Making memorable snacking moments with Lemon Square

Remember simpler times when you were younger – spending sunny afternoons with your friends sharing yummy snacks lovingly prepared by your mom?

Playing outside may not be advisable nowadays, but you can still create memorable snacking moments with your kids and Lemon Square.

Lemon Square

Lemon Square

For thirty-five years, Lemon Square has been a part of every Filipino household, serving up real goodness through affordable and nutritious snack cakes. Its flagship brand – Lemon Square Cheesecake – has carved its place in every millennial’s childhood as the ultimate comfort merienda that is both tasty and filling.

Lemon Square

Lemon Square

Mothers also love Lemon Square products for its affordability, accessibility, and nutritional value.

Lemon Square

Lemon Square

Lemon Square also makes snacking more exciting with its family of brands that cater to every personality and quirk in the family:

  • Lemon Square Cheesecake: the classic favorite that is siksik with the real goodness of fresh eggs and milk
  • Lemon Square Whatta Tops: whatta cake, whatta topping, whatta filling! Make snacking more exciting with its moist cake, exciting toppings and creamy filling
  • Lemon Square Lava Cake: a moist, cream-filled snack bar made with real chocolate and oozing with home-baked quality goodness
  • Lemon Square Whatta Flakes: light and crisp crackers with a kakaibang feel in the mouth and kakaibang flavors
  • Lemon Square Cookie Bites: light, crispy, bite-sized, melt-in-your mouth cookies bursting with Lemon Square’s classic flavors: Cheesecake and Chocolate, it will make your quirky kids jump around in joy

So stay home and let Lemon Square be your family’s perfect snacking companion.

Lemon Square

Experience Real Goodness, Always.

Feast on Father’s Day at home ala Chef Jessie

Celebrate Father’s Day at home with Chef Jessie’s uniquely delicious offerings.

Have an appetizer of Smoked Salmon Caviar Pie with Croutons and follow it up with Caesar Salad in the Classic Way. Soup choices are Creamy Shrimp Bisque, Cream of Fresh Mushroom, Cream of Carrot and Pumpkin and Seafood and Corn Chowder.

Chef Jessie Father’s Day

Every Dad would love a Grilled Prime Black Angus Beef Tenderloin or Grilled Prime Black Angus Rib Eye with a choice of sauces like Béarnaise, Bordelaise, Bourguignon, Wild Mushroom, Goose Liver and Creamy Pepper. Other meat dishes include US Black Angus Beef Tenderloin Tips Salpicao, US Beef Cheeks and Mushroom Ragout and Iberian Chestnut Pork Barbeque.

Chef Jessie Father’s Day

Chef Jessie Father’s Day

Chef Jessie Father’s Day

Seafood lovers can order Grilled Chilean Sea Bass in Mariner Sauce, Baked Chilean Sea Bass in Miso Sauce, Grilled Salmon in Berlinoise Sauce, Grilled Tiger Prawns in Lemon Butter Sauce.

Chef Jessie Father’s Day

Also on the menu are Grilled Duck à L’orange and Chicken Cordon Bleu with Homemade Potato Chips.

Enjoy the meal with a bottle of Menhir Salento Numero Zero Negroamaro (N°0), Pope Francis’ favorite wine. The rosato is of a ruby hue with purple highlights with a bouquet of strawberry, blackberry and raspberry with a taste that is fresh, vinous and slightly astringent.

If you want something light, there are pastas like A La Jessie, A la Créme with Truffle, Pomodoro with Seafood, Bolognese, Carbonara or Putanesca. Choose from Spaghetti, Linguine or Penne. Another popular menu item is Wild Rice Vegetable Risotto.

Chef Jessie Father’s Day

Sandwiches to go with the pastas can be Club Classic, Grilled Ham and Cheese, Smoked Salmon and Trio Pandesal with Chicken Adobo, Corned Beef and Sardines.

Whole cakes will satisfy the whole family’s sweet tooth with the mango sponge cake classic My Tita’s Special Treat, the buttercream, meringue and pistachio layered Princess Carmen, Chef Jessie’s Baked Cheesecake with Cherry, Blueberry and Mango Toppings, Chocolate Gateau ala Teddy and Sugar Free Decadence Cake. End the meal with Chef Jessie’s Premium Roast Coffee.

Chef Jessie Father’s Day

Chef Jessie Father’s Day

Chef Jessie Father’s Day

Chef Jessie can prepare your favorites even if they are not on the menu as long as the ingredients are available.

To order, text or call ‪+63 917 8967880‬, ‪+63 917 8330797‬ and ‪+63 977 0976649‬ or email chefjessiesplace@chefjessie.com. Chef Jessie’s Place is at ‪1997 Pililia St.‬ corner Obrero and Tanay Streets, Makati and is open everyday for pick up and delivery ‪from 9am to 4pm‬.

Details and images provided by Chef Jessie in a recent press release.

Sweets to the sweet from Inang Charing

Everyone who knows me is probably already familiar with my sweet tooth.

I’ve always had a strong affinity for desserts: cakes, cookies and creams. My belief is that there’s always room for dessert. In fact, the dessert at the end is what I usually look forward during meal time.

And the sweet treats from Inang Charing’s are definitely worth the anticipation.

Former BPO employee Mylene Capili had a love for sweets and a skill for baking. Dreaming of having her own cafe someday, she studied Hotel and Restaurant Management in college.

When she was gifted with an oven, her passion for baking was rekindled.

Her first foray into the baking business began in 2013 under the name Dress Up Brownies, with her lucky BPO coworkers as her first customers. They were the first to get a taste her revel bars and brownies. In a burst of inspiration, Mylene and her partner offered dressed-up brownies, bars custom-decorated similar to cupcakes according to their customers’ request.

Her drive for both her job and her side business was challenged a year later when her grandmother, who raised her and her siblings, passed away. She resigned from her job to focus on Dress Up Brownies but her grief over her grandmother’s passing contributed to her business going on hiatus for two years.

A big order for her mini chocolate chip cookies for her sister’s high school reunion in 2018 spurred her to revive her business.

Wanting to pay tribute to her beloved grandmother, she rebranded her business, adopting the name her grandmother was called by neighbors when she was growing up: Inang Charing.

Thus, Inang Charing’s Cakes and Pastries came into being.

With her grandmother serving as her inspiration, she was motivated to create more baked goods for people to love.

Today, she operates Inang Charing’s Cakes and Pastries with her partner, Bem, who oversees sales, marketing and procurement of ingredients, while she handles the baking and pricing of the finished products.

They expanded their product line from brownies, revel bars and custom pastries to include cookies, cakes and cheesecakes, some of which I was able to sample.

Inang Charing

Inang Charing

The Triple-Flavored Cheesecake (Php785) presents three mouth-watering toppings on a three-inch tall cheesecake. The cheesecake itself is rich and compact, mildly sweet with a smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Its toppings of Mango, Blueberry and Nutella add different dimensions to the dessert. Also available are single-flavor (Php735) and double-flavor (Php755) variants.

Inang Charing

Inang Charing

The Chocolate Truffle Liquor Cake (Php265), on the other hand, is a decadent 5-inch diameter confection of layers upon layers of chocolate goodness. A moist chocolate cake flavored with chocolate liquor serves as the base layer covered by a thick and creamy ganache and a generous sprinkling with cocoa powder.

Inang Charing

Inang Charing

Lastly, the Salted White Chocolate Almond Cookies (Php50/pc) are delightful treats with complex flavors and textures owing to the white chocolate chips and toasted almonds scattered on top of moist and chewy cookies.

Inang Charing

Inang Charing

So if you’re looking for a showstopping cake for your party or just want to stock up on desserts to give your meals a wonderful ending, check out Inang Charing’s Cakes and Pastries.

Many thanks to Mylene for these scrumptious sweets.

To get your hands on these and more from Inang Charing’s, course your orders through its Facebook page or Instagram account with a three-day lead time and pay via BPI bank deposit a day before the delivery.

Disclosure: Product samples were provided to enable an honest review.

Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:

Jack’s Lemonade, Ayala Malls Feliz

I’ve been a been a believer in the health benefits of fresh lemonade for quite some time now.

However, I also used to think that it’s a one-dimensional drink: just lemon juice plus water and sugar… the end. It may be healthy but it’s, well, meh.

My eyes were opened to the drink’s myriad of possibilities when I was introduced to Jack’s Fresh Lemonade earlier this year.

Jack’s Lemonade, Ayala Feliz

During a foodie meetup at its kiosk in UP Town Center, my fellow foodie friends and I discovered many ways to enjoy lemonade. In fact, Jack’s Fresh Lemonade has thirty lemonade variants to choose from! Whether mixed with teas, herbs or fruits or made into a dessert, Jack’s Lemonade proved to be quite a versatile drink.

Jack’s Lemonade, Ayala Feliz

Aside from its homecooked sugar syrup, what sets Jack’s Lemonade apart from other lemonade iterations is the use of plum salt or kiamoy. It’s a salty dried plum in powdered form which adds another dimension of taste to the lemonade drinks. It’s readily available at the counter and can be sprinkled on any Jack’s Lemonade drink for free.

Recently, I attended another Jack’s Fresh Lemonade foodie meetup, this time at Food Choices in Ayala Malls Feliz.

Jack’s Lemonade, Ayala Feliz

There, along with my fellow foodies, I again had a taste of Jack’s Lemonade’s refreshingly tasty and zesty variants which included:

Basil Rich Tamarind (Php95 for regular | Php115 for large or hot). This lemonade incorporates a healthy blend of fresh tamarind puree and basil seeds.

Jack’s Lemonade, Ayala Feliz

Jack’s Lemonade, Ayala Feliz

Strawberry Mint (Php95 for regular | Php115 for large or hot). This lemonade combines the fruity sweetness of pureed strawberries and the cool freshness of mint leaves.

Jack’s Lemonade, Ayala Feliz

Jack’s Lemonade, Ayala Feliz

Lemon Cheesecake (Php95 for regular | Php115 for large or hot). If you ever wondered if lemonade can be turned into a dessert, well this drink is for you! This drink combines lemonade with powdered milk, condensed milk and grated cheddar cheese and a generous sprinkling of plum salt.

Jack’s Lemonade, Ayala Feliz

Jack’s Lemonade, Ayala Feliz

Strawberry Cheesecake with Poppers and Yogurt (Php150). One of the store’s newest drinks, it adds fresh strawberry puree and yogurt to the Lemon Cheesecake drink.

Jack’s Lemonade, Ayala Feliz

Jack’s Lemonade, Ayala Feliz

So if you want to experience lemonade in a variety of fresh ways, all you have to do is drop by your nearest Jack’s Fresh Lemonade kiosk!

Many thanks to Abby of Jack’s Fresh Lemonade for the drinks and to Apol of SaanSaPH for extending the invitation!

Jack’s Lemonade, Ayala Feliz

Jack’s Lemonade, Ayala Feliz

Wanna know how fresh lemonade is good for you? Well, this beverage helps in controlling blood pressure; detoxifying and cleansing the body; facilitating digestion, throat care, heart health and skin care; relieving heartburn; whitening teeth and treating arthritis and rheumatism.

This Jack’s Fresh Lemonade kiosk is located at Food Choices, Fourth Floor, Ayala Malls Feliz, Barangay Dela Paz, Pasig City.

Other kiosks in Metro Manila are located at:

  • Fifth Floor, Bridgeway, SM Megamall, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
  • Lower Ground Level, Shangri-la Plaza, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City
  • Second Floor, Market! Market! Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
  • Cinema Area, Third Floor, Phase 2, UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
  • Upper Ground Floor, Trinoma Mall, Barangay Bagong Pagasa, Quezon City
  • Third Floor, Glorietta 2, Ayala Center, Makati City

Jack's Lemonade Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Disclosure: Together with fellow food bloggers, I attended a foodie meetup held here. The drinks mentioned here were served to enable us to sample the fare and to facilitate honest reviews and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my previous blog posts on other lemonade kiosks:

Bingsu treat at Hobing Korean Dessert, BGC Stopover

Bingsu treats have grown in popularity in the metro, especially now with the searing summer heat.  Bingsu is a Korean dessert characterized by shaved ice sweetened with condensed milk and topped with fresh fruits, yogurt, ice cream and bits of yummy baked goods.

While the fam is exploring options for lunch in Bonifacio Global City during a particularly hot summer day, we came across this branch of Hobing Korean Dessert and couldn’t resist having our dessert here.  After eating our lunch at nearby Tenya Tempura Tendon, and, eager for something cool and sweet to counter the hot and humid weather, we proceeded Hobing.

Despite being billed as the Korean halo-halo, bingsu is best enjoyed when the shaved ice and toppings are not all mixed together.  This allows you to enjoy the varying textures and flavors that went into the bingsu.

We ordered a large serving of Mango Cheese Bingsu (Php320), thinking that a regular serving will not satisfy all of us.  What we got was a delectable and prettily presented confection: finely shaved ice  flavored with mango syrup, surrounded by huge cubes of ripe mango and topped with rich New York Cheesecake bits, vanilla ice cream and slices of roasted almonds.

We are definitely eager to try Hobing’s other bingsu offerings soon.

This branch of Hobing Korean Dessert is located at the 3rd Floor of BGC Stopover Pavilion, Rizal Drive cor 31st Street, Bonifacio Global City. Other branches of Hobing Korean Dessert are located at:

  • Lucky Chinatown Mall in Binondo
  • SM Megamall in Mandaluyong
  • Glorietta 4 in Makati
  • Jupiter Street in Makati
  • Eastwood City Walk in Quezon City
  • SM Aura Premier in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
  • Ayala Malls the 30th in Ortigas Center, Pasig
  • SM North in Quezon City
  • Banawe Lifestyle Center in Quezon City
  • SM City Marikina in Marikina City
  • U.P Town Center in Quezon City
  • SM San Lazaro in Manila
  • Ayala Fairview Terrace, Fairview Quezon City

Check out my rundown of bingsu treats in the metro.

Hobing Korean Dessert Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Recipe: Frozen Mocha Cheesecake

My mom discovered the recipe for Frozen Mocha Cheesecake several decades ago and it has become a family favorite. We whip it up every year, particularly during special occasions and clan get-togethers. I decided to make it in time for our New Year’s Eve celebration tonight.

The original recipe is closer to this, but over the years, we have changed some ingredients depending on what is easily available or cheaper to buy.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

  • 30 pcs Hi-Ro chocolate biscuits, crushed (remove white filling prior to pounding with mortar and pestle) (Note: You can buy pre-crushed chocolate biscuits in some baking supply stores but these are usually available per kilo.)
  • 1 100g stick Dari Creme butter, softened
  • 2 tbsp white sugar

For the filling:

  • 2 225g packs Magnolia Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1 300ml can Alaska sweetened condensed milk
  • 2/3 cup Clara Ole chocolate syrup
  • 1 tbsp Blend 45 instant coffee dissolved in 1 tsp hot water
  • 1 250ml Alaska Crema All Purpose Cream (you can use whipping cream as a more indulgent – or expensive – alternative)

Procedure:

  • Combine all crust ingredients and press into the bottom of a 9-in spring form pan. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in condensed milk, chocolate syrup and dissolved coffee.
  • In another bowl, whip all purpose cream until fluffy. Fold into the cream cheese mixture until evenly distributed.
  • Pour the mixture into the crust. Sprinkle some crushed chocolate biscuits on top as garnish.
  • Put into the freezer for 6 hours until set.

Enjoy!