First Bite: Manna & Golde

The crazy influx of new restaurants could be overwhelming for most of us. We'd often find it difficult to decide on which restaurant to try. And with most establishments heavily focusing on online marketing, those with more humble budgets are left to be discovered offline. One restaurant/café I've recently found was Manna & Golde. 

Hello, Manna & Golde.

Located along Kamuning Road, this café is rather away from the bustling streets packed with restaurants. However, one thing I loved right away here is that it has parking for guests.

First Sip: Tom N Toms Coffee

It is interesting how many Korean brands are entering the country. From cosmetics to food brands, these things we used to only see in K-Drama are now within reach. And it wasn't surprising to see this popular cafe brand to enter the local scene as well.
 
Hello, Tom N Toms Coffee!

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.

Love At First Sip: Kuppa Roastery & Cafe

Seriously, going on a food trip on a Sunday is a terrible idea especially if you want to do it at The Fort. Most stores close at 4 p.m. and clueless people like me and N just got tired walking to and from places and be faced with closed doors. *cue: sad music* But thankfully, a quaint coffee place was open and we decided to cap the day at...

Kuppa Roastery & Cafe !

The place was quite busy when we arrived as there were only a few vacant tables. We managed to get a couch though. Yahoo!

 

Despite the long walk, we were still full to order more than one plate of dessert so we opted to have a slice of Kuppa's Chocolate Souffle Cake (PHP105), Barista's Secret (PHP135), and Skinny Sugarless Sip-Mochachino (PHP100).

N's drink was like a shake and it was very sweet. It tasted very much like vanilla frappuccino. It was a bit thick and really creamy. I couldn't seem to discover the "secret" though. But I must say, Kuppa has friendly servers and very eager to help the customers decide which drink to order.

Foodie Alert: Butterbeer Frappuccino?!?

Harry Potter has been known as a  series of books and movies people of all ages enjoyed. My sister for one got instantly hooked to the movie adaptation when we were in a Harry Potter crash course appreciation program just so we could truly enjoy Universal Studios. Unfortunately, I wasn't converted into a muggle. But I do remember enjoying the 4D ride and the drink they call... Butterbeer.

Oh butterbeer! The last time I got to taste you was way back in 2011 and I miss you so much! I dream of the sweet taste, the little foam, the delectable aroma.

But great news! Starbucks is finally offering butterbeer. Well, sort of.

Image from Hypable.com

Thanks to Starbucks Holiday drinks, we can now request butterbeer from our friendly baristas. Just tell them these:

Survive The Heat 101: Starbucks' Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino

April has been a crazy month and May is starting to get crazy as well. And I’m not even talking about the weather yet. Oh, speaking of the weather, what’s up with the intense heat??? It’s so hot that I feel like wearing tank tops all the time if only I have the body to flaunt it with. (If only I have the energy/time/inspiration to go to the gym. Excuses, excuses.) Since I can’t, I’ll stick with cool drinks.

 Hello, Starbucks! *waves frantically as it also serves as an instant fan*

 

After our short meeting with a venue sponsor for the yummiest event this year, we decided to hop to the next street and cool off at Starbucks as Frannywanny has some extra Starbucks GCs to spare. She recommended the new drink Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino (PHP165, Tall; PHP175, Grande; PHP185, Venti).