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 th
is. 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.
is. 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.
