Eggs Ben

Late Breakfast @ CBTL? Jessicatexted. Sure! I immediately replied. Since Im in Mandaluyong, we agreed to meet at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Rockwell. Jessica was already in the coffee shop when I arrived. I ordered my favorite Brek O Day while Jessica ordered Eggs Ben.

Why Brek O’ Day is my favorite? Its a complete meal, imagine on your plate – two pieces of toasted bread with butter and strawberry jam, scrambled eggs, two chicken sausages and fruits.

Brek O Day

You can enjoy Brek O Day and Eggs Ben anytime of the day since this is part of their Breakfast All Day menu. It may not be your ideal low calorie snacksbut It will definitely make your day:)

Although an ideal breakfast for me is the one we prepare at home, having breakfast in my favorite coffee shops has always been a great alternative. I miss the days when I used to prepare healthy breakfast before I go to school, Oh well those were the days (LOL).

After our brunch, I went straight to a friends house who promised to give me a copy of several salad recipes.

Till Next:)

Who doesn’t love this Doughnut?

On Monday, July 13, in honor of its 72nd birthday, participating Krispy Kreme stores worldwide will celebrate International Krispy Kreme Day with special offers for loyal customers. That same day, Krispy Kreme will also announce a special promotion to celebrate and thank international fans for their passion and support.

Celebrate Krispy Kreme’s Birthday in the Philippines

To celebrate International Krispy Kreme Day in the Philippines, Krispy Kreme fans are encouraged to:

• Share this news with their friends and family so they can join in on this special offer.
• Go to their local participating Krispy Kreme Philippines store on July 13 for a special offer – get a free Original Glazed doughnut with any purchase.
• Try one of the Company’s great-tasting iced beverages and inquire about the special promotion that will be announced that day.
• Take photos of friends and family enjoying a special Krispy Kreme moment and share those pictures with loved ones and favorite social networking sites.
• Join the Philippines “Friends of Krispy Kreme” on www.krispykreme.com.ph and find out first about other exciting promotions.

“Our customers are passionate about the Krispy Kreme brand,” said Jeff Welch, President – International, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. “Krispy Kreme products have the amazing ability to lift people’s spirits and bring huge smiles to their faces. International Krispy Kreme Day allows us to thank our loyal fans for their support and it will be another opportunity for our fans around the world to come together and create memorable moments. On July 13 we would like to invite our customers to visit one of our participating international stores and enjoy a delicious Krispy Kreme doughnut and beverage.”

My favorite Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts

“This anniversary means a lot to us that we wanted to share our happiness by giving back a little something to those who made us stay in the business for 72 years—our customers,” says Mark Gamboa, Marketing Manager, Krispy Kreme Philippines. “Our Original Glazed doughnut is really the Filipino’s favorite—a simple yet scrumptious indulgence—sure to satisfy every sweet tooth.”

For updates on special promotions, exclusive offers and local events, join the Philippines “Friends of Krispy Kreme” by visiting www.krispykreme.com.ph.

What’s your favorite Doughnut?

About Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme is an international retailer of premium-quality sweet treats, including its signature hot Original Glazed® doughnut. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C., the company has offered the highest-quality doughnuts and great-tasting coffee since it was founded in 1937.

Today, Krispy Kreme can be found in approximately 525 locations around the world. Visit us at www.krispykreme.com.

When Facebookl first came out and became available to the general public, Facebook seemed like the basic Friendster copycat.

It didn’t take long for people to notice that there is indeed, something about Facebook that makes it a great social networking site.

Other than the features, there are also some applications that many members have come to love and consider as a standard for other social networking sites. And now, there’s Restaurant City, a fun, addictive Facebook application that give you more reason to log in and stay awhile.

What is Restaurant City?

Restaurant City is actually a virtual game that comes courtesy of Playfish. It can be played exclusively by Facebook members and is not available to non-members. The game is deceptively simple: build your own restaurant, serve meals, cater to customers, complete orders, serve meals and perform repairs and maintenance. For each action you perform, you earn a coin. If you pick up the trash, for example, you get one coin for each trash bag. If you serve food, you earn 2 coins for each meal.

The game seems like child’s play but it’s very appealing even to adults because it provides them interesting way to oversee and manage a business operation, albeit a virtual one.

Do you want to setup your own Resto?

You need to sign up for an account with Facebook if you wish to run the application and that’s the only way you can play the game. If you’re a first-time restaurant owner-to-be, the application will guide you on what to do and how.

The goal of the game is for you to build your own virtual restaurant and earn coins or credits for specific actions. The game is based on real-life restaurant procedures, in that you not only have to build the restaurant, you also have to design it and keep it clean and operational.

The game also requires you to perform restaurant-related tasks such as buying ingredients, preparing food and serving meals. You move levels for good performance and are allowed to upgrade your establishment, such as getting a bigger restaurant or you can hire another worker.

The reason why this app works so well with Facebook is that you can ‘hire’ any one or several of your friends as your workers. You can monitor their progress and keep them happy in their jobs (there is a Happiness Meter that helps you track their performance). You don’t need to pay them, by the way.

Employees only need food and their break time and yes, you can fire a worker, although that will cost you 200 coins. From the get go, be careful about who you hire.

Restaurant City is also a great way to virtually learn cooking. Each day, a question will pop up about cooking and if you answer it correctly, you will receive an ingredient that you can use to improve your menu.

So what do you do with your earnings? You use your coins to purchase what you need to run your virtual restaurant. These include chairs, tables, ingredients, stoves and kitchenware. If you earn enough, you can purchase the more expensive ingredients or improve your restaurant to help you move up a level.

Do you have Restaurant City Tips you can share to us?

Salmon Scramble

Last week, food writers and bloggers were invited to have brunch with Bobby Chinn – one of Asia’s high-octane celebrity chef. I arrived late in CBTL Greenbelt since I work till 11:15am. I didn’t mind attending an event on a Saturday morning since I’d be meeting fellow foodies and who else? — The spontaneous Bobby Chinn.

Bobby has run several highly acclaimed restaurants in Vietnam before opening Restaurant Bobby Chinn, including Camargue, Saigon Joe’s in Ho Chi Minh City, Miro, and the Red Onion Bistro in the Hanoi Towers (formerly the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison). Now he owns his own Asian Fusion restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Chef Bobby Chinn

CBTL is known for its good selection of all day breakfast meals such as Brek O’ Day, Salmon Scramble, Muffins, Eggs Ben and an assortment of Tea Lattes like my favorite African Sunrise Latte.

While Bobby Chinn shares his humble beginnings, CBTL served us samples of their Muffins, Salmon Scramble, cheesecakes and what else? Their wide selection of coffee and teas that definitely completes your day:)

Cheesecake Anyone?

Among CBTL’s breakfast offerings, my personal favorite would be Eggs Ben but after tasting Salmon Scramble.. I’m now confused which to order on my next CBTL visit. I just love the delicious smoked salmon flavor perfectly mixed with scrambled egg placed on top of a round shaped burger muffin.

Chef Bobby and the Chef Wannabe

Thanks to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for bringing in Discovery Travel and Living’s World Cafe Asia celebrity chef Bobby Chinn.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is located at TriNoMa, SM The Block, Gateway, Ortigas Park, Paseo Center, Bonifacio High Street, Mall of Asia, Convergys Ayala Avenue, Salcedo Village, Alabang Town Center, Rockwell, Robinson’s Ermita, Grreenhills Promenade, Robinson’s Galleria, eastwood, Tomas Morato and 2 more branches in Cebu. Visit their website at http://www.coffeebean.com.ph.

What’s the Swirl Rewards Card? It’s a loyalty card – but unlike other loyalty cards, you can get points you can spend instantly!

CBTL Rewards Card

Its more than just a rewards card, it also works as a cash card where in you can reload online and give it to your loved one as a gift:)

For every P100 you spend at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf you will immediately get 5 points which is equivalent to P5. You need to register and activate your rewards card online for you to enjoy the benefits and start earning points.

If you still have unredeemed points in your old Swirl Card, you can just surrender the old card and CBTL will transfer it to your new loyalty rewards card.

You can get your own Swirl Rewards card for free if you made P250 minimum single purchase of any CBTL product in any branch in the Philippines.

For more details checkout http://www.swirlrewards.com.ph

Everyday can be your Fathers Day!

Contest Mechanics :

Just share to our readers your sweetest Fathers Day greetings or gift and get a chance to win a box of your favorite doughnut.

Leave a comment now and you might win a dozen doughnut treats from Krispy Kreme and Pinoy Cravings.

This contest is limited to Philippine Residents only:)

(1) daily winner of One (1) Dozen worth of Krispy Kreme Gift Certificate will be announced daily.

Daily winners will be notified via email and will be posted here.

1. June 16 : Fran
2. June 17 : Luscious Ryan
3. June 18 : Carla
4. June 19 : Iris Pulga
5. June 20 : GeoRge
6. June 21 : Rachel
7. June 22 : Iris
8. June 23 : Jane
9. June 24 : Animetric
10. June 25 : Terence
11. June 26 : Tricia
12. June 27 : Jade
13. June 28 : Frances Ivy
14. June 29 : Leona
15. June 30 : Grace de Leon

For the Winners > Please email me the following info : melovillareal<@>gmail.com

• Complete Name
• Contact Details (Email Address and Mobile Number)
• Mailing Address

Many thanks to Krispy Kreme Philippines and Geiser Maclang for making this contest possible:)

Bangus Steak in Sizzling Plate

If you want the best tasting boneless bangus, make sure to buy the Saranggani or Dagupan produced and always check the expiry date:)

Ingredients :

• 1/2 kilo Bangus Belly fillets
• 2 large onions
• 6 Kalamansi
• 1/2 cup of soy sauce
• 6 cloves of garlic
• salt and pepper to taste

How to Cook :

• Mix the onions, kalamansi, garlic, pepper, salt and soy sauce in a bowl.
• Marinate the Bangus Belly for 20-30 minutes
• Heat a cup of cooking oil in a frying pan
• Lightly fry the onion rings.
• Fry the fish until browned
• Put the fried Bangus in a medium hot sizzling plate then pour the marinade.

Enjoy:)

Pescada a la sal

Guests sampled a wide variety of tapas, paella, sangria, and Spanish wines. They were also treated to a mouth watering Spanish cooking exhibition by the owner and head chef of Tapella by Gaudi, Chef Alexandra Got Pradera Cacho. VIPs learned how to cook dishes like Pescado ala sal, or fish baked in salt, Sobra sada, or a Spanish sausage or paté, and paella, a rice-based viand, the way the Spanish do it.

Attended by distinguished members of the Spanish community, travel trade specialists, valued clients of BPI Mastercard and VIPs, the Spain Tourism Board’s culinary fiesta served as a venue for the public to experience the complexity of Spanish cuisine.

Sobrasada

To complement the celebration, participants watched the gastronomic adventures of Mario Batali, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mark Bittman and Claudia Bassols in the Mallorca episode of “Spain on the Road Again.” Shown only on the Asian Food Channel, the series details the carefree, road-trip of four celebrities as they savor the best food Spain has to offer.

Participants were also regaled with dance and musical performances by the Fundacion Centro Flamenco, the premier Flamenco institute in the country that aims to preserve and enhance Filipino’s Spanish heritage through Spanish music and dance, and the Yerbaguena musicians.

Chef Xandra while cooking Paella

Spanish fare is as diverse as its culture. The country’s Ebro region is known for its Chilindrones or pepper, tomato and fried onion sauce, and longaniza, or sausage. While, the Aragón fare is simple, clear cut and uses meat as a base. Catalan cooking is the most flavorful and complex which uses sofrito or a combination of garlic, tomato, parsley and onion, picada which includes chopped pine seeds, garlic, parsley, toasted almond, ali-oli or a mixture of olive oil and garlic and samfaina sauces.

Spain’s traditional paella originates from Valencia. The region specializes in rice-based dishes that are either prepared with a plethora of ingredients or only with the most basic elements. Andalucia is known for its fried food, particularly the deep fried fish pescaito frito. It also supplies the best ham in Spain —the Jabugo of Huelva.

Spain Tourism Board Vien Cortes and AFC Maria Brown

Castile – León and Central Spain, on the other hand, focus on roast meats and stews or cocidos. Seafood and sauces dominate the fare in Northern Spain including Galicia and Asturias.

Hosted by the Spain Tourism Board, the “Spain on the Road Again” food fiesta and screening was done in partnership with the Asian Food Channel, Tapella by Gaudi, BPI Mastercard, Gastro Chef, Trucco, Fuego Hotels and Properties, L’oreal, and Amoroso.

Newest Persian Restaurant in Town

In Persian culture, it is a divine bird that is believed to symbolize the perfected human being, much like its fine dining counterpart in one of Manila’s hottest new event and dining places, Bellagio Square in Malate. Simorgh serves more than just Persian food. It showcases a variety of authentic Middle Eastern, Indian, and Iranian dishes that will please even the Filipino and international palates.

Persian Cuisine in Manila

Some of the must-try plates are Samosa, Hummus, Chelo Kabab Barg, and Polo Joojeh Kebab. You can familiarize yourself with the taste of chickpeas, olive oil, lemon, cumin, and sumac in every little helping of Hummus. Or you can try their Samosa for starters, a stuffed pastry similar to the Filipino empanada, but with potatoes, minced meat, onion, peas, coriander, or tamarind.

The Chelo Kabab Barg, an Iranian dish made with grilled mutton meat and a generous amount of rice, finished off with grilled onions and tomatoes fills the stomachs of those with big appetites. If you are not a red meat lover, you may opt for their Polo Joojeh Kebab, the grilled chicken with rice and grilled tomatoes and onions will satisfy your craving.

Bellagio Square

For some, trying out new cuisines is an acquired taste, but there is a growing number for those who are up to the challenge. Persian cuisine is distinctly a burst of flavors, worthy of those who are willing to explore, revere in, and delight in its sumptuous array of dishes that may be enjoyed better with a set of friends.

After all, a single plate at this Persian Restaurant is more than enough for one gurgling stomach. Food is best appreciated when there is history involved, and with the rich and colorful history that Persia or Iran has, you will have to choose from a whirlwind of choices that are just too good to pass up.

Simorgh Persian Restaurant @ Bellagio

Simorgh is located at Bellagio Square, 1658 unit F, J. Bocobo St., Malate (near Robinsons), Manila. For inquiries, call (02) 524-3231 or (02) 813-8592. Open daily, 11:00am – 2:00pm and 5:00pm – 1:00am.

Tiramisu P130

I arrived in the hotel 30 minutes earlier but since food chains are far from the hotel vicinity, I decided to have coffee in the Hotel managed coffee shop called Jeepney Cafe. I ordered my favorite Tiramisu and a cup of one of the most expensive coffee Ive ever had (P180 / standard cup) oh well. The Tiramisu doesn’t have broas or lady finger which undoubtedly my favorite part but it was definitely one of the creamiest Tiramisu Ive tasted.

The overall flavor was more than satisfactory and its definitely well worth the price. I’ll definitely go back for their Tiramisu and I’ll make sure I’ll bring my own Venti Starbucks Caramel Latte.:)

Intercontinental Manila
Makati City Philippines