Friday, August 26, 2011

Marks and Spencer's Dutch Shortcake

Product: Dutch Shortcake
Where to buy: Marks and Spencer
Price: 155.00PHP


According to Becky Kho of Yummy magazine, she eats dutch shortcake on the plane when she travels. So I decided to try it.


It is neatly packaged.


It is in a white box, but it is not sealed.


It includes 9 pieces of cookies.


Just the other half of the cookie has chocolate.


I love the shape and presentation of the cookie. However, i didn't like it that much. Yes, it's soft and crunchy, but i can't actually get the taste. It's not too sweet, i can't really tell what the taste is. And the chocolate is not that sweet. It's not chocolate-y. I expected too much from this. So overall, this is a MISS. But i'm willing to try other products from them. Next to my list are their pasta sauces.


I would also love to avail of their loyalty card.

Purple Kwek-Kwek


I believe that if I want to be a nutritionist, I should be more adventurous when it comes to food. So one fine day,I was craving for kwek-kwek or quail eggs. Instead of buying outside, why not make one? Since we don't have quail eggs at home, I used a medium sized chicken egg. All you need is some flour, water, salt, pepper, and food coloring. Since the only food coloring available in our house is purple, that's the one I used. And purple is my favorite color!


Here is the purple kwek-kwek with sauce.


A closer look. Sorry if it looks burnt. I just don't want the batter to be uncooked.


It's crispy in all fairness.


Another angle.


Sauce. I used calamansi, ketchup and soysauce.


For food lovers, don't be afraid to try new things or reinvent old foods. Always experiment!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Cupcakes By Sonja

Restaurant: Cupcakes by Sonja
Location: Serendra
Price: For cupcakes. 55.00 to 100.00PHP


I am a huge fan of cupcakes. Especially of cupcakes that are well made and worth your money. That's why i decided to try cupcakes by sonja. It has only one branch and it can be found on Serendra.




Sonja. Pronounced as SON-JA not SON-YA, is now making a name in the cupcake industry. I read about her and seen her in events whom she catered. 


This cupcake is called RED VELVET VIXEN. a red velvet cupcake topped with cream cheese frosting. It costs 70.00PHP.


I have read several reviews about this cupcake. And those who have tasted this have only kinds words to say about this cupcake.


The cupcake is moist and it is very tasty. The texture is creamy and the frosting is not overpowering. It's not too sweet, just right. I love cream cheese! But to make the cream cheese sweeter, it needs to be mixed with confectioner's sugar. By far, this is one of the most delicious cupcakes i have ever tasted. I could eat this over and over again.


This one is called VANILLA SUNSHINE. Vanilla cupcake topped with buttercream frosting.


The vanilla cupcake stays true to its name. It tastes like the real thing. It can be eaten alone, even without the frosting. That's how delicious it is. It's so moist, soft and delectable. It's not dry.


And the frosting. The frosting may vary in color, but what a coincidence! It's color purple, my favorite color! Well, the buttercream frosting is too sweet, but a cupcake is a sweet dessert/pastry right? The buttercream frosting really goes well with the cupcake. It compliments the cupcake really well. They taste perfectly together. 

All in all, Sonja's Cupcakes are a HIT! It's a bit too pricey, but considering the location of her store, might as well expect the price to be steep. But hey, your money will be all worth it. I believe that she used the finest ingredients. I have never seen a cupcake this simple, but looks can be deceiving right? It's packed with flavor.  And the frosting, you won't be disappointed with theirs. Truly, a love at first bite.

Product: Twist Strawberry Flavored Milk Spread
Where to buy: Landmark Supermarket
Price: 100.00PHP


I know what you're thinking. But don't get me wrong, nothing can ever compare to Nutella, but as a food blogger, you need to try out new things. They might be worth it. Just like this.


See how cute it looks? Try to picture this. Have you tried Starbucks' Strawberries and Cream Frappucino? It tastes just like that. Without the hint of sourness from the strawberries. This is not too sweet, just right. And like nutella, you can eat this as it is. But you can also put this as a spread on breads and biscuits. It smells so sweet and delicious. The milk chocolate is perfect to go with strawberries and cream. It's so creamy and it doesn't taste like artificial strawberries, the kind that taste like medicine. This is definitely a HIT! Too expensive for a spread. But hey, it's a good alternative for nutella, and for those people like me who doesn't like peanut butter on their bread.

Mint Cremes

Product: Belmont's Chocolate Mint Cremes
Where to buy: Australia



This is another biscuit from Australia and yet again, i think that this is not available in our country.


According to the package, it contains real dark chocolate and peppermint oil.


12 pieces of biscuits.


This biscuit is covered with dark chocolate.


I am not really a fan of mints. But i gave this a try.


Chocolate biscuits with mint and covered with dark chocolate.


A closer look. Although i am not a fan of mints, this made me change my mind! This is a HIT! i love the combination of dark chocolate and peppermint! Peppermint goes well with coffee too. This biscuit cleanses the palette. It's so refreshing! I like the slight bitterness of the dark chocolate, the crunch of the biscuit, and the kick of peppermint. This biscuit, really goes well with hot coffee. I love having this for dessert. It takes away your "umay" feeling.

Honeycomb Crunch

Product: Woolworth's Select HoneyComb Crunch
Where to buy: Australia


This biscuit is not available locally i think, it's from Australia. 


Honeycomb Crunch Biscuit is the name of the product. The packaging is very informative because it tells you how many grams of saturated fat, sugar, sodium and calories are there.


It contains 12 pieces of biscuits.


The biscuit is covered with milk chocolate.


And it is topped with yellow squiggles.


The yellow part is actually the honeycomb flavored biscuit. The white part is the cream.


A closer look.

This biscuit is definitely a HIT! This is my first time to taste this since this is not available in our country. IT'S VERY DELICIOUS! First bite, and i fell in love with it.  It's crunchy and not too sweet. It's very addicting. The milk chocolate goes well with the biscuit. You know the texture of a honeycomb? It's crunchy and it melts in your mouth. I wish that it would be available locally, so that i can buy loads of it!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Pork And Shrimp Siomai

Tried this recipe from Yummy Magazine August Issue courtesy of my husband! 4 more issues and my yummy 2011 edition is complete!



As you can see, i made three different designs! The ingredients are, wanton/molo/siomai/gyoza wrapper, shrimp and pork meat, salt, pepper, soy sauce, carrots, cabbage, onions. That's it! And then you steam it for about 30 minutes.


Gyoza and Open Face Siomai Style


Wanton Style

It tuned out quite good. We had a lot of left over mixture and wrappers, so we made another batch and made wanton soup!


Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Boo's Recipe

Shop: Boo's Recipe
Location: Quezon City ( Home Based)

Rose Ann Buscar, or "bubu" as she is fondly called by her friends is my husband's cousin's girlfriend. I first met her on facebook, and then later on, i personally met her at one of sta.ana's gatherings. She is actually a registered nurse, but she still manages to bake for her customers. I think her business actually started because of her love of baking. Later on, she took baking classes and even widened her product offerings. I was lucky to taste her famous "blueberry cheesecake" when i ordered a customized 8 inch cake for my father's birthday. Because i got good results, i trusted her to make floral cupcakes for me as a souvenir for my daughter's christening. She didn't disappoint me. Her cupcakes actually got good feedbacks.


These are the cupcakes that she made for me. I added the ribbons.She took care of the packaging. The cupcake was delicious! It has nuts and it has a creamy texture. The icing was not too sweet, just right. I do not have a picture of the 8 inch cheesecake that she made for me. 

This are Boo's Recipes products:






Her new addition: Chocolate Cheesecake


For prices you can contact her through her facebook account: http://www.facebook.com/rbuscar
or through Boo's Recipe's fan page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boos-Recipe/142281545820268


North Park

Restaurant: North Park
Location: Trinoma 


If you're a fan of noodles, i would recommend that you go to North Park. You will not be disappointed.


Their menu also serves as the placemat for the plates and utensils.


Appetizer: Jelly Fish Salad with Century Eggs. THIS ONE I REALLY LOVE! I love the silky texture of the jellyfish and how the black sesame seeds add some crunch. The century eggs are to die for i can eat it everyday. I love the slight bitter after taste that it gets. They really compliment each other, just like bread and butter.


I am really a fan of noodles. And i always order Wanton and Beef Noodles. This is the Nanking Beef and Wanton Noodles. There's a bigger version. I went for regular since i'll be the only one who'll eat it. Just the smell of it makes me want to devour it in a second. I chose hongkong noodles. You can go for rice noodles or wheat noodles. The nanking beef is very tender that it fall out once you take a bite of it. It's very tasty and it is mildly sweet. The wantons are so soft and delicate, and it goes very well with their chili sauce. 


Lapu-Lapu Fish Fillet with Sweet and Sour Sauce.  The lapu-lapu fish fillet is very delicious! I am a fan of everything sweet and sour. The fish is very tender and it is cooked properly. It has a little bit of crunch. This is definitely a must try from North Park!


Boneless Chicken in Honey Lemon Sauce. I have tried Flavour's of China's Lemon Chicken and i loved it. But North Park's version is a bit too lemony for me. Too sour. Tastes like lemon without honey. And the chicken is a bit undercooked i think.

North Park, definitely a HIT! Although the service is not so good and you have to wait a little for your orders, their dishes are definitely worth your money. Do try their other menu offerings and you will surely not leave without a smile on your face and your tummy.