There's Taho in my Starbucks!

My latest Starbucks journey was at Wan Chai in Hong Kong, but nothing really beats home. I feel like our local Starbucks knows me (and you) like the back of their hands. The beverages, food, service, and overall coffee experience is a clear reflection of what we locals want. And what do you know, they've even added taho in their frapuccino!




Starting tomorrow, 16 July - you'll experience this new and innovative twist on your favorite Starbucks drinks. Ask your barista for a tall Dark Mocha White Chocolate Pudding Frappuccino or, if you are a green tea lover like I am - ask for a Green Tea White Chocolate Pudding Frappuccino.

I had the pleasure of trying out these beverages before launch. They had the combined texture of chocolate chips, silky white pudding, and offered a very good mouth feel. Statistics are split, 50-50 between the two flavors.


I lean towards the Green Tea pudding frappe for it's Asian and healthy flavors. Most of all, it's cheaper by Php 10 compared to the Dark Mocha variant ;)



I wonder what Manong Taho would say! But I am guessing he'll give it a thumbs up. Our local vendor already invented chocolate taho that he sells in the afternoon. It's a fact, people can't get enough of it and how lucky are we that ther's a Starbucks version of our local favorite!

P.S. Starbucks doesn't call the secret ingredient taho, but  pudding which is more understandable for most people. 

By the way, don't be fooled at how the pudding appears as only 1/3 of your beverage. Once you slurp, everything mixes up in a perfect harmony, including the foamy whipped cream. For the benefit of serious pudding lovers, I hope our friendly braistas can soon allow us to customize the amount of pudding in our drinks : D

How to Enjoy Authentic Teppanyaki at The Marriott

Let's start with some basic Japanese here, Teppanyaki literally means flat grill and this is where teppanyaki dishes are all cooked. Meals are usually served in small bowls that feature a variety of combinations including meat, vegetables, and sauces.


Your choice of vegetables to go with your meat


Small bowls are pure genius because it only means you get to eat and try more flavors. Since Marriott Café come to terms with the fact that Japan will be forever loved for its culinary offerings with a classic appeal, the restaurant added a teppanyaki station for buffet dinner still at P1750 net, grilling only the freshest and meaty choices of seafood, fish, beef, pork, and chicken.


 Japanese sauces to excite your teppanyaki

I tried The Marriott's Teppanyaki station just a few days ago and self-learned the ways to enjoy teppanyaki like a master.





First, teppanyaki can be both main course and appetizer. I started with the usual greens in balsamic vinegar in tandem with Kaisen (seafood) and Gyuniko (beef) teppanyaki.


Kaisen teppanyaki. There are various versions depending on your taste.


You can ask the grill master right there to adjust the teppanyaki to your liking. Spicy, sweet, lots of veggies, etc.


Gyuniko teppanyaki is made of hiqh quality and super tender marbled beef


Now onto the main course, I had teppanyaki rice freshly cooked and requested a sweet and spicy blend.



The grilling station is conveniently beside the sushis and sashimis so I grabbed a few slices of fresh salmon to balance my meal.



I also just had to experience Gyuniko teppanyaki again, this time with rice. The grill master also concocted a Tori (chicken) teppanyaki with gotamari (sesame seeds) sauce.




Japanese food is great with it's foodie neighbours like this Thai-style seafood. We had this made fresh by the chef at the adjacent food station. Be nice and the chef will do this for you :)




It's hard to describe the enjoyment I had in relishing all these food. It was a great discovery and education for my tastebuds. Afterall, we kind of restricted ourselves with the usual Katsudons, makis, and sushis. It's high time we had a real encounter with the art of  Japanese Teppanyaki.

To provide a sweet ending (and because you can still enjoy all the other buffet offerings of The Marriott Cafe), we tried new gelato flavors - samurai style.



Hazelnut nutella and tiramisu gelato with cone - it's included in the buffet


And just to keep things healthy, a dose of fresh fruits that this cafe never runs out of.

The Marriott Cafe remains our go-to buffet place when we want some more privacy and comfort. With the addition of another Japanese feat, I highly recommend you experience their dinner buffet. It won't be long until the cafe switches things around to offer more flavors. So my friends, enjoy all of these while it lasts :)

Halal Food Buffet at The Manila Hotel

ews flash: Halal food is not just for Islams or Jews, it is for everyone. This is what I learned at the launch of The Manila Hotel's Halal Kitchen. The first of it's kind in the Philippines for a 5 star hotel.



Halal involves food experts, food technicians, scientists, and more to reach the quality of food that is fit for the health conscious and discerning when it comes to food hygiene and sanitation. The Manila Hotel received their Halal Certification from the Muslim Mindanao Halal Certification Board last August 1, 2012.

Beginning this September, Halal certified food will now be offered in the Ylang Ylang Cafe lunch and dinner buffets, and also to room service orders. Here's what to expect at the Halal food spread. Let's start at the Salad section:



This is called Taboulleh which is minced parsley mixed with spices. It's a good companion for Babaghanuj.



Babaghanuj is made from roasted eggplants mixed again with delicious spices. It was my first time to try this although I've heard about this so many times. I love Indian and Middle Eastern food but haven't had the chance to explore their salads and appetizers until Manila Hotel.



If you're looking for an alternative to your daily western salad, here's a killer salad spread that shouts Middle East.




I was clueless until one of the helpful chefs approached me. Chef Hanna Usman helped me create my salad plate. It was delicious and the variety was a feast to my tastebuds. Greens were smothered with garlic-lemon olive oil dressing.

That creamy white dip is actually hummus which is made of garbanzos aka chic peas. Hanna told me I should try it, especially if I saw the movie Zohan haha :) I am now in love with hummus, it's so creamy and it's true you can dip anything in it!

Let's cross over to the breads



A variety of Samosas, Papadums, and Nan.  It's hard to decide whether these are appetizers or desserts. Especially when you dip them in chutneys. As you can see, I had papadums with my salad and hummus.

Main entrees

 

Chicken Biriyani is the foundation of your Halal feast. It's great for all the forthcoming dishes. This rice is great with some yogurt. You'll really learn a lot from this Halal buffet - don't be afraid to experiment and try new food.



Roganjosh Lamb is a famous Indian dish which you'll normally see in other restaurants. This one has five star quality though. There's generous lamb cutlets which are all very tender. The spiciness of all food items are friendly for everyone.




Beef Rendang is rubbed with sweet and chili spices. I lean towards dishes that are saucy so I skipped this one. My date says its incredible though.




Fried prawns are great to dip in hummus, or it could be just me. I'd dip anything in hummus now.


Here's my plate for the main entrees, in case you want to compare notes later :) I had to save a lot of room for my favorite curries and masala.



 

I loved all of these and wish I had more than one stomach. Here's my tip, don't pour all dishes together on your plate. Use the small bowls or saucers for different dishes.This way, the flavors don't mix and you can decide later on which your favorite Halal food is.

 
 

To end my Middle Eastern exploration, I had vegetable samosas and more papadums with chutney. I also thought our local dessert, guinataang halo-halo should join the coconut based curries in my tummy.



I asked for hot water afterwards so everything is digested well. We were very much satisfied with the Halal food selections at The Manila Hotel. They have over 11 food stations at Cafe Ylang Ylang but that day, my focus was on their Middle Eastern fare.




Can't wait to go back, I shall call this place curry heaven :) Enjoy the Halal Buffet and the rest of  the 11 food stations at Cafe Ylang Ylang for P1,800++

P.S. This cake puts the Cake Boss to shame.



The Manila Hotel Centennial Cake.

Weekend at the SM Megamall Food Sale - Pepper Lunch

I've never really heard of major shopping malls having a 'food sale'. Until last Saturday, we trooped to SM Megamall to satisfy our curiosity and bellies.




They've got posters and flyers about the 3-day Food Sale. A great way to help guide shoppers on participating restos - more establishments should copy this. The fun started when my date and I argued which restaurant to try.

Our top choices for lunch were Yabu, Masuki and Pepper Lunch. I won the debate with this deal:

 Beef Garlic Pepper Rice for only P168 (original price P215).

It's been a while since we ate at Pepper Lunch but I remember we always had fun cooking our own food. Plus, I always have an inner battle on whether to use the special honey brown sauce (Amakuchi) or the garlic soy sauce (Karakuchi).

The discount was an encouraging invitation for us to try new menu items too, at a fraction of the bill. Plus, a good spacious table was available for us food monsters to occupy. It pays to be early!

On our table we enjoyed sharing:


 Kani Shake! Shake! Salad

Simply the best Kani Salad I have ever tasted, ever! I know it's weird how the best kani salad will come from a fast food - but it does. It's far from mediocre Japanese salads I've had. It had authentic Japanese Mayo, Sesame Oil, and fresh Udon noodles at the bottom.



Although the salad came in a plastic cup, I was surprised how much greens could fit in a Shake! Shake! salad. Really the Udon noodles was a great surprise, it soaked up all the delish dressing like it read my mind.


Spicy Tuna Shake! Shake! Salad

My partner had this. We were both selfish with our own salads that we never shared. As far as I know, he loved it to bits and I just had to point out the Udon noodles at the bottom of the cup.

I wish Pepper Lunch could have Shake! Shake! Salads in XXL sizes.



Beef Garlic Pepper Rice

We love the addition of garlic flakes from the usual pepper rice. The wait staff was helpful in re-orienting us on how to prepare this. You should season the dish with Amakuchi or Karakuchi after the meat is cooked. Plus, mix mix mix to get the best pepper rice.


Combo Chicken and Angus Beef Pepper Rice

I am always bitin with meat at Pepper Lunch because they are so tasty. So I had a double whammy of meat chicken and beef. This dish has lots of veggies too, the rice comes as a side.

So again, cook the meet first by mixing well. I loved the Amakuchi on the chicken and the Karakuchi on the beef. Oh when will I see you again...

Vanilla Crepe Cake

If you don't like eating messy crepes, this is for you. A crepe cake is, you guessed it, made up of many layers of crepes. You can fork it once and you get a mouthful of crepes. Follow it soon after with a spoon of vanilla icecream with caramel sauce. Et voila! Delicious crepe fun with more poise. More than convenience, we love how sulit this dessert was (read: not filled with air). Perfect to share and to cap your Pepper Lunch experience with.

We wished our son was there to enjoy eating with us. But this was our couple 'date day' after all. We just got him this toy sizzling plate from Toy Kingdom (also on sale).

After Pepper Lunch, we enjoyed trying other restaurants who were participating at the Food Sale like Masuki.

Major thanks to the Pepper Lunch staff who were all attentive. I almost forgot my favorite Starbucks tumbler on the table until the staff run towards us with my tumbler in tow. Whew! 

I was still hooked on a Japanese theme (but we agreed not to eat at our usual Japanese spots). So we had Royal Milk Tea, Ice Coffee, and Okonomiyaki at Jipan.



Le Coeur de France also had their breads outside. It only means one thing and that these were also on SALE and buy 1 take 1's. I hoarded lots of Rice Loaf, Egg Tarts, Vanilla Mamons, Chocolate Croissants, and Ensaymadas.

I can't say how much I love the SM Megamall Food Sale experience! When is  the next one? And next time, I will make sure to bring the little food monster :)

Vikings Luxury Buffet

Vikings, I really don't know where to begin because it's an unbelievable experience. I am not new to buffets but Vikings turn the buffet table around. At just Php 688 (weekdays), Vikings effortlessly match 5 star hotel buffets in town.



Not just in terms of variety of cuisine because quantity is really nothing without quality. Vikings has both. I can name at least 8 stations, steak, seafood, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, bottomless draft beer and other beverages, frozen yogurt, coffee and tea, and desserts.



When I returned for the second time they already had a puto bungbong station on top of the DIY halo-halo area. If you haven't been to Vikings, forget about imagining a crowded place with people a buzz. This place is very organized in terms of reservations, walk-ins and there is enough space to go around.


#winning yogurt station at Vikings Buffet

Service is exceptional, it really makes you think you are dining in a hotel setting even when you're not. Contributing to the pleasant ambiance are the perfect lighting, air conditioning, furniture, and overall interior decor.



I actually celebrated my birthday here, and if it's your natal day - you eat free. Beat that! Did I mention I returned twice ever since? It's a perfect weekend date for foodies. I am a regular sight at the steak section waiting for my rib-eye and tenderloin to be grilled. Likewise, I frequent the Japanese area to enjoy bottomless salmon sashimi. Tip: their tempura is found at the seafood station and you never have to worry of them running out.



Last week, our top pick was the peppered crispy shrimps at the Chinese station and we are surprised to see xiao long bao dumplings. It's hard to remember all the good dishes at Vikings and this is one instance that you'll have to be there to understand why so many are raving about them.


Check out more photos from their website.

We were too busy eating to grab the best shots x.x



Vikings opens daily 11:00am- 2:30pm,5:30pm-10:00pm,Weekday Lunch is 688+,Weekday Dinner is 888+, Weekend Lunch and Dinner is 1088+. Find them at Bldg B, By The Bay, Seaside Blvd. SM Mall of Asia Complex (beside Oceania).