Entries Tagged 'Casual' ↓

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.

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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! 🙂

Not more than 2 months ago, wifey and I went to Bacolod in Negros Occidental for a farm tour around the province upon the invitation of the Department of Agriculture‘s Agricultural Training Institute (ATI).

Mango-topped Salad for appetizers

We stayed at May’s Organic Garden in Bacolod where we spent four days and three nights. It was the bloggers’ official accommodation this part of town. It is a mini organic farm in itself with some vegetation and a number of organic pigs. It is also like a mini resort complete with amenities for small functions and accommodations. It is in fact known for being one of the best wedding reception venue in Bacolod.

Whenever, we are not out in the filed for a farm tour, May’s Organic Garden was our home. Here is a series of  photos from one of our meals:

The healthy Red Rice!

Molo Soup for a hot start

Kilawin Salad

Kalabasa (Pumpkin) Soup alternative

Kaldereta for the main dish!

This! (whose name I forgot) 😛

Traditional Pansit with lots of veggies on top!

Mango and Biko for Dessert (panghimagas) 

It’s my healthy plate! 😛

They know that we are going to be in a lot of organic farm tours so they melowed-down the “organic” theme from the dishes they served us. It was more of a homey-type of Filipino provincial dishes with a hint of organic food, just so to stay in theme. 😛

Although I was not able to try its famous nilasing na hipon and sweet “kamote” (sweet potato) dessert,  it was all good food and comfortable stay at May’s Organic Garden in Bacolod!

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.

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? 🙂

26th Bistro CBT

More commonly known as ‘CBTL’, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf turns 50 this 2013 with an extraordinary celebration. Going beyond being the pioneer of the original ice blended drinks and the first to offer tea lattes, CBTL recently unveiled its latest unique dining concept by the name “26th St. Bistro by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf”.

Dipping its fingers into the full-service restaurant industry, CBTL intends to deliver ‘#everydayextraordinary’ dining experiences to its customers through its everyday meals that are of high quality while maintaining affordable prices.

Salmon Fishcake

The #EverydayExtraordinary Dinner

This is exactly what we experienced last week when NomNom Club was invited together with a long table full of food writers and bloggers. We got to try taste-sized servings of some of the best of what their menu has to offer, from soup to dessert.

Salmon Fishcakes with Greens

We started with a medium-sized salad plate of Salmon Fishcakes with Greens (P345). The basic mixed greens was complemented well with the balsamic vinaigrette while the pan-fried Norwegian salmon cakes with smoked paprika aioli beside it was cooked just right.

I started the meal right as it turned out later on that this was my favorite dish of the night.

Salmon Fishcakes with Greens

Wild Mushroom Soup

The appetizer was followed by a good serving of Wild Mushroom soup (P225). I’m not so much a fan of mushroom soups but this one was good. It’s flavorful concoction was due to the fact that it was a combination of button, portobello, and shiitake mushrooms. The latter dominated the taste.

Wild Mushroom Soup

Tiger Prawn & Shiitake Mushroom Linguine

The entrees was started by the Tiger Prawn & Shiitake Mushroom Linguine (P395) which is a white sauce-based linguine pasta served with seared tiger prawns and shiitake mushrooms. I love prawns and needless to say, the dish was gone in a dash.

Hanging Tender Steak with Potato Gratin & Marsala

From light to heavy, the second dish – Hanging Tender Steak with Potato Gratin & Marsala (P475) – will fill your craving for meat as the pan-roasted steak was fork-tender. Completing the dish was potato gratin and marsala sauce on the side.

Hanging Tender Steak with Potato Gratin & Marsala

Chocolate Lava a la Mode

Chocolate Lava a la Mode

With the series of good food, my expectations for my well-anticipated dessert/s was high. Sadly, similar to another food blogger across the table, it fell short as we expected the Chocolate Lava a la Mode (P235) to be more moist with some actual ‘chocolate lava’ at the center.

Nonetheless, the chocolate cake was generally ‘ok,’ The others had the apple crumble a la mode.

Breakfast. Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks

The 26th St. Bistro by The CBTL caters to the whole day foodie from breakfast to lunch and dinner, including in between snacks and coffee. The restaurant is brimming with yuppies and executives from surrounding buildings and offices around Bonifacio Global City (BGC).

Pepper being added to the Tiger Prawn & Shiitake Mushroom Linguine

For breakfast, I’d like to try the following soon: Toblerone Pancakes with Salted Caramel and Peach Stuffed French Toast, savory Steak & Eggs and Smoked Salmon Florentine, and the Tapsilog-inspired Filipino breakfast served with U.S. Angus Beef Tapa and Baked Pesto Tomato.

The lunch and dinner menu has a selection of light and heavy salads, soups, pastas and entrees including Spinach and Blue Cheese Farfalle, Slow Roasted Braised Beef Short Ribs, and Lamb Chops with Ratatouille and Rosemary Marble Potatoes.

They also have an expanded range of sandwiches including the vegetarian option Portobello Mushroom Ciabatta.

For desserts, I look forward to trying the Pannacotta Sampler paired with a cup of hot African Sunrise tea, the decadent Turtle Pie, Apple Crumble ala mode, and any of the Chicago–Blueberry–Toblerone–Triple Decker family of cheesecakes in my next visit.

Of course they also serve the signature CBTL coffee and tea beverages plus imported wines and beers.

The 26th St. Bistro distinguishes itself from the usual Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf branches with its larger and more comfortable dining area, as expected from a full-service restaurant. The ambiance is also upscale while maintaining the relaxed atmosphere.

#EverydayExtraordinary @ 26th St. Bistro by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

26th St. Bistro by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
26th St. corner 5th Avenue
Bonifacio Global City
Twitter/Instagram: @CBTLph

Everyday Extraordinary Colors of the CBTL

Join their tagline and share your #everydayextraordinary experience in Facebook, Twitter or Instagram whenever you visit the 26th Street Bistro. They also have a branch for those in the Ortigas business district at the East Wing, 5th Level of the Shangri-La Plaza Mall.

Similar to the cronuts craze to some extent, tonkatsu restaurants are starting to sprout like mushrooms in the foodie scene to satisfy the public’s craving for some deep fried ‘pork cutlets’ with the crispy appeal. And if you are one of the katsu lovers in the Philippine metro, then you should check out the newly opened Tonkatsu by Terazawa.

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