Buddha Bar Manila Presents Japanese-Peruvian Cuisine by Chef Shigeki Iimura

Nikkei is a fusion of Japanese food made with Peruvian ingredients and cooking techniques. The unique combination of flavors has recently become one of the most sought after cuisine in many top cities and restaurants all over the world.

From May 19- June 17, Buddha Bar Manila lets us experience world-class dining featuring the unique flavors of Nikkei cuisine, especially prepared by internationally renowned Chef Shigeki Iimura. Chef Shigeki is currently the executive chef of Buddha-Bar International.

Rockwell's Sunset Street Party- Dine. Lounge. Drink at Joya Drive, Rockwell Makati #RockwellSunsetStreetParty

Last Saturday, we experienced the first Rockwell Sunset Street Party at Joya Drive featuring Rockwell's partner tenants namely UCC, Bizu, Dean & Deluca, Woodfire Bistro, Grace Park, Rambla, and Refinery.

It was an afternoon of good food, refreshing drinks, and fun activities for the whole family. Guests were able to dine, lounge and drink, while enjoying live music from Toni B., Vince Lahorra, DJ Kyle Tan, and DJ Adrian Ong from sunset 'til midnight.

Casa Italia Cafe Handcrafted Premium Gelato- Gelatonini, Liquorato and New Dishes

Casa Italia Cafe is a franchise from Singapore that specializes in the traditional Italian bar of handcrafted premium gelato, freshly-made comfort food dishes, Italian specialty coffee, beer, and wine. From its humble beginnings as a gelato parlor in Singapore back in 2010, it has now expanded to a fast casual all-day-dining restaurant, with more international outlets opening soon.

We visited Casa Italia Cafe at The Block in SM North Edsa to check out their new gelato products.

Before anything else, let me introduce Casa Italia's hero product- Gelato. Casa Italia takes pride in their premium handcrafted gelato flavors, which are churned out honestly with natural ingredients, and free from artificial flavors. Gelato has lower fat and sugar content than regular ice cream, hence, it is generally healthier and lower in calories.

Casa Italia Gelato Prices:

Piccolo- P130

Medio- P195

Grande- P260

Kumori Signature Cheese Tart- Decadence In Every Bite #BiteIntoTheClouds

Before the Japanese cheese tart craze hits the country, Kumori Japanese Bakery gets a head start by launching their newest treat that will surely please the crowd. 

From the makers of the our favorite Signature Hanjuku Cheesecake, Kumori comes up with yet another hit among foodies and dessert lovers. 

Kumori Signature Cheese Tarts- smooth and creamy cheese custard in a sweet and crispy tart shells. 

Winsgtop Flavor Invasion- Complete A Flavor Pass and Receive P1K Gift Certificate

Get ready for the Wingstop Flavor Invasion! It is time to satisfy your flavor cravings, and entice your taste buds as Wingstop lets you experience all 14 of its mouth-watering flavors.

Choose from sauced or dry rub flavors, and complement your wings with a selection of Wingstop's dips. 

Quim's Cake Bakeshop & Cafe- Beyond The 5M Cake Controversy in Tomas Morato by Executive Chef Jack Labang and Chef Jhollow Ignacio

I'm pretty sure most Filipinos have heard of the viral news about the 5M worth of free cake to be given away by Quim's Cake- a local bakeshop and cafe located in Tomas Morato, Quezon City.

For those who haven't, let me give you a quick recap: Late last year, during the time when Rodrigo Duterte decided to run for the presidential elections, chef/baker Jack Labang posted on his facebook page that he will be giving away 5M worth of free cakes should Duterte wins the presidential bid. Several months after, with Duterte winning the race by landslide, the people reminded that they did not forget.

People started sharing the post and eventually made it viral, with everyone asking for their free cakes.

According to Jack Labang, co-owner and executive chef/baker at Quim's Cake Bakeshop & Cafe, they will be staying true to their promise, and will be sampling the 5M worth of cakes in scheduled batches. The first batch of 50 registrants will be accommodated on July 1, 2016.
*Please note that the Facebook event page for a cake sampling on June 30 is not true. 

Last week, we visited Quim's Cake to try their dishes and have a taste of their much talked about cakes.

Nadai Fujisoba- Affordable Japanese Udon and Soba Noodles in SM North Edsa

After the ramen craze that took the country by storm, Filipinos can now enjoy a good bowl of ramen without having to line up for hours. During those times, I've had my fair share of the piping hot noodle soup from ramen bars like Ramen Nagi, Ippudo, Ikkoryu Fukuoka, Hokkaido Santouka, Hanamaruken, Ramen Bar, Kitchitora, Kokoro Ramen, Moshi Koshi and more. 

Quietly making its way capturing the hearts and appetite of Filipinos, is a noodle franchise from Japan, specializing in udon (thick wheat flour noodles) and soba (buckwheat noodles). Nadai Fujisoba humbly entered the country a year ago, and has since created their own fan base of soba and udon aficionados.

After Nadai Fujisoba opened its first branch in Bonifacio High Street, it quickly expanded to a total of 5 branches in a span of one year. 

Few months ago, we visited its newest branch at The Block, SM North Edsa for a quick soba and udon fix. 

Menu prices at Nadai Fujisoba are exceptionally cheaper than other ramen joints. Here, you can enjoy a large bowl of noodles for as low as P180.

The basic Kake Soba/Kake Udon (P180) is a simple bowl of noodles topped with sliced scallions and wakame, in a light and clear tasty broth. You may choose to add an egg for an Onsen Tamago Soba (P200) and have an order of  Yasai Kakiage (P120) on the side.

Manang's Chicken New Crunchtastic Fried Chicken ng Pinoy

There's a new product from our favorite Manang's Chicken- the all new Crunchtastic Fried Chicken!

Manang's classic fried chicken recipe with a 10-spice blend, deep fried to crunchiness and perfection.

The chicken is meaty and juicy, while the skin gives that special crunch in every bite. The 10-spice blend offers a different fried chicken experience from their all-time favorite soy-garlic variant, but still has that sweetness to it. 

Bite into the crunch and taste the fantastic new chicken flavor at Manang's Chicken today!

Visit Manang's Facebook Page for more information and updates about their new product offerings. 

Check out other posts about Manang's here:

Manang's Chicken Pops N' Chips- Beef Steak, Cheese Pimiento and Chili Vinegar

Isla Una Casual Filipino Dining- P199 Lunch Specials at City Golf Plaza, Ortigas Pasig

It has been a while since I last visited the Ortigas area particularly the City Golf Plaza, Metrowalk, and Ortigas Home Depot. I used to frequent these places when I was still working in Pasig 5 years ago.

Just recently, we found ourselves back in City Golf Plaza for a quick lunch before I head on to a cooking lesson with Kikkoman at the 25 Mushrooms Kitchen in Valle Verde. We were planning to visit Frankie's, but changed our minds last minute when we saw this new restaurant called Isla Una. Frankly, since I am not much into Filipino cuisine, I was not too enthusiastic about it.

But as soon as we entered the place, a sudden feel of excitement came in. The place was very nice and cozy. It has this stylish and modern vibe, contrasted with native decors. I suddenly saw myself looking forward to try Isla Una's dishes.

We ordered a starter of Tusok-Tusok (P160) while waiting for our favorite couple Sumi and J to arrive.

The Vegetarian Kitchen- Cooking Up Exciting Vegetarian Dishes in Mother Ignacia

A few meters away from Hillside Cafe & Juice Bar, is another healthy haven serving delectable and interesting vegetarian dishes. D was scheduled for an Organic Urban Gardening 101 in Cedarhills Garden Center, so my friend Sumi and I decided to visit the nearby restaurant called The Vegetarian Kitchen.

I am far from going vegan or vegetarian, but somehow, vegetarian dishes interest me quite a lot. It is fascinating to see how restaurants turn vegetarian dishes into something creative and fun. For me, this is a tougher challenge for chefs, since they have to use limited ingredients without having to sacrifice the taste and flavor of a dish.

The Vegetarian Kitchen successfully did just that. The restaurant offers more than just your average vegetarian dishes and mock meat recipes. In fact, dining at The Vegetarian Kitchen won't make you feel that you are eating at a vegetarian restaurant at all.

We started with an appetizer of Spinach and Cream Cheese Dumplings (P214) which were crispy pockets stuffed with cream cheese and spinach.

Honey Creme Next Flavor of the Month- Make Your Own Honey Creme in Trinoma #MyHoneyCreme

Honey Creme Philippines is looking for the next Honey Creme flavor of the month. Honey Creme fans may now customize their own cup with their favorite toppings and sauces for P185. The Make Your Own Honey Creme promo is exclusively available in their Trinoma branch, wherein one lucky fan will to win an assortment of Honey Creme coupons worth P10,000, plus a chance to have his/her creation featured in all Honey Creme branches! 

Cafe I'm Here/ I'm Here Cafe- Korean Chill Hub at CTTM Bldg. Timog

I'm excited to share this new Korean cafe we discovered in Tomas Morato/ Timog recently. After our dinner at Vagabonds Artisan Comfort Food, D brought me to Cafe I'm Here at the 3rd floor of CTTM Bldg. just across the Boy Scout Circle in Timog. I barely saw the signage of the cafe and it is quite easy to miss if you are just passing by.

Cafe I'm Here is located at the 3rd floor of the building just above where Centerstage KTV used to be. The place is exceptionally huge and spacious for a typical cafe. It was love at first sight!

Kikkoman Oriental Journey Master Class at 25 Mushrooms Kitchen in Pasig #CookedWithKikkoman

Kikkoman, the trusted and leading Japanese soy-sauce brand, recently brought together foodies and bloggers at the 25 Mushrooms Kitchen in Pasig, for a fun and exciting afternoon cooking lessons dubbed as Oriental Journey: Master Class. The event aims to unleash the inner chefs in us, as we recreate Japanese restaurant favorites that we all love. Of course, all dishes were #CookedWithKikkoman to bring out the authentic oriental flavors of every dish.

What is Japanese cuisine without the famous rice rolls topped with the freshest seafood? First dish on the list, Sushi! And not just one kind of sushi, but a Sushi Platter with assorted nigiri and gunkanmaki.

Our Sushi Platter includes Sake (salmon) nigiri, Ebi (prawn)  nigiri, Uni (sea urchin) gunkanmaki, Spicy Tuna nigiri, and Kani (crabstick) nigiri.

Kikkoman makes it easier to recreate authentic restaurant-style dishes in the comforts of our home.

Blue Rocket Cafe + Kitchen- Comfort Food and Coffee in Scout Lazcano, QC

We recently discovered a new cafe around the Scout area in Quezon City called Blue Rocket Cafe + Kitchen. Our first visit was a late dinner with good friends Sumi and J after the Phismets 2016 competition we attended. A week after, I saw myself back at Blue Rocket again, this time, with the whole family to celebrate my 27th birthday. 

Blue Rocket Cafe + Kitchen is not your typical coffee shop that focuses only on coffee, and put little importance on food. The cafe is more than just your average coffee shop as they also serve comfort food and meals in hefty servings. 

Appetizers

For starters, the Ye Old Fish and Chippes (P175) is your typical beer-battered white fish served with fries. Both the fish and fries were crisp and crunchy sprinkled with a special tart seasoning that reminds me of salt and vinegar chips. 

We ordered a second round of Blue Rocket's Mozzarella Sticks w/ Sweet Sriracha (P195) because it was addictingly good and cheesy.