Entries Tagged 'Cravings' ↓

This one’s way overdue…by more than two months 🙂 I may not be able to let you taste the good finds through this article but I can at least let you see how delicious they looked like at the Yummy Eats event held last May 2011.

Starbucks at Yummy Eats

In celebration of Filipinos’ love for good food, YUMMY magazine held its first-ever cooking and eating fair, YUMMY Eats at the NBC Tent, Bonifacio Global City.

“For years, YUMMY magazine has been featuring amazing food finds in the metro. Now that we’re on our fourth year, we feel it’s high time to bring the magazine closer to our readers by having 31 food brands under one roof,” says Frances Ang, associate publisher of YUMMY Magazine.

The event gathered 31 concessionaires specially handpicked by YUMMY magazine.

I think it’s been almost a year since my last Food Foto Fiestaso a photo feature on Yummy Eats is begging.

Here are some which caught our attention:

Plants and Zombies Cupcakes

Hunts and McCormick Rosemary Iced Tea

Wha Pao Siopao

Low Cal Cafe

Fruits In Ice Cream

Lechon

Longaniza

Angry Birds Cupcakes

Participants were also treated to cooking demos from McCormick, Hunt’s, and Saranggani Bay Prime Bangus. It was also an afternoon of learning, as Francis Bautista and Constancio Arabejo from Petron Gasul talked about kitchen safety, while Nowie Potenciano of Mochiko, Pamelo Cinco of Risa Chocolates, and JJ Yulo of Pinoy Eats World discussed new food business ideas.

Hosted by three self-confessed foodies –TV personality Issa Litton, Magic 89.9 deejay CJ Rivera of The Big Meal, and YUMMY magazine’s resident contributor, Chef Aileen Anastacio—YUMMY Eats proved to be one big gathering of food lovers.

And of course, this Yummy Eats article ain’t ending without our NomNom recommendations: The top three spots goes to Divine Desserts, Risa Chocolates, and Tina’s Pie Outlet.

Divine Desserts

Divine Desserts
Home-style dessert shop featuring specialty cakes and desserts made with all natural ingredients baked fresh everyday. The desserts are luscious! I got to try the Wasabe Kitkat Mousse and Double Fudge Cake.

Risa Chocolates

Risa Chocolates
Risa Chocolates is known for delicious handmade chocolates. Their delectable line up includes melt in the mouth truffles, chewy choco chip dough, satisfying chocolate bars, and healthy and tasty cacao nibs.risa’s Chocolate Truffles are simply unforgettable. 🙂

Frozen Merengue Pies

Tina’s Pie Outlet
Although they are famous for  savory pies, it’s the Frozen Merengue Pies which I liked at the event.

Completing my Top 10 Finds are:

Also commendable according to my notes are Chef’s Table, Balamban Liempo Cebu, Goodies N’ Sweets, Gourmet Dips and Dressings, and Mochiko.

Chef's Table Dishes

Balamban Liempo Cebu

Gourmet Dips and Dressings

Goodies N' Sweets

Mochiko

Check out the rest of the photos and concessionaires are here:

• Amaya Frozen Caramel
• Big Daddy’s Chicken
• Carmela’s Best Ice Cream
• Cebu Balamban Liempo
• Chef’s Table By Chef Bruce Lim
• Classic Confections
• Divine Desserts
• Farm N Deli Enterprises
• Fruits In Ice Cream
• General’s Lechon
• Gold Leaf Teas
• Goodies N’ Sweets
• Gourmet Dips And Dressings
• Honest JuiceJaq’s Kitchen
• Kusina Ni Maria Catering
• Kusina Teatro
• Little Miss Oc Kitchen
• Lowcal Café Co
• Merry Moo
• Mochiko
• Oriental Basket
• Pinoy Eats World
• Pipino Vegetarian
• Risa Chocolates
• Simply Pie!
• Starbucks
• The Fruit Garden
• Three Instia Road Kitchen
• Tina’s Pie Outlet
• whaPao!

I hope there wil be another Yummy Eats next year ! 🙂 For more of YUMMY online, visit www.YUMMY.ph, become a fan on Facebook via Facebook.com/yummymagazine, and follow them on Twitter via Twitter.com/yummyph.

The rainy season really hampers the mood specially for a travel and food blogger like me. With the Philippines’ incessant rain and typhoons from the middle part of the year onwards, my traveling is restrained and food escapades limited.

Visiting Mercato Centrale

The last time I went to Mercato Centrale in July, I was soaked in a heavy rain shower going back home. But these are the sacrifices you make for good food and indulging experiences. Night or day, I love Mercato. With the unique and varied choices of delicacies offerred by the foodie stalls, each visit can be as unique as your pallate can take.

On the other hand, the rainy season can really spoil a Mercato Centrale experience.

Heaven Sent City Delivery

We all know that the concept of food delivery is nothing new. But I never thought a group of small foodie businesses could actually come together and get themselves a food delivery partner.

It’s a simple but bright idea. Lightbulb!

City Delivery Delivery Boy

I don’t have to drag my sleepy head on a cold bed weather weekend morning. I’d just have to call on City Delivery’s hotline number 87878. Or if you want to experience Mercato Centrale delivery online, check their website at  http://CityDelivery.ph or their Facebook page where it says City Delivery is a “multi-restaurant delivery service…we let our customers experience the world on their plates with an impressive array of cuisines from the city’s prime restaurants and other food establishments.”

Currently, for a minimum order of Php500 and a delivery fee and 10% Delivery charge,they deliver to the residents of the following areas: Alabang, Greenhills, Las Pinas City, Makati City, Mandaluyong City, Manila City, Marikina City, Muntinlupa City, Ortigas, Paranaque City, Pasay City, Pasig City, Quezon City, and The Fort.

The cap is a little high for an individual delivery but I guess it fits more for group or family order so the P500 minimum delivery is not a problem. I owe all these realization from Mel who asked me if I could feature them here at NomNom Club. And so, now, here it is! I never knew beforehand that I could have stuff from Mercato delivered at the comfort of my home. 🙂

Please keep in mind the advance and real-time ordering scheme:

• Weekdays: Advanced ordering (2 days in advance depending on the merchant)
• Weekends: Real time ordering (9AM-­‐2PM)

Moreover, I was told that current participating establishments are the following:

• 

  Manang's Chicken

  Bale Dutung

• Big Bob’s
• Chuck’s Grubberie
• Homemade Ravioli
• Manang’s Chicken
• Merry Moo
• Mochiko
• Spring by Ha Yuan

I hope more will join in the near future so that consumers can have more choices.

Although my top pick is the ever-famous Bale Dutung, I haven’t tried Manang’s Chicken either. With a recommendation form Mel, I decided to give their signature chicken a try.

Manang's Chicken from Mercato Centrale through City Delivery

Rice almost gone but there are still 2 chicken!

Mel didn’t fail me as Manang’s Chicken was good as well. The white meat was tender and I cannot let go of the sinful chicken skin made tastier by the SAUCE.

I just had to put it in all caps; you would know why after trying Manang’s Chicken yourself.

🙂

In my next City Delivery order, no one can stop me from having one of Pampanga’s best – Bale Dutung by by Chef Claude Tayag!

🙂

Mercato Centrale at the Comfort of your Homes with City Delivery

Thank you City Delivery, it’s Mercato goodness, rain or shine!

I was excited to have the privilege of visiting Gardenia’s bread factory yesterday. The Philippines’ top brand in delicious and healthy breads conducted a bloggers’ plant tour for food and lifestyle bloggers. Interestingly, their plant is located along Star Avenue, LIIP Mamplasan, Biñan, Laguna, which is also from the south and near my place in Batangas.

Mr. Nestor Constancia

In the first part of the program, Mr. Nestor Constancia (Marketing and Sales Manager), shared Gardenia’s history and distribution system. We also watched a short AVP about the company’s processes and fully-automated machines. QAF Limited through Gardenia International Pte. Ltd. established Gardenia Bakeries Philippines Inc. In 1997 and started construction of its bakery plant in Laguna Industrial Park (LIIP), Biñan, Laguna. Operation started in 1998 with the state-of-art bread factory rated as one of the most modern large scale bread manufacturing facility in the country. Its highly-automated and major equipments come from bakery suppliers from Germany, Holland, UK and USA.

Gardenia Bread

Moreover, it now has the largest distribution network in the baking industry covering the whole Luzon archipelago; eastern and some western parts of Visayas including Mindoro, Panay, the Negros islands, and Samar; and even as far away as Mindanao. Their efficient distribution system utilizes a fleet of company-owned feeder and delivery vans, as well as the public Roll-On-Roll-Off (RORO) nautical highway system.

Afterwards, we began our plant tour. Once you enter the plant area, you’ll hear a recorded voice-over explaining the processes of each machine in each station. Here is the step-by-step procedures:

1.    Ingredient Preparation

Ingredient Preparation

2.    Sponge Mixing

Sponge Mixing

3.    Fermentation

Fermentation

4.    Dough Mixing

Dough Mixing

5.    Dividing

Dividing

6.    Rounding

Bread Rounding

7.    Intermediate proofing

Intermediate Proofing

8.    Moulding

Moulding

9.    Final Proofing

Final Proofing

10.    Baking

Baking of the Breads

11.    Depanning

Depanning

12.    Cooling (Top Photo)

13.    Slicing

Gardenia Bread Slicing

14.    Automatic Bagging

Automatic Bagging

15.    G-lock

G-lok / G-lock System

16.    Metal Detectors

Metal Detectors (staples) 😛

17.    Distribution

Gardenia Bread Distribution

It was an awesome sight to see the actual breads being made before you eyes, way beyond what the AVP can share.  However, we had to view it from a higher angle in an enclosed and air-conditioned viewing section intended for visitors. This is to maintain the quality standards of the factory.

A bread making demo using Gardenia breads, of course, and an open forum with Gardenia officers including Mr. Simplicio P. Umali Jr. (President & General Manager), Mr. Nestor E. Constancia (Marketing & Sales Manager), Ms. Cristina P. Domondon (Manufacturing Manager), Ms. Thea Tan (Marketing Manager), Ms. Merlie Barcelos (QA Manager), and Ms. Aine De Guzman (Nutritionist) followed the interesting plant tour.

Gardenia Plant Tour with the Bloggers

Let me give you some interesting points I learned from the open forum with the officers and this Gardenia Plant Tour experience:

• Gardenia delivers round-the-clock (24-hours) to ensure all convenience stores (or mini-stores) receive freshly baked breads everyday.
•  Gardenia uses a “G-lock’/’G-lok’ system that is distinguished with a color-coded scheme so that it will be easy to locate, open, and re-seal. The plastic clip also indicates the best before date as well as its retail price.
• Upon suggestion of the a guest, Gardenia may consider having a no-crust (edges) bread product in the future. But this merits a prior careful study and a lot of considerations including maintaining the quality of the bread.
•  Gardenia exerts efforts to be the environment-friendly by collecting old/left-over stocks of bread and gives them to fisheries for feeding.
• Gardenia incorporates big advertising banners and  posters on each company owned-feeder and delivery vans as a way of effective advertising in the field.
• It was also interesting to know that Gardenia is open to beneficiaries and discussions with charitable event/institutions in need of bread products.

Open Forum with Gardenia Officers

As their tagline “OH I LOVE GARDENIA! So good… You can even eat it on its own!” (masarap kahit walang palaman) suggests, Gardenia maintain its promise of providing the best quality breads to Filipinos in all possible aspects – freshly baked at all times, smells good, tastes even better, feels soft, and of course, nutritious.

It was an educational Gardenia Plant Tour experience indeed! For more info, you may visit the Gardenia website at http://www.gardenia.com.ph, ‘like’ their page on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and watch their videos on YouTube.

*Contributed by Shekinah Armenta

I’m not a vegetarian but I do chow on vegetables for health reasons. I include it in my meal whenever possible. Last night, it was a pleasure to discover that one of the new seven Starbucks Lunch Sandwiches – the Roasted Vegetables on Flat Bread -  is positioned as a healthy vegetarian sandwich for the ‘veggy‘ lovers.

Roasted Vegetables in Flat Bread

I wasn’t really expecting much from the vegetable sandwich but it was surprisingly good! The Roasted Vegetables Sandwich will replace the vegetable artisan roll you might have been used to. It consists of Mediterranean vegetables marinated in Italian spices with mild chili dressing on grilled flat bread.  The chili is interestingly mild just enough to put a twist to the fare.

To complete your healthy meal, pair it with the Green Tea Latte (no whip, of course) and go for soy.

6 Other New Lunch Sandwiches

Starting August 9, Starbucks will introduce these new hot lunch sandwiches catering to those looking for filling meals during lunch time. Prepared in less than 5 minutes, it is best suitable for  people on-the-go.

Aside from the Roasted Vegetables sandwich above, the first three which will be available in all Starbucks Philippines branches are the following:

Ultimate Grilled Cheese

Ultimate Grilled Cheese

It’s a grilled cheese sandwich made with six types of cheeses such as Gruyere, Emmenthal, Feta, Provolone, Mozarella, and cheddar.

Although half of those cheeses sounds alien to me, it ended up good to the taste. On the other hand, the premium cheeses might cater only to the more mature taste buds who can appreciate high quality cheeses. It also comes with slices of Hungarian sausages in between and seasoned with roasted garlic and Italian herb-ed butter on bread.

Roasted Chicken Pesto

The roasted chicken breast fillet comes with Shitake mushrooms and pesto mayo sauce topped with Emmenthal and cheddar cheese in between grilled flat breads. The breast fillet are juicy and the pesto mayo is really aromatic.

This is actually the only one retained from the previous lunch sandwiches menu. And there’s a great reason why this is so. 🙂

Roasted Chicken Pesto Sandwich (left) Beef Brisket Sandwich (right)

Beef Brisket

Emmenthal cheese covering slices of beef brisket with caramelized onions and Dijon mustard constitute this sandwich. The beef brisket itself was fairly ‘ok’ last night but I think I need to try this again before I give it a final verdict.

— o —

The last three new sandwiches are available in select Starbucks branches in the Philippines:

The Clubhouse

The Clubhouse Sandwich

It’s the usual chicken clubhouse you know…with ham, cheese, pickle relish, mayo mustard dressing, tomato and greens, among others, on flat cranberry bread.

It’s available in all Starbucks branches except Baguio, Boracay, Bacolod, Cebu, CDO, Davao, Iloilo and Naga.

Tuna Waldorf

Tuan Waldorf

Tuna Waldorf is a classic tuna salad with red and green apples, walnuts, and celery in yogurt mayo dressing topped with hard-boiled eggs served in raisin walnut bread.

This one’s a filler and will surely be loved by those with good appetite and good taste.

It’s available in all Starbucks branches except Baguio, Boracay, Bacolod, Cebu, CDO, Davao, Iloilo and Naga.

Tuna Melt

Tuna Melt

It’s a tuna salad with melted cheese on roasted Rye bread topped with mozzarella and seasoned wtih Spanish paprika.

This is the rarest among them all available only in selected provincial branches and the only one reachable by land from Metro Manila – is Starbucks Baguio. The other branches that carry this is Boracay, Bacolod, Cebu, CDO, Davao, Iloilo, and Naga only.

Starbucks Lunch Sandwiches

NomNom Recommends

After perseveringly trying all of the seven sandwiches last night for the benefit of my readers 🙂 , I recommend these top three in no particular order (parang beauty pageant lng) :

• Roasted Vegetables on Flat Bread
• Roasted Chicken Pesto on Flat Bread (there’s a strong reason why this one was retained)
• Tuna Waldorf in Raisin Walnut Bread

 So, a day after my birthday on August 8, you can immediately try these new Starbucks Lunch Sandwiches. But if you are the scrimpy-type like me, you can wait for August 15 and 16 where all Starbucks branches will have a P50 off promo on all these lunch sandwiches I have mentioned upon purchase of any Starbucks beverage except service water. 😛

Latte Art fun on a Sunday! Figaro is currently hosting their company-wide Figaro Latte Art Competition 2011 and we’re live blogging ’em from Figaro Emerald branch.

On it’s third year, the Figaro Latte Art Competition is participated by 28 branches this year, both from company-owned branches and franchisees. It aims to enhance the barista’s latte art design skills and to foster camaraderie among the different barista representatives.

Below are some of NomNom’s favorite among the 28 entries in the elimination round. For the complete set of 28 entries, check out NomNomClub’s Facebook Fanpage here.

Figaro Latte Art Competition 2011 (Eliminations Round Participant)

Figaro Latte Art 2011 Contestants

Figaro Latte Art Competition 2011 (Eliminations Round Participant)

Figaro Latte Art Competition 2011 (Eliminations Round Participant)

Who’s your bet for the Top 10 that’s going to qualify for the final round? Watch out for the results of the Figaro Latte Art Competition 2011 tomorrow!

This is my first OpenRicers‘ Meet gathering and it was great meeting fellow OpenRicers and food bloggers. It was held at Tender Bob’s in Greenbelt a few weeks ago.

We had a good time and Tender Bob’s dinner was filling. Here are some of my photos taken with Samsung Galaxy S2.

Tender Bob's Salsds and Appetizers

Oriental Chicken Salad

Tender Bob's Steaks and Lagarde Wines

Ice Cream and Sizzling Bread & Butter Pudding for Desserts!

Until the next OpenRice meet! Thanks OpenRice.com and Tender Bob’s.

Simply Thai Restaurant

Indulge your Thai cravings at the new restaurant at Greenbelt 5 called Simply Thai. Owned by the same group of the successful Thai at Silk in Serendra, Executive Chef Cecile Chang-Ysmael yet again left no stone unturned for this newest endeavor, giving the classic Thai cuisine a modern-contemporary approach.

Her passion for Thai dishes is infallible, constantly in search for the best ingredients and supplies in her second home, Bangkok, to bring authenticity to Filipino diners and weary travelers who craves for a hearty Thai meal that only she can serve best.

Your Thai cravings will surely be satisfied with wide ranges of soup, salad, stir-fried dishes and many more. To name some of their bestsellers are the appetizing Yam Som O or the Pomelo Salad, North Thai Steak in jim-jaew sauce, Lamb Shank Mussaman Curry, Pork Stew in Coconut Juice, Choo chee Roti, Sriracha buffalo wings, and the famous air-flown Dungeness Crab in three sauces. The spiciness level can be adjusted to your liking.

Bar, Simply Thai

Complete the flavors of Thai with a brewed Thai Green Milk Tea, Thai Milk Tea, Lemongrass and Pandan Juices. Relax and take a sip of some cocktails which are the first in Manila such as Lemongrass Martinis, Thai Choco Dream and Melodious Mangorita! The quaint restaurant comes with a circular bar for diners who prefer to lounge outdoors.

Let Simply Thai give you the whole Bangkok experience in one amazing night with your family and friends.

Simply Thai accepts booking for events, private parties and the like, with a choice of main or garden al fresco dining in Greenbelt 5. Call 7290860 or 7296860 for reservations.

*Written by resident NomNomClub writer Renz Alcantara.

Remember the “However-You-Want-It Frappuccino Blended Beverage” article two months ago which showed ways to create blended beverages with a variety of syrups, toppings and intensities? Well, here’s some newer flavors Starbucks came up with which will be offered starting tomorrow, June 28!

Black Sesame Green Tea Cream Frappuccino

Introducing the new Black Sesame Green Tea Cream Frappuccino and Soy Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino blended beverages!

The Black Sesame Green Tea Cream Frappuccino blended beverage is a mix of  “matcha powder and black sesame powder, blended with ice and topped with whipped cream and black sesame seeds” while Soy Strawberries and Cream Frappucino is made with “soy milk blended with ice, infused with strawberry sauce and topped with whipped cream.”

Want to create something uniquely yours? Here’s how to create your however you want it Frappuccino blended beverages:

Request any milk:

• Nonfat, whole or soy

Choose the coffee intensity:

• Regular, double, triple, decaf

Or choose “cream” for a coffee-free beverage:

• Strawberries & Cream
• Vanilla Cream
• Caramel Cream
• Chocolate Cream
• Chai Cream
• Green Tea Cream
• Chocolate Chip Cream

Soy Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino

Select your syrup or blend of syrups:

• Mocha
• White Mocha
• Mint
• Raspberry
• Vanilla
• Caramel
• Hazelnut
• Classic
• Sugar-free Vanilla

Choose whipped cream, light on the whip or no whip

• Add a topping:
• Mocha drizzle
• Caramel drizzle

I’ve tried and I’ve discovered that I’m lousy at experimenting with my Starbucks concoctions so I guess I’ll settle with trying out the new Starbucks Black Sesame Green Tea Cream Frappuccino and Soy Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino blended beverages first! 😛