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Macaroons For A Cause

The Red Ribbon Macaroons for a Cause is a joint project of Red Ribbon, the Apl.de.Ap Foundation, and Franklin Baker. It has been launched last year as a good news with the aim to increase access of the Filipino youth to education by providing public high school facilities, starting in Zamboanga. Continue reading →

Watami Shangri-La Mall

Watami, a Japanese Casual Restaurant, recently opened their 3rd branch in the Philippines at Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Ortigas. They serve a wide variety of authentic Japanese dishes infused with special sauces and spices that ranges from appetizers, sushi, skewers, hot pots, various meat and seafood dishes.

Watami Short Ribs

Watami also have a good costumer service, staff who are happy to help out, and cheerfully welcome you upon entry. As NomNom Club’s contributor, it’s my first time at Watami. It enriched my appreciation of what Japanese food is all about.

Japan has invaded our tummies with mouth-watering dishes and beverages. A modern but homey place and delicious food.

What I found interesting was the Watami Ramen. Its pork was tender and nicely blend with spices which makes it one of my favorite being tasty and satisfying.

If you’re a rice person, then you must try Special Curry with Deep Fried PorkTenderloin Cutlet Rice Set. The Tempura Rice Set is also a must try.

Watami Ramen

Watami in Shangri-La Plaza Mall

Special Curry with Deep Fried PorkTenderloin Cutlet Rice Set

Passion Frut with Mango Tea and Kiwi Tea with Agar

Short Ribs after Grilling

Moreover, I enjoyed the food without the hassle of smoke while having the fun to choose and pair food choices. Try theur refreshing glass of Passion Frut with Mango Tea and Kiwi Tea with Agar as well.

*Photos and article by contributor Tina Qunies

Watami prices are at par with its value for taste. Drop by and visit their 3rd and newest branch at 6th level, East Wing of Shangri-La Plaza. You can also visit Watami in Glorietta 2 and SM Mall of Asia. Visit their Facebook page here.

Starbucks Philippines recently organized an online poll asking espresso lovers which of their two macchiato creations they like best – is it Hazelnut Macchiato or Caramel Macchiato?

Caramel Macchiato vs Hazelnut Macchiato

Starbucks Caramel Macchiato

Team Hazelnut vs Team Caramel

Starbucks’ Hazelnut Macchiato is the new kid in town made with freshly steamed milk, marked with espresso, and of course, hazelnut syrup. It is then finished with hazelnut drizzle. A short order costs P135 while the tall, grande, and venti costs P145, P160, and P170, respectively.

Team Hazelnut Macchiato from the newly opened Fairview Terraces Mall branch in Novaliches

On the other hand, all-time favorite Starbucks Caramel Macchiato is similarly made with freshly steamed milk, but this time with a sweet vanilla-flavored syrup. The rich flavors of roasted espresso is finished with caramel sauce. (Short – P135, Tall – P145, Grande- P160, Venti – P170)

The Results

And the people have decided! Over the online poll through Starbucks Facebook Page which lasted until March 13, Team Caramel won with 9,772 votes garnering about 59% of the votes. Team Hazelnut got 6,898 votes or about 41% of the votes.

Team Caramel Macchiato Wins! (Photo from Starbucks Philippines Facebook Page); Photo on top of this article is from Starbucks Trinoma branch 2F

Hurray! My vote was for Caramel Macchiato as well! 😛

Cold Hazelnut Macchiato from Starbucks Shangri-La Mall branch

As a result, Team Caramel Macchiato celebrated its victory with a Buy One, Get One Caramel Macchiato promo yesterday – #MacchiatoMonday, March 17.

Sans the results, on which Starbucks Team are on? Hazelnut Macchiato or Caramel Macchiato?

Cheesy Cheese

Me and my wife are a little picky when it comes to chips. There’s just so many brands in the market that sometimes it can overwhelm you.

Just go to the supermarket and check out the snacks section and you’ve got lines of shelves stacked with bags of chips.

We’re picky in a way that we check what we eat. SImilar to other foods, we check the back of the snack bag for information on its contents. Although, we’re no where near the skills of a nutritionist, knowing what’s inside what you eat helps.

Back Labels

And we’re glad there’s Chacho’s. In contrast to usual corn-based chips, Chacho’s tortilla chips is actually flour-based, which is better. It’s also  new to us since we haven’t tried them before. I’m just not too sure if it’s new in the Philippines as well. Anyhow, so we decided to give it a try.

Chacho’s Variants

Chacho’s come in three flavors — the Cheesy Cheese, BBQ Bonanza, and Spicy Curry. Wifey and I couldn’t settle which one to try first so we considered all three variants.

Chacho’s Flavors

They also come in 80g and 185g packs. The smaller one is about P35-40+, not bad for an imported chips such as Chacho’s.

At home, we first tried my top choice – BBQ Bonanza and it did not disappoint. It’s thin, light, and crunchy-crisp, just like how tortilla chips should be.

My cheese-lover wife got her Cheesy Cheese next. Both of us are not a fan of anything spicy, so the Spicy Curry was the last to get opened. 🙂

I’m actually torn between the BBQ Bonanaza and Cheesy Cheese. I like them both. Wifey obviously went for the latter. :p

Enjoy More with Dips

Consider however, getting some dips to enhance the flavors like salsa and even more cheese. At that time, we didn’t have them at home so we settled for the good ‘ol mayonnaise.

The dips can make snack time more fun and flavorful specially if you have kids.

Chacho’s with Dips

Chacho’s Chips!

You can try strawberry jams and peanut butter too!

I was then reminded of the memory of my Chili’s  Nachos / Tostada Chips experience in SM Megamall a few months ago. 🙂

So if you’re looking for a new snack or chips to feast on, try the new Chacho’s from your favorite supermarkets in Metro Manila. Hopefully they are available in SM Supermarkets too, if not yet.

It’s the start of the weekend once again! Aside from the proverbial cheers of getting a time-off from work, this is also the time we dine out with friends or simply spend time with the family at home for a hearty meal. Continue reading →

Tokyo Tokyo’s “Halo-Halo”

Can you feel the afternoon heat rising as the days go by? Although the Philippine weather bureau says it’s not yet officially summer in the Philippines, Pinoy foodies are certainly already looking for summer heat quenchers such as the famous Halo-Halo….and Tokyo Tokyo might just have what you are looking for! Continue reading →

There are over 1,700+ Metrobank ATM machines (11,000 w/ affiliated ATMS nationwide & 1.6 million worldwide)

I’ve had my first bank account at the age of nine (9), and it was with Metrobank along Del Monte Avenue in San Francisco Del Monte, Quezon City. My parents and relatives wanted to teach me the value of money early on. With most of my relatives managing their own businesses, this was not much of a surprise.

As a kid, it was no big deal, not realizing just yet the value of money management. They provided the initial amount but they made it clear that it was I who should make it grow, eventually.

Metrobank Prepaid Card

Fast forward 26 years and a number of savings accounts in different banks and investments in bond funds, UITFs, mutual funds, insurance, and the stock market, I could say I’ve explored the world of finance more than the average Joe.

With different money management instruments in the market today, I’m glad Metrobank has introduced the new Metrobank Prepaid Card which can be used with no regrets at all.

NomNom Club stood witness to the card launch a few weeks ago at Vyne Restaurant (beside Hyve) in W Global Building, Fort Bonifacio. We were joined by other notable online foodie and fashion personalities including Gretchen Ho, David Guison, Patricia Prieto, Camille Co, and more.

Live Without Regrets

Have you charged your expenses through a credit card and see your bill at the end of the month only to regret your purchase? Have you lost a debit card or accidentally shared it online compromising your account security?

Shopping with the MPC

Now, you can live without regrets as the Metrobank Prepaid Card gives you a worry-free lifestyle. It has all the convenience of a payment card like credit cards, but without the worry of overspending or sharing your main account details online.

This alone, sold me to the idea of having my own Metrobank Prepaid Card!

Load & Swipe

Simply use it just like a regular credit card which you can swipe in POS machines among any of the 30.2 million MasterCard affiliated establishments worldwide.

Other features include:

• Withdrawing at any local and international ATM
• Reloading made easy*
• Lifestyle discounts, promotions, and freebies

* You can load the card online at Metrobank Direct, through your phone, or through any of the 1,700+ Metrobank ATM machines (11k with affiliated ATMs nationwide & 1.6 million worldwide).

Furthermore, the prepaid card need not connect to a bank account so it’s safe. No maintaining balance nor initial deposit required either! Simply put, it’s a convenient budgeting tool that can substitute for cash but without the worries.

NomNom Club Experiences

I myself have tried using the card in a number of establishments in the past few weeks. These included M Cafe in Makati, Yabu in SM MOA with my wife, and Chocolat.

No-Regrets-Date with the wifey at Yabu

Using the new Metrobank Prepaid Card at Yabu!

Smoked Salmon from M Cafe without regrets!

Chocolat @ SM Mall of Asia without overspending

I even used it in the recent 3-day Sale in SM Sta. Mesa. Our purchase were not in credit, hence I’m living without regrets! 🙂

Metrobank Prepaid Card with other discount cards from SM Advantage and Resorts World Manila

No more worrying about credit card bills and you are sure to spend within your means. Moreover, this is a handy allowance allocation tool for parents who want to give children their allowance through the prepaid card. No worries about the card security or overspending. Parents can actually allocate the monthly/weekly allowance and they can monitor the spending as well.

Interested enough? Get your Metrobank Prepaid Card in four easy steps:

1. Visit any Metrobank branch
2. Fill out the prepaid application form
3. Present 1 valid ID, preferably a government ID
4. Pay the P100 fee for the card valid for 3 years

#LiveWithoutRegrets !

Know more about the Metrobank Prepaid Card and how to apply for the card at their website http://www.metrobank.com.ph. Click on Personal Banking => Metrobank Prepaid Card. Check out their Facebook Page as well. And finally, Live Without Regrets!

Greenwich Carbonara Pasta

Have you experienced craving for something but not really too sure what you want yet at the same time? It’s the craving we had over last Saturday, and a pleasant surprise came over courtesy of the Greenwich Barkada! Continue reading →