Year - End Buffet at Vikings SM Jazz, Makati

What's the best way to end the year? For me, it's going to a buffet!

Vikings opened their 6th branch in SM Jazz, Makati. Together with its opening, they had a promotion of 60% off to the first 100 diners. Best of that was the promo ran for 6 consecutive days starting December 19.

At first I'm quite hesitant since I'm not good in waiting on line. I get easily bored and I don't want that thought of not making it to the first 100 people to dine. But because my sister insisted so much and she really wanted to take advantage of the promotion, I gave in to her request.

We waited for almost 3 hours for dinner service. Thank God we were part of the 100 people. For those who didn't make it but still waited in the line, they were given 20% off. Still a good deal. 

Vikings Jazz got a different feel compared to other Vikings branch. I was deeply awed by the beautiful chandelier that we saw as soon as we enter.

All stations are in the middle so its not hard to go from one point to another to get your food. The choices are not as vast unlike MOA and Megamall. 

The food was great! (well just imagine yourself waiting in line for more than 3 hours lol -- but seriously, the food was awesome. Got salad and tuna ceviche as my appetizer. Just forgot what those salads were but as you can see, I topped it off with ALOT of bacon hahaha! 

I wasnt able to ask how many stations they got but on my observation, They got Japanese, Asian (Korean and Filipino dishes), Carving Station, Pasta and Pizza, Seafood and of course DESSERTS!

While I was busy taking photos of every station, my sister showed me a cute kiddie cup. 
They also got a yakitori area where you can enjoy grilled skewered food. Wasn't able to get some cause every time I pass by the station, its already gone lol - they replenish it ASAP but I hate waiting so I preferred getting some carved meat and char siu  

One of the things missing in this branch was the Truffle sauce. I'm a great fan of their truffle sauce to add to my lamb however, its not available on our visit. I'm not sure if they will still add it next time - but hopefully they will.

If you are a health buff and kinda hate the greasy stuff, you can go for a shabu shabu. This is one of the options I never picked in Vikings cause shabu shabu for me is so filling that I cannot go for another plate of food. -- let's set aside diet for now lol

Love the sushi boat. I'm not a diehard fan of sushi but the presentation was nice. I prefer eating sashimi - I see less calories in there. 

The usual beverages are there too. Coffee, juices and tea are included. Oh they are service beer!!! 

And the star of the buffet, desserts! Like what they say, "save the best for last" the desserts here were awesome! I was happy to see Pavlova on the dessert station - never saw that item when I visited MOA and Megamall. That marshmallowy meringue topped with kiwi and strawberries -- Yum! 

I even made my own twist - which I always do. Pavlova in chocolate sauce -- soo love it!

They got Filipino desserts such as halo halo, kakanin (rice cakes) and even the seasonal puto bumbong and bibingka. 

Other desserts like coffee jelly, strawberry shorcake and leche flan are also included. Though the choices are also limited, I was still happy cause all of them are delicious. I went back to the dessert station for 4 times just because the desserts are so delectable.

Before we left, we decided to take some photos of the place. I'm not from Makati so it may be hard for me to dine here again.

For those who are fortunate enough to be near in the area, include Vikings Jazz on your foodie adventure before 2014 ends.

Remember: a VIKINGS a day keeps the doctor away... hahaha! Nice one.  

The Cookie Creamery Co. - SM Marikina

*Sorry if this blog took time to be posted. All the pictures I took on that day using my Blackberry phone were crappy that my sister need to go there and re took the pictures. Anyway, she enjoyed it ha!

Due to miscommunication by text, I was forced to get my glasses at EO optical shop in SM Marikina. Since they are not prepared for my pick-up, the employee of EO told me to wait up to 30 minutes to finish my eye glasses. This is the first time that I went to SM Marikina so I thought to check the whole place out and to pay our PLDT bill.  As I pass the side entrance of the supermarket I saw a food stall that sells ice cream sandwiches. I am a sucker for new food concepts and I miss eating ice cream sandwiches due to my braces so I didn’t let this one pass.

The Cookie Creamery Co. is located at the 1^st floor near the supermarket area of SM Marikina. It just opened August 2, 2014 however you can see people flocking at this food stand. This is the first store to offer ice cream cookies alone and take note, the first “do it yourself” ice cream sandwich bar.  Besides ice cream cookies they also offered cookie sandwiches that are covered with frosting. You can also order milk and cookies as well. If you’re a newbie and can’t decide what combination you will go to, you can check their staff favorites sign near the cash register. 

I chose the red velvet cookie + cream cheese ice cream. For the price of 75 Php, the quality stands out. The size of the cookies is like small saucers sandwiching two scoops of ice cream. The sweetness is just right and the flavors are balanced. Unlike with DQ’s ice cream sandwich that you need to wait a few minutes to defrost (and the reason why I don’t eat this anymore because I hate waiting) the texture of the cookie is perfect and doesn’t mush as the ice cream melts.

I recommended it to my sister and she got her two thumbs up. She said that the idea was awesome and wished that they will have a store in SM Megamall or any mall near Ortigas area. 

See it for yourself! It's worth visting SM Marikina for this great dessert.


Peanut_Belle

Chez Karine: new haven of indulgence

I almost forgot that I got a food blog. Its been almost more than 2 months since my last post. Got busy baking lately and I dont have time to complete my entry.

But dont worry, I'll share to you some of my food journey for the past two months that I'm offline from my blog.

Let's start changing stressed to DESSERTS!

My sugar loving friend Mean and I decided to de-stress from work so I recommended to have a tea time (merienda) in Chez Karine. Located at the new fashion mall in SM Megamall, this sweet haven became my favorite. 

Its located in front of Tim Ho Wan, so if you like to get some desserts after a sumptuous lunch or dinner, this is the place to be.

We ordered some of their famous French macarons (55php) regular and (60php) for specials such as smores and butter popcorn as shown in the picture

the place isn't cozy like you expect from coffee shops (with dim lights and easy listening music -- haha) but its a nice spot to have a coffee or tea with friends. 

So with the macarons: 

from top to lower right: Smores (my fave) Strawberry, Black Sesame, Dark Chocolate and Chocolate Mint. I'm a great fan of smores since I love eating marshmallows. My friend Mean preferred the chocolate mint cause the taste of mint and chocolate were balanced -- and I totally agree to that! 

Aside from macarons they also got puddings. What I like most about their puddings is they place it inside a cute little bottle with a small spoon to scoop it out. 

I bought this for my sister. She loves blueberry cheesecake but I just made a boo boo... I forgot the spoon! just realized that when I got home and open the bag for her haha. She still loved it even its kinda hard to scoop it out. I was thinking how they placed the cheesecake inside, then later I learned that those small jars are heatproof -- got that info from All About Baking (they also sell those cutie cute jars)

We didn't stay there for long cause we're avoiding the traffic in Edsa but at least for a short span of time, we gave in to our cravings. Something I love to do once in a while.

They got their social media accounts in case you're curious about their store . Please don't forget to visit their site at chezkarine.com to see other products that they offer 

 No wonder its the reverse of stressed, cause nothing beats a good dessert.  

Beat the Heat part 2: Mang Inasal's Halo halo

So my craving didn't stop. Again, to beat the scorching heat of the sun is to grab another specialty of my favorite halo-halo.

This time its not from any chic restaurant but from a famous fast food chain, Mang Inasal. Aside from mouth watering chicken inasal, their Halo-halo is worth craving for. 

I ordered the regular size (49php) instead of the upsize (69php) cause I'm in a hurry to go home. The regular size is enough for one person (not unless you got a big appetite to halo halo) and the ingredients are not too sweet which I liked. 

What's in the cup? 

Red sago balls, white beans, red beans, macapuno, langka, ube and leche flan. Don't forget the ice cream that added the creaminess and the crunchy barquillos on top. The only thing I miss the most was the pinipig. I'm not sure if the pinipig was replaced by the barquillos stick but I wish that the upsize will have the pinipig pieces to add texture. (im not really an expert when it comes to food perception, I'm just a pinipig fan) haha! 

Value for money? Yes! Comparing it to other restaurants that offer the same thing, Mang Inasal's halo halo is really affordable. For just 49 pesos, it will remove the stress from the summer heat. 

One of the reasons why I love summer. 

Pre - Valentine's Date (Late post) - Paire Cocktails and Pastries

Before the "Love Month", me and my sister went on a cocktail craze at Paire. I took advantage of their deal in Groupon for two persons for 4 hours unlimited cocktail treat. I'm an occasional drinker so its was a challenge for me on how many glasses I can finish before I surrender.

First of all, let's take a look on their new chic menu

I really love the new menu. It has a sense of style and it offers variety of dishes that suits the drinks that they offer. Of course, the list of cocktail pairings are still on the menu.

They got starters 

Finger foods and WiFi connection! 

You can also choose pasta or sandwiches if you want something heavy. 

or you can go straight to their famous cocktail pairings. 

We decided to get some finger foods to accompany our booze event. To start, I ordered a Cranberry Margarita and my sister chose Cosmopolitan. While we are waiting for the food, I took some pictures of their bar and kitchen (well its from my viewpoint I was busy with my drink that day haha) 

The place was nice. It was chic and I can say it has "girly" interiors (which I really love) and their staff was accommodating. They gave some ideas what was best to order and best food to pair our cocktails. 

After the first serving of cocktail, our finger foods arrived. Nachos and Fish and Chips

Now, I present you, the princess' line up of awesomeness

Mango Daquiri

Tequila Sunrise

Velvet rope and Cranberry Flute

Blushing Banana

Free Shooter: Fireworks

All the cocktails that they served were great! It was just right on the spot. It made me a little tipsy after 7 glasses and one shooter (cmon! I'm just an occasional drinker and my usual limit is only 5 glasses of frozen Margarita) Fireworks was made of grenadine, blue curacao, and vodka (its also called Fourth of July if you check for the recipe) 

It was a great pre Valentine date with my sister. Yes I posted my blog a little late 'cause I need to prepare for my Iloilo trip. So if you like some booze and you're a sweet tooth, this place is the best for you. 

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