A (California) Berry Hot Afternoon

Since the Old Chinatown Kopitiam was closed for the holiday afternoon, my sis and I headed to the recently opened California Berry. Only a few chairs are set up inside the store but more people can be seated outside. My sis was feeling chocoholic for the day so her toppings for the days were Crunch, Oreo and Butterfinger (actually I was the who chose her toppings! hehe). My toppings, on the other hand, are granola, almonds and Twix. I love Twix but it didn't mix well with the yogurt. I don't know if it's the weather but somehow their yogurt melts too fast. =( Their yogurt flavor at that time was green apple. I've tasted their blueberry yogurt and it was yummy!

Cocktales' Sweet Concoctions

Cocktales -- desserts like no other. Only in Cocktales can you drink cocktails without getting tipsy. Their unique idea is to transform cocktail drinks to a healthier and more kid-friendly concoctions.


What's cool about this is you can choose to have your drinks spiked for an additional 40 pesos. They have quite an assortment of drinks, shakes and savory food.



My sister ordered the watermelon Mojito (not spiked, of course, since it was in the middle of the afternoon and we our pamangkins with us). This refreshing watermelon drink has a tinge of ginger that is served in a cute curvy tall glass. For 75 bucks, their drinks are really affordable!


My order was Mango Daiquiri. This drink is made up of mango and I think a squeeze of lemon juice and some herb (I can't quite catch the taste of it but it's an herb) and tapioca balls. So refreshing!


We also ordered their Shepherd's pie. It's ground meat with button mushrooms baked with a layer or mashed potato and topped with gravy. Their gravy has a strong savory taste that left me bitin for more mashed potato. But overall, the dish was yummy.


Cocktales branches are located at malls, we tried out the Trinoma branch. When we arrived the smell of cinnamon welcomed us and we were a bit surprised. I looked for the deliriously lovely smell and it turns out that Cinnabon was a floor below us. =) Yum yum!

Japanese Desserts in Dezaato Pan

The sweet end of our Banawe foodtrip is gelato in Dezaato Pan (this is just adjacent to Tempura). This is gelato Japanese version and not Japanese gelato since gelato is Italian.


I ordered the Menta Stracciatella (this is mint ice cream with hardened ribbons of chocolate). Their gelato is not sweet at all but I could taste the mint and the chocolate which I liked. It is not even creamy but still yummy. This costs 60 pesos for 100g, not bad right?


They also have freshly baked bread and pastries.


This is the decor on the wall going up the 2nd floor.


The Japanese is known for their pretty presentation of their food. Be it candies, gums, bento boxes, pastries and cakes. In Dezaato Pan, there's no exemption. Their cakes are really cute! I think it's hard to eat something as pretty as this. But I'd like to try their cakes next time when my stomach's not full.


More kawaii cakes..

Love for Ice Cream at Sebastian's

In times when yogurt and gelato are the new in-thing when it comes to cold creamy desserts, I am soooo glad that there's Sebastian's ice cream. If you're wondering (as am I) about the roots of this famous ice cream, you can read all about it here .


Today's Flavor: Fro-Ya

When I read that they're introducing their new flavor, I was excited to know that it's one of my childhood favorite, Yakult! Up until now, when my nephew buys his yakult, he'd ask to buy an extra pack for me! (he's such a sweetheart!) Because he knows it's my favorite. =) Fro-ya actually stands for frozen Yakult. It's like frozen yogurt which is froyo but it's not, really.

Sebastian's flavor board

They have dozens of flavors listed in this simple cork board. Hard to decide if you don't have a flavor in mind. Luckily, I already did.

1 scoop in a cup

I remember a time when I brought the small bottle of yakult to the office. Since it was hot outside when I travelled to work, I decided to put the yakult in the freezer to chill it for 5 minutes. But I totally forgot to drink it and an hour later, I fetched it from the freezer and left me with frozen yakult. When I tasted the Fro-ya, it tasted exactly like the frozen yakult I accidentally made but only creamier and richer in taste. This flavor is not something you need to buy at an ice cream shop because it didn't have anything special about it. Although I enjoyed it extremely.

Chilly Burger

The first time I tasted the chilly burger, I fell in love with it! I really loooove their chilly burger (can't stress that enough.. hihi). It's actually an ice cream sandwich. It has two cookies and ice cream in the middle rolled in cocoa powder, choco chips or depends on the flavor you ordered.

Gooey-goodness

At the center, it had chocolate fudge that's so rich. This is really for sweet tooths only. The cookies were chewy, it's just the right vessel for the ice cream. When you bite into it, the cookies don't fall off and disassemble itself. That's one of the coolest things about it. But beware, if the weather's too hot, you need to finish it immediately else it'll turn into one gooey mess!

Group shot!

They also serve other desserts like waffles with ice cream and pizza-like ice cream in their MOA branch. Definitely worth coming back for more!

Old-school-like Treats at Stick House

Popsicles are one of the all-time faves of my youth. Even up until now, my sister loves eating Twin Popsies in the middle of the night. And who would've thought of putting gelato on a stick? Evidently, the owner of Stick House of course.

Stick House's display of variety of flavors

This innovative use of gelato and a popsicle stick has its price. It sells for 80 bucks a piece and additional for half or full toppings plus the chocolate dip. In my opinion, their price is a bit steep.

My gelato on a stick beside a picture of a gelato on a stick

At first bite, I was pretty amazed on what I found. The texture of this gelato is unlike no other. The texture was like of a popsicle (e.g. Twin Popsies) but the taste was purely gelato goodness. I was really curious to see how the stick was able to hold the gelato and I discovered that they infused the popsicle's mouth feel and the creaminess of gelato. It melted in my mouth with its rich chocolate taste that is very dense.

A surprisingly good first-bite

Their stick was even engraved with their name on it. How cool is that?

Proof that I liked my gelato on a stick

STRESSED - DESSERTS

Stressed? One way to destress is to eat the opposite of it which is desserts! (stressed is desserts spelled backwards)

Here are some yummy and simple desserts I've come across.

• California Berry

Frozen Yogurt with banana and walnuts

Blueberry yogurt with mango, rice crispies and cereal

• Gelatissimo (my favorite gelato place)

Panna Cota Gelato (nice hand model.. hihihi)

• Blenz Coffeeshop

Chocolate Torte (so chocolatey! it's chocolate heaven in your mouth)

• Krispy Kreme

Oreo frappe, Hershey's Kisses dougnut, and Chocolate Kruffins (didn't like the Kruffins, though. it was too dry)

• Hap Chan

Chilled Tofu with Mango (incredibly good!)

• Sebastian's

my favorite chilly burger (can't get enough of it)

Ice cream in a cup for my little nephew

• White Hat
  

Creamy Yoghurt with Kiwi and walnuts