First Bite: Mihimihi

I hardly go out these days as I find Manila's traffic unbearable. But when I do, I see to it that I get to visit at least one new restaurant. And I was so thrilled when I accidentally discovered Mihimihi on my way home.

Hello, Mihimihi.

Mihimihi is a popular bakeshop from Guangzhou, China known for its eclair-shaped French puff pastries that come in different flavors and fillings. I've seen its shop a few times but our jam-packed Canton Fair schedule doesn't really allow me to explore the city that much. Luckily, these raved about baked goodies found its way to Manila. It opened its first store in SM Fairview last March and its second one opened in SM Megamall just a few weekends ago.

When in Thailand: Krabi Island (Day 1)

This 2018 has been a busy year for both R and I. Most, if not all, of our trips were work related. Though we get to manage to get a few days as "vacation", it was far from enough to be considered a relaxing trip. But this time around, we decided to extend our Thailand trip for 9 more days for us to visit Krabi. 

Hello, Krabi!

This island is the less popular counterpart of Phuket. A home to beautiful and unique limestone karsts with some ideal for rock climbing, Krabi is the perfect alternative for those who want a relaxing vacation. 

My Healthy Fix: llaollao

We live in a world where eating healthy could be challenging. With so many tempting and sinful products in the market, most of us fall in the trap of unhealthy diets. Thankfully, more and more brands are finding ways to help us stay on track by offering healthy dishes and snacks are not only delectable but also pocket friendly. 

Hello, llaollao!

It's amazing how fast this well-loved brand from Spain has grown. Now with 5 branches, it now caters to foodies from the North down to South. 

Second Bite: Elait!

This is probably the hottest year to date, literally. Even though Jose Mari Chan's Christmas songs are already all over the city (and internet), the intense summer heat still lingers. Thank goodness though for ice cream. 

Hello, Elait!

I've shared before how much I love this brand. Though still small compared to other establishments, this is one of the brands that has the biggest heart. It proved that you don't have to be big to have CSR. All you need is to have the passion for it. 

First Bite: Le Jardin Café

First impression lasts and Le Jardin sure knows how to charm. I still remember my full course dinner at this spectacular restaurant and I often find myself craving for its superb Dessert de Gils. And I regretted not going back sooner when I found out that they finally closed their huge French doors. But great things never fail to make a comeback and Le Jardin opened once again but as a casual café.
 
Hello, Le Jardin Café.

I was greeted by familiar garden inspired interiors and a menu that is a lot more affordable than its fine dining predecessor. Focusing more on comfort food and breakfast must-haves, Le Jardin has charmed me once again. 

Beat the Heat:Shakeaway

This year’s summer is insane! The scorching heat is just too much and it makes me crave for cold treats every hour (or two). Thankfully, one of the cold dessert shops I’ve been eying for months finally opened its doors in Uptown Mall making it a lot more accessible to me than its first branch in U.P. Town Center. Yes, those two are different locations and are quite far from each other. And yes, I am talking about Shakeaway.

Hello, Shakeaway!

I was welcomed by a bright and predominantly white store. The first thing I noticed was the bunch of white containers by the counter which reminds me of a pharmacy. Apparently, that’s where Shakeaway puts its sweet treats. If I were to count the number of containers on display, I’m sure it’d be over 100 as there are 180 flavors and toppings to choose from!

Restaurant Love: Passion by Gérard Dubois

Passion (or Passioni as how I first read it) by Gérard Dubois is now one of my favorite dessert places in Fort Bonifacio. Its beautiful interiors and mouthwatering display of pastries never fail to lure me inside the store whenever I pass by it.

Hello again, Passion!

After dinner, I headed to this Instagram friendly store for some pastries to go. I was looking around when the server told me about their Buy 2, Get 1 Free (where the free item is the one with the lowest price) promo which starts at 9 p.m. daily. Woohoo! A deal!

I circled around and looked for pastries with the same prices and spotted some fruit tarts all priced at PHP108. I went for Strawberry Danish, Mixed Fruit Danish and Mixed Fruit Tunnel. 

I had the pastries to go but was worried that its beauty will be squished. I told the server my concern and he assured me that they pack it well. 

I headed home and hurriedly unpacked some of the pastries and… it was slightly squished but still quite good looking. 

First Dibs: llaollao Philippines

It has been quite a while since I first saw an Instagram post featuring this new yogurt place opening in Glorietta. Curious with this new and rather late yogurt player, I did a bit of research and discovered that this brand is quite popular and well-loved in Europe, particularly in Spain. It is also a craze in Singapore where it has its largest store. Several foodies were giddy about the opening and their excitement was as contagious as the worst virus. Without knowing its taste or what sets it apart from other brands like Red Mango and White Hat, I became ecstatic with the store’s grand opening. And finally, the day llaollao (pronounced as Yao Yao) opens its doors to the public has arrived!

Hello, llaollao! 

Located at the ground floor of Glorietta 2, across Landmark, it is a store that doesn’t even need to demand attention as you’ll easily spot it. The brightly lit and and predominantly white store makes it an ideal photo shoot location for its mouthwatering swirls. 

This Spanish frozen yogurt shop boasts of its stores using natural ingredients which provide healthy values such as 46% of calcium recommended daily allowance for a medium-sized tub. They also use skimmed milk making it perfect for the calorie counter foodies. Oh and llaollao’s frozen yogurt has zero trans fat and is gluten-free. Winner!!!

Sanum is llaollao's signature parfait and it was a hit during its media launch and I could see why. The three layers of fresh fruit, two crunches, syrup and frozen yogurt combination was presented ready to be Instagrammed. And we finally get to indulge in some thanks to the llaollao team! 

Just like most yogurt shops around, you could also customize your yogurt based on your preference. In llaollao, you could play around with three types of fruits, two crunches and one sauce. With several toppings to choose from, combination possibilities are endless! (Okay, fine, there are roughly 700 possible combinations.) I went with a safe mix of strawberry, kiwi, dragonfruit, Filipino White Chocolate Biscuit, muesli with chocoates and Lotus syrup. Only one size is available for Sanum and it's priced at PHP199.

The yogurt base was thick and had a creamy consistency. It was not icy at all! It was also slightly tangy so do not expect the usual vanilla ice cream tasting yogurt that'll make you question if you are indulging in a healthy treat. 

First Bite: BLK513

I'm quite hooked to Looloo these past days and I can't help but notice the numerous reviews on BLK513, the newest yogurt place in Manila. Okay, you might think that it's nothing special because it's just another yogurt shop which brands such as Red Mango, Pinkberry and White Hat made popular. Buuuut... this yogurt is black. BLK= black. And since new food or restaurants are very appealing to me, I just have to try it myself! 

Hello, BLK513!!!

It has been several weeks since I first saw a post on this "activated charcoal" infused yogurt. Charcoal on yogurt??? Well, it is definitely not your lump of coal on top of smooth and delectably tangy yogurt. Activated charcoal is actually used in hospitals and even at home. Some of the benefits you get from it are (1) reduces high cholesterol (2) anti-aging (3) digestive cleanse (4) toxin removal; and (5) prevents hangover.

Okay, sold!

R's family scheduled a katsu lunch at Maisen a few days back and I thought that it was perfect since I hardly visit Megamall these past months. (Holiday rush, traffic and SM Megamall is an equation for headache!)

After lunch, R and I went to BLK513 for dessert and I opted for cup (PHP185; PHP175 for cone) so that I could get more toppings/layers. I went with caramelized cookies (which tasted like Speculoos or Biscoff) for crunch, kiwi and strawberries for fruits and Nutella for syrup.

And tadaaaaa...

My first spoonful didn't give much of an impression. It tasted like your usual tangy yogurt which you get from Red Mango, only darker. But the second spoonful with the layers made it more delectable.