivial as it may sound, I was amazed that one can eat about half of a crispy fried chicken wing in one bite. 🙂
As inspired as I was, I had to go back to BonChon two days after and try it myself. So, together with my gf and another friend, we found ourselves back at the BonChon BGC branch which opened just a month ago.
BonChon BGC
Generally, my favorite chicken part is the meaty breasts and thighs, the wings come last. However, with BonChon’s original Korean crispy fried chicken secret recipe, the wings (in soy garlic) are my favorite!
BonChon Chicken came to the Philippines back in November 2010 and has since grown to 19 branches today including Alabang Town Center, Ayala Triangle Garden (ATG), Shangri-la Plaza, SM Mall of Asia, and One Parkade in BGC. Check out more about the contemporary Korean brand BonChon Chicken at www.bonchon.com.ph.
BonChon Crispy Chicken
Korean Yogurt
I also found a new item in the BonChon menu board – the Korean Yogurt called BonChon “Ko-Yo“. They are available in Banofee Pie and Blueberry Torte variants for P70. The plain one is P35.
I found the plain one too small and I think the P70 variant is more cost efficient in terms of size (a.k.a. worth it). I also asked what was the difference between a Korean Yogurt and regular yogurt. I learned that Korean yogurts are less sweet and tastes more tangy.
BonChon Korean Yogurt "Ko-Yo"
How Do You BonChon Video
And of course, I am not ending this article without my personal video of the “How Do I BonChon?”
With the scorching summer hitting as high as 35.9°C in the Metro and a staggering 38.4°C nationwide, Jollibee – one of the largest fast food chains in the country, fights the heat off with the newly-launched Jollibee Chocolate Float and Jollibee Coffee Float which are sure to give people their needed lift.
Jollibee Amang Rodriguez Branch
Held about a week ago at Jollibee Amang Rodriguez branch, media people and bloggers graced the unveiling of 2 latest additions – Chocolate and Coffee Floats, to join the roster of Jollibee’s Coke Float and University Floats.
Being a coffee lover, I felt excited when we were first served with Jollibee’s Coffee Float. Made with a delightfully smooth blend of iced coffee, this gloriously refreshing drink is topped with a rich vanilla soft serve and a beautiful swirl of chocolate syrup.
Enchong Dee
From a coffee lover’s point of view, Jollibee’s Coffee Float can easily compete with any cafe’s ice blended coffee or even coffee-infused frappuccino. With a slight hint of bitterness balanced by Jollibee’s sweet concoction of vanilla ice cream, this Coffee Float can definitely give you your needed dose of caffeine while leaving you revitalized and lifted.
Jollibee on a Hot Summer Day
With the majestic sun shining very brightly upon us, it was a relief to be served with Jollibee’s Chocolate Float next. Made with deliciously rich iced chocolate, this sweet treat is even topped with Jollibee’s signature creamy vanilla soft serve, and a dollop of chocolate syrup.
Jollibee Chocolate Float
Although I am most certainly partial to coffee-based drinks, it was surprising that I preferred Jollibee’s Chocolate Float more. The iced chocolate drink was far from being overly sweet and made a perfect base for the creamy vanilla ice cream. Most of my companions also preferred this over the Coffee Float, so it definitely earned our stamp of approval.
Endorsed by the equally yummy and refreshing Enchong Dee, Jollibee’s Chocolate and Coffee Floats retail at only P45 per cup. Should you wish to have these refreshing floats with your favourite Jollibee Value Meals, you can opt to just add P25 to get your needed lift.
Jollibee Coffee Float
*Story and Photos by Blogger Apprentice Stephanie Go
Jollibee’s Chocolate and Coffee Floats are available in all Jollibee stores nationwide. So if you want a delicious drink to fight off the scorching heat of the summer, head to your nearest Jollibee branch and get a lift!
After Jamba Juice Bonifacio High Street opened in the Philippines last year, Manila is now its biggest market in Asia. It is no surprise then that they immediately opened their second branch in the Philippines (first store in the south) at the Alabang Town Center earlier this month.
Jamba Juice ATC Interiors
Brief Background
Jamba Juice is known for its all-natural smoothies and juices sourcing high quality fruits from around the globe.
Originating from California since the 1900s and making it big in South Korea, Jamba Juice has been brought to the Philippines by one of the largest food chains in the Philippines. It is the same one who’s behind the Max’s Group of Companies including Max’s Restaurant and Krispy Kreme – the Fuentabellas.
It’s not surprising then that the Jamba Juice ATC branch is situated right beside Krispy Kreme Alabang Town Center.
Jamba Juice Philippines
Jamba Juice Menu Board
Jamba Juice Boosters!
Janmba Juice ATC 2nd Floor
Jamba Juice Fruit Smoothie
Jamba Juice Alabang Town Center Opens
The opening program of the ATC branch started with members of the Max’s Group of Companies welcoming Jamba Juice’s President and CEO Mr. James D. White and Global & Franchise Development and Senior VP Mr. Thibault De Chatellus.
They were greeted with a parade of cheers and placards showcasing the core ideals behind the Jamba Juice brand.
The festivities matched the energy and excitement symbolic of the product and its health benefits.
Here are some of the photos we got from the celebrations:
Guests from Jamba Juice International Arrives in Alabang Town Center
Jamba Juice President and CEO Mr. James D. White Shakes Hands with Guests
Jamba Juice Senior Vice President Mr. Thibault De Chatellus joins Ribbon Cutting (in white polo)
 “Alabang is a great model for a district that exudes a dynamic lifestyle…known for being the hometown of cyclists—an example of the active lifestyle market that Jamba Juice has successfully served in California for many years,†adds Mark Gamboa, Jamba Juice Philippines Marketing Director.
Press Conference
Together with a select group of media, we then had a more private presscon with the aforementioned officers and Jamba Juice Philippines Managing Director Ms. Sharon Fuentebella.
Jamba Juice Smoothies Fever!
Ms. Sharon Fuentebella (Jamba Juice Ph Managing Director) in the press conference
They revealed in the interview that Jamba Juice Philippines will continue to effectively position its growth now that Manila is considered the biggest market in Asia. They also hihglighted that they intended to open their second branch in the south to cater to the big market which more often than not is neglected by some brands in terms of immediate expansion.
The Fuentabellas also disclosed that further expansion in other parts of Metro Manila is in the pipeline with the third branch opening soon in SM Mall of Asia.
Meet an Ace! (Aces is the term for Jamba Juice experts in each section)
Jamba Juice Smoothies
Jamba Juice Alabang Town Center
Watch out for Jamba Juice’s third branch soon in SM Mall of Asia! With the large market in that area, I believe Jamba Juice SM Mall of Asia will easily be a hit as well.
Bon Chon, Chicken Charlie, and now – Chicken Delish! I made sure to check out this humble stall at the recently concluded Best Food Forward food fair held at NBC Tent in Bonifacio Global City over the weekend.
Chicken Delish
The foremost reason is because Chicken Delish owner Annalyn Jusay-Zoglmann pimped it out to me. 🙂 She is fellow blogger as well so I was curious on what she came up with since her sole (so far) and actual branch in Paranaque is beyond my reach.
Chicken Delish Sauces
It’s one of those home-style fried chicken made more special with its tasty sauces such as the sweet and spicy sauce, Pinoy barbecue, sriracha(Thai hot sauce mixed with butter and honey), Pinoy buffalo, and the good old salt and pepper. While still being improved, her bestsellers are the sweet and spicy sauce which was not surprising with Filipino customers.
For my part, I tried it with the sweet sauce last Saturday and was satisfied. The meat was still tender and juicy even if it was late in the afternoon already. The chapchae side dish I chose was also good even by itself. Hopefully I can try it with the Pinoy barbecue sauce soon.
Annalyn says that she was serving her gourmet-style fried chicken to her family even before the bonchon craze hit the metro. ” Chicken is something every member of my family loves and experimenting on the many ways to cook it was a natural progression of our passion for all things poultry-related.”
Chicken Delish @ Best Food Forward 2012
“It came to a point that I wasn’t just happy serving my chicken at home as I was also pondering my retirement from the corporate jungle and embarking on a business… I went ahead to test my business idea in the Soderno Sunday market last year and after its initial success with the weekend crowd, an opportunity came for me to open a stand-alone store at the Caltex Gas station in Better Living, Paranaque City. I’ve also been joining bazaars like the Midnight Mercato in the Fort to gain further exposure for my product,” adds Annalyn or AJ for short.
Chicken Delish Menu / Sidedish
Chicken Delish Price
Chicken Delish‘s four-piece chicken wings afford-ably cost P90 while the two-piece drumsticks are at P120. Feel free to share your experience with Chicken Delish in the comment section below specially if you’re from the south. 🙂
Best Food Forward Photos
Next, here are the other Best Food Forward photos I got from the food fair. Thanks to Nuffnang Philippines for the blogger tickets.
Picket Fence Ice Cream Cart
SkewU Skewers
Pink Wasabi
Mochiko Ice Cream and Ponzarotti
Pinoy Eats World
Best Food Forward Seminars and Cooking Demos
Med Chef
Chorizo Burger and a popcorn concessionaire
Crunchy Belly
Wagyu Burger and Special Chocolate booth
Moderne Culinaire Academy
JT's Manukan and Malabon Delicacies
Thai Cha Yen
Cuisiniers (left); Milk Chocolate booth (right)
88DB.com
Our Kitchen and OpenRice.com booth (I'm an OpenRicer myself!)
Yummy Magazine
Did you go to the Best Food Forward last weekend? How was it? Which were your favorite food concessionaire? NomNom’s choice from those I have tried are Crunchy Belly of Carlo’s Kitchen, SkewU, Pint Homemade Ice Cream, ButterBeer, and well, Chicken Delish.
You might have heard the foodie news – J.CO coffee and donuts have landed in the Philippines! Their first stop was SM Megamall in Manila which just opened last March 15, 2012 while I was in South Korea. This will be followed soon with branches in Greenbelt 3, Trinoma, and SM Mall of Asia.
By the end of the year, the Philippine’s master franchiser is opening up 10 branches, with a target of 20 by the end of 2013 and 30 by 2014.
It is just right then to follow through this news with an inspection of what this Indonesian-grown donut and coffee brand has to offer.
On focus in this write-up is their main product – the J.CO donuts.
They use a wide array of ingredients sourced from around the world like Belgian chocolates, Californian almonds, American honey, New Zealand cheese, and Japanese Matcha green tea.
Let us look at some of them and their best-sellers.
Moreover, the makers of J.CO donuts seem to have a penchant for Hollywood celebrity names as well…from Jacky Chan’s to Leonardo Di Caprio’s. 🙂 Check these out:
Strawbeery Caviar Choco and Oreology (L-R)
Hazel Dazzle
Donut topped with rich milk chocolate sprinkled with chopped peanuts and filled with a hazelnut surprise
Strawbeery Caviar Choco
Light and fruity donut with strawberry choco topping with crisp chocolate bits
Oreology
One of the worl’d favorite chcoolate treat with white chocolate topping fully covered with ground bits of dark Oreo
JCO Jacky Chunk (leftmost); Meisisipi (middle)
J.CO Avocado Dicaprio (rightmost)
Jacky Chunk
Dark-Chocolate and Peanut combo kick on glazed donut
Meisisipi
Donut laid with rich choco toppingand crunchy choco sprinkles
Avocado Dicaprio
An avocado delight with creany fruit flavors and a teasing chocolate granish on the sides
Tiramisu & Blue Berrymore
Tiramisu
An espresso dessert-inspired creation with Tiramisu-flavoured filling topped with sprinkled cocoa powder.
Blue Berrymore
Filled with cream cheese and blueberry sauce, the white chocolate topping puts the exclamation mark. making it Charlie’s favorite angel.
Heaven Berry
Strawberry cream donut topped with swirly white chocolate garnish
JCO Forest Glam (right)
Forest Glam
Black Forest topping composed of cherries, dark chocolate, and confectioner’s sugar
Crunchy Crunchy
Chocoltae covered donut with crunchy chocolate rice crispies on top.
3 NomNom Favorites
Alcapone
J.CO’s signature donut with Belgian White Chocolate sprinkled with roasted almond slices.
JCO Alcapone(left) and Green Tease (right)
J. Club Cheesy Rich with a bite
Green Tease
Green tea cream on top!
J. Club Cheesy Rich (top photo)
This cheesy donut is rich with cheddar and cream cheese, among others.
Price
All the J.Co donuts are at a uniform price of P42(except J.Club Cheesy Rich which is P45) to enable the customers to try all of them without being too concious of the price. A not-so-common pricing strategy if you ask me. 🙂
J.CO Donuts
J.CO Chocolate Caviar (Crunchy Crunchy in the background)
All the J.CO donuts also has a mini-doughnuts counterpart called J.Pops. It’s a good way of being able to taste-test a variety of donuts before actually making your choice of with the big ones!
Mom says that as much as girls like flowers, giving something edible as a gift on Valentine’s Day is more practical. I think this is what Max’s Restaurant – Max’s Corner Bakery had in mind for this Valentine’s. 🙂
Max;s Cupcakes
It start early this month and until February 29, 2012, Max’s Corner Bakery cakes and pastries offers the following to complement you Valentine gift ideas:
Valentine’s Pastry Bites – it’s a box chocolate bites with choices of dark or milky chocolate, some are covered with almond slivers and filled with caramels. (P199 – box of 15)
Valentine Cupcakes – cupcakes of 3 in one gift box (P135 for a box of 3 or P50 a piece)
– Black Forest Cupcake – combination of rich and smooth chocolate flavors with ganache swirls without missing the cherry on top and a chocolate base.
– Blueberry Cupcake – your favorite cupcake with real blueberries.
– Choco Banana Cupcake – a moist banana cupcake with choco cookies topped with cream and a big heart-shaped black and white chocolate flat.
Valentine Chocolate Moist Cake -Â a medium-sized heart-shaped chocolate cake, coated with a layer of chocolate ganache and garnished with chocolate curls, topped with cherry and sprinkled with powdered sugar (Php 199).
Sugar Cookies – fancy sugar cookies with a choice of either the Valentine Heart or the Valentine Bear. (P25 – pack of 2)
Max’s Pastry Bites
Max's Cupcakes for Valentine's Day: Blueberry Cupcake, Black Forest Cupcake, & Choco Banana Cupcake (left- right))
Sugar Cookies (Valentine Bear and the Valentine Heart)
Highly Recommended
Among the above, It’s the Valentine Chocolate Moist Cake which NomNom recommends best. It lives up to its name and would surely be loved by most. It’s visually appealing and can easily be consumed by a couple because of it’s size.
Chocolate Moist Cake (P199 - medium size; one size)
Max's Restaurant Cake
Valentine’s Promo from Max’s Restaurant
Starting today, until February 14, 2012, a minimum purchase of Php 1,500 on your favorite meals in Max’s Restaurant such as Max’s sarap-to-the-bones Fried Chicken, Sinigang, Crispy Pata or Kare-Kare, entitles a customer a free box of Pastry Bites from Max’s Corner Bakery worth P199.
All Cakes in Heart Shape
Chocolate Cake
Highlighting the mood of the season even further, all Max’s Corner Bakery’s cakes will be heart-shaped from February 10-14! Talk about Valentine cakes! 🙂
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