Krispy Kreme Halloween Treat

Trick or Treat! Krispy Kreme is at it again. Get your freebies now just by simply downloading their app and follow the below instructions:

To get your free doughnut:
• Download the app using the link provided (Android ; iOs)
• Create an account using the Sign In button
• Once you have an account, head to the Rewards page
• Click on the Magic Money Coupon
• Click on Redeem Coupon
• Use the QR scanner on any unique QR code found in select KK branches
• Show the verification page to any KK employee and claim your Mad for Monsters goodies!

(Participating branches for the Magic Money Coupon are: Trinoma, SM North Edsa, Greenhills, SM Megamall, Bonifacio High Street and SM MOA)

In addition to this, you can get another free donut just by doing the below procedures:

• Once you have an account, head to the Rewards page


• Click on ENTER PROMO CODE and Type in KKMONSTERS

Doing both will entitle you to 2 free Mad for Monsters donut plus a small brewed coffee.

Promo period is just up until October 29, 2015.

So download now and don't miss the chance to get your #MadforMonster goodies!

Churreria La Lola

Me and the hubby battled through the SM Megamall 3-day sale traffic for some tech accessories shopping and of course, to finally get a taste of Lola!

Being that it was the weekend of the 3-day sale, La Lola had quite a line. It did not matter since we really wanted to try their churros and Xuxos.

We ordered a Large Churros Classico (Php 195) with a large Hot Chocolate (Php 100) and a Nutella-stuffed Xuxos (Php 120).

          

The Churros was served fresh, hot of the fryer! It was crunchy on the outside and was soft on the inside. Their hot chocolate dip was spot-on! It wasn't too sweet, nor too bitter, and the consistency was just right. It paired perfectly with the classic churros. This would probably be ranked as my 2nd favorite churros ( I still love the one from Mercato), based on both taste and price. Now, the Nutella-stuffed Xuxos is a whole different story. It was oozing with Nutella, and I fell in-love with in on the first bite! It was sinfully addicting and I could just care less about all the extra calories that it gave me. Also, no-sharing for this yummy baby.

Taste-wise, we loved La Lola's Classic Churros and Xuxos. However, we did found it just a bit more expensive than other places that served churros (i.e., Dulcinea, Don Churros), because you have to purchase the hot chocolate dip separately. They do offer the Chocochurro (chocolate dipped churros), but it is also priced a-lot more than the classic churros.

Overall, it was a great experience. I do hope they eventually come up with a pricing that offers the classis churros and hot chocolate as a bundle. :)

Churreria La Lola

Second Floor, Mega Atrium, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City

Lower Ground Floor, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati City

Fourth Floor, SM Aura Premier, C5 Corner 26th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Ground Floor, UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City

Ground Floor, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Brown Derby

Last July 28, I celebrated my 30th birthday. I initially ordered a pan of lasagna from someone I knew, unfortunately, she had a last minute cancellation excuse. Oh well, lesson learned.

Anyway, thinking about an alternative merchant whom I can order pasta from, Brown Derby came into mind.

Brown Derby is just a hole-in-the-wall take-out counter. They're known for their Footlong Hotdogs, but their pasta dishes are also delish. We've been ordering from this place ever since my high school days, and the proximity to our place is a definite plus! It's actually been a while since I've been trying so many other foodie places. So now, once again, I come home to Brown Derby.

I ordered a "bilao" of Spaghetti that was good for 15 people and a box of 25 pieces of Pichi-pichi.

  

Do note that you have to order in advance so they can accommodate you. I forgot the exact prices but my entire bill did not cost more than Php 1,000.

All I can say is that both the spaghetti and pichi-pichi were super yummy! I felt like a kid while eating these dishes.

Thank you so much for making my birthday a happy one! ^_^

MESA Family Dinner

Dad celebrated his Chinese birthday a couple of weeks ago. We were luck that MESA had an on-going set meal deal with Metrodeal (it's still available now).

The meal set comes with Boneless Crispy Pata (half portion), Sinigang na Hipon sa Guava, 12 pieces of Baked Scallops, Laing 2 ways, Adobo Flakes Rice, Steamed Okra with Tamarind Bagoong Dipping Sauce, Mangga Salad, and Special Dessert. It was said that the servings are good for 3-4 people, since there would be 7 of us, we bought 2 vouchers for just Php1,140 each.

So we had reservations arranged, as the deal requires at least 2 days notice.

We arrived at MESA just in time for our 6:30 PM reservation and went ahead to have the food served.

  

   

In addition to the items on the list, we ordered their Braised Beef (Php 305). I wasn't able to take a picture of the Sinigang, Adobo Rice and the Steamed Okra (ooopss).

Serving size of all the dishes, except for the Crispy Pata, were really good enough for 4 people.

I specially loved the Ensalada, Baked Scallops and the Laing Two-ways. The Ensalada was the perfect item to balance the taste of the other food items. The Baked Scallops were very garlicky, just the way I like it! The Laing was served in a dry and wet version. The dry version was a bit sweet, while the wet version had a hint of spice in it. It works very well when combined. The Braised Beef was divine! The beef was just so soft and flavor-bursting with every bite. The taste reminded be somewhat of bistek-tagalog.

For the Sinigang, I found it to be a little odd-tasting since I'm used to the traditional sinigang sa sampalok. Nothing bad, but also nothing special. I was quite disappointed with the "Boneless" Crispy Pata. It was more of, de-boned than boneless. I can say that I've had better crispy patas.

All in all, this deal is worth every buck. Ambiance was very homey and perfect for family gatherings. Food is generally ok and prices are reasonable.

Going Loca for Alqueria!

I'm a fan of Spanish food, specially of Paella, Salpicao, Conchinillo, and of course, Churros!!

Just my luck that Alqueria is holding various promos for the month of August:

  

So last night (Wednesday), we made it a point to have dinner here.

Since Kyle will be coming from Makati, I went ahead to Alqueria so I could avail of the 50% off promo on the Churros con Chocolate. Being lovers of this yummy dessert, I ordered the 10 pieces Churros con Chocolate (Php 114).

Alqueria's Churros are made fresh upon order, so it takes around 5-10 minutes serving time. Their chocolate dip is made from Valor chocolates. The churros was sprinkled liberally with cinnamon sugar and had a nice crunch. The Valor chocolate  dip was just a palate pleaser. I am definitely in-love with their churros!



For Tapas, I ordered the Chicharones (Php 260), and for our main dish, I got the Paella del Carne in medium size (Php715, before discount). The Paella takes about 20-25 minutes of serving time, yes, perfection takes time. ;)

     

Their version of Chicharones takes on a different form. It is more like a bagnet. Chunks of pork belly, deep fried to skin-crackling perfection! It's served with a side of vinegar (I forgot to asked what sauce was poured over it). With every bite, you get that wonderful crunch, and that succulent, flavorful, fatty part of the belly was just divine or plain sinful. It was a bit too overwhelming for two people tho.

Another item that Alqueria has been known for is their Paellas, and I can say that it definitely takes the cake! The Paella del Carne, as the name suggests, is an all meat paella loaded with chorizo, chicken, smoked bacon and pork-spareribs. It was flavorful! Every bite felt like an explosion of flavors in my mouth. I specially loved the smokiness of the thick-cut bacon pieces. We were only able to finish half of the Paella and the Chicharones, both items are good to share for 3 - 4 hungry people.

The Churros, on the otherhand, were totally wiped out, hehe.

We definitely loved our dining experience! The food was great and the attendants were really very accommodating and polite. They made our experience extra special.

Kudos Alqueria! Will be seeing you again soon!

Alqueria Restaurante Y Chocolateria

Third Floor, Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City; 02 2469069 ext:100

Tom Sawyer's Chicken!!!

This is actually a very late post.

Late 2014, we went to Tiendesitas to try the rumored comeback of the famous, Tom Sawyer's Chicken.

All I can say is that, the trip was definitely worth it! The food is really affordable.

We actually ordered 3 meals, namely, 1 Chicken and Spaghetti (Php 138), 1 2-pcs Chicken (Php 138), and 1 Hickory Ribs with rice (Php 198).

    

You can clearly see that their spaghetti sauce is loaded with meat, and they don't skimp on pouring sauce. I liked their spaghetti cause it had the right balance of Italian and Filipino style cooking.

Their chickens were definitely crunchy on the outside and very juicy on the inside! It was seasoned just right and the flavor is not left only on the skin. They also serve unlimited gravy, which perfectly compliments their chicken.

I have mixed emotions on the Hickory Ribs. It tasted amazing! The sauce was just wonderful (very similar to Racks), the flavor of the meat was just wow and the size was enough for two people. Unfortunately, it was tough, really tough. I had a hard time cutting through it using their knife, and a harder time chewing it. :( The ribs is served with a serving of their Hickory Rice, which I found to be nothing special.

Overall, our meal was nice, and challenging. Would definitely come back here, but I do hope that their Hickory Ribs improve.

Tom Sawyer's Old Fashioned Krispy Chicken

Ground Floor, Building A, Tiendesitas, Ortigas Avenue Corner E. Rodriguez, Ugong, Pasig City ; 02-966-22-91

#cutestcafeever

It took quite a while before we decided to try this place, even though it's just a block away from us.

I was very reluctant to go to Bunny Baker because I found the price of their food to be a bit too steep, plus, I've read some bloggers confirming the same.

Anyway, we just had our dinner and wanted some sweets. We were initially planning to just go to Starbucks, but Kyle wanted to try something new. Hence, we ended up going to Bunny Baker.

The place is well-lit, had a very fun and lively aura, and it was just undeniably cute! The furnishings were like something from a cutesie TV show.

 

 

I was really glad that we were there just to have dessert and some drinks. Browsing over the menu made me cringe a bit, because the food were really priced high (Beef Tapa for Php 295 :( ). We ordered Cafe Mocha (Php 140), BB Premium Iced Cocoa (Php 140), and their Ooey Gooey (Php 285).

 

 
I wasn't able to take a picture of the iced chocolate, but there was nothing special about the presentation. Taste wise, it was similar to the Belgian Chocolate from Blenz Cafe, but a bit diluted. My cafe mocha on the other hand, had a cute bunny latter art on it. As most of you guys know, this is one of the things they became famous for. Unfortunately, their Cafe Mocha was not of my liking. I just found it a bit too bitter.

The Ooey Gooey looked intimidating, not because of its size, but due to the potential sugar intake that we were about to ingest. The name fits this cake perfectly! It's nicely done on the outside, but super soft, fudgy and gooey on the inside. Surprisingly, it wasn't too sweet. It was topped with salted caramel gelato (tip: you can choose the flavor of your choice), which was a perfect balance for the cake.

Overall, we had a pretty nice experience with their dessert and drinks.

The Bunny Baker

Unit 301, Hemady Square, Doña Hemady St, New Manila, Quezon City, Metro Manila - (02) 650-4153

Shakey's Monday Madness

As part of Shakey's 40th Anniversary Celebration, they are currently having a promo for their Chicken 'N' Mojos!



This promo is exclusive to Shakey's SuperCard holders and is available for dine-in only. It will be available every Monday, until August 24, 2015.

Last August 3, we obliged ourselves to some of our favorite Chicken 'N' Mojos, a family sized one!

       

So visit the Shakey's branch nearest you and satisfy your cravings!

Tip: You can get the Shakey's SuperCard the same day you dine to avail of the promo :)

Lasagna Day!

Last July 29, 2015, we celebrated Lasagna Day and House of Lasagna hosted a Buy 1 Take 1 Promo on their beef lasagna.



I wouldn't miss this simply because it's our favorite lasagna!

So the boyfie went ahead to their Greenhills Branch. He got us a seat around 5PM, ordered our favorite Chicken Skin (Php 180) and a Beef Lasagna. I arrived at the branch by 5:45 PM and the only item served was just the Chicken Skin, the complimentary bread wasn't also refilled even though we already requested twice.

So this was the crowd when I got there. Still manageable, but it got really full during our stay.



We waited for another 10 minutes before our Beef Lasagna was served. I again requested for our bread, it was acknowledged, but wasn't delivered. The servers kept on giving bread to other tables who did not request for any even though I called their attention. They're very disoriented and inattentive. You could actually see that they were overwhelmed with the crowd and were severely untrained for such an event. I finally got my bread when I personally went to the counter and waited for it.



While we were eating, I noticed that the guests to my left didn't have anything on their table yet. Kyle told me that they were seated just about 5 minutes after him. So technically, they were waiting to be served for over an hour already. Orders kept on flying out of the kitchen, but their table wasn't served, they already followed up quite a few times, but the orders of those who arrived later were served first. I wonder what training these people underwent, if any. Given the benefit that the place was indeed packed and they were also entertaining take-out orders (yes, they allowed take out even though the promo said it was for "dine-in only"), they should have anticipated that it would be chaotic.

Going back to our dining experience, we, ofcourse, ran out of bread again. But this time, it took only about 2 to 3 follow-ups and I didn't have to go directly to the counter. The guests to my left were finally served 1 Beef Lasagna (I didn't know why they were served just one when it's a buy 1 take 1 promo and there were 2 of them seated on the table). We asked for our bill around 6:45 PM and that was the only time that the 2nd lasagna of our neighboring guest was served.

It took about another 10 minutes before our bill was served, since I noticed that she was processing another table's bill.

To sum up our dining experience that day, it was very disappointing. Here are a few things that I noticed:

1. The staff were definitely not prepared, very inattentive, resulting to a lot of delays

2. This branch prioritized take-out

3. The serving size of the lasagna was noticeably smaller than the regular serving size (See previous experience here)

Holding promos are nice, but hopefully, they make sure that they are well-prepared for it. It's a given fact that a massive amount of people will line up when you have a promo, but it shouldn't be an excuse to compromise service and food quality.

This was the scene outside the branch around 7:15 PM.

Mexican Night!

We recently discovered a gem along the street of Scout Castor, near Tomas Morato.

La Taqueria Amiga Mia serves Mexican food, and I can say that they're very good at it.

They have a very simple menu, which makes it a breeze to order.

We had their Nachos (large), Tacos (3pcs per order), Chimichanga, and Home-made Avocado Ice Cream.

We were asked for our choice of meat, and we got ground beef for all the three dishes. Meat choices are ground beef, chicharones, pollo asada, carnitas, barbacoa, mexican sausage, callos, lengua, karne asado and pescado.

The Nachos were served first, and the serving was huge for its price of just Php 145. The nachos were literally overloaded with toppings. We loved the flavor of the ground beef, perfectly blending with the cheese, sour cream and salsa.



While happily munching on our Nachos, the Taco Trio (Php 245) was served.  The presentation was well done and it looked really loaded and appetizing. When we tried it, we both agreed that It tasted so similar with the Nachos. It was good, but I think they should put a little twist on the salsa or cheese sauce used on the Tacos.



Next to be served was the Chimichanga (Php 245). We opted for Onion Silantro Rice, and again, Ground Beef. My pictures don't do justice as to the size of this beast! Everything mixed inside the Chimichanga just blended so well, the Onion Cilantro Rice gave the perfect balance for all the flavors.

     

We were full by the time we finished the Chimichanga, but we wanted to try their Churros. Unfortunately, it wasn't available, so we ended up ordering their home-made Avocado Ice Cream (Php 100).



It was really creamy and you could taste the full-on avocado flavor with some avocado bits. Perfect ending to our hefty meal!

La Taqueria Amiga Mia also serves beer and is a good place to just chill and drink with friends. Although, it's best to arrive a bit early as the place has very limited seating and parking is a challenge.

La Taqueria Amiga Mia

93-B Scout Castor Street, Near Tomas Morato, Laging Handa, Quezon City (02 - 411-1234)

TORCHed again! The UP Town Center Experience

Last weekend me and the hubby wanted to go on a food trip for lunch. Both of us were craving for burgers, but we wanted to deviate from our default choices. So the hubby decided to go to Maginhawa.

I had a really nice time going around Maginhawa during my previous trip and was actually looking forward to it. We arrived there a few minutes before 12 noon, and we realized that it was too early to be on the prowl since almost all of the good places are still closed and will open only late in the afternoon. So we just decided to go all the way to UP Town Center.

We initially planned to dine at Casa Verde, unfortunately, we were 10th on their waiting list >.< . Knowing that Torch has a branch there, we went there instead. (I will be back for you Casa Verde!)

We were actually surprised to see that only two tables were occupied, being that it was already a bit past 12 noon. We happily settled in the corner, couch-seated table and ordered our favorites: Buffalo Asian Wings, Beef Short Plate and Bacon Roll (for a change) For the Buffalo Asian Wings, I requested if they could hold mixing-in the spicy sauce. They offered me a better alternative, which is to serve the sauce separately.

The Bacon Roll (Php 229.99) - Overloaded with bacon bits and cream cheese, yummy in every bite! The only thing that we noticed was that the rice used for it wasn't Japanese rice, since the roll would just collapse when I use the chopstick to pick one up. Hope they use real Japanese rice next time. :)



Buffalo Asian Wings (Php 324.95) - One of our staple orders. Yummy crispy wings, with sauce separately served. The two sauces are described as "Two Asian Sauces", one  on the right is sweet with a hint of barbecue and the other one tasted like mild spiced honey. Both go perfectly well with the wings! I personally prefer the spiced honey sauce.



Beef Short Plate (Php 269.95) - Our favorite main dish and definitely a bang for the buck! Tender beef belly slices drenched in mushroom gravy, with a side of buttered vegetables and a serving of garlic rice.



Torch is definitely one of our go-to places for affordable and delicious comfort food!

The good news is that the now have four branches:

TORCH GREENHILLS
63 Connecticut Street, Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila
477-3771
Sun to Tue - 7:00 am to 12:00 mn
Wed to Sat - 7:00 am to 3:00 am

TORCH KATIPUNAN
Ground Floor UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City
287-8675
Sun to Thu - 10:00 am to 11:00 pm
Fri to Sat - 10:00 am to 12:00 am

TORCH TRINOMA
2nd Level Garden Restaurants, Trinoma, ESDA cor. North Ave., Quezon City
730-4102
Sun to Sat - 10:00 am to 11:00 pm

TORCH GREENBELT
Level 1, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City
751-6213
Sun to Tue - 10:00 am to 12:00 mn
Wed to Sat - 10:00 am to 3:00 am

1st Blogverssary and KRISPY KREME 78th Birthday!

Oh my, I didn't notice that today is my blog's first birthday, yey! Thank you so much for my readers and I hope that you don't get tired of following  / checking out my blog. ^_^

I haven't been that active recently since work has been really toxic, but I promise to make it up. ;)

Since I have a lot of catching up to do, I'll go ahead with my first post.

It just so happens that today is Krispy Kreme's 78th Anniversary! They have an on-going promo, you get to purchase a box of 6 of their Original Glazed Donuts for only Php 78! How? Simply follow their instructions here.

A summary of their mechanics include getting a screen cap or printing their official poster (as seen below), from their Facebook account. You could also download their app, create an account, and use the coupon which will appear in your "Rewards" tab. You can purchase up to 2 dozens of their yummy Original Glazed Donuts if you do both of the options above.



So what are you waiting for, go now while supplies last!! ^_^

Tip: The coupon can be used until July 17, so do both (screencap  and download the app) and just redeem your coupon at a later date. ;)

Starbucks Frappuccino® and Friends Promo

Today's the day guys! Buy 1 Take 1 on the featured summer frappuccino of Starbucks!



Below are the official promo terms and conditions:

1.    On April 28 and 29, 2015 from 2pm to 4pm, customers can avail a Buy One, Get One offer on Summer Berry Panna Cotta or Dark Mocha Panna Cotta Frappuccino^® Blended Beverage.

2.    Offer is limited to a maximum of two (2) purchased Summer Berry Panna Cotta or Dark Mocha Panna Cotta  Frappuccino^® Blended Beverages per transaction.

3.    This promotion cannot be combined with other offers or promotions.

4.    One (1) Beverage Star will be earned for the purchased beverage when paid using the Starbucks Card.

5.    In the purchase of goods and services which are on promotional discount, the senior citizen or handicapped individuals can avail of the promotional discount or the discount provided:

Example:

·        The promotional discount (Buy One, Get One offer)

·        Regular senior citizen or handicapped discount

Per DTI-NCR Permit # 4613, Series of 2015

Enjoy!!!

A Day Down South

I never expected to travel all the way down Las Pinas just to buy a set of four tires. But I'm actually glad we did.

We arrived at Hazardboy around 10 AM, and unfortunately, the person in-charge of the mounting and balancing machine won't be available until after lunch. Luckily, Eugene (one of the owners of Hazardboy) was kind enough and volunteered to introduce us to good and affordable places.

Our first option was the famous Mang Raul's Bbq, sadly, the bbq shack was still closed when we got there. So Eugene suggested a carinderia this time. I was happy with his Plan B, since I do love affordable, home-cooked food, but boy, was I in for a surprise!

Hidden within the streets of Pilar Village, Las Pinas, was a very unassuming and typical looking carinderia, but one look at their menu took my breath away.



Everything on the menu was really affordable, so we took the liberty of ordering quite a lot.

For starters, we got the Chicken Fingers (Php 150), then a full order of Lechon Kawali (Php 160), Pork Binagoongan Value Meal (Php 100) and Crispy Pork Caldereta Value Meal (Php 100). I initially wanted to order their Crispy Pork Dinuguan, unfortunately, it was not yet available.

Served first was the Lechon Kawali, and we were taken aback with the generous serving portion! Then the value meals followed.

        

Serving size was really generous for all the orders, and the rice was also a full cup.

I love that they used their signature Lechon Kawali as the main ingredient with the other pork dishes. The meat of the Lechon Kawali was soft and well-seasoned, while the skin gave a wonderful crunch!

The Pork Binagoongan did not disappoint. The flavor of their bagoong was not too overpowering, and had just the right "kick".

The Crispy Pork Caldereta was also spot-on yummy! Very saucy and cheesy.

The Chicken Fingers were served last, but, it was worth the wait. The meat was so tender and juicy. It's served with a side of garlic mayonnaise.



I really loved everything that we had for lunch, my only wish is that they are a bit more accessible.

Putsi Ko 'Ay

Rose Avenue, Las Pinas, Metro Manila  - (02) 543 8671