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

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

A journey to the foodie street Part1: Maginhawa St. and Iscreamist

When my friend Mean (its pronounced as meh-ann haha she spell it that way) wanted to unwind, I suggested to take a break at Maginhawa St.

I read a lot of reviews about the street that even clickthecity.com got their map so you wont get lost.

Photo credits to clickthecity.com

Be sure to have an empty stomach when visiting the place cause there's always a food establishment on every corner. We were able to pass by some of the restaurants in Malingap st. but I want to visit Blacksoup Cafe + Artspace in Maginhawa since a friend recommended that their food is really good. 

One good tip: Make sure to check their opening and closing times cause most establishment there is not available for the whole day. 

Sadly, we arrived in Maginhawa at 3pm and Blacksoup was closed. The guard informed us it will open by 6pm -- dinner service, so we just decided to look for another spot (Bad, my hungry stomach can't wait for 3 hours more) 

Good thing my hero arrived: Street food!! Yes! If you are hungry and can't decide what to eat, you can always grab some munchies in this kind of food cart. He offered quail eggs, squid rings and tofu! 

After eating the famous kwek - kwek (quail eggs) we decided to go to Magiting St. where Iscreamist is located. We intended to walk but since one of my friends are not so into walking, we rode a tricycle going there and to my surprise, there was a long queue of people waiting outside.

Iscreamist is one of the famous places whenever you search Maginhawa St. in Google. They serve ice cream in a different manner by serving it with LIQUID NITROGEN. Yep! you read it right. Liquid Nitrogen.

The place is small but its really cool for a somewhat nerd like me haha. Love their periodic table of ice-cream posted on their wall and the UV lights that illuminates the whole room. Its like you are inside a laboratory of a mad scientist.

We ordered their famous Dragon's Breath -- smores or french macaron dipped in liquid nitrogen. (65php for smores and 75php for macarons) 

They also got cream based and coffee based ice cream but we decided to order the dragon's breath just for fun! 

preparing our orders 

It was really cold. You need to dip the smores for a short time or else it will turn to a crunchy biscuit without any flavor -- the nitrogen tends to draw all the moisture out of my smore making it bland (I did it in purpose for some experiment) If you are brave enough, you can also try eating it without waiting for 7 seconds but don't blame them if your tongue got numb -- yes it will be (just imagine licking an electric post during winter or sticking your tongue in the fridge)

The experience was great! the smores and macarons are ok but the thought that you can experiment your desserts was really fun. I may be back for the real deal -- their cream based and coffee-based ice cream. I got curious if the taste will just be the same with the ice cream tub that is available in the market.

Science is really awesome. especially if food is incorporated in it!

Follow them: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheIscreamist

IG:  ISCREMIST

Veni, Vidi, Vici Spiral! - Sofitel's Magnificent Buffet

We came, we saw and we CONQUER! This time, it’s SPIRAL of Sofitel Manila. Spiral was listed as the top buffet of looloo’s Midyear report of 2014 for best buffet restos. It was always my dream to set foot and dine on this luxurious hotel knowing it gained a lot of great reviews. 

Then the rumors are true. The place was breath taking. I got little light headed because there’s lot of food to choose from. Lunch service opens at 12:00nn but better to arrive early so you can sit back and relax first before devouring the awesome food they offer.

Photo credits to http://eatinghealthyinthecity.blogspot.com/

Spiral has 21 Ateliers. Yes 21; and each atelier offers a wide range of items. Good thing we arrived 30mins early, still got plenty of time to relax and take pictures. They first served us their famous olive bread with 2 types of butter. It was warm and hearty! Great as a start-up dish.

Here is the list of the twenty one dining ateliers.

>> Salad and Appetizer

>> L’Écailler

>> Sushi Sashimi

>> L’Epicerie

>> Hot Japanese

>> French Stove

>> Rotisserie

>> Wood fired Oven

>> Churrasco

>> North Indian

>> Asian Noodles

>> Peking Duck Oven

>> Steam Baskets

>> Chinese Wok

>> Filipino

>> Thai

>> Korean

>> La Boulangerie

>> La Patisserie

>> Chocolaterie

>> Creamery

We started our lunch with cheeses and cold cuts from Le Epicerie. They have a variety of hard and soft cheeses that can be paired up with the sausages and ham. I’m a great fan of soft cheese but because there’s a lot to choose from, I was up to the challenge of eating the hard sharp tasting cheeses – which I find awesome.

You can also pair the cheeses to your bread of choice. Visit La Boulangerie and be amazed with all the bread selections they they got. 

We headed over to the Asian section where you can choose from Korean, Filipino and Thai cuisines. They also serve our favorite chicaron in a jar – niceee :D

After the almost SEA flare, we decided to grab some Lamb and Prime Rib at the Rotisserie. As always, I requested my lamb and beef to be rare – so I can taste the natural sweetness of the meat paired up with mint jelly for the lamb. It was full of flavor that I was craving for more but since there is a lot of food to choose, we decided to head up to the next atelier: Peking Duck Oven.

Yes, you read it right. The famous Peking duck has its own atelier in Spiral. It’s like a carving station but especially for the lovable duck. You can also get Char Shiu and Crackling pork. Each piece was succulent we even requested for a duck wrap just tell the chef and he’s happy to make you one – sweet!

And before we end our lovely lunchdate, who can forget desserts? Dessert station for me is the crème de la crème of all buffets. In Spiral, they have 3 ateliers that will satisfy your sweet tooth – La Patisserie, Chocolaterie and Cremery.  It’s all in one area so don’t worry cause you don’t need to make a long walk from one area to another. Good thing they allocated us the table near the cremery (beside the fountain under the spiral staircase) – such great view and very good access to desserts haha!

Don’t miss Spiral’s rum bubba. Rum baba is a small yeast cake saturated in hard liquor, usually rum and sometimes filled with whipped cream or pastry cream (source: Wikipedia). Spiral got their own version by not soaking the rum but INJECTING it. Yes! The small plastic thingie that you can see on the picture was the rum; you can control how much alcohol you can take on the dessert. For me, everything! I even took a sip of the rum – and yeah it’s good.

I can’t describe the pastries one by one but they got a lot! For kids and kids at heart, they have a small drawer of goodies – candies, gummy bears and chocolates. I wanted to grab some but the pastries stole my heart.

They also got a chocolate fondue where you can dip your favorite dessert with chocolates. For health conscious or just watching their diet (well I’m not part of the group lol) Spiral also offers fresh fruits and if you’re creative, you can use those in making your own fruit salad or you can request halohalo since it’s just beside the fruit counter. Cremery offers different flavors of gelato. Sad because I’m so full that I only tried mocha and strawberry flavor. 

Overall, the experience was sensational. No wonder Spiral is always on the top of the best buffet list here in the Philippines. All staff were great – they made sure that everyone had a great stay and they accommodated our requests whenever we need any. 

For me, I was one of my food dreams that came true. After conquering Spiral, my sister and I thought of one thing… We shall return!

Wanna make reservations? Its just a click away

http://www.sofitelmanila.com/en/spiral.html

For more info you can also visit my blogger heroes :D

http://www.thepickiesteater.net/2013/06/spiral-at-sofitel-manila-triumphant.html

http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2012/11/spirals-dinner-buffet-by-sofitel-manila.html

Princess_BeLLe