Eastwood City started the month of September with their Chocolate Festival from Sept 1-7, 2014. I almost forgot to visit them since I'm working in Ortigas but thanks to a good friend Paul, he tagged me along to go to Libis for me to experience the "Chocolatey" festivities.
There are a lot of stores to choose from. Some are already known in the chocolate business but most are new but promising in the industry. Most of the chocolates that were offered are locally made in the Philippines. They are introducing the Filipino touch and the possibility that we can produce good quality chocolates in the country.
Most of the stores are Artisan Chocolates and I can say that they are really good compared to those that are commercially available.
I stopped by one of the stores that got my attention which was Rosemarie's. They offered macaron de Paris (my favorite) and cakes. I'll just post the pictures :)
I'll skip the dessert part cause what really caught my interest was Magdalena's 70% Cocoa Bean Chocolates. I'm a huge fan of dark chocolates after I tasted the sample, I suddenly fell in love.
The bitterness is not too strong (which for me is good cause I can eat more) and you can enjoy the natural sweetness of the chocolate. I was able to try the one with sweet dried mango slices and it is really yummy. I decided to buy their chocolate with roasted cashew nuts for only 100php -- not bad for a price of artisinal chocolate.
I was able to speak with Mr. Gerry Baron, brainchild of Magdalena's Cacao Bean Chocolate and found out that they started last 2011. The chocolates are locally made in Laguna where they grow cacao trees and got the idea of making it into chocolate instead of the usual tablea.
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| photo grabbed from dude4food.blogspot.com |
Philippines is not really a common ground for chocolate producers (cause most chocolates here are imported) but Mr. Baron is one of the few who open the doors to a great idea that we can produce our very own chocolate. Just imagine the evolution of the usual tablea to a chocolate with variations of sili, mango and even calamansi!
I hope their business grow more and may they encourage more farmers to plant cacao trees since Philippine Artisinal chocolate is starting to take stage on the food industry. In case you want to follow them, check on the links below.
After browsing for more chocolates, I saw a liquid nitrogen tank in the middle of the festival. And whenever there is liquid nitrogen, there is ICE CREAM. Yes! Ice cream! This time it is being offered by Kool Kids, I was able to order -- OMG I forgot the name but it has chocolate cookies on a dark chocolate ice cream.
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| the one I ordered is not on the list |
It's a little bit pricey though for a small cup for 120php but the taste is awesome! Its creamy, smooth, flavorful but not too sweet. I really loved it and I may visit them on their 2nd store in SM Megamall.
Love the "love food"? Craving for more chocolates? visit their social media accounts
Magdalena's Cacao Bean Chocolate
Facebook: Magdalena's Cacao Bean Chocolate
Contact info: 0999 7007700 for your cravings
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Kool Kids
Twitter: @KoolkidsPH
IG: KoolKidsPH
