cupcake – Jellybeans in the City

More memorable snacktimes with Lemon Square

What was your idea of a fun snacktime when you were growing up?

It can be winding down at home after an afternoon of playing with our friends, where a refreshing drink and a light repast had been lovingly laid out by our moms.

It can also be the highly anticipated recess where we munch on our baons in between classes.

Or, it might be the late-night munchies with a glass of warm milk that we shared with our parents right before bedtime.

These memorable snacking moments stayed in our memories into adulthood, and we looked forward to the days when we can witness our kiddos enjoying similar moments.

The kids nowadays may be feeling down as they’re stuck at home because of the lockdown. How about cheering them up by sharing a bite or two of these tasty home-style baked treats from 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 products are also much-loved by nanays throughout the country for their affordability, accessibility and nutritional value.

They can even be used to make more elaborate desserts, saving moms precious time and effort in coming up with unique and show-stopping confections.

Lemon Square continues to expand its product line to provide all family members their own favorite treat:

Lemon Square Signature Cupcakes. An assortment of cupcake flavors (including cream caramel, ube and pandan) to tickle the tastebuds!

Buy it at Lazada

Lemon Square Lava Cake. Aside from its Chocolate variant, this moist cake bar with a yummy cream filling also comes in Creamy Bavarian and Quezo con Ube flavors.

Buy it at Lazada

Lemon Square Whatta Tops. There’s a lotta enjoy with Whatta Tops, from Vanilla, Milky Cheese, Mango Graham to Cookies ‘n Cream flavors to add to your faves.

Buy it at Lazada

Lemon Square Inipit. A light snack made of a filling sandwiched (or “inipit”) between two pieces of chiffon cakes which come in Custard, Pastillas, Pandan, Queso, Chocolate and Lemon flavors.

Buy it at Lazada

Lemon Square Choo Choo Cake Bites. A pocket-sized snack you can chew on while on-the-go, which comes in Choco Vanilla and Cheese Milk variants.

Buy it at Lazada

Lemon Square Fun Square. Who knew being square could be so much fun! Well, if you’re a fun-sized Brownie or a Butterscotch piece that can be eaten alone or paired with ice cream or syrup, then you are definitely a Fun Square!

Buy it at Lazada

With all these snack cake variants, the kiddos can enjoy fun and tasty treats after schoolwork or playtime!

So while the kiddos may not be able to roam out of doors, do bring them fun and unforgettable snacktimes at home with the real goodness of Lemon Square.

Check out my Lazada picks to stock up on these snackable goodies and more.

Click here

Disclosure: This post contains affliliate links..

Lunch Buffet at Vanilla Cafe, Tomas Morato

The Tomas Morato area is definitely a foodie haven. At practically every corner is an old and familiar or a new and exciting food destination, something that will spark a foodie’s curiosity and appetite.

One such destination is Vanilla Cafe along Mother Ignacia Avenue. Formerly known as Vanilla Cupcake Bakery, it has expanded its repertoire from cupcakes and pastries to pastas and classic Filipino food.

Enter its doors and you will be taken to a place of fun and cuteness with pastel-printed walls, plush floral couches and dainty chandeliers.

Guess what: come around lunchtime and you can eat your fill at Vanilla Cafe’s Lunch Buffet where you can enjoy a delightful curation of Vanilla Cafe’s food offerings served with delicate country style flair.

Have a sampling of these dishes:

Prettily prepared canapes and veggie dips.

Freshly made pastas.

Binagoongan and Tinapa Rice.

Classic Pinoy Favorites: Sizzling Tofu, Sizzling Sisig, Bagnet, Fish Sarciado, Chop Suey, Chicken Adobo, and of course, Vanilla Cafe’s famous Kare Kare.

And since there’s always room for dessert, have a cupcake (or two… or more!) because, why not!

This buffet is best enjoyed with pals as a barkada lunch date…

Or as part of a festive celebration!

So check it out: the Premium Lunch Buffet is available at Vanilla Cafe Tomas Morato on weekdays from 11am to 2pm for only Php398 per person (+10% service charge).

This branch also has a Boomin’ Breakfast Buffet available everyday from 7am to 10am at Php228 for adults and Php114 for kids ages four to eleven (plus 10% service charge). Kids below four years old eat for free.

This Vanilla Cafe branch is located along Mother Ignacia Avenue, South Triangle, Quezon City, open Sundays to Thursdays from 7.30am to 11pm and Fridays to Saturdays from 7.30pm to 12 midnight. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 2 83743783 or +63 918 8264552.

Other branches are located at:

Second Floor, Garden Wing, Trinoma Mall, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City
Second Floor, Evia Lifestyle Center, Daang Hari Road, Almanza, Las Pinas City
20 Villamor Street, Lualhati, Baguio, Benguet

Planning a get-together? Why not order one of Vanilla Cafe’s Party trays? Pastas, entrees, salads and rice trays are available for order at any Metro Manila branch.

Maximize your buffet restaurant visit. Read the tips in my buffet survival guide.

Check out my blog posts on other buffet restaurants in the Metro:

Morning sweets at Cupcakes by Sonja, BGC

A friend and I suddenly found ourselves with some time on our hands while in Serendra yesterday morning, so we decided to break our fast at Cupcakes by Sonja.

This store was Manila’s first ever cupcake store, opened by Sonja Ocampo to bring the cupcake experiences she had in New York to our shores.

The store has the charm of a corner bakery: from its colorful storefront, the quaint bric-a-bracs inside to the lovely display of goodies available.

Cupcakes by Sonja features whimsical pastries baked fresh daily, using premium ingredients and no preservatives. Expanding its repertoire beyond the classic cupcakes flavors, its menu now includes hybrid cupcakes, full-sized cakes and pies.

Today, the shop offers these goodies paired with house-made hot beverages such as in Hey Hot Stuff Combo 1 which gives the diners a slice of cake and a choice among latte, cappuccino and hot chocolate for only Php179.

I got myself a Reverse Salted Caramel + Latte. The Valrhona chocolate cake base is richly flavored and moist, wrapped in layers of salted caramel buttercream. The latte I had with it is not too sweet, a good complement to such a decadent dessert.

My friend got the Rainbow Fiesta + Hot Chocolate. The cake is made of six layers of fluffy vanilla chiffon cake in different rainbow colors finished with marahmallow frosting and garnished candy sprinkles.

I also got myself a Red Velvet Vixen Cupcake (Php95). Did you know that Cupcakes by Sonja was the first store to offer this classic Southern American cupcake flavor in the Philippines? I remember having my first taste of this confection in this very store more thab a decade ago, and this cupcake still holds its appeal to me. With a decadent Belgian chocolate cupcake base, colored with that deep red hue, and topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting, it has become quite a local favorite.

I had a lovely return to this wonderful store for my morning sweets.

This Cupcakes by Sonja branch is located at Ground Floor, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, open Sundays to Thursdays from 8am to 11am and Fridays to Saturdays from 8am to 12 midnight.

Other branches are located at: