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Tablea Cake by Tsoko Nut Batirol

Friday, April 1, 2011

Whenever I am craving for chocolate cake fix, I always have my favorite and trusted Conti’s Chocolate Cake to turn to. If what I am craving for is a hardcore chocolate cake fix, there is Tablea Cake from Tsoko Nut Batirol that could really satisfy my palate.

Tsoko Nut Batirol’s Tablea is made with the use of native tablea from the finest cacao beans grown in the province of Leyte, Philippines. The idea that it promotes the use of our native tsokolate takes it up a notch on my book.


Since they use 100% Cacao, their tablea cake is so rich and good that every fiber screams tsokolate! Just like I enjoyed their Tablea Mousse Cupcake, Tsoko Nut's Tablea Cake is also close to my heart. It looks like just an ordinary chocolate cake but the difference lies on the good smell and the taste. The smell is already a dead giveaway that the piece that you are about to savor is something that has more spunk and kick as compare to the usual chocolate cake. It is the kind of smell that will tickle your nasal faculties with its lingering aroma of old fashioned brewed chocolate. It smells like that of happy childhood memories you hold dear to your heart.


It does not claim of a moist cake on the inside but the thick chocolate ganache covering the cake make up for its texture. Every forkful of this dark and sinful piece of heaven is a moment to savor. Its bittersweet taste gives you a hint of woodsmoke and toasted almonds and cashew nuts. While the rich and fudgy chocolate covering plays on your palate, the soft fiber of cake will tickle your tongue until you are ready for another delectable bite. The taste reminds me of growing up where I am cradled by the arms that gives me a sense of protection and happiness. It tasted like beautiful nostalgia.


Tsoko.Nut Batirol
2L SM Makati
Dela Rosa Carpark 1
2L Waltermart pasong tamo, Makati
Podium 3 RCBC Plaza, Ayala
GL Eastwood Excelsior Libis

Tsoko Nut Batirol at Facebook


Healthy Summer Kick Off Treat by Californiaberry

Tuesday, March 29, 2011
While I was browsing some invites I got recently I noticed that the phrase “come in your best summer attire” is always present. Indeed it is already summer. What could be a better way to start summer than to savor a very refreshingly delicious treat which will not sabotage your diet? Thanks to Californiaberry for bringing us foodies their 100% non-fat frozen yogurt which everyone can enjoy without the guilt.

Aside from their froyo, they introduced some affordably healthy and delicious food in addition to their menu at the first Californiaberry Bloggers event. New menu includes Ice Ice Baby, Fresh Fruit Blends, Pasta Dishes, and Organic Coffee.


Ice Ice Baby
The unique texture of ice shavings and fro-yo plus the flavorful toppings makes this cool treat a very promising way to combat summer’s heat in a very delicious way.





Fresh Fruit Blends
Not your usual fruit shake because it is a combination of fresh whole fruits and tasty yogurt. Available flavors are BananaRama (Fresh Mango, Kiwi and Bananas shake), Double Berry (Strawberry and Blueberry), FluShot (Strawberry, Kiwi and Orange), Mango Tango (Mango, Banana and Peach), and you can also personalized your own Fresh Fruit Blends by whipping up your own choice of 3 fruit variants from Mango, Banana, Kiwi,Orange, Blueberry, Peach and Strawberry.




Pasta Dishes
The best-loved pasta dishes in the menu include Lasagna, Bolognese, Carbonara, and Seafood Alfredo. Since Californiaberry promised servings of healthy offerings, these pasta dishes are enhanced by natural flavors and fresh ingredients without MSG.





Organic Coffee
Coffee lovers like me are not left out because Californiaberry now serves bold and full-bodied roast of 100% organically grown coffee, spicing up their menu with another dash of healthy beverage.




Californiaberry is now serving nationwide with over 23 stores, including the newly-opened branches at Mezza Residences in Sta. Mesa, SM Fairview and SM Novaliches. Also located in Banawe (Quezon City), Greenhills (Ortigas), Tomas Morato, SM North Edsa (The Block), SM Southmall (Las Pinas), SM Manila, SM Megamall, SM Novaliches, Robinson’s Galleria, The Fort (Global City) SM Iloilo, Gaisano Mall (Davao City), DLSU (Manila), Sta. Lucia Mall (Cainta), Ateneo (Katipunan), UST (Manila), and Walter Mart (Makati), Festival Mall (Filinvest, Alabang) and BF Homes Paranaque.




For more information, check out www.californiaberry.net and for the latest updates on freebies and promotions, follow Californiaberry on Facebook fan page.

For inquiries about franchising, call (632) 470-1835 or email franchise@californiaberry.net


Thanks to Californiaberry and Mr. Alex Dizon for the invite.

Food & Literature at Pages Deli

Monday, March 28, 2011
I promised to post an entry about Pages Deli earlier than today but I found myself lost for words. Not because there is nothing to say about this Deli, but because there is too much. I was worried that words I could throw with reckless abandon in an instant while I was still in awe of the experience that was, might fail me.

Food and Literature. What else could be more beautiful than that?

My love for literature started at an early age. Growing up, while my two sisters were channel surfing to catch their favorite TV shows, I was busy flipping book pages. I was too caught up in the world of Alice In Wonderland, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Peter Pan to be bothered by constant dilemma of winning over a battle of whose in-charge of the TV remote control. I am a middle child, so there really was no chance for me on that league. So, from there I embrace the world of literature. I resolved to marry Holden Caulfield if I didn’t get to meet Mr. Darcy, flirted with the idea of living the life on the road ala Jack Kerouac, and have asked the question “Who is John Galt?”. I let myself be swayed by the currents of wonderful adventures that is literature.

My love for food, well, it’ll be pointless to discuss since this is a food blog, so, you know the score.

Food and Literature. These two things pretty much sums up the world I am living in right now. That is why it didn’t surprise me that upon discovering Pages Deli at Shangri-La Mall one afternoon, I fell in love with it at first sight.

My friend Glenn and I were scheduled to attend a dinner but when we passed by Shangri-La Mall, we just couldn’t resist the urge to take a look at the Deli because of its inviting ambiance. We decided to have some coffee and cakes just so we can check it out but lo and behold, when we read what’s on the menu, their sandwiches were named after American Classic Novels, and that does it. We ended up ordering sandwiches, cakes, and coffee, gorged on it while anticipating the big dinner that was still about to come that night on another restaurant. It was worth it.



I was torn between Gulliver’s Travel (Shrimp Sandwich) and The Little Mermaid (Salmon Sandwich), but since I’ve always been a bacon person, I ordered for their Animal Farm instead. It is a Turkey and Bacon Sandwich made to perfection.

Generous slices of tasty turkey and crispy bacon strips with onion, lettuce, tomatoes, smothered with mayonnaise sandwich in warm and soft white bread. I love how generous they are with their servings of turkey, not all delis and sandwich bars are like that. I am a little apprehensive ordering turkey sandwich because most of the time, I always ended up disappointed with the bland taste of micro piece of turkey. But with Pages Deli, it’s different because one bite and you would know that yes, it is indeed a turkey sandwich, plus the bacon gives it further kick of flavor.




At first Glenn wanted to try their New York Times Bestseller which is Pages Deli’s Signature Triple Decker, but since it is too big and we still have dinner to attend to, he settled for The Journey to the Center of the Earth which is their Hungarian Sausage Sandwich.




When I was handed half of it and was able to taste the sausage I was in awe. It’s like tasting sausage for the first time, I feel like a child again. Hungarian Sausage is known to be spicy but this sausage has just the right amount of spiciness that goes well with the bread, lettuce, and mustard. Personally I would love to have it with soup, because French bread is really not the type of bread you could chew easily and it is always best paired with thick variety of soup.




Pages Deli's Chocolate Cake I have to say, is one of the best moist chocolate cakes I have ever tasted. It’s one of those I cannot get out of my mind weeks after having it. It was really that good, had it not been for the dinner that we still need to attend to, I would probably order for another slice.




Their Brun Butter Cake was the first one to grace our table with its simple appearance. It looks like just another sponge cake that you can buy on some local pastry shop. Not the one I expected since I am not a fan of sponge cakes. Glenn even told me that it was a challenge whether I would give it thumbs up or not. I was ready to order for another slice of whatever cake is available aside from what we have ordered but one bite and I was sent to fantasy land. A mixture of butter, milk, and honey, it was so creamy and not spongy at all, to my surprise. I ended up consuming it in no time.



The Brun Butter Cake comes with coffee of your choice so I ordered for their Macchiato, while Glenn tried their Cupid and Psyche, a Strawberry Milkshake with a slice of fresh strawberry and cream.






Pages Deli is a great place if you’re on a romantic date or you’re just hanging out with your friends. If you’re literary buff you would instantly notice that the quotes printed everywhere was taken from famous novels and literary authors. Another commendable thing is their very warm and accommodating staff. From time to time the waiters would visit us on our table to check if we need anything, and there was never a time that our glass of water weren’t full.




All in all, our experience with Pages Deli was superb. Good Food, reasonable price, fantastic ambiance, and warm staff would make me go back to this deli for another wonderful experience.




Pages Deli
Streetscape
EDSA Shangri-La Plaza Mall
Mandaluyong, Philippines

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