First Sip: One Zo

Milk tea is everywhere and it is so close to turning me into the same shape as tapioca! But it's just too hard to resist especially when new brands keep opening here and there. And just a few weeks back, a boba shop also from Taiwan opened in Promenade Greenhills. But unlike all the other milk tea joints, this one makes its pearls from scratch and cook fresh batches every day. And did I mention that it comes in different flavors?

Hello, One Zo. 

Named after the Mandarin translation for playing with balls of dough, One Zo is known for its freshly made flavored pearls. 

Summer Must Have: Cara Mia's Mango Cream Pie

I'm not a big fan of summer. With the sun at its meanest, just thinking about being sweaty and sticky as soon as I leave an air conditioned space makes me want to book the next flight to wherever cold. But if there's one thing that consoles me is the fact that this is the season when mangoes are at its best. And nostalgia hit me big time when Cara Mia launches its Mango Cream Pie. 

Hello, Cara Mia. 

If you are a big fan of Red Ribbon's Mango Cream Pie and got your heart shattered to pieces when they removed it from the shelves, then your summer is just about to be happier! Cara Mia is bringing sunshine back to our lives with its Mango Cream Pie (PHP985, whole | PHP150, slice). And yes, this is the original creamy goodness we all love.

Love at First Bite: Sugarbee

"If you're sosyal, you'd know Sugarbee." It was a brief introduction given to us by S when we stepped inside Sugarbee's SM Megamall store. True enough, if you frequent Manila Polo Club, you'd be familiar with this cake haven. 

Hello, Sugarbee. 

Hailed by Spot.ph as one of the best cake brands in the city, Sugarbee has a strong fan base even before its first store opened. Born from Ms. Jenny Silayan's passion for baking, Sugarbee is now available in BGC, Makati and now, Ortigas. 

First Sip: Hui Lau Shan

Summer's here and it seems to be way hotter than before. Thankfully, there are several refreshments to choose from to keep us sane. One new addition to the list is Hui Lau Shan.

Hello, Hui Lau Shan. 

Frequent Hong Kong visitors would be familiar with Hui Lau Shan's inviting yellow signage. Though its cutesy mango illustration may seem like this is brand is just a few years old, it actually has a long history under its belt.

Dairy Queen's Holiday Treats this 2018

As Christmas decor start to fill the city and bring joy to many, Dairy Queen launched a product line that would make the holiday season even more festive. 

Hello, Dairy Queen. 

It has been a tradition of Dairy Queen to come up with Christmas flavors in celebration of the holiday season. For this year, it launches three drool-worthy flavors namely Hershey's Kisses Almonds Double Cocoa, Hershey's Kisses Mango Cookie and Hershey's Kisses Cookie Buttercrisp. 

First Bite: Nihon Daidokoro Unagi Asakusa

I absolutely love Japanese food. It never fails to be one of my top picks whenever I get to choose where to eat. And though I hardly frequent Parañaque, hearing the word "unagi" would make me brave the traffic just to indulge in one. And because of this impulsive behavior, I found myself in Multinational Village one Tuesday afternoon.

Hello, Nihon Daidokoro Unagi Asakusa.

The place was still closed when I dropped by at 5pm but I was warmly welcomed by one of the staff who ushered me inside the small but homey restaurant.

First Bite: Sultan Mediterranean Grill

Kapitolyo never fails to fascinate me. I've seen it transform from a quiet residential area to a food haven with countless restaurants and concepts. Now, with the area being too saturated and parking becoming even scarcer, we'd see the newer establishments opening nearby instead of within Kapitolyo. One of the streets becoming busier is Brixton and that's where I spotted Sultan. 
 
Hello, Sultan Mediterranean Grill.

When in Bohol: Bohol Bee Farm

I’ve never been a beach loving person till a few years back when I was dragged out of my house to bask under the scorching sun. The usual me would dread the idea of being burnt black and having to cut down on carbs just to look decent in photos. But for some reason, it became a lot more interesting. I’m not sure if it has something to do with getting older but the relaxing sound of the water hitting the shore or boat and having a carefree life (for at least a few days) were just some of the things I look forward to whenever I visit an island. Of course, good food is also in the picture. And a trip to Bohol is not complete without visiting Bohol Bee Farm. 

Hello, Bohol Bee Farm.

This popular dining destination in Panglao has been a favorite of tourists and locals alike. Aside from its spacious restaurant, the huge compound also houses a nursery of herbs and various plants, spa, and several cottages as B&B accommodations. There are also water sports equipment available for rent for those interested to enjoy the sea.

Love at First Bite: Manam

I have been eying Manam for quite some time now. Anyone who could resist good sisig at an affordable price is not human. Come on, crunchy sisig on sizzling plate at less than PHP200? I’m drooling just thinking about it. After months of planning to visit this place, it finally happened.

Hello, Manam!

The spacious and high ceiling restaurant was barely full at 6:30 p.m.. Diners started to pour around 7 p.m. and it was packed by the time we left. 

It was a good thing that I made a mental list of what to order as we were really famished while browsing the menu. We could have ordered more than we could eat that night. After some “process of elimination” for the other dishes F wanted to try, we finally settled with House Crispy Sisig (PHP135, solo), Overloaded Garlic Bangus Belly (PHP175, solo), Gising Gising (PHP120, solo) and Bagoong Rice (PHP95, solo). F ordered Strawberry + Kamias (PHP115) while I went with Mango + Pomelo + Coconut Cream + Sago (PHP120). 

The drinks arrived first and both looked good.

F’s drink was refreshing yet a bit tangy because of the kamias.

It was balanced though by the strawberries (if it was indeed naturally sweet).   

My drink was like the beverage version of Mango Sago with a hint of pomelo. 

It was delightful yet not exactly thirst quenching. 

The dishes were served right after our drinks and the aroma made us drool.

First Bite: Ikigai Kakigori Café

Bingsu has been popular in Manila last year when Café Seol Hwa made such an impact to the foodie community (especially to those struggling to survive from the summer heat). Since then, several bingsu restaurants popped literally everywhere.To spice things up, a Japanese shave ice concept came to Manila--Ikigai Kakigori Café. Since we were already around the area, we decided to drop by after Kozui Green Tea. (Yes, it was right after wolfing down a bowl of soft serve ice cream simply because we were really melting that day.)

Hello, Ikigai Kakigori Café.

The quaint looking café has a very Japanese vibe with its adorable façade and decors. The restaurant itself is cramped and could sit a maximum of 10-12 diners, sardines style. Moving around the restaurant was barely possible when we were there. Anyway, on to our orders.

One thing I love about these looloo foodies is that they are game to try anything. We got our orders down in less than 2 minutes. We got the bestsellers Matcha Kakigori (PHP190 | PHP250), Mango Kakigori (PHP180 | PHP240), Kuromitsu Kakigori (PHP180 | PHP240) and Strawberry Ichigo Kakigori (PHP210). 

Service was quick and first served was Strawberry Kakigori. 

It didn’t look as appetizing as the ones I'd get from bingsu places like Hobing or Seol Hwa but it was spot on with the milkiness of the shaved ice. The strawberry chunks were a bit mushy and covered in milk and sweeteners but still delightful to munch on. This was the best one we had at Ikigai.

The Matcha Kakigori was served next and it came with matcha ice cream, adzuki, shiratama (mochi) and extra matcha syrup. 

It was quite plain and needed more matcha syrup (more than what was given as extra) especially for hardcore matcha lovers. I liked the shiratama and adzuki though as it added a different texture to the bowl of shaved ice. The matcha ice cream was pretty good too.

First Bite: Paper Moon

Several months back, social media was raving about this quaint pastry shop known for its crepe cakes. Available in flavors such as original, chocolate, mango and strawberry, kids and adults alike flock to the shop like bees toward honey. But since its first shop was located in Makati, its sweet aroma did not reach me till… it opened a branch in SM Aura.

Hello, Paper Moon!

Finally, after so many months, I could now sink my teeth on those soft, delectable layers of thin crepe!

I was rushing to go home when I made a quick stop here and unfortunately had to wait for my turn as the server was busy with a group of indecisive diners. It gave me some time though to take snapshots of the place.

I wanted to get strawberry because strawberry is LOVE but they ran out of slices and I was not willing to splurge PHP350 for a mini cake. (I was still not sure if it’s worth PHP350 so I hesitated.)

I ended up buying a slice of mango crepe (PHP225) and had it prepped to go. (And the server was nice to accommodate my request to have my slice wrapped first as I really had to go home ASAP.)

After giving my tummy some time to digest my heavy dinner, I started to plate my crepe cake and…

Restaurant Love: Poetry & Prose Patisserie

I have never been fond of partying, clubbing or bar hopping. Some people say that I’m missing a lot. Maybe. But I am a-okay with that. It is just not for me. I don’t dance to *tugs tugs tugs* nor do I like to scream just to be heard. I am happy with being in a coffee shop or tea place and munch on some pastries and have a nice chat with friends. Fine, I'm a cat lady without a cat.

It has been a while since I last met my good friends A and I. I really enjoy being a third wheel when I’m with them.

This time, we decided to hold our bible study at Poetry & Prose Patisserie as A has been curious with its food and I have always wanted to try the pastries.

After a quick look at the menu, A went with the Baba au Rhum (PHP105) and a cup of tea (PHP125) while I ordered the Bread Basket (PHP275).  I ordered a cup of Café Latte (PHP105), Financiers (PHP85) and Mango Mousse (PHP255).

First served were our drinks.

My café latte was slightly sweet and the coffee’s taste wasn’t that strong. Perhaps I should have ordered cappuccino instead. However, I always order cappuccino. I wanted it to be stronger to have a better contrast with the sweet pastries.

Restaurant Discovery: Hillcrest Wellness Café

Since we were already in the area, V and I opted to walk around Teachers Village and look for an interesting place to have dessert after a filling meal thanks to Cocina Juan. After a short walk, V noticed a coffee shop with a bookshelf and that attracted him like a fly to light. So, we found our dessert place.

Hello, Hillcrest Wellness Café.

It has a modest café set up that gives an impression of a school lounge of some sort. The menu is quite simple too but the Moringaccino (PHP120) sure made me curious. Moringa with cappuccino? I’ve never heard of that before. And so, I just have to order that one. V, as a person who doesn’t drink coffee (*gasp* I know!), opted for Strawberry Banana Wellness Shake (PHP145). We also ordered a Banana Mango crepe (PHP185). It was a good thing that they have Moringaccino to distract me as the person manning the counter could not answer any of my questions except which one is their bestseller.

My coffee tasted a bit like matcha. It had a strong “green” taste. It tasted healthy though so I didn’t find finishing the cup sinful.

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).

Restaurant Discovery: Yellow House Café

I just love visiting Koreatown in Los Angeles. There are a lot of cute restaurants and cafés (and some of which are in Manila too) open till the wee hours just like how things are in Seoul. The place I visited this time seems to be a popular one as it was still packed at 8 p.m..

Meeting up with K and T guarantees that we eat somewhere cute or fancy. (So, horray for me! I'll have something nice to blog about!) This time, they decided that we have dinner at Yellow House Café .

We met up a little bit past 8 p.m. and we had to wait for a table to clear up. Apparently, the bigger the party, the more difficult it is for you to get a table.

While waiting, we all decided that we order something to pass time since we were all too hungry to wait. K and I ordered Cheese Tteokbokki ($10.95). 

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).

Painting Makati... PINK!

I was pretty excited when I saw a huge tarpaulin over a vacant space in Greenbelt 5 with the words “Pinkberry Swirling Soon”. At that time, I haven’t tried Pinkberry yet but since a lot of Hollywood celebrities love it and assuming that some of them are picky eaters, then Pinkberry must be good. And I was able to confirm it myself when I tried it during my vacation. Pinkberry love!

I was determined to try Pinkberry here in Manila on its first week of operations to the point that I braved the Christmas rush and the dark night just for it. Paranoid, I was speed walking from the MRT to the malls and back. My travel time going back was less than 20 minutes.

Anyway, I was glad that I was able to meet with some friends on my way to Pinkberry as I might have spent half an hour finding my way to the store (as I have absolutely no sense of direction).