Happy Foodies

Showing posts with label Pastry. Show all posts

<div style="text-align: center;" class="alignwide"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvL1qVb3ozYsJKvt8z0QsRvXz-YTGAIaGCl-NKv9TrnU5HWg7n1HVr8f1-yauXQFV13e17G0rWw-_COa-4vmUYegVlFhTUZBS7zq8ftLgBiFK5sA9M9kLMbrIKD44O_I-QEsoZck2KfyDKKI-gf7H9M743bh2kw-u1lc1lJkdKEQqhUUQmZUdCDX3Phw/s1280/bantai.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvL1qVb3ozYsJKvt8z0QsRvXz-YTGAIaGCl-NKv9TrnU5HWg7n1HVr8f1-yauXQFV13e17G0rWw-_COa-4vmUYegVlFhTUZBS7zq8ftLgBiFK5sA9M9kLMbrIKD44O_I-QEsoZck2KfyDKKI-gf7H9M743bh2kw-u1lc1lJkdKEQqhUUQmZUdCDX3Phw/w640-h480/bantai.jpg" width="640"></a></div> <div> </div> Whenever I visit a new location, I always make it a point to try the local cafes before I go for the commercial ones when I yearn for coffee. It’s always interesting to see the local culture and flavor in small and homegrown cafes. I used to shift back and forth to Manggahan in Pasig since I rented a place there before. And just in the neighborhood, right across the street where I stay, is Bantai Coffee. A cozy little cafe on the 2nd floor of a building is filled with charm, nostalgia, and good coffee.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUgm8K6Vy9HpBR4ttKbdVBzpnnLOtN02gy0dxECInvWCPge0S4MC_xn0EhBayoRVI-whKL41hCuEPxTePoRDwAZj7qTCyokYO1BEQC43s6zgCTc7C0ChYBgqcK7uEWdTDsGoYM3AoZQ6ITl9YGMY1yyI2wCjnr5DJ5zG253Vvmjj-PC4oZTEiELifpZQ/s1023/the-coffee-library-baguio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1023" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUgm8K6Vy9HpBR4ttKbdVBzpnnLOtN02gy0dxECInvWCPge0S4MC_xn0EhBayoRVI-whKL41hCuEPxTePoRDwAZj7qTCyokYO1BEQC43s6zgCTc7C0ChYBgqcK7uEWdTDsGoYM3AoZQ6ITl9YGMY1yyI2wCjnr5DJ5zG253Vvmjj-PC4oZTEiELifpZQ/s16000/the-coffee-library-baguio.jpg"></a></div> Your Happyfoodies trudged to the northern highlands for the days leading up to the new year with an overnight stop in Baguio. By chance, we got billeted in a hotel on a quieter street parallel to the always-busy (read: noisy) Session Road and chanced upon the barely month-old The Coffee Library on the ground floor of the Rex Hall Student Residences along General Luna Street. Needless to say, it was a serendipitous find. Yes, it is eye-catching, with tasteful touches of ethnic crafts, a mix of red brick and warm wood, and even vintage "padyak" (foot pedal-powered) sewing machines converted into tables, but how was the food, you may ask.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1OrXgP9W1TGAcRHJ48UYgAcGEB0YDRMT-JqKi5ZxilgiT9BAPRkzpd6H325IzYCwjtHoeNM4gzbto9KbWAacAsbVkH8-Mnwb2bK_ezu6yJqI7FyttdWzls92DJUsv8HUloKVM9BoIcJOnyJC2yaifdb1rYW-GpsZHqgC6ELOgyWDP3G9xJnxMMmlYQb0/s800/happyfoodies-tacloban-eats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1OrXgP9W1TGAcRHJ48UYgAcGEB0YDRMT-JqKi5ZxilgiT9BAPRkzpd6H325IzYCwjtHoeNM4gzbto9KbWAacAsbVkH8-Mnwb2bK_ezu6yJqI7FyttdWzls92DJUsv8HUloKVM9BoIcJOnyJC2yaifdb1rYW-GpsZHqgC6ELOgyWDP3G9xJnxMMmlYQb0/s16000/happyfoodies-tacloban-eats.jpg"></a></div> Post-Typhoon Yolanda has shaped a different Tacloban City. Businesses are booming and the presence of numerous foreign aid workers has prompted locals to open up not only more lodging but eating places too. People of Tacloban love to eat and its a delight to see some quality home-grown establishments popping up to join old favorites. With the presence of foreigners though, prices have gone up but there are still some affordable options around. This list is not a ranking but the places I have personally tried during my stay. Tacloban City Eats has a nice mix of comfort food, cafes, dessert places and a hotpot. Check out Chew Love, Dream Cafe, Libros Atbp, Porbida Burger, K Patisserie, Miyara Patisserie, Sofa Cafe, Huhku Hotpot Express and Oppa’s Kitchen.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AolDTn0RODqkMNvdIoa7YeugqB5NGsiBeuBLfNJPbq1nKvVM83v_Ohe6UKdfSEfolhQnjJaVw64j1X_DmkN4V6083mZMZqQyZUhVgNzpTvF3ZwOnKa4W7UDw8eLmFLUnPtDPL1oHMT8Ei4Aq6eJ24Mjm69ZCNUViXQrDRhNYMvgQCvwIWIvkm0sDi4E/s1280/mrs-bakers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AolDTn0RODqkMNvdIoa7YeugqB5NGsiBeuBLfNJPbq1nKvVM83v_Ohe6UKdfSEfolhQnjJaVw64j1X_DmkN4V6083mZMZqQyZUhVgNzpTvF3ZwOnKa4W7UDw8eLmFLUnPtDPL1oHMT8Ei4Aq6eJ24Mjm69ZCNUViXQrDRhNYMvgQCvwIWIvkm0sDi4E/s16000/mrs-bakers.jpg"></a></div> It's always a delight to find good restaurants outside of the metro. Mrs Baker's in Nueva Vizcaya is worth a stop when traversing the roads to Tuguegarao or Banaue. This two-story establishment with warm and homey interiors is owned by Chef Jehan Damasco who has competed on international pastry competitions. Established in 2010, Chef Jehan had cooked up a sumptuous menu of local favorites and international flavors that not only Nuvo Vizcayanos rave about but those fortunate visitors enough to have stumbled upon this gem of a resto. We went here twice when we were in Nueva Vizcaya and here's to share some of our favorite dishes.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oggie/7006362500/"><img alt="Brazo de Mercedes Cheesecake" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7006362500_e4c0fe6152_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Brazo de Mercedes Cheesecake (P145/slice)</figcaption></figure> It’s off the usual route and takes a bit of traveling to get to but Cioccolo is an interesting place to go to at night. Right in the middle of a dark field, it seems a place of enchantment has sprung up, magically lit up at night. There’s R2-D2 in one area, Elvis in another as well as Roman statues here and there among a host of other curiosities that catch the eye and piques one’s interest no matter how blasé he or she can be. There are even huge banquet halls spread out on the spacious lot that looked like settings for a medieval tale complete with trompe l’oeil ceilings, huge chandeliers, gilded walls and ornate furniture. Cioccolo's truly kitschy as kitschy can be but in a pleasant way, maybe strangely romantic even like a fantasy world. Contrastingly, the coffee shop looks “normal” and “real world”, warmly lit and inviting for a nightcap. The whole place looks every bit interesting but we wonder if the food could be as "kitschy" good as well.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironwulf/6689113857/"><img alt="Lia's famous Avocado Cake" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6689113857_6a5d5bb540_z.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lia's famous Avocado Cake (P670 - whole/ P85 - slice)</figcaption></figure> Avocado is one of my favourite fruits and being a sucker for desserts, the combination of the fruit with a cake can be lethal. Strolling along with a fellow foodie friend in the streets of Kapitolyo, Pasig, which is fast becoming a food hub with a lot of new dining options popping up, we discovered Lia’s Cakes in Season. Lia’s is one of the old dining establishments in the area (it's been there since 2004) known for its signature Avocado Cakes.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oggie/6553373851/"><img alt="Alcapone Donut" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7171/6553373851_f3ce7dee0e_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Alcapone Donut</figcaption></figure> Before you know it, we're deep into the Christmas holiday. It's the time of the year when part of the tradition is the merry eating, often a cause for indulgence that will visibly manifest itself come January. It's also the time to give and receive (food calories included in the merry swapping of presents) so it was really a pleasant surprise to get boxes of J. Co Donuts at the doorstep. Hmmm, gets us into thinking: is there really room for another donut brand in a sweetly saturated market? J.Co isn't really a new brand, having been around in other Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia where it got started since 2005. Well, only with a taste test can tell so we made room for extra calories to give Happyfoodies readers our impressions.