Bag of Beans Tagaytay City, Revisited

They say that in a perfect world broken heart, dampen spirit, and bruised ego can be healed by a sip of caramel macchiato or a bite or two of your favorite cheesecake.  We are not in a perfect world.  We are far from it.  But the wonder of life lies in the endless beautiful possibilities despite imperfections.  And who says that we cannot create our own perfect world amidst the chaos?  No matter how tough things that life can deal with us, there are ways to heal.  Always.

Most of the saddest moments in my life, Tagaytay City is probably one place I always find myself ending up at.  Far enough to leave whatever it is that must be forgotten, but near enough to have a strong grip in the reality that I have to go back to.  There are several places in this City that I find comforting, and one of them is Bag of Beans.

We are one of the Finalists for The Philippine Blog Awards 2011 Food and Beverage Category

Image from PBA website

There couldn’t be a better way to start this beautiful month of December by posting one of the many things I am grateful for.  Through God’s goodness and wonderful grace,  YedyLicious is one of the finalists for the Philippine Blog Awards 2011 Food and Beverage Category for both Luzon and National Level.  For that, I am sincerely grateful.

My friends and fellow foodies Mhel, Ken, Smarla, Jill, and some of my favorite food bloggers are also finalists for the Food and Beverage Category, and I am honored to be one of them.

Philippine Blog Awards 2011 Finalists for Food and Beverage Category – National Level

Philippine Blog Awards 2011 Finalists for Food and Beverage Category – Luzon Level

Nothing beats the feeling when people recognize the things that you work hard for out of sheer passion and love for the craft.  I salute The Philippine Blog Awards for recognizing our country’s outstanding blogs since 2007.  Thank you for being an inspiration to us bloggers, to be the best at what we do.

The Philippine Blog Awards will be held on the 3rd of December 6:00 pm at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City Metro Manila.

All glory to God.

My Top Picks at The Ultimate Taste Test 7.0 Mercato Centrale

Last November 17, 2011 Mercato Centrale at Bonifacio Global City, has once again proved that it is the mecca of anything good, delicious, and awesome when the seventh serving of Our Awesome Planet’s The Ultimate Taste Test 7.0 was held at the venue.

Having attended the Ultimate Taste Test 6.0 at Rockwell, I thought that I’ll be ready to face yet another ultimate food tasting, but Ultimate Taste Test never fails to overwhelm me.  Yes, food were given on food taste portion, but if you sum up everything that the merchants fed the foodies, it was indeed hefty.  I was able to try all the food that the 50+ merchants served during the UTT 6, and I was able to do the same during the UTT 7.  I am hardcore that way.

According to Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet who’s the genius behind Ultimate Taste Test Events, the recent UTT was conducted especially for the Christmas season.  Food merchants offered their food which can be served during the holiday and/or can be purchased for gift giving purposes.  True enough, there are some food that I am keeping an eye on because I know it’ll be perfect for my Christmas gift list.

Geicks! brings Rodillas Yema Cake to Manila

The Rodillas Yema Cake which originates from Rodillas Restaurant in Tayabas Quezon used to be a distant gastronomical tease in my book, until GEICKS! Cakes bring it here in Manila together with Rodillas Caramel Cake.

Yema filling sandwiched in between soft and fluffy chiffon cake smothered with yema cream which stands as its icing, sprinkled with generous grated cheese.  A combination of two different tastes from each side of the pole.  Sweet and salty.  Matrimony of two flavors meant to oppose yet complement as it flirted with each other while seducing one’s palate.

The apparent mark of a beautiful mess indicating the yema custard’s will to slowly drip and hold on at the same time  as it cover the chiffon was very inviting that it would be impossible not to lick when you get your hands on it.  One may fear a death by sugar load but the salty component of the cheese is your saving grace.

Simply Pie by Gail Ang

When I first tasted Simply Pie’s mini quiches during the Best Food Forward Summer Food Fair early this year, I was smitten by it.  During Lori Baltazar’s Dessert Comes First 6th year anniversary, I yielded into the cute mini quiches that shyly beckon in one corner, yearning to be savored again.  By the time that I am already frequenting Mercato Centrale and other food fairs, I let myself be swayed by the wave of gastronomical urge to be captured by these little yet delectably enticing creations of home baker, Gail Ang.

Simply Pie may be cleverly named through play of words, but its pies and quiches are anything but simple.  Crafted through combination of passion, God-given talent, and the best ingredients available, Simply Pie is one of those that I can highly recommend for foodies and non-foodies alike who are in search of great tasting quiche and pies.