Entries Tagged 'Coffee Shops' ↓

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.

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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!

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! 😛

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.’

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? 🙂

Starbucks Philippines launched the new ‘However-You-Want-It Frappuccino® blended beverage‘ last Monday.

Soy Green Tea Cream Frappuccino Blended Beverage

Basically, it allows customers to create a blended beverage of their liking. You can choose to add a variety of fresh milk or soy to your Frappuccino beverage.

Moreover, you could indicate the intensity of your coffee and pick any combination of toppings and syrups in the same way a Starbucks espresso beverage can be customized.

Among the featured Frappuccino® blended beverage creations are the Extra Coffee Caramel and Soy Green Tea Cream Frappuccino® Blended Beverage

The Starbucks Extra Coffee Caramel is a coffee-intense concoction of caramel syrup combined with new Starbucks Frappuccino® roast coffee, milk, blended with ice and topped with whipped cream and a swirl of buttery caramel sauce.

On the other hand, the Soy Green Tea Cream Frappuccino® blended beverage is made with matcha powder and soy milk, blended with ice and topped with whipped cream.

Extra Coffee Caramel Frappuccino Blended Beverage

Furthermore, Starbucks Philippines elaborates on the new soy options as quoted:

“From soy combinations to those that limit the number of calories, customers can now select their favorite ingredients to find a Frappuccino® blended beverage to meet their dietary needs.  By choosing nonfat milk with sugar-free syrup, a Tall (12 fl. oz) blended beverage has only 100 calories, while doubling the Starbucks® Frappuccino® roast coffee and skipping the syrup will intensify the taste, without increasing the sugar.”

Check out http://www.frappuccino.com.ph/ and enjoy your Starbucks However-You-Want-It Frappuccino® blended beverage.

The Holy Week has traditionally started in the Philippines with Palm Sunday being yesterday. Here are Figaro‘s lenten special offerings for their customers to keep them satisfied without the guilt. 🙂

Kani Sandwich

Figaro’s Kani Sandwich is filled with yummy crab sticks and garnished with lettuce and tomatoes in potato bread. Although the bread quality could still be improved, I love the generous serving of crabsticks in between. More than that, it tastes really good and satisfying with the light mayo dressing packing ’em all together.

At P179, it is served with a salad  of lettuce and ripe tomatoes on the side (again) which is different from the one with the crab sticks to further compliment the filling.

Figaro Chili Sardine Angel Hair Pasta

Chili Sardine Angel Hair Pasta

The chili is actually light, which is good for me. Figaro’s Angel Hair Pasta is mixed with Spanish sardines sauteed in garlic, olive oil, dried chili flakes, onions and black olives. Tossed in angel hair pasta., it is further garnished with finely-chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese. All the  ingredients and its flavors make the whole serving a little complicated to the taste but they all blend well together for that sophisticated taste.

“The saltiness of the fish melts with the sour and salty taste of the black olives exploding in flavors of the spices, onions, garlic and chili flakes,” says an article I read. At P180, it is served with 2 toast bread on the side and a choice of beverage from Figaro coffee or the new Figaro’s Summer Frosts.

Figaro Kani Sandwich

However, in the end, I’m not really a fan of Sardines so  I still prefer the Kani Sandwich. 🙂 Both are shareable enough with the Kani sandwich being served as a pair of triangular slices.

Figaro is going “Light for Life” with their Lenten special snacks that is Kani Sandwich and Chili Sardine Angel Hair Pasta.

HalfMoon Asian Cafe is known for their, well, half-moon BibingCrepes. BibingCrepes on the other hand is a combination of Filipino delicacy ‘bibingka‘ and western crepes.

Giant BibingCrepe

A few weeks ago, HalfMoon Asian Cafe invited us over to witness their record-breaking gigantic bibingcrepe cooked right at their branch in Timog, Quezon City.

Survivor Bibingcrepe? 🙂

The giant bibingcrepe spanned a huge table a little bigger than a clan’s dining table. It would take at least 6 people with arms wide-stretched to ‘hug‘ the bibincrepe‘s circumference.

The live cooking of the bibingcrepe was broadcast live that same day over GMA’s Unang Hirit morning show.

Yes, we missed the cooking and mixing of their bibingka recipe but we were the consumers that night. The halfmoon giant bibingcrepe had two kinds of spread – chocolate and cheese. I liked the chocolate more  (And here we are again on the Dove chocolate and Toblerone chocolate series). 🙂

Hot Bibingcrepe

Full Moon Bibibngcrepe 🙂

Just like bibingka, you should always have your bibingcrepe served hot and fresh, jst like what I had in HalfMoon Asian Cafe that night. Needless to say, it is matched perfectly with a serving of their hot chocolate for a very chocolaty experience. 🙂 A cup of low-sugar brewed coffee would also do to avoid a sugar-rush.

Bibingcrepe Designs

If you can’t get attention with size, try the cuteness factor. We, the guests, gamely joined a mini-contest later on which is ‘Dressing-Up-Your-Bibingcrepe.’

Aside from the Halfmoon bibingcrepe, we are to squeeze out our creative juices accessorizing it with marshmallows, chocnuts, chocolates sprinkles, cupcakes, cheese cubes, and M&M’s.

HalfMoon Asian Cafe Bloggers

Half Moon Asian Cafe

Of course, ourteam won. 🙂 We didn’t eat it though ‘coz our hands were all over it while decorating ’em. ‘Til the next BibingCrepe experience at HalfMoon Asian Cafe! 🙂