img_0547.

As you can see in the photo, it was not only my twins’ first public appearance , it was also their first time to be interviewed for wacky TV show Wazzup Wazzup! The occasion was yesterday’s VIP party hosted by Krispy Kreme prior to the opening of their Greenhills branch tomorrow. At 200 square meters, it is the American brand’s first free-standing store in the Philippines and their first drive-thru outlet in Asia so it’s definitely something to watch out for.

The announcements are out: whoever is the first customer for both dine-in and drive-thru will each win a free one year’s supply of KK Original Glazed doughnuts, at one dozen per week (can you imagine that?!!) The second drive-thru customer will get six months supply, the third customer – three months supply (I can settle for this .)

Moreover, opening day revellers will get car stickers which will entitle them to a free signature coffee for every dozen doughnut purchase. Surprise celebrity guests will ring the cash register on the first day so it will be fun, fun, fun.

img_0520.

Bloggers were among those honored to be invited to the Krispy Kreme preview. What can I say — it was one of the most successful parties I’ve attended in a long, long time. Doughnuts were flooding the place, as well as all the coffee, wine, iced tea, juice and water you can order.Not to mention crunchy Max’s fried chicken and other specialties in the sumptuous buffet (since Max’s is a sister company of KK). It didn’t hurt that each of us went home with two dozen doughnuts, plus many many more depending on your chika powers with the counter screw who seemed to be giving them away freely.

Krispy Kreme marketing and public relations is really tops!

(more…)

Chili oil & furikake

Sunday : Crashed the digs of Benj, our college classmate who’s made it in the crazy world of advertising. How do we know he’s made it ? Because his condo near the vicinity of Ayala Av is a spacious three-BR affair with all-black furniture, designer speakers and laptops all over the place. Benj’s buddy serves us penne pasta with meat sauce and that’s when I discover the joys of Japanese chili oil and furikake. I never thought that the lethal combination of these two can transform a drab dish into a fantastic one. Furikake is a type of Japanese condiment consisting of “dried and ground fish, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt and MSG.” Add this to your rice or any food to add zing! to the flavors. I remember Attina gave a couple of packets to me back in Tokyo. You can look for it in the local Japanese supermarkets but it was out of stock as I found. I scream for furikake!

Street calamares

Monday : Back to the office, and my life has never been the same ever since some colleague introduced me to the joys of street calamares. Notwithstanding Hepa A/amoebiasis outbreaks, I couldn’t resist having loads of them squid fritters with chili and vinegar dip. Never mind if my manong suki fries the squid in batches amid the unappetizing backdrop of those Pedro Gil-Paco jeepneys emitting (oops) carbon monoxide. Never mind too if I am all garbed in my sassy office wear by Zara. At three pesos each, the squid rings are the hottest thing in Manila street food at the moment. I wonder what makes them crunchy and yet oh-so-tender. All I know is that Manong marinates them with his secret spices and dips ‘em in breading, as all calamares go.

As of last writing, some officemates have suffered gastro pains and allergies ( swollen lips) from ingesting the calamares so am taking a break from them… for now

Yoshi burger @ Tokyo Cafe

Tuesday : Alleluia, day-off! I relish the time touring SM Mall of Asia with the kids and going on a shoe-shopping binge. I pity myself that I only have 16 pairs of shoes and some of them are not in mint condition. The recent school opening has been plain harassing and there’s nothing like a shoe purchase to raise a woman from the doldrums, in the style of La Imeldific.

Chow time and we try Tokyo Cafe which I’ve been eyeing for the longest time. Am a gullible soul when it comes to bright, colorful menus and the Japanese fusion cuisine of Tokyo Cafe has it. A few times in the past, I’ve been had by menus where the food appears larger than life, only to be served some wilted salad or shrunken shrimp.

Luckily, Tokyo Cafe food doesn’t disappoint. The kids had their heavenly crepes and I had the Yoshi’s Burger (P145), an ample-sized carnivore’s delight with meat sauce for a twist on a pair of yummy sesame bread.

(more…)

Coolers.

The last days of summer are here in our tropical country and this has been one long hot season indeed. The bad thing is that my ultra-sensitive skin suffered from breakouts which my doctor attributed to the humid weather (aaach! no bikinis, shorts and tubes for moi this time around); the good thing is that I’ve taken comfort in drinking gallons of H20 and munching on a variety of thirst-quenching coolers, hence this post. Imagine me sitting in a cafe with my favorite magazine, glass of iced cappuccino on hand and you get the drift.

Here’s the ‘best of my summer coolers’ drumroll:

Kiwi fruit sherbet at Fruit Pops, Pan Pacific Manila has got to be my cooler discovery of the year. The pricey tag (P125 for a bowl) couldn’t keep me from having more of this flavorful dessert. Slices of healthy kiwi (or other favorite toppings like peaches, mango, strawberry and coffee jelly) with red beans, ice cream, ice and their secret ingredient mocha powder. I call this Korean halo-halo (because it’s in a Korean-owned stall with the freezer of Haagen-Dasz goodies) and nothing can absolutely compare.

Buko ni Fruitas. I get this yummy fruit fix at the Robinson’s food court in Manila though other stalls can be found in major malls.

Priced very affordably at P49 or $1, this could pass for your original Pinoy halo-halo only that it wins points in my book for presentation. Slices of watermelon, sweetened beans, banana, mango, gulaman, nata de coco and other fruits in season are placed in a freshly-topped bowl of coconut with the juice and the meat still intact..nothing can be more irresistible.

(more…)