Entries Tagged 'Cravings' ↓

MAFBEX Registration / Entrance Ticket Fee

I think my window shopping skills in large scale food business-related exhibits and expositions like the recent MAFBEX has already matured.

Before, it used to take me several hours as I visit each one of them.

Nnow, it’s down to two hours include watching whatever show or seminar that is going on during my visit; in this case – Flair Cup 2011.

MAFBEX's Flair Cup 2011

Flair Cup is a flairing competition among students of competing colleges and universities which usually offer HRM-related courses.

Here are photos of other exhibitors which I found is of interest.

Coke - Shakey's Bus

Yummy Magazine and Enderun in MAFBEX 2011

There were also international booths including USA, Korea, Europe, and others.

International Booths in MAFBEX - USA, Europe, Kore, et al

GONegosyo Booth

Of the foods that I have bought and tasted, it was the Korean Egg Cake which hit the mark. It’s very similar to French Toast but the egg is ‘cooked’ on top of the bread using a special machine similar to one used in making Japanese cakes.

Korean Egg Cake

Lambanog in Attractive Bottles!

There was also the P10 Halo-halo which is obviously a gave-away. This was a good marketing strategy by the merchant who sells halo-halo ingredients so he can have the people taste her products without the freeloaders. 😛

‘Til next year’s MAFBEX!

It’s Dad’s turn! After Mother’s Day last month, wives, children, and families are thinking of places this weekend where to spend time with their Dads on Father’s Day!

Aside from home, you may choose to catch the special offers by these restaurants specially for Father’s Day:

Corniche (in Diamond Hotel)

Corniche in Diamond Hotel will serve a Father’s Day special buffet called “Celebration of Filipino Flavors” by Chefs Roland and Jackie Laudico of Bistro Filipino at P1,588 net per person or P1,888 with unlimited beer, house wine or any standard drink of your choice.

22 Prime

Father’s Day brunch at 22 Prime will be a feast on cold appetizers, salads and soups, entrees, and Prime Rib Carving at P1,295+ per person, available from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Dads get special souvenir items like men’s fragrances from Hayden Paris Fragrances, gifts, products from Belo For Men, and selected men’s wear from Gold Toe.

Café d’Asie (The Bellevue Hotel)

Marriott Café (Marriott Hotel Manila)

Brunch or dinner seafood buffet with Asian and Western favorites, fresh seafood, carving station, and desserts at P2,000 net per person.

Dine at Marriott Café, Cru Steakhouse or The Lounge on Father’s Day and get a chance to take home a mini cooper and drive it to anywhere for three days.

 

Bizu Chocolate Cigars

Astralis (by Diamond Hotel)

Astralis in Power Plant Mall offers brunch buffet for P758 net per person featuring one signature dish plus salad and dessert buffets.

Dine in a group of 5 and Dad dines for free plus a surprise giveaway!

Bizu Chess Cake

Bizu Patisserie

Get free items upon purchase of Sugar-free Chocolate Cigars and Checkmate Cake in Bizu. The former is a premium handmade gourmet chocolate cigars made with sugar-free milk chocolate and croquantine wafers in a piano finished cigar box. The latter are made of layers of Almond Dacquoise, Italian Gianduja Ganache, Feulletine Wafer and Lime White Chocolate Mousseline.

Serye’s Cafe

Free gift for Dad when you dine in. You can also get a special Serye mug & Barako Coffee with P2,500 purchase

CAV

Free set menu for dads with a reservation for 6 or more persons in CAV.

Father's Day at CAV

Agave Mexican Cantina

Get a chance to win a free dinner for two or a bottle of wine in Agave Mexican Cantina. Father’s Day coloring pages for kids will also be given away.

Café d’Asie (The Bellevue Hotel)

Fathers get special gifts (Men’s Health and Top Gear magazines) from The Bellevue Hotel and Summit Media

What a huge set of choices, and there are more as restaurants take the opportunity in this family affair. Happy Father’s Day to your Dad wherever he may be!

Figaro has always strike me as the coffee shop where you can have something more than coffee – a full meal, in fact. A place where one can more than just hang out and actually fill a hungry stomach.

Filipino coffee shop Figaro unveils a new concept in its line of meals – the ‘Spoon Meals.’ In particular, the first two meals they introduced are the Chicken A La King and Chicken Thyme.

The Chicken Ala King is the Chicken Ala King we are used to. Diced marinated chicken is spread in special creamy sauce with vegetables and buttered corn and carrots. It’s the classic creamy combination of chicken, peppers and mushrooms served with steamed rice and your choice of iced or brewed coffee or iced tea to complete the meal.

Figaro Coffee's Chicken Thyme

Figaro Spoon Meals

The Chicken Thyme is a 4-piece deep fried coated chicken fillet poured with creamy cheese sauce all-over.

It is served with buttered corn and carrots as side dish and steamed rice, plus your choice of beverage (iced or brewed coffee or iced tea).

I got to try both a few weeks ago and it was satisfactory. Both set meal priced at P215, I just think the price point should be pegged at not more than P200.

Check out Figaro‘s official website at http://www.figarocoffee.com/ and Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/figarocoffeecompany. It’s your turn to try Figaro’s Chicken ‘Spoon Meals.’

Yes, it’s back! Max’s Restaurant Chicken All You Can will again fulfill its clients’ long-time wish to have the unlimited Chicken Offering “Chicken All You Can” promo again in all of its Max’s restaurant branches nationwide.

Max's Fried Chicken

Duration

Starting June 10, 2011, an unlimited home-cooked style Max’s fried chicken will be served from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm daily until July 10, 2011.

Max’s Chicken lovers should work up their biggest appetite starting today.

Package and Price

Packaged with a glass of Pepsi soda this time, Max’s Restaurant customers can bite into their favorite Max’s fried chicken for P199. You can also upgrade to a bottomless drink for an additional P28.

More to Expect

As part of drumming up its marketing, diners can also watch out for a performance by Max’s employees every 6:00 pm daily to signal the start of the promo.

Max's Chicken All You Can

Bonus Coupons

Max’s is also giving away free P 20 money coupons for every P200 spent during the Chicken-All-You-Can promotion. A maximum of three accumulated coupons per transaction may be used to “purchase” any Max’s products within a year after issuance. You can use this coupons after July 10, 2011.

First Dibs

Food bloggers were invited last night in the Max’s Restaurant Chicken All You Can launch. I was able to consume 4 quarter chicken, or basically a whole chicken. Gulp, that’s out little secret, ok. Here’s the proof from my three other tablemates. 😛

Max's Restaurant Chicken All You Can bone leftovers

Check out more details at their website http://www.maxschicken.com/ and Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/maxsrestaurant .

Currently holding the record for the biggest eat-all-you-can promotion ever launched by a single fast-casual dining restaurant in the Philippines, you can expect a beeline at all Max’s Restaurant for this Max’s Chicken All You Can promo this coming Friday.

Have you seen the recent Jollibee commercial? It showed today’s busy and hardworking moms finding it a challenge to get home in time and prepare for a special family dinner. So the father and the kids tried to take on the chore of cooking and the kitchen ended up in a mess, and still without dinner.

When the mother came home, she comforted the family that they could always order through the 8-7000 Jollibee Express Delivery hotline. 🙂 The advertisement highlighted that serving delicious  meals can be enjoyed by the whole family with just a phone call.

“Whether daddy wants a piece of crispylicious Chickenjoy, kuya craves for a bite of Champ, ate loves the tasty and meaty Jollibee Spaghetti or bunso wants  a delightful  cup of Chocolate sundae, busy moms can have all these delivered right at their doorsteps in time for dinner.“

Jollibee treats can be easily made available at home allowing moms to have quality time with the family.  So when  you are caught in the same situation, just dial 8-7000 (Jollibee Delivery) or log on to www.jollibeedelivery.com (Metro Manila only) . For the complete list of delivery numbers, check out www.jollibee.com.ph.

Max’s Restaurant celebrates Mother’s Day with its ‘I Heart Mom’ promotion!

Surprise your moms with a cool “I Heart Mom” eco bag on Mother’s Day. The eco bag is free for a minimum spend of P 1,500 at any Max’s Restaurant nationwide.

“Made from recyclable materials, Max’s eco bag with the endearing inscription, ‘I Heart Mom’ pays tribute to the most important woman in our lives. It also sends out a powerful message about environmental awareness and the urgent need to protect Mother Earth,” shares Max’s Group of Companies Corporate Communications Officer Bobby Simborio.

Max’s Restaurant Mother’s Day I Heart Mom Promo

Max’s Restaurant is also providing a unique opportunity for diners to help women in crisis through Max’s Corner Bakery’s ‘I Heart Mom’ cookies. For every purchase of these at P 20 per piece, customers help support Grace To Be Born Ministry.

“We invite everyone to make Mother’s Day even more special this year, with a deeper sense of purpose and the most sincere acts of love. ” adds Simborio.

Grace To Be Born Ministry is a pro-life and non-profit organization that provides shelter, counseling and spiritual guidance to pregnant women, and unwed mothers in desperate situations.

Max’s free ‘I Heart Mom’ eco bag Mother’s Day promo is available from May 6 to May 8, 2011.

I’m not sure what is the connotation of a ‘Happy Hour‘ in other countries or culture outside of the Philippines. But I think Starbucks Philippines is taking it by the raw meaning  – giving its customers a Happy Hour!

It is an outstandingly happy hour for Starbucks customesr as Starbucks Philippines recently launched its one-week promo on its Frappuccinos which is offered at half the price (50% off!) everyday from 12 noon to 2pm from May 2 to May 8, 2011. This is to highlight their new offering of the ‘However-You-Want-It’ Frappuccino blended beverage option.

Yeah I know, I was quite late in publishing this because I’m quite busy organizing a blogger mountain climbing event. Anyhow, you still got three chances including today!

Starbucks Happy Hour

This promo is so successful that some customers abused it on the first day so they updated the promo immediately by limiting each purchase of the Frappuccinos under this promo to only two beverages for every customer.

I’ve got one secret to share…they actually officially start 10 minutes before 12nn and end 10 minutes after 2pm to avoid inconvenience with minor time difference in watch/clock synchronization with customers. ssshhhhh….  🙂 One more thing, as long as you are in the  queue by 2:10pm cut-off time, you’re still in! 😛

Once this is over, I hope Starbucks do a repeat of this Starbucks Happy Hour soon! This is really an awesome treat specially with the scorching heat of the summer season.

Is it Starbucks’ Happy Hour as you’re reading this? 🙂

Kenny Rogers Roasters invited NomNomClub over to one of their branches before the Holy Week to try out their new Hainanese Chicken offering and frozen yoghurt.

Going Hainanese

Yes, you read that right. Food chain Kenny Rogers Roasters is giving it’s customers a break from their usual offering. From rotisserie chicken, they’re now serving Hainanese Chicken! It’s stil chicken, nonetheless.

Singaporean Hainanese Chicken

For a Singaporean food lover like me, this piqued my curiosity. Kenny’s Hainanese Chicken was served with the traditional soup and a set of three sauces namely ginger, dark-sweet soy, and chili.

The sauces were good but I was surprised that the chicken itself was a combination of white and dark meat; and with bones.

In Singapore where Hainanese Chicken is at the level of a national dish, they only serve white meat; and with barely any bones.

Dark Meat & Bones

It’s good that the chicken meat was tender though. The rice was also commendable and aromatic as it should be but the soup was too salty and needs improvement.

Kenny’s management clarified that this was part of their differentiation from the usual and ‘making it their own’. A serving of the 1/4 poached chicken is priced at P185.

Frozen Yoghurt FTW!

KRR Frozen Yoghurt while working on NomNomClub.com

Staying true to Kenny Rogers Roasters mission of providing healthy food, adding frozen yoghurt to their menu is a natural choice.

Something I’ve been expecting since they have yoghurt smoothies.

I arrived hours early in their event so I stayed in the public area and ordered their new frozen yoghurt.

I didn’t know they’ll have us try this one that night as well because the invitation only showed Hainanese Chicken.

🙂

Kenny Rogers Roasters Frozen Yoghurt

Anyway, so I had one while working online. I just had the plain one to appreciate the yoghurt itself without the fancies…and I liked it!

The quality and texture of the yoghurt was at par with the expensive ones we have around. I mentioned this aspect of pricing because I think this is their strongest point compared to other frozen yogurts. Starting only at P35, you could have a small sized plain yogurt. The biggie size is P55.

Graham (left); Mixed Fruit (right)

Yoghurt Add-Ons

The add-ons come with every P10 addition to the yoghurt base. For now, they have only 4 add-ons namely: Mango, Mixed Fruits, Brownie bits, and Grahams.

Needless to say, I tried all four that night to be able to compare all of them. The fruit-based ones are expectedly refreshing.

Aside from the fact that it’s cheapest among the four, I think they had grahams for the crunchy texture it provides. However, the grahams I got might have been crushed too much that most of it is in powdered form that can make the yoghurt rough and course to the taste and in the mouth. I’d suggest that they don’t crush it that much.

From the four that I have tried, I think the best combination is the fruity Mango and the chewy Brownie bits. Their contrast in texture, softness and taste was a perfect highlight to the tangy-sweet yoghurt. It is the best yoghurt for me in the aspect of taste vis-a-vis price point.

Frozen Yoghurt - Mango + Brownie Bits

Phil Younghusband of Team Azkals & Triathele Mica Tantuico

At the latter part of the program, the gathering lighted up when they introduced Kenny Rogers Roasters’ new sporty endorsers in the persons of Philippine Football Team Azkals starplayer Phil Younghusband together with professional triathele Mica Tantuico. James Younghusband and surfer Lorraine Lapus complete the line-up but they were not able to attend that night.

Kenny Rogers Roasters Hainanese Chicken

In conclusion, the Hainanese Chicken was a so-so and needs more development. On the other hand, their price busting frozen yoghurt is highly recommended by NomNom. I am already excited for the new add-ons I heard Kenny Rogers Roasters will be coming out with soon!