Jolly Hotdogs

This has been my constant order from Jollibee, more than their burgers, chicken, noodles or desserts.

Jolly Hotdog Classic, mildly seasoned all-meat hotdog in a warm roll, garnished with a slightly tangy cheese based toppings and livened up with grated cheese and tomato catsup.


I just love how cheesy and tangy it is.

And now Jollibee came up with 2 (two) new flavors. The Chili Cheese Dog and Bacon Mushrooms Tops.

The Jolly Hotdog Chili Cheese Dog, is smothered with a savory mix of spicy beef toppings and a cheesy sauce.


It is spicy and cheesy at the same time.


While the Jolly Hotdog Bacon Mushroom Tops is topped with flavorful bits of bacon and mushroom slices and drizzled with cheese sauce.



This one I don’t like, the mushroom slices are from the can thus it were dry. It would have been better if they sauteed it in garlic for an added bite.



Having tasted all three, I still favored the classic. Nothing beats the original.

Happy Eating!

Baker's Fair

Still inside Divisoria Mall, there’s a Baker’s Fair Bakery with non-stop lines of eager customers.

Curious, I looked around and found some good stuff to try, like the Chocolate Macaroons P4.25, Diced Hopia P3.50 and Chocolate Pudding P10.



As I have blog a lot of times already, I love bread pudding & chocolate. So passing up the chance to try the chocolate pudding of baker’s fair is insane.


Their chocolate pudding is like a denser chocolate cake with moist top covering and randomly incorporated chestnuts and raisins.

It is not sweet thus best eaten warm with a scoop of ice cream.

Their diced hopia has a crunchy shell but with a smooth and creamy filling. You’ll definitely love these bite-sized hopia especially when newly-baked.


And last but not the least and also my favorite from the bunch, the chocolate macaroons.



Crunchy coconut with a bittersweet chocolate taste. It may not look appetizing but its taste more than made up for it.





Happy Eating!

BAKER’S FAIR
HT4/HT5 3RD Floor,
Divisoria Mall

Baker's Dozen

I can’t contain my excitement for the Baker’s Dozen in Powerplant Mall, upon reading of it on Manila Standard, that I immediately got dressed and went to the first day of the fair.

There were the “sophomores” (second year on the fair), Iya’s Pastillas, Christina’s Kitchen, Sweet Life by Ange, Mary Grace, Kitchen’s Best, Saltine, San Lo’s, Costa Brava, and the “freshmen” (first- timers), Patisserie Caroline, Gayuma, The Cru Kitchen, Joyce's, The Russian Cookie House , Estrel’s and Empire Cheesecake.

Of the returnees, only Mary Grace has new offerings, like the Chocolate Mousse and Mango Melba (both are not their exact names). The Mango Melba has the same vibe as Conti’s Mango Bravo.

Of the new-comers, my number 1 fave is Joyce's. I'm now addicted to their Rhum Butter Cake P80/small bundt.

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Butter cake on its own is already good but with rhum, much better.

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The Rhum Butter Cake of Joyce is buttery soft and with a kick. It’s like heaven and hell on your tongue.

I went back to the booth a couple of times to hoard on this. I can’t seem to get enough of it.

Another must-try from Joyce's is their Portobello Mushroom Dip in EVOO (10oz) P300.

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It is very tasty and satiating for a dip.

Second is Empire Cheesecake. They sell macaroons and cheesecake lollipops (cheesecake in lollipop form, on a stick without the graham crust ) with variety of flavours. Plus their packaging is really pretty.

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I bought their Black and White Cheesecake Lollipop P30. It is cheesecake lollipop coated with dark and white chocolate ganache.

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The cheesecake was creamy, tangy and sweet. It tasted of pure cream cheese or cheesecake without gelatin or extenders. It also has a condensed milk sweetness to it brought by the white chocolate which was contrasted by the bittersweet taste of the dark chocolate, YUM!

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I have also tried their Cookies and Cream Macaroon and it was very tasty too.

Third is Patisserie Caroline.

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I like their Carrot Walnut Loaf P220 because it’s moist and packed with carrots and walnuts, and also their Oreo Fudge and Peppermint Fudge Brownies P150 (box of 8) . The Peppermint Fudge Brownie tasted like an after eight cake and the Oreo was like chocolate overload because it has a strong chocolate taste.

Fourth is Estrel’s.

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I love their Caramel Cake which unfortunately was already sold-out when I arrived. Good thing though, because I was able to try and liked their Food For The Gods P360 (20pcs) .

It’s tightly packed with nuts and raisins and was incredibly moist and delicious. I just wish they will sell miniature version of their Caramel Cake because I can’t finish the whole cake in a day, or rather I can but I won’t.

Another fave is The Russian Cookie House.

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I like their Russian Mini Cookie. It was very light and will almost melts in your mouth. It also has a surprise crunch on the center from the walnut. And also their Mini Pistachio Cookies, just because I love pistachios and chocolate. Both cookies are sold for P380 for 65 pieces.

Well, Baker’s Dozen is really something to look forward to every weekend. It’s like heaven for a dessert lover like myself. I just wish that Kitchen's Best will bring more of their Banana Toffee Pie. I wasn’t able to buy one because it was already sold-out when I arrived. I’m also looking forward on seeing, tasting and buying from Polly’s (I really miss their chocolate cake, orange poppy seed cake and bread pudding) and Karen’s Kitchen (maybe they’ll bring with them BTS, Xanadu and Green Tea Frozen Brazo and will sell them cheaper than in UCC =p) A foodaholic can dream.

Here are the booths from the Fair and the must-try according to me :-)

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GAYUMA - Their sweets are just okay tasting.

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CHRISTINA'S KITCHEN - I love their Carrot Cake, it's moist and delicious, and also their Bread Pudding, which has the taste and consistency of a leche flan.


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SALTINE - I like their Mushroom and Spinach Patties and also their Lemon Squares, they are creamy and tangy.


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SWEET LIFE by ANGE - Their Frozen Brazo de Mercedes (Sweet Surrender) is a must-try.


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SAN LO'S - I don't like their empanadas =(



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KITCHEN'S BEST - Their brownies and bars are delicious. I must yet to try their infamous Banana Toffee Pie.


Happy Eating!

Bigoli

While waiting for my friend to arrive for our movie date at the Cinema 7 of Trinoma Mall, I passed by Bigoli near the Cinema 7 entrance.



They reminded me of Fazoli's at first glance + that they serve complimentary bread sticks for dine-in and take-out customers. They also sell it in quantity of 6 pieces for P45.

The bread sticks are garlicky and buttery-soft. You'll be addicted to them in an instant.

I ordered the Bacon Stromboli P115, their best seller.


Pizza dough and sauce with bacon, mozzarella and provolone cheeses, wrapped and rolled, served with alfredo sauce.


The dough was chewy and soft with lots of bacon but not that much cheese. While the alfredo sauce was thick and yummy.




I can't wait to come back for more of their bread sticks and also to try their White Bacon Pizza, Pasta Sampler and Turtle Cake.



Happy Eating!

BIGOLI
4th Floor, Trinoma Mall

Fruito King

My family love eating here. They said that it’s the best place to have dimsum.
I never come with them, I just always ask them to bring me some shark’s fin for pasalubong.

Last Sunday, with nothing to do at home, I came with my family to Divisoria Mall for some dimsum at Fruito King.


We ordered assorted dumplings (shark’s fin, siomai, a sausage-looking one and a sushi-looking one with kani), chicken feet, ma-chang, man tau and egg custard tart.


All the dumplings were good. Their shark’s fin was better than Pao Tsin and their siomai than Hen Lin. They are also pricier than Hen Lin and Pao Tsin, but according to my mother they only use quality ingredients and don’t scrimp on them.




Of all the dumplings, my fave is the sushi-looking one with kani. Even its white sauce is good.


Their Ma Chang or sticky rice with pork wrapped in lotus leaves, is tightly-packed, not too oily and the best complement to their dumplings.



Their Man Tau has a crusty and sweet exterior, comparable to a bicho, but soft and dense inside.




While their Egg Custard Tart has a sweet, crusty and flaky crust with a denser egg custard which I don’t fancy.


Overall, I wouldn’t mind going there every Sunday for an afternoon dimsum.

Btw, they also sell big, as in JUMBO siopao for P50.


Happy Eating!

FRUITO KING
3rd Floor, Divisoria Mall Food Court