Silantro Fil - Mex Cantina, Kapitolyo

I almost forgot that I got a blog haha! Been busy with work and my food buddies are nowhere to be found. Thank God, He gave me a new gang of foodies so we are back to business. Yehey!!

A friend recommended Silantro, a Fil Mex food joint located in East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo Pasig. 

As soon as we got there, we saw a queue of people outside waiting. A good sign that we're up to good food. 

The place was quite small but you can still manage to eat even your with a large group.

The staff told us that the servings are good for 2-3pax so we decided to order 5 different dishes from their menu. 

First up: Beef Nachos 180php

the mozzarella!!! 

The Nachos were something to crave for! 

I didn't really understand what the waiter explained to me when we were ordering (he told me what's included in the nachos -- well everything that was on the menu haha) but who cares! it was sooo yummy

Silantro's Quesadillas and Beef Quesadillas 160php/each

Both quesadillas were packed with goodness. The difference between the two, the former was more on the veggie side and the latter was packed with good tasting beef.

We also grab their famous paella and taco Completo

Silantro's Paella Fajita Mix 250php

Soft Taco Completo 110php

We were super full after eating all of those goodies. Everything was awesome and delicious. No wonder people were lining up. 

After making our tummies happy, we went to St. Patrick's for some booze. Thanks to Jassy for the pictures and Panic for the invitation. Got myself new food buddies :D

Here's the picture of the gang :D 

If you want more of Silantro, check their FB account here 

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.  

Eastwood City's Chocolate Festival 2014 -- Magdalena's Cacao Beans Chocolate and Kool Kid Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream

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. 

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.

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