Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Famous Belgian Waffles: Hot and Fresh Waffle Sandwiches



If your olfactory nerves are working up right, chances are, you might have smelled that familiar breakfast smell. Oh, you’ll certainly get hooked with just the aroma of freshly cooked hot off the oven waffles wafting in the air. And seriously, it might just make you curious enough to fall in line and taste for yourself the latest in the food kiosk industry, Famous Belgian Waffles! 




Famous Belgian Waffles will cook your chosen waffles right in front of you so you know that you’re getting it fresh and hot. Choose from a wide variety of choices: from their “Simply Perfect”—Plain, Chcolate, Peanut Butter, Cheddar Cheese, Strawberry, Creamcheese, Blueberry, Hazelnut to more popular “Perfect Combination”—Ham and cheddar, Banana Peanut Butter, Chcolate Peanut Butter, Banana Hazelnut, Ham and Creamcheese, Blueberry Creamcheese or Strawberry Cremcheese. 


There’s definitely something for you to enjoy. Pair that up with ChexUp Malaysian coffee or a cup of ChexUp Strong Coffee for that extra kick. Prices are quite affordable from P30 to P55 per order of Famous Belgian Waffle.

 So the next time you smell such sweet buttery waffle aroma while you’re strolling around the mall, you know that there’s a Famous Belgian Waffle Kiosk within the area.
Famous Belgian Waffle kiosks have branches at different SM malls, 168 Mall, Gateway Food Court etc.

Disclaimer: I am not compensated for this post. Opinions expressed are 100% my own. 

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Black Canyon Coffee Opens at Tuscany, McKinley Hills


 Black Canyon Coffee recently opens their second branch in the Philippines as they welcome coffee aficionados their doors at their Tuscany, McKinley Hills branch.  Known for having one of the best drinks available on earth, Black Canyon Coffee has branches in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar, United Arab Emirates, and most last year, the Philippines.



 Mr. and Mrs. Pravit C Pong, founder and CEO of Black Canyon Coffee Thailand together with Ms. Wilma Dy, Black Canyon Coffee Philippines President warmly received their guests during the Black Canyon Coffee Tuscany branches’ grand opening. Lucky guests were treated to Black Canyon Coffee’s best selling drinks such as Black Canyon Iced Coffee—milk mixed with the old good coffee poured over crushed ice, Black Mocha Frappe—special espresso roast black coffee with combination of chocolate syrup and ice, Black Hazelnut Frappe—A strong shot of espresso and a mild taste of hazelnut with a hint of butterscotch. Cha Thai Yen (Thai Iced Tea with Milk), Match Green Tea Frappe—honest-to-goodness green tea with milk and whipped cream, Strawberry Milkshake—fresh strawberries and fresh milk and a whole lot more.  Black Canyon Coffee sourced their coffee beans from Thailand, so one can be assured of the excellent quality of the coffee beans.



 Of course, the Black Canyon Coffee experience won’t be complete with sampling their best tasting Tom Yum Soup, award-winning Pad Thai served with a slice of lime and ground nuts on the side, chicken green curry, shrimps in Tamarind Sauce, sweet desserts to cap off every delicious meal at Black Canyon Coffee like Carrot cake (sold at Php100 each), Blueberry Cheesecake (Php120 per slice), moist Chocolate Cake (Php70 per slice), Double Decker Cake (Php100 per slice).





For non-coffee drinkers, Black Canyon Coffee also offers iced teas, milkshakes, fresh milk, green teas, smoothies, fruit frappe and herbal juices. This world-class coffee shop is hailed internationally with the awards they have won for their latte art. “Latte Art” originated in Italy. Here, the barista or coffee maker has to be especially skilled to be able to come up with a work of art on each cup. 





 Come to Black Canyon Coffee in Tuscany, Upper McKinley Hills and experience not just good Thai food served alongside a drink from paradise made available on earth. Indeed, Black Canyon Coffee is the best place for coffee lovers.


Black Canyon Coffee has branches located in SM Southmall and in Tuscany, Upper McKinley Road, Taguig City.

Special thanks to Black Canyon Coffee and Mr. Paolo Angelo Florendo of PR Socialites.

Disclaimer: I am not compensated for this post. Opinions expressed are my own. 

Saturday, June 15, 2013

SINCERITY CAFE AND RESTAURANT



Sincerity Café and Restaurant has drawn fans from all over the Metro for its delicious, crispy – yet – tender homestyle fried chicken. Sincerity Café and Restaurant has been quietly drawing fans from all over the metro, eager to experience their delicious, crispy yet tender homestyle fried chicken.  They have branched out to the Lucky Chinatown Mall so that more people can experience and enjoy their simple but authentic Chinese cuisine. 



Founded in 1956 with only P 600 in capital by Grandpa Uy Mo Kwan, Grandma Lim Bee Uy and Auntie VioletaUy, this humble panciteria has now become a Binondo byword for its simple but authentic menu items like oyster cake, Ngo Yong (Chinese Kikiam) and noodle dishes like Duck Misua Soup and bihon.
For inquiries, call 516-7088.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Aaron Craze ‘Rude Boy’ Recipes during his recent Manila Visit

Photo Source: The Asian Food Channel



Have you guys heard that Aaron Craze, better known as ‘Rude Boy’—a protégé of international celebrity chef Jamie Oliver came to Manila to do a live cooking demo? Missed it, no worries. We’ve got it covered by providing you with his awesome and delicious recipes. So, read on, guys:




MEXICAN BEEF TORTILLA WITH TOMATO SALSA AND SOUR CREAM
TO SERVE: 6
Ingredients for Beef Tortilla:

600g beef skirt
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
½ white onion, roughly chopped
2 red tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch coriander, finely chopped
6 tortilla wraps
1 lemon
Ingredients for Salsa:
1 x 400ml tin of tomatoes
1 bunch of coriander, stalks finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 chili
Sour cream
Method:
      Bash out the beef skirt as thin as possible or get a butcher to. Drizzle on some olive oil and season.
     Put the seasoned beef skirt onto a hot griddle or pan to sear.
       Once cooked removed from the heat and chop the beef skirt up on a board to create a mince mixture and serve topped with coriander, wrapped in a tortilla. 
Method (salsa)
1.    Sweat off the onion, garlic, chili and coriander stalks then add tinned tomatoes and cook for 20 minutes.
2.    Leave to cool. Enjoy! J



RAVIOLI OF SUNSHINE WITH THAI ASPARAGUS (filled with spinach, ricotta and egg yolk)
To Serve: 6



 Ingredients:
100g-pasta flour
1 egg whole
Splash of olive oil
500g spinach
25g ricotta cheese
Pinch nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1 egg yolk
20 stalks asparagus

Method:
1.    Mix the flour together with one egg and drizzle of olive oil until you get a smooth dough consistency. The mixture should not stick to your hands. If it does, add more flour.
2.    Knead the dough for a minute and then wrap in cling film and set aside whilst you make filling.
3.    Blanch the spinach in boiling salted water, then refresh in cold water. Drain and transfer to a food processor and roughly blend.
4.    Scrape the spinach puree into a bowl and fold in the ricotta and the basil.
5.    Season to taste with salt and pepper and add a splash of olive oil. Add a squeeze of lemon juice.
6.    Roll the pasta dough through a pasta machine (or with a rolling pin) until it is a square 3mm thick. Spoon a heap of ricotta mix onto the one half of the square, making sure that you leave an edge of at least2cm on every side.
7.    Separate the egg yolk from the egg white.
8.    Make a little well in the ricotta mixture and place the egg yolk in the well. Fold over the other half of the dough and seal the edges tightly.
9.    Cut around the stuffed part of the pasta with a cookie cutter making sure you leave an edge of about 2cm. Make sure that the edges are well sealed after you have cut the shape.
10. Place the ravioli in boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, set aside.
11. Blanch the asparagus for 1-2 minutes in boiling salted water, and then grill on a griddle pan so that they color on each side. Once colored, remove and drizzle over a little olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and drizzle over a little lemon juice.
12. In a frying pan, melt a knob of butter and add asparagus. Carefully add the ravioli to the pan and coat with butter. Grate a little Parmesan over the ravioli.
13. Transfer the asparagus to a serving plate and place the ravioli on top. Spoon melted butter over and drizzle with olive oil. 



Unbaked Lemongrass Cheesecake with Amoretti Biscuit Base

To Serve 2

Ingredients:
120g each of Ricotta, cottage cheese and mascarpone cheese
1 vanilla pod
2 heads of lemongrass
2 tsp icing sugar
1 lime
100ml water
200g amoretti biscuits
100g digestives (shortbread)
200g unsalted butter
100g strawberries
125g dark chocolate

Method:
1.    Roughly crush up the biscuits and place in a food processor. Process into fine crumbs and transfer to a mixing bowl.
2.    Melt a large knob of butte, and add a little at a time to the crumbs, mixing until the crumbs stick together easily.
3.    In a separate bowl, mix together the three cheeses with lemon juice.
4.    Split the vanilla pod and add the seeds into the mix.
5.    Sift the icing sugar into the bowl and beat the mixture until smooth.
6.    Place 2 round moulds on a plate and press most of the crumb mixture into the bottom to form a base. Reserve a little of crumb into the mixture.
7.    Using a spoon and palette knife, fill the rest of the mould up with the cheese mix and smooth over the top. (The cheesecakes can be chilled at this point, if desired, for a firmer dessert.)
8.    To serve, sprinkle the top of each cheesecake with the reserved biscuit crumbs and lemon zest.

For a quick glimpse of Aaron Craze, watch this Youtube video of him:  http://youtu.be/m8u1ErEW5lg



















Wednesday, June 12, 2013

McVities: Biscuits fit for Royalty



It’s quite amazing to learn that there is a food brand that is privileged enough to carry the Royal Seal of Approval and a rich 120-year-old history. McVitie’s, whose heritage began in 1830 through a provision shop in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. By 1892, McVitie’s was born and became the world’s 1st Digestive whose traditional secret recipe has been used until this very day.

In 1893, the company was asked to create a wedding cake for the marriage of Princess Mary of Teck and Duke of New York, who later became Queen Mary and King George V. The awesome cake was truly fit for royalty, it stood six feet tall and weighted 466 pounds.

 Due to this momentous event, McVitie’s received the Royal Seal of Approval. Since then, it became a tradition for British royals to have their christening and wedding cakes done by none other than McVitie’s and Price. Among the most memorable and distinguished list of illustrious royal clients include King George Vi and Queen Elizabeth in the year 1923, as well as the Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece in 1934.

 The commendations for McVitie’s did not stop even during the turn of the 20th century. In 2011, Prince William, next heir to the British throne, requested that one of the cakes during his marriage to Catherine Middleton be made of McVitie’s chocolate biscuits.  Prince William recalls his childhood eating McVitie’s biscuits during tea time and for that momentous occasion in his life, he asked McVitie's to create it according to a special recipe from the Buckingham Palace kitchens.

Buckingham Palace then sent the recipe to chefs at McVitie’s, who then made a wedding-sized confection composed of more than 1,700 biscuits and nearly 40 pounds of rich and luscious chocolate.

“It has a couple of secret ingredients we can’t tell you about but it will have dark chocolate to give it a really nice flavor, and use rich tea biscuits that will be broken up,” said McVitie’s head chef before the wedding.

Nowadays, one does not need to have a royal blood to enjoy McVitie’s Digestives biscuits.  Now available at leading supermarkets nationwide, Filipinos will now get the chance to experience this biscuit treat fit for Kings and Queens. 

For more information about McVitie’s Digestives, you may visit their official website www.mcvities.com

 or join their Facebook fanpage www.facebook.com/mcvitiesdigestives

Monday, June 10, 2013

LA PLACA: A TASTY PLATE OF FUN







 La Placa Food Fair is now serving hungry customers searching not just for good food, but unique entertainment and dining experience at the Opening Park beside Puregold and Liberty Center, Shaw Boulevard.

La Placa means plate. The food fair aims to provide diners with a perfect break from a hectic day or an avenue extension and reason to have more fun. Guests could enjoy nice music from the acoustic band while munching on their favorite food. Sing your hearts out and satisfy your cravings every Wednesdays to Saturdays, from 4pm till 2am. 

Get your favorite dishes with a twist prepared by the Philippines’ first food trucks. Inspired by the western idea of gourmet food on wheels, these mobile food service vehicles have been satisfying taste buds since last December.  Create a new kind of food trip adventure by picking your favorite meal from these mobile food service vehicles. For questions or queries about the food market, you may contact these numbers: 09178616462 and 09493471788


CUISINIERS BY RAPHEY CO: Fantastic Chicken Barbecue and Mouthwatering Slow Cooked Roast Beef


For a fun, casual night out with family and friends, check out Cuisiniers by Rapheray Co at Cucina Andare. It is a pig out style family grill kiosk at Cucina Andare; just writing about them now makes me salivate. Calling all carnivores out there: Cuisiniers by Rapheray Co serves grilled meat recipes that are cooked to perfection using only the freshest ingredients. Cuisiniers also satisfies our inexplicable love for inihaw recipes grilled dishes like Grilled Liempo, Pork Barbecue, Slow Cooked Roast Beef and my ultimate favorite Chicken Barbecue!
 
Cuisiniers Pork Barbecue

Cuisiniers Liempo

Cuisiniers to-die-for Chicken BBQ

Cuisiniers owner Ms. Andrea Dela Cruz

Owner Ms. Andrea Dela Cruz says that it takes three days for their meat to prepare and eight hours of marination. Honestly, this kiosk serves up one of the best tasting chicken barbecue I’ve ever tasted, even better from the more popular ones like Mang Inasal or the old-time favorite Aristocrat. And their mouth-watering chicken barbecue tastes good even without the sauce. Fork tender and melt-in-your-mouth, their chicken barbecue is sticky-lick-your-fingers-good.


 Pork Barbecue is just as good. The slow roasted beef are so soft and tender too, another melt-in-your-mouth goodness. The chicken barbecue is priced at P80 per stick. For the slow cooked roast beef, an order costs P130. For ultimate pig-out session, dare to pair any grilled dish with a sisig on the side. Prices are affordable in both “Just for You” and “To Share” portions.


With its tempting combination of tender meat, tasty sauces and hint of spice, it’s no wonder Cuisiniers is always packed with satisfied guests each night.
Disclaimer: I am not compensated for this post. Opinions expressed are 100% my own.


CRUNCHY BELLY BY CARLOS KITCHEN SINFULLY ADDICTING


With its irresistible combination of sinfully crunchy and tasty belly, Crunchy Belly by Carlos Kitchen tops the list of the must-visit kiosks at Cucina Andare. Well-known for its golden caramel colored crispy pork bellies, Crunchy Belly is deep-fried to perfection infused with spices to achieve that beautiful color, flavorful and amazing crunch. According to its owner, Ms. Kat Reatazo, their family loves to eat pork and they thought of crunchy belly since it’ll surely standout among all the other products in a food market.  “It’s our version of bacon, crispy pata and bagnet,” says Ms. Kat. And they were totally right based on the warm and positive feedbacks from their customers.


Crunchy Belly owner Ms. Kat Reatazo.







With Crunchy Belly, all you need is a heaping of rice and you’re in for a great and satisfying meal. A word of caution though, Crunchy Belly is heart-stopping good and sinfully addicting. Not ideal for those suffering from high blood and hypertensions. But if you happen to have an affinity for crunch and salty pork, then you’ll certainly love and find bliss with Crunchy Belly. Sure, your cholesterol level may skyrocket, but your tummy will definitely be satisfied after having devoured several servings.



Disclaimer: I am not compensated for this post. Opinions expressed are 100% my own.