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:

A Jolly Christmas Ahead?

Facebook has become my source of the latest news (and gossip). It never fails to give me interesting reads. Last week, one particular news that caught my attention was Jollibee's latest offering...

Jollibee's Dancing Doll.

Image from Jollibee's Facebook page

Okay, my initial reaction was, who would want that?! The doll looked creepy in so many ways. But I guess the picture did not give the doll justice as after watching the teaser, I want not one but three for myself!!!

Here's another video of a kid with her new toy. Apparently, it sings too! If you attended a birthday party at Jollibee, you'd recognize the song. It's the song Jollibee sings and dances to. *cute*

#ReliefPH

The typhoon Yolanda has created havoc in several  parts of the Philippines, specifically Tacloban, Leyte with an alarmingly high death toll.  

People have come together once again to reach out to these affected areas. Many have gathered to bring relief goods and those who cannot help financially gave their time to pack the goods and helped have it ready to be shipped to the affected cities. 

However, it has also been reported that there are some trucks that do not make it to the victims as these were attacked. A mall too was looted to the very last can of soup. It may have been a sign of desperation (or opportunity).  

Image from http://www.esperanzagarcia.net

I pray that peace and order will once again be restored in these areas. I also hope that the victims themselves work together to make things better again. It'll be hard for sure. But we Pinoys, as CNN may or may have not said, are resilient and strong. We will surpass this. Let us not use this calamity as an excuse to do something we'd regret in the future. Instead, let's build the cities again, stronger, and more prepared for the future. We can do this!

Click here to know more on how to help out.

A McDonald's Treat: Cookie Butter McFlurry

This 2013 has been a food craze year. We have the tea craze, gelato addiction, and of course, who wouldn't remember the long lines to get our hands and teeth on croughnuts? But the biggest craze to hit the Philippines is... Cookie Butter!

You see cookie butter everywhere! On ice cream, doughnuts, other forms of pastries, and of course, Instagram, Facebook, and those food sharing sites. Big brands such as Krispy Kreme and small but hot brands such as Bono Artisanal Gelato embraced this delectable spread. And now, McDonald's joined the bandwagon.

Hello, Cookie Butter McFlurry!

Image from mcdonalds.com.ph

If you are not too fond of Cookie Butter, there's always...

Restaurant Discovery: Extraordinary Desserts

Blooooog! I miss you! I have been sick for almost 2 weeks so I was hibernating like a big Grizzly bear! I hardly went out too but I still have a few finds I'd love to share with you all and one of which was our stop after Legoland.

Hello, Extraordinary Desserts!

I love hanging out with K and T as I get to go to nice restaurants. Eating out here is so expensive. Yes, even eating at an ordinary restaurant will cost you over a thousand Pesos. The perk though is that I get to learn how to cook. (Yeeeeees!) Anyway, I am getting off topic here.

We arrived at Extraordinary Desserts a bit past 8 p.m. and the place was packed! We had to wait around 20 minutes to get a table. And while waiting, we were given a little notepad where we could jot down what desserts we want to try. 

And it was difficult! How can I choose just one in this display?! I want to try them all! But my wallet can only afford one! Huhuhu! Curse the high prices!

N and I ended up with the Chocolate Macadamia Torte as N is a macadamia lover. T and K went with one of the specials, German  Chocolate Cake with Brown Sugar Ice Cream on the side. 

The savory menu is quite limited so we opted for the dishes that we think would fill us the most... Panini.

I ordered the Smoked Salmon Panini ($12) while N ordered the Portobello and Brie Panini ($12). I also ordered a bowl of Tomato Basil Soup ($7.5) as it was chilly that night.

For a full house, service was pretty quick.

Let's Go to Legoland

I have always wanted to visit Legoland but I never get to find the time to visit it. I remember my sister and I drooling over the commercial. Who cares if the rides are kiddie?! We'll be surrounded by colorful blocks!

It took a bit of effort before I managed to convince N to go to Legoland. But finally, we found ourselves on our way to Carlsbad, California for some bonding time with the lovable toys. 

We arrived a bit past 1 p.m. and K and T welcomed us with their matching blue tops. N too was wearing blue. I was a bit blue (excuse the pun) as I was wearing white then. Boo! I didn't get the memo!

Hello colorful piece of land! 

We were amazed by the blocks and blocks and blocks of wonderful Lego creations. At first, we were debating on whether the whole statues were 100% Lego. Of course the staff would say yes but we have our doubts.

We started the day with a hearty lunch. We spotted a place that serves Chicken Stir-Fry, Grilled Steak Sandwich, and Spicy Shrimp Linguini. T and I tried the sandwich while N ordered chicken and K got the linguini. N got the best dish.

Our first ride was a mini version of Enchanted Kingdom's Anchors Away. It was fun but it made us slightly dizzy. Just like the guy here. (Note: I failed to take pictures of the rides so I'll proceed to the things that mesmerized me.)

Grocery Find: Mars Ice Cream Bars

I have been a fan of Snickers and Twix since... perhaps when I started to have teeth. I grab a bar whenever there's one available at home. And yes, I have gone through the No-This-Is-All-Mine-You-Can't-Have-Any phase with these goods. Sadly, I went through that phase again.

I just love hanging out with N. Our world revolves around food. We eat good food, talk about food, and shop for food. FOOOOOOOD. <3

Anyway, we decided to meet up one day to watch a movie and have dinner afterwards. Since Shangri-la's East Wing is always packed with hungry customers, we ended up going to the supermarket first. 

I wasn't really planning to buy anything until I saw something at the checkout counter... ice cream bars. And these were not your typical ice cream bars... chocolate bars turned into ice cream bars! Woohoo!

See that line???

I remember spotting this goodies at the M&Ms store in New York but since the place was filled with chocoholics, I wasn't able to go near to the chest freezer. 

So I bought a few bars at PHP68 each. It's not bad comparing it to Magnum at PHP55.

My First Bite: Stacy's

Cute restaurants attract me like an insect being lured by the light. Okay, perhaps that wasn't the best way to describe it but you get my point.  Such was the case ever since I saw several blogs featuring the quaint restaurant called Stacy's.

I have been wanting to visit Stacy's for the longest time but Quezon City is a bit too far from me and the possibility of me getting lost is almost 100%. But thankfully, Stacy's opened another branch, this time at The Fort (which is very near my place!). 

After seeing the announcement of their second branch, I immediately tagged my friends asked them if they want to have lunch there sometime... soon. And they agreed! Hurray!!!

We decided to have K's birthday lunch there and that means free lunch! Thanks, K!

Trader Joe's Favorite: Speculoos Cookie and Cocoa Swirl

Just when I thought the cookie butter craze is fading a bit, a new one appeared and made an even stronger impact!

Hello, Speculoos Cookie and Cocoa Swirl!

I was a bit iffy about trying it as I want to be a foodie hipster here! (If there's such a thing.) 

But Trader Joe's is like a temptation island. You just want to try everything you see. A lot of their products are covered in chocolate. I love chocolate. Am I in heaven? Okay, I'm getting off topic here.

The Cookie and Cocoa Swirl seems to be in demand as we need to go to the customer service counter to get a jar or two. Yes, distribution is limited too. 

American Pie: Marie Callender's Restaurant and Bakery

I love it when I get to visit a new place. Dropping by Trader Joe's for the first time made me giddy for days. Everything that could be covered in chocolate was covered in chocolate! I was in heaven! But that's in another blog. Today, we'll talk about pies. Well, fine, pie. 

I'm not really a pie person as I prefer cake over pie. And I think the only pie I enjoy eating is egg pie from Goldilocks. My taste buds are easy to please. But I had no idea that my taste buds will be spoiled by a heavenly pie.

 

We were almost on our way home when Auntie asked that we pass by Marie Callender's. She wanted to check the pies as she saw a commercial saying that they have a pie sale. True enough, they do.

The place somehow reminded me of Porto's though this one has a more feminine touch to it. 

Hollywood Must-Have: Pink's Hotdog

Ever since 2011, I have been wanting to visit the popular hotdog stand named Pink's. I heard that it has been around for decades and the line is still crazy till today. It must be really good. Then last year, a friend of mine, known to be a picky eater, enjoyed Pink's. It made me crazy that I still wasn't able to try it! But thankfully, after two years, I finally got my chance. 

It was a chilly night after the League of Legends World Championship game. N and I decided that we find a place to eat and he suggested that we finally visit Pink's as he knows that I missed my chance last year.

When we arrived, there was still a line and it was past 12 midnight! There were even teenagers with their parents in line. We're assuming they also came from the championship.

It took us around 20 long cold minutes before we get to order. I decided to go for the Martha Stewart Dog ($6.95) while N went for the Ozzy Spicy Dog ($6.50) and fries ($2.65). We also ordered a Pastrami Burrito Dog ($6.25) for Auntie.

When our dishes arrived, we wondered how we will eat it. The toppings were just too much. I can hardly see the hot dogs!