Food

Liquor-filled chocolates are a great idea, but too often they taste like sweet, waxy cough syrup. Thankfully, one of the top chocolatiers in the country is making boozy bonbons that are delicious, based on a template of delicious chocolate with a hit of quality spirit. So up your holiday gift-giving game by choosing Theo & Philo’s new chocolate creation!

Collaborating with 2018’s International Review of Spirits Gold Awardee, Tanduay Asian Rum Gold, Theo & Philo is proud to introduce another chocolate flavor to crave for.

Alcohol-infused chocolates have been a thing long time ago in other countries like Thailand, Malaysia, New Zealand, and most European countries. Now, we have our own version to brag, thanks to Theo & Philo and Tanduay Asian Rum Gold which are both Filipino brands.

The new flavor is made up of 65% dark chocolate from the high quality cacao that Theo & Philo harvests in Davao. This will be filled with house-made caramel and Tanduay Rum which, in turn, is made from the premium sugarcane sourced and harvested in Bacolod.

In introducing the Theo, Philo, & Tanduay, Tanduay Distillers, Inc. chief marketing officer Paul Lim shared the idea behind the new flavor:

“We continue to create innovative ways for people to enjoy rum. The collaboration between two award-winning brands — Tanduay and Theo & Philo – gives us a truly Filipino product we can be proud of.”

Theo & Philo is one of the best home-grown Artisan Chocolates in Manila. They give dark chocolate a new definition and the packaging is too artistic that all of their collections are too adorable to even eat. Starting with just the traditional dark chocolate and milk chocolate, Theo & Philo now has several flavors like Toffee, Pili and Pinipig, Barako as well as the more exotic collections including Ginger, Calamansi, Labuyo, and Green Mango & Salt. All of which can be bought an affordable price of less than P100.

Meanwhile, Tanduay is a known affordable rum brand in the Philippines. Apart from the award it nabbed last year, it also received the Silver award from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and another Silver Award from the WSWA Tasting Competition. Prior to that, it received the Gold Medal from the Monde Selection, the 3-Star Superior Taste Ward from the International Taste & Quality Institute, the Gold award from the International Review of Spirits, Beverage Testing Institute—all in 2017.

Theo, Philo & Tanduay is exclusively available at the Tanduay Store at Century Park Hotel in Malate, Manila.

The holidays are just around the corner and it’s time to give yourself a dose of self-love by rewarding yourself to four new, rich, delicious desserts than you can enjoy any time of the day – McDonald’s all-new Dreamy Delights: the Rich Chocolate Pie, Coffee McFlurry with Oreo, Brown Sugar Sundae with Pearls, and Milk Tea McFloat with Brown Sugar Pearls. Dreamy Delights available at McDonald’s stores nationwide starting October 28, 2019. Make sure you don’t leave yourself out.

Enjoy McDonald’s NEW Indulgent Dreamy Delights:

1) Rich Chocolate Pie – Taking the main spotlight and imagine sinking your teeth into a cocoa-flavored pie crust with hot, thick, luscious dark chocolate filling. The filling is especially made from cocoa beans from Ivory Coast, Ecuador, and Ghana, making this a perfect luxurious holiday treat for just P39.

2) Coffee McFlurry with Oreo – Try this equally rich which is sure to keep you feeling fuzzy and happy. Sweet and smooth, this is an indulgent combination of thick vanilla soft serve sundae mixed with mild roast coffee syrup and crushed Oreos. At P49, it’s a well-deserved gift you owe yourself this holiday season.

3) Brown Sugar Sundae with Pearls – If you love brown sugar and pearls, then you absolutely need to try out this cup of thick vanilla soft serve sundae is topped with sweet brown sugar syrup, and chewy delightful brown sugar pearls. It’s amazingly affordable at P49 too.

4) Milk Tea McFloat with Brown Sugar Pearls – For a quick holiday perk-me-up is a perfect choice. Pick from two flavors – a refreshing and sweet classic black-tea base, or a dreamy wintermelon tea base, with chewy brown sugar pearls topped with thick vanilla soft serve sundae. At P75, this milk tea can be enjoyed anytime.

Share with us your experience by using the hashtag #McDoDreamyDelights! For more details you may also visit McDonald’s Facebook page (fb.com/McDo.ph) and Twitter and Instagram page (@McDo_PH).

We’ve just been seeing it on television, on everyone’s favorite kdrama series. They look yummy over the grill and even yummier when dipped in that red hot ssamjang, topped with toasted garlic, onion, sprouts and later wrapped with Korean lettuce. I guess you know now what I’m talking about… Yes…the mouthwatering samgyupsal!

Samgyupsal or grilled pork belly or what we call in the Philippines barbeque has now become one of the biggest food trends in the Metro. Well, actually, it’s popular in other parts of the country too. Major cities have at least 5 restaurants serving this Korean cuisine. And for the first time in my life, I’m trying it!

I was invited recently to experience the unlisamgyupsal of SamgyupKing at the Fisher Mall in Quezon City. I was thrilled since it was my first time and I had a lot of expectations as I’ve seen Koreans on television eating grilled pork very enthusiastically. I’ve also heard a couple of colleagues talk about how it tastes so good so I really skipped the afternoon snack to prepare for this big feast.

Samgyupsal King – Price, Menu and Experience

Samgyupsal King is one of many restaurants that have jumped into the Samgyupsal trend.Just like their contemporaries in the business, they, too serve unlimited Korean BBQ.

They have the edge over other Korean restaurants though as their unli offer comes with a little more free treats that are not available on other restos’ packages.

For one, Samgyup King don’t serve pork and beef alone. Most of the Korean restaurants I heard about serve only pork and beef for their samgyupsal buffets. But Samgyup King went a bit further in experimenting variants of this popular dish by adding chicken in the menu.

Actually, I never thought that chicken would be a good meat alternative. It doesn’t blend well with the lettuce but having something unique to offer to the customers is what I am impressed with.

Second, their unli meal only costs P499 per head. It is a common rate for unlisamgyupsal restaurants but like I mentioned, Samgyup King has more treats that comes with the rate.

SamgyupKing unlisamgyupsal comes with a 1 time milk tea and 1 time ramen servings. Others would only offer free tofu soup as a complementary treat.

When it comes to side dishes, SamgyupKing is also a winner. They serve the usual partners of samgyupsal like kimchi, sweet potatoes, ssamjang, radish and carrots, egg roll, and unli Korean lettuce wraps.

My friends who are regulars on Korean restaurants told me that the kimchi is the most important side dish. So they told me that a good kimchi shouldn’t have a bitter after taste, shouldn’t be too sour, shouldn’t be too sweet and it would be nice if the leaves are still a bit crunchy (meaning it’s fresh). Kimchi, they said, is what makes for a good appetizer when eating a samgyupsal wrap and being a good judge of good food, I have to say, Samgyup King served a good batch of kimchi when we visited.

One more unique feature of the restaurant is their grill. Instead of the regular round grill placed on top of portable stoves, they have a custom-made grill where skewers can be positioned easily so cooking won’t be a hassle and for the meat to cook evenly too.

We had a chance to have a little chat with Operations manager and son of the owner Raymond Yuloque. He shared a bit of the restaurant’s history, saying they just started on food parks and later decided to expand hence opening their first restaurant just last October 5.

He assured us that they only use top quality meat which are actually still imported from Australia. He also told us that their kitchen staffs are meticulous in their preparing all of their ingredients.

Apart from their unlisamgyupsal, SamgyupKing also has ala carte offerings like beef, pork, and chicken bulgogi. They have grilled salmon too for all of you who love fish. An like their unli meal, all of these dishes come with side dishes too.

Finally, it’s time to taste this samgyupsal that’s much craved by many Pinoys. , The meat was finely seasoned but they were very thinly sliced so I had to place two or three in a wrap so I can taste it. The wrap was bulgy so it’s a bit awkward to fill it all in my mouth so I prefer eating the meat separate from anything else.

The beef was especially delicious. It’s a given since red meat is really juicy. As for the chicken, it tends to get dry so I didn’t really appreciate it.

Overall, my first samgyupsal experience was wonderful. The meat is the most important ingredient of any samgyupsal buffet and Samgyup King has one of the best seasoned pork and beef for grilling that I’ve tasted! I wasn’t a kimchi lover until I tasted their recipe. The food is definitely worth more than the price! Anyone in the Metro should try dining in here!

With the Owner of SamgyupKing, Mr. Willie Yulo Que,, Operations Manager of SamgyupKing, Mr. Raymond Yuloque and the members of the Bloggers Association of the Philipines led by Mr. Ver Garcia.

For those who want to try “the next generation samgyupsal experience,” Samgyup King is located at the 4th floor of Fishermall, Quezon Avenue, Quezon City.

Octoberfest Na! And you know what that means! A long parade of international craft and local beers will be everywhere again and resorts will be filled with lively music and energetic audiences. But for people in the Metro who aren’t able to take a leave and join in the fun, Tiendesitas treated them to another kind of beer fest that went down at the shopping center.

In collaboration with Ortigas Malls and the Philippine Craft Beer Community, the first ever Tiendesitas Beerfest MNL happened last October 18-19, displaying the widest assortment of imported and local craft beers to join in the international celebration of beer-drinking and merriment called Octoberfest.

The beer fest featured unique beers from 50 different breweries, giving emphasis to the Philippines’ best local craft beers that only a few people know about. A total of 250 kinds of beers from the local and international brewers were sampled by the festival goers. From pale ale to wheat, stout, butter, artisanal craft and commercial, almost all kinds of beer were there and they were sold for only P100 per 330 ml bottle.

What heightened the hype, though, were the satisfying promos like the buy one, take one beer promo. Special packages were also available where people got to taste 2 beer samples and take home a limited edition Pilsner souvenir glass for only P300. Three beer samples, 1 limited edition Pilsner glass, and beer tasting package was also given for only P700. And for the strong drinkers, they were able to get 10 beer samples for only P1,000 plus they got to have the souvenir glass too.

VP for Ortigas Malls Arch. Renee Bacani expressed their delight on hosting the biggest gathering of beer brewers in Metro Manila, saying:

“Ortigas Malls is very excited to host the country’s grandest convergence of breweries and beer concepts at Tiendesitas. As the known hub for unique local finds in the Metro, the opportunity to showcase what Filipino breweries can offer to the world stage is an honor and we hope to hold more beer festivals here.”

And of course, a beer festival wouldn’t be complete without a pulutan. A wide array of food choices by food outlets of Tiendesitas was also laid down at the open spaces of the mall. From grilled items to seafoods all of the Pinoy favorite appetizers were there to satisfy the fest-goers. A non-stop entertainment from talented performers at the mall also went down to liven up the spirit of all guests.

Now, people have a new place to hang out every time the month of October checks in.

For more info, visit Tiendesitas’ and Craft Beer’s Facebook pages through www.facebook.com/tiendesitas and www.facebook.com/craftbeer.ph , or subscribe to Ortigas Malls’ newsletter at www.ortigasmalls.com .

Blushing Cookie? Why not! Oreo makes every playful imagination become a reality with its latest gimmick “Compliment an Oreo and Make it Turn Red.”

For a limited time, our favorite breakfast and afternoon snack staple is turning red through Oreo Red Velvet cookie. Recently launched at the Glorietta Activity Grounds, Makati City, cookie lovers got to taste the new variant first hand in an exciting way. Running a regular cookie through the “Complement Machine,” you can really make it blush and get the red velvet cookie in return.

The Compliment Machine serves as the world’s first compliment-powered treat giver. The machine is a special music box that records music and activates on all the nice things you’d say to an Oreo cookie. You can buy it on Lazada and send it as an amazing Christmas gift for your loved ones.

Kristine Enriquez, Brand Manager of Mondelez Philippines, maker of Oreo cookies said that the Compliment Machine is the first of its kind in the Philippines. Talking about the unique experience, she said:

“We’re more than excited for Oreo fans to try the new experience.

We all deserve a little ‘kilig’ sometimes, and we think the new Oreo Red Velvet is the perfect way to express your compliments.”

To make Oreo cookie lovers in the land more feeling kilig, singer and “KadenangGinto” star Kyle Echarri was present also present. Additionally, various games went down and there was a styling booth too that attendees enjoyed to their heart’s content.

Kyle John Echarri of Kadenang Ginto with the host Ms. Issa Litton

Kyle Echarri with Oreo Compliment Music Box

The company really knows how to thrill people while filling their tummy and it’s also the perfect treat you can give for your Oreo-loving friends and family.

Enriquez continued:

“Express your compliments with the new Oreo Red Velvet while you can, available until January 2020.It’s reminiscent of the delicious cream cheese flavor we have all come to love, blended with everyone’s favorite Oreo Cookie.”  

The Oreo Velvet cookie is a limited-edition treat. It is already available in supermarkets nationwide, and retails at Php 76.50 (multipack) and Php 41.50 (slug).

Phto shows from left: JV Lubat, Peachy Ladringan, Kristine Enriquez, Criselle Villafuerte, Kyle Echarri, Nicole Rodriguez, Luigi Natanauan, Ramon De Leon

The Oreo Compliment machine was in Robinsons Galleria from October 12 to 13, then at the Glorietta Activity Grounds last October 16 only. It will be making its last stop at UP Town Center on October 19 to 20.

Present at the ribbon cutting ceremony are the following (from L-R): Norman Raquel, President, Joybean Food Masters Corporation, Frederick T. Siy, Chairman of the Board, Joybean Food Masters Corporation; Sydney Quays, Group CEO of Berjaya Food Berhad and Luis Daniel, Senior Vice President, Jollibean Foods Pte Ltd.

Functional beverages are emerging as they provide nutritional and health benefits. And we are lucky here in the Philippines now that Joybean has finally arrived in the country.

Just last week, Jollibean – rebranded as Joybean – opened its first pop-up store in Greenbelt, Makati, as it introduced its premium line of soy-based products. It comes after other Singaporean food concepts already dominating the Philippine market like BreadTalk, TWG, and Toast Box (now Nanyang).

Me and my favorite Joybean product

Joybean aims to spread joy not just through their products, but through excellent customer service. Here’s a joyful encounter with the one of the first 100 customers during the official store opening.

But Joybean isn’t like your ordinary soymilk drink. It’s been made more appealing to the taste with milk tea options that we Pinoys are so fond of. Actually at first I thought the drinks were to taste like “taho” and “soya” but to my surprise, they were actually delicious!

These drinks were introduced on September 25 during an event that was spearheaded by Joybean Food Masters Corp.’s president (Norman Raquel), Chairman of the Board (Frederick T. Siy), andthe Senior Vice President of Jollibean Foods Pte Ltd. (Luis Daniel).

In her speech, Assistant Brand Marketing Manager of Joybean Philippines Shannen Francisco shared the concept of these new drinks, saying:

“We’re aware that Filipinos are huge fans of milk tea, so we’re delighted to bring a soy-based milk tea line to cater to this craving but with a healthier, lactose-free version that has less sugar and calories.”

Soybean-based beverage is one of the functional foods with continuous innovation emphasizing its importance in the human diet. It’s known to regulate diabetes, alleviation of antioxidant defense mechanism, immunomodulatory activities, and chemopreventive effects.

Unfortified soymilk, either original or vanilla, is a good source of energy, protein, dietary fiber, and fat. It contains minerals, including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc. Various vitamins such as folate, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B 12, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K are also found in soymilk. All these nutrients helpin maintaining good health. It also contains saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Present in the turnover ceremony are the following (from L-R): Norman Raquel, President, Joybean Food Masters Corporation; Frederick T. Siy, Chairman of the Board, Joybean Food Masters Corporation; Sydney Quays, Group CEO of Berjaya Food Berhad; Luis Daniel, Senior Vice President, Jollibean Foods Pte Ltd.

Apart from all these good things you get from soy-based drinks, you’ll also be glad to know you’ll never grow tired of Joybean as it comes in so many flavors like Brown Sugar Soy Milk, Chocolate Joy Freeze, and Wintermelon Milk Tea. These drinks are use Grade A, non-GMO, and single variety IP Canadian soy beans, making it 100% vegan-friendly and do not contain any animal or animal by-products.

Joybean also offers some flavorful snacks to complement you healthy drink. The store serves pancakes in three variants including crispy, the Mee Chiang Kueh (traditional turnover pancake), and mini pancake rolls. You can also indulge in pudding and bean curd which you can order solo or for sharing.

But these aren’t all. Joybean’s going an extra mile to support the environment by promoting sustainable straw made of bamboo, sugar cane, and coffee it uses in all its drinks.

Photo shows from (L-R) Shannen Francisco, Assistant Brand Manager, Joybean Food Masters Corporation; Carlos Alfredo Vergara, Marketing Director, Joybean Food Masters Corporation; Erwin Catihanan, Operations Director, Joybean Food Masters Corporation; Sydney Quays, Group CEO of Berjaya Food Berhad; Frederick T. Siy, Chairman of the Board, Joybean Food Masters Corporation; Norman Raquel, President, Joybean Food Masters Corporation; Luis Daniel, Senior Vice President, Jollibean Foods Pte Ltd.; and Simon Ng, Franchise Development Director, Jollibean Foods Pte Ltd.

To experience this new drink craze in the Philippines, visit the new Joybean’s booth located at Greenbelt 3. Another store will be opened later this year in SM Fairview, Quezon City.

Photo shows from [L-R] Rams David, Marian Rivera’s Manager; Marian Rivera, Mega Prime Ambassador; Michelle Tiu Lim Chan, Mega Global VP for Finance, Export and Support Group; Marvin Tiu Lim, VP of Sales and Marketing

Making a healthy meal for the whole family shouldn’t be super expensive, most especially when you have a cooking partner as versatile and flexible as the Mega Prime products. And the respectable actress Marian Rivera-Dantes couldn’t agree more.

In the event last September 24 where she renewed her contract as an ambassadress of Mega Prime and as honorary member of Prime Mom Club, she said:

“Sobrang happy and excited ako to continue my partnership with Mega Prime.” said Marian “As a homemaker, full support akosamga quality and affordable products that they offer. And because of that, alamkonanabibigaykoang best mealtimes na deserve ng family ko. Through this rewards program, very confident akonamarami pang mommies ang ma-eencouragenasumali because it’s easy, fun and very helpful talaga. “

Mega Prime could be one of the best canned product producers in the country. Honed from the Mega Global which then focused on sardines and tuna only, the Prime lineup was made which specializes in whole mushrooms, pieces and stems mushrooms, whole kernel corn, cream style corn, green peas, Garbanzos, canned fruits and canned sweet preserves, fruit cocktail, peach halves, and nata de coco. They have almost everything you need to complete our Pinoy delicacies like Giniling, Menudo, Mechado, Afritada, Salad, and Floats!

But the deliciousness doesn’t stop there as Mega Prime Choices now includes Vermicelli Noodles, Oyster Sauce, and Sweet Chili Sauce in its portfolio of products.

Apart from supporting Filipino households in home cooking, Mega Prime established last year a new community that aims to help all the hardworking moms in preparing meals that will nourish their families. As you know, it could be tough sometimes to come up with new recipes that every member of the family would appreciate.

Thanks to the Prime Mom Club, every “nanays” can now have an unlimited source of recipes that even the pickiest eater will love. Using the Mega Prime products, of course, the everyday dishes will now turn into memorable meals.

Marian Rivera-Dantes

And in just a year after being founded, the Prime Mom Club now has over 1000 members who regularly participate in activities including Mega’s very successful workshop last April. The beautiful ambassadress continued to express her gratitude of representing this mom community, saying:

“As an honorary member of the Prime Mom Club inaabangan ko talaga yung mga bagong initiatives and activities nila na big help sa aming mga mommies. Dahil sa rewards program na ito, I’m sure mas marami pa kaming matutunan sa kitchen at mas mapapasarap pa ang mealtimes sa bahay‚ Very thankful ako kay Mega Prime dahil binibigyan nilang pagkakataon ng mga mommies na matutuo sa isa’t isa.”

During Marian’s renewal of contract and press event, it was announced that the Prime Mom Club will start a rewards program where active members of the online community as well as those who purchase products will get corresponding reward points. These points can later be used to redeem products and prizes set by Mega Prime.

To take part in the rewards program, moms should first register as a member of the Prime Moms Club by signing up on primemomclub.com. Those who attended and registered at the launch event instantly received 200 points.

Mega Prime Brand Manager Raymund Alegre said about this new initiative:

“The Prime Mom Club was created by Mega Global to create a community of home makers who love learning from one another. Through this community, members exchange tips and ideas on how to provide better meals and make parenting easier. Our new rewards program complements the activities of the club, by rewarding those who are loyal users of the Mega Prime brand.”

Members of the Prime Mom Club enjoy all-exclusive perks and privileges including Mega Prime events, newsletters, rewards, and special gift items and products from Mega Prime. Visit https://primemomclub.com/sign-up/ to sign up. For more information and updates, like and follow them on Facebook and Instagram @megaprimequality.