ECQ Favorite: Big Al's Cookie Jar

Big Al's has been one of the hottest brands in town when it comes to chocolate cake. I've been meaning to buy some but easily get discouraged whenever I find out that it's sold out. But I was determined to get some for Mother's Day this year and tried my best to get a slot for its May 9 pick up. And here's my Big Al's story. 

Hello, Big Al's.

Big Al's has been named as the number one chocolate cake brand in Manila by Spot.ph. Being ranked as such would make anyone's expectation shoot up. And the fact that its 100 order slots get filled in less than 30 minutes is a strong proof that it's popular among foodies. 

First Bite: Maricar's Chocolate Cakes

Chocolate cakes served in tin cans became a crazy trend last year. We've seen the growth of several home bakers offering these sinfully rich cakes in different flavors with chocolate as its usual bestseller. But celebrity Maricar Reyes-Poon was way ahead when she launched her own line of chocolate liquor cakes back in 2015. And with it winning over so many hearts (and taste buds), it was not surprising that it got an award for one of the top desserts by Inquirer. 

Hello, Maricar's Chocolate Cakes!

I got a sweet message from Pat of Maricar's Chocolate Cakes one night asking if I'd be interested to try one of their cakes. I replied YES in a heartbeat as I couldn't say no to good dessert. 

First Bite: Calea

A trip to Bacolod is not complete without visiting Calea, one of the famous dessert places in Bacolod. It has delighted countless foodies with its wide selection of pastries and I was excited for it to tickle my taste buds. 

Hello, Calea.

First Sip: Yes Please

I occasionally drink and when I do, I always stick to my usuals--margarita, amaretto sour, wine and Patron XO. These past months though, I grew to like other drinks thanks to various events I've attended. And thanks to Zomato, I had deeper appreciation for whisky last Monday. 
 
Hello, Yes Please.

I was lucky to be invited to a whisky appreciation night hosted by Auchentoshan. Though I've never heard of the Scotch brand before, the idea of learning more about something made me clear my schedule and brave the traffic.

My Dinner in the Dark Experience

When I was a kid, I loved building blanket tents and pretend that I’m camping with my stuffed toys and flashlight. I even remember the time when my dad bought me a Beauty and the Beast camping set (with tent and sleeping bag) and I would sleep there from time to time. It sure was fun playing in the dark and pretend that I’m in a jungle with only my flashlight as my source of light. But I never realized how scary it is to be in a pitch dark room and experience having your sense of sight taken from you.

It all started when my favorite Dragon lady, T, tagged me in a post about this Dinner in the Dark. I was still pretty high with the Murder Mystery Dinner post I saw a few nights before that made me do a bit of mental accounting to determine if spending PHP1,800 was worth it or not. (Then I saw another one for PHP3,500! But this one was hosted by EDSA Shangri-La Hotel.)

The Dinner in the Dark was actually pricier compared to the Murder Mystery Dinner as it costs PHP2,000. However, T convinced me that the Dinner in the Dark has more value for money as a portion of the money will be given to a partner NGO. And since I didn’t give back during my birthday last February, I thought that this might be a good start. Plus I get to experience something unique.

So, hello darkness!

Before the dinner, we were briefed by the organizer on what to expect. We were also told that it started in Europe and that all the servers inside are all visually impaired.  And in order for us not to be tempted to Instagram total darkness, we had to leave all our stuff in the waiting area along with our bags and other shiny accessories.

We entered the dark room in two batches. We all had to hold the shoulder of the person in front and form some sort of caterpillar. We were also told to touch the walls so that we won’t get hit on our way to our table. I had to admit, I was so scared! The last thing I wanted to happen was trip, fall and be stepped on by the person behind me.

After a few steps from the door, we were told to touch the chair in front of us. Of course, there was a slight confusion on who owns which chair as some of us grabbed the same one.

Love at First Bite: The Breakfast Club

I love visiting new restaurants. It makes me so happy every time I get to discover a great fdish or a nice restaurant perfect for mini reunions or some alone time. And I’m really lucky that I’m just a few blocks away from one of the foodie destinations, Kapitolyo. But even Pioneer is starting to pick up. Just a few months ago, I spotted two new restaurants, Takeshi, a Japanese restaurant and one of my new favorite dessert places… The Breakfast Club.

Hello, The Breakfast Club!

Okay, The Breakfast Club is not exactly new as it has another branch in Quezon City but it’s still new to me. Owned by celebrity Erich Gonzales and her boyfriend, The Breakfast Club is known for its breakfast staples. (Duh!) But they also offer Korean dishes, a few Japanese dishes and steaks. But when we visited, we only had room for desserts as we just had dinner at Takeshi.

We first noticed the Fallen Cake (PHP155) and it sure look like it fell and was slightly stepped on. It still looked delicious though but my mom was iffy to order that. So we ended up with Lava Cake in (a) Cup with Vanilla Ice Cream (PHP170) and Mango Caramel Panna Cotta (I forgot how much this one costs).

Love At First Bite: Paul

I find it really amusing how I get to reconnect with people this year. With food. Food truly brings (hungry) people together.

K bought some vouchers to this Chinese restaurant a few months back and realized that it will be expiring soon. Knowing that E and I are gluttons, K invited us to have lunch with him so that he could finally use the will-expire-in-two-weeks vouchers.

The lunch was filling but it did not satisfy us. So we decided to have coffee at Paul. (And I was so excited as I wanted to visit this place for months but the place is always packed!) That Sunday was not an exception as we had to wait for roughly 20 minutes to get a table.

Hello, Paul. *giddily smiles at the menu*

I forgot that I was full when I started to browse. I wanted to buy some savory dishes but K and E were focused on desserts so I pretended I was just looking at the sweets as well. I still got all hyper though with all the tarts, eclairs, cakes and macarons! Was I in heaven?

K and E settled for the Café surprise (PHP280) and I ordered the same but I also ordered Eclair aux fraises (PHP170) and Tartelette Chocolat (PHP210).

 

First to arrive was my eclair and it sure looked mouthwatering. I needed high EQ just so I could avoid attacking it right away. But I did get a bit of the cream while waiting for E and K's orders.

L.A. Food Find Favorite: Porto's Bakery

“I need to buy some potato balls” was what our family friend said. Potato balls? Baby potatoes… those you bake and dip with butter? Apparently not. It was so much better.

After a quick stop at Ross, TJ Maxx, Nordstrom, and Staple, our friend asked us if we could drop by Porto’s on our way back home. Since we were clueless what that is, we said, “Sure!”

We were greeted by brown interiors and furniture (what’s with cafés and the color brown?) and I can’t help but notice that there was also a party store on the second floor.

*Confused* I wasn’t sure if I could check the pastries first before lining up (for people might think that I was cutting in line) or if I should patiently wait for my turn, take my time browse through the different mouthwatering sweets and savory dishes. Anyway, with the help of my dear (how I wish it was longer) neck, I was able to find something I fancy (plus the famous Porto’s Potato Balls). I called out to my mom and pointed out the Triple Chocolate Mousse while my sister stared at her so eagerly and pointed with her mouth the Chocolate Éclair and Tiramisu. Since we heard that the Cheese Rolls were popular too, we ordered 3 of that as well.

 

We hurriedly went back home to try the goodies.