Binagoongang Bagnet by Fiesta Sorpresa

There’s just something about Bagoong (shrimp paste) that makes people go crazy. And then, there’s Bagnet, an Ilokano specialty. It is pork belly served with a crunchy skin like pork skin crackling and meat so tender and flavorful. Combine the two in one dish and you have got a sure winner.

Fiesta Sorpresa in Digos City does just that in on of their star dishes, Binagoongang Bagnet (Deep Fried Pork Belly in Shrimp Paste Sauce). The pork belly is processed in a classical Ilocano bagnet making process ensuring tasty, juicy meat attached to crispy pork skin. It is then served with sauteed shrimp paste which has a salty flavor, with a bit of sourness from tomatoes.

It is a delicious combo of popular Filipino dishes that will definitely make you salivate and eat more than your share. One serving can feed two people, but based on experience, one hungry eater can gobble up a serving with about two cups of rice.

Binagoongang Bagnet is just one of the many delightful dishes you can try when you drop by Fiesta Sorpresa in Digos City.

Fiesta Sorpresa is located at Rizal Avenue, Barangay San Jose, Digos City, Davao del Sur. It is beside Hotel Crisabelle. They are open from 11 am – 2 pm and from 5 pm – 10 pm. For more information, like their page at this link.

Lai Chia Chinese Buffet

Don’t we just love eat-all-you-can buffets here in Davao? The people behind our favorite buffet restaurant, Ranch and Reef has brought something new to be excited about, Lai Chia Chinese Buffet Restaurant.

There are a lot of Chinese restaurants in Davao City, but this is the only one that gives diners the opportunity to eat as many yummy Chinese dishes in one buffet spread. From appetizers to dimsum, from soups to entrees, to a selection of desserts, Lai Chia can satiate whatever Chinese food craving you have.

I especially enjoyed eating the Century Egg, the Peking Duck, the shrimps, the Taosi Spareribs, and the assortment of dumplings and dimsum dishes. It’s definitely a treat for all lovers of Chinese food. Where else can you eat Peking Duck as much as you want?

And the buffet is very much affordable. Last time I checked lunch is only P329 while dinner is only P399. And this already comes with unlimited ice tea to wash down all the Chinese food you eat.

Lai Chia is located along Torres Street, Davao City where Ranch and Reef was originally located. It’s near Let’s Crab Eat and Coffeecat. For more information, like their page at this link.

Machiavelli Chocolatier Chocolates: Purple Yam Yum, Lavander White, Guava Asia, Pistachio Royale, Yema de Manila, Cashew Praline, Jasmine Tea Rose, Negros Crunch Milk

“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” – Forrest Gump

That’s what Forrest said. But if you have a box from Machiavelli Chocolatier, you know exactly what you’re gonna get… temptingly great fine chocolate with a unique and unforgettable filling.

Machiavelli Chocolatier sells chocolate pieces with fillings that are uniquely Filipino. Each filling is encased in high quality chocolate that delightfully melts in your mouth. Every bite into a Machiavelli chocolate will send you into a chocolate-induced ecstasy.

Machiavelli Chocolatier Chocolates

The chocolate has a fine texture which complements the nuts or filling that it comes with. My favorite is the Jasmine Tea Rose. I don’t usually go for white chocolate, but the Machiavelli Jasmine Tea Rose has a subtle sweetness to it which complements the soft, yummy floral filling inside it. The filling is also subtle, a bit floral and with a hint of bitterness.

Some of my other favorites are the Cashew Praline and the Yema de Manila. Just thinking about these fine hand-crafted chocolates, makes me want to have more, more, more. Mmm…

Machiavelli Chocolatier is located at the Ground Floor of Rustan’s Makati, Essenses area at Glorietta 4 or at the Ground Floor of the Rustan’s Tower, in the Cosmetics & Fragrances Area at Shangri-La Plaza Mall, EDSA. You may reach them at +632-4839854.

For more information about Machiavelli Chocolatier and their unforgetabble chocolates, visit their site or like their FB Page at this link.

Original Balamban Liempo

It’s finally here. The liempo (pork belly) that claims to be tastier than lechon! Balamban Liempo has been making Cebu residents and tourists happy for quite some time.

Balamban is a municipality in Cebu province. It is the place where this mouth-watering liempo dish originated from. The original Balamban liempo restaurant and several copies have been selling this kind of liempo in other places in Cebu and the rest of the Philippines. Now, the original is also in Davao City.

Balamban liempo is pork belly stuffed with lemon grass, the same aromatic that is stuffed into lechon (roast whole pig). The pork belly is then roasted until the pork skin is crunchy like lechon skin or chicharon (pork skin crackling).

The original balamban liempo does have that distinct lechon taste owing to the lemon grass it is flavored and stuffed with. And the skin… oh the skin is just so heavenly. Crispy and salty, it is definitely a delight to eat.

If you love pork with a lot of flavor and crispy skin goodness, try the original Balamban Liempo from Cebu.

The Balamban Liempo restaurant had their soft opening a few weeks ago and they can be found at Delgar Commercial Complex, Km 5, J.P Laurel Avenue, Bajada, Davao City. It’s the building right before the Bajada flyover.

Gift Box of 5 Bars (P195 - P245)

It’s the season of giving. Yes, it is. This Christmas season, give the gift of all-natural yummy goodness from The Cereal Bar. The Cereal Bar is one of my favorite booths at Mercato Centrale because they sell no sugar added cereal bars which my Daddy loves. For the 2011 holiday season, they have prepared some yummy treats in beautiful packages for you to give to your loved ones.

Their famous cereal bars are available in boxes of 5. A selection of 5 Nutty & Nice Bars are available for P195 in a red box. This selection includes Crispy Crème Nut, Crisp Ahoy!, Mangga’t Kasoy, and Muscovado & Walnuts. A selection of 5 Nutless without a Doubt Bars are available in a gold box. This selection includes Crisp Ahoy!2,
Nutless Fruity, and The No NutSense. Truly Fruit Bars are available in brown boxes. This selection includes Fruity Nutty, Monkey Bar, and The SultaNut. All these selections are priced at P195 each.

No Sugar Added Bars in Boxes of 5 are priced at P245 each. The Nutted Bars Crispy Crème Nut and Crisp Ahoy! come in a red box while the Nut-less Bars Crisp Ahoy!2 and The No NutSense come in a gold box.

The Cereal Bar Box of 6 Assorted Bars

The cereal bars are also available in boxes of 6. Selections of Nutted Brown Sugar Bars and Nut-less Brown Sugar Bars cost P220 for 6 bars in a box. Same boxes with ribbons and cards for gift-giving are at P235.

No Sugar Added Selection of 6 bars cost P280. Boxes of 6 No Sugar Added Bars with ribbon and card cost P295.

Two pieces each of the 6 nutted bars or your own selection of Brown sugar bars are also available in a Dozen Gift Box for P450.

Granola Cookie in Gold Tin

The Cereal Bar’s Granola Cookies are also perfect as holiday gifts and available in Gold Cookie Tins. 8 pieces of individually wrapped Crisp Ahoy! or The SultaNut Granola Petites are available for P240. 8 pieces of individually wrapped No NutSense Granola Petite cookies
are available at P275.

Gold Tin Sampler

A dozen of individually wrapped cookies, 6 each of Crisp Ahoy! and
The SultaNut Granola Petites cost P360. These are beautifully packed in a Gold Tin Sampler. A dozen individually wrapped No NutSense Granola Petites cost P400 in the same Gold Tin Sampler. No Sugar Added samplers with 6 each of The No NutSense Granola Cookie and the Crispy Crème Nut Shortbread cost P425.

The Cereal Bar’s Munchers are available in Fire and Ice Holiday Tins. The Fire Holiday Tin contains 8 red tinfoil wrapped Dark Chocolate-covered Crispy Crème Nut Barmunchers. While the Ice Holiday Tin
contains 8 gold tinfoil wrapped Dark Chocolate-covered The No NutSense Barmunchers. Each canister costs P325.

Red Tin Sampler

The Cereal Bar Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies with walnuts, rolled oats, coco sap, and molasses are available at P395. 8 individually wrapped pieces are packed in a Red Tin Sampler Can.

8 individually wrapped pieces of Granola Cookies are also available in the Red Tin Sampler Can. Cookies may be in the Crisp Ahoy! or
The SultaNut Granola variant.

Bar and Cookie Tin

If you want to give a combination of no sugar added bars and cookies, give the Red Bar and Cookie Tin. It contains No-Sugar-Added No NutSense Granola Cookies and 4 No Sugar Added The No NutSense Granola Bars. This is priced at P475.

The Special Tin Can Bar Sampler comes with 1 bar each of the 6 nutted bar selection and 3 No-Sugar-Added selection bars for only P395.

Gift Boxes

The Cereal Bar also has fruit cake loaves, muffins, and other delectable all-natural sweet treats that you can gift to your loved ones or yourself. All wrapped in pretty holiday packages. Check out The Cereal Bar Christmas 2011 Menu.

The Cereal Bar has a booth at Mercato Centrale at The Fort in Fort Bonifacio Taguig. It is every Saturday and Sunday, 7 am – 2 pm. This weekend, December 17 and 18, 2011 is their last weekend for 2011. Catch them there and find the best holiday gift for your health-conscious loved ones. For more information, like them on Facebook at this link.

Strawberry Frozen Brazo by Alor's Home Kitchen

When I visited Alor’s Home Kitchen I was expecting great food. What I didn’t expect was the surperb desserts that we had an overload of.

After serving loads of appetizers, main courses, and several desserts, Alor’s Home Kitchen ended the dinner with several servings of Frozen Brazo: Chocolate, Mango, Durian, and Strawberry.

Brazo is brazo de mercedes, a soft meringue roll with custard inside. Frozen brazo is a variation of the original. It is composed of layers of cake, soft meringue, and flavored custard.

Among the Frozen Brazo varieties that we were served, my favorite was the Mango Brazo. It had a layer of crust on the bottom, a layer of vanilla or plain ice cream, frozen mango custard with bits of mangoes, and a soft meringue top. The top middle layers were frozen so they had an ice cream like consistency. Well, ice cream is also a kind of meringue so it makes sense. The different flavors and textures of the layers blended and balanced really well.

It’s definitely a delight for fruit lovers with a sweet tooth.

Alor’s Home Kitchen also does catering for savory dishes and desserts.

Alor’s Home Kitchen located at F. Torres Street, Davao City. You may contact them at +6382-2225577.

Mary Grace Grilled 3 Cheese Ensaymada

One of the classic Filipino pastries is ensaymada. It’s a soft, fluffy, tasty bread usually topped with butter (or margarine) and sugar. It is originally from Majorca, Spain. Classically, it is made of flour, water, sugar, eggs, mother dough, and pork lard. Some bakeshops serve special ensaymada with cheese or salted egg on top.

Mary Grace Cafe is famous for their classic and grilled ensaymada. They serves up various ensaymada varieties, as well as a selection of hot tsokolate (native chocolate) drinks.

Mary Grace Grilled 3 Cheese Ensaymada and Hot Chocolate

I have tried some pieces of Mary Grace Ensaymadas before so I was excited to try some of their grilled ensaymada. After a lot of pondering, I ordered the Grilled Three Cheese Ensaymada. Then, I spent a bit a of time going over the choices of hot tsokolate. The waiter suggested I go for the Mary Grace Hot Chocolate which the menu promises to be “A cup of premium imported chocolate. Absolutely delicious!”

The ensaymada was fluffy and tasty with a generous amount of cheeses and some sugar. It went perfectly well with the thick hot chocolate I ordered. Yummy, yummy combination. The savory-ness of the ensaymada and the hint of bitterness of the tsokolate gave a good balance to the sweetness of the ensaymada.

Definitely, a delicious Filipino dessert that brings to mind lazy rainy afternoons at home. The homey ambiance of the cafe adds even more nostalgia to the sweet gustatory experience.

Cafe Mary Grace is located at Greenbelt 2, in between Bizu and Spicy Fingers. They also have other branches and kiosks around Metro Manila. Check out this link for a list of locations.

Mini Cupcakes Baked by Anita

Here’s yet another reason why I love Mercato Centrale, Mini Cupcakes Baked by Anita. These cupcakes are cute, cute, cuuuute. But don’t let it’s cute-ness deceive you, there’s a whole lot of flavor in these cupcakes.

I got to try some of these cupcakes while I was at Mercato Centrale and I fell in love with it. The texture is great. It’s moist but not too moist. And each cupcake variety had a unique taste to it. My favorites are the Espresso Truffle, the Choco Banana, and the Roasted Strawberry. Mmm…

I bought some to take home and I ended up sharing these yummy delights with my cousins and nieces. And they all loved it. Looking forward to trying more of these delicious bite-size treats.

Sweet treats Baked by Anita are available at Mercato Centrale, Saturdays and Sundays, 10 am – 2 pm at The Fort.

For more information like the Baked by Anita page at this link and follow them on Twitter at this link.

Coffee Kahlua Merry Moo Artisan Ice Cream

The heat was overwhelming when I visited Mercato Centrale last June so was happy to see several stalls selling frozen treats. I gravitated towards the whimsical stall of Merry Moo Artisan Ice Cream.

Before choosing the flavor of ice cream I would eat, I taste-tested several flavors including Sea Salt Caramel, Strawberry Basil, Cardamom, and the very intriguing Candied Bacon. The Candied Bacon had a unique taste which, I guess, would be an acquired taste thing. The rest had delicious flavors which made choosing very difficult.

I settled for Coffee Kahlua. How could I say no to ice cream with both coffee and alcohol? And I don’t regret it one bit. But I do want to taste more Merry Moo flavors.

Each ice cream was different, with distinct flavors but with the same creamy delightful texture. The ice cream was dense rather than airy. And yet the ice cream didn’t feel too heavy on the tummy.

This November, I’ll definitely look for the Merry Moo Artisan Ice Cream stall at Mercato Centrale. I think a cup of Strawberry Basil is waiting for me. And maybe a pint of Coffee Kahlua, too. Hehe!

Go Nuts Donuts' Amazing Glaze

I was invited to the opening of Go Nuts Donuts at Abreeza Ayala Mall and I was excited to go. Unfortunately, I had to go out of town. For a few weeks, I would try to buy donuts from Go Nuts everytime I was at Abreeza but they always ran out of donuts right away.

When I finally got the chance to take a bite of Go Nuts Donuts here in Davao, it was like I was transported to the first time I ever tasted Go Nuts Donuts. My cousins and I had spent some time lining up outside the first branch at The Fort in Taguig. The taste, texture, and fluffiness of the Amazing Glaze Donuts not is same as that years ago.

While I love some of their other donut variants, the Go Nuts Donuts Amazing Glaze remains my favorite. It’s soft and fluffy with a whole lot of sweet goodness. Yuuuum!

And it’s best when eaten with some coffee. Donuts and coffee go well together. I’m glad Go Nuts Donuts has a coffee and donut combination. It’s the perfect way to start my day or for afternoon coffee breaks.

I’m craving for it right now. I can just imagine the soft sweet donut in my mouth. Then sipping a bit of bittersweet black coffee. Mmm…

In Davao City, Go Nuts Donuts is located at Abreeza Ayala Mall along JP Laurel Avenue, Bajada, Davao City. For more information, visit their site at this link.

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