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!

Luk Foo Cantonese Restaurant

After several  trips to Luk Foo Cantonese Restaurant,    I finally decided to blog about it.  

  

We like it at Luk Foo.   We usually order pretty much the same stuff when we dine at Chinese restaurants to to be able to gauge which places deserve being  revisited and which ones do not by comparing the way they cook similar dishes.

It was a good thing I was able to take a shot of these last few pieces of  dimsum  (chicken feet and dumplings) because they were soo good that everyone had a piece right away the moment they were served!   I almost didn't make it in time!     LOL!

Yang Chow...  served hot 

Steamed suahe was so fresh and sweet   that the shells were so easy to peel!   

Mixed vegetables... well cooked and had great mix of flavors and textures.

Roast chicken...  it can easily give  Savory  a run for its money!

Our tummies are always happy and full after every Luk Foo meal.

Fashion 21: Little Mermaid

I have finally found my perfect pink lipstick!  After trying on so many shades and brands for weeks,    I found Fashion 21's Little Mermaid!   

I fell in love with the shade when I tried it on the back of my hand so I  decided to buy one.     For only php155,   I wasn't expecting much.    But to my surprise,   when I tried it on my lips,    the stick glided so smoothly.   It wasn't drying nor irritating,    and most of all,    it was the perfect shade of pink  that  I have been looking  trying to find.    It went so  perfectly well with my skintone and ph!

Now,  I just glide the tube on my lips twice,    smack 'em....    and I am good to go,   confident that I am pretty in pink!

Delimondo Corned Beef: Ranch Style

Delimondo is a local brand but it is one of the more expensive canned corned beef brands  I have ever tried.   Great raves about this product convinced me to give it a try.

And I am glad I did.   

It is easy to prepare.   Just open the can,   Mince some onions.  Saute.. and voila!

You get a 'saucy',  not oily,   corned beef dish every time.  I didn't have to add anymore salt nor other spices because it was seasoned perfectly already.    

Some may argue that it tastes just like any other corned beef.  But I think,  more than the taste,   it is the quality of the beef that makes it a cut above the rest.  Walang anggo,  as they call it.  Walang beefy lansa.    Bit of  a warning,  though.    The can is good for two not-very-hungry bellies only.