Saturday, January 29, 2011

Ferrero Quadruplet!


I was so surprised when I found out that there is actually a dark chocolate Ferrero. I hurriedly emailed my mom (who was in the States then) to buy me a box (or two). I decided to check the net to read reviews about the dark chocolate version as to make realistic expectations (huh?). To my surprise (again!), there are actually more flavors!!! Aside from the hazelnut and dark chocolate, there are also coconut and pistachio flavors! And since I was too excited to try all those flavors and could not wait for my mom, I decided to check supermarkets and all other possible places that sell Ferrero. Alas, I was unsuccessful. Even the two Duty Free in Cebu do not carry it. (Sad T.T)




Finally, OCTOBER 26, 2010, my mom arrived with Ferrero boxes (less the pistachio variant). I munched on the dark chocolates and I was… disappointed. I was expecting something a bit bitter… what dark chocolates were supposed to be. It was on the sweet side and my initial reaction was “THIS IS TOO SWEET TO BE CONSIDERED DARK CHOCOLATE” but I loved it nonetheless. There was no nut though so the crunch factor was lesser L Its inner chocolate is very velvety though. YUM!

As for the coconut, a lot of people DO NOT like it at all. And I… am not one of them. It was rather interesting. It reminded me of macaroons with the tidbits of coconut. The coconut gave this Ferrero a different texture. It also complements the white chocolate. I am not so sure though if the market for this is huge.
The pistachio on the other hand is something I would not crave that much. It also does not have a nut inside (like the dark chocolate and the coconut) but the outer “shell” is covered by bits of pistachio thus the flavor. I guess, I am just not fond of pistachio. It has this strong vanilla taste which I find a bit odd.

I do not think that I have to describe hazelnut since this is the most popular flavor.
<3
 Pictures of the WHOLE DARK CHOCOLATE, COCONUT and PISTACHIO FERRERO :)





Saturday, January 22, 2011

Johnny Rockets: A trip back to the past

I was so excited to have dinner at Johnny Rockets since some of my friends told me that it was a good (and cool) restaurant/diner. True enough, the first thing I noticed was the interior design. The restaurant has that diner feel to it with the help of the jukebox and old pictures. It reminds me of the Choclit Shoppe of Pop Tate (from Archie Comics) and Grease (or Hairspray).

My mom told me that the servings are huge so we decided to just order one order of chicken sandwich and Garden salad (I wanted to order the Chicken salad but since our sandwich already has chicken on it, we opted to have a plain salad instead). As for drinks, my sister chose vanilla malt and I wanted to play safe and ordered root beer float.
While waiting for our orders, I can’t help but be irritated with the group of kids (I assume they are around 14 to 17 years old) who are giggling and being all “OMG you are kiddin’ meeh right?” and to top it all off, there is this loud music every 5-10 minutes where all the crew members dance with all their might. (This made me realize that I am getting oooold). Anyway, let’s go back to the food.

My sister’s drink was served first and it was… good! It was really tasty but I can’t help but feel guilty with every gulp. My root beer float was served next and it tasted like… a typical root beer float. I guess all root beer floats taste the same.

Now, for the food (the type one has to chew). The salad was served next and it looked like… a salad one can buy in a supermarket. Actually, when I had a bite, the salad I bought in the supermarket tasted better… a lot better than that of JR’s. I was so disappointed because I am a salad addict. I guess P200+ was not enough to get a decent salad in that diner.

As for the chicken sandwich all I could say is… I love the fries. The bacon was too toasted and the chicken was too thick on one side and is practically nonexistent on the other side (note that we had the sandwich split into 4 since we were sharing).
Overall, I wouldn’t mind going to Johnny Rockets again for a drink (if I am not on a diet). But I will definitely not go back there to hang out with friends because 1.) food is overpriced 2.) it is too noisy 3.) when we asked for our bill (and we were rushing then since we still have to go to Podium to check the Baker’s Fair—which was not really a fair by the way) THEY JUST HAVE TO DANCE AGAIN and note that when they dance, you can’t stop them. So, to all my friends who are in a hurry, please ask for your bill right away after ordering to avoid “extra” delay (yes, even the cooks dance).

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Happy Lemon for a Happy Tummy



Since a lot of people were raving about Happy Lemon and we were only a few steps away from its first store, we (Alexis [the Happy Lemon addict], Fritz [the dessert expert], and I) decided to pay the cute yellow store a visit.
First observation, the line was long… or not.
We were a bit hesitant to enter because we saw a lot of people inside. Apparently, most were just waiting for their orders. That already gave me an impression that Happy Lemon has 1) really good drinks that people do not mind waiting for it or 2) the service… well, is slow.
Since Fritz and I were Happy Lemon virgins, we wanted to try several drinks. I decided to play safe and chose milk tea (Crispy Cocoa Matcha with Brown Sugar Jelly + pearls—I am a pearl addict). Alexis ordered the same drink less the extra pearls. Fritz on the other hand was mesmerized by ROCK SALT CHEESE and decided to order Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese.
Alexis and I loved ours but poor Fritz hated his because it tasted like… SAMPAGUITA. Is sampaguita also tea???
But since my drink was oh-so-good, I will definitely go back and try the other drinks… EXCEPT Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese. 

<3

Little Asia

As recommended by Alexis, we decided to have lunch at Little Asia (instead of Freska because Lestra finds it a bit blah—but I will still try Freska soon). Anyway, back to The Little Asia J
We ordered Salt and Pepper Squid, Beef Broccoli, Crispy Chicken, and some noodles with sausage (forgot the name!) and of course, rice.
The Salt and Pepper Squid was nothing spectacular. It is a typical squid covered with flour. The squid though is quite fresh and not “gummy” so it is toothless people friendly. It has to be dipped in vinegar though since it is a bit on the bland side.
Next is the Crispy Chicken. It was really good. The sauce made it even more savory. It is a must-order-again on my next visit. It goes really well with the fried rice.
The noodle dish on the other hand is a bit dry. I got confused if it’s supposed to be crispy noodles or something like that. But eating it with the chicken makes it taste better (or maybe I just love that chicken so much).
As for the Beef Broccoli, I cannot comment on the beef because when the plate reached me, there was no beef left. L The broccoli though was fresh and the sauce was quite tasty. But it tasted like the typical beef broccoli you could order anywhere.
Finally, service, price and ambiance.
For the service, the servers were friendly and quite prompt with our requests and orders. But I guess it was because there were only very few customers that time.
Ala carte dishes are affordable. I do not know though how we managed to spend P2000++ for a few dishes.
Last, the restaurant has a very Oriental feel. It was quite good. A little Asia indeed.
<3