First Bite: Sundays by Merry Moo

Summer may have been long over but the intense Manila heat is here to stay. And there's no better way to keep cool than with a scoop or two of ice cream. But why stop there when you can have three and a yummy waffle bowl to eat it with?

Hello, Sundays by Merry Moo.

Merry Moo is one of the homegrown ice cream brands I love. Its fun and innovative flavors keep it relevant especially with today's discerning market.

Dairy Queen's Holiday Treats this 2018

As Christmas decor start to fill the city and bring joy to many, Dairy Queen launched a product line that would make the holiday season even more festive. 

Hello, Dairy Queen. 

It has been a tradition of Dairy Queen to come up with Christmas flavors in celebration of the holiday season. For this year, it launches three drool-worthy flavors namely Hershey's Kisses Almonds Double Cocoa, Hershey's Kisses Mango Cookie and Hershey's Kisses Cookie Buttercrisp. 

More Than Just Gelato: Morelli's Gelato Caffé,

Summer may be over but the intense Manila heat is here to stay, rain or shine. And with the scorching heat draining my energy and perhaps even my positive outlook in life, I need a cold treat on a daily basis. One of my favorites is gelato as its creamy texture never fail to make me smile from ear to ear. Hence, when I found out that Morelli's Gelato has something new in store for us, I had to know what's up. 

Hello, Morelli's Gelato Caffé.

Morelli's has been in Manila for about five years now with its first store at Shangri-La Plaza Mall's East Wing. A brand known for gelato, it actually has an interesting story behind each scoop sold and it could be traced all the way back to 1907. 

First Bite: Tsujiri

Tsujiri has been known as matcha paradise. By using premium green tea and complemented by curated Japanese toppings, this new player in the market has been well-received despite its intimidating price range. I've been wanting to visit its first store in S Maison but the traffic hinders me from visiting. Thankfully, it opened somewhere closer to home.

Hello, Tsujiri!

I was so giddy when I found out that Tsujiri opened its doors in BGC. Located on the third floor of SM Aura, I could finally indulge in what serious matcha lovers consider as the best green tea ice cream around.

First Bite: LAVA Cheese Tart's Lava Eruptions Premium Cheese Ice Cream

I've been a big fan of LAVA since it opened in SM Aura. Its delectable cheese tarts are amazing. And I feel great supporting a local brand using local products. I've heard news though that Lava launched a new line and I just have to try it myself!

Hello again, LAVA Cheese Tarts.

I've been busy with work lately that I hardly get to visit malls. But an opportunity to drop by Uptown Mall came one day and I decided to swing by LAVA before attending an event. Luckily, this LAVA branch offers its newest product, Lava Eruptions Premium Cheese Ice Cream (PHP85, cone | PHP135, cup with three toppings of your choice). 

First Bite: Bread and Botany

Ever since I heard from my cousins how much Aguirre has evolved from a quiet residential strip to a blooming foodie destination, I always find myself drooling over food pictures captured from that area. Yes, I did a bit of stalking and it sure makes me sad how far it is from my place. But after months of planning and a bit of coordination, my college friends and I finally made it happen and our first stop was Bread and Botany as it is one of the stores that open before lunch. 

Hello, Bread and Botany!

Located at the second floor of Prime Building along Aguirre, the quaint shop seems a bit bare with only a few wall decors, shelves and seats. 

We approached the counter and was greeted by the young lady manning it. She gave us some suggestions on what to get and we eventually went with Tori Sando (PHP230) as we were told that it is one of their photogenic dishes. I also ordered Kyuchimi Fries (PHP100) as side dish. E on the other hand went with McEgg (PHP220), the store’s lightest sandwich option. 

Service was quick as our fries were served in less than 10 minutes. 

Drizzled with several spices and paired with bull gravy, this dish was pretty good though steep for its price. The spices gave the fries an interesting and unique taste, similar to KFC’s fries but not quite. It was served hot and fresh from the deep fryer but the gravy was cold. Well, I guess they wanted to create some sort of contrast. Nonetheless, dipping the fries in the chilled gravy made it more delectable. I just wish that they put the spices evenly as it didn’t seem proportioned. Some were a bit too spiced and salty while other fries were on the bland side.

Soon, our sandwiches were served.

First served was the Tori Sando and I was hoping it would look nicer than this given its price. It was a small sandwich cut in two. I was disappointed with the bread used as it was just a typical slice of bread that you could get from the supermarket. The chicken though was good. It was crispy and flavorful. 

First Bite: Kozui

I have heard of Kozui before and it seems to be a go to place for matcha lovers. I just never braved the traffic to buy a soft serve ice cream especially since Family Mart is a lot closer. But with C in our group and with her love for matcha, we headed to the well-loved (and pioneer) matcha joint for some cold treats. 

Hello, Kozui Green Tea!

The place was a lot smaller and worn out than I pictured. The place actually looked… sad. 

Anyway, I decided to go with Green Tea Anmitsu with strawberries (PHP150/bowl) and shared it with C as we were trying to save space for other dishes.

Our bowl was served after a few minutes and the first thing I looked for was the strawberries. Apparently, it was just some sort of strawberry jam-slash-jello. 

Beat Summer Heat 101: Hot Star Soft Serve Ice Cream

Global warming. Climate change. El Niño. Crazy summer heat.

There are times when I just want to be indoors and not to leave my air conditioned room for days. And then I'll realize how expensive that will be. (I hate being an adult.) So a cheaper alternative is to head out and buy ice cream. Make that a gallon or two.

I remember one instance when I felt like my skin was melting and it was just January then! I was in Eastwood that time looking for a place to have dessert. I spotted Hot Star and remembered that they sell really affordable sundae cones. I dragged my sister with me and we immediately ordered a cone each. I got Black Gulaman while my sister got Almond (PHP15 per cone).

I loved mine! It definitely tasted like black gulaman. It had that sweet syrup and jello taste. *yum*

My sister on the other hand hated hers. I try to avoid almond flavored desserts or drinks because of its medicine-y and aiiiieeee-what-the-heck-is-this aftertaste. And my sister forgot that she also dislikes almond desserts and drinks. She ended up throwing hers. Some of my cousins who followed threw their almond sundaes too. (Such a waste but I wouldn't want to eat something I do not like.

I'm really happy with my sundae though and I would love to go back for more. 

Remember, get black gulaman! 

Hot Star is located at 2nd floor, Eastwood City Walk 2,E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Eastwood City, Quezon City.