New from Starbucks

For desserts that same day, we had the White Chocolate Sansrival P120 and Chocolate
Toffee Loaf P55 of Starbucks.

I first had the Toffee Loaf last year and would have wanted to try the Hazelnut Loaf with Pralines but it was sold-out =(

Chocolate loaf with crunchy, cracked, caramelized toffee bits on top.


The loaf was moist but not that chocolatey. The chocolate taste was so subtle it took a while for me to finally taste it.


It was a good step that they added the toffee bits for crunch and sweetness.

The White Chocolate Sansrival is made up of layers of meringue with nuts, coated with white chocolate ganache, and topped with white chocolate curls.


My friend let me try hers.

I found most sansrivals to be buttery and rich, starbucks version has no trace of butter but of milk.


It will be easy for you to finish an entire slice without even feeling it, it was that light.


Happy Eating!

Bubba Gump

Out with a friend last weekend, we had our very late lunch /early dinner at Bubba Gump in Trinoma.

I wanted the I’m Stuffed Shrimp and she, the Grilled Dory Jambalaya.

I thought that the Stuffed Shrimp was big enough for us to share and the Jambalaya was just good for one. I based it on the pictures and menu descriptions.

In the end, we ordered both and the best part was ( may be out of exasperation, ‘coz it took me a long time to decide), my friend footed the bill =)

It was a long wait for our orders to arrive and my friend was right in saying that they should serve something complimentary to take our minds and stomachs off our orders.

After 20 minutes or so, the I’m Stuffed Shrimp P585 arrived.


8 pieces of shrimps stuffed with crab meat, baked in garlic butter and topped with Monterey jack cheese, served with jasmine rice and sides of coleslaw and mama’s best garlic bread.

It wasn’t as big as it looked on the menu. It was stuffed but not big. And even with the garlic butter and the Monterey jack cheese, it was still a little dry.


I like the crunchy, not too-saucy/creamy coleslaw that breaks the familiarity of the dishes combined. The garlic bread was buttery but not garlicky.

The Grilled Dory Jambalaya P430 is from their new menu offering.
Grilled cream dory over a spicy New Orleans’ style jambalaya with tender shrimp and andouille sausage.


This was soooo GOOD. What I thought to be a bland dish was indeed a kaleidoscope of taste.

The scoop of parsley butter on top of the grilled dory, melts on your every move and bite.

The jambalaya as a whole, was saucy, light in taste but rich in flavour.

I thank my friend for ordering this ‘coz I got to try something new and good.


Happy Eating!

Karen's Kitchen

A few minutes off my last bite of Polly’s Chocolate Cake and I’m dying to buy another. But sad to say, it’s the middle of the week and the Baker’s Dozen won’t start until Friday.

I was set on buying from Shell Pasong Tamo or Magallanes (although more expensive), when I read Karen’s Kitchen feature on Manila Standard.


I have tried their Chocolate Ganache (I still like Polly’s Chocolate Cake over this) and Xanadu ( I love this cake, just expensive). Since it was written there that Red Velvet P550 is their second best seller, that was what I ordered (although I was a little apprehensive based on a review of a certain blogger during the “start-up” (I can’t think of the exact term)process of the cake. I picked-it up later in the afternoon (I was told that for most of their cakes, an advance order is needed but since it was one of their best sellers they make extras).



Red-hued chocolate cake with raspberry-colored cream in between, coated with cream cheese icing and topped with white chocolate curls and a single rose.


It is one of the Inquirer’s Top 20 Cakes of the City.


What can I say about the cake? Well, there were the good parts and then the bad parts. Let’s start with the bad parts first: I can’t taste the chocolate, the layering of the cake was not prominent, the white chocolate used lacked creaminess and sweetness. And now with the good: It was moist, its texture resembled that of dessicated coconut (almost crumbly but firm), not too sweet nor rich, a light cake (surprised?), it was in between dense and airy.


You’ll never stop eating just to know what the cake is all about. Up to my last bite, its taste still puzzles me.


Although I have grown to like it, I still like dolcepastries take on this popular cake. Dense, with a prominent chocolate flavour and just the right sweetness. Bad thing is, her online bakeshop's closed down for almost a year now.


Happy Eating!

KAREN’S KITCHEN
428 Adalla Street, Palm Village
Makati City
Tel No: 898-2280

Karen's Kitchen BTS

Is it really better than sex? I don’t think so. Orgasmic? I still don’t think so.


Another week (make that 2 days after), another cake from Karen’s Kitchen.


BTS (Better Than Sex) has alternating layers of chocolate cake, cream and dulce de leche caramel.


It’s best eaten chilled for the cream to set.


How do I find the cake? It’s not too sweet even with the dulce de leche. The cake was moist, the cream not too rich and the dulce de leche not too sweet. I found it too plain-tasting, just your average chocolate cake with caramel sauce.


The BTS has a crumbly exterior which I also didn’t like in this case (cake).


I still favoured Polly’s Chocolate Cake and their Xanadu over this.

But wait, there’s a surprise inside the cake that made me smile but still didn’t change my impression of the cake. What is it? Well, it's for you to find out =)


Happy Eating!

Piadina

I have been ordering their Bologna Set P140 for many years now (around 8), but it’s only now that I blog about it.



A Bologna Set consists of a pasta, piadina of your choice (limited choices only), half grilled mozzarella and iced tea.




I always choose carbonara for my pasta and either Italian sausage or chicken for my piadina.



Piadina is a thin Italian flatbread, usually made with white flour, lard (or olive oil), salt and water. Filled with a variety of cheeses, cold cuts and vegetables & also of sweet fillings such as nutella and jams (Wikipedia).



Piadina’s version makes use of whole wheat flour for a healthier piadina.

It’s still as good as ever. Creamy and al dente carbonara with lots of ham, perfectly-grilled mozzarella, with just enough cheese, though much better with anchovies sauce. The only thing that didn’t impress me that day was the piadina. I ordered the Piadina con Salsiccia Italiana or piadina with Italian sausage and mozzarella.



Their piadina that day was slightly dry and their Italian sausage filling needed more sauce and a little more mozzarella cheese (you can never have enough mozzarella).

Still, I enjoyed eating everything and would definitely order the bologna set again. And with the P140 price, I definitely got more than I paid for.


Happy Eating!

PIADINA
Food Choices
Glorietta, Makati City

Chef's Quarter

They said that their bestsellers are their cheesecakes (with mango or blueberry toppings). Since, I’m more of a chocolate person, I asked for their other bestsellers.

They said that the French Chocolate Cake was next in line, followed by the Ube Cheesecake Brulee, Pistachio Meringue Gateau and the Warm Apple Bread Pudding ala Mode.

I was set on the Bread Pudding but his description of the French Chocolate Cake got me curious.


French Chocolate Cake P150, half chocolate decadence cake (chocolate cake), half chocolate ganache, topped with whipped cream and chocolate swirls. It is served with strawberry and ripe mango syrup.


The chocolate decadence was wet and not moist, it was also granular (I don’t know how else to describe its texture). Alone, it doesn’t taste much that I needed some help from the syrup.


The chocolate ganache was like a chocolate bar in taste and texture. It was served frozen thus it’s rock-hard. It’s very tricky to use utensils in eating it and biting thru it can be a predicament. Overall, that was also the best part of the cake.



Did I regret ordering the cake? No, it’s worth a try but not a repeat order, well, not that soon I mean. May be after a couple of weeks, just to refresh my taste buds.

Nevertheless, I would definitely come back for a meal ( I saw their head chef won something in an episode of Katoque, that must mean something right?) and their other desserts (bread pudding and ube cheesecake brulee).


Happy Eating!

CHEF’S QUARTER
L1 One Adriatico Place Manila
Tel No: 381-3449