Momshies, did you know that red velvet cake is actually made with cocoa, making it, in essence, chocolate cake?
It’s a classic dessert favorite in the Southern US states, said to have originated in Maryland in the early 20th century. It gained the moniker “velvet” cake for having soft and velvety crumbs as opposed to its coarser crumb contemporaries.
During the food rationing of World War II, bakers started adding boiled beetroot to their cake ingredients to help them retain moisture and its juices to add color to their creations.
Traditionally, bakers used a light and fluffy French-style roux icing to decorate the red velvet cake. Variations using cream cheese of buttercream frosting came later.
I was recently gifted by a fellow momshie with a whole Red Velvet Cake from Lia’s Cakes in Season.
This dessert store is practically a landmark in the foodie haven of Kapitolyo in Pasig City. Set up by young entrepreneur Carlo Carlos in 2004 to feature “fruits-to-cakes in season,” cakes and pastries that creatively incorporate the freshest fruits in season.
Its Red Velvet Cake (Php990 whole | Php140 per slice), however, is the store’s take on the classic fave. It consists of a moist chocolate cake (colored a deep red, of course), wrapped in a smooth buttercream icing and topped with crystal bits for added texture.
To get your hands on this decadent delight, order through Lia’s Cakes’ online store or call +63 917 6605427 (minimum order of Php850) for delivery to anywhere in Metro Manila. Delivery is free for website orders over Php2,000.
So order now, momshies!
Lia’s Cakes in Season is located at 23 East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City.
Brownies Unlimited may be your go-to place for various kinds of fudgy brownies, but did you know you can also pick up some special meringue desserts here, too?
Meringues are light and airy confections traditionally made with whipped egg whites and sugar baked at low temperatures to achieve a signature crisp exterior.
Variations of meringues can be found in many parts of the world.
Here in the Philippines, among of the most popular meringue desserts are the silvanas. Made of cashew meringue wafers coated with cookie crumbs enveloping buttercream, it is a decadent delight for many dessert lovers.
Sambos, on the other hand, is the twin dessert of silvanas, wherein cocoa powder and coffee are added to the buttercream before sandwiching it between cashew meringue wafers then coating the resulting confection with chocolate cake crumbs.
After a bout of shopping, Hubby brought home a box for the kids to get a taste of these desserts. I found that these differ from traditional versions by having a rounder, puffier shape as opposed to the ones from Dumaguete that are more disc-shaped.
You can get these meringues at Brownies Unlimited for Php40 a piece or get a box of 6 for Php220.
These silvanas and sambos go well with coffee for a post-meal dessert or with iced tea for a late afternoon sweet snack. These are also great for pasalubong, contributions for potluck parties or as holiday gifts for dessert lovers.
It’s best to keep them frozen prior to serving.
So, are you Team Silvanas or Team Sambos? How about Team Both? 🙂
Check them out are your nearest Brownies Unlimited outlet.
Brownies Unlimited also delivers via GrabFood and FoodPanda.
Back when I used to spend a lot of time in San Juan for work, one of the potential highlights of the day would be a visit to Eat Fresh Famous Hongkong Street Food along Jose Abad Santos Street.
This unassuming resto is famous for serving tasty and affordable dimsum, street food and claypot rice toppings.
Since my office moved locations a few years ago, I haven’t been able to go back there for a Chinese food trip, and when the quarantine was effected last March, a trip to San Juan became all the more unlikely.
Imagine my delight when I discovered that a new branch opened right in my hometown of Pasig City. Better yet, it delivers via GrabFood!
So I took advantage of GrabFood’s FREE delivery promo for my Friday night dinner with the kiddos, and we feasted on:
Salt and Pepper Spareribs (Php322). One of my favorite Chinese dishes made with pork spare ribs seasoned with salt, chili peppers and five spice powder, then deep fried until the outside is crispy to complement the tender meat inside.
Lemon Chicken (Php322). Crispy lightly battered chicken breast pieces doused in a sweet and tangy sticky sauce. For my daughter, a Chinese meal is not complete without this dish.
3 Kinds Mushroom (Php270). This dish is the answer to this mommy question: “How do I get my kids to eat more healthy food?” Well, this delectable dish made with three different kinds of mushroom braised in flavorful oyster sauce got my kids to expand their palates to non-meat dishes.
Special Fried Rice (Php138). Filipino comedian Jo Koy tells how his dad said “Rice is rice.” Well, I beg to differ. This rice dish is special: cold day-old rice is tossed with meat, seafood and scrambled in a wok and flavored with soy sauce, aromatics and other seasonings. It goes so well with almost any Chinese dish that I can’t imagine eating Chinese food with any other type of rice dish.
So foodies, if you’ve got a craving for Asian flavors, bring out your phone and check your food delivery apps. There might be an Eat Fresh branch that delivers in your area.
This Eat Fresh Famous Hongkong Street Food is located along C. Raymundo Avenue, Maybunga, Pasig City, open daily from 10am to 7pm. For delivery, call +63 915 5827695 or course your order through GrabFood.
Download the Grab App and get a discount on your first food order when you use my code: GRABJELLYBEANS.
Other branches are located at:
691 Jose Abad Santos Street, Little Baguio, San Juan City
92 Jose Abad Santos Street, Behind Little Baguio City Hall, Little Baguio, San Juan City
32 General Ordoñez Corner Bayan-Bayanan Avenue, Marikina Heights, Marikina City
100-A Maria Clara Street, Santo Domingo, Banawe, Quezon City
As some of you may have gathered from my previous blog posts, my kiddos are avid Krispy Kreme fans. Since the start of the quarantine, we have been relying on delivery services to get our hands on these donut treats.
However, when Hubby and I recently went shopping for school supplies at SM Megamall, our first visit to this mall since March, the opportunity to grab a box or two of Krispy Kreme donuts presented itself.
As required among all mall-based retail outlets, Krispy Kreme’s branch at SM Megamall adheres to safety and sanitation protocols such as requiring patrons to wear face masks and face shields, answer a contact-tracing questionnaire and sanitize hands prior to entering the store premises.
Dining in is no longer allowed, so unlike during my previous visits before the quarantine, there were no customers hanging out inside the store. In fact, only a handful of customers are allowed to be inside the store to maintain physical distancing.
All those restrictions are well worth following to keep ourselves safe. Plus, Hubby and I were still able to bring home a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts for the kiddos (which I paid for using GCash, again, to minimize physical contact).
I got a Box of 12 (Php425) which contains Krispy Kreme’s “light as a cloud, melt in your mouth, pillows of goodness” yeast-raised donuts. Since the fam fave is still the Original Glazed donut, the package included nine of those.
I just added a piece each of Red Velvet, New York Cheesecake and Kreme-filled with Gold Sprinkles for variety and to complete the dozen.
Needless to say, the kiddos were delighted with our pasalubong and the fam demolished the donuts in no time.
I’m glad that despite the pandemic and the restrictions brought about by the quarantine, we are still able to enjoy simple and delish delights such as these.
This Krispy Kreme branch is located at Upper Ground Floor, Building A, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City.
To get your box of donuts, call +63 2 88879000, order online or via GrabFood.
While securing school supplies at SM Megamall last weekend, Hubby and I decided to have lunch at one of our old haunts here: Komoro Soba, now renamed to Komoro Japanese Dining.
Five years ago, when our offices are both located in the Ortigas area, this Japanese restaurant was our go-to place for affordable teishoku.
These are Japanese meal sets comprised of white rice, miso soup, tsukemono (pickled fruit or vegetable) and your choice of viand. While the rice serves the purpose of being filling, the miso soup provides the comforts of umami, while the tsukemono helps to cleanse the palate and counterbalance flavorful viand.
Komoro’s version of the teishoku is adapted to Filipino taste by replacing the tsukemono with seasonal fruit which almost serves the same function.
Mixed Tempura Teishoku (Php139). Shrimp, chicken and vegetable pieces dipped in batter and served with tempura sauce.
Tonkatsu Teishoku (Php147). A juicy piece of pork cutlet breaded and deep-fried to a golden brown and served with shredded cabbage, a salad and tart katsu sauce.
Prior to eating our teishoku, we shared a serving of Zaru Soba (Php98), chilled buckwheat noodles served with a light dipping sauce called tsuyu to whet our appetite.
It was a quick tasty meal to fuel us for a bout quarantine shopping.
This Komoro Japanese Dining branch is located at Upper Ground Floor, Building A, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City,
Another mall-based branchbia located at Lower Ground Floor, SM City Southmall, Alabang-Zapote Road, Almanza, Las Piñas City.
Komoro also delivers Japanese Bento meal sets in Makati and BGC. To order, call +63 2 9858240 or +63 917 5870809 or message Komoro Bento on Facebook.
Ooh yes! We’re in the BER months now and, for many, the countdown to Christmas has begun.
And you know what we’re all excited for during the holidays, right?
Gifts, course!
Showering our loved ones with presents is one of the most rewarding feelings.
However, given the new situations we are faced with due to the still raging pandemic and different phases of community quarantine it necessitates, we may have to adjust our holiday gift-giving strategy.
So let me present the case for Cafe Mary Grace’s Ensaymadas as your go-to holiday present for your nears-and-dears.
1. Ensaymadas are rich in history.
Did you know that the origin ensaymadas can be traced all the way back to the 17th century in the Balearic Islands in Mallorca, Spain?
During celebrations and festivities, Mallorcan bakers would combine strong flour, water, sugar, eggs, mother dough and a kind of reduced pork lard called saim, from which the resulting pastry, the ensaimada de Mallorca, gets its name.
The ensaymada found its may to the Philippines during the Spanish colonization and is now among the most common delicacies in the country, found in most neighborhood bakeshops. Modifications made from the Mallorcan original include the use of butter instead of lard, as well as the addition of sugar and grated cheese.
It has even become part of our Christmas tradition to enjoy these pastries together with a cup of hot tsokolate made with local tableya.
2. They’re also steeped in good childhood memories.
Most of us can recall those afternoons we spent enjoying an ensaymada roll or two – still warm and fresh from the neighborhood bakery – for merienda after playtime with our childhood pals, right?
3. Cafe Mary Grace’s Ensaymadas is an upgrade of our childhood ensaymada.
Cafe Mary Grace made its name from the homemade goodness of its cakes and baked goods. Its ensaymadas are no different.
Made with 100% real butter and eggs as well as topped with grated Edam cheese, these soft and fluffy pastries have that combination of sweet and salty flavors we Pinoys so adore with a premium and delicate mouthfeel.
4. They already come beautifully packaged.
For just Php658, you can already get a pretty box of six ensaymadas, ready for gifting.
The ensaymada pieces are also individually wrapped so it’s no hassle to give them out to guests as desserts during small gatherings or save a few pieces for later munching.
Boxes of eight pieces and twelve pieces are also available at Php756 and Php1,098, respectively.
5. They’re easy to get.
Given all the restrictions on retail operations and protocols on social distancing, Cafe Mary Grace has made it easy for its customers to get their offerings by making them available online so there’s no need to line up to get a hold of them.
Orders may be coursed through Cafe Mary Grace’s website for pickup or via GrabFood for delivery.
These pastries will arrive chilled as they were taken fresh from the chiller. Before serving, only thaw out the number of pieces you want to eat. Do this by placing an ensaymada in a bowl, covered with a damp cloth, and microwave for ten seconds on the lowest heat settings to restore its original softness.
So go ahead and gift yourself and your loved ones with a box of Cafe Mary Grace Ensaymadas this Christmas!
This Cafe Mary Grace branch is located at Ground Floor, SM City East Ortigas, Ortigas Avenue Extension, Santa Lucia, Pasig City.
Pasig: Rockwell Business Center, Ayala Malls Feliz, Estancia Mall
Quezon City: Eastwood Mall, Robinsons Galleria, Gateway Mall, UP Town Center, Trinoma Mall, SM City North EDSA, SM City Fairview, Ayala Fairview Terraces
Marikina: SM City Marikina
Mandaluyong: Shangri-la Plaza
San Juan: Unimart Greenhills
Taguig: Uptown Place Mall, Serendra, St. Luke’s Medical Center, One Bonifacio High Street, Venice Grand Canal Mall
Makati: Powerplant Mall, Steps Dance Studio, Century City Mall, The Enterprise Center, Greenbelt 2
Manila: SM City Manila, SM City San Lazaro, Lucky Chinatown Mall
Contrary to my initial assumption, Popeyes Louisiana Chicken, Inc. was not named after my childhood hero Popeye the Sailorman. Instead, owner Al Copeland always claimed that his inspiration for the name of his fried chicken company was Det. Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle, Gene Hackman’s character in The French Connection.
That wrong assumption aside, I had no other expectations when Hubby requested that we take advantage of Popeyes’ free delivery promo to get some of this resto’s famous fried chicken for our merienda.
We have been busy working from home ever since the start of the community quarantine and one of the usual highlights of our workday is our afternoon snack break.
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Aside from the respite this little pocket of time gives us from our work, it also allows us to spend some time with the kids as we all enjoy what our friendly GrabFood delivery rider drops off at our doorstep.
On that particular day, we snacked on:
8-piece Bucket of Chicken (Php523). Crunchy skin and tender juicy pieces of Southern fried chicken that we can’t just help but bite into!
2 orders of Box of 3 Honey Biscuits (Php284). Crumbly and flaky quick breads that go so well with the chicken and a little bit of honey.
The chicken, biscuits and honey all come together for that unbeatable sweet-savory flavor combination that we so love.
This Popeyes branch is located at Arcovia City, 99 Eulogio Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Ugong, Pasig City, open for dine in, takeout and delivery Mondays to Fridays from 10am to 8pm and Saturdays to Sundays from 9am to 8pm.
Did you know that the submarine sandwich, also known as the hoagie, hero or grinder, is said to have originated from the Italian-American communities in northeastern US in the early to mid-20th century?
It got its most famous moniker due to its shape: the cylindrical bread roll housing its hearty fillings resembles the shape of a submarine.
Its nickname, the hoagie, came about in Philadelphia in the 1950s when Italian-Americans working at the Hog Island shipyard started putting various meats, cheeses and lettuce between two slices of bread.
Subway, the largest restaurant chain in the world, specializes in subs.
From its beginnings in the Fresno, California in 1978, Subway has steadily conquered the rest of the globe, setting up shops in Asia and even appearing prominently in popular K-Dramas.
Maybe it was its high visibility in his favorite Korean dramas that drove my Hubby to start ordering sandwiches from Subway to be delivered via GrabFood whenever he gets peckish while working from home.
And why would I complain when he so generously orders subs for the rest of the fam so that everyone has something to tide us over until dinnertime.
6″ Italian (Php138). Hubby’s go-to sub is made of spicy pepperoni and salami with crisp veggies and peppers in a toasted bun.
6″ BLT (Php138). One of my mottos is “Bacon makes everything better.” Well, it surely does! Sandwich some bacon slices together with lettuce and tomato in freshly toasted buns and you’ve got a great sub!
6″ Steak and Cheese (Php184). Inspired by the classic Philly hoagie, this sub features lean and tender steak with crisp lettuce, sliced onions and tomatoes and topped with melted cheese in a freshly toasted bun.
6″ Roast Beef (Php184). Lean and tender slices of roast beef with sliced cucumbers, onions, tomatoes and peppers in a freshly toasted bun.
With these tasty and filling subs, the wait for dinner doesn’t seem so long, right?
And with Metro Manila back on moderate enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), we don’t have to leave the safety of our homes to have our subs. We can just have them delivered right to our doorsteps just by ordering from GrabFood, LalaFood or FoodPanda.
And, boy, we do all go crazy over these sweet little creations from Krispy Kreme!
Krispy Kreme has been around for over fifty years, with families in the southern United States making a trip to their local Krispy Kreme branch their weekly ritual. Then, in the 1990s, Krispy Kreme underwent a massive expansion by opening branches coast to coast.
The brand reached our shores back in 2006 when it opened its first Philippine branch in Bonifacio Global City.
Today, it is firmly entrenched in the hearts (and palates!) of Pinoy donut lovers.
To give my fam a taste of the various donut possibilities that Krispy Kreme can bring, I recently ordered a Mixed Dozen (Php470) to be delivered to our home.
This includes a box containing six pieces of Krispy Kreme’s original glazed (also know as “OG”) donuts and a box containing six pieces of assorted donut flavors.
The OG donuts are Krispy Kreme’s signature flavor, made from Krispy Kreme’s donut mix, water and yeast, which are mixed, fried and glazed in accordance to strict specifications to produce that light and fluffy donuts we so love.
As for the other six pieces, we got a variety of flavors for the fam to discover and enjoy: KitKat Chocolate, KitKat Matcha, Glazed Vanilla Cake, Double Chocolate Cake and Glazed Chocolate Cake.
So despite the still ongoing community quarantine, donut lovers can still get their donut cravings satisfied by having their Krispy Kreme donuts delivered just like we did!
Plus, here’s some good news for donut fans! From August 17 to 20, you can have six Original Glazed, three ring-filled Choco Iced Kreme Filled, a New York Cheesecake, a KitKat Chocolate and a Red Velvet delivered to your doorstep for just Php399 if you course your order online or through +63 2 88879000 (Metro Manila Hotline), thanks to Krispy Kreme’s Delivery Dozen Deal.
Do you know what else is available for delivery? A Krispy Kreme OG Card, that’s what! Get this card to start enjoying freebies such as a half-dozen OG donuts for every order of a dozen OGs, as well as a free box of three OGs on your birthday and more!
I’m all for home cooking; in fact, I’ve been taking the extra time spent at home to cook up delish dishes for the fam.
Every once in a while, however, I find myself lacking the inclination to whip up something in the kitchen. It may be because of a videocon that extended past office hours, or the depletion of supplies in the pantry.
Whatever the reason, I’m glad that a busy work-at-home mom like me – one that’s still adjusting to the New Normal – have a myriad of options for her family’s meal.
One such option is the delivery of pizzas from Delander Pizza + Cafe via FoodPanda.
Both of the kiddos are avid pizza fanatics and both welcomed the break from our usual ulam with pizzas ordered from a relatively new store.
Delander Pizza + Cafe opened its doors in Manggahan, Pasig a little over two years ago, bringing local residents a taste of freshly baked and topping-rich pizzas.
Thankfully, it has remained open through the various stages of community quarantine since mid-March to present for takeout and delivery.
Thanks to FoodPanda, the kiddos and I supped on:
Delander Special (Php90 solo | Php240 regular | Php320 mega). Topped with cheese, ham, bacon, beef, pepperoni, pineapple, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions.
Quadro Pizza (Php405). Four flavors all in one pizza: the Delander Special, Hawaiian (Ham, Cheese and Pineapple), Pepperoni and Cheese, and Shawarma (beef shawarma, cheese, onions, bell pepper and fresh tomatoes). This was an excellent choice as we were able to enjoy all four pizza variants for the price of one.
So, this busy mom got a kitchen duty reprieve, thanks to Delander Pizza and FoodPanda.
Delander Pizza + Cafe is located at 451 RL Reyes Building, Amang Rodriguez Avenue, Barangay Manggahan, Pasig City. To order your pizzas, call +63 2 85439843 or +63 975 7306240.
Late last year, it opened a branch a bit nearer to my home (but, sadly, does not yet offet delivery) at 7 Ilang-ilang Street, De Castro Subdivision, Barangay Santa Lucia, Pasig City. To order for pickup, call +63 2 73737751 or +63 999 9908910.
Jellybeans in the City 