First Bite: Elephant Grounds Opens in Manila

Bonifacio Global City is staying true to the word global with the number of international brands and concepts filling all those empty spaces in the growing business district. Shake Shack just opened a few months ago and it was not too long before foodies shifted their attention towards another brand-- Elephant Grounds.

Hello, Elephant Grounds.

Elephant Grounds is finally open after almost a month long delay and its jam-packed shop is enough to prove that many were waiting to get a sip of its famous coffee and a taste of its ice cream and food curated and developed by Chef Nicco Santos. I actually haven't visited its main store in Hong Kong but I've heard from a few foodies that this place serves great food and drinks. And that was enough to keep me excited. 

First Bite: Kumori's Earl Grey Hanjuku Cheese

I love it when Kumori launches new products or flavors to celebrate its new store openings. And last month, it launched Earl Grey Hanjuku Cheese in line with its Ayala Cloverleaf branch opening and its limited delivery service for the holiday season.

Hello, Kumori.

Thanks to the loving people behind Kumori, I was one of the first to try its newest Hanjuku flavor last month. I was very excited to it after hearing that it's based on one of my favorite drinks.

Foodie Alert: Starbucks' New Chocolate Black Tea with Earl Grey Jelly Frappuccino

I’m not a fan of Starbucks but I am a fan of freebies. When R scored some free Starbucks from BPI, we decided to use some of his electronic vouchers to avail of some drinks. 

Hello, Starbucks!

It has been weeks since R mentioned that we pass by Starbucks to get some free drinks but we always forget it when we do our errands. It was only yesterday when we finally got to visit the famous mermaid.

The SM Aura branch was packed with only a few seats near the sunny side of the café vacant. 

R went with a Green Tea Frappuccino (PHP185, Venti) while I went with the new Starbucks drink Chocolate Black Tea with Earl Grey Jelly Frappuccino (PHP200, Venti). I was thinking of getting the Double Chocolate Green Tea Frappuccino but decided to just sip from R’s cup for some matcha love.

Service was superb as our drinks were ready as soon as we settled our bill! Talk about lightning fast service!

R’s Green Tea Frappuccino was delightfully sweet with a hint of green tea. The matcha taste wasn’t as strong as I thought. The green color was deceiving. 

My Chocolate Black Tea with Earl Grey Jelly Frappuccino, which I now baptize as CBTEGJF with CBT as its nickname, was pretty good. I loved how the Kenyan tea leaves offset the sweetness of chocolates. The two flavors blended so well. I also liked the touch of chocolate black tea powder on top of the whipped cream. Be careful though with the chocolate Javan chips as it could get stuck in between your teeth. So smile with caution, especially if you’re on a coffee date with your sweetie pie (and you haven’t reached the sweatpants stage of your relationship). 

Click here for a complete list of Starbucks branches.

Sweet Find: Chez Karine

I first heard of this store from B and ever since she bought a box of macarons, I’ve been curious if it really tastes good (as B was really looking forward to buying a box of it). Months passed by and finally, I managed to grab a few macarons.

 

Hello, Chez Karine!

 

This small pastry shop has a charming feel to it. Filled with light colored items, it sure screams “cute”. I went straight to the macarons and asked the friendly server for their best sellers.

She suggested that I get the Earl Grey, Salted Caramel, Dark Chocolate and Strawberry (all macarons are priced at PHP50/each). I decided to get the first three and opted to get coffee instead of strawberry as my sister is not very fond of it. 

I also bought one Muscovado Pudding (PHP100) and Mango Panna Cotta (PHP100).