Karate Kid

After our (my friend and I) house tripping, we had a late dinner at Karate Kid in Robinsons Place.


I ordered the Japanalo Meal 1 P95, of tonkatsu, 2 pieces of gyoza, yakisoba and rice and Caramel Green Tea Mousse P35 for dessert.


The Tonkatsu was good, the yakisoba though oily, thin and lacked meat was also good, and the gyoza though served cold, was still good.

The Caramel Green Tea Mousse is made up of 3 layers of graham crust, green tea mousse and caramel jelly.


It was too little for its price of P35. Its taste was also too light that I can compare it to eating air. Also, the caramel jelly on top didn’t taste of caramel but only
of plain gelatin.


My friend commented that they put sesame seeds on almost everything, on the tonkatsu, teriyaki and yakisoba. He also said that taste-wise, Tokyo Tokyo is much better than Karate Kid plus they have kanin-all-you-can.

Happy Eating!

KARATE KID
Japanese Fast Food
Level 4, Robinsons Place,
Ermita Manila
Tel No: 536-8060

Dell’s Food Shop

While waiting for my friend to arrive, I went around the mall (Times Plaza) and came across Dell’s Food Shop. At front were standees of their various awards and recognition, that got me curious that I went in and took a look at their products.


They have a canteen set-up like Goldilocks, where all viands are displayed, but they also have some viands that are made to order. They also offer cakes, pastries, merienda (guinatang halo-halo, pancit) and kakanins.

Since I only want something to-go, I bought a piece of their Chocolate Cake P28 and a slice of their Biko de Palawan P25.

The Chocolate Cake is 2 layers of chocolate cake, filled and iced with rum-flavored chocolate icing.


It taste different because of the rum used, like it was stale or old. But judging from the soft and fluffy chocolate cake, you’ll think otherwise.

The Biko de Palawan’s only difference from the common Biko was its color. It was color purple, but didn’t taste of ube/purple yam. It also has grated cheese on top instead of latik. Despite that, it tasted the same as that of regular Biko.



Happy Eating!

DELL’S FOOD SHOP
2nd Floor, Times Plaza,
UN Avenue, Ermita Manila

Crab Cakes/ Tortang Alimasag

I have been craving for these for almost a year and at last my cravings were satisfied.
Unlike the common/usual crab cakes which are mostly breadcrumbs and flour, these crab cakes are their exact opposites.
Plus they don’t need any more sauce or dips since they’re already tasty on their own, but a spicy vinegar dip wouldn’t hurt.

Happy Eating!

Laing

Gabi leaves cooked in coconut milk with lots and lots of chillies.

This is how bicolanos/bicolanas make it, dry and not wet as those sold in restaurants.

A common side dish in our household and also a favourite pasalubong and part of our annual fiesta spread. Also, my husband loves it. He can eat it every day and not grow tired of it. I feel the same.

Happy Eating!

John and Yoko

I met up with a friend in Greenbelt yesterday and for lunch we settled at John & Yoko. It was another resto of Marvin Agustin, sort of like a high-end Sumo Sam.


We had Salmon Wasabi Cream P338, Uzuyaki Beef Roll P268, Gohan P78 and Blue Ice Tea P108.


The Salmon was really special. It was like a salmon carbonara with the cream sauce but not spicy at all, not even a hint. In spite of not being spicy, my friend and I can’t stop gushing how good it was, bite after bite after bite.



The Uzuyaki Beef Roll is thin slices of beef, stuffed with minced mushrooms then rolled. Served with onion rings and oil-soy sauce dip.



This was also good, tender beef and mushrooms, seasoned just right, though I prefer to eat it with their teriyaki sauce and not the accompanying sauce.





Happy Eating!

JOHN AND YOKO
2/F Greenbelt 5,
Ayala Center, Makati City

Jipan Forever

Back again for the nth time at Jipan in Glorietta, I bought some new pastries to stuff my lonely self with =(

I bought Double Choco Roll P50, Sweet Potato (price depends on size), Ann Pan P36 and Black Sesame Ann Pan P40.

The Double Choco Roll is with choco cream and white chocolate.



It has the same fluffiness as an ensaymada, filled with choco cream then coated with white chocolate. It was good, especially the white chocolate. Also, the choco cream was as light as a mousse. Just a tip though, don’t put it in the ref or chill it, it’ll make the roll or what’s underneath the white chocolate, hard and unenjoyable.



The Sweet Potato is made of mashed sweet potato with added secret ingredients topped with a thin film of custard.



It was so unlike the mashed sweet potato with milk we make at home. This was so light and fluffy that I can’t get enough of it.



The Ann Pan is with red monggo while the Black Sesame is with of course, black sesame. Of the two, the Ann Pan is tastier and moister.




Happy Eating!

Damaso

After eating at John and Yoko, it was now dessert time! Being the type that’s more excited in dessert than main course, my friend as always let me choose where and what to have for dessert.


I chose Pia Y Damaso, just a couple of stores away from John and Yoko. We ordered Sisa’s Dementia P160 and De Espadana Quezo de Bola Cheesecake P220.


The Sisa’s Dementia is truffle cake with white chocolate almond pastille, dark chocolate mousse and ganache.




Although everything was good, from the bittersweet mousse to the creamy & crunchy almond pastille, the truffle cake at the bottom was kinda dry and tasteless.


The De Espadana is baked cheesecake with santol, prunes, and dried figs.


This was the better cake of the two. It may sound weird, with the santol and all, but it was good and not sour at all. It was creamy and tangy in a good way.



Happy Eating!

PIA Y DAMASOUnit 2-053 Greenbelt 5,
Ayala Center, Makati City

Ruffles

One of our (my husband and I) favorite chips is the Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream.


It has the right level of saltiness. Tangy, cheesy and herby all at the same time. We can't stop licking our fingers off its remnants, yummy!

Happy Eating!

Pan de Manila

New finds from Pan de Manila are their Chocolate Drinks, particularly the Chocolate de Leche and Chocolate Blanco both at P14 per sachet.


The Chocolate de Leche has creamer, muscovado sugar, milk powder, cocoa and tablea while the Chocolate Blanco has milk powder, creamer, white chocolate, muscovado sugar, refined sugar, vanilla and iodized salt.

Also, both are Spanish-style chocolate drinks.

They’re way better than Swiss Miss Choco (which tasted like medicine) and are thicker and richer in taste.

Of the two my favourite is the Chocolate Blanco.

I love that it’s creamy and rich and that it’s white chocolate. A perfect afternoon snack and pick-me upper.


Happy Eating!

Coupe Coffee Station

Out with my sister and her family last Wednesday, I had the chance to finally sample some of the sweets of Coupe( my sister’s been raving about the Coffee Station for quite some time now).

They offer a lot (as in) of cakes, some requires 2 days in advance to order (like the Special Pudding with Custard), and the rest are available in the cafe but in rotation.


Every day there are new cakes on display. That afternoon they have Black Forest, Triple Chocolate Cheesecake, Swiss Mountain, Chocolate Decadence, Chocolate Truffle, Carrot Cake, Mango Cheesecake, Chocolate Mousse plus Chocolate Revel Bar and Chocolate Chip Cookies.


We ordered the Chocolate Truffle P80/slice, Chocolate Decadence P80/slice, Carrot Cake, Cafe Americano, Mango Shake and lots of Chocolate Revel Bar P50/piece.

The Chocolate Decadence and Chocolate Truffle were both highly recommended by the staff of the cafe.

A staff also told me that their Chocolate Truffle was made of pure chocolate, with that I was hoping for that “chocolate bar” texture all throughout the cake, but what was served was 2 layers of liqueur-infused chocolate cake, iced and filled with coffee-flavored chocolate ganache.


I liked the taste of the cake but not its texture. The chocolate cake was also slightly dry.

The Chocolate Decadence is chocolate cake iced with chocolate ganache and caramel.
This was better than their Truffle. The cake though also dry was not as dry as the Truffle, it’s also sweeter (because of the caramel aka yema) and chocolatier.



The Carrot Cake was the best of the 3 cakes. The cake was moist and the cream cheese frosting was delicious. I just wish it had more carrots and also nuts.



But the star of that afternoon and also the day after was their Chocolate Revel Bar. It was moist, crunchy, chewy and chocolatey. It’s the best Revel Bar I have ever had plus it has walnuts in it which sets it apart from other revel bars.



The cafe also offers pasta, pizzas, soups, rice dishes, sandwiches, assorted coffees, teas and shakes plus they have free wi-fi =)

My gripes with the cafe were that their cakes are relatively pricey (considering the location and brand) and the staff were not that knowledgeable of what’s in their cakes.

Btw, my sister said that their Cafe Americano was way better than Starbucks version.



Happy Eating!

COUPE COFFEE STATION
Dona Soledad, Better Living Subdivision, Paranaque
(vicinity of Petron Gas Station)

Truffles de France

After my stint at Sango I was still craving for another dessert of particularly anything chocolate. I roamed Glorietta and Greenbelt Mall, looking for something that will excite both my eyes and tongue.

I was already feeling frustrated when I came across a booth of Truffles de France. I was eyeing their cakes on display when a staff told me that I should try their Cheesecake because it’s their best seller. Not up for anything that’s not chocolate, I declined. She then offered me a taste of their original best seller, their Chocolate Truffles. It’s available in assorted variants but the original is still the best.


I bought the big box right away at P420 with 30 pieces of dark chocolate kisses dusted with cocoa powder.


Are they worth the price tag? Absolutely. They are absolutely good, like a butter in texture, firm but melts in your mouth.


Btw, I was later told that they are favourites of Dra. Belo and Lucy Gomez.



Happy Eating!

TRUFFLES DE FRANCE- SM Mall of Asia
- Shangri-La Mall
- Glorietta Mall