after hours bar – Jellybeans in the City

The Jelly List: Father’s Day gift ideas for your foodie dad

They say a dad is a son’s first hero and a daughter’s first love.

There’s no doubt that our fathers play a very important role in our lives. With Father’s Day coming in a few days, it’s time to think about what to give our dads as little tokens of our love and appreciation for all they have done and continue to do for us.

This task is even easier if our dads have a great love and regard for good food. Luckily, we have an abundance of great food choices that can be delivered straight to Dad’s doorstep to delight him come Father’s Day.

Let me share with you my top picks:

Pampanga’s Famous Cheesebread from LBS Bakeshop

If Daddy ever tasted Pampanga’s famous cheese bread, I’ll bet that he will be craving for more. As luck would have it, this delicacy is now easily available in the metro. At just Php299 for a box of thirty pieces of cheese bread, he can eat his fill of this yummy pastry from Pampanga’s LBS Bakeshop.

To order, just send a message through Facebook or Viber +63 999 8233340.

More on Pampanga’s Cheesebread here.

Sous Vide Steak from The Manila Hotel

If Dad is a certified carnivore, he will love the Sous Vide Steaks from The Manila Hotel. “Sous vide” – or “under vacuum” in French – refers to the process of vacuum-sealing food in a bag then cooking it in a very precise temperature in a water bath. Cooking steaks sous vide results in a tender and juicy meat, evenly cooked from edge to edge. Daddy will surely delight in the premium cuts of imported meats, prepared by The Manila Hotel’s expert chefs.

Pre-order now to get 20% off on a minimum food bill of Php2,500 for pickup or delivery on Father’s Day by calling +63 2 85270011 or sending an SMS/Viber at +63 998 9501912.

More on The Manila Hotel here.

Choco Lovin Ice Cream Cake from Papa Diddi’s

Give Daddy a break from the heat with the all-new Choco Lovin ice cream cake from Papa Diddi’s. Made with Batangas tablea punctuated with choco chips, matched with chocolate cake, giving Daddy a rich dark chocolate experience.

Course your order through Papa Diddi’s Facebook and Instagram accounts or have it delivered via FoodPanda.

More on Papa Diddi’s here.

Tableya Filipina from Theo & Brom

If Daddy is a hard-core chocolate fan, gift him with a bag of Tableya Filipina. Made as an homage to the country’s traditional tablea tsokolate, it can be made into a rich hot chocolate for his morning drink or added to baked goods to get that rich chocolate flavor.

Order your Theo & Brom’s Tableya Filipina here.

Jams from The Fruit Garden

Speaking of Daddy’s morning chocolate drink, how about the rest of his agahan? Sweeten his pan de sal with some fruity jams from The Fruit Garden. These artisanal jams are cooked in small batches using copper cauldrons to bring about a burst of fruity flavors.

Order your jars of The Fruit Garden’s jams at SpeedRegalo.

Ube Pandan Premium Flantasy Cake from What’s Your Flan

This creamy cake flan combines the flavor of ube (purple yam) with the appetizing aroma of pandan. If my Hubby’s reaction to this dessert is any indication, it’s sure to be a hit with Dad!

Order your Ube Pandan Premium Flantasy Cake from What’s Your Flan?’s Facebook or Instagram account or call +63 916 497 8876.

More on What’s Your Flan here.

Bottled Cocktails from After Hours Bar

Celebrate the weekend with Dad by gifting After Hours Bar’s Gin Basil Smash cocktail in a bottle. Minors and non-tipplers in the family can join in the fun with After Hours Bar’s refreshing Handcrafted Iced Tea.

Order your After Hours Bar bottled cocktails here.

More on After Hours Bar here.

So check out these yummy gift ideas for your foodie dad and show him how much you love him this Father’s Day!

Check out my other adventures compiled into Jelly Lists:

Header photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com

Photos for Sous Vide Steak, Choco Lovin and Tableya Filipina provided by The Manila Hotel, Papa Diddi’s and Theo & Brom, respectively.

This post contains affiliate links.

Bar chows and chill drinks at After Hours, Tomas Morato

After hours is that precious time when the day’s work is done and we can finally sit back to relax and spend time with friends.

After Hours is also the name of a newly opened bar in foodie haven Tomas Morato. This is where my foodie friends and I, shortly before the Covid-19 and the ECQ came down upon all of us, were able to enjoy a few hours chillin’ in each other’s company while discovering all the fun to be had after hours.

1) The buzzy welcoming vibe

You would think that Tomas Morato would already have its fill of concept bars but there’s definitely room for more, especially this one.

With its ample parking space, trendy decor, comfy furnishings, a playlist made up of 80s and 90s hits (which my friends and I sang along with!), excellent chows and a well-stocked bar, After Hours is a haven for those looking for some well-deserved R ‘n R.

2) Chill drinks

According to co-owner Rey Trillana, the focus of After Hours are on cocktails, whiskey and a bit of wine, drinks to chill with after work. Each cocktail is handcrafted (no pre-mixes). For whiskey connoisseurs, the bar also boasts of a well-curated whisky collection. Guests even have the option of getting the bartender to craft something Out of the Blue, based on their favorite liquor and taste profile.

During our visit, my foodie friends and I were able to sample:

Jack Estate’s Pink Moscato. A fresh and fruity wine from Australia.

Perfect Pear. A fruity non-alcoholic mocktail for lightweights like me.

Smoked Old Fashioned. The classic mix of bourbon, simple syrup and Angostura bitters, served with a bit of smoke and flair.

Red Sangria Spritzer. Handcrafted sangria made with wine, brandy, mixed berries, chamomile honey, calamansi and soda.

After Six. Gin mixed with elderflower liquor, lavender syrup, egg white and lemon juice.

Punch Drunk Love. After Hours’ signature cocktail made with spiced rum, chai pandan syrup, lemon and pineapple juice, Angostura bitters and clarified milk, served with a dehydrated pineapple.

3) Tasty bar chows

Of course, we needed some chows to go with those drinks, and After Hours has a very good kitchen going managed by Chef Miggy. He and his crew whipped up some tasty bar chows to complement our drinks, such as:

Beef Salpicao. Tender USDA beef tenderloin sauteed in a garlic butter sauce, definitely a favorite among tipplers and foodies.

Buffalo Style Chicken Poppers. Spicy, salty and slightly sweet bite-sized chicken breasts.

BBQ Beef Pockets. Crispy wonton pockets stuffed with ground beef doused with bourbon BBQ sauce and cheese.

Four Cheese Pizza. Mozzarella, feta, parmigiano reggiano and gorgonzala, all the good stuff on a thin-crust pizza.

All-Meat Pizzadilla. Gooey mozzarella sandwiched in two flour tortillas and topped with pepperoni, sausage, bacon, BBQ sauce and even more cheese.

Pork Binagoongan Pasta. Spaghetti with crispy-fried pork cubes tossed in shrimp paste.

Bacon Mushroom Truffle Pasta. Creamy truffle spaghetti topped with crunchy bacon.

Oh, such a happy time! There were good food, good drinks and good company.

But then, the community quarantine came and, sadly, After Hours had to close its doors for a while.

It seemed like the entire bar industry had been severely affected by the community quarantine.

However, a few weeks ago, I had the pleasant surprise of finding out that it had resumed operations to enable its loyal customers to get that After Hours experience even while at home through Buy One Take One offers on its wines, its signature cocktails by the bottle, as well as a selection of its bar chows, all available for delivery or pickup!

Thanks to Rey Trillana and the rest of the management and staff of After Hours Bar for having us and congratulations for succeasfully pivoting your business to operate in The New Normal.

So until the next time I can visit After Hours again, I can enjoy my after hours at home.

After Hours is located at 125 Don A. Roces Avenue, Barangay Laging Handa, Quezon City. To order its bar chows, wines and cocktails for pick up or delivery, fill up this form, send a message over Instagram or call +63 917 1767383.

Disclosure: Together with other foodies, I attended a foodie meet-up held in this restaurant. All the food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare to facilitate honest reviews and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my reviews of other bars and watering holes in the Metro: