Nomnomnom, Eat, Nomnomnom, Eat, Nomnomnom

After almost a year now when it last came out, Starbucks’ Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino is back together with another Starbucks returning favorite – the well-loved Mocha Cookie Crumble Frap.

Starbucks Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino

For the unfortunately unfamiliar, the Mocha Cookie Crumble Frap combines the goodness of Starbucks’ signature roast coffee and the classic Mocha Frappuccino® Blended Coffee. Add to that the lovely chocolate cookie bits.

Starbucks Mocha Cookie Crumble

It is made with rich mocha sauce, vanilla syrup, milk and ice, topped with chocolate whipped cream, chocolate drizzle and a dash of cookie crumble. Price starts at P170 for the tall size, P180 for grande, and P190 for venti.

Now, for my second all-time favorite (after Hojicha Tea Jelly) Red Bean Green Tea Frap blended beverage – it is your traditional finely-milled green tea called matcha combined with whole kernels of red azuki beans.

The invigorating combination of green tea with the sweet- savory azuki beans give this beverage a rich distinct flavor that will be loved by everyone from children to adults.

Starbucks Broccoli And Mushroom Quiche

It is slightly cheaper that the Mocha Cookie Crumble at  P160 for Tall, P170 for Grande, and P180 for Venti.

Starbucks Food Items

Starbucks also came up with new food items including the Blueberry- Licious Cheesecake, German Pretzel, Grandma’s Classic Meatloaf On Brioche Bread, and Broccoli And Mushroom Quiche.

However, so far, we were only able to try the Broccoli And Mushroom Quiche(P95). Flavorful and packed with eggs, the unsweetened pastry combination of mushrooms and broccoli did not disappoint.

Starbucks Red Bean Green Tea Frap

The quiche goes well with both Starbucks returning favorite beverages mentioned above which are completely customizable as well. Make sure to try them soon as these beverage offering will last until July 14, 2013 only.

Kraft Foods Philippines (KFP) is driving the purpose of eating food beyond nourishment and pleasure through “Eats For Joy!”

East for Joy Launch @ Chili’s: Hpsts Marc Nelson & Miriam Quiambao

In partnership with World Vision, KFP, which is now part of Mondelez International, is bringing joy to you as well as others in need. “Eats for Joy!” is a program with partner restaurants wherein for every purchase of a participating dish with Oreo grinds and KFP cheese, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to World Vision on your behalf.

“This is a worthy cause. We’re thankful for the partnership with KFP through “Eats for Joy,” shares World Vision Interim National Director, Filomena Portales.

Eats For Joy!

Launched earlier this month, “Eats for Joy” partnered with top restaurants including Chili’s, J.CO Donuts, Amber Golden Plate, Magic Melt and Lots-a-Pizza. Until December 2013, these partner restaurants will be serving special dishes made with KFP’s Oreo cookies and cheese products.

Here are some of the special dishes which you can order from the partner restaurants:

• Chili’s
  • High and Mighty Pie
  • Oreo Chocolate Sundae
• 

  Mondelez International

  Amber Golden Plate

  • Pichi-Pichi with Cheese and Spaghetti
• Lots-a-Pizza
  • Any Pizzas such as Great Manhattan
• J.CO Donuts
  • Oreology donut
• Magic Melt
  • Ensaymada

“KFP aims not only to be a supplier or customer. We aim to be a valuable business partner and ally in growth,” explains KFP Sales and Strategy Director Ashish Pisharodi. “We created the “Eats for Joy” program with our partners so that we have a common platform not only to promote our delicious brands and their restaurants, but more importantly, so that we can all create delicious moments of joy together.”

Mondelez Officials and World Vision

Kraft Foods Philippines to Mondelēz Philippines

Later this year, Kraft Foods Philippines is changing its name to Mondelēz Philippines as part of its brand global alignment. But moreover, KFP is also celebrating its fifth decade which is also being celebrated in part with “Eats for Joy” by giving back to the community.

“That’s 50 years of delicious moments enjoyed by Filipinos through our brands. For making us a part of your moments of joy, we want to give back to our community. We hope you enjoy the dishes we have prepared through “Eats for Joy” and be a part of creating joy through our partner, World Vision. Whenever you taste a dish from participating restaurants, you get to help those in need through the Foundation,” shares KFP Category Sales Assistant Manager Regina Calpo.

Check out more from http://www.mondelezinternational.com/ph

Join Kraft’s Eats For Joy!

Beyond Nourishment

“Eats for Joy” goes beyond filling your hungry tummy – but others’ as well. So what are you waiting for? Choose from among Chili’s, J.CO Donuts, Amber Magic Plate, Magic Melt, Lots-a-Pizza, Figaro, Magoo’s Pizza, 3M Pizza, Aristocrat Bakeshop, Café France, Plato Wraps and 41 other partner establishments in Luzon, Metro Manila and the Visayas and enjoy their Oreo and cheesy dishes!

With the opening of the new Bonifacio High Street Central last year, new restaurants found a home. One of which is the first Village Tavern branch outside of the United States.

Crispy Clams (P375)

Brought by the Bistro Group to the Philippines with interiors that greet customers with a mix of old tavern yore and hunting lodge, Village Tavern has been one of the most visited restaurants in the area.

And in celebration of one year of serving salads, chicken, pork, and steaks, Village Tavern is has updated its menu recently and gave you another reason to come back for more.

Let’s start with the appetizers:

Fully Loaded Romaine Heart

This serving of salad consists mainly of romaine lettuce and generous blue cheese dressing topped with crispy bacon, red onions, and tomatoes. I think the blue cheese is responsible for the P425 price tag. 🙂

Fully Loaded Romaine Heart (P425)

Crispy Clams

The Crispy Clams is a handful of crunchy niblets of baby clams. The lazy need not worry as they come without shells, ready for consumption. Spice it up a bit with the spicy lemon dip.

Afterwhich you can cleanse your palate with some salad on the side. A serving costs P375.

Roasted Bone Marrow (P295)

Roasted Bone Marrow (Top Photo)

Hold your horses as you are greeted with a huge ‘Roasted Bone Marrow‘. Not a usual appetizer in our common restaurant table, the bone marrow lovers are in for a treat as the half opened bone marrow is ready for scooping – something not recommended to those literally ‘faint of heart‘.

But if you are a bit more cautious or just want to try it out, you could always minimize its health impact by having it with the sourdough bread and apple cider vinegar dip on the side.

Health issues aside, the roasted bone marrow (P295) gets the double thumbs up!

Other small plate offerings you could try are the Spicy Garlic Chicken Wings, and Shrimp Balls with Cilantro Lime.

Main Dishes

And for the stars of the night – the main dishes – Village Tavern offers an exotic Ox Cheek with Truffle Mash and Poached Onions, Kansas Ribs, Lapu Lapu with Pico de Gallo, Cod Fish, Lamb Rack, and the 35-ounce Tomahawk.

We were able to try the latter three and here’s how it went:

Cod Fish

Cod Fish (P525)

Lamb Rack (side view)

The Atlantic cod fish was pan-seared with Spanish chorizo and garlic, and served on a bed of salt roasted potato.

Although I think the fish meat turned out a little tough on our table, it still tasted good and complemented well with the chorizo and garlic.

Don’t forget to squeeze the lime. The serving size is good for two people and costs P525.

Lamb Rack

The Lamb Rack (P675) is the first of my two favorites of the night. With enhanced aroma care of the infused Rosaemary, the lamb was tender and juicy and served with green peas and mint.

Lamb Rack (P675)

Tomahawk 35oz

Tomahawk 35 oz. (P2895)

At P2,895, it should be good, no, very good. And it did not disappoint.

My second favorite of the night was aged, hand-cut, and grilled. Although the Tomahawk beef rib eye steak can be a bit more juicier, the prime cut meat was fork-tender.

The whole 35-ounce steak had a good browning on the outside as well.

Dessert: Frozen Lime Souffle

Frozen Lime Souffle (P295)

We ended the night with a dessert called “Frozen Lime Souffle” which was a layer of light and airy lime infused with frozen souffle.

It was topped with candied lime and walnut powder.

The dessert is ideal for those looking for desserts that are not too sweet. It was a good break from my usual desserts. Price tag: P295.

Chef Josh Boutwood of The Bistro Group & NomNom

The price point of Village Tavern is definitely upscale, nonetheless commensurate to the quality of the food and restaurant service.

Taste the love of these dishes by Chef Josh Boutwood, corporate chef of The Bistro Group. Give the Village Tavern a visit at the 2nd floor of Bonifacio High Street Central.

We were able to witness the soft opening of the new SM Supermarket Aura a few days ago at the lower ground floor of the similarly newly opened SM Aura Premier in Taguig, SM Supermalls‘ 47th mall.

SM Aura Premier

Inevitably, together with my wife, we satisfied our foodie curiosity with the new supermarket and went around to see what they have to offer.

Fresh Every Day!

So I wore my “cart- pusher” hat/role which I earned since I got married a few months back while wifey does the actual grocery shopping. 😛

Interestingly, the new SM Supermarket Aura is pretty big at 9,300 sqm floor space and has several interesting new sections compared to other SM groceries we frequent. We do our weekly grocery shopping at SM Supermakret North Edsa since we live near Munoz.

Fruits & Veggies

Ready-To-Eat Food Stalls

It has the usual sections on bread, health & beauty, fruits and veggies, poultry, seafood, meat, and frozen goods, among others. But they also has new and surprising ones.

Here are the new sections and discoveries we saw which made it to our ‘10 Reasons Why SM Supermakret Aura is a Grocery Haven‘ list :

Wine & Liquor Section

• Premium Wine & Liquor Section & the P 230K Wine Bottle

On the right side of the entrance are situated stand alone stores such as Watsons, and a couple of ready–to-eat food stalls but the Wine & Liquor section at the right most is obviously bigger and has a wider selection than usual.

Moreover, what caught our attention was a very premium cognac brand by the name of Camus Cuvee 5.150 which costs P 230,000 for one bottle beside other similarly premium wine bottles on display. It is the highlight of a masterpiece collection of 5 Camus Cognacs aged 22-37 years minimum by  Cyril Camus celebrating 150 years of family tradition.

Camus Cuvee Cognac 5.150 worth P230,000 !

We later came to know that this is the only SM Supermarket so far to carry this line of expensive wine and that the aforementioned Camus Cuvee is one of the only two bottles in the Philippines!

Buy 1 Take 1 Gardenia Bread at only P57!

• Chateau de France

On the other end of the supermarket is a bigger bread section as well which greets customers from the left side entrance.

Chateau de France will be your bread at first sight. A famous bread line from France, this is Chateau de France second branch in the Philippines with the first one in SM Makati which also just opened a month ago.

You would find French macarons, baguettes, croissants, and quiche, among others from their selection.

Chateau de France in the Bakery Section

Moreover, did you know that these French breads and pastries are imported directly from France ‘as is‘ and shipped utilizing cryotechnology to preserve it’s goodness?

• 

  Fruit Carving Section

  Fruit Carving Station + Soup Section

Near the bread section is a small but distinctive stall serving as a fruit carving station. It is a free service to customers who buy fruits from SM Supermarket. This is best suited for businesses in the catering or food service industry which can easily have the fruits carved here.

A little push of the cart further is a  soup stall serving fresh and hot, well, soup!.

Simple as it is, I was surprised seeing it at first but if you are looking for a quick soup-fix in an air-conditioned grocery, this might be worth a try.

Soup Stall

• Organic Products

Aside from the usual fruits and vegetable varieties you would see in an ordinary supermarket, SM Aura Supermarket has a substantial section devoted to fresh organic fruits and vegetables such as lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, papayas, and chico. Packed and canned items for customers on the go are also available.

Organic Vegetables and Root crops

SM Supermarket Aura

Herbs & Spices

Of special interest is the shelf with mushroom varieties I found in the organic section.

I got to chat with Ms. Cherry Lo of Crystal Jade Dining-In at the nearby Bonifacio High Street restaurant a week ago when we tried their dishes. One of which is the “Sauteed Prawn & Scallop with Chicken and Assorted Mushroom Served in Pumpkin“. She mentioned how she gets these very good mushrooms fresh from the generous variety available at the nearby mall Market! Market!.

Mushroom Variety Shelf in SM Supermarket Aura

I guess I could now recommend SM Aura Supermarket mushrooms for her to try one of these days.

• International Shelves

At the center of SM Supermarket Aura are 12 shelves of inviting imported products. Most of the items are from the countries of France, Germany, Japan, US, and Korea.

Asian Imported Goods

Western Goods

Although we focused on buying fresh goods and products for our upcoming house blessing that time, I guess we’ll check out more of the international goods / imported goods in our next visit.

10 Reasons….Part 2 Teaser: Bahay Kubo: Bataw (96/kg) & Patani (392/kg)

NomNom Wifey at the SM Prestige Cashier Counter

This is only the first half of our ‘10 reasons why SM Aura Supermarket is a grocery haven’.

Stay tuned for the second and final installment of our SM Supermarket Aura grocery experience in the next few days!

Crystal Jade Dining-in

If you’ve been to Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao in Greenhills, then you might already have an idea what to expect from the newly opened Crystal Jade Dining-In Chinese restaurant in Bonifacio High Street Central, Bonifacio Global City.

But you are not entirely right. Although almost similar in name, Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao focuses in dimsum while Crystal Jade Dining-In offers authentic Cantonese cuisine.

Starting w/ the appetizer

Having started in Singapore before expanding to foreign lands, Crystal Jade restaurant has already been known for years for its authentic Chinese cuisines with a twist and exquisite food.

For the unfamiliar, here are some dishes we tried from their menu a week ago:

Baked Bo Lo BBQ Pork Bun

The Baked Bo Lo BBQ Pork Bun (180/3pcs) is good appetizer that is a bit on the ‘heavy’ side. But you wouldn’t mind it with the tasty oriental style BBQ pork in a  soft bun baked in Hong Kong style bo lo crust.

Baked Bo Lo BBQ Pork Bun

Crispy Duck Sandwich  & Shredded Duck Fruit Salad

Appetizers are most flavorful in Chinese restaurants so much so you can mistake it for a main dish. And the Crispy Duck Sandwich (P680) is one example.

It has eight slices of bite-size duck meat with crispy skin on top. Although not indicated in the menu, it is actually a Peking Duck.

It is also served with a generous and creamy shredded duck fruit salad on the side which complements the crunchy duck sandwich.

Crispy Duck Sandwich

Sauteed Prawn & Scallop with Chicken and Assorted Mushroom Served in Pumpkin

The pumpkin is certainly a looker with a mixture of prawns, scallops, chicken, and assorted mushroom filling.

As complicated as it looks, it is actually a simple sauteed dish. What makes it good are the necessary fresh ingredients (such as the prawns and scallops) and the interesting variety of mushrooms. A perfect dish for mushroom lovers.

I’m not sure though if the pumpkin can be requested to be sliced and served. I didn’t dare ask at that time. 🙂 A small serving costs P680.

Sautéed Scallop & Prawn with Chicken & Assorted Mushroom served in Pumpkin

Braised Pork with Special Sauce + Bun

If you’re Chinese, you’ve certainly had this dish one time or the other.

Their braised pork (P350) looks similar with most Chinese restaurants but certainly tastes among the best. Served with toasted or steamed bun (also known as kua pao), you can put the sweet pork in between. Don’t forget to put a lot of sauce in it.

Surely, one kua pao will not be enough for this dish. Feel free to order another with only a few bucks.

Braised Pork with Special Sauce (served with bun)

Double Boiled Crab Claw Soup with Superior Mushroom in Fresh Coconut

This is the highlight of the day. I haven’t had a dish like this in any Chinese restaurant I’ve been to for the past 34 years.

The Double Boiled Crab Claw Soup with Superior Mushroom in Fresh Coconut (P480) is exactly as its name describes. Served in a half-open young coconut shell, the light-tasting broth was boiled once before it is put in the ‘buko‘, and boiled again while “in” the ‘buko‘ shell.

The crab claw is gigantic and meaty while the mushrooms are perfect with the broth. You can actually put this towards the end of the meal as a great pallete cleanser as well. :p

Double-boiled Crab Claw Soup with Superior Mushroom in Fresh Coconut

Chilled Avocado Pudding & Pomelo

The Chilled Avocado Pudding (P180) is a refreshing break from the flavorful dishes we just had above. The soft pudding will be loved by everyone from kids to adults. The pomelo bits give an interesting texture as well. It’s a bit overpriced for me though.

Chilled Avocado Pudding & Pomelo

Dessert Time!

Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Taro

For a buchi lover like me, the Glutinous Rice Dumpling (P160/3pcs) is a welcome dessert. Although without the external sesame seeds, it is covered with coconut shreds whose texture complements the taro filling.

Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Taro

Crystal Jade Dining In
Bonifacio High Street Central,  Taguig City
Contact Nos. (+632)808-5233; (+632)519-8191
11 am to 11 pm

Crystal Jade Dining-In

For someone who is used to eating Chinese food for most of his life, Crystal Jade Dining-In offers both Chinese and non-Chinese palettes an interesting take on most of our usual Chinese menu. It has your regular favorites, new dishes, and at the same time offers new ones with interesting twists as well. Albeit at a higher price point than your regular Chinese restaurant, a trip to Crystal Jade Dining-In will be worth your while…and bill.

This is a ‘Yummy’ feast you don’t want to miss! YUMMY Eats, YUMMY magazine’s eating and cooking fair is back on its third year!

To be held this coming Saturday (May 18) at the NBC Tent in Bonifacio Global City, YUMMY Eats is a day filled with non-stop eating as you get to eat your heart out with food samples from all 50 food booths from 10am to 6pm. The last time I went to Yummy Eats was in 2011 and I enjoyed it.

Expect a bigger and better Yummy Eats this year as upcoming food establishments and home bakers will be showcased. The participants are handpicked by the Yummy Magazine editorial team. Mad Meats Bacon, Backyard Burger, and Chez Karine, are just some of them!

Expect to see more Yummy favorites as well like Pepita’s Lecon, Pino, Mochiko, and more! There would also be a series of fun cooking demos, cook-offs and raffle draws.

Yummy Magazine’s Yummy Eats 2013!

Although entrance to YUMMY Eats has a charge of P 200, it will surely be worth it with all the overflowing food and fun activities.

Bring your May issue of YUMMY magazine and get a discounted entrance fee of P 150! You can also pay online through http://www.yummy.ph/yummyeats. Know more about YUMMY’s growing online community at http://www.yummy.ph, Facebook http://www.facebook.com/yummymagazine, and Twitter @yummyph.

See you this Saturday at the biggest and yummiest foodie gathering – Yummy Eats!

KFC Philippines has officially turned over P 7.5 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in their KFC Jupiter branch yesterday.

World Food Programme

As part of the World Hunger Relief campaign, KFC restaurants across the Philippines donated P5 from each of the sale of their Fully Loved Meal from November 1, 2012 to January 17, 2013. Donation through the campaign’s canister program was also another option.

“Shared joy is at the heart of what we are as a brand. The World Food Programme has given us at KFC Philippines a means to share what we have with those who need it most over the last four years. We would like to thank our loyal customers and employees for their generosity…,” shares KFC Philippines General Manager Liza Leah Calma-Juinio.

This  advocacy will support a school feeding programme for central Mindanao providing upto 750,000 school meals.

“WFP is grateful to KFC Philippines and its customers for this contribution, which will support WFP’s local efforts to fight hunger among school children… KFC’s annual donations, made through the World Hunger Relief campaign, are a testament to the company’s very real commitment to our cause of ending hunger,” said WFP Philippines Deputy Country Director Asaka Nyangara.

KFC Fully Loaded Meal

KFC’s contribution is in line with the Yum! Brands World Hunger Relief campaign, the world’s largest private sector hunger relief effort spanning more than 120 countries, which KFC Philippines has participated in since 2009.

*Top photo: (middle) Mr. Dipayan Bhattacharyya – Head-Food Security, World Food Programme; (rightmost)  Mr. Restituto B. Macuto – Director III, Disaster Risk Reduction & Response Operation Office, Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Know more about KFC and the United Nations World Food Programme on Twitter @KFCPhilippines and Facebook page www.facebook.com/kfcphilippines.

Summer’s not about to go even on the last month of the summer season here in the Philippines. We were able to visit Julie’s Bakeshop Manila office yesterday and discovered interesting finds on Julie’s Bakeshop Summer Breads.

Rainbow Round Cake (P160)

Meggie Jose and Kate Biol, Julie’s Bakeshop Marketing Manager and Marketing Assistant, respectively, welcomed us to their office and introduced us the five new summer breads and baked goodies that shouts ‘summer‘ through their colors.

Rainbow Round Cake

What is a bakeshop with out the traditional cakes. The new  Rainbow Round Cake (P160 whole) would certainly be enjoyed by the kids or bring out the kid in you. The6″ round butter chiffon cake are covered with festive red, yellow, and green layers and designs; covered with creamy whipped cream.

It’s also available in a square slice at P45.

Rainbow Cake,Slice (Square) (P45)

Rainbow Cupcakes (top photo)

Second in line are Julie’s Rainbow Cupcake creation. It has a common vanilla based cupcake s topped with tropical flavors symbolic of the season: pineapple, strawberry, buko pandan and ube. Add to that a sprinkle of confetti sugar in colors.

It costs P12 a piece and oddly at a more expensive P75 per pack perhaps due to the packaging involved with a set of 6.

Yummy Yoyos

Yummy Yoyos (P5/each)

Guava Fruit-Filled Bread

For bite-sized hunger, you would find the round Yummy Yoyos  sandwich puffs that similarly comes in varieties of orange, buko pandan, pineapple and strawberry.  Each ‘yummy yoyo‘ has an SRP of P5.

Fruit-Filled Breads

The Fruit-Filled Breads are flower-shaped sweets with a surprise of guava, mango, and pineapple form the inside. At P7 a piece, this was a surprisingly good find. The bread itself is also soft and chewy.

My favorite is the guava-filled.

Fruit Filled Bread (P7/each)

Chicken Empanada

Generously filled with chunky chicken meat, Julie’s Chicken Empanada is another value find. Remember to  have it hot straight from the oven for maximum satisfaction. At P8 a piece, you would certainly have more than 1 piece.

Julie’s Chicken Empanada (P8 / each)

Chicken Empanada

Among the five Julie’s Bakeshop Summer Breads (+ empanada), I liked the fruit-filled breads (guava) and the chicken empanada the best. You really have to really try at least my 2 recommendations. Like, now. 🙂