Happy Cream Puff

My friends know that I do not have a sweet tooth. I am not so fond of sweet stuff. I often skip desserts. But once in a while I indulge in sugary stuff especially when I see my friends really enjoying their desserts. So last week we tried cream puff. We saw this cream puff store along Malugay St. in Makati.The store is part of a row of food establishments in that busy street. Its name is Happy cream puff.

They have a lot of cream puff flavors to choose from. They have the original cream puff, dark choco, white choco and nut-topped variants. That night we had walnut caramel, dark choco and white choco. We only ordered the petit size. Each cream puff costs just P20. Cheap, right? You'll even get discounts if you order by the dozen.

What I love about Happy Cream Puff is that it is not too sweet. It's sweet but not too much that I could eat several pieces without feeling like I never want to eat sweet food again for several weeks.

Aside from cream puff they also have eclairs. They look great but I have not tried them yet. You can also croquenbouche (I don't know if that's what this things is called but that's what I saw in the leaflet they gave me). It's like a big cone made of several pieces of cream puffs. I actually it a cream puff tree - it looks like a Christmas tree to me, that's why. It's their version of a cake for different occasions.

Aside from the branch in Malugay St. (The Zone, 7224 Malugay St., Bel Air, Makati City) they also have branches in Legaspi Village (Unit G-16 Rada Regency) and Salcedo Village (Paseo Center).

Chic-boy - Chicken at Baboy

A few weeks ago we went to Chic-Boy restaurant at UN Avenue, Manila. It was my first time there. I was expecting it will be just a chicken and pork barbecue restaurant - (the name gave me that idea - chick as in chicken and boy as in baboy or pork). I was surprised that they actually have a lot of other dishes to choose from.

We ordered Cebu lechon manok, Cebu lechon liempo, ginisang kangkong with bawang, gising gising and sinigang na salmon. For dessert we had turones con leche.

Cebu lechon manok

The Cebu lechon manok is a winner. The chicken tastes great. Normally, white meat parts taste bland to me but this one is different. The chicken really tastes well so there's no need for any dip or sauce. The order goes with atchara but to be honest about it, there's really no need for it.

Cebu lechon liempo

The Cebu lechon liempo is also good. The skin is crispy - just the way I want it. The meat was tender and there's less fats (in a way this is a bummer because I love the fats - so unhealthy, I know).

Sinigang na salmon

I love salmon. I love the belly. And this is what we had. Their sinigang is good. I'm not so fond of sinigang but I can say I like this one because I love salmon - yeah, I know I already said that. If you really do not like sinigang but you want to eat salmon (in a chicken and pork resto!)  you can opt to order tinolang ulo ng salmon.

Ginisang kangkong with bawang

Gising gising

The ginisang kangkong with bawang tastes like your mommy's home cooking. If you miss mommy's healthy options, get this. Same goes with gising gising. It was not so spicy hot so those who do not like very spicy food can have this. I would have wanted this spicier but it was great just the same. Why did we order two vegetable dishes? Hmmm. Maybe it's our way of atoning for our sin of eating too much fatty food.

Dinuguan served with puto. I didn't eat this so I have no comment yet.

Turones de leche

If all the food we had are winners, the turones de leche was the major, major winner. It was so delicious I ate several pieces. The wrapper is crunchy, the banana is sweet and the dip is heavenly (whatever that means). This is a must have. Don't worry it doesn't cost much.

They also have set meals which is good for all types of budget. They have chibog-busog meals which goes with eat all you can rice.

Starbucks - Jupiter St., Makati City - Great Service!

I was at Starbucks along Jupiter St. in Makati last night for a night cap. I wasn't really planning to write anything about the place since I've been there a lot of times anyway. There's nothing new to write. There are no new Starbucks promo. It's already too late for the Happy Hour  promo where you get to have two frappuccino for the price of one. It ended last Sunday. It's also too late for the Complimentary Upsize promo where Starbucks is offering free one size upgrade for your favorite non-frap drinks like brewed coffee, espresso, etc. This they say is to thank the non-frap customers who had to line up for long during the Happy Hour promo last week. It's actually useless to write about this because the promo is from opening to 2 pm from May 9 - May 10. Yesterday was May 10 and we arrived there at around 9:30 pm. Well' I could have written about the 'lollicakes' which we bought but I wasn't really in the mood to write. Actually, I do not really know what its called. I didn't even bother to look. But I must say it was yummy. Moist chocolate on a lollipop stick covered in chocolate, white chocolate and strawberry (I think because it's pink).

So why am I writing this. Well, this has nothing to do with their food and drinks. I'll write something about their service. I was really, really tired last night. I actually slouched in the couch to relax. I was so close to falling asleep -  that's even after having coffee. When we were about to go I checked my old Nokia phone for new messages. I, at that time, was holding my  Samsung phone which I placed on my lap. Then we left. My friend brought me to Buendia - Pasong Tamo where I ususally get a cab. While waiting, I decided to check for the time so I looked for my phone in my pocket. Boom! My Samsung's not there. I called my friend to see if it's in the car. It's not so I called my phone to talk to whoever got it. It was ringing so I knew there's still hope that I'll be able to get it back. Then a girl answered and I told her my concern. She said they'll wait for me at the store and that I should bring an ID. When I got there the girl immediately recognized me. We visit the place often. She also didn't ask for the ID anymore because, according to her, my picture appeared when I called using the other phone. It was good I used that feature of the phone. After I thanked her, I asked who actually found the phone. She said it was the guard. I thanked him when I got out.

I'm writing this to tell you that there are still good people out there. Some of them are at Starbucks, Jupiter St., Makati City. I honor you guys. The guard could have just kept my phone in his pocket but he chose to report it to the baristas. Galing!

San Marino Tuna Paella and Century Tuna Paella Compared

A few days ago I wrote something about San Marino Tuna Paella. That time I thought there is only one brand of canned tuna paella in the market. It was a week after I wrote that review when I found out that Century also has its own version of it. I was in the supermarket buying San Marino when I saw the other brand. I like comparing things so my immediate reaction was to return the San Marino and get the Century Tuna Paella. I wanted to know which one would taste better.

The Century Tuna Paella looks like San Marino in many ways. It's colored orange (the way home-cooked paella looks). The rice is topped with a few chunks of tuna. It also has green peas and carrots. Oil is also evident. If there is one major difference that you will see, that is in the rice. Century's rice looks 'hard'. It's difficult (I was tempted to write hard instead of difficult.) to describe. It just looks hard. True enough, when I ate it, the rice is really hard. It's I think in the way it was cooked. Not enough water was used. Funny thing is there were actually portions where I found uncooked rice grains. I wasn't really able to enjoy it because of this. It just didn't taste right because the rice is hard. But of course, the tuna chunks taste good - after all it is from the tried and tested Centruy.    

I might have to try it again to find out if this 'hard' rice is just an isolated problem. Maybe the other batches they released are better.

Like San Marino, Century Tuna Paella is also available in easy-open can. It's also perfect for camping, picnic and other outdoor activities where you need to go light.

Mini Yorkshire Puddings with Roast Beef and Horseradish Cream - Food Served during the Royal Wedding Reception

As I've said the previous entry, one of the food that was possibly served during the Royal Wedding reception is Mini Yorkshire Puddings with Roast Beef and Horseradish Cream. I tried to ask around what this is or how it looks but nobody could answer me so I searched on the net for a recipe. Here is a recipe for Mini Yorkshire Puddings with Roast Beef and Horseradish Cream. I'll  just post the ingredients but you need to click link for the preparation method below. This recipe is by James Martin from Housecall posted in the BBC website.

Ingredients

For the Yorkshire puddings

·         1 egg

·         85g/3oz plain flour

·         85ml/3fl oz milk and water mixed

·         vegetable oil

For the horseradish cream

·         1 tub crème fraîche

·         2 tbsp fresh horseradish

·         salt and pepper

For the filling

·         2-3 beef fillets (depending on size)

·         flat leaf parsley, to garnish

Preparation Method

Have you found out about the other food served during the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Ms. Catherine Middleton - now Duke and Duchess of Cambridge? If yes, please share them at the comments section below.

Food and Drinks at the Royal Wedding - What will Prince William and Kate Middleton Serve?

It's already Friday and I've not written anything yet. So busy with work I really found no time to write. But apparently I was not busy enough that I was able to read a few stories regarding the Royal Wedding happening later today (April 29, 2011). One interesting area about the Royal Wedding that I read is about the food that will be served to the guests of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

One article on the net says that of the 1, 900 guests who will attend the ceremony, only 600 will be invited back to the palace for the reception. There, 10,000 canapes will be served. An even shorter list (300 people) will be part of the wedding dinner which will be hosted by Prince Charles. There is no mention about the food that will be served for the Royal Wedding dinner.

Another article says that canapes will be served 'as soon as the guests arrive' and champagne will be served throughout the day.

What type of canapes will be served is still a mystery to us but there is a great chance that some will be similar to those that have been served in previous Royal Weddings or other parties held at the Buckingham Palace. One example would be mini Yorkshire puddings with roast beef and horseradish canapes. Another could be quail eggs with celery salt.

Aside from these interestingly named canapes, a multi-tiered fruit cake will be displayed. Wait? Did that article I read just say 'displayed'? Does it mean guests will not be able to sample it? Hmm....Why should I be surprised? That's how it is in most weddings, right? But this is no ordinary wedding. This is THE Royal Wedding. Anyway...

For those who have not been invited to the Royal Wedding Reception, there are hundreds of parties happening simultaneously throughout the entire region. Surely, great food and definitely 'refreshing' drinks will be available -- thought certainly not for free.

(dailymail.co.uk and about.com)

San Marino Tuna Paella - Ready-to-Eat meal

Sorry friends I wasn't able to write anything last week. It was Holy Week and I was on vacation. I didn't bring my laptop with me because I wanted to really spend 'quiet' time with my family and friends. Anyway, what I'll write about today is something I ate when I woke up one morning with nothing on the dining table.

It was Holy Thursday. The helper was late so she wasn't able to prepare breakfast. Good thing, I found a can of San Marino Tuna Paella on the cupboard. Talk about being lucky - the can is an 'easy-open' one. No need to look for the can opener. Yahoo!!!

Once opened you'll find orange colored rice with tuna chunks. It also has green peas and carrot cubes. At first it looked kinda oily. I was a little struck by this because I thought it was supposed to be healthy food. So I checked the Nutrition Facts. The label says it has low fat content. Okay! Good! But calories is rather high - I think!?It's 180 kcal so that's 180, 000 calories. (Somebody please tell me if that's high or just right please!)

Anyway, I'm not into calories. Let's just leave that to the health/nutrition experts. I was so hungry I really didn't care. So I dumped the content on a plate and --- tsadan (voila! if you like)...it contains a really big serving of Tuna Paella -  more than what I actually expected. And the rice is not your ordinary rice. It's 'sticky rice' - the kind you really use  for paella.

Though it looked oily as I said above, it didn't taste bad. It was actually good. The chunks are few considering that there's plenty of rice but it was okay since the rice taste good.

San Marino Tuna is one of the best ready-to-eat meals in the market. It is good for people who loves to go on picnics or climb mountains. It's not heavy so there is no need to worry. You can bring several cans - dinner, breakfast, lunch - without hurting your back. It's better than bringing a small burner and pans. You can take it cold. Believe me, you can take it cold. It's also good for those who bring food to work. No need to wake up early to cook.

One can is good for one person with a normal appetite but for people who eat light, two cans can be shared by three.

San Marino Tuna paella was launched just recently. It was a good tactic to use popular celebrities (in this case Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes) to launch new products. They were easily able to penetrate the market.