Entries Tagged 'New Brews' ↓

Something newly blended is out today as Starbucks Philippines introduces their two new interestingly named and refreshing summer drinks – the Banana Mango Frappuccino and the Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino Blended Beverages.

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Another foodie stopover in our Avida Food Hunt series was the Bebe Rouge Patisserie. Right after a filling meal at Mao Jia Hunan Cuisine Restaurant in Bagtikan, it’s time for dessert!

Cream Melon

Bebe Rouge Patisserie is one of San Antonio Village‘s premier bakeshops located conveniently at the corner of Sacred Heart St. and Metropolitan Avenue.

The quaint and pink bakeshop is owned, managed, and operated by a vibrant Japanese couple–Chef Atsushi and Chef Jun, both French-trained pastry chefs.

Here is a quick set of photos inside Bebe Rouge Patisserie:

Bebe Rouge @ New Hatchin Building

Desserts Sampler including the bestseller Strawberry Shortcake

(left) Earlgrey Financier – Almond Cake rich in ‘Beurre noisette’ with Earl grey ‘ tea powder Php 50; (right) Financier Chocolat – Chocolate flavor financier, almond cake rich in ‘Beurre noisette’with cocoa powder Php 50

Their bestseller is the strawberry shortcake which tasted almost heavenly. 🙂 Visitors also have a wide selection of pastries like macaroons, galettes, and other pastry desserts. They also have a wide selection of tea concoctions at about Php 150. Iced teas are served in glass while the hot ones are in teapots. Hot coffee is at Php 100 while a cold one is at Php 120.

More photos:

Chef Jun of Bebe Rouge

Bebe Rouge Macarons

The Patisserie

Bebe Rouge Patisserie in Makati

Bebe Rouge Patisserie actually has an interesting mix in the aspect of culture – a Japanese-owned shop of French pastries in the Philippines. 🙂

Magnum Manila

The opening of Magnum Manila at SM Aura Premier SkyPark tomorrow is all-abuzz around the metro and in the social media-sphere where those who got first dibs, including NomNom Club, have been sharing their photos online, much to the jaundiced eyes of those who haven’t.

But the day has come, tomorrow, Magnum Manila opens it’s first pop-up ‘pleasure store‘ in the Philippines, following other branches around the world including Paris, Jakarta, Shanghai, Amsterdam and New York, among others.

Magnum Manila Signature Combination

Magnum Manila Pleasure Store

Mr. Bryan Chanyungco

So before you hit the store in it’s grand opening tomorrow, here are 10 Things You Need to Know About Magnum Manila:

1. Magnum Manila is not a Café

No, it’s not  a cafe, as Magnum Manila brand manager Bryan Chanyungco has confirmed in an interview with NomNom Club.

Strictly, it’s a “Pleasure Pop-Up Store“. It means that their main purpose is to support the brand – Magnum.

It would be open for only a little more than a year and the objective of success is then attained!

Magnum Manila @ SM Aura Premier

2. Dessert Dishes were Crafted by Chef Miko Aspiras

Chef Miko Aspiras

The Magnum concoctions forming all the dessert dishes were crafted by Chef Miko Aspiras, a globally award-winning pastry chef and is currently one of the pastry chefs in a well-known Philippine premier hotel.

3. Food is by Chef Him Uy de Baron

You may consider Magnum Manila a restaurant since aside from the Magnum Ice Cream creations, there are other sumptuous dishes you could order from appetizers to soup and salad to mains.

Some names from the menu include Asian Steak Salad, Pumpkin Soup, Magnum Braised Beef Cheek, and Carbonara.

The entrees are the creations of Chef Him Uy de Baron, the executive chef of Chef Cuisine Catering and owner of Nomama.

Asian Steak Salad

Make-Your-Own-Magnum

4. The “Make-Your-Own-Magnum” only costs Php 100

Since Magnum Ice Cream‘s launch about two years ago, the brand has already made it’s mark in the Philippine ice cream industry. And with Magnum Manila, the customer’s experience will be elevated by offering them the chance to create their very own Magnum bar for only Php 100!

Most of your favorite desserts from other restaurants costs more!

5. Step 1 Make-Your-Own-Magnum: “Coat It”

The DIY process starts from the choice of ice cream. Choose between vanilla or chocolate truffle.

After selecting your Magnum ice cream base, you get to “Coat It” by choosing a chocolate coating from white, infinity dark, and classic.

Step 1: “Coat It”

6. Step 2 Make-Your-Own-Magnum: “Top It”

To ‘Top It’ is to make you Magnum Bar more exciting by experimenting on 18 different toppings to choose from. You could create more than a hundred thousand combination with all 18 of them!

The default is to add 3 toppings from the varied choices. The toppings include pistachios, almond, chocolate chip cookies, dried raspberries, gold nuggets, and even sea salt or chili flakes for that surprise kick!

Step 2: “Top it” – 18 Toppings to Choose From

7. Step 3 Make-Your-Own-Magnum: “Drizzle It”

Finally, you get to drizzle your Magnum Creation with the same chocolate choices from the coating section. Select either white, infinity dark, or classic Belgian chocolate.

Step 3: “Drizzle It”

8. Magnum Manila contemporary architecture and sleek interiors is designed by Ed Calma.

Magnum Pleasure Store @ SkyPark

Magnum Manila Interiors

9.  NomNom Club’s Top Dessert Choice is the Cookie Dough Skillet

The Magnum Manila menu is quite handy but there are a lot of options to order. So to help you make the right choices, allow us to give you NomNom Club’s top choice which we believe you’ll never regret – the Cookie Dough Skillet.

The Cookie Dough Skillet is a warm chocolate chip cookie dough topped with two vanilla Magnum bars, dark chocolate and chopped pecans.

At P250, it has earned to be one of my favorite desserts of all time. It’s also good for sharing!

Other Magnum Manila creations include the Rainbow Dream & Pink Friday.

The “Rainbow Dream”

The “Pink Friday”

10.  NomNom Club’s Main Dish Recommendations are the Seared Salmon and Mushroom Burger.

For the ‘mains‘, please do try the Seared Salmon with Basil Creme and Chorizo Confit and the Mushroom Burger.

While the Seared Salmon is good for a meal, the Mushroom Burger has that unique meaty texture perfect just before a Magnum Manila dessert creation for snacks.

Seared Salmon with Basil Creme and Chorizo Confit

Mushroom Burger

Free Magnum

But wait, there’s more!

Free 500 Make Your Own Magnum

Magnum Manila in SM Aura opens its first day with a big crunch! A free crunch for the first 500 customers, so to speak.

They will get their own Make Your Own Magnum dessert creation for FREE!

Be one of the First 500 guests to get a taste of the Make Your Own Magnum experience. Doors officially open at 12NN on Tuesday, April 8 2014. Patrons may physically line up ahead of time (no phone reservations).

1-patron-1-MYO-Magnum-Bar Rule

Magnum Manila Signature Creations

Magnum Manila Pleasure Store

Being a pop-up store which will only be open until sometime in 2015, you should then grab the earliest chance to taste the cold and luxurious Belgian chocolate bar of Magnum made the way you want in thousands of possible combinations.

Know more about Manila’s Magnum at Magnum.com.ph, @Magnum_PH on Instagram, and MakeMyMagnum.com.

And considering that the newest Magnum Gold retails for Php60 each in convenience stores, the Magnum Manila P100 DIY Magnum plus 3 toppings in a full dine-in premium store is actually pocket-friendly.

Mao Jia Hunan

Hunan province in China is famous for its spicy fares and that’s what Mao Jia Hunan Cuisine restaurant along Bagtikan street in Makati is bringing to its customers and nearby residents.

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I recently attended the media launch of the newly opened Todd English Food Hall Manila at the 5th floor of SM Aura and guess what I saw nearby? A Magnum Manila  shop! Continue reading →

Todd English Food Hall Manila

Todd English Food Hall, a 900-square-meter specialty culinary hall that offers a mix of fresh and prepared international gourmet food, opens in Manila today. Continue reading →

Starbucks Philippines recently organized an online poll asking espresso lovers which of their two macchiato creations they like best – is it Hazelnut Macchiato or Caramel Macchiato?

Caramel Macchiato vs Hazelnut Macchiato

Starbucks Caramel Macchiato

Team Hazelnut vs Team Caramel

Starbucks’ Hazelnut Macchiato is the new kid in town made with freshly steamed milk, marked with espresso, and of course, hazelnut syrup. It is then finished with hazelnut drizzle. A short order costs P135 while the tall, grande, and venti costs P145, P160, and P170, respectively.

Team Hazelnut Macchiato from the newly opened Fairview Terraces Mall branch in Novaliches

On the other hand, all-time favorite Starbucks Caramel Macchiato is similarly made with freshly steamed milk, but this time with a sweet vanilla-flavored syrup. The rich flavors of roasted espresso is finished with caramel sauce. (Short – P135, Tall – P145, Grande- P160, Venti – P170)

The Results

And the people have decided! Over the online poll through Starbucks Facebook Page which lasted until March 13, Team Caramel won with 9,772 votes garnering about 59% of the votes. Team Hazelnut got 6,898 votes or about 41% of the votes.

Team Caramel Macchiato Wins! (Photo from Starbucks Philippines Facebook Page); Photo on top of this article is from Starbucks Trinoma branch 2F

Hurray! My vote was for Caramel Macchiato as well! 😛

Cold Hazelnut Macchiato from Starbucks Shangri-La Mall branch

As a result, Team Caramel Macchiato celebrated its victory with a Buy One, Get One Caramel Macchiato promo yesterday – #MacchiatoMonday, March 17.

Sans the results, on which Starbucks Team are on? Hazelnut Macchiato or Caramel Macchiato?

Cheesy Cheese

Me and my wife are a little picky when it comes to chips. There’s just so many brands in the market that sometimes it can overwhelm you.

Just go to the supermarket and check out the snacks section and you’ve got lines of shelves stacked with bags of chips.

We’re picky in a way that we check what we eat. SImilar to other foods, we check the back of the snack bag for information on its contents. Although, we’re no where near the skills of a nutritionist, knowing what’s inside what you eat helps.

Back Labels

And we’re glad there’s Chacho’s. In contrast to usual corn-based chips, Chacho’s tortilla chips is actually flour-based, which is better. It’s also  new to us since we haven’t tried them before. I’m just not too sure if it’s new in the Philippines as well. Anyhow, so we decided to give it a try.

Chacho’s Variants

Chacho’s come in three flavors — the Cheesy Cheese, BBQ Bonanza, and Spicy Curry. Wifey and I couldn’t settle which one to try first so we considered all three variants.

Chacho’s Flavors

They also come in 80g and 185g packs. The smaller one is about P35-40+, not bad for an imported chips such as Chacho’s.

At home, we first tried my top choice – BBQ Bonanza and it did not disappoint. It’s thin, light, and crunchy-crisp, just like how tortilla chips should be.

My cheese-lover wife got her Cheesy Cheese next. Both of us are not a fan of anything spicy, so the Spicy Curry was the last to get opened. 🙂

I’m actually torn between the BBQ Bonanaza and Cheesy Cheese. I like them both. Wifey obviously went for the latter. :p

Enjoy More with Dips

Consider however, getting some dips to enhance the flavors like salsa and even more cheese. At that time, we didn’t have them at home so we settled for the good ‘ol mayonnaise.

The dips can make snack time more fun and flavorful specially if you have kids.

Chacho’s with Dips

Chacho’s Chips!

You can try strawberry jams and peanut butter too!

I was then reminded of the memory of my Chili’s  Nachos / Tostada Chips experience in SM Megamall a few months ago. 🙂

So if you’re looking for a new snack or chips to feast on, try the new Chacho’s from your favorite supermarkets in Metro Manila. Hopefully they are available in SM Supermarkets too, if not yet.