chocnut – Jellybeans in the City

Why not, ChocNut? Check out the limited edition #SMChocNutTuron

What was your favorite time of day back when you were young?

Mine was the late afternoon when I get home from school, I can finally watch cartoons for a while and my meryenda is waiting for me at the table.

One of the highlights of meryenda time is when I have hot freshly fried turon laid out before me. This classic Pinoy sweet snack is made with slices of local sweet plantain bananas – more commonly called saging na saba bananas – and slivers of jackfruit flesh – also known as nangka – encased in lumpia wrappers with brown sugar that crystalizes upon frying.

With these simple ingredients, our genius forebears were able to create an irresistible dessert that has not lost its appeal to generations of Pinoys.

No wonder, then, that its version of the Turon is among the best-selling products at SM stores. Shoppers wanting to munch on something after a bout of retail therapy, or on their way to restock their pantry at the supermarket can easily purchase one or two of these freshly made desserts for just Php25 apiece.

Well, guess what! A new variant of the famed SM Turon is now available and is making some buzz among the metro’s foodies: the limited edition ChocNut Turon.

With each bite, you get the same crunch from the fried lumpia wrapper, sweetness from the banana and the smokey caramelization from the brown sugar, but this time, these flavors are accentuated by the nutty milk chocolate goodness from another childhood favorite, the ChocNut.

Who says you can’t get the best of both worlds, eh?

You can even opt to bring this new meryenda home to enjoy it with your loved ones. Buy one (or two pieces, who’s judgin’?) for each family member, pop them in your oven toaster two to three minutes in medium heat, and voila! You’ve got a delicious treat for the entire family!

You can even pair them with vanilla ice cream for a decadent ChocNut Turon Ala Mode!

Well, nuttin‘ should stop you and your fam from enjoying your SM ChocNut Turon. Grab them at over 100 SM Supermarket, Savemore and Hypermarket outlets nationwide.

For more updates, follow SM Markets on Facebook and Instagram.

Disclosure: Product samples were provided for this feature.

Koomi’s #GuiltlessGoodness now in my neighborhood!

Considering how much my fam loves Koomi’s yogurt drinks, we have been eagerly awaiting the opening of its newest branch at SM City East Ortigas ever since we found out about it.

Koomi is an Australia-based chain which specializes in combinations of natural probiotic drinking yogurt with various fresh and wholesome ingredients to produce yummy and icy drinks that brings its signature #GuiltlessGoodness to yogurt drink lovers in the metro.

When ordering your Koomi, specify whether you want an Aussie blend (more tangy) or a Filipino blend (more milky) yogurt base. You can also choose the level of sweetness you want.

While we didn’t have the chance to visit the store, getting our drinks delivered to us was easy as can be.

We deviated from the flavors we usually order with these drinks we got via FoodPanda:

ChocNut Ka, Biscoff (Php201). I got myself and Aussie blend of this combo of natural drinking yogurt, ChocNut (the Pinoy favorite nutty candy) and Biscoff cookie butter crumbs blended with natural fruit honey.

I’m Berry Blue Without You (Php196). For hubby, an Aussie Blend from of this fruity combo of natural drinking yogurt and blueberries blended with natural fruit honey.

You’re the Berry Best (Php167). My little boy loves him some strawbs so I got him a Filipino blend this mixture of natural drinking yogurt and strawberries blended with natural fruit honey.

Koomi Be My Valentine (Php165). My daughter, in keeping with this season of hearts, opted for an Aussie blend this Valentine-themed combo of natural drinking yogurt, rose petals and strawberries blended with natural fruit honey, available only until February 16.

Waterberry Wonder (Php161). We treated our yaya to a Filipino blend of this mixture of natural drinking yogurt, watermelon and strawberries blended with natural fruit honey.

Well, now we have proven how easy it is to get our Koomi drinks with a branch right in our neighborhood!

This Koomi branch is located at Ground Floor, SM Cit East Ortigas, Ortigas Avenue, Barangay Sta. Lucia, Pasig City.

Other branches are located at:

Pasig: The Podium, Unimart Capitol Commons
Mandaluyong: SM Megamall
Quezon City: Robinsons Magnolia, Eastwood City Mall, SM North EDSA, Robinsons Galleria, Z Square Mall, Ali Mall, Ayala Vertis North, SM Fairview, Timog Avenue, Mezza Residences, Fisher Mall QC, Hemady Square, White Plains, UP Town Center, Maginhawa
Makati: SM Jazz, Glorietta 4, Salcedo Village
Pasay: SM Mall of Asia, Double Dragon Plaza
Manila: SM San Lazaro, SM Manila, Lucky Chinatown
Taguig; SM Aura, Uptown Mall
San Juan: VMall Greenhills
Muntinlupa: Festival Mall
Las Pinas: SM Southmall
Paranaque: SM City Bicutan, BF Homes
Malabon: Fisher Mall Malabon

Check out my other posts about Koomi:

Healthy Thai Milk Tea at Jelly G, UP Town Center

Milk tea has never been more prevalent lately, but did you know that Thai milk tea has been around much longer than the boba milk teas we’ve been craze-ing about?

In fact, Jelly G, a chain of stores specializing in Thai milk tea, has been operating since 2010.

Together with other food bloggers of #SaanSaPH, I was invited to a tea-tasting at the UP Town Center branch of Jelly G. This where owner Jolly dela Pena and her staff showed us all the wondrous variety of deliciously refreshing drinks Thai milk tea can be made into as well as its myriad of health benefits.

Thai milk tea is made from black tea – the tea variant with the boldest and most complex flavor – with added crushed anise seeds and tamarind seeds and sweetened by condensed milk, giving it that distinct and exotic flavor.

At Jelly G, the teas are prepared and steeped in small batches daily, ensuring freshness and full flavor. Grass jelly – a healthier option to the usual black pearls as it is an antioxidant and aids in digestion – are also added on to some of the drinks: hence the name Jelly G.

Thai milk tea is good for you as it helps in delaying aging, improving digestion and fighting infection. So you can bet that aside from treating your taste buds to some delish milky goodness from your Jelly G drinks, you’re also treating the rest of you to some much-needed nutrients.

Check them out:

King Thai Milk Tea (Php75 | Php95). Made with black tea, condensed, evaporated and powdered milk mixed with brown sugar with grass jelly, this is the classic taste of Thai Milk Tea.

Cheesy Thai (Php85 | Php115). Now take the deliciously exotic taste of Thai Milk Tea and add cheddar cheese and rock salt. Imagine milky sweetness and the slight saltiness from the cheese in one heavenly drink.

Pink Sala Fruit Tea (Php75 | Php95). Sala (also known as snake skin fruit) is a type of palm native to Indonesia and cultivated in other Southeast Asian countries like Thailand. The sweet pink-hued juice of the sala is then combined with black tea and brown sugar with a few spoonfuls of popping strawberry balls for added bursts of fruity sweetness.

Queen Green Milk Tea (Php75 | Php95). Jelly G uses jasmine green tea, a tea variant known to help in fighting cancer, heart diseases, diabetes and strokes as well as staving off dementia. In this drink, jasmine tea is combined with condensed, evaporated and powdered milk and brown sugar with chewy black tapioca pearls stirred in.

Oreo Coffee (Php95 | Php125). This time Thai coffee takes center stage. Made with ground arabica beans, Thai coffee is brewed then mixed with condensed milk and crushed Oreo cookies, making this a dessert and drink in one cup!

Choco Chocnut (Php120 | Php160). Chocolate is mixed into tea and that candy mainstay of Pinoy food pop culture Chocnut, made from coconut milk, crushed peanuts and cocoa powder. A sip of this yummy confection brings back so many fond childhood memories.

With this selection of drinks, Jelly G has proved to me and my fellow foodies that Thai milk tea deserves more time in the spotlight.

This Jelly G Thai Milk Tea stall is located at Ground Floor, UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City (in front of National Bookstore).

Another stall can be found at Third Floor, Market! Market!, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.

No time to visit Jelly G’s mall-based stalls? Why not have your Thai milk tea delivered via Grab delivery?

Disclosure: Together with other food bloggers of #SaanSaPH, I was invited to attend a foodie meetup held here wherein in drink items were served to allow us to sample the fare. These were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my reviews of other milk tea joints: