Entries Tagged 'Cravings' ↓

Personalized Toblerone for Christmas

Celebrity Ramon Bautista

Surely, anyone would love to receive a gift, however simple it is as it’s usually the thought that counts. Nonetheless, don’t you feel more special when the gift you received is customized with your name? This is Toblerone‘s idea on how to make gift-giving in the Philippines more sweet and special. Continue reading →

There are four numbers to remember from this ‘Awesome Secret Foodies Tour‘ – they are 8, 20, 3, & 1000. The numerals represent 8 restaurants, a 20-course degustation, 3 Hours, and 1000 pesos.

Foodies Anton Diaz, RJ Ledesma, wifey Marjorie Uy & NomNom!

The Tuscany Food Tour at McKinley Hill in Fort Bonifacio presents a 20-course degustation spread among 8 restaurants that intends to continually fill your tummies for 3 hours. All these for a measly P1,000 from you pocket. Moreover, 2 of the metro’s iconic foodies – RJ Ledesma and Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet – will join the group of 30 to make the experience more engaging.

Participating Restaurants in the Food Tour:

• Sauceria
• Planet Grapes
• L.E.S. Bagels
• Main Street
• Sophie’s Mom
• B&T Mexican Kitchen
• Marciano’s
• Trattoria Poggio Antico

Not to keep you wanting for too long, let’s take a peek on what the 8 restos  have to offer:

Planet Grapes

Wine pairing at Planet Grapes plus choice of one red wine and one white wine:

Planet Grapes

Wines include Folie a Deux Merlot 2010, Joel Gott Riesling 2011, and Kunde Family Chardonnay 2011, among others

RJ Ledesma joins Our Awesome Planet in hosting the Tuscany Food Tour

Trattoria Poggio Antico

4-in-1: Prosciutto con Melon (ham and melon on pizza crust), Crespella del Poggio Antico (crepe stuffed with ham and cheese, and mushrooms in truffle oil), Pomodoro e Mozzarella Crostini and assorted pizzetas, and Oyster Sur Pate di Fegato (oyster on liver pate)

This Foodie Tour come in a Group of 30

….or simply your small group of friends

B&T Mexican Chicken

B&T Mexican Kitchen

Chipotle Chicken Pizza, Mango Glazed Habanero Chicken, Taquitos Espesyal with Barbacoa, & Nachos with Assorted Dips [+ Awesome “Rice” drink on the left]

Chicken Mole

L.E.S. Bagels

L.E.S. Bagels with assorted Cream Cheese Filling (NomNom Tip: :I love the one with black sesame seeds)

Marciano’s

West Side Four Season Pizza; (not in photo: Woody Allen Linguine)

Dow Jones – US T-bone with prawns, potato wedges, sausages, and roasted vegetables

Sauceria

Feta Cilantro Tomato Cocas – Spanish style pizza

Artisanal All-Beef Burger with tuyo blue cheese spread in a Furikaki bun

Tuna Tataki – Zaru Soba with homemade wasabi sour cream dip

Main Street

Poutine – thick-cut fries served with beef gravy and cheese curds (best with San Miguel Beer)

Wagyu Burger – Kitayama beef in sesame buns served with tomato relish, cheddar cheese and their very own house sauce

BEST DESSERT in this tour: Organic Maple and Candied Bacon Artisan Ice Cream (using vanilla maple base)

Sophie’s Mom

The place is dainty and cute fit for the little princess. However,  I’m not sure if the Red Velvet shown below will be offered because the tour menu only indicated Oreo Cheesecake Cookies and Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes (fyi). Any which way, you could always order it independently. 🙂

Red Velvet Cupcake (display only)

The “An Awesome Secret Foodies Tour” is presented by Megaworld Lifestyle Malls for you to discover Tuscany’s best kept secrets starting today (November 30) and for the next three more Saturdays (December 7, 14 and 21) from 2pm to 5pm.

The experience will enable you to taste a little bit of everything and get a feel of the place before splurging out on an entire meal. Only a limited set of 30 tickets will be available per date tour so hurry up and get your tickets at designated booths near the Tuscany Grand Villas Gate from 11:00am to 6:00pm (between Ukkokei Ramen Ron and Marciano’s).

An Awesome Secret Foodies Tour @ Tuscany

For more information, you may call 709-0888, 709-9888 or 0917-838-0111.

Food Tour Tip: Eat slowly and enjoy the company as much as you would the food. Each participant will be given a tour kit including the tour ticket, tour pin, degustation menu and the McKinley Hill Gourmet Guide.

NomNom Top Picks are:

• Main Strreet’s Organic Maple and Candied Bacon Artisan Ice Cream
• Sauceria’s Tuna Tataki
• Sauceria’s Feta Cilantro Tomato Cocas
• Marciano’s West Side Four Season Pizza
• L.E.S. Bagels with black sesame seed (I forgot the name; it was long 🙂
• B&T Mexican Kitchen’s “Rice” drink
• Planet Grapes’ Torrontes wine.

Join this mouthwatering degustation at Tuscany in McKinley Hill with your friends and family and I’m sure you will enjoy it as much as we did during the media tour. This Tuscany Food Tour is a secret no more, but remains awesome for the next 4 Saturdays.

Tagged as “where great minds come together to shop and dine,” the Ayala group has created a new lifestyle hub in Quezon City called UP Town Center.

Cotton On (non-restaurant)

Located in between UP Diliman campus and Ateneo De Manila University, the UP Town Center is patterned after the tradition of great university town centers around the world. The 7.4 hectare UP Diliman East Campus property along Katipunan Avenue in QC has been transformed into a “mixed-use retail and office development“.

Premium retailers, services, and restaurants will serve the needs and demands of office tenants, students, workers and surrounding residential communities surrounding the area.

What makes it unique from the usual retail developments is its bias of support for industry-academe collaboration such as on-the-job training and incubation of start-up businesses. Its operating hours is from Sunday – Thursday 10 AM to 9 PM; Friday & Saturday 10 AM to 10 PM.

Here are some establishments that are currently operating at the UP Town Center:

Ba Noi’s

Cafe Shibuya

Family Mart

Ginza Bairin

Highlands Coffee

IHOP Philippines

• Ba Noi’s
• Cafe Shibuya
• Family Mart
• Ginza Bairin
• Highlands Coffee
• IHOP Philippines
• J Co Donuts & Coffee
• Kos Greek Ouzeri
• Lucca Bakery
• Red Onion Cafe
• Ryu Ramen & Curry
• Salu-Salo
• Shrimp Bucket
• Steveston Pizza
• Tea Rock
• Tokyo Tonteki
• Torch
• Vanilla Cupcakes

J Co Donuts & Coffee

Kos Greek Ouzeri

Lucca Bakery

Red Onion Cafe

Ryu Ramen & Curry

Salu-Salo

Liberty

Not in Photo:

• Boon Tong Kee Philippines
• 8 Cuts Burger Blends
• Dulcelin Gourmet
• Casa Verde
• Pinac
• The Primary Kitchen Bar

Shrimp Bucket

Steveston Pizza

Tea Rock

Tokyo Tonteki

Torch

Soon to Open:

• Aeropostale

UP Town Center
1101 Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
uptowncenter.info@gmail.com
http://www.ayalamalls.com.ph/

Vanilla Cupcakes

I was able to dine at Ginza Bairin. Watch out for its feature here in NomNom Club soon! Enjoy special treats at the UP Town Center when you present your student ID until November 30, 2013!

December is fast approaching and mom’s are surely already thinking of what to prepare this Christmas season and for upcoming parties and family gatherings at home. Clara Ole already knows this and came prepared for the rescue.

Clara Ole Pasta Sauces

The joy of preparing meals can easily turn into a nightmare when moms are pressed on time or when ingredients fall short from what she needs. This is the area where Clara Ole does it best – easy to prepare meals and ready-to-use products.

Wide range of Clara Ole Products

Pasta Sauces

Pasta dishes is one of the most in demand creations during the Christmas season; and you don’t have to settle with the usual spaghetti and pasta you have in every celebrations throughout the year.

With Clara Ole‘s wide range if versatile pasta sauces, you’ve got more options and something new to surprise your family with. Mommys can choose to go international with the “Italian style” or stick to a safe formula with the “Sweet Style.” For those a bit sophisticated, “Three Cheese” may do the trick while the “Filipino Style” may tickle the loyalists.

Pancake Syrups

Old stocks of Clara Ole products in our kitchen cabinet

Breakfasts and mornings could be made sweeter with Clara Ole’s Pancake Syrup, a fit partner for, well, pancakes. 😛 They can choose from Original, Maple, Cinnamon, or Truly Fruity. For those watching their blood glucose levels, Clara Ole Maple Syrup is sugar-free! While the chocolate lovers, they can have the Classic Choco and Choco-Nut Syrup.

Marinades & Dressings

Lunch meals can be made tastier with marinades. One of which is Clara Ole’s Original Barbeque Marinade which is best for grilled meat such as pork or chicken. Other variants include the honey mustard, hickory, Korean barbeque, tapa, and tocino marinades.

On a diet with salads? Make it more interesting with Clara Ole Dips n’ Dressing variants Thousand Island, Caesar, Honey Mustard, and Ranch and Asian. It goes well a dips for fish & chips, or buffalo wings as well.

Clara Ole Strawberry Jan

All the above-mentioned sauces and recipes are actually the turf of my wife. NomNom Club‘s personal favorite from Clara Ole are the jams (Blueberry Jam in particular) which we use in the morning for breakfast. Contrary to the usual Filipino customs or having rice even in the morning, we are closer to the American tradition of having breads with jams in the morning.

Know more about Clara Ole , Christmas recipes, and their line of products at  http://ClaraOle.com or follow them on Facebook at http://facebook.com/myclaraole. They are also on Instagram at @ClaraOlePH and they have a Facebook App called “Pot Sessions” A Cook without A Book.”

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 →