Doñas at Don Hen

I have been wanting to eat at Don Henrico's ever since they opened their first branch here in the Metro. I am such a sucker for Americanized Italian food (read: pizza and pasta) and I have always been wanting to try different appetizers they offer. As my friend and I have been planning to taste what Don Hen has to offer, we have finally got the chance to eat there last weekend. As badly as I want to try their ever famous Buffalo Wings, I cannot do so since my friend does not eat spicy food, so I settled for neutral flavors of our choices. First off, we started our meal with their Nachos Salad Ole which is a mountain of Nachos topped with tomato salsa, ground beef, grated cheese, iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, slices of black olives, onions, and corn kernels. Don Hen's Nachos Salad Ole is delish! Aside from the fact that it really is meant for sharing, the salad is really tasty and the nacho chips are very crunchy (read: fresh). They did not scrimp on toppings and thus eating it alone can really satisfy a small appetite.

Next in line is the Seafood Pesto Linguine in Cream Sauce. In the menu it described it as linguine pasta with a grand mixture of squid rings, shrimp, crabsticks simmered with pesto sauce, and served with a lemon wedge and garlic bread. It has been a wonderful time, what we had, since it has been a very long time before we saw each other again. So much fun that I forgot to scrutinize the food that we are eating. The pasta, as good as it was, did not really served honestly. Sure, I had chewed on squid rings, and shrimp but I do not remember biting into crabsticks, not even a sliver of it, nor do I remember seeing the familiar red and white indication that the meat is a crab's. It was not served, as you can see, with a lemon wedge either. Hey, I do not want to be such an ass here, but I appreciate food that are served the way it was written on the menu. I do not really care if you serve me a smaller serving or a slightly different version of what is written on the menu but opting out an ingredient or two when it is clearly written on the menu, then you kind of ward me off with that. I will not dwell on the lemon wedge although it is quite important since it can help lessen the "umay" factor from all those creams but the crabstick, well, that is a different story. Because it is a SEAFOOD pasta afterall not a shrimp-squid pasta. The good side though is that for the price, it is good enough.

Do not be fooled by this picture, it is big enough for two people

Overall, I would go back there maybe on my own, just to taste their Buffalo Wings. And maybe the Nacho Salad Ole also.

Good Morning "Ben"

Just got home from a date with my Grandmother and I am in bliss. Yeah, even a simple malling with her is such a great treat to me already. And I am so thankful about that. Anyway, I treat her to umm.. afternoon breakfast at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. I have a coupon from a planner that I bought and I brought my Grandmother with me to treat her of the free Breakfast set from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.

I have always loved Sex and the City and the ending of this well-loved series made many people sad. As a viewer, I often wondered what it feels like to have brunch with your friends and when I say brunch, I mean the act of eating breakfast-lunch as well as the food that you eat during brunch. Most often than not, when you say you want to have brunch, it is almost equal as saying that you want to eat Eggs Benedict. I have always on the look out for this dish and I have been anticipating to taste it. Today, I finally got a taste of this very famous brunch food.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf has a very mean Eggs Benedict. Just writing about it makes my mouth water. Before we venture out for this very much anticipated brunch, I made a research on TCBTL's Eggs Benedict. The very first result that came up was a negative review of their version of Eggs Benedict. I happen to read a very famous food blogger's review of the said dish as well and the blogger also do not have praises for this dish and that made me worry. It was only at the third to fifth result that TCBTL got a very good review of their Eggs Benedict.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's version of Eggs Benedict is excellent. This is the very first time that I have tasted Eggs Benedict so I have nothing to compare this with but I know what tastes good and what tastes blah. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's Eggs Benedict is composed of a slice of Rosemary focaccia bread at the bottom, a slice of cheddar cheese next, then followed by a slice of Turkey ham, then the poached egg and drizzled very generously of Hollandaise sauce then finished off by a sprinkle of what I think are chives. An order of their Eggs Benedict also comes with I think the other half of Rosemary Focaccia bread split into another half, butter, strawberry jam, and a small serving of steamed fruits. Tucked in between all of these goodness are small packets of iodized salt and pepper. Their Breakfast sets are also served with an 8oz. of coffee or tea.

When I sliced into the Eggs Benedict, my knife did was not met by any resistance whether from the meat or the bread itself. Everything was firm but tender. The first forkful was good, and the second was already heaven. It is so creamy, and flavorful that I have not got the chance of using the small packets of salt and pepper. I just cannot forget the creaminess of the poached egg, and the Hollandaise sauce, although my poached egg was left into the pot about four seconds too long that when I cut into it, it was already far from being runny. The rosemary bits in the focaccia bread on the other hand gave the whole sandwich balance. The other half of the focaccia bread on the other hand was toasted and very fresh. I love the butter that they used. It is very creamy and fragrant and the Strawberry jam was not too sweet and together, all three made a perfect harmony. What ranked the lowest for me is the steamed what seem to me are apricots. The texture is quite rough opposite the creamy smooth Hollandaise sauce and poached egg. I love the steamed prune though.

Generally, I love the Eggs Benedict of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. If only I can have it weekly, I would be very willingly wake up early in the morning.

"Merry" Grace

Its that time of the year again when everybody is buzzing around, rushing here and there with lists on their hand (may it be paper or cellphone), trying to find the perfect gift for special people in their lives. While for me, its the time for savoring simple treats and giving me flashes of memories back when I was still a child. Last week, as I drive myself crazy over telephone calls, text messages, and plans in connection with the office moving, I find myself craving for a traditional Christmas treat for typical Filipino family. I would imagine myself biting into a soft ensaymada and sipping hot chocolate while feeling the warmth and heat calming my mind and body from the cold Christmas breeze. So when weekend came, I went to my favorite Robinson's mall to satisfy this wish. While coordinating with my boss regarding some things, I head off straight to Mary Grace's and sat on of the empty seats. The first thing that I notice, aside from the Christmas decors are the notes and memos inserted under the glass top of each table. I read some messages and realized that these are sweet, appreciative messages of satisfied customers to Mary Grace. I was then handed the menu and as I already know what to eat, I focused on their Chocolate drink menu. My God! I was kind of overwhelmed by the number of choices they have on that menu. For just a common drink, that is the Tsokolate, Mary Grace made different alternatives, for I think different moods and experiences for their customers. I was torn among three choices, really. First to turn me on is the Traditional Tsokolate, then the Valencia Hot Chocolate which, according to the menu has orange cream, and lastly, the Mexicana Tsokolate which has chili spiked on it. Not wanting to catch myself offhand, I settled for the Traditional Tsokolate, and of course, the Grilled Ensaymada. One thing that I do not understand, is that why, the price of the grilled ensaymada is increased by at least Php15.00 as opposed to the ungrilled one or the classic, as they call it. Anyway, as I struggle yet again to pass messages after messages to and fro my boss, I was taken aback when I was served my cup of Traditional Tsokolate. The cup containing my longed-for hot chocolate is small. And I really do mean small. Its just a little bit bigger than the tea cups used in Chinese restaurants. So I thought, what the hell? For the price I'm paying, I think I deserve something bigger than this. And I wouldn't want to be bitin since I have been craving for this hot chocolate for months now. Then came the Grilled Ensaymada. And it looked better than the one I usually buy wrapped and ungrilled. I tried to take a sip of the Traditional Tsokolate after stirring it for a couple of times but once the drink hit the tip of my tongue, I retracted. The tsokolate is soooo hot. Yeah, it is that hot. So I just spoon a little into my mouth (of course, after blowing away the heat) and then turned my attention to the Ensaymada. Now, I have tried their Ensaymada before, the ungrilled one and I really did not love it the way I liked their Cheese Roll. This time though, I gave it another try since it's part of my "Christmas bliss wish". When my knife touched the Ensaymada, I heard a crunch. I was pleasantly surprised. I never had that crunch when I bit into my Ensaymada before. Then I thought, it must be the sugar that has crystallized when the Ensaymada was grilled. After the crunchy layer, my knife poked the inner core of the Ensaymada and immediately went through as the pastry is soft inside. I put a forkful of it into my mouth and my teeth sank into very soft and fluffy pastry while at the same time, creating a contrasting texture of crunch from the crystallized sugar. I find it perfect that it is neither too sweet nor too "bread-y", instead it is so tasty that I cannot quite stop myself from continuously putting bite after bite of this yummy goodness. One thing that did not quite appeal to my senses is the grated queso de bola on top of it. The cheese, upon grilling the Ensaymada, did not melt. Instead, it turned a little bit chewy and created another texture in general. I prefer the cheese of the Ensaymada be "invisible" but unites the tastes of the Ensaymada by giving it a salty twist instead of standing out on its own. After spending a few minutes with my Ensaymada, I gave my Traditional Tsokolate a try yet again. This time, even as it is still hot, I patiently blow my way through every sip. I find their Traditional Tsokolate thick. Not thick enough to give bitter taste and coarse texture but enough to prove that it is indeed from cocoa and not powdered drink. It is surprisingly smooth, they filter it well, I suppose. But somehow, this one did not meet my expectation. I read from a website that Mary Grace's hot chocolate selection is good so I have a quite high expectation for this. But I feel like something is missing from this cup of hot choco that I cannot really put my finger into. But I am excited to try their other variety of hot choco, especially the White Hot Chocolate, Mexicana Tsokolate, and the Valencia Hot Chocolate. All in all, I had a good experience this time from Mary Grace's and hopefully, I find what my palette is looking for on my next cup of hot chocolate.

Ohh Wham!

After a not-so-satisfying meal yesterday, my friend and I decided to grab ourselves burgers for late lunch. We went to Wham! and each ordered her own burger. I ordered their Kapow Burger and a side of Onion Rings. She on the other hand ordered their Bronco Burger and we both had Iced Tea to wash down the sandwiches.

First to arrive are the drinks and the Onion Rings. Though the serving is quite small, as I counted just about more or less 10 rings, they are very big onion rings. What I love about them is that they are very crispy and yet very light. The breading is not weighing the onion rings down. It is lightly seasoned and I think it made these onion rings the perfect side for their burgers. And soon, I was proven right by their burgers.

Wham! burgers are huge. When they arrived, I was shocked by their size, and immediately afterwards, I wondered how to bite into it. Their burgers, as what they claim are made of 1/3 pound of beef. And I think there's truth in it as to the weight of the whole sandwich. My Kapow burger, as how they described it on their menu, is made up of 1/3 pound beef patty, salsa, cheese, chili sauce, and Jalapeño Peppers. As I read this, I thought okay, I am a bit adventurous today, I think I can handle all that peppers. So when the burger was put down in my table, I was very very excited.

When I opened the wrap, I was ecstatic. My hunger will be satisfied. The Kapow burger was served with everything that was written on the menu on it. What I did not expect is that it will be served with quite thick slices of Jalapeño Peppers in it. I took my first bite and quickly hit by the juicy and flavorful beef patty. I just love the beefiness of it. Then came the salsa, the cheese, lettuce, and hint of spiciness. So I thought, yeah I told you I can handle this one. Then I took my second bite. After two chews, KAPOW! the spiciness overwhelmed me. But since I want to prove to myself that I can handle the spiciness of the pepper, I tried to act cool-y. I sip my Iced Tea and took another bite from the burger. KAPOW! Now, this time, I won't try to act oh-so-cool-y on this one, beads are starting to form on my forehead and my friend has noticed my uneasiness and asked me if it was too hot. At this point in time, I cannot hide the fact that my mouth is on fire. I nodded and took a rather long sip on my Iced Tea. I put ketchup and mustard on my burger, hoping to alleviate the spiciness of it but I failed miserably. So later on, accepting defeat, I pulled out all the Jalapeño Peppers and savored the juiciness and hint of spiciness of my burger. It was heaven. I love their burger. And there's no need for ketchup and mustard either. The burger is well-seasoned and delicious on its own. I can see myself going there over and over for my burger-fix from time to time.

Dessert Loft

Its Christmas shopping day 1 for me yesterday and at the same time, bonding time for me and my friend as I drag her from store to store. But of course, the bonding time will only be bland if we don't trade stories over good food so we headed for one of the restaurants on our "go-try" list. First off, we headed to Jack's Loft. Upon sitting on their very comfortable seats, the menus are promptly handed as they are placed on the tables already. Well, its hard to choose something if most of the items on the menu are either too expensive for a small serving or does not appeal on my sense of taste. Although, the redeeming factor is, they have heavenly arrays of treats on their dessert menu.

While both our stomachs are growling in hunger, we opted to just share a slice of cake and each choose her preferred coffee drinks. So we came up with a slice of Chocolate Mousse and Cheesecake, and Cafe Mocha for my friend, and a cup of Cappuccino for me. The Cappuccino was good. I added a teaspoon of sugar on it and it was perfect. The coffee was not too strong, and neither it was too sweet. The froth has just the right consistency and I love that cup. According to my friend, she love her tall glass of caffeine herself. I think it has chocolate in it as what the waiter said.

What I did not appreciate is the Cheesecake. I am a fan of Cheesecakes. I love their creaminess and their not too sweet taste. But I was disappointed with this one. Their version is composed of a thick layer of chocolate mousse on top of the yet again thick layer of cream cheese all laid on top of Oreo crust. I was disappointed because the whole of the cheesecake was gelatinous. Something that I do not really like. As what my friend commented in her second bite, "it is not creamy". And I agree, because of the gelatin that sort of covered the whole cream cheese and the mousse also, the creaminesswas just overpowered. I just hate the slimy texture of it. The crust on the other hand was so soft that the Oreo crumbs just breaks down into mushiness when your fork reach the bottom. It just melts away. Although I can taste the Oreo but I cannot, or rather my tongue cannot decipher which one is the cream cheese and which one is the Oreo. It just get all mixed up with the cream cheese. I do not want to base everything on this particular experience so I think I will still go there and try their other cake offerings. But its safe to say that I will just stir clear of the cheesecake selection.

Merry Starbucks!

Yeah, it is the beginning of the sticker collecting, and hunting again. The Starbucks Planner is at stake again for the Christmas season. I have always tried to collect these stickers but never completed any. This year, I wouldn't obsessively purge myself with classy caffeine just to be able to get a planner. Although, if I will have the chance to complete the stickers (with the help of my friends), then I would happily redeem of the planner.

This afternoon, I was with my friend at Starbucks Binondo to catch up on each other, and for me to take a breather from my intoxicated life. As always, I am very excited to try the very delish food Starbucks offer especially during the Christmas season. This year, I have tasted already the two cheesecakes that they are offering, in just a span of two days. I am talking about the Cookie Dough Cheesecake and the Almond Roca Cheesecake. I tried the Cookie Dough yesterday, and I was blown away. But no, it's not the Cookie Dough that blew me away, but the Cheesecake itself. At first bite, I was greeted by the sweet-tangy bliss of the cream cheese. The taste in my mouth is just very mouthwatering, and divine. The taste of cream cheese, it is just full of creaminess, and indescribable divinity that even as I am blogging this now, my mouth waters. Although the cream cheese is not that light, it is very sinful and yet I cannot possibly forget the heavenly feeling that devoured me on my first bite. Starbucks for me really is the royalty of Cheesecakes (or the supplier of Cheesecakes for them). I was disappointed on the Cookie Dough part though. I love the taste of the raw dough and was expecting to reconcile with the taste on this offering of Starbucks. Sadly, it did not deliver. The Cookie Dough tastes like cookies, baked cookies instead of the raw, sticky, dough. The cookie nibbles on the Cheesecake though is not crispy, do not resemble a dough at all. But I love the buttery crust and the cream cheese so I will still indulge this but will not particularly crave this flavor.

Today, I tried the Almond Roca Cheesecake and was not wowed by it either. Though, as always, the Cheesecake did not fail to satisfy me but I missed the Almond Roca flavor. I did taste a subtle Almond Roca flavor but it was quickly overpowered by the Cheesecake. Not even the Gold-smeared chocolate kiss on top of the Cheesecake took my breath away. I actually thought the Gold-smeared chocolate kiss has a redeeming factor, what with the gold and strategic positioning, crowning the cake, but I was again disappointed. I swear, if Starbucks will put Plain Cheesecake on its menu, I will gladly order every single chance I get. Because everytime I get to sample one of their Cheesecake variant, I always get swooned over by the Cheesecake itself and seldom by the new flavor.

Sticky, Yummy PB

My friend and I went to MOA for the Book Fair event held there two weeks ago. After a tedious walking around the where the Book Fair was held, we went to the Entertainment Bldg. of MOA to get ourselves some snack before we head home. I was intentionally looking for the PB & Co. that I saw when we arrived. It was just near the Supermarket I think, and a few steps away from my another favorite, Chocolat. I was excited to try Pb & Co., because the first time I saw it on a magazine, I thought it is worth trying. The sad thing is, that time, the nearest branch to me is in SM North EDSA which is not near to me at all. Its a long way to go just for a Peanut Butter Sandwich. I have been waiting for a nearer branch to open and I guess for now, I have to settle for the MOA branch. It was a pleasant surprise to me really, when I saw it in MOA, finally I can taste what people are fussing about this Peanut Butter Sandwich that can be made even by the kids.

The PB & Co. MOA is just a small place. And I mean small. You will be greeted by a table beside the see-through glass doors, then a counter top, and four more tables at the far end. The cashier and the glass counter where they put their canned beverage choices, is placed opposite side of the counter top. Beside the beverages, a shelf built-in to the wall is reserved for their Peanut Butters that they sell in plastic bottles. The menu is installed above the counter just like in fast foods. What caught my eye is the spotless, gleaming, white interior that they have. White interior has always given me the impression that the place is clean.

As this is the first time that I will be trying their offerings, I chose the one that I think is the "safest" choice for first timers, which is the Mallow Peanut Butter Sandwich. Then I ordered their Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Milkshake to go with the sandwich. Honestly, I find their prices too steep. I mean, I can buy a jar of peanut butter from the Supermarket and make my own PB sandwich right? But the hell, what I can say, I love food. So, here it is: I LOVE the Mallow Peanut Butter Sandwich. The white bread are toasted just enough, although it does not have that biscuit-crunchy texture. The melted marshmallow is not too sweet and it gives me that sweet and salty taste that always tastes good. The sweetness of the melted marshmallow and the saltiness of the peanut butter is perfectly balanced. Nothing is overpowering. Both tastes danced in a perfect melody. Although, when I was already devouring the second half of my sandwich, the sweetness is starting to become obvious. But the toasted bread always manage to contain the excessive sweetness, keeping the perfect fusion consistent.

The peanut butter on the other hand is silky smooth. I don't think I have ever tasted other peanut butter that is that smooth. It is neither too sweet nor too salty on its own, thus a perfect match to the melted marshmallow. I thought of buying a jar of peanut butter but as I still have to buy some more things, I set aside buying a whole jar and promised to come back for a jar some other day instead. The sandwich is pretty big too. Although they are offering it by half or whole, I suggest you buy a whole sandwich and split it with a friend if you cannot eat the whole thing. Or simply eat your share and wrap home the other half.

The Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Milkshake though, I cannot say that I liked it. The concoction is too thick. I know Milkshakes are supposed to be thick but this one, I think they can tweak the recipe a little. When they served it to me, I literally cannot sip any drop from it. I have to wait for a good 5 minutes before I can sip anything that I can taste. Sadly, the only thing that my taste buds managed to recognize is the hint if peanut butter and banana. I wonder where the Dark Chocolate is? I think it was lost somewhere, in the middle of the vanilla ice cream, peanut butter, and banana. Although it is a good cold drink if that is what you are after. But as for the taste, my Milkshake standard was not met.

Next time, given a chance, I would love to try their peanut butter-cooked pasta. I saw a lady paired her sandwich with a pasta and she finished everything off. My curiosity was tickled by this scene so I think I am going to try to convince my friend to try to have our lunch there.