Just Chocolate

I got this as a pasalubong from a dear balikbayan friend last month.   Not a very familiar brand,  actually,  but it was surprisingly good!   Regular ... Dark... and White.

 

Chocolate lovers out there would definitely love this.

Just like I did.

Via Mare

When it comes to serving great Filipino food.   Via Mare truly delivers,   having been  in the business for over 30 years.  Servings,  however,   are quite small and prices are quite steep.   But you will end up with happy palates.  That's for sure.

Not only is the food fresh,  hot and satisfying,   but it is also a feast for the eye.   

(Sinigang na hipon)

(Inihaw na Liempo)

(Ensaladang Bagnet)

(Arroz a la Cubana)

18 Days Coffee Roaster

I am a very recent coffee convert.   For years,   I have been trying to learn the art of coffee drinking but never succeeded.   Until I read up on all the health benefits coffee has to offer,  most specially on memory enhancment and dementia prevention.    That got me going.   

My body is not new to caffeine.   Being a Coca Cola addict for years   (yes,   I drink this soda morning,  noon,   night and midnight,  no kidding!),    it somehow helped me switch to this new addiction more easily.  

Thanks to Kaoko,   a dear friend,   who told me about this little shop in Cash 'n Carry where you can buy freshly ground coffee by weight.    

They have a lot of local beans that you  choose from and you can have them mixed and matched to suite your taste and ground just the way you like them;   fine,  medium or coarse.     Your ground coffee  will be in pretty little pouches like these,    freshly ground and sealed to preserve their flavor and aroma.     

Starbucks' Grilled Chicken with Pesto and Shiitake Mushrooms Sandwich

If there is one thing that can make me visit  Starbucks,   that wouldn't be their coffee;   (because the pressed coffee I make at home is way better than SB's!)   but the Banoffee Pie!   SB banoffee pie is one of my guilty pleasures.   A bit steep at php110 for a small sized pie  (6-inch???),    it is worth every cent for me.  

But when hubs and I went to Tagaytay for a quick breakfast just recently,     I ordered the Grilled Chicken with Pesto and Shiitaki Mushroom sandwich for him.   And,  surprisingly,   while I did enjoy my banoffee pie that morning  (yes,   I had it for breafkast.),    his sandwich made me salivate more than my pie!    The scent of the pesto filled the entire coffee shop as the barista warmed the sandwich in the micro.     After a tiny bite just to taste it,    I was almost ready to exchange orders with my hubs!

This is really really great stuff.   And healthy,   too!  I would definitely be back at SB if only to have this again.  And soon!