Chowking New Chicken Products

Chinese Fast Food in the Philippines

It's Halo-Halo season once again and of course, to beat the heat, we went to have it at Chowking. Aside from the Halo-halo and the Buchi that my dear husband was craving earlier that day, we saw quite interesting new additions to Chowking's menu while browsing through the menu. It is such a pity that not a lot of people know about these new dishes since it was worth the visit.


Orange Chicken Rice

Imagine, they have this already in their menu. I thought this would never come. As a little girl, what I remember most about Chinese restaurants is the Lemon Chicken dish that they would always have on their menu and that my lola would always order. I'm glad that Chowking came out with their own version by making it Orange Chicken, instead of Lemon. It was pretty good. It was breaded and fried Chicken strips with a sweet orangy sauce topped to it. The sauce was substantial and the rice was quite plentiful. I think it was even more than one cup. This dish was sold at Php 84.

For the lauriat lovers, this dish also has its Orange Chicken Lauriat with Coke. The lauriat was served with kropek, buchi and crispy noodles (also my favorite!). This cost Php 114, cheaper than the KFC's fully loaded meal (which is also one of my frequently ordered lunch meeting meals).

Chicken Supreme

This dish is what you have to try! I love it! I love Chicken and the was they cooked this dish and the sauce is to die for. The chicken is cooked in a way that the skin is crispy and crunchy (without thick breadings) and the meat, when cut is really tender and juicy. Even without the sauce, it is flavorful. The sauce is a bit peppery, a bit sweet with a little hint of vinegar. It was a good compliment to the chicken; a refreshing break from the usual ketchup and gravy (but come to think of it, it would still taste good with ketchup). The dish costs Php 105 and it also came in Salu-salo servings.

Desserts
For those who haven't tried the Halo-Halo yet of Chowking, you should try it. It comes in three sizes: Fun size at Php 29, Regular size at Php 49 and Fiesta size at Php 79. If you order it with ice cream, you will have to add an additional Php 10. They lowered the price of the scoop from Php 15.

For those with simple tastes and who do not want the intricacies of having lots of 'sahogs', do try the Mango Tapioca. It is a dessert with crushed ice, mango bits, sago and mango syrup mixed with milk with a cherry on top. If you do not want it to be too sweet, you can tell the cashier not to put too much syrup. They can do that for you. The dessert costs Php 39.

Kuddos also to the service that they rendered. The staff was friendly and the stores now are clean. A far cry from the Chowking that weused to know. Just a bit of advice, the menu board where the dishes are placed, are quite complicated to read. The prices are scattered and the types of dishes, if it a main course or a salu-salo variant or a lauriat variant is not indicated. We even couldn't find the Buchi on the menu board dessert section.

So hurry and visit or call the Chowking that we always loved!

Contact details:
Chowking Delivery
Call: 9-88-88
www.chowking.com

Petron Preferred Shares @ 9.5281% / year

Investment opportunity: Preferred shares of Petron Corp are being sold (since Feb 15) until Feb 26.

Price: P100.00 / share
Dividend rates: 9.5281% / year

According to their website:
The annual dividend rate of the preferred shares is 9.5281%. If declared by the Board, Petron has an option to redeem the shares on the fifth anniversary from the listing date or any dividend payment date after. If the company doesn’t redeem on the fifth year, investors will enjoy a “step-up” rate.

The joint lead managers/underwriters are BDO Capital, BPI Capital, ING, RCBC Capital and UnionBank.

More information at Petron's website --> HERE.

Mushroom Burger

New Branch of Mushroom Burger!



Good news to all those Mushroom Burger fanatics of their first branch in Tagaytay! That branch is not alone anymore... there is a new branch being built in Katipunan. It is right beside National Bookstore (the former lot where the old Jollibee branch stood).

Are they going to expand to other areas as well? :)

Angelati Italia

Taste of Heaven in Every Scoop



It's been a while since I've had a scoop of gelato. After a hearty meal in SM Megamall, we came across Angelati. We stopped to try it as the lady in the booth shouted out that she was giving out free tastes of any flavor. :)

We tried the Mango and the sort of caramelish flavored gelato, but it was too sweet for us. We ended up ordering the Chocolate and Cereals flavored gelato and the Hazelnut.

The Chocolate and Cereals was dark chocolate gelato with bits and pieces of rice puffs. It was actually quite delicious and each bite had a nice chewy texture. I had the Hazelnut gelato. It wasn't too sweet and I enjoyed the nutty flavor.

One scoop is Php 70.00 for the signature and Php 90.00 for the premium. (Both flavors were premium.) They have a promo that you get a Green Tea gelato scoop for every two scoops. We tried the Green Tea, as well, and it was okay. It tasted like green tea but, strangely, it also tasted like the 'cola' round and hard candy I used to get when I went Trick or Treating when I was a kid.

They also sell pints and gallons in different supermarkets.

A great dessert for a hot day!



Contact Details:
Located at Megamall A,
1st Floor, near the activity area

Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria

The Affordable Authentic Italian Pizza

Sometimes, I do crave for Pizza and when I crave, I really crave for the authentic Italian Pizza. The problem with the 'authentic' stuff is that they cost more.

I have always seen the Joey Pepproni Pizzeria Places around the metro but I never really got the chance to check it out. One fine day, we had the opportunity to stop by Fort Bonifacio Global City and we saw this Joey Pepperoni outlet near the intersection going to Mckinley Avenue.



We stopped for a bite and we saw that they had really good deals. They had a promo that said if you buy 1 whole pizza, you get another one for free. They had this for their 8-inch pizza, sold for Php 199 only and the 12-inch pizza, which was sold for Php 399. They also had good deals for their pasta. They had an eat all you can pasta deal for Php 149 and a single serve pasta deal for Php 99. These deals are for dine - in customers only. I guess the marketing strategy for this is to have office workers visit and dine in the place regularly.



We got the buy one take on 8 inch pizza and we ordered Margherita and Messicana Pizza. The Margherita, much to my surprise, was actually good. The tomatoes were fresh and the basil was fresh, too. They used extra virgin olive oil for both pizza variants. The Messicana had pepperoni, ham and cheddar on it. The size of the 2 whole pizza we ordered was just right for two people.


Pizza Margherita


Pizza Messicana

I also loved the pesto pasta that we ordered. The flavor was just right - not too strong nor did it lack taste. The pasta was al dente and the ingredients that they used added more flavor to the pasta. The bits of garlic added texture to the dish.



The ambiance of the place was cozy. The waiters were very pleasant and courteous. I heard the owner (Joe Conception) was opening this brand for franchise. They are also open for functions and party reservations.

So go try Joey Pepperoni. We liked it. :)

Branches and Contact Details:
RFM Pioneer - 6311688 / SM North Annex - 3326584 / SM Mezza Residences - 5145350 / Blue wave Marikina -4703305 / Fairways Tower, The Fort - 8569509 / Salcedo Village, Makati - 8121807 / The Columns, Ayala - 9095289 / Robinsons Manila - 5235819 / SM Manila - 4689768 / SM MOA - 5566045 / SM Center, Las Pinas - 8744902 / SM Southmall - 8014051 / Iloilo City - 5099999

Coco Natura

Nature's Finest Sweetener

I'm reading this book of Murkoff on 'What to Expect When You're Expecting" (not that i'm pregnant). I came across the chapter on FAQs and one of the questions was what can a pregnant woman have as a sugar substitute. Well, most of them have no approved studies that they are or are not harmful to the body.


Well, with that being said, I think we should just stick to the natural substitutes. We came across Coco Natura - Nature's Finest Sweetener. The first time we got to try it was in Via Mare at Rockwell. We then saw it being sold at the Echo Store.


It's an all natural product derived from the sap of the coconut. It's very good for those dieting and for diabetics since it has a low glycemic index (doesn't up your sugar levels that much). It is also safer compared to artificial sweeteners and an added bonus is that you will be helping our economy and a lot of Filipino farmers.

Contact Details:
Exclusively distributed by:
Los Ricos Compania Corporation
2102 B/C 21st Floor Philippines Stock Exchange
Tel. No.: (632) 6311032/34
*Can be found in some groceries / EchoStore / ROX

Beer Tour of Manila (via Suds Magazine)

Suds Magazine recently went on a beer tour of Manila, dubbing our city as Asia’s Best City to Enjoy a Cold One!

photo from Kamoteus (Mangarap Ka)

Rob Trent does a quick review of San Miguel Beer's variants and talks about the best places in Manila to enjoy US style craft beers (microbrewed beers).

Manila - Asia’s Best City to Enjoy a Cold One!

Good read!

Canteen at Trilogy Boutique

I came to Canteen + Trilogy Boutique one Thursday afternoon with a bunch of friends. The restaurant is at Rada Street, inside a new building. It's hard to miss Trilogy's hip display window and right inside it is Canteen.

Canteen is run by Chef Fernando Aracama of UVA (one of the founding restos during Greenbelt's rebirth). The byline says it all, Simple + Good Food. Well I really wouldn't call it simple, I had an apple braised pulled pork sandwich for lunch and it was heavy and filling and really really good! I made a mental note to tell about the sandwich to my Dad who loves good sandwiches. Sweet potato chips completed the dish.



My hubby ordered the fish and potato chowder (Php 95) which was hearty. I think a good chowder always makes one feel warm and fuzzy and this one delivered.




For his main course, he ordered beer braised beef and rice. It was just ok. The combination of beer and the stew may be a novelty but it just didn't seem right for me. The hubby and one of our friends who ordered the same thing enjoyed it though. I mean c'mon beef and beer and rice in one plate??

One of our friends, Alan shared his thoughts on our lunch that day.

Alan ordered the Fish & Tofu + Red Curry Sauce + Rice (Php 180). He says: "I loved the curry. I was hesitant to order this one because some tofu variants have this after taste. If you’re on a diet, this is the meal to order."




Chicken + Basil + Green Curry + Rice (Php 195) From Alan: "This tasted better. I found it a bit weird at first because of the eggplant, but it was surprisingly “bagay”. This is a little more spicy than what I ordered but it’s tolerable."




One of our friends ordered the Beer Battered Fish + Handcut Fries (Php195) It's fish and chips done good. Nothing special about it though but it's a good dish to have.



The one thing that would make me come back to this place and probably bring along a friend or two is this, Fernando's Famous Choc NOT ice cream (yep it's spelled that way) (Php 80). Huge scoops of creamy chocnut ice cream for 80 pesos???? I will come back everyday if I can and if my hips would allow me. Alan even said that it's better than Selecta's version.




All in all, Canteen was a great experience. However, for a regular lunch it can be a bit pricey. A regular meal of soup, main course and soda could cost you at least 300 pesos. However, I would definitely go back to try more of their sandwiches. The one thing that's surely going to make the trip back worthwhile is the choc NOT ice cream.




Canteen at Trilogy
110 Rada Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City
Tel: 338.28.91
Web: http://simplegoodfood.wordpress.com/

Every weekend is 80's brunch at Canteen

Aubergine

Restaurant Patisserie

It's the love month once again and I've been asked for suggestions for date places for this Valentine's Day. A lot of those asking for suggestions are those who just want to have a simple, elegant dinner in the Metropolis.

As a girl, who loves food and great ambiance, I would highly recommend Aubergine! It's actually one of our favorite restaurants so I was pretty surprised that not a lot of people know about this place.

I have eaten there twice and it was just recently that I realized that the place is actually a training ground for students of the International School of Culinary Arts and Hotel Management (ISCAHM). The first time that I was treated to this place, by my husband (he was a suitor trying to impress back then), I was actually "wow-ed" by the place. Everything was delicious!

For starters, we had Pan Seared Duck Foie Gras. For those who love Foie Gras, you have to try this! It was very tasteful and rich -- firm outside and tender inside.

I ordered the French Duck Confit for my first visit. It came with creamed brussels sprouts and marble potatoes. The duck was not dry and cooked just right. The meat was very tender.

On my next visit, I ordered Honey Glazed French Duck Breast. I loved this one! It was served with what they call Curacao sauce, which was sweet and strong (and delicious!). The dish was served with potato gnocchi on cranberry.

My husband ordered the Red Wine Braised Australian Lamb shank which was served on garlic and dried tomato, risoni pasta with vegetables. It was okay but he also liked the Honey Glazed French Duck Breast better. Although, I think both were exemplary and it's just a matter of if you're a lamb or a duck lover!

For the health conscious individual, we recommend the Aubergine Surf and Turf. This dish is a mixture of grilled lobster tail and roasted Australian Mulwarra beef tenderloin with sauteed mushrooms and seared duck foie gras, Bearnaise sauce (an egg yolk, a shallot, a little tarragnon vinegar - which takes years to perfect!) and Madeira jus, rosemary, potato grain and assorted vegetables.

Since we ate there for my sister's birthday, they surprised her with a song and a cake. The cake was a basic chocolate cake but the chocolate was to die for. The song, on the other hand, hmm... not so much. ;-)



We ended the evening with a nice little dessert sampler. Two macaroons and a chocolate heart. It was, as with every order, rich & delicious. More importantly, it was free. ;-)



If you're looking for a place to take your significant other to, or just a place for a special treat for your family, you can't go wrong with Aubergine.

Contact details:

32nd and 5th Building

5th Avenue cor. 32nd Street

Fort Bonifacio 1634 Taguig, Philippines
(Parking is at the back)

http://www.aubergine.ph

For reservations, call (63) 02 - 85698888

To get there, use this clickable, zoomable, draggable google map:


View Larger Map

Manila Tour Guides (c/o Carlos Celdran)

Manila is a beautiful city... if you know where to look and, sometimes, what to look for. So to really appreciate this gem of a city, your best bet is to go with a guide!

(pic taken from his blog :P)

Carlos Celdran is, if not the pioneer, the most popular out there. He has also very kindly posted about other tour guides available on his blog, Walk This Way:

GUIDES GALORE! TRAVEL AGENCIES TOO!

Of course, here are the contact details of the man himself:

Carlos Celdran
Telephone: (02)4844945
Text/Cell:(0920)9092021
Email: celdrantours@hotmail.com
Website: www.carlosceldran.com
Address: The Living Room, Unit 24, North Syquia Apartments, 1991 MH del Pilar, Malate, Manila 1006

With a few more, we'll have the whole city covered!

Happy Touring!