Lunch Date at Little Quiapo BF Homes

Little Quiapo has always been the favorite go-to place for people when they crave for some delicious good old-fashioned Filipino home cooking. I was craving for some "lutong bahay" food, so my hubby and I decided to have lunch at Little Quiapo, BF Homes Paranaque.

Simple Yet Delightful Treats from Pan de Manila

Just recently, while I was walking along Legaspi Village in Makati, I came across two Pan de Manila branches. The store's facade really was quite inviting so I was lured inside to see what's new. :) I think it's been 4 years since I last visited one of their stores. 

Here are some items that I bought that are worth mentioning:

1. Pan de Manila's Salted Yema Spread (Price: P85)

 What I like about it is it really does taste like our old favorite yema and it's really spreadable or should I say it's easy to spread on a bread using a spoon. The price is quite reasonable, too! 

I like its not too sweet yema flavor. If you want it to be sweeter, then simply stuff some more yema spread on to your bread :D 
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2. Pan de Manila Cinnamon Pan (Price: P15.00 )

It's simply a soft and huge pandesal smothered in lots and lots of cinnamon and let me tell you, it really works! My son ( a picky eater) who loves cinnamon rolls would sometimes complain how the cinnamon rolls were too thick in texture and he also doesn't like raisins. Well, when he tasted this cinnamon pan, he really loved it and finished the whole bread! 

 

Like I said, it's simply pandesal with cinnamon, but it really does taste good. Perfect for coffee. 

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3. Chocolate con Nueces (3-in-1 Chocolate with Roasted Peanuts)

Price: P18.00 per sachet.

It's like drinking choc-nut and I love it! I was actually expecting some little bits of nuts to chew on while drinking it, but there's none. The taste of chocolate and nuts really blended well, thus, giving me a nice hot cup of eccentric chocolate.

Note: Just be sure to use just a small coffee cup when you drink one for maximum satisfaction. Before, I used a big mug for it thinking that it would be enough, but it tasted bland because there was too much water used.

Well, that's just about it. Of course, the usual bestsellers are still there such as the Pesto Cheese Sticks, Ensaymada, and I was also delighted to see some donuts displayed in their shop which I failed to take a picture because I left my phone at home. T_T

Well, a short stop at Pan de Manila was really nice & pleasant, and I do recommend that you do visit them when you have the time because they might have something that you want in terms of bread, bread spreads, and beyond :D They're open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Pan de Manila

http://www.pandemanila.com.ph/

Delightful Treats from Chips Delight

Chips Delight has been a part of our family for a long, long time. I remember munching on them when I was still in college because I just love their cookies! My favorite Chips Delight flavor is their original chocolate chip cookies partnered with chilled milk.Now that I have kids, it's not hard for them to love Chips Delight because one bite of their cookie and they just can't get enough of it.

This is a pic of our stocked food when we checked in a hotel in Makati just this summer.
I really made sure we have Chips Delight to make our stay more delightful. 

So since I love Chips Delight, I was actually thrilled that they were one of the sponsors in Blogapalooza 2015. I was really eager to see what they had in store for bloggers like me. 

Luckily, as I went and entered the venue, theirs was one of the first booths I saw so it's the first booth I went to. All the staff greeted me and took my picture below as I was holding Chips Delight's fan sign. 

Their booth really looked festive ^_^

 After taking a picture, they gave me a pack of their new flavor, The Chips Delight Chocolate Chip Brittle Brownie. I decided to take this home and let the delight reach my kids. :)

The resealable lock makes it more convenient to bring whenever and wherever we travel.

And so when I went home, my kids got excited to see the pack. They knew it was Chips Delight right away because of the familiar logo. We all ate it right away as a snack. My little girl even asked for some chilled milk which was a great idea. 

A close up photo of the cookie.

The cookie was actually a bit more brittle, thinner, and not as chewy unlike the other flavors that we usually buy, but it's still a winner in our list. It's more crunchy and it did resemble the flavors of brittle brownies, which is why the pack didn't last for more than 5 minutes :)

 Chips Delight offers plenty of other delicious flavors such as :

1. Soft Brownie cookies (family favorite)
2. Peanut and Caramel Chip cookies (my brother's favorite)
3. Coffee caramel chip cookies (my other sister's favorite)
4. Striped chocolate cookies (family favorite)
5. Striped Cappuccino chocolate chip cookies (my personal favorite)
6. Rainbow candy cookies (great for kiddie parties)

Mini Chips Delight Butter Oatmeal Choco Chip CookiesThis party pack is best suited for sharing :)

For a more nutritious treat, I also buy the Mini Chips Delight Butter Oatmeal Choco Chip cookies for my son's baon for school. It's definitely a delicious way to add a bit of fiber to my son's snacks :D The smaller packs has a very budget-friendly price of P11.00 each.

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Here are some new flavors of Chips Delight :

Chips Delight Triple Chocolate Overload Cookies
I think this would be an awesome treat during the Holidays to make it extra special, don't you think? :) I'm sure my kids would be delighted to see this.

Chips Delight Chocolate Chip Cookies (No Sugar Added)
I think this is best for adults like me and for those who are health-conscious This is definitely good news to us because we can enjoy the same old Chips Delight goodness without the guilt.

So there you have it. Chips Delight has lots of flavors to choose from that suits  every individual's taste and you can definitely expect that their cookies are reasonably priced catered for everyone's budget. I make sure I always have stocks of Chips Delight at home so my kids always have something delicious to munch on any time of the day.

More about Galinco, the company behind Chips Delight:

GALINCO is a world-class food and beverage company from the Philippines.

Our products include delightful cookies, easy-to-prepare pre-mixes, popular Philippine desserts, and irresistible confectioneries. These are made from the finest ingredients, in our state-of-art facilities, and based on recipes developed by our experienced professional food and beverage specialists.

From the time we set out to introduce our first cookie product in 1996, our founder has always believed that the key to success is products that delight the Consumer - hence our first cookie brand "Chips Delight".

Through the years, our high-quality products are being enjoyed all over the Philippines; as well as being exported to various countries.

The cornerstone values for our successful track record as a world-class organization are:

• Focus on delighting our Consumers
• Innovation
• Non-compromising standards of quality
• Development of our Human Capital
• Responsible Corporate Citizenship

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For more information about Galinco and their products, you may visit them at their website at http://www.galinco.com/home/

Traditional Filipino Food at Via Mare

Via Mare is a familiar name especially to restaurant diners old and new. They became famous with their oyster specialties and other Filipino favorite dishes. So when I won a Via Mare gift certificate worth P500 from their Facebook contest, I got all excited and decided to use it when I went to Makati. I chose their Greenbelt 1 branch because I've been longing to dine there for its cozy ambiance that people can see through their restaurant window.

Very nice and cozy ambiance. Luv it!

It was really difficult to choose what to order from their menu because everything looked so delicious to me. But then, their simple pandesal meal caught my eye at that time so I ordered their Crispy Vigan Longanisa.

For dessert, I ordered my all-time favorite Pinoy food, the Palitaw.

I was craving for coffee at that time, but coffee was not available so I ordered their Spanish Style Chocolate.

Grilled Pan de Sal with Crispy Vigan Longganisa 

The first one to arrive at my table! I did not expect my order to have chips on the side, but the more the merrier! .It may not look so grand in the picture (They're breads! What more can you expect?)

but they sure did not disappoint. The breads were sooo soft that almost melt in your mouth and they go really well with the crispy Vigan longganisa.

My Spanish Style Chocolate!
Very thick and bland so you have to add some milk and sugar according to your liking.

My meal.

Palitaw
Tastes like the original and authentic Palitaw - just the way I like it. 

Another shot of my complete meal.  I was so full after eating all of them.!
 Call me an old soul, but this is my kind of happy meal :D  

 I really loved eating at Via Mare. The manager and the staff were all very accommodating, the place was so fine, and the food is just divine. I look forward to dining there again in Greenbelt 1 branch. :)



GREENBELT 1
Restaurant Type: Cafe & Oyster Bar Express
Paseo de Roxas Makati City
Tel. No. 815-1918
Telefax No. 893-2306

A Simple Dinner at Dong Juan (BF Branch: CLOSED)

Thanks to Beeconomic.com.ph, I was able to purchase the following deal:

For P128, there's sisig, iced tea and rice that's good for 2 already! How insane is that? When I saw this, I immediately bought it. Last Saturday, we finally were able to use it.

Food Trip Series along Avelino Street in BF Homes: Rolly's Bakeshop and Eatery

I wake up every morning to take my son to school every day via tricycle and then I just walk myself home. As I walk home, I get to see all the stores along Avelino Street. This is the other side of the street of the busy and always traffic President's Avenue.

 

Soy Yummy: Yummy, Yummy in My Tummy!

 Taho is a Philippine snack food made of fresh soft/silken tofu, arnibal (brown sugar and vanilla syrup), and pearl sago (similar to pearl tapioca).

I got another voucher that I bought from Ensogo and the merchant is Soy Yummy. I've never tried any of their products nor have I heard about them, but because of Ensogo's deal (now closed) that offers an extremely reasonable value of P129 for 4 large orders, I decided to buy it without any excitement nor expectations. I was like, "Taho? Hmm, okay..." I actually was quite lazy to avail it, but since we needed to go to SM Southmall anyway, I decided to claim it anyways before it expires.

Dinner at Bacolod Chk-N-BBQ House (Santana Grove)

I bought an Ensogo voucher of Bacolod Chk-N-BBQ House worth Php500 for the price of Php249 because I thought it was so worth it.

51% off! It's quite worth it.

Fresh Pasalubong From Tagaytay: Loumars and Bag of Beans

My sister went to Tagaytay with her friends last Saturday and went home late at night when everyone was already sleeping. Early morning, we were greeted by her pasalubong at the dining table!

Big Plate Breakfast Buffet

Tired of the usual breakfast meals you eat in fast food restaurants? Why not try Big Plate's breakfast buffet! For a very reasonable price of Php198.00 (or Php 201.98 net) per person, you can already enjoy a sumptuous buffet breakfast! No need to go to fancy hotels to enjoy a buffet early in the morning and pay double or triple the price. Big Plate offers breakfast buffet every day, Monday to Sunday, 7am to 11am.

Christening Celebration at Big Plate

Last September 30, 2012 was my daughter's Christening and I decided to make reservations at Big Plate because of their reasonably priced buffet package!

Buffet Rates:
Adults: Php 298 per person + Php 60 per person for unlimited iced tea.
Kids: Php 168 (inclusive of 1 round of iced tea)

Coffee & Cake Combo at Serye Café Filipino

My sister bought the "Cake and Coffee Combination" promo from Ensogo and all I have to say is what we saw from the pictures is really what you get. 

FYI: The promo is only P99 for a coffee and cake that's worth P200, but if you ordered a pair that exceeds the P200, then you'll have to pay the excess value.

 

 

The first pair: Café con sorbets with biscotti

Here's the biscotti

And here's the Cafe con Sorbets. My brother says it's simply coffee with ice cream.

  

2nd Pair: Café Mocha Manila with Suman

Cafe Mocha

Suman.
My mother says it lacks flavor. She still prefers suman wrapped inside banana leaves.

Here are the rest of the desserts we ordered with coffee: 

Apple Pie
We didn't like this. It tasted like bread reheated in a microwave with dried apples inside. It's quite a disappointment.

Chocolate Decadence Cake
It was so-so according to my sister.

Macapuno Pandan Cake
The best Filipino-themed cake we've tasted so far. It's a must-try.

Sans Rival
I wasn't able to taste this, but my husband was able to finish this cake. I guess it's quite good. :)

The overall experience was okay. The ambiance of the cafe and the staff were satisfactory. Take note of the word, "cafe," in their title because the place was transformed more like a cafe and not a restaurant. It's actually a good place to hang out with friends and family.

Panoramic view of Serye Cafe

Serye Cafe Filipino
Ground Floor, Santana Grove, Sucat, Paranaque
Reservation nos.:825.4691/826.9317

Dolor's Kakanin

Last August 26, 2011 was my son's Pista ng Pilipino presentation and I was tasked to bring sapin-sapin for the potluck. I panicked as I was reading the letter because I had no idea where to buy sapin-sapin in my area. Thank God for the internet, I was able to find a few and the one I've chosen was Dolor's Kakanin inside BF Homes. They've been around for quite some time now and they're pretty popular when it comes to kakanin or native delicacies.

 We tried their pichi-pichi out of curiosity. 

It was okay and has thick consistency, but I still prefer Amber's pichi-pichi.

 Maja Mais (Coconut Pudding)

I liked this one because of its rich and creamy texture unlike others that are dry.

 Their famous sapin-sapin (P450, good for 20 people)

I was quite surprised to see this because it didn't look like the sapin-sapin I saw when I was a little girl, but when I tasted it, it didn't matter. It tasted quite good - a  bit sweet and chewy. Perfect for tea/coffee. We'd probably order another one on Christmas.

Yes, that's biko in the middle.

Dolor's Kakanin

200 Aguirre Avenue

BF Homes, Paranaque

Phone: 2820071 / 2835782

http://www.dolorskakanin.com/

Amber's Pichi-Pichi with Honey Roasted Nuts

There's no question that Amber's pichi-pichi with cheese is very delicious and very reasonably priced.  They're perfect for merienda and desserts for everyone!

Note: pichi-pichi is a gelatinous dessert made with cassava, water and sugar. Its texture is very similar to palitaw.

Pichi-Pichi with cheese. Yummy!

40 pieces for P200. Additional P50 delivery charge.

Pichi-Pichi with Honey Roasted Nuts. 20 pieces for P100.

Nothing special. The nuts were melted and tasted like peanut butter. I still prefer the pichi-pichi with cheese.

I'm glad that Amber's opened a branch here in Paranaque because I used to pay P150 delivery charge whenever we order from their Muntinlupa branch. I'd like to thank The Wandering Boots blog for giving me information about Amber's Pranaque branch.

Below are the contact numbers of Amber restaurants: 

Website: http://www.amber.com.ph

Amber Golden Cup (Paranaque City):  829-9999

Amber Golden Plate (Makati City):  884-8888 / 884-2222 / 845-0964 / 843-8722 / 886-1313
Amber Golden Spoon (Muntinlupa City):  862-0000 / 862-0017 / 862-022 / 862-8008 / 862-1924
Amber Golden Pot (Mandaluyong City):  533-1111
Amber Golden Bowl (Quezon City):  372-2222

Casual Dining at Chic-Boy (Chicken at Baboy)

Last night, my husband and I decided to have dinner at Chic-Boy here in BF Homes because we've never tried dining in their restaurant. Whenever we pass by their resto, we noticed that they never seem to run out of customers and so we decided to check what the fuss was about.

 While waiting for our order, I decided to take a few pics of the resto. It's a bit hard to notice in the pic above, but in the actual site, you'll see smoke all around the resto. It doesn't seem to bother the customers much though. The resto was airconditioned, by the way.

 Condiments on the table.

 My husband's order: Cebu Lechon Manok (P99). 

It's Rice-All-You-Can. Just add P25 for a bottomless iced tea. 

My husband's verdict: "It's not worth it." The chicken, no question, was indeed delicious, but for the price of P99 (without drinks), he said that he can already order a chicken joy meal at Jollibee with drinks at a cheaper price. He also added that the size of the chicken was a bit small.

 Side Order: Pancit Canton (P44)

 Very good and very flavorful. Definitely a good merienda treat or a chicken/liempo side dish.

 Chiquito Meal: Breaded Pork Chop (P70)

I was quite surprised to see this because the pork chop didn't look like this in their menu photo. 

As for the taste, it was so-so. Their mushroom gravy with toasted garlic did taste good, but the pork chop was just like any other homemade breaded pork chop.

Ah, yes. They do offer desserts and my son chose a scoop of chocolate ice cream. (P30).

All in all, the experience was just so-so. There's no "wow, sarap!" factor in the food that we ordered. For me, it's best that you order a whole Cebu lechon manok (210)  or a whole Cebu liempo (P160) for take out and enjoy it at home because it's worth the price than dining in.

For take outs, they wrap the chicken/liempo in a foil to keep the flavor intact. Their chicken and liempo are just so good and I highly recommend them.

Just one bad experience that we had last night in the BF Homes branch was when we were leaving the place, we had a flat tire because of the sharp edge of the gutter in their parking area. We had to vulcanize the tire to fix the hole. I hope they fix their parking area most especially the gutters to prevent casualties. 

Well, the next time we'll come here, we'll probably just walk since it's just walking distance to our home.

Chic-Boy (Chicken at Baboy)

27 President's Ave., Tahanan Village,

Brgy BF Homes, Paranque City

http://www.chic-boy.com.ph/