Entries Tagged 'New Brews' ↓

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.

Continue reading →

If you fell in love with the old ‘Smokin’ Hot BarBQ‘ restaurant in Greenbelt 3, then you would too with the new ‘Siklab‘. Bistro Group led ‘Siklab‘ Pinoy Favorites basically just had a name change to better reflect the Filipino cuisine they serve. The menu and location of the new restaurant remains the same.

Basil Lemondae

Upon Siklab’s invitation, we got to try some Filipino favorites off their menu last week, including familiar desserts with a twist. 😛

Starters

For starters, we had the Crispy Bacon Belly (P255) and the Kuhol sa Gata (P225). The former is a sumptuous set of bacon-cut pork belly fried to a crisp with atsara on the side. Although it’s a bit pricey, it was a sumptuous crispy treat true to its name.

The latter was even better with golden snails simmered in coconut milk with green curry, chopped chillies, and lemongrass.

Crispy Bacon Belly (P255)

Kuhol sa Gata (P225)

Main Dishes

With starters setting the bar high, the main menu was at par.

Surprisingly, one of my favorites that night was the usual 2pc. BarBQ Chicken (P235) leg and thigh parts which were 6-hours marinated in their BarBQ sauce fhouse blend producing a sweet-tangy taste. Other sets of 4pcs costs P 455 ; 6pcs – P680; 8pcs – P895.

Another top favorite that night was the Pork BarBQ skeweres (top photo). These are pork bbq skewers marinated in their house BarBBQ sauce and grilled (about P120+ per skewer).

This was followed by the Binagoongang Liempo (P325) which was a chunkier version of the Crispy Bacon Belly above. The Binagoongang Liempo (crispy pork belly) rests on a bed of eggplant sauteed in homemade shrimp paste.

2pc. BarBQ Chicken (P235)

Binagoongang Liempo (P325)

Although I’m cutting down on rice-intake recently, who can resist the Sisig Rice (P245) which came albeit belatedly. It’s a  stir-fry of pork sisig and rice topped with scrambled egg and pork cracklings.

For the veggie-lovers, the Pinakbet (P175) is a must try combining squash, eggplant, string beans, and bittermelon sauteed in shrimp paste with some  pork skin crackling.

Pinakbet (P175)

Veggie Fruit Blast (P110)

Siklab Beverage

It’s worth noting how much I loved the Veggie Fruit Blast (P110) beverage I had. It’s a combination of celery, watermelon, apple, and orange. Classified under the ‘healthy drinks‘ category in the menu, this comes highly recommended by NomNom.

The Cucumber Breeze is also good which is a combination of  pineapple, cucumber and orange. The Basil Lemonade was ordinary though.

Filipino Desserts

Filipinos are known for their delightfully sweet desserts, almost deadly for the diabetic actually. Anyhow, we had the Biko and Turon 2.0; no it’s not Android’s latest OS.

The ‘Biko‘ (P155) is a chunk of visually appealing sticky rice served with chocolate soil and white latik on the side. it is meant to be poured on top and spread.

Biko (P155)

Turon 2.0 (P 235)

The Turon 2.0 looks like pinoy sorbetes on cone. Actually, underneath the ube ice cream is a surprise of Filipino flavors from the combination of banana, langka, and macapuno held together by caramelized cones. A serving consists of 5 cones. It’s a bit expensive at P 235 but worth a try before it becomes Turon 3.0 in the next incarnation.

I’ll surely be back in Siklab wanting to try more Filipino dishes such as Aligue Rice tossed with crab fat, Ginataang Kalabasa at Sitaw, Pinaputok na Tilapia, Pork Belly Adobo, Stuffed Laing with taro leaves stuffed with ground pork and dried alamang. For dessert, the Buco Lychee Sherbet shall not escape.

It was a great Filipino dinner at Siklab in Greenbelt. If you’re craving for some Filipino dishes in Makati, Siklab Pinoy Favorties will not disappoint you.

Figaro Yuletide Frost

Harping on the Filipino’s penchant of starting the Christmas season within the -ber months, Figaro Coffee made sure they’re first to meet that demand in the local cafe scene. Continue reading →

What an extraordinary combination. I just found out that the new Jollibee Bacon Mushroom Champ being offered in all Jollibee branches around the country comes with Thor’s Hammer – Mjolnir – USB flashdrive!

Jollibee Thor Hammer USB (also known as “Mjolnir”)

Mjolnir: Thor’s Hammer

With Thor – The Dark World movie  coming up in theaters next week on October 30, this collaboration by Jollibee and Marvel’s Thor (and his hammer) comes just at the right time. Thor fans will surely buy this package even just for the hammer USB alone. 😛

New Jollibee Bacon Mushroom Champ

The new Jollibee Bacon Mushroom Champ Solo Meal (P129) with the Thor Hammer USB (P95)

On other hand, foodies will love this new offering by Jollibee, with or without the freebie toy. The Champ just got a level-up with a lot of bacon strips, a generous dose of cheese sauce, and a dash of mushroom that complements the 1/3 pounder 100% pure beef hamburger patty. I suddenly had a flashback of the Jollibee Ultimate Burger Steak Meal. 😛

Cross-section: Jollibee Bacon Mushroom Champ

With every purchase of the solo Jollibee Bacon Mushroom Champ ( P 129 ) or the combo meal ( P165 ), you can buy the extraordinary 1G Thor Hammer USB for P95; This is already a good catch since an ordinary 1G USB already retails at about he same price in the market.

Catch this Jollibee Thor Hammer USB promotion now as it starts today and end on November 16, 2013. Of course, I will surely catch the Thor movie  ‘The Dark World’ as well! 🙂

Don’t be surprised when you visit the newly reopened Yoshinoya branch in SM Megamall. It opened a little more than a week ago as the 4th branch in the Philippines to have its interiors remodeled seemingly catering to the younger market segment.

Yoshinoya SM Megamall Reopens

Best known for its Japanese Gyudon Beef Bowl, Yoshinoya went away from the traditional Japanese feel of wood and classic bowls into a more hip orange-themed look.

The upgraded design highlighted the “bull horn” logo shaped as “Y” and invented by Yoshinoya’s Mizuho Matsuda way back since 1899. Did you know that the surrounding rope around the horn represents “Yokozuna” referring to the ranking winner in a Japanese wrestling match? Moreover, the rope is made with 27 rice grains while the whole logo means “best beef bowls.”

Launches and openings, specially for a restaurant, is of course not complete with out served food. So here are some of the Yoshinoya specialties we got to try on their opening day:

Beef Gyudon Rice with Vegetables + Red Iced Tea

Guest Celebrity Ricardo Zepeda graces the Yoshinoya Megamall Opening

Yoshinoya Orange Wall of Bowls

Yoshinoya Maki-Siomai-dessert sampler platter 

As good as the food we had, on the other hand, I missed the more conservative premium Japanese ambiance, but that may be just me.

Freshly-cooked Tempura with sauce

Yoshinoya Megamall had its look since way back in 2003 when it first opened. I guess it was time for a change. And with it, the evolution to adapt to the new market must be what the people behind Yoshinoya have in mind.

As long as the food quality does not change, I know we will continue to love the delicious recipe of  beef and rice Gyudon we have grown up with in Yoshinoya SM Megamall. By October, Yoshinoya Delivery will have the number 288-2888! They have branches in Robinsons Galleria, SM Mall of Asia, SM North Edsa, SM Manila, and Glorietta 1.

My first food truck experience was with Cucina Andare months ago. But when I heard about the then upcoming first food truck park in the Philippines, I was even more excited as this new trend of mobile food catering from the Philippine Food Truck Association at Capitol Commons (front of Kapitolyo in Pasig City) was exclusive to food trucks alone.

Capotil Commons Park Map

I recently had a food escapade in the nearby Kapitolyo restaurant food scene. But food trucks just give you a different experience as you hop from one truck to another with only a few footsteps. Placing your order can also be done in a jiffy.

Food Truck Food Picks

So wifey and I visited the venue on it’s opening day more than a week ago and here’s our top four food picks (not in any order):

* Big Bite Avenue’s Longga Burger & De Luxe Fries

When I asked for Big Bite Avenue‘s (top photo) bestsellers, they said that their burgers were good. I was a bit more adventurous that day so I was looking for something different. The Longga Burger in the menu caught my eye and they said it was a good choice as well. So I had one and a mini serving of the De Luxe Fries (mini-P50;large-P100).

The fries was done first so wifey and I munched on it while waiting for the longganisa burger. Not expecting much from the fries, we were actually caught by surprise on how good it was. But more than the fries, it was the toppoings composed of cheese sauce, ground beef, aioli sauce, diced onion and tomatoes which made it a hit to our taste.

The Longganisa Burger

De Luxe Fries

The longganisa burger (P110 mini) eventually came and we were not disappointed. The longganisa patty in between sesame buns was huge unlike fastfood burgers nowadays where the buns outsize the patties big time. It was topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and BBQ and aioli sauce.

* Broosy’s Sisig Taco and Ramen

Apparently, the name Food Truck by Broosy is based from the celebrity chef behind the truck – Chef Bruce Lim. The menu is quite interesting actually for a Japanese food truck. They had sisig rice, tacos, and ramen.

Wifey and I were not too sure what to order so I decided to have the Sisig Taco while she craved for some ramen.

With options for pulled-pork, fish, and chicken, I believe my choice of sisig was the best. And I thought sisig was best only with rice or beer. It turns out using soft tacos is a good idea as well. With 4 handy pieces, it is priced at P120. A bit hefty for the size but well worth the taste.

Chef Broosy

Sisig Tacos

For those looking for a complete meal, Chef Broosy has a promo called Rainy Day Special at P120 on all tacos and rice toppings inclusive of drink.

The ramen was also very good at only P180 for both regular and spicy (petite P100).

* Hungry Rover’s Fireballs & Chips

We met someone familiar – the experiential food truck called Hungry Rover where about 8 customers can actually fit and dine in the truck complete with tables and chairs. It’s more of a mini bus for me than a truck. 😛 We first encountered them months ago at Cucina Andare which immediately became one of our favorite.

This time around, they hit it again by continually updating their menu. I tried one of their new stuff – the ‘Fireballs & Chips‘ at Php200. It consisted of meatballs and nacho chips brazen with chili-garlic cheese sauce and salsa on top.

Hungry Rover Food Truck

Fireballs & Chips by Hungry Rover

The nacho chips were average but it was the meatballs which made this a winner.

I am also looking forward to trying their new Turkey Pepper Cheese Steak (P170) and Manila Cheese Steak (P170) in my next visits.

* Great Burger’s Bacon Cheese Burger with Crinkle Fries

This was actually the last one I visited among the food trucks. I was already full from all that I ate that night but I’m glad I pushed myself into trying this one further.

I ordered their Bacon Cheese Burger (P160) with crinkle fries (P40). The order might take a while but it’s all worth the wait with their juicy patty and flavorful sauces. The natural-cut fries was also superb in itself even without the cream and condiments.

GReat Burger Truck

Bacon Cheese Burger + Crinkle Fries

I highly recommend both the burger and the fries and is looking forward to try their Original Flavor burger (P140) and the Fire Fries (P100) next time around.

Other Food Trucks: Mio Gelati, Shawarma Bros, and More

Make sure to end your truck meals in bliss with desserts – specifically gelato – from Mio Gelati starting at P80 per small cup (P150 big cup) to as much as P200 for the Premium+Alcoholic flavors.

The Ferrero variant I got was P100 for the small cup since its a premium flavor. Mio Gelati’s best-seller – the dark chocolate.variant – was very good as well.

Mio Gelati Gelato

It was also my first time to try the Amazing Cones. These are bite-size pizza in a cone with classic flavors at only P50 while the special flavors are at P60.

Amazing Cones

Start with their classic Pizza Burger flavor with flamed-grilled beef, mushrooms, cheese sauce, and mozarella cheese. Then follow it up with the new “All Meat” special flavor with Italian sausage, salami, ham, beef, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese.

Other food trucks include the Shawarma Bros, the Cheese Steak Shop, Truck Bun, and Ser Chef’s. Among these, I was only able to try a wrap from Shawarma Bros which was ok. I tried to order from Ser Chef’s food truck but they run out of rice for their meals. I returned and checked at least 3 times that night from 8pm-9:15pm to no avail.

Food Truck Park @ Capitol Commons

Capitol Commons

The Food Truck Park at Capitol Commons (10-hectare mixed-use development) is the newest residential and lifestyle destination from real estate developer Ortigas & Company who is behind Greenhills Shopping Center and Tiendesitas.

The Capitol Commons Park is located at Meralco Avenue corner Shaw Boulevard, Pasig City. The Food Truck Park is open to the public every Tuesday to Friday from 4pm to 10pm upto as late as 12mn on Fridays.

You can bring your mats to the Food Truck Park in Capitol Commons Park as there are spacious green pastures to share.

Food Truck Park Schedule

The food fest started more than a week ago and will continue for the whole month. Get updates about the Food Truck Park through their Facebook page and the Capitol Commons Facebook page. You may also call #foodtruckparkph at 401.3332.

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? 🙂