Rico's Lechon is opening in Manila this August

It's no rumor or #fakenews! Rico's Lechon is heading to Manila and is opening this August!

Hello, Rico's Lechon. 

If you've been to Cebu, you may have come across Rico's Lechon one way or another. This famous lechon brand has been one of the most recommended food stops in the Queen City of the South. And it would be hard to miss it when it has multiple branches in key locations all over the city.

I'm in Lava again with Lava Cheese Tarts

It has been a while since I last dropped by Lava for my cheese tart fix. I try to avoid it as I’ve had a lot during Christmas break. But when my tummy craves, my whole body follows.  And so, I found myself in front of Lava one early afternoon.

Hello again, Lava Cheese Tarts!

Love at First Bite: Kumori

I have been hearing about this Japanese cheesecake place for several months now. Aside from the delicately prepared cheesecakes, its milkshake also share the spotlight with its abundant photos on Instagram. It really made me curious but I do not want to brave the traffic even if Makati is quite near my place. But when R and I did our errands near SM North, I managed to convince the mall hater to drop by The Block and visit the cheesecake's branch there. It has been a long while since my last mall visit and honestly, I got dizzy. There were just too many people. And I can’t help wonder what these people do for a living for them to have time to shop around on a work day. After getting lost and making a few wrong turns, we finally reached Kumori.

Hello, Kumori!

The place was packed when we arrived. I didn’t really think of what to pick anymore. I just chose the one near the counter as it seemed to take the cashier a long time to finish one transaction. I got a Custard Butter Bun (PHP45), Hanjuku Cheese Original (PHP48), Hanjuku Cheese Chocolate (PHP48) and Cottage Cheese (PHP58). I also got Choco Hazelnut Milkshake (PHP175). 

When I placed my order for milkshake, the server/cashier told me that they ran out of mason jars and asked if it’s okay that they serve it on a take out cup. I insisted that I want it on a mason jar for blog purposes and she found a way to serve mine on a mason jar. I’m sure the person before me was pissed when she heard that as she also ordered milkshake and hesitated to say yes to the take out cup.

While waiting for our milkshake, we took a bite off some of our purchases. 

The Custard Butter Bun was delightfully chewy like mochi buns. I also love the faint taste of custard which made me appreciate the bun even more. 

As for the cheesecakes, I have to agree with the reviews on Hanjuku Cheese Original and Chocolate. These are amazing! It was soft, milky and undeniably packed. It is what I call quality pastries. I do not mind splurging on these small cheesecakes if quality is like this. I am in love. It was definitely love at first bite.

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…

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). 

Let’s Paint the Town… PINK.

One chilly night, we decided to brave the cold winds and bend down to look for stars… at the WALK OF FAME area in Hollywood. But this is another story. The Tommy’s trip after the long walk is also another story. What I wanted to share in this entry is how we painted the town… pink. Or how the wind made our noses pink.

Another must visit place according to my friends was Pinkberry. I’ve heard a lot of good reviews about this place… that it serves really good yogurt, that the place is über cute, and Kim Kardashian loves hanging out here (uh, where did this come from?).

We were supposed to go home already as it was already past 12 midnight when we finished posing with the stars… on the floor of the Walk of Fame. But our eager tour guide R wanted to tour us around Burbank. As he was the one who does the driving, we just sat back quietly as he drove to the place he called his “favorite hangout”.

With our toes curled and noses turning pink, we strolled around Burbank and saw… PINKBERRY. Well, they were about to close already when we arrived yet they still welcomed us with smiling faces. I love you already!