Entries Tagged 'Coffee Shops' ↓

J.CO Chocolate Caviar Donut

You might have heard the foodie news – J.CO coffee and donuts have landed in the Philippines! Their first stop was SM Megamall in Manila which just opened last March 15, 2012 while I was in South Korea. This will be followed soon with branches in Greenbelt 3, Trinoma, and SM Mall of Asia.

By the end of the year, the Philippine’s master franchiser is opening up 10 branches, with a target of 20 by the end of 2013 and 30 by 2014.

J.CO is a popular lifestyle café chain in Indonesia and some parts of  Southeast Asia. It first opened in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2005 with the thrust to fuse the popular donuts of the West with the exotic touches of the East. Other countries in the Asian region soon got into the J.CO craze, including Malaysia, Singapore and, more recently, Shanghai in China.

J.CO SM Megamall Branch

J.CO Donuts

J.CO Hazle Dazzle

It is just right then to follow through this news with an inspection of what this Indonesian-grown donut and coffee brand has to offer.

On focus in this write-up is their main product – the J.CO donuts.

They use a wide array of ingredients sourced from around the world like Belgian chocolates, Californian almonds, American honey, New Zealand cheese, and Japanese Matcha green tea.

Let us look at some of them and their best-sellers.

Moreover, the makers of J.CO donuts seem to have a penchant for Hollywood celebrity names as well…from Jacky Chan’s to Leonardo Di Caprio’s. 🙂 Check these out:

Strawbeery Caviar Choco and Oreology (L-R)

Hazel Dazzle
Donut topped with rich milk chocolate sprinkled with chopped peanuts and filled with a hazelnut surprise

Strawbeery Caviar Choco
Light and fruity donut with strawberry choco topping with crisp chocolate bits

Oreology
One of the worl’d favorite chcoolate treat with white chocolate topping fully covered with ground bits of dark Oreo

JCO Jacky Chunk (leftmost); Meisisipi (middle)

J.CO Avocado Dicaprio (rightmost)

Jacky Chunk
Dark-Chocolate and Peanut combo kick on glazed donut

Meisisipi
Donut laid with rich choco toppingand crunchy choco sprinkles

Avocado Dicaprio
An avocado delight with creany fruit flavors and a teasing chocolate granish on the sides

Tiramisu & Blue Berrymore

Tiramisu
An espresso dessert-inspired creation with Tiramisu-flavoured filling topped with sprinkled cocoa powder.

Blue Berrymore
Filled with cream cheese and blueberry sauce, the white chocolate topping puts the exclamation mark. making it Charlie’s favorite angel.

J.CO 'Glazzy' Glazed Donut (right); Heaven Berry (left)

Glazzy
J.CO‘s classic honey-glazed soft-bite donut

Heaven Berry
Strawberry cream donut topped with swirly white chocolate garnish

JCO Forest Glam (right)

Forest Glam
Black Forest topping composed of cherries, dark chocolate, and confectioner’s sugar

Crunchy Crunchy
Chocoltae covered donut with crunchy chocolate rice crispies on top.

3 NomNom Favorites

Alcapone
J.CO’s signature donut with Belgian White Chocolate sprinkled with roasted almond slices.

JCO Alcapone(left) and Green Tease (right)

J. Club Cheesy Rich with a bite

Green Tease
Green tea cream on top!

J. Club Cheesy Rich (top photo)
This cheesy donut is rich with cheddar and cream cheese, among others.

Price

All the J.Co donuts are at a uniform price of P42 (except J.Club Cheesy Rich which is P45) to enable the customers to try all of them without being too concious of the price. A not-so-common pricing strategy if you ask me. 🙂

J.CO Donuts

J.CO Chocolate Caviar (Crunchy Crunchy in the background)

All the J.CO donuts also has a mini-doughnuts counterpart called J.Pops. It’s a good way of being able to taste-test a variety of donuts before actually making your choice of with the big ones!

No food blog needs to tell you that the milk tea craze has hit the Philippine’s capital and metropolis while slowly moving into the suburbs as you are reading this article. And Seattle’s Best Coffee is not turning a blind eye to this ongoing, and even phenomenal, trend.

SBC Milk Tea (Cold)

They’ve always had it, but it’s now being given a spotlight. Available for almost a month now, I was only able to try Seattle’s Best Milk Tea a week or two ago in their Greenhills Town Center branch.

Having recently come from the milk tea capital of the world that is Taiwan, my interest in milk teas has certainly grown. And sometimes, I can’t help but compare them to what we have here.

But I don’t even have to go far. Seattle’s Best Milk Tea is already unique by itself on how they positioned themselves in the market. Here are my observations:

• They only offer one variant/flavor of milk tea
• They offer their milk tea with a hot option (something not so common)
• They use red pearls

One and Only Milk Tea Variant

In contrast to the usual milk tea shops, Seattle’s Best is offering only one kind of milk tea – the SBC Milk Tea.

It’s a blend of black and green tea infused with caramel flavor to take care of the sweetness.

I told a friend that they are actually taking a big risk here. It’s a hit or miss thing. With only one option, you either get the customer’s nod or nay. It’s a bold move, I should say (or maybe they are still testing the market).

Hot Milk Tea

Although a hot milk tea is not a regular thing either in Taiwan, more so is the case in the Philippines. It’s good thing SBC offers this option for those who want it not chilled.

Red pearls

They want to be different, and it comes in style. As trivial as it is, having red pearls (or sago) in your milk tea adds that SBC touch, specially to someone like me who almost always have it with extra pearls. 🙂 It’s not unique though as I recently saw one in particular, the new ‘Drink Tea‘ shop having the same (there’s one in The Podium).

It’s only red tapioca/pearls and no other. You won’t find a nata or jelly option as add-ons. 🙂

Greenhills Town Center in San Juan area

The Verdict

Cold

After all has been said, what now? To shoot it straight to the point, the SBC Milk Tea was good, although I’ve had better. I’m not sure if my cup had much ice, but it was at the verge of being bland.

Hot

The hot SBC Milk Tea was also good but most of my friends dismissed it as too sweet. I think it deserves a second chance. I like it better than the cold one I had. It gets my thumbs up!

It’s also perfect with an order of the SBC Clubhouse.

SBC Clubhouse

Tip

With my experience with the cold one, I suggest you tell the counter to reduce the amount of ice by half. I’d try that myself the next time I go back. 🙂

Price

The cold SBC Milk Tea is available in sizes medium (PhP110) and large (PhP120), while the hot one is slightly cheaper at P100  and P110, respectively. The price is fair enough considering the ambiance of a known coffee shop.

With Seattle’s Best Coffee is giving in to the milk tea craze, I suggest you give-in as well and find your cup of tea – hot or cold. The SBC Milk Tea is available only here in the Philippines and until March 31, 2012.

Filipino coffee company Figaro taps into satisfying its market from breakfast ’til night with it’s newest offering for dinner – Figaro Dinner Meals.

I got two try the first two variants namely the Chicken Rice Bake and Tofu Steak Rice.

Chicken Rice Bake

The Chicken Rice Bake is a cup of flavorful chicken, bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots, rice in creamy white sauce baked and topped with mozzarella cheese baste.

Paired with a cold glass of lemonade it is priced at P150.

Figaro Dinner Meal - Chicken Rice Bake

Tofu Steak Rice

Next is the Tofu Steak Rice. It’s a deep-fried Tofu glazed with a flavorful special sauce with hints of onions and topped with white sesame seeds on steamed rice garnished with parsley.

Tofu is known to be rich with health benefits such as being a good source of protein. Check out the health benefits of Tofu here. It would make a healthy vegan meal for those looking for one and is paired with a complimentary cold glass of lemonade (Price: P150).

Recommendation

Being familiar with the common Chinese dish Mapu Tofu, the Tofu Steak Rice was no stranger to my taste buds. The sauce tastes good, however, paring tofu alone with rice as “ulam“, falls short to my expectation for a filling meal. My thumbs-up goes to Chicken Rice Bake, instead.

On the other hand, I had a crazy idea/recommendation of combining the two – Chicken Rice Bake + Tofu Steak (without the extra rice). Chicken, Tofu, and baked cheese as a comfort food fills the complete meal set.

If you have a big appetite and welcomes the extra rice from the second meal, try ordering both and ‘taste‘ what I mean. 🙂 If ever Figaro would be reading about this and happen to combine the two and logically offer it at around P200, that would be great! 🙂

Figaro Milk Tea Craze

Taro Pudding Milk Tea

Figaro Milk Teas

In that visit, I was also surprised to see Figaro Milk Teas. They have cached-up with the milk tea fever. 🙂 Curiosity piqued and I tried the Raspberry Milk Tea. It turned out to be just average and  instead, I liked the Taro Pudding Chiller Frost Milk Tea my other friends ordered.

Try Figaro Healthy Dinner Meals of Chicken Rice Bake and Tofu Steak Rice. It started to be available at all Figaro stores and outlets nationwide since the start of the new year.

The Food Adventure at Venice Piazza is back. It’s where you can taste the flavors of 12 restaurants for P600.

We have tried something similar to this mid of last year and another one about three months ago called Platter for 8 also in Venice Piazza where 14 participating restaurants offered big servings of dishes fit for eight people only for Php800.

This time, the Food Adventure if from 12 restaurants and only for P600! I have yet to try this one but they will start this weekend January 7 and every Saturday and Sunday following that until March 31, 2012. It is also offered only during 4pm to 9pm. Let’s see how this compares soon.

The Participating restaurants are :

• Blackwood Bistro
• The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
• Empire Deli
• Figaro
• KBOP
• KUSE
• Little Asia
• Old Vine Grille
• Pho Hoa
• Pinchos
• Red Crab Alimango House
• Ramen Bar
• Sol Gelato
• Yo Swirls

Food Adventure at Venice Piazza

It’s nice to see Figaro joined the promo this time as they were not in the list of previous promos (or maybe it’s a new branch, I don’t know). 🙂

Check out the details of the promo mechanics at Taste of Manila blog (click on link).

12 Restaurants - Php 600

So if you’re not doing anything this weekend, you might want to drop by McKinley Hill and check out the Food Adventure at Venice Piazza. Personally, I suggest you try it starting January 8 onwards, you wouldn’t want the inconsistencies of first day blues that goes with new activities. On the other hand, I’ll be at Market Market on Saturday, hopefully I can pass by. Bring your family to enjoy!

And the Starbucks Philippines  series is not yet over this Christmas season! After sharing with you the Starbucks 2012 Planners, and the Starbucks Holiday Foods, it’s the turn of the Starbucks Christmas beverages to be highlighted.

Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha

The two new and one returning Starbucks Christmas Beverages flavors of the season are:

Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha

This is the new beverage available this season only. Starbucks signature espresso is combined with freshly steamed milk and luscious white chocolate, then topped with whipped cream, a tart cranberry drizzle and crystallized cranberry sugar.

Toffee Nut Latte

Toffee Nut Latte

Back by popular demand! The rich, buttery flavor of sweet toffee combined with toasted nuts, blended with Starbucks smooth espresso and velvety steamed milk, topped with whipped cream and toffee-flavored sprinkles.

Peppermint Mocha

Peppermint Mocha

Good news to all peppermint lovers, watch out for the return of Peppermint Mocha! Enjoy the warm combination of espresso, steamed milk, bittersweet chocolate and peppermint flavor in this seasonal favorite. It is topped with classic whipped cream and red sugar sprinkles.

Christmas Coffee Blend

This Christmas, as you gather your friends and family offer them the warmest of greetings by welcoming them with a delicious cup of Starbucks coffee. Choose from the spicy, full-bodied flavor of the Christmas Blend, the rich, caramelly flavor of Starbucks Christmas Blend Espresso Roast or the instant Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Christmas Blend.

Starbucks Christmas Blend

Starbucks Christmas Blend

This full-bodied favourite combines the liveliness of superb Latin American coffees with the mellow smoothness of Asia-Pacific coffees, but is truly noteworthy for the spicy notes from aged Sumatra beans. This coffee is best paired with White Chocolate Cranberry Cookie – big and chunky, chewy and crunchy. Perfect for this season!

(Retail Price P500)

Christmas Blend - Espresso Roast

Starbucks Christmas Blend Espresso Roast

Made from Sumatra and aged Sumatra coffees, combined with beans from the Bella Vista F.W. Estate in Tres Rios, Costa Rica, and finally roasted in Starbucks signature Espresso Roast for an intense flavor and spicy finish.

(Retail Price P500)

Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Christmas Blend

It is an instant and microground coffee that provides a comforting taste if the holidays wherever you go.

(Retail Price P495)

Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Christmas Blend

By now, most of you would have probably tasted the Starbucks Christmas beverages in some branches of Starbucks. Which one was your favourite? How about among the Christmas Coffee Blends?

It’s Christmas season once again! Christmas decors all over, we hear our favourite Christmas songs, and start planning gifts for our family and love ones. Christmas without food is not-so-complete, so this year, Starbucks brings more reasons to be merry -  15 of the Starbucks Christmas Food items.

Are you ready for the treat?

Starbucks Hazelnut Stollen Bread

Christmas Food Items (New)

1.    Pecan Butterscotch Twirl (Top Photo)
A delicious, light and flaky spiral roll stuffed with aromatic cinnamon and creamy vanilla pastry filling topped with roasted pecans drizzled with butterscotch sauce and white chocolate.

Retail Price P85

2.    Hazelnut Stollen Bread
A German festival bread that is popular during Christmas season not only in Germany but all over Europe. A sweet yeast bread packed with scents of toasted hazelnut paste perfectly balanced with raisins.

Retail Price P65 slice/ P595 whole

Starbucks S'mores Cake

3.    S’mores
With its buttery graham crust filled with gooey melted marshmallow cream and intense dark chocolate then topped with chocolate ganache.

Retail Price P70

Starbucks Triple Decker Cheesecake with Snickers

4.    Triple Decker Cheesecake with Snickers
Love peanuts, chocolate and caramel? This one is for you! A scrumptious three (3) layer cheesecake loaded with chunks of Snickers candy bar in a chocolate cookie crust topped with a chocolate fudge icing and topped with roasted chopped peanuts.

Retail Price P130 slice/P1250 whole

Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

5.    Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Serve your loved one with this giant chocolate chip cookie made into a cake then topped with thick and chocolaty dark chocolate mousse filled with mini chocolate chip cookies. Best served warm from the oven topped with whipped cream and drizzled with Starbucks caramel drizzle.

Retail Price: P110 slice/P950 whole

6.    Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Roll (served with butter and jam)
A crispy, crunchy crust with a slightly chewy and soft center made more flavorful with sundried tomatoes and basil. Best served with jam and butter but you can eat on its own.

Retail Price P50

Starbucks Sundried Tomato & Basil Roll

7.    Chicken Alfredo Turnover
A light, buttery and flaky crust filled with moist and juicy chicken breast cubes marinated in Italian seasoning then sautéed in a rich and creamy exhilarating Alfredo sauce.

Retail Price P90

Texas Chicken BBQ Wrap

8.    Texas Chicken BBQwrap
You’ll love the sweet, spicy, smoky flavour of strips of chicken breast fillet fried to perfection tossed in barbeque sauce with Texas style salsa, grated cheese and drizzled with sour cream wrapped in a soft chewy flour tortilla.

Retails at P140

9.    Glazed Ham with Apricot Spread on Multi-grain Bread
Juicy slices of glazed ham and creamy mozzarella cheese with tangy and sweet apricot dressing on a hearty crisp, crunchy and soft center multi-grain bread.

Retail Price P140

Glazed Ham with Apricot Spread on Multi grain Bread

Turkey & Chicken with Apple Stuffing on Whole Wheat Walnut Bread

10.    Turkey & Chicken with Apple Stuffing on Whole Wheat Wallnut Bread
This spells Christmas! With slices of moist and tender turkey and chicken breast served with delectable apple stuffing and cranberry spread on a crusty whole wheat walnut bread.

Retail Price P140

Returning Favorites

11.    Chocolate Toffee Nut Loaf
Christmas will never be the same without the intense rich, moist and dense chocolate loaf frosted with smooth chocolate icing and topped with chewy, crunchy toffee. A great Christmas treat for all chocolate lovers.

Retail Price P55/P495 whole

Starbucks Chocolate Toffee Nut Loaf

12.    White Chocolate Cranberry Cookie
This cookie has it all – chunky white chocolate, fresh roasted walnuts and chopped dried cranberries. Big and chunky, chewy and crunchy.

Retail Price P55

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookie

13.    Peppermint Brownie
Fudgy, chewy chocolate brownie and creamy, smooth peppermint cream cheese filling topped with chocolate ganache, finished with white, red and green chocolate drizzle and small golden beads for a festive look.

Retail Price P75

Starbucks Gingerbread Cookie

14.    Gingerbread Cookie
Ginger, allspice and cinnamon makes a cookie that is as fragrant as it is delicious. This is a wonderful gift this Christmas and children will surely love the snowman Gingerbread cookie!

It reminded me of the ginger bread from Shrek, only dipped in snow. 😛

15.    Molten Chocolate Cake
Intensely chocolatey, filled with dark chocolate and caramel truffle ernrobed in moist chocolate sponge cake topped with whipped cream and drizzled with Starbucks caramel sauce.

Starbucks Molten Chocolate Cake

*Text & Photos by Marjorie Pineda for NomNomClub.com

Sundried Tomato & Basil Roll

All these Starbucks Christmas Food started to be available since November 3. Aside from those delightful treat, in case you haven’t started, you can  start collecting stickers for the Limited Edition Starbucks Planner 2012.

Have a very Merry Christmas from NomNom Club! 😛

Customers await this time of the year for the return of their favorite Starbucks Christmas products and to start collecting stickers to redeem their favorite Starbucks Planner 2012. But before I reveal the 2012 Starbucks Shared Planet Planner, let’s take a look at the old Starbucks Planners of the past 8 years. 🙂

2012 Starbucks Planners

Thanks to Starbucks, I was privileged to join a group of bloggers at the recent unveiling of the 2012 Starbucks Planners! Everyone was excited to see how the 2012 planner would look like!

Now, on its 9^th year, and for the first time, this year, your favorite Starbucks Planner will be available in five (5) unique covers (Polar, Cherry, Spruce, Bamboo and Oak).

Starbucks Shared Planet

The design and materials used reflect this year’s Starbucks Shared Planet theme.

Starbucks Shared Planet is the company’s commitment in doing business in ways that are good to each other and the planet. This year’s planner supports these pillars through the Ethical Sourcing, Environmental Stewardship and Community Involvement.

The planner was produced in a facility that is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. This is an organization established to promote responsible management of the world’s forest. How cool is that? 🙂

Features and Designs

This year’s planners are made from recycled paper and engineered wood cover.

Starbucks Planner is Hard bound and has Strap

It is hard bound, light and handy. The size is small enough to fit in your bag. It also has a strap to hold your planner.

Moreover, each planner comes with a pouch – you can place a pen, money or even your mobile phone inside. It is available from light to dark color.

Aside from the sleeve, it comes with a cute bookmark and a freebie – nine (9) different coupons that can be redeemed at all Starbucks stores in the Philippines in 2012.

Starbucks Planner Coupons

At the back is a pocket to keep your coupons.

Starbucks Planner Pages

Starbucks Planner for a Cause

The Starbucks Planner 2012 was made for a cause! For every planner redeemed, a donation will be made to Spark Hope, a program for early childhood care and development in partnership with UNICEF.

Exactly three days from now, you can avail of a Starbucks Christmas traditional  promo card and collect stickers! From November 3, 2011 to January 8, 2012. One sticker is awarded for each Starbucks beverage purchase.

How To Get A Starbucks Planner and Coupon Redemption

Customers have two (2) options in collecting stickers to redeem one (1) Limited Edition Starbucks Coffee 2012 Planner.

• Option 1.  Collect stickers by purchasing nine (9) Christmas beverages plus eight (8) core beverages except bottled drinks.

• Option 2.  Purchase 23 core beverages aside from bottled drinks

Starbucks Planner 2012

* Words and photos by Marjorie Pineda, Contributor

The Starbucks Planner tradition begins on November 3! Support the cause, buy a drink, collect stickers and have your Merry Christmas and a Planned New Year with the 5 Starbucks 2012 Planners! Which one will you choose? 🙂

After years of waiting, Krispy Kreme lovers from the south of Metro Manila do not have to travel north just to get their fix of Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnuts and coffee. They now have their own located near the Bridgeway of Filinvest Festival Mall in Alabang (south of Metro Manila).

Krispy Kreme Opens Filinvest Festival Mall in Alabang South

Krispy Kreme Alabang

NomNom Club was invited for its grand launch last September 2, 2011, a day before its public store opening.

The night started with good food and good friends just right outside the store. With minimal lights pending the scheduled launch, a short program led by host Patty Laurel brightened up the night.

One of the KK winner of one-year supply of Krispy Kreme doughnuts is a baby! 🙂

After a brief speech, Krispy Kreme executives pressed the symbolic green button altogether to signal the grand opening of its 24th branch in the Philippines. This triggered the opening of the lights, the store, and the Krispy Kreme HotLight!

Guests were also given half-dozen original glazed doughnuts to enjoy or take home.

“Krispy Kreme is a brand that Filipinos love…we are very happy to finally open our first store in the South with the intent of sharing the delectable Krispy Kreme experience across the nation,“says Mark Gamboa, Krispy Kreme Philippines Marketing Manager.

Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnut

My Favorite: Krispy Kreme Baked Creations

New Concept Store

Krispy Kreme Customer Feedback

More than just being the first branch south of Manila, Krispy Kreme Filinvest Alabang is also the first in the world to incorporate the new Krispy Kreme store design moving forward.

A Krispy Kreme loyal customer would notice that the “Krispy Kreme” logo can now be found along the ceiling of the counter.

The Krispy Kreme Festival Mall Alabang branch also creates the doughnuts instore and has an alfreso dining area that is common among malls in this area.

Cebu Next, Then Davao

Krispy Kreme is further expanding with the next one in Cebu. Well, actually, not one, but two! Also in the queue for provincial branches is Davao.

Back to Metro Manila, they do have plans to open another branch in Alabang. They are just waiting for the right and perfect spot.

Krispy Kreme Alabang Staff

Congratulations once again to Krispy Kreme for their store opening in Krispy Kreme Filinvest Festival Mall Alabang!