leche flan – Jellybeans in the City

Take a bite of classic Kapampangan food at SilverSpoon QC

If you haven’t gotten your fill of food trips over the holiday break, the good news is that you won’t need to leave the metro to get a taste of the best of Filipino food.

SilverSpoon Kitchenette is launching its 2023 Travel Lokal Campaign which highlights dishes that represent regional culinary traditions every quarter of the year.

“SilverSpoon’s mission is to give a spoonful experience to our customers – part of which is to bring something new to the table,” shares owner Decie Montefrio. “That’s why we decided to immerse ourselves and travel to places to understand to understand the culture and tradition of our local dishes and to give homage to our own cuisines.”

From January 6 to April 5, 2023, Pinoy food lovers will be able to enjoy a well-curated selection of Kapampangan dishes.

Pampanga’s culinary heritage is heavily influenced by Spanish cuisine (by way of the Spanish friars and sailors who introduced their way of cooking to the locals during the Spanish occupation), while also sharing characteristics with Malay and Mexican cuisines. Kapampangan cooks also incorporated local produce into the resulting dishes, and pioneered in methods of pre-cooking (“sangkutsa”) and food preservation, earning for their region the moniker “culinary capital of Luzon.”

SilverSpoon’s limited edition menu is a product of extensive research by the SilverSpoon team, made by traveling to Pampanga collaborating with a local homecook who shared heritage recipes and provided insights into Kapampangan cuisine. This menu includes:

Pako Salad. Made with local vegetable pako (fiddlehead fern) tossed with tomatoes, onions and hard-boiled eggs in a honey citrus dressing.

Suam na Mais. Also known as sinabawang mais, this is a healthy and hearty soup made from white and yellow corn kernels.

Pork Sisig. The famous Kapampangan dish made with pig’s face (“maskara”), belly and chicken liver, seasoned with calamansi, onions and local chilis. Traditionally, this dish does not include the mayonnaise and pork cracklings (“chicharon”) that figure prominently in the version present in many Metro Manila restaurants.

Bringhe. Also known as biringhi, it is the local version of the Valencia paella, but uses local glutinous rice (“malagkit”) cooked in coconut milk (“gata”) and turmeric which gives the dish its distinct flavor and color. Giving more heft to the dish are the bits of chicken , chorizo and vegetables that are cooked along with the rice.

Palitaw. Popular local rice cake dessert made with glutinous rice that was washed, soaked and ground then shaped into flat discs and cooked in boiling water. The dish gets its name from the way that the palitaw floats to the surface to indicate that it’s done. It is then topped with grated mature coconut (“niyog”) and served with toasted sesame seeds, muscovado and washed sugar.

Leche Flan. The classic Filipino dessert made with fresh egg yolks, milk and topped with chocolate flakes.

Drinks. To complement the meal, SilverSpoon serves various beverage options which include hot and iced chocolate, as well as mocktails such as Blue Lagoon (citrusy drink made with blue curacao syrup) and Shirley Temple (made with ginger ale sweetened with grenadine and garnished with a maraschino cherry).

So if you feel like going back to our culinary roots and delving into our heritage cuisines, drop by SilverSpoon Kitchenette and take advantage of its Travel Lokal offerings.

Watch out for other local cuisines to be featured later in the year!

Note: SilverSpoon’s regular menu of sandwiches and rice meals is also available.

Silverspoon Kitchenette is located at 81 Scout Gandia Street, Barangay Laging Handa, Quezon City, open daily for dine-in, takeout or delivery from 11am to 10pm. For inquiries, reservations or delivery orders, call +63 917 1603327. It also delivers via GrabFood and FoodPanda.

Plus, here’s a special treat for your food trip!

Scan this code and present your boarding pass when you dine in at SilverSpoon to enjoy 10% off on your bill! (Applicable top dine-in transactions only)

For updates on its latest offers, follow Silverspoon on Facebook or Instagram.

Disclosure: I attended a food-tasting event held at this restaurant. Food items mentioned here were served to facilitate an honest review and were not paid for by the attendees.

Check out my previous posts about SilverSpoon:

Sumptuous snacking at Silverspoon, Tomas Morato

3 reasons to treat your Valentine to a meal at Silverspoon, Tomas Morato

‘Tis the start of the season for fam celebrations with Silverspoon

Fresh seafood and paluto at Dampa sa Libis

If you’ve got some serious craving for fresh seafood but the beach is quite some distance away, your best bet is to go to your nearby dampa.

Originally, the word “Dampa” is a Filipino term for “hut,” reminiscent of the small houses that line the seaside where fishermen live and make their living.

Today, it is associated with a wet market attached to a restaurant. In this kind of eatery, diners can select the fresh seafood they want to eat and then choose from a menu of ways on how they want these to be cooked for an additional charge, hence term paluto.

As a Pasiguena, landlocked and situated far away from the seaside, I’m lucky that there’s a Dampa sa Libis located nearby.

As is typical with other dampa-style eateries, this one is geared towards catering to large groups in a very informal setting.

The place is suitable for boisterous gatherings of people who love to dine together over their favorite seafood dishes, with little to no concern about the restaurant’s decor or aesthetic. (So if you’re feeling particularly tita-ish, this might not be the place for you.)

However, if you’re game for fresh seafood, cooked upon order and served fresh from the kitchen, this just might be your foodie haven.

During a recent get-together with my in-laws, the extended fam feasted on:

Sinigang na Salmon sa Miso.

Fresh salmon prepared in a variant of the famous dish sinigang which also includes miso (soybean paste) among its ingredients.

Prawn Tempura.

Large prawns battered and deep-fried until golden-brown and served with a sweet soy-based dipping sauce.

Inihaw na Pusit.

A beachside favorite, this dish is made from a large squid stuffed with tomatoes and onions, then grilled for that smokey taste.

Sweet and Spicy Crab.

Fresh crabs cooked in tomato sauce, chilis and other spices with a bit of brown sugar for that irresistible interplay of spice and sweetness with every bite of succulent crab meat.

BBQ Liempo.

For those who have a more carnivorous bent (or those with kids who have not yet discovered a love for seafood), barbecued pork belly is always a delicious possibility.

Leche Flan.

The best way to cap a great meal is to linger over dessert, right? This Pinoy take on the creme caramel will do quite nicely as a post-meal sweet.

When dining at a dampa, it’s best to let your adventurous side out and to savor the good food along with the good company you’re having.

Dampa sa Libis is located at 107 E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Bgy Libis, Quezon City, open for dine-in and takeout on weekdays from 11am to 9pm and on weekends from 10am to 9pm.

For more information, follow Dampa sa Libis on Facebook or call +63 2 86373303 or +63 917 7071553.

Merienda meetup at Bench Cafe, BGC

Merienda – or minindal – is a time-honored tradition in this country. A light meal or snack in the afternoon often figures as highlights in our childhood, and carries on to our adulthood in the form of coffee breaks.

During a recent meetup with my OFW friend, Tina, I revisited this childhood experience with classic merienda fare at Bench Cafe in BGC.

Bench Cafe is an offshoot of the top Filipino clothing brand Bench in partnership with restaurant developer Foodee Global Concepts. This restaurant brand centers around its concept of combining traditional and modern takes on Filipino food.

Its flagship store in BGC also provides a posh yet comfortable background in which diners can fully enjoy its Pinoy dishes. Tables and chairs are amply spaced in a spacious floor space brightly lit with both natural light and pendant lighting and tastefully highlighted with wall art.

This well-appointed eatery served as our venue for a long-awaited get-together. Due to quarantine restrictions, Tina was unable to come home to the Philippines for two years so I jumped at the chance to check out Bench Cafe’s OG branch for our meetup.

Our merienda included:

Pancit Guisado (Php259 good for two | Php420 good for four).

A hearty dish of stir-fried noodles mixed with meat, shrimp and vegetables, and topped with pork rind, this dish is usually a highlight for many of my afternoon snack times at home.

Flan B (Php219).

Bench Cafe’s version of the Pinoy classic custard and caramel dessert topped with macapuno, always a sweet and creamy indulgence!

Classic Turon ala Mode (Php55).

A crispy fritter made with banana encased in lumpia wrapper with caramelized sugar topped with ube ice cream, another merienda staple.

Ube Halo Halo (Php99/12oz | Php145/16oz).

A thirst quenching dessert and icy beverage made with coconut shaved ice with garbanzos, caramelized banana, leche flan and nata de coco topped with ube ice cream and rice krispies.

These Pinoy favorites on the table and my dear friend to catch up with made my merienda experience at Bench Cafe so special.

Check it out! Drop by this branch at the second floor of Bench’s flagship store at 9th Avenue corner Lane O Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global Citt, Taguig, open daily from 10am to 7pm.

Other branches are located at:

Level 2, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Greenbelt, Makati City
Ground Floor, Padre Faura Wing, Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila

You may also order for delivery via GrabFood.

Stay updated on Bench Cafe’s offers and promos by following it on Facebook and Instagram.

Pinoy comfort food at Goodah, Timog Avenue

Whenever I feel stressed or harassed, I always get a strong craving for comfort food. These are dishes that I usually associate with delicious home cooking, the kind that my mom would serve me whenever I was sick or sad.

For over thirty years, Goodah has been the has been the go-to place for people seeking fuss-free comfort food that appeals to down-home Pinoy palate. These include the traditional hot and quickly-served Filipino snacks like goto and lugaw, as well as the hugely popular silogs. Being so popular among all sorts of people, it soon adopted the monicker “ang pagkaing for every all!”

During the height of the lockdown due to the pandemic, I was able to enjoy Goodah’s comforting dishes with my fam while stuck at home through its Salo-Salo Set Meals (thanks to Rowena of TravelEatPinas for thoughtfully sending me this meal set!)

However, as the lockdowns gradually eased (but my work and life stresses did not) I wanted to experience Goodah’s down-home Pinoy dishes in a dine-in setting.

So off I went with my fellow unnies to the Goodah branch along Timog Avenue.

Here, we were able to sit down and take a break from our daily grind as we gossiped about our Hollywood idols and K-pop stans while we feast on Pinoy comfort food.

These include:

Batangas Lomi with Tokwa’t Baboy (Php134). A noodle dish made with thick yellow noodles in a thick and starchy soup topped with bits of pork meat, pork offal, pork rind and kikiam. It’s best enjoyed with a side dish made with tofu and pork bits in vinegar sauce.

Arroz Caldo Special (Php179). A porridge made with glutinous rice and accompanied by chicken pieces, hard-boiled egg and topped with crunchy fried garlic and chopped scallions.

Pork Bingoongan (Php319). A classic Pinoy dish wherein pork belly is stewed in shrimp paste (bagoong).

Kare Kare (Php345). A Filipino stew wherein ox and pork meat and offal are served in a thick and rich peanut sauce along with vegetables.

Supermeal A (Php150). A budget-friendly rice meal that includes tocino, lumpiang shanghai, pancit canton, kropek (prawn cracker) and leche flan.

Supermeal B (Php160). Another rice meal that’s light on the budget which includes tapa flakes, lumpiang shanghai, pancit canton, kropek (prawn cracker) and leche flan.

Ribsilog (Php195). Crispy fried pork ribs served with garlic fried rice, fried egg and atchara.

Leche Flan (Php39). The Pinoy version of creme caramel which is made of egg-and-milk custard with a soft caramel layer on top.

With such comforting dishes to be enjoyed, should there still be room in my psyche for stress and negativity? I guess not!

Dispel your own blues with Pinoy comfort food by dropping by a Goodah branch near you today!

This Goodah outlet is located at 57 Timog Avenue, Bgy. South Triangle, Quezon City, open daily for dine-in and takeout from 8am to 8pm, and for delivery from 7am to 9pm via Pick*A*Roo, and 25-hours via GrabFood and FoodPanda.

Other Gooodah outlets are located in Alabang, Valenzuela, Pasig, Granada and Fairview in Quezon City, as well as in Sucat and Bicutan in Paranaque.

Know more about this much-loved Filipino food brand through its website. Stay updated on Goodah’s latest offers and promos by following it on Facebook and Instagram.

Leave the cooking up to ALPHA’s Kitchen Home Delivery

Sure, momshies, we might have just a wee bit more free time nowadays. It’s been three-and-a-half months since our lives were upended by the pandemic and many of us found ourselves stuck at home. Some even discovered a talent for cooking as I have, cooking up a storm for the fam’s meals.

But cooking up a storm for every meal can be tiring, right?

I sometimes wish that I can leave the whole menu planning and food preparation to someone else.

Fortunately, I can have the folks over at ALPHA’s Kitchen Home Delivery take care of all of that for me.

The dish on this new entrant in the local food business is that it began as the home service massage company ALPHA Massage & Wellness Therapy.

With their original business severely affected by the quarantines and rules on physical distancing arising from the pandemic, the owners landed upon a great way to pivot for the New Normal: their massage therapists turned to cooking!

Curious on what delicious delights they came up with? Well, here’s a sampling:

Lasagna. Al dente lasagna noodles layered with beefy, slightly herby tomato sauce and thick cheesy bechamel. A hit with my little boy!

Crispy Bagnet Kare Kare. Crrrrrrunchy oven-baked bagnet pieces and crisp veggies in a rich peanut sauce.

Bicol Express. Tender pork cubes cooked in creamy coconut milk and chilis make for a hearty viand with a bit of a kick.

Spicy Salmon Pesto. Flavorful salmon flakes tossed in pesto sauce along with spaghetti noodles. A little too spicy for me but would appeal to those who like their pasta hawt!

Leche Flan. The classic Pinoy version of creme caramel, this is creamy, milky-sweet and smooth on the tongue.

Maja Blanca. The traditional coconut pudding topped with latik (caramelized coconut creme).

These delish dishes come in affordable yet hearty servings – medium (serves two to three people), family (serves six to seven people) and party (serves twelve to fifteen) – that will surely satisfy hungry tummies!

Chicken or Pork Dishes:

Medium: Php299
Family: Php699
Party: Php1,499

Beef or Seafood:

Medium: Php349
Family: Php799
Party: Php1,799

Dessert:

Medium: Php249
Family: Php499
Party: Php999

You can also try the Famous Bundle – five medium tubs – for just Php999.

To have these tasty viands delivered right to your doorstep, send your name, address, contact number and food orders to Alpha Kitchen Home Delivery on Facebook or Instagram, or call +63 906 5955707 (delivery costs shouldered by buyer). Payments via cash on delivery, GCash or online bank transfer are accepted.

So momshies, now you know how you can whip up a satisfying meal for the fam without having to slave all day in the kitchen!

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

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

Bench Cafe opens newest branch in Trinoma

The clothing brand Bench has been around for as long as I can remember. One of the “proudly Filipino” enterprise success stories, it has been a major player in local fashion and has even expanded its sphere of influence to that of a lifestyle brand with its personal care producrs, skin care services and hair salons.

It even ventured into the food business, notably with the opening of the first branch of its eponymous restaurant Bench Cafe last year.

Fast forward to today and Bench Cafe has already opened its fifth branch at Trinoma Mall in Quezon City. Such speedy growth is proof that its concept of combining traditional and modern takes on Filipino food works and has found its place in Metro Manila’s highly competitive food scene.

The cafe held a special preview for bloggers the day before its Grand Opening. Together with my fellow foodies from #WeLoveToEatPH, I got a taste of how Bench Cafe’s Chef Carlo Miguel melds local flavors together and updates classic Pinoy favorites such as:

Binagoongan Ceasar (Php149). Romaine lettuce with dilis and croutons tossed in a creamy dressing made with bagoong (shrimp paste) and queso de bola.

Tinapa Cones (Php129). Homemade lumpia wrappers formed into crispy cones and filled with tinapa (smoked fish) mousse and salsa.

Gising Gising (Php195). A spicy dish of chopped beans cooked in coconut milk and chilis.

Sisig Skillet (Php249). Pork cheeks and belly cooked in two ways and served topped with calamansi foam.

Fried Chicken (Php480). Whole spring chicken fried to a golden brown with crispy flavorful skin and juicy meat served with a honey patis sauce.

Dancing Fish (Php400). Crispy butterfly tilapia doused in escabeche sauce.

Pancit Guisado (Php239). Stir-fried noodles with shrimp, meat and chopped vegetables.

Silogs (from sinangag or “garlic rice” and itlog “egg”) are breakfast staples for many Filipinos. Bench Cafe serves these with garlic rice, fried egg and homemade atsara. The silog variation we’ve tasted here is the Tendon Silog (Php199) made with melt-in-your-mouth beef tendon in pares sauce.

Bongalmusal (Php349). If you’re ever at a loss on what to have for brekkie, this hyped-up silog meal serves up everything you could want! Spam, US beef tapa, tocino, daing (dried fish) and corned beef. Best of all, this dish is good for two so do share it with someone special.

Bench Cafe also introduced Bench-Tos which are glamourized takes on the fare available at a Pinoy turo-turo. This small roadside eatery is where diners point out the food they want and a serving is placed on their plates. Bench Cafe updates this concept by merging it with the Japanese bento – the chosen viand is served on a tray along with vegetables, homemade salsa and atsara as well as steamed Ifugao rice. Variations of this offering that we tasted include the Bagnet Kare Kare (Php339) which has a rich peanutty sauce that has no need for bagoong to have flavor, and the Inasal Liempo (Php299) which is Bench Cafe’s take on the Visayan grilled pork belly.

To cap out meal, Bench Cafe serves up its own takes on dessert classics with the smooth and creamy leche flan it dubbed Flan B (Php185) topped with macapuno and Classic Turon ala Mode (Php49).

Bench also applied its own twists on the popular dessert called Halo-Halo, which consists of sweetened fruits and other fixings topped with shaved ice and served with milk. Its variations include White (Php85 for 12oz | Php129 for 16oz) made with coconut shaved ice with garbanzos, caramelized banana, leche flan, nata de coco and coconut ice cream; Mango Otap (Php90 for 12oz | Php109 for 16oz), mango shaved ice with crushed otap, mango puree, cream and fresh mango cubes; Ube (Php95 for 12oz | Php149 for 16oz), ube halaya and palm beans added to the White Halo Halo; and Mais con Hielo (Php60 for 12oz | Php100 for 16oz), corn- flavored shaved ice with milk and kernels of sweetcorn.

I had a great time discovering fresh ways to enjoy the food that I grew up with at Bench Cafe.

Many thanks to the management and staff of Bench Cafe for having us and to EJ of #ILoveToEatPH for extending the invitation.

This Bench Cafe branch is located at Ground Floor, MRT Wing, Trinoma Mall, Bagong Pagasa, Quezon City, open daily from 10am to 9pm.

Other branches are located at:

Second Floor, Bench Flagship Store, Bonifacio High Street, 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Level 2, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Greenbelt, Makati City
Ground Floor, Padre Faura Wing, Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila

Disclosure: Together with other foodies, I attended a foodie meetup held here wherein food and 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 Filipino restaurants:

Rediscovering Filipino comfort food at Kusina Moderne, Poblacion

Do you remember the food served during your family’s get-togethers? The recipes passed down from your great-grandmas? The dishes that your mom and titas magically put together in the kitchen before calling everybody in to partake of the meal?

These are comfort food: down-home cooking that evoke a feeling of well-being. They may not be haute cuisine nor even exciting at times but they do call to mind the joys of childhood and family.

At Kusina Moderne, the recently opened restaurant in Poblacion, the comfort food passed down through generations of Filipino families are elevated through imagination and technique.

Tucked away in one of Poblacion’s side streets, Kusina Moderne is a hidden gem for ardent foodies to discover and share.

The restaurant’s modern yet warm interiors welcome guests into an exciting gastronomic experience: wood tables, benches and chairs provide color contrasts to the industrial-type unpainted concrete walls and exposed ceilings, and diners can take a peek into what goes on during food preparation through the open kitchen. Small bric-a-bracs and potted plants add some personality to the space, evoking the feeling of home even in such a modern setting.

Kusina Moderne offers classic dishes we grew up with but prepared using French cooking techniques and presented in a deconstructed manner, adding a veneer of sophistication and excitement to familiar viands while still remaining affordable for families and friends to enjoy.

During a #ZomatoXListerine foodie meetup, my fellow foodies and I got a taste of Kusina Moderne’s menu items such as:

Mechado Tacos (Php195). Honestly, I almost never eat mechado unless my mom prepares it but this reimagining of the braised beef dish is so refreshingly different from its usual iterations. The tender shredded beef seem to melt in your mouth in a burst of flavor enhanced by the addition of guacamole, cilantro, sour cream and pickled onion, with a satisfying crunch with every bite thanks to the fried wonton wrapper which takes the place of the taco shell.

Adobong Pusit (Php195). Sauteed squid heads on a bed of garlicky squid ink adobo sauce. Never have I seen adobong pusit served as prettily as this!

Embutido Scotch Egg (Php195). Your tita’s embutido gets a makeover with this dish: a runny soft-boiled egg is placed inside chicken embutido, and deep-fried theb served with banana ketchup.

Lumpiang Sariwa (Php200). In this classic merienda dish, sauteed veggies are wrapped in freshly made crepes and served drizzled with sweet and savoury peanut sauce.

Sotanghon Soup (Php345). A rainy day favorite, this Pinoy-style chicken noodle soup is made with thin glass noodles and sauteed veggies in flavorful chicken broth served with a soft-boiled egg.

Halaan Soup (Php395). Manila clams in a clear broth flavored with chili leaves, ginger, corn and kamote tops, and served with garlic toast.

Isda Tanigue (Php395). The tanigue or chub mackerel is often served plainly fried in Filipino dinner tables but this version it is served seared, sandwiched between a bed of pureed vegetables at the bottom and a medley of chopped and sauteed carrots, papaya, cabbage and pumpkin on top. If this was served to me when I was a kid, I would have eaten more fish and veggies!

Tuna Belly with Chimichurri (Php450). Marinated tuna belly is broiled then charred for that smokey flavor, and well-complemented by its chimichurri sauce.

Binagoongang Baboy (Php395). Roasted pork belly drizzled with binagoongan sauce and served with strips of green mango and radish salad on a bed of pureed roasted egg plant.

Cheesecake Flan (Php175). Graham cracker crust topped with smooth and creamy leche flan served with mango bits, sliced walnuts and Marie biscuit crumbs giving this dessert nice contrasts in flavor and texture.

Sans Rival (Php215). This dessert is definitely without rival. How else can you describe balls of meringue studded with chopped walnuts and filled with buttercreama and served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream?

With these creative reimaginings of classic Pinoy dishes, Kusina Moderne adds a bit of excitement to its comfort food.

Check them out for yourself!

Many thanks to the management and crew of Kusina Moderne for the warm welcome and awesome food, and to Zomato and Listerine for making this event possible!

Oh, and watch this space for my blog post on the importance of mouthwash for foodies, coming soon!

Get a free dish when you and a friend dine at Kusina Moderne, thanks to Zomato Gold! Zomato Gold provides members with 1+1 (Buy 1 Get 1) deals on food or 2+2 (Buy 2 Get 2) deals on drinks. All you have to do is sign up for a Zomato Gold membership here. Use the code VOLT0979 to get 10% off the membership fee.

Kusina Moderne is located along Caceres Street, Poblacion, Makati, open Sundays and Tuesdays to Thursdays from 11am to 10pm and Fridays to Saturdays from 11am to 12 midnight. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 927 0830688.

Check out my reviews of other Filipino restaurants:

A bounty of sweetness: Sugarhouse’ 2018 Christmas Catalogue

With the holidays almost upon us, it is definitely the time for sharing the gifts of the season to our loved ones: good cheer, warm wishes and, of course, sweetness.

And since we’re talking about sweetness, if you find yourself at a Sugarhouse store, you’re at the right place.

Sugarhouse has been around since the 80s, opening a small cake store at Anza Street in Makati. Today, Sugarhouse has four full dine-in outlets serving full meals along with cakes and pastries; two semi-dine-in stores serving selected menu items along with baked goodies, and a kiosk dedicated to cakes and pastries.

Sugarhouse recently launched its 2018 Christmas Catalog, giving us a bounty of options to spread sweetness during the holidays.

During a Blogger Event hosted by Sugarhouse Marketing Consultant Jeffrey De Real Rusios at the Sugarhouse outlet in Glorietta, I checked out the goodies included in the catalog together with fellow bloggers and got some ideas for spreading smiles and satisfied tummies this Christmas:

Bring a light and fluffy Taisan (Php180 whole loaf), a hearty Banana Loaf (Php180/midi loaf; Php400/big loaf), or a zesty Orange Raisin Loaf (Php210/midi loaf; Php500/big loaf) to share during family gatherings and celebrations.

Contribute a box of Food for the Gods (Php240/box of 4 bars; Php480/box of 8 bars) to the office potluck and help chase away the office blues of your workmates.

Chillaxin’ at home over the holiday break? Enjoy a cup of of your favorite espresso brew paired with a sweet-salty Quezo de Bola Ensaimada (Php68/pc) with your special someone.

The Noche Buena feast may be alredy quite filling but there should always be room for dessert! Cap it with a decadently creamy Leche Flan (Php130) or a piece of the perennial Christmas favorite: Fruitcake (Php450/loaf).

And when the kiddies knock on your door on Christmas morning, treat them to some Polvoron (Php180/box of 6; Php350/box of 12) or Salted Caramel Chocolate Popcorn (Php90/pack; Php215/jar).

These sweet treats are sure to be a hit among those who are near-and-dear to you this Christmas. Do check them out at your nearest Sugarhouse outlet!

This Sugarhouse branch is located at 3rd Floor, Glorietta 2, Ayala Center, Makati City. For inquiries, call +63 2 2457180 or +63 923 2717732. In fact, if you want to customize a holiday gift pack, just ask Store Head Liza Oafericua to help you put together a winning combo of goodies.

Other Sugarhouse branches are located at Santolan Town Plaza and at Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan, at Dela Rosa Carpark 1 and at Powerplant Mall in Makati, at SM San Lazaro in Manila and at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong.

Disclosure: Together with other food bloggers, I was invited to attend a Blogger Event held in this restaurant. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Have an Instant Party at Alex III, Tomas Morato

With the approaching holidays comes the much-awaited season of parties and get-togethers. Pinoys, in particular, love to celebrate with food, lots and lots of it. I recall my mom and titas slaving away in the kitchen, preparing their signature dishes for our family gatherings.

While I’m passionate about food, I’m not too keen on stressing myself out in the kitchen. Fortunately, thanks to a Foodie Meet-up held at Alex III’s Tomas Morato branch, I, together with my fellow foodies, discovered that I can treat my loved ones out to a feast of classic Filipino favorites, thanks to its Instant Party Menu.

Alex III’s Instant Party Menu consist of two sets of dishes. Both priced at Php2995, these feature home-grown Filipino party food enough for a group of five. These are all prepared and cooked with the same love and tradition that goes all the way back to Aling Asiang (or Mrs. Engracia Reyes), the matriarch of the family behind the Aristrocrat restaurant of which Alex III is an offshoot, being a business started by one of Aling Asiang’s grandsons.

Set One

This set includes:

Choice of 1 viand among Chicken Barbecue, Pork Barbecue, Barbecued Pork Belly and Whole Fried Chicken
Special Pancit Canton
Fresh Lumpiang Ubod or Lumpiang Shanghai
Kare-Kare
Crispy Pata
Steamed Rice

Set Two

This set includes:

Choice of 1 viand among Chicken Barbecue, Pork Barbecue, Barbecued Pork Belly and Whole Fried Chicken
Whole Fried Chicken
Whole Crispy Lapu-Lapu with Sweet and Sour Sauce
Camaron Rebosado
Special Pancit Canton
Shanghai Rice

Each set is served with garlic peanuts, a sushi sampler, your choice of soup (of which we sampled the Hototay and Sinigang na Salmon), bottomless iced tea and your choice of dessert (of which we sampled the Leche Flan and the Pandan Jellied Tapioca).

Both sets present diners with a combination of flavors that are dearly familiar, being dishes that were served during family reunions and fiestas when we were growing up. They also serve as a way for working moms like me to reconnect our present-day celebrations with the warmth and traditions of our childhood: that despite the hectic schedules and fast-paced lifestyles, we have a way to get together with our loved ones to exchange old memories and make new ones, while enjoying good food and good company.

With Alex III’s Instant Party Menu, the tradition of fun family celebrations with good food is made even better.

This branch of Alex III is located at Tomas Morato Avenue Corner Scout Bayoran, South Triangle, Tomas Morato, Quezon City, open daily from 11am to 11pm. For reservations and queries, call +63 2 3711414 or +63 2 3711415. Its spacious, tastefully appointed and well-lit interiors make it a great venue for large family gatherings or office parties.

Other branches are located at:

201 Wilson Street, Little Baguio, San Juan City (open daily from 11am to 11pm | Tel Nos: +63 2 7240882 or +63 2 7264444)
29 Matalino Street, Diliman, Quezon City (open daily from 11am to 10pm | Tel Nos: +63 2 9261266 or +63 2 9268942)
53 Pontiac Corner Chevelle Street, Fairview, Quezon City (open daily from 11am to 10pm | Tel Nos: +63 2 3766286 or +63 2 3765179)

By the way, did you know that for your parties at home, you can have your favorite dishes from Alex III delivered right to your doorstep? Minimum order for delivery is Php500. For more details, contact the Alex III branch nearest you.

Disclosure: I attended the Bloggers’ Day held at this restaurant. All the food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my reviews of other Filipino restaurants:

Classic Filipino dishes with a twist at Locavore, Kapitolyo

I’ve been hearing a lot about Locavore Kitchen & Drinks in Kapitolyo for the past few years since it opened but having moved offices from Ortigas to Quezon City, I just haven’t had too many opportunities to explore the Kapitolyo food scene anymore.

Luckily, the fam was invited to a lunch treat by the in-laws at this resto which also served as our welcome break from hibernating at home due to the non-stop rain.

The recipient of the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Filipino Restaurant in 2017, Locavore champions local cuisine by revitalizing classic dishes with a new twist, no doubt influenced by the French cooking background of chef and co-owner Mikel Zaguirre. Its name Locavore sums up the resto’s culinary philosophy: a person who eats and appreciates food that’s locally grown, raised and produced.

The place has a decidedly young and hip vibe to it, with a nice blend of wood and industrial-inspired interiors, designed by one the resto’s partners, Eric Matic.

While waiting for the rest of our party, we munched on Salted Egg Gabi Chips (Php350) and Kinilaw na Tanigue (Php320). The gabi chips was a definite hit with me and my daughter #ExhibitA, both of us being fans of salted egg chips per se. Eating those kinds of chips made of a vegetable we don’t normally associate with snack food is actually an appetizing novelty. Also, the chips are accompanied by kimchi, chopped white onion and kesong puti, a local cheese made from carabao’s milk, the combination of which that produced an explosion of flavors with each bite. As for the kinilaw (the Pinoy version of ceviche), I liked the texture of the raw fish that has been cured in cane vinegar and aromatics. Hubby didn’t find it spicy enough for his taste, but I liked it just fine. 🙂

Once our party was complete, we feasted on main dishes that exemplify the concept of classic Filipino dishes given unique cosmopolitan twists. For example, the Boneless Lechon Belly (Php650) is a Cebu-style roasted pork belly that had a tender, mildly flavored meat with a crisp and crunchy skin. The Mac’s Boneless Fried Chicken (Php270), has a thick yet crisp batter enveloping the juicy chicken (since this dish was intended for the little boys in our group, the wait staff served it separately from the spicy glaze). The Sugpo con Mayonesa (Php980) was a decadent dish of huge tiger prawns served with a rich sauce of aligue (crab fat), garlic, butter and Japanese mayo. The Ginataang Kalabasa (Php420) features the Pinoy version of the pumpkin cooked in gata (coconut milk) and accompanied by French beans, shrimp and sizeable pork chop slices; it’s definitely an upgraded version of the vegetable dish that Pinoy moms would force us kids to eat for our health. Not being a fan of curry nor spicy food, I didn’t sample the Green Curry Bicol Express (Php480) anymore.

Of course, the piece de resistance of the meal is the Sizzling Sinigang (Php550), the classic Filipino soup dish transformed into a sizzling viand. The sour sampaloc (tamarind) broth became a rich savory gravy that retained sinigang‘s characteristic sourness. Together with the sauteed French beans and garlic confit, it complemented the beef short-ribs slow-cooked to melt-in-your-mouth tenderness.

All of these dishes were wonderfully set off by the various options of brown steamed rice, garlic white rice and steamed white rice that we ordered to accompany the viands.

To cap the meal, we were treated to a tall tower of the house special Leche Flan (Php190), the Pinoy version of Creme Caramel, a rich and creamy custard served with a creamy caramel sauce on the side.

We experienced a minor panic when my son got some hives due to allergy to the shrimp and tiger prawns (which was unfortunate because shrimp is among his favorite food). Good thing sister-in-law came to the rescue with some antihistamine she happened to have handy.

Despite that, I’m happy to say that Locavore more than lived up to my expectations when it comes to food flavor and presentation, and I look forward to exploring more of its offerings.

This Locavore branch is located at 10 Brixton Street, Barrio Kapitolyo, Pasig City (Tel: +63 917 684 2014). Other branches are located at:

Unit 5-7AB Forbeswood Parklane, Taguig City (Tel: +63 917 574 2017)
A1-A2 Three Central, Salcedo, Makati City (Tel: +63 917 178 2018)
Level 1 S Maison, Mall of Asia, Pasay City (Tel: +63 917 847 2747)

Check out my reviews of other Filipino restaurants:

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Mother’s Day Brunch at Jaytee’s Tagaytay

Wanting to avoid the Mother’s Day lunchtime rush to Tagaytay, the family decided to leave Manila early in time for brunch at Jaytee’s Home of the Best Bulalo and Kare Kare.

Named after the initials of its proprietors, husband and wife team Jessie and Tess Mojica, the restaurant is located at One Destination, along Aguinaldo Highway, affording its diners a scenic view of Taal Lake and Volcano.

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View of #TaalLake and #TaalVolcano from @jayteesfilipinocuisinetagaytay . Come for the view, stay for the food! For more details and #foodiefinds, check out my blog beingjellybeans.wordpress.com (search: Jaytee’s). #foodie #restowithaview #foodgasm #zomato #zomatoph #foodiedestination

A post shared by Jellybeans in the City (@beingjellybeans) on May 13, 2018 at 7:40pm PDT

I recommend dining inside the resto as its interiors are clean and well-appointed. You can just take your requisite Taal Volcano family group pics outside while waiting for your meal.

The resto prides itself on its Special Beef Bulalo (Php650, good for 5-6 persons), which is what we drove all the way to Tagaytay for. It did not disappoint, the meat was tender, the soup flavorful, and the veggies crisp. (Of course, the sinful bone marrow is the star of the dish.)

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Had our #MothersDay brunch at @jayteesfilipinocuisinetagaytay. The fam treated us moms with our #FilipinoFood faves: #Bulalo, #CrispyTawilis, #GrilledLiempo, #FreshLumpia and #ChopSuey. And because there’s #alwaysroomfordessert, we got #LecheFlan and #chocolateicecream to cap off the satisfying meal. Check out my resto review at beingjellybeans.wordpress.com (search: Jaytee’s).

A post shared by Jellybeans in the City (@beingjellybeans) on May 12, 2018 at 8:08pm PDT

We also ordered veggie dishes Chop Suey (Php220) and Fresh Lumpia (Php190 – a real winner with crisp ubod inside, light wrapper and a peanutty garlicky sauce!). For variation of viands, we also ordered Crispy Tawilis (Php220) and Grilled Liempo (Php360). The oldies ordered Buko Juice (Php85) and Green Mango Shake (Php110) while the rest of the fam sipped on Cucumber Iced Tea (Php180 per pitcher). We also capped off the meal with a scoop of Chocolate Ice Cream (Php45 – a must for my little boy) and Leche Flan (Php180 – a little too sweet but that’s what desserts are for huh?).

The food were served family style by attentive wait staff, however, I found the tables too small to accommodate all the food we ordered. (They certainly made taking foodie shots a bit difficult.)

Since we arrived so early, we were able to avoid the traffic going to the resto-with-a-view places along this stretch of Tagaytay. We were also able to park our cars with no problem.

For reservations, call: