Nestle Chocolate Donuts

                You know them Nestle chocolates right? I'm sure we all have one or few of our own favorites from this brand. If you know me well enough, Kitkat is my favorite cheap (compared to Belgian chocolates and Ferrero and y'know) chocolate. Kitkat Dark is the perfect seduction for a sweet break. 

             Speaking of, Krispy Kreme happens to have a new collection with Nestle chocolates. These are the superstars -- Kitkat, Crunch, Butterfinger and Baby Ruth. Mmmm.

(Sorry for the bad picture; I've been making my phone handy for my food spottings.)  

             

                        Let's cut to the chase... Butterfinger and Crunch were my selections for the day, along with a cup of Hot Americano. They looked more tempting than Kitkat but I wanna go back for it soon. Sorry I didn't get to take photos. I was too excited.

                   However, to my disappointment, it was one of those "looks can be deceiving" moments. The chocolate bread was bland. Like seriously, it was like a dead donut to me. But Mr. Butterfinger was the better half of the choices. It has a vanilla frost filling.  In this case, I wished I stuck with the original glazed. But I wanna give this collection another chance and see if Kitkat could save it. 

Til then, lemme know your take on this lineup. ;)

oink oink,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :) 

Water? Ice? Or Both?

               Every mall has a food court right? Ayala Center Cebu has one called Food Choices, located at the top floor where the cinemas are. A particular food stall that recently opened a few months back amused me when it first appeared. It was a totally different concept from its neighbors because it was a new brand and it had the setting of an American fastfood chain. The owner himself, an American (I guess), was even at the helm of the grill line, manning the operations himself. 

              Ayala is very familiar to everyone in Cebu but I don't think this stall has caught much attention yet. It's called A Taste of Philly - Flavors from East 2 West. The first sight of this made me curious.  First thought: philly cheesesteak sandwiches or maybe the owner's name is Phil? But I inquired to see what else they offered. They have a variety of pita pockets, sandwiches (including philly cheesesteak), deep fried pizza, flavored pan fried chicken, shakes and Uncle Rich's Real WATER ICE for  dessert. 

                The water ice picture on their menu looked like shaved ice or snow cones. I like icy stuff so I wanted to try this. These come in several flavors that change from time to time and in serving sizes at Kids (P35), Big (P40), Bigger (P60) and Biggest (P80). A menu board for this tells you the flavors for the day. For that day, it was:

from upper left (clockwise): bluer blueberry, "pina colada", dippy banana chip, dreamy orange cream

            There was one that wasn't mentioned though. Some kinda pina colada-ish flavor that was recommended by the counter staff. I wanted to try the blueberry but the deep blue color kinda scared me off so I went for the "pina colada" in Kids size. I'm not into heavy artificial coloring. 

pina colada Kids size  P35

             The texture was reminiscent of granita because the ice was pretty fine. The flavor was well balanced with the pineapple and coconut blending like they grew up together. The lady at the counter actually gave me a free taste of the orange one like how gelato shops give out free tastes and I think I prefer the orange over this one. Whatever your preferences are, I'm sure there's a flavor for you. ;)

          So here's one place you can get a quick and cheap cool snack on a hot day. Cebu's hot even if Christmas is here. I wanna try their pita pockets sometime.

Taste of Philly

4th Floor (between Tokyo Joe's and Quickly)

Ayala Center Cebu

Contact: +63 928 763 2887

Facebook: facebook.com/TasteofPhillyCebu

"To know Cebu, eat Cebu!" :D

oink oink,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)

Vlog Series: UNSA NI? Cebu Street Eats

Hey, dear foodies!

         Sorry I've been M.I.A (Missing In Action) lately, got really occupied with school. It's no easy task juggling academics and the blog at all. Whew! I've missed this though. But here's something I've been wishing to do for the blog lately and I'm so happy it's finally out with the help of Yellow Room Concepts. 

         I've been wanting to do a series on Cebu Street Food and had a failed attempt last year since I realized I couldn't do it all by myself. But now, the pilot episode of the series is finally out! But first, lemme explain exactly what the series is about...

          The series is entitled UNSA NI? Cebu Street Eats and as bluntly as the title says it, it's mainly what Cebu streets can offer your bellies if you find yourself lost and hungry somewhere. Here, I'd be scouring the streets for interesting grub that you don't normally see in restaurants, asking "Unsa ni?" (Visayan for "What's this?") at every food stall I approach. It's Cebu in its "raw-est" state.

           Street food is enjoyed by the local conyos as an unusual meal, by the students as a quick fix to hunger when cash is low, and to the working class, it may well be a regular meal. 

            I will try to cover all of Cebu's street food and the best place to get them with this series. Hopefully, we can produce an episode each week or if not, twice a month. 

              I'd love to know what you think of this new project so please don't hesitate to leave a comment to this post. Enjoy! :D

P.S. This episode was totally spontaneous (no script, no pre-scheduled plan for this episode) and it may not be that obvious but I am quite the shy one. Silly me, I said I didn't know what the English term for batikolon was but I mentioned it later in the vid -- GIZZARD! :))

The Pizza of My Childhood

             I fondly remember Greenwich as the first pizza that caught my heart during my childhood because Dad loved it. I think it was the precursor for my preference for thin crust pizza. The first flavor I loved was Hawaiian (ham, pineapple and cheese). :D

             Last month, Doyzkie of iluvcebu.com and doyzkie.com invited me to dinner at Greenwich along with his brothers Edd and Reymond, and the perky Angeli of foodiecraft.com. Every meal with this bunch is always an eating spree. 

            It's been a while since I've had some Greenwich so I was excited about this dinner. We had the Greenwich Special Overload Pizza which is probably the dream pizza of typical Filipinos. It had everything you could imagine on a pizza, from vegetables to meat, like it was a combination of all the pizza varieties offered in Greenwich. This fastfood is radical with their crust because they make it fresh, being crisp on the outside and soft and chewy inside. Mmm. Each bite was nostalgic of my childhood days. 

Can I be the next Anne Curtis? :p

               A new addition to the menu was the notorious Crispy Glazed Chicken that I've noticed people raving about lately on Twitter. We had to try this. The skin was crisp even with the sweet and mildly spicy glaze that could make you order an extra rice with the meal. Barging through that tasty protective covering with my first bite, I discovered a juicy and distinctly marinated flesh. This was certainly a different fried chicken I've ever tasted and one of those kinds that get you craving. 

Crispy Glazed Chicken meal   P79

        You could have a barkada bucket for yourself if you're that hungry (why not?) or share it with your friends and family if you want an affordable tasty meal. ;)

              The tall box of crispy, lightly flavored crinkle fries could be a perfect sidekick to your Crispy Glazed Chicken meal, too. It comes with a tangy salsa-like sauce. :D

         After every meal, I always gotta finish on a sweet note -- dessert! We had frozen delights in cookies and cream and caramel. :D

                 Having devoured all that, we earned our citizenship to Greenwich's discount card! The Utimate Green Card is your access to overloaded rewards! You can get this for only P199 and this entitles you to benefits like: 

• 10% discount for dine-in and take-out orders
• Buy 1 Take 1 pizza

            When you order a 12" Barkada  Size or 15" Party Size pizza with a 1.5 Liter Coke

• exclusive treats

             Enjoy as much as P1,000 discount on Barkada Treat coupons             

officially a greencard holder! :D

            With the green card, I can have as much pizza and crispy chicken I want, anywhere, anytime. Awesome! :D

Follow them on Twitter: @greenwichpizza

oink oink,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)

Lucky in Loft

        Does the title sound familiar? It's a parody of 'lucky in love'. Yes, I'm corny like that. My, am I terrible with titles. :p

        The Loft, as most Cebuanos are familiar with, was a classy restobar and club that had just undergone renovation and is now an upscale Italian restobar and lounge. They have gotten Chef Giuseppe to recreate their menu.

         Chef Moreno Benigno is the young Italian head chef who supervises the kitchen operations everyday. I followed him on Twitter and he was hosting this guessing game a week ago with a free dish at stake. I've been doing giveaways for the past few months, so I figured it was about time I try to win something too.

          Curious about the new cuisine at Loft, I took my chance. I had to guess the dish in the pic posted on Twitter. With much determination, I made the right guess and won a free taste of the dish (it was deep fried breaded stuffed olives. Whew!)! Happiness!

         When I went to The Loft to claim my prize, I was seriously just expecting to get that one dish. I stepped into a classy modern setting with plush seats and a candlelit table. I met Chef Moreno and he sat down with me. I introduced myself along with my blog and since he liked it, he offered me one more dish of my choice. How awesome is that?! 

           I asked for his recommendation since he'd know best but he made me take a look at the menu for my choice. Mind you, I can be very indecisive especially when faced with new and unfamiliar things but he was pretty patient with me.

          So, we agreed on a salmon for my main course and the breaded stuffed olives for my appetizer. But then he also offered me another dish that sounded unfamiliar to me and even if I wasn't quite sure I'd like it, I trusted that the chef always knows best. 

         Just a heads up: the photos are pretty dim because I wanted you to feel like you were with me in the candlelit dinner (but really, these are phone pics and my phone doesn't have a flash). :p

             While waiting for my food, I was served a platter of assorted bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the side. There was ciabatta, baguette, and foccacia. Nom nom!

             Then came the special dish I won... Olive all' Ascolana. Chef Moreno was so nice to give me some dibs on the dish, that the olives are from Sicily and they're carefully pitted and stuffed with beef, pork and vegetables in wine. I found it to be quite salty but of great quality nonetheless. And as if the meal couldn't get any better, he offered me a fine chardonnay to pair with my olives because he said I shouldn't eat them without the wine. Ooh la la! As I took my first bite with my first sip, the two worlds collided and it was a perfect match indeed. The wine neutralized the savoriness of the olives. :D

 

            Then, another recommendation, the Suppli Di Riso e Gorgonzola. It was deep-fried and carefully breaded risotto with gorgonzola rolls. Think: fried sushi, Italian version. I never imagined rice to be cooked this way. It was bliss in every bite and perfect on its own. I love mildly stinky cheese such as gorgonzola by the way. ;) 

            And the superstar of the night, the Salmone -- salmon fillet in bellpepper mushroom crust with arugula pesto and vegetables. I always take my first bite with a little of everything and it was one heartwarming dish. The serving was generous, I mean, it was a beautiful huge ass salmon cooked to perfection. Soft, juicy, flavorful, on a bed of complementing vegetables -- impeccable! The layer of mashed potato cake sandwiched between the fish and the vegetables was creamy and had a lovely crisp crust on the top that contributed to the awesome texture make-up of the dish.  

                It was truly an amazing experience. It's been a while since I've had that great an Italian meal. I was so stuffed I couldn't quite finish everything but I definitely savored every bite of each dish. I also enjoyed chatting with the charming and entertaining Chef Moreno. Complements to the chef! :D

            The authenticity, quality and reasonable pricing undoubtedly makes The Loft one of the top dining destinations in the metro. A must visit if you're looking for quality Italian dining, complete with a one-of-a-kind ambience and commendable service. Don't forget, you can even stay on to party or chill the night away with their delectable Stuzzichini or better known as pulutan for a more familiar term.  

 

Was I "lucky in Loft" or what? :D

If you get to meet Chef Moreno there, don't forget to say "Ciao!" and he'll definitely respond with "Buon appetito!"

*Prices are subject to 10% service charge.

The Loft

Skyrise 1, IT Park

Lahug, Cebu City

Contact:  +63 927 822 7047  

Operating Hours:    Mon - Thurs    6-11 PM

                             Fri & Sat         6 PM - 4 AM

Twitter: @theloftcebu, @MorenoBenigno1

To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D

oink oink,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)