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.

First Bite: Sweet Inspirations

Sweet Inspirations has been around for a long time. I remember always seeing it along Katipunan when I have errands to do within the area. However, I never got the time to drop by. I figured that I could get my slice of cake elsewhere. But I had no idea that this place offers more than sweets. 

Hello, Sweet Inspirations. 

I dropped by its Hemady Square branch one Saturday afternoon and I was surprised to see a Mongolian station. 

When in Hong Kong: Charlie Brown Café

I have lived in Seoul, South Korea for a few months and I never had a chance to visit a cute café throughout my whole stay. Vending machine was my friend, companion, and favorite barista. And the 250 Won price tag on coffee was hard to resist. And so when I saw my friends post photos of their visits in Hello Kitty Café or Charlie Brown Café, the foodie in me bawled in the ugliest way possible. I remember that I saw Hello Kitty Café and Charlie Brown Cafe in Incheon Airport on my way to LA. I wanted to take photos with the adorable merchandise. But since I travelled alone, I wasn’t able to take a selfie with the cafés. (I was also too shy to ask since I had no plans of buying.) Then again, during my recent Hong Kong trip, I got to visit one of the cute cafés and this time, I have someone to share the experience with!

Hello, Charlie Brown Café!

I was hesitant at first to try this place since the food’s quite pricey for its serving size. But I guess R sensed that I really want to visit this place so we stopped here before heading to Ocean Terminal for our cruise.

The place is adorable!!!

The stairs alone already made me stop to take quick snapshots of the mini statues of Snoopy and friends.

When we went to the third floor, we were greeted by a mini fountain adorned by Peanuts merchandise.

The ceiling too is worth mentioning as it is beautiful.

We decided to get a glass of Caramel Coffee Frappa (HK$41, grande) and Tiramisu Cup (HK$40).

The Tiramisu was fluffy and light. It goes well with a flavorful drink. But as is, it might be a bit bland for those with sweet tooth. It was hard to eat this though. 

I mean it has Charlie Brown’s face on it. Plus the price kinda hurts (given it’s such a small cake).

I enjoyed the caramel coffee frappa a lot! It was a great drink to cool us down. (It was quite hot in Hong Kong when we visited.) It was sweet yet not too sweet and you could definitely taste the coffee flavor. There were also small bits of ice you get to munch on for texture.

Love at First Bite: K & L Café

I get flattered every time I get an invite from an establishment to try their food. It shows that they trust my blog and that they see me as an influencer. A few weeks ago, I got an email from Karen and Loren, sisters behind Blushing Cupcakes, inviting me to visit their newest venture, a restaurant named  K & L Café along White Plains, a few steps away from Pan de Amerikana. After two weeks, I finally got to visit the quaint café.

Hello, K & L Café!

The place is extremely adorable! It had a rustic and homey feel that I simply love. My eyes had a feast! J, the architect, noticed the super sweet sign Karen and Loren prepared for me. It sure made me feel so special! <3

While chatting with Karen and Loren, I found out that they both studied in St. Paul College, Pasig and University of Asia and the Pacific. They were my school mates in high school and college! Small world!

They recommended the following: Maple Caramel Latte (PHP105, hot | PHP125, cold), Famous Strawberry Calamansi (PHP95), Ultimate Red Velvet Pancake (PHP295), Daddy’s Bourbon American Ribs (PHP295), Ilocos Bagnet with Tomato Salsa (PHP265), and Apple, Brie and Baguio Honey sandwich (PHP227).

First served were our drinks. I didn’t get to try J’s drink as he didn’t offer. (Insert sad music here.) 

Hole in the Wall Find: Green Cheese (Happiest Cheesecake in the World)

While waiting for my pho from Phobobo, I looked around to check the other concessionaires and see if I could try more dishes that night. However, the place was really packed so I was forced to buy from stores with shorter lines (as we were also rushing to visit a coffee shop after dinner).

Hello, Green Cheese, the happiest cheesecake in the world!

This cake stall caught my interest when Jin Perez of Jin Loves to Eat featured it on her blog. From the smiling Japanese cheesecakes to the nice façade (with a swing), Green Cheese sure screams kawaii!

I decided to go for Green Cheese’s plain cheesecake (PHP50 per slice or PHP350 for a box) and custard pudding (PHP120).

Molito Food Stop: Le Petit Cheri

There are so many new restaurants here, there and just about everywhere! I went crazy when I spotted Molito, the new foodie haven in the south. I saw several new establishments I have never seen before and I am so excited to visit those places soon. Earlier, I posted about Ramen Yushoken. The place offer really flavorful ramen. Since we still had had 30 minutes to explore Molito before going home, my sister and I dashed to Le Petit Cheri.

Hello, Le Petit Cheri.

It had an eerie ambiance as we were the only ones there when we visited. And it didn’t seem to be a good sign. But it was recommended by a few friends so I had faith in this establishment.

Since we were not in the mood for anything savory, we went straight to desserts and stared at the display cooler. I got the White Chocolate Cheesecake (PHP148), Baked Polvoron (PHP78) and several macarons: Caramel, Salted Coffee, Purple Yam, Red Velvet, and Strawberry (PHP38 each).

I ordered the baked polvoron since it intrigued me. I love polvoron but I never really had a chance to try a baked version of it. The texture was similar to a rather hard cookie and it wasn’t as sweet as the well-loved Goldilocks polvoron. Actually, it tasted just like a slightly bland cookie. 

I ordered the White Chocolate Cheesecake since it was the most photogenic among the cakes available then. It was very dense and thick and it didn’t have the tart that I like from cheesecakes. It also made me remember why I don’t like white chocolate. In short, I will not order this again… ever. But white chocolate lovers might enjoy this.

The macarons were pretty decent though for its affordable price. My favorite was the salted coffee (which I cleared with the person who assisted us if it’s really coffee and not caramel). It tasted just like coffee but it wasn’t as sweet. The ganache was so thick though.

Restaurant Discovery: Lucca Bakery

I love Saturdays. It’s my I-will-eat-whatever-I-feel-like-eating day. It’s also the day I get to meet my friends and explore new restaurants. At times though, I go on dates with my sister. And when we do, we make sure we have lots of fun doing the most mundane things.

I was my sister’s mom one Saturday as I had to bring her to school, wait for her class to end and bring her home. But since I’m a “cool” mom, we decided to have lunch somewhere before heading home.

Hello, Lucca Bakery!

I’ve passed by this restaurant a few times and I got curious with their dishes. However, I always get lured by other restaurants hence it took me a while to pay this place a visit.

 

The restaurant is pretty homey and casual. Quite a great place to hang out with friends. The server was quick to clear the table for us and handed us the menu. But it took them a while to get back to us for our orders (due to the lack of staff).

M went with the Monte Cristo (PHP275) sandwich while I went for the Salmon Benedict (PHP275) simply because it’s salmon. (There’s not much thought process when I see salmon.) We also ordered a glass of Coffee Caramel Smoothie (PHP145).

Grocery Find: Mars Ice Cream Bars

I have been a fan of Snickers and Twix since... perhaps when I started to have teeth. I grab a bar whenever there's one available at home. And yes, I have gone through the No-This-Is-All-Mine-You-Can't-Have-Any phase with these goods. Sadly, I went through that phase again.

I just love hanging out with N. Our world revolves around food. We eat good food, talk about food, and shop for food. FOOOOOOOD. <3

Anyway, we decided to meet up one day to watch a movie and have dinner afterwards. Since Shangri-la's East Wing is always packed with hungry customers, we ended up going to the supermarket first. 

I wasn't really planning to buy anything until I saw something at the checkout counter... ice cream bars. And these were not your typical ice cream bars... chocolate bars turned into ice cream bars! Woohoo!

See that line???

I remember spotting this goodies at the M&Ms store in New York but since the place was filled with chocoholics, I wasn't able to go near to the chest freezer. 

So I bought a few bars at PHP68 each. It's not bad comparing it to Magnum at PHP55.

Chocolate Discovery: Russell Stover

If Russell Stover wasn’t that old, I would have asked him to marry me!

My mom bought this small piece of chocolate (well I find 57g small) just because she got curious with it. Priced at PHP99.75 at Candy Corner, it would have never appealed to me as there are several other cheaper yet still oh-so-good snacks I could buy instead. 

Anyway, my mom forgot all about the chocolate so it is now all mine (yahoo!) and after a few days, I’ve finally decided to try it.

Hmmm… it doesn’t look special at all to be priced at PHP99.75. While staring at it, the snooty glutton in me said “I would have bought Ferrero Rocher instead. Pffff!” But I felt that I was being unfair. (Come on! Russell Stover will cry.) Who knows, it might be good after all to justify the price.

Disclaimer: The chocolate got smashed inside my big bag.

 Lo and behold… it was pretty good.

It tasted a bit like Snickers but fewer nuts (the one I had was with almonds) and more caramel. What I loved about it was that the caramel doesn’t get stuck between your teeth (especially the molars). The chocolate was soft and every bite definitely had caramel and small bits of almonds.

A warning though to those who love chocolates but are not that fond of the too sweet variant: this one falls on the too sweet side. 

I.Think.I’m.In.Love.

Right after finishing the pack, I immediately checked the web for more information about this latest love of mine. I found out that it is way cheaper in the States (one box costs around $7!!!). 

Yes, Nutrition Facts. I am ignoring you!!!

Now, I can’t wait for October. I will definitely hoard a lot of Russell Stover goodies. (And perhaps a few of those WeightWatchers by Whitman’s as well.)

For now, I will visit S&R for price check. :)