chocolate – Page 3 – Jellybeans in the City

Decadent Chocolate Dream Cake from Sweet Kiss, Tomas Morato

Chocolate Dream Cakes have grown in popularity these last few months.

And no wonder: these cakes are what true-blue chocolate lovers’ dreams are made of. It’s basically layer upon layer of chocolate goodness – from its moist chocolate cake base, to its decadently rich and smooth chocolate fudge topped by a thin shard of chocolate sprinkled with cocoa powder. Plus, it comes in a nifty tin canister which adds to the novelty of experience.

Last week, I chanced upon a Metrodeal offer that offers a 6.5-inch round Chocolate Dream Cake for only Php399 (50% off from its regular price of Php800) from Sweet Kiss. I lost no time in buying a voucher, already envisioning myself sharing this sweet treat with my kiddies who are also chocolate fanatics. (I guess we know where they got that trait from.

Sweet Kiss is a gourmet bakery which is blessedly a short distance from my office. It specializes cakes, pastries and anything sweet, with the goal of making these top-notch baked goods and sweets more accessible and more affordable, despite using the best and freshest ingredients possible. Its offerings are mainly available for pick up from its store but can also be delivered via courier.

I picked up my Chocolate Dream Cake on my way home from work. Fortunately, I called the store two days to reserve my cake and it was ready, chilled and waiting for me when I got to the store.

I was glad to discover that the cake held up well during the hour-long drive home.

My kids were excited to see it and we indulged ourselves with this decadent dessert after our dinner.

The Metrodeal offer is still available. I get the feeling I will be buying another voucher soon.

Sweet Kiss is located at 60-A Scout Limbaga Street, Bgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City.

For inquiries and to reserve your Chocolate Dream Cake, call +63 2 5136600, +63 916 3479958 or +63 928 1431999.

Coco Dolce supports organic farming with its coconut-rich chocolate bars

Coconut and its various derivatives have long been touted for their contributions to the flavors and health benefits of food prepared with them.

My foray into Kultura Filipino’s “Crafts for a Cause” exhibit where I chanced upon the Coco Dolce stall, however, was the first time I heard about using coconut products in chocolate production.

This unusual feature is in line with the tenets that Coco Dolce producer, The Freefood Co., operate by. Its guiding principles include: better health, helping rural areas develop into sustainable communities, and respect for the planet and its resouces.

Its chocolate bars, therefore, are made from a rich blend of fine cacao beans, low-glycemic coconut sap sugar, virgin coconut oil and vanilla. These ingredients were sourced from Mindanao’s organic coconut farming communities and from local growers of indigenous cacao and nuts across the country. The resulting chocolate products are free from GMOs, harmful processing agents and preservatives and other chemicals that may adversely affect one’s health.

Organic coconut sap sugar, in particular, has a low glycemic index level of 35, making Coco Dolce bars suitable for people who need to manage their sugar intake.

The bars are manufactured by chocolate artisans using the traditional conching method. This involves the heating and mixing of the chocolate’s ingredients over long periods of time. The process helps in developing the chocolate’s flavor through frictional heat, release of volatiles and acids, and oxydation.

I bought two of Coco Dolce’s 45g chocolate bar variants: the Milk Chocolate (whole milk powder added to the other ingredients) and the 65% Dark Chocolate.

The bars hold well without refrigeration yet has a smooth texture upon biting. The chocolate flavor is rich, helped by the non-cloying and milder sweetness of the coco sugar.

Over the holidays, I plan to gift some bars to my titos and titas who are trying to control their sugar intake. Because the holiday season is a time to enjoy good food, right?

Aside from SM’s Kultura Filipino outlets, Coco Dolce chocolates may also be purchased online in The Good Store.

Check out my review of another artisanal chocolate –Malagos single origin premium chocolate.

Malagos brings award-winning single origin premium chocolate from Davao

As with most plants, cacao beans, from which chocolate is manufactured, take on the characteristics particular to the region where they were grown and harvested. This is called their terroir.

Cacao beans that have been blended lose their terroir, hence the preference of some chocolatiers for single-origin chocolate products.

Davao-based Malagos Agri-Ventures Corporation, for example, produces the award-winning single origin premium Malagos Chocolate. This product line grew out of the resolve of the Malagos company matriarch, Mama Charita Puentespina, to reinvigorate the Davao’s cacao industry which crashed in the 1980s.

Instead of just exporting cacao beans to serve as raw materials for foreign chocolate manufacturers, Mama Charita drove the company’s cacao growing and post-harvest practices, as well as campaigned to make cacao a priority crop in the region.

Today, Malagos Chocolates is an internationally recognized and awarded brand. It is made from high quality cacao beans, grown in the Malagos farm in the foothills of Davao’s Mount Talomo.

The beans are carefully fermented, sun-dried and roasted in temperature controlled roasters, then ground to a fine texture at par with international chocolate standards. These processes are all done without the product ever leaving Davao, making Malagos Chocolates all natural, single origin and tree-to-bar.

I chanced upon Kultura Filipino’s “Crafts for a Cause” exhibit over the weekend and replenished my chocolate stash from the local brands featured there.

I picked the 65% dark chocolate; being the lowest percentage cacao content among the brand’s offerings, I think this variant offers the best balance between sweet and bitter chocolate flavors.

And apparently, I’m not the only one that thinks so. Malagos Chocolate’s 65% Dark Chocolate has won international awards, particularly in Academy of Chocolate’s Tree-to-Bar category in 2017, and in the World Drinking Chocolate Competition organized by the International Chocolate Awards in 2015.

Fancy a bite of this award-winning, single origin dark chocolate treat? Malagos Chocolates are available at SM Kultura Filipino branches in SM Mall of Asia, SM Makati, SM Megamall, SM AURA, SM North EDSA, Taal Vista and Pico Loro.

For more details, visit malagoschocolate.com.

Long wait is worth it at Coco Fresh Tea & Juice, Ugong

Considering I’ve been such a milk tea fan for several years now, it’s wonder that I’ve only discovered this relatively new milk tea brand just now, and quite by accident at that.

I was scouting the restos and cafes in the Rockwell Business Center area for something new to try when I overheard someone ask the security guard where “Coco” is. When I espied the outlet (situated at the back of Tower 2 so it’s understandable that people would have trouble finding it), and saw the surprisingly long line of customers waiting to order or claim their drinks, my curiosity was picqued. What about Coco Fresh Tea & Juice would engender such a following? I must find out.

It seems that aside from the foot traffic coming in from the workers in the compound, as well as the patients and medical personnel from The Medical City nearby that comprise Coco’s clientele, quite a number of the people lining up and waiting are actually Grab riders who will deliver the drinks to their clients. Kuya Gary, one of the riders, advised me to book my order via GrabFood next time to avoid the lines and waiting. (Yep, will take note of that.)

The store has a small area, probably able to fit twenty or so diners inside at the most. With all the people there, there was hardly space for everyone to sit comfortably while waiting.

Given the amount of transactions within the store, it seems that Coco is a bit undermanned, with just to service crew and a store manager present to facilitate orders.

Storage space seems to be an issue as well, since boxes of supplies are placed in the store area.

After waiting in line for quite a while, I was informed at the cashier that waiting time for my order is 40 minutes.

Say what?!?

Well, since I’ve waited for quite some time already, and I was envisioning bringing some of these drink treats to my kiddies at home, I decided to stick it out and ordered the following which I immediately took home to enjoy with my kids:

A Salty Cream Milk Tea (Php90 for regular size) for me. Himalayan Sea Salt is added to heavy cream and whipped together to a frothy texture then added on top of the milk tea concoction. I would have wanted to taste the difference of the salty cream against the milk tea but I guess the sea salt was used quite sparingly.

A Pearl Milk Tea (Php80 for regular size) for my daughter, #ExhibitA. Being the most basic flavor among milk teas, this drink had to be just right. I agree with #ExhibitA that the balance of sweetness, creaminess and the tea flavor is just right, and the texture of the pearls is on point.

A Coco Chocolate (Php85 for regular) for my little boy. When I tasted this concoction, I found it similar in flavor to regular chocolate drinks and I couldn’t discern the tea flavor. But, hey, my son likes it well enough and that’s what’s important, amirite?

So the answer the mystery earlier on why a relatively new milk tea brand would have such a loyal following seems anchored on two factors:

Commitment to quality. The long wait could have been eliminated if the store was not discriminating in using the freshest fruit and tea ingredients which was actually a company directive since its founding by it chairman Tommy Hung in 1997.
Reasonable pricing. Given the quality of ingredients and the attention given to each drink, the pricing within Php75 to Php110 per drink is just right.

This Coco Fresh Tea & Juice branch is located at Ground Floor, Tower 2, Rockwell Business Centre, Ugong, Pasig City. It is open daily from 10am to 10pm.

It also accepts orders for a minimum of ten drinks via SMS to +63 927 5254788 from customers within the vicinity for pick-up. To order, just text your name, company, company address, specific orders (number of drinks per variant, exact sixe, sugar level, amount of ice and extra toppings, if preferred), and change for what amount to be prepared by the store crew. Remember though:

Orders for pick-up will be accepted from 9am to 9pm.
The store will send a confirmation SMS to acknowledge your order.
Confirmed orders can no longer be changed to avoid confusion and delay. (Have some compassion for the barista and the other people waiting for their drinks.) 🙂
The quality of the drinks will decrease the longer you wait to pick them up.
If you fail to pick up your orders, orders from you will no longer be accommodated in the future.

Other Coco Fresh Tea & Juice outlets where you can satisfy your milk tea cravings are located in the following:

Makati: Century City Mall in Poblacion
Mandaluyong: Rockwell Business Center in Highway Hills, SM Megamall in Ortigas
Manila: SM City Manila in Ermita, Lucky Chinatown in Binondo, SM City Sta Mesa
Muntinlupa: Festival Mall in Filinvest City
Pasay: SMX Covention Center in MOA Complex
Quezon City: Eastwood Citywalk 2 in Libis, Fisher Mall along Quezon Avenue, UP Town Center in Diliman, Cyber Park Tower 1 Building in Cubao, Trinoma Mall in Bagong Pag-asa, Regis Center in Loyola Heights, Gateway Mall in Cubao, SM City Fairview in Novaliches, SM City North EDSA in Bago Bantay, Ayala Fairview Terraces in Novaliches
San Juan: O Square in Greenhills
Taguig: Uptown Place Mall in BGC, Venice Grand Canal Mall in BGC

Or you can just have your milk teas delivered via GrabFood. 🙂

If you’re in the store waiting for your drink, you might want to listen to a podcast to while away the minutes. One of the podcasts I like to listen to is the Read to Lead Podcast with Jeff Brown, available on Spotify. He espouses the idea that intentional and consistent reading is essential to personal and professional success, best summed up in his mantra: “Leaders read and readers lead.” With this theme, he invites authors of books on business, marketing, personal development and entrepreneurship to guest in his show to share their insights to his listeners.

Among the books featured in my favorite episodes in this show include:

Freelance to Freedom: The Roadmap for Creating a Side Business to Achieve Financial, Time and Life Freedom. In the episode, author Vincent Pugliese relates how he and his wife built their side business into a full-time one to be able to devote time to their growing family and to eventually live debt-free.

Friend of a Friend . . .: Understanding the Hidden Networks That Can Transform Your Life and Your Career . In the episode, David Burkus introduces the idea that the best way to grow your professional network is to understand and serve the existing network you belong to.

The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do. In the episode, writer Jeff Goins answers questions submitted by listeners.

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Elait’s Artisanal Rolled Ice Cream at the Ayala Museum

My daughter #ExhibitA and I took advantage of the Ayala Museum’s #InspireEveryday campaign and were able to score free admission to the museum and the Filipinas Heritage Library.

After roaming the museum’s various exhibits across three floors and the library at the sixth floor, we rewarded our art and culture-driven physical exertions with some happiness in a cup – artisanal rolled ice cream – at the pop-up store of Elait at the museum’s ground floor.

Rolled ice cream or stir-fried ice cream is also known as “I-Tim-Pad” in Thailand where it was first popularized as a street food. It is made by pouring the ice cream base onto a steel plate chilled to below freezing, mixed with fruit, coffee, chocolate or other flavorings. The mixture is chopped and stirred using a metal spatula as it crystallizes, spread flat across the metal plate, then carefully scraped off to form stiff rolls. The rolls are then arranged on cups then topped with fresh fruit, candy, nuts and other garnishes.

Available variants in the pop up store consist of classic favorites like Chocolate Overload and Blueberry Cheesecake, and exciting new combinations such Mango Kiwi Pavlova and Chocnut Dinosaur.

ExhibitA opted for Blueberry Cheesecake, which evolved from a splat of ingredients on the metal plate to a grand masterpiece.

Being a chocoholic, I opted for Chocolate Overload which took shape right before my eyes.

These frozen treats were prepared and served by Elait’s deaf-mute partners who received our order using their very efficient order form and whom we thanked using basic sign language.

And by following Elait on Instagram, we were able to score additional toppings for our rolled ice cream!

Elait’s rolled ice cream are simply decadent and a break from the usual dessert offerings which made our mother-daughter bonding time even more enjoyable!

The nearest Elait store can be found at Second Floor, Century City Mall, Kalayaan Avenue, Poblacion, Makati City. Other branches are located at:

Third Floor, Ayala Malls The 30th, Meralco Avenue, Ugong, Pasig City
Second Floor, North Wing, Mall of Asia Complex (MOA), Pasay City
Third Floor, Santolan Town Plaza, Col Bonny Serrano Avenue, Little Baguio, San Juan City

This post contains affiliate links.

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A fortunate mistake at Auntie Anne’s, SM Hypermarket Pasig

So let me set the scene: there I was at SM Hypermarket with my daughter (#ExhibitA) all set to do some grocery shopping when we decided to have dessert at Auntie Anne’s. She ordered an Original Pretzel (Php65) because she all about the basic but still good kind of pastry, whatever that means, and a Chocolate Dip (Php25). I on the other hand was supposed to order my usual: an Almond Pretzel (Php80) and a Caramel Dip (Php25). However, I caught sight of these almond crunch-covered pretzel sticks so I ordered those instead, thinking they would just be cut-up versions of the pretzel that I love. It turned out, what I actually ordered was a pouch of Almond Cream Cheese Stix (Php90)!

Imagine my surprise when I bit into the warm and chewy, baked-from-scratch, almond-crunch covered and caramel-dipped pretzel and I got a taste of the mildy sweet and slightly tangy melted cream cheese inside the pretzel sticks! The experience combined three of my favorite things: almonds, caramel and cream cheese.

Plus, since I presented my BDO Rewards Card, I got 10% off on the total bill!

This is one mistake I don’t regret making.

This Auntie Anne’s branch is located at SM Center Pasig, Eulogio Rodriguez Jr. Avenue corner Doña Julia Vargas Avenue, Frontera Verde, Brgy. Ugong, Pasig.

DIY Gift: Hot Chocolate on a Stick

Every holiday season brings the same struggle: what to give to all of the family’s relatives, friends and co-workers for Christmas that will be unique, can be useful to or enjoyed by the recipient, and won’t go over the family’s gift budget?

Last year, we gave out over 100 bags of Chocolate Chip Cookies which my daughter and I baked and packed as our gifts. Thankfully, I know a baking supplies store nearby so I was able to save considerably on ingredients.

This year, while surfing through Pinterest, I discovered a new gift idea: Hot Chocolate on a Stick!

The recipe below is further simplified from the one I found on Pinterest, but still quite yummy! Best of all, ingredients and tools are easy and cheap to come by, thanks the nearby baking supplies store.

Ingredients:

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp peppermint oit
15 large marshmallows
additional milk chocolate chips and candy sprinkles as garnish

You will also need:

Coffee stirrers or plastic straws to serve as sticks
Individual plastic wrappers
Gift ribbons
Gift labels

Procedure:

Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave. (Medium high power for 30 secs and High power for 15 secs; resulting melted chocolate should be thick and have a nice sheen)
Mix in the the peppermint oil.
Pour the mixture into 2 tbsp chocolate molds (I used a small ice cream scoop to measure out and pour the mixture into small puto molds)
Spear each marshmallow with a plastic straw then placed it in the middle of each mold
Place in the refrigerator for 5 hours or until set.

I wrapped these with individual food-grade plastic wrappers decorated with red satin ribbons. I included a tbsp of milk chocolate chips and 1/8tbsp of candy sprinkles per package as garnishes. The label should indicate that the hot chocolate on a stick should be stirred into a cup of hot milk until the chocolate is melted.

This recipe yields 15 sticks.