10 Dove Street Confectionery

            10 Dove Street patrons can now enjoy 10 Dove Street’s delectable cakes and many more new pastry assortments as they have just opened the doors of 10 Dove Street Confectionery (10 DC) early this month. It is a beautiful white house that sits comfortably on the Oakridge Pavilion grounds – a modern country design with a high ceiling yet still retaining that crisply neat, cozy interior to give you a relaxing ambience where you may indulge your sweet tooth cravings – just a few steps away from 10 Dove Street.

            10 DC was created to solely house the much-loved cakes of 10 Dove Street as well as their new pastry offerings to satisfy any sweet tooth’s palate. It is the perfect venue for both leisurely chats and corporate meetings as it is tucked away from the busy roads of the city.

Yay! Silver ticket for me! :D

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! :) 

The Dove's Cake

          Happy happy joy joy! Mother had ordered some cakes from 10 Dove! She had me pick them up one afternoon. She got their Chocolate Decadence and Ube Cake @ P550 each. She gave the chocolate cake away and kept the ube cake for Joanna's late birthday cake.

           I fell in love with this Ube Cake since the first time I tasted it a few years ago. I must say, it's the best in town. Moist and soft layers of ube cake, custard and pandan cake covered in light ube cream. I love that it's not too sweet and I think that's what makes it irresistible. One slice is just not enough!

If you also want some for yourself....

10 Dove St.

Sto. Nino Village, Banilad, Cebu City 6000

For reservations, call (032) 346 0618. 

Operating hours: Monday - Saturday 11:30 a.m - 10:00 p.m.

Map: link

To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D

xoxo,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)

Strawberry Love

         If you know me well enough, I'm such a sucker for STRAWBERRIES. Baguio is my dreamland in the Philippines because it's the only place where strawberries can thrive. I still dream of trying the strawberry taho (soy pudding) and strawberry dirty ice cream there. Mmmm...

           Since Baguio isn't near enough for me to visit anytime I want, I'll have to settle for whatever treats I find good enough here in Cebu. And this obsession is no fickle matter; I could have strawberries every day if it were possible. 

These are what I treated myself to for two consecutive days...  

Krispy Kreme

        The hot and fresh sign was flashing at the I.T. Park branch! Hallelujah! My feet instantly trodded down and I found myself in the sweet atmosphere of the donut haven. In the knick of time, they were just bringing out the Strawberry Cheesecake variety and I didn't have to think of my choice anymore. No second thoughts, all green lights! And like it couldn't get any sweeter than that, I got my free glazed donut, too! I think that moment was meant for me. :D  

Dessert Factory

        I rarely hang out at this confection factory as a guilt-streak prevention measure because once the sweet tooth mode is activated, the whole week's worth of working out at the gym will might as well have to have never happened. O_O

           So anyway, like I've said before and will always stand by, I'd USUALLY pick fruits over chocolate desserts. So for this night, I chose Strawberry Dream - triple layer chocolate cake, strawberry mousse, topped with peach slices and fresh strawberries. This was a really pleasant one - light yet very satisfactory. Fresh strawberries always make me happy. :D

And that's my strawberry love story. :D

To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D

xoxo,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)

Cebu Secret Chows: Happy Rooster and Fudge

          T'was to be a special night... And a special night indeed. The babe was on a dinner date and the lucky man (hahaha) offered a choice of steak or Sumo Sam. I asked where the steak was and since it was Carlito's Way, I chose this because it's on my Cebu Secret Chows list. The man knows where to take me. ;)

         Carlito's Way is at Persimmon, Mabolo. When we arrived at Persimmon, we noticed a cute home decor shop and as we looked closer, it was also a cafe! As much as I wanted to try the steak at Carlito's (Sorry, I shall visit you some other time. Promise!), this was too intriguing to pass up on. So, we entered it and it was  just enchanting. Such a unique concept! The tiny kitchen was the first thing we noticed - studio type, like more open than an open kitchen (gasp!). I was squealing with delight at everything I saw. It was reminiscent of Simply J's but with a different vibe. It was more intimate considering it could only accommodate less than 15 people. 

        The menu selections were very limited though everything was interesting and priced very reasonably. They offered appetizers, sandwiches, pasta and Handuraw pizza. I also noticed that the menu was of healthier components than most other menus. Like, they used whole wheat pita for sandwiches and whole wheat pasta. The appetizers were all calling to my taste buds but we chose to have Tomato and Basil pasta and Pizza Cebuana (like we're carbo loading for a marathon). For our beverage, Luis had Coke (pffft. that's him) and I had their Happy Rooster Fruit Punch.

       We were encouraged to explore the shop while awaiting our food. And we gladly did. So, basically, everything in the shop was for sale and it was well displayed. There was a queen size bed (which would have been nice to eat on a la dinner in bed. hahaha.), books organized on shelves set up like a library, and anything else you would most likely wanna have in your home. They even had artificial food and drinks made of rubber/plastic on the tables! They seriously looked so realistic, I was nearly fooled! Haha.

bottomless drink... cuz it never runs out! :))

bottoms up! :D

real or not? :))

feeling at home :D

the library

dinner in bed? Haha.

our table

the chef/owner cooking our food 

       Our food was served after 20 mins. which is not bad at all considering the size of the kitchen and the volume of customers (We were the only customers for the night.). I found out that the owner was the chef and that she also came from the culinary school I went to - International Culinary Arts Academy Cebu (ICAAC). 

Tomato Basil Pasta    P 120
olive oil, whole wheat spaghetti, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, slice whole wheat pita

My first time to have whole wheat pasta in a resto. :D 

The serving was satisfactory for the price though we found it pretty bland so we asked for parmesan cheese. But still not bad. I liked that it was  served with a slice of whole wheat pita on the side. It was also perfectly al dente. I've tasted something similar at Cafe Elysa though and I can still say Cafe Elysa's was better. There's something about those fresh tomatoes that seduce my palette. But for healthier pasta, I'd definitely come here. 

hot sauce, chili flakes, parmesan cheese :D

Pizza Cebuana     P 389 (not sure, forgot to take note of the price of this)

Chorizo de Cebu, house blend tomato sauce, kesong puti, mozarella, herbs, dash of cayenne pepper

This was reeeaallyy good. I love kesong puti (white cheese)! And cayenne pepper! The sweetness of the chorizo melded perfectly with the mild heat. It's a thin crust pizza and was crisp and chewy. This was good for 3-4 people. Or 2 if you're guys. :D

Happy Rooster Fruit Punch      P 40

sweet mango, green tea, basil, lemon slices

I loved this drink! It was so refreshing and tickled my palette with satisfaction. Perfect drink for me. I wouldn't mind having this every day! :D

      The service was good. The waitress was more than willing to answer any queries (and we had a lot, interesting the place was) we had. We definitely enjoyed the food, ambience and service. And the best part was, it was all spontaneous! This place was just full of pleasant surprises. Even the service water was cucumber-infused! How unique and refreshing! 

       We moved on to Fudge for dessert. I've been hearing about this little pastry shop cafe since last year but never got the chance to visit it for fear that it might be beyond my budget. Luis knew which places on my list I still didn't get to visit and I really appreciate that he refers to it (my list). It wasn't his first time here. 

      We ordered their specialty - chocolate lava cakes @ P 120, which required 25 mins. to be served. It was quite inconvenient though because as our orders were served, they were about to close so we were rushed to consume our sweets.  

        
            With the circumstance, I didn't get to enjoy my dessert so much. I wasn't even able to finish it with the given time because it was so rich. But it was really good; the best lava cake aside from hotels (because the best I've tasted so far was from Blu Bar at Marco Polo Hotel). It had that trademark marriage of heat from the cake and coolness from the ice cream with a rich chocolate fudge sauce. Oh, so lustful. Definitely one to go back for. They also serve Filipino-Mediterranean/Western fusion sandwiches, pasta and main courses. I'm intrigued by their aligue pasta and cheesy clubhouse sandwich. I hope to go back and try these sometime. 


Happy Rooster Home Decor Cafe
The Persimmon Plus, M.J. Cuenco St., Mabolo, Cebu City
(032) 505-9419

Operating Hours: Mon to Sat   4:00 - 10:00 p.m. 
Price Range: P 85 - P 400

Fudge
A.S. Fortuna St., Mandaue, Cebu City
(032) 416 1727

Operating hours: Sun to Thurs   10 am - 10 pm
                         Fri & Sat         10 am - 12 mn

How to get there:

Happy Rooster

Fudge

To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D

xoxo,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)

New Old

        I'm not a regular at Harbour City Dimsum restaurant and for some reason, I never order dessert when I dine there (not that I don't like dessert. I guess "Chinese" dessert just doesn't appeal to me.). Harbour City has been around since my childhood days but it was only tonight, thanks to my friend Luis Quibranza III, that I discovered an interesting dessert I'd mostly likely include to my regular line of orders whenever I dine there from here on. 

        So this here is called an ice cream roll. It's P55 and comes in choices of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. It's basically ice cream engulfed by a swiss roll or sponge roll. Quite crafty I'd say. I've never seen anything like this anywhere else yet. I personally like the plain swiss roll with chocolate ice cream. :)   

So why "New Old", you wonder? It's a new find in an old place. Well, for me at least. :)

Harbour City Dimsum is located at 3rd floor, Ayala Center Cebu, beside Balletcenter.

To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D

xoxo,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)

HAPPINESS! on a Stick

     All this hype about a new ice cream bar by my favorite ice cream brand, Selecta. I just had to get my hands on it ASAP. 

       The Magnum ice cream bar comes in 3 flavors: Chocolate Truffle, Classic and Almond. I wanted to try Almond most but I could only find Chocolate Truffle at Metro Ayala grocery. Got it for P50. Yahoo! :D

Gotcha! :D

stripped! yes....

munch!

HAPPINESS!!! <3

nommy nom nom XD

      ....So... Is it really just all hype? I'm a big fan of dark chocolate but this just met my expectations; that it would just taste like the chocolate truffle Selecta Gold series but only on a stick. Not bad though. I still want the Almond. And, considering this is the only variety in the market at a very affordable price compared to getting a scoop from Gelato Eliseo or Gelatissimo, not bad at all!

     I still want the Almond! Til the next mission.... :)

To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D

xoxo,

Babe For Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)

Cebu Secret Chows: A Sweet Spot

Hey hey, BFF's! :)

It's been a while since I've written about food huh? Let's start the year right then. I miss writing about my food adventures anyway. 

I have a lot of catching up to do because I've been caught up with school and the Christmas break so I'm sorry if I'm doing backlogs. But anyways, I hope you'd still enjoy them. I'll do my best to make it up to you. :)

The weekend before my last week of classes for 2011, I already felt the jest of the Christmas break even if I had exams to study for the final week. My culinary friend Pinky was leaving for Egypt to be with her husband by the end of the month (December) so she wanted to hang out with her close friends (me, JJ and Tanya). 

This was the same night of the Best Cebu Blog Awards so I had already taken my dinner. They had theirs at the new branch of Taiwan Shabu Shabu located near Parklane Hotel at Escario. The resto was quite clean, spacious and sleek. I haven't been to their original branch at A.S Fortuna St. although they say the new branch looks cleaner and more inviting. Though I had taken my dinner, they still invited me to join them so I did just to taste the food. I liked the broth and I found out that their sets were actually affordable. They paid a total of around P 1,300 and I think the serving was good for 6 people! I'd love to go back for my take on that resto. Let's just save that for another post, shall we?

While we were having dinner, I noticed a tiny new cafe right outside the resto, beside the stairs of the building. I checked it out and found that it was a cafe that had just opened for 3 weeks (that was then so it's been open for almost 2 months now) and offered CBTL (Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf) coffee and their own homemade cupcakes as the only pastries to pair with. The name of this cute cafe is SLT (Sweet Little Things).

Chatting with the owners, a young couple, I learned that the wife started out as a  homebaker and they just decided to open their own little outlet mainly for takeout. They claim that their cupcakes are unique because they don't scrimp on quality frosting ingredients. Their top selling flavor is their flourless mudpie.

We proceeded to this cafe after dinner. JJ treated us to 5 flavors. We all loved the flourless mudpie and the others were not far behind either. They definitely weren't lying about their quality frostings. I can say that that was the best red velvet cupcake I've tasted so far. Not too sweet, just the right richness and moist. Their cupcakes were only at P 50 each and P298 for a box of 6; definitely worth every penny! All the cupcakes were to die for. Satisfaction in every bite! :D

luscious selections

pinky, tanya, me, jj

the owner was nice to offer to take our photo :)

from bottom clockwise: red velvet, flourless mudpie, monkey business, lemon poppyseed, cookies n cream

ravaged! :D

star of the night <3

reminiscent of La Marea's warm brownie cup, cupcake version! 

XOXO

Babe For Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)