MINISTOP Philippines: 14 years of quality, convenience service and counting

In December of 2000, the Japan-based convenience store chain MINISTOP made its way to the country.  It was brought to the Philippines by Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. in partnership with MINISTOP Japan and Mitsubishi Corporation.  Its goal was to answer the needs of Filipinos for quality products they can get on-the-go.

Fourteen years later, MINISTOP has served millions of Filipinos as it continues to expand its network of stores all over the Metro, having recently celebrated the opening of its 400th store at the Trion Towers in Bonifacio Global City. The 24-hour chain is committed to ensuring fast and efficient service at all times in efforts to provide affordable food and beverage choices to its customers. Apart from a wide assortment of goods featuring local and international brands, MINISTOP carries an extensive selection of ready-to-eat meals, the first convenience store to do so in the Philippines. Adapting to the evolving demands of its market, MINISTOP has introduced all-time favorites like the Soft Serve Ice Cream, Chillz, Kariman Sandwich and the top-selling Uncle John’s Fried Chicken.

One of the top players in the C-store industry, MINISTOP owes much of its success to customer-focused management as exemplified by its hard-working and loyal franchisees. The chain’s franchising packages offer opportunities for more Filipinos to flourish in the franchising industry through full marketing activities, consistent store operations support and solid operational services. “With our profit sharing model, our franchisees enjoy the advantage of earning more as they sell more,” says MINISTOP General Manager Roena Sarte. “A success rate of 90% is guaranteed for aspiring MINISTOP franchisees, as long as they have the passion, drive and the entrepreneurial mindset to supervise a 24/7 retail operation,” she adds.

Wham Burger: Finest Burgers Made Affordable

In a country that's partial to rice, opening a burger shop such as Wham Burgers may seem like a risky move. But the gamble has paid off. Since opening their first branch, Wham Burgers now has several outlets in the Metro and counting. A proof that even American food like burger and fries had a huge following. Thanks to their specially designed burgers--certainly not-your-ordinary-burgers made from 100% beef patty, charred and grilled to perfection. Since Wham Burgers came about, burgers turned out to be a habit-forming, craving-inducing Wham burgers. 

Offering some bacon slabs with egg is the Brekky Burger. It sounds weird by its name but it's worth to give it a try though. Also, a must-try for either a family of three or a group of three friends is the Wham Burger Slider Trio. It's super affordable at P250 per order, you'll be getting three burgers good for three pax to enjoy! I thought since it's called a "slider" it would be really small so when it was brought to our table, I was surprised it had the same size as the other brands' regular burger (given Wham Burger's standard size on burger, it's a bit smaller in size when compared to a regular Wham burger thus it's considered as slides). 

Dishes are no frills, cozy casual dining for the busy crowd yearning to grab a bite of one of the finest burgers I have ever tasted. Wham Burger's Double Wham Burgers won our heart with its repertoire of beef patties, and veggies at your own choice or specification. I mean, hello, how can you say no to a jaw-dropping double tower of burger? Most of the menu are familiar and filling, bringing together American/Western flavor with Filipino twists thoughtfully redone or tweaked with some flair and clever presentation. I'd have to say that everything from the menu are all Instagram-worthy. 

Kids will surely fall in love with their Spaghetti fries. Yes, an order had fries slathered and literally swimming in spaghetti and ground beef sauce and loaded with cheese. And it's also good for sharing. While you're at it, do try to ask and order for the Pepper Popper. You'll love it especially if you're into anything spicy. It could be similar to 'dynamite' rolls we're often used to, except that Wham Burger's pepper popper are more bite-sized but still loaded with all the cheesy goodness. I loved it! It isn't that spicy to begin with although it's made of green pepper crusted into some fried batter (it actually looked like chicken nuggets). But it is a gem that one will surely find interesting. If spicy isn't your thing, there are huge potato wedges or onion strings you might want to try. 

This is how the Pepper Popper looks like. 

But when you take a bite, that's where the green pepper is seen with oozing mozzarella cheese inside.

The Spaghetti Fries that kids and kids-at-heart will surely love. 

Potato wedges are crisp and perfectly done.

The interiors of Wham Burgers are just as much as an eye candy too, inspired by Comics Magazines. Swashes of bright yellow, red and blue. Plus illustrations of other comic-related visuals are present at Wham Burger shops. But we don't need a mural to tell us that, the fantastic food that was served on our table should be just enough. 

Wham Burger has a branch in SM Mall of Asia, SM North Edsa, Katipunan Avenue. 

Win Awesome Prizes from Oreo!

Oreo ready to have fun? I bet you all are especially since summer is officially here. But before you guys head off for the beach, let me share with you one awesome event I recently went to. Our all-time favorite cookie, OREO, organized an event to launch their Better Together Campaign. The said campaign answers the question why we all love Oreo and why does it taste better than other brands? Well, what do you know, we finally had the answer: because only OREO gives us the BEST COOKIE AND CREAMIEST CREME altogether in one superb cookie treat! 

Also launched during the event held at the SM Megamall Events Center was the Oreo Get Dunked app on Facebook. It is a contest open to all OREO loyal fans who'd like to score amazing loots--up for grabs are an Xbox 360 Kinect and 40" Samsung LED Smart TV along with huge but oh-so-cool Oreo Giant Cookie and Milk couch set! Aren't that COOL? Joining is easy peasy. Just like their Facebook page and register on the app, buy Oreo Vanilla nine-pack or Oreo Chocolate creme pack which had promo codes--and voila! It gives you instant points right away which you can use to play with the app. The more points you get, the better your chances of winning the top prizes! The number one on the leaderboard wins the prize of the week. 

Mondelez Philippines Senior Manager Anna Sapitan says of the promo and Oreo's Better Together Campaign, "Filipinos are naturally joyful, we value experiencing that joy together with friends and family. Oreo is a brand the we've grown to love and trust through all these years and we'd love to continue this legacy."

To find out more about Oreo's latest campaign and for the full mechanics of the Oreo Better Together Promo, visit their facebook page at www.facebook.com/oreogetdunked.

Happy Cream Puff: Healthy Desserts + Cafe--A Treat for those with Sweet Tooth and Coffee Enthusiasts

The next time you find yourself in Shangri-La Plaza Mall, head to its 5th level in the new East Wing. Here, you'll find a really cool place where you can check out incredible varieties of cream puff creations + awesome coffee drinks too! The store's name--HAPPY CREAM PUFF--perfectly match the feeling you'll get once you've tasted their custard based cream puffs. I'm no fan of anything sweet but this one is something I could vouch for. 

Established in 2006, Happy Cream Puff is an original concept store owned by couples Japanese businessman Haruo Yamagishi and his Filipina wife Maricel. Both are very hands-on with their business. Happy Cream Puff's first outlet opened its doors in Makati and many have already become loyal customers. So from a humble kiosk in Makati, they were able to open a bigger branch on the 5th level of Shangri-La Plaza Mall's East Wing expansion in February 2014. A lifestyle resto-cafe, Happy Cream Puff offers a wide variety of cream puff and other desserts as well as sandwiches and coffee. At this cozy shop, perfection is king. The Japanese are known to have a keen eye for detail, people always seek perfection. "Our clients know our products are different. We use only natural ingredients and we avoid all kinds of preservatives," says Mytch Alipio, Happy Cream Puff Manager. The claims are evident in their lineup of freshly baked breads, cakes, croquembouche, namachoux, puffs and other Japanese-French inspired sweets. Their croquembouche (pronounced as "kroh-kuhm-boosh") which literally meant "crunch in the mouth" is a must try--made of custard-filled cream puffs and stacked in a tall pyramid shape. It's an ideal present and a pretty good alternative to cakes. Best served at celebrations such as weddings, debut, birthdays and other special occasions. Their Namachoux (nama-shoo) is delicately soft and moist, while their Banana Nama Eclair is a scene-stealer. 

So what makes Happy Cream Puff a great place to visit? I personally enjoyed all the petit cream puff especially the caramelized one. Each small, crisp, hollow round of choux pastry is filled with honest-to-goodness custard cream, freshly piped upon order and then topped with a thick coating of caramelized sugar or if caramel aren't your thing, there are 28 other different toppings for you to choose from: Matcha Cashew Green Tea, Blueberry, Sliced Almond Choco, Rainbow Sprinkles, Dark and Strawberry, Caramel Choco, Chocolate Chips, Coconut Choco, Sliced Almond Caramel, and Rum Raisin are just a few examples. It's actually difficult to choose the toppings because you're tempted to try them all at the same time! 

If you think Happy Cream Puff's tad too sweet for your tooth, then you're in for a surprise. I don't have a sweet tooth neither am I a chocoholic, but I just couldn't resist these heavenly cream puffs. They've got just the right amount of sweets and they go well with an order of Happy Cream Puff's specialty drinks: for hot coffee enthusiasts, you'll never go wrong with hand drip coffee, cafe au lait, espresso, matcha latte, caramel macciato. For cold beverages, there's Happy Cream Puff signature blended iced tea, milk tea, banana, mango, or strawberry shake, caramel bean frappe or chocolate frappe. 

I brought home a box of Happy Cream Puff's petit puffs (a box of 14). It tasted sooo good and sooo addicting that I didn't realize I almost ate the entire box in one sitting. Yes, that was how good it was. But a box of petit puff is basically meant for sharing. Each little piece of heaven gives an emphasis on the hard work that the Happy Cream Puff team had been doing--from its own unique taste and the flavors to the freshly piped cream inside them. The attention to detail placed on their product. 

A trip to Happy Cream Puff is like a treasure hunt, with a treasure trove of kawaii delicacies and oishi puffs waiting to be discovered. Choose from any of their authentic pastries for a taste of Japanese perfection. 

Happy Cream Puff Delivers for a minimum of P500 + P50 fixed charged delivery via 956-3147 for Ortigas, Pasig, Mandaluyong and selected areas only. 

Happy Cream Puff is located at the 5th level of Shangri-La Plaza Mall, East Wing, Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City

Special thanks to Ms. Leony Garcia and Ms. Mytch Alipio.

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