A Kiss of Chocolate

Last April 22, 2012, when I went to UP Diliman, my sister told me to try and eat at Chocolate Kiss; though I was hesitant at first, my sister was very persistent to treat us at Chocolate Kiss. By the sound of its name you can tell that it's a pastry or bread store, but Chocolate Kiss offers more than just its bestselling Devil's Food Cake. Upon checking their menu in the internet you will be surprised to know that they also have a wide choice of set meals for breakfast, merienda and lunch.

Chocolate Kiss is located at Bahay ng Alumni at UP Diliman Campus. UP Kiss Cafe, 2nd floor (the original cafe), overlooks the UP track and field oval, that seats up to 90 persons. UP Kiss Cafe, Ground floor, seats up to 50 persons. With a homey ambiance and accessibility, it's no wonder that it became a part of the lives of the UP students.

Chocolate Kiss menu includes soups, salads, sandwiches, pasta, Filipino and Asian dishes, meriendas and, of course, cakes and pastries. Their house specialties includes their Salisbury Steak, Barbecue Chicken Fillet, Beef Stroganoff, Fish Kiev and Chicken Kiev to name a few. Iced teas, juices, sodas, coffee and the famous tsokolate eh are the drinks that they offer.

For our late lunch, I had the Beef Lasagne and my brother ordered a Chicken Barbecue Fillet served with rice. We both had Iced Tea for our drinks. We also ordered a basket of fries for the appetizer and of course the Devil Food Cake for dessert. When the iced teas were served, we were surprised to see two glasses of tea with calamansi atop each of the glasses and a small pitcher of honey. This only means that we are the ones to mix the ice tea. And, it was a nice experience to mix your own ice tea. 

the basket of fries with dip

create your own Ice Tea

Once the food is served we did not wait any longer to sink our teeth to the delicious food. The lasagne is meaty and also cheesy at the same time with no "umay" taste. The Barbecue Chicken fillet is not sweet like the taste of other barbecues, nor is it salty. The barbecue sauce is absorbed by the chicken meat. The Devil's Food Cake is a yummy treat, the icing is like marshmallow in texture and the sweetness compliments the bread. 

the Barbecue Chicken Fillet with its tasty sauce

the Cheesy Beef Lasagne

the yummy Devil's Food Cake

Food serving is good for one person and is enough to satisfy one's hunger. Food prices ranges from Php 100 100 - 395. For more information you can contact Chocolate Kiss at 332-3502 or you can visit their website at this link http://thechocolatekiss.com/index.html

Chocolate Kiss Menu

A piece of Cake and Tea

the hanging decors at Chocolate Kiss

It's Movie Time

Last Holy Week, I had the chance to watch different Japanese Animated Movies. And I have to applaud the Japanese for their talent in story writing and animation. The movie plots are simple but the delivery of every scenes is captivating and even though the movies are ten years old the animation is very nice. So here are the list of the Japanese Animated Movies that I have watched.

1. The Girl Who Leapt Throughh Time (2006) - this is the story of Makoto Konno a school girl who accidentally acquired the ability of time leap. Makoto then uses this power to fix her small problems unknowingly affecting the lives of the people around her. The 2006 film is actually a loose sequel to the 1967 novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui

The movie was directed by Mamoru Hosoda and written by Satoko Okudera. The film was produced by Madhouse and distributed by Kadokawa Herald Pictures.

2. Princess Mononoke (1997) - is the story of Ashitaka, a young man who saved his village from a demon-boar, but upon doing so recived a curse on his right arm. Though he gains supernatural strength from the curse, it is slowly killing him. On his journey to find a cure, he met two very different women, San, also known as Princess Mononoke, a young woman adopted by the wolf goddess who is devoted in protecting the forests and Lady Eboshi, the leader of the Iron Town, who accidentally created the demon-boar by shooting it with firearms. Ashitaka then became involved between the conflict of San and Lady Eboshi.

The movie was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli.

Note: Mononoke in Japanase is a general term for Spirit or Monster

  
 3. Howl's Moving Castle (2004) -  an 18yr old girl named Sophie was cursed by a witch to became a 90yr old woman because of jealousy. In Sophie's quest to find for a cure, she came across the moving castle owned by Howl, and became the house cleaning lady.While being a house lady, Sophie learned the true character of Howl and her confidence and esteem also developed.
The movie is written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli and based on the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones. Though the title and plot of the movie and the book is the same, there are some key points in the novel that was not shown in the movie.


   





4. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) - the setting of the story was set thousand years after an apocalytic war destroyed the earth and the soil was full of toxic that mutated insects and harms the human race. Nausicaa, a princess of the Valley of the Wind has the ability to befriends the insects must stop the kingdom of Tolmekia in destroying a Toxic Jungle that will put the world in imbalance.
The movie is written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and was believed to be the beginning of Studio Ghibli.





 



 5. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) - Kiki left their home to train as a witch in a big city, together with her cat Jiji. In the city, Kiki learned that being independent is not easy so she decided to open up her own delivery service, using her ability to fly with the use of a broom. While being successful in her delivery service, Kiki powers to fly and speak with Jiji suddenly diminish and ultimately disappear, leaving her devastated.
The film was produced, written, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was the first Studio Ghibli movie released under the Disney/Studio Ghibli partnership.





 

Here are other Japanese animated movies that I have not yet watched but is on my list of worth watching are:
a. Paprika - a psychological movie about the dream world.
b. My Neighbor Totoro - two young girls befriends a spirit known as Totoro
c. Akira - a story of a biker with psychic powers
d. Castle in the sky - story of a boy searching for a floating castle
e. Ghost in the Shell - sci-fi anime movie takes place in the future, where the whole world is connected by a global electronic network.

Some of the movies lasts for almost two hours so packed up some popcorns and enjoy watching.

Crepes, Pastas, Coffee

Last night was the second time I have dinner at La Craperie in Robinson’s Galleria together with my sister. After the two hours of roaming around the mall, I thought that dinner at La Caraperie is the best way to relax and have a sumptuous dinner.

The last time we have our dinner we ordered the Mango Hazelnut au Chocolat Crepe, the Pesto Cream Carbonara and 2 Café Frappe. For our second visit, we ordered the Shrimp Pomodoro, Double Chocolate Fudge Brownie Crepe, Café Glace and Frozen Hot Chocolate.

Pesto Cream Carbonara with Pesto Bread

Shrimp Pomodoro with Pesto Bread

The two pastas that I have eaten are some of the best that I have tasted, basically because the sauce is not too oily. Also at Php 125 per serving that can be shared by two persons, you can say that there is a lot of value for your money.  The Mango Hazelnut au Chocolate Crepe will easily caught your attention, from the picture that you will see from their menu, you simply can’t resist ordering it. The combination of the mangoes, which is neither too sweet nor sour, the chocolate and hazelnut is a perfect mix. And the almonds add up to the texture of the meal. If you are a chocolate addict then the Double Chocolate Fudge Brownie Crepe is a perfect choice. It is a chocolate crepe with an ice cream topping with a moist brownie inside. The chocolate brownie will ooze in every slice. And the coffee and chocolate drinks that they offer are a perfect match to the delicious crepe and savory pasta.

Mango Hazelnut au  Chocolat

Double Chocolate Fudge Brownie

Frozen Hot Chocolate

Cafe Glace

Cafe Frappe

The other great thing about La Craperie aside from the food is the homey ambiance that the place brings. From the tables and chairs, and the interiors will give you a feeling of having a tea inside your home, plus the French Music that will remove every stress in your nerves. The servers are also nice and very welcoming and accommodating.

La Craperie is a relaxing place to get away from a busy schedule, chat with long-time friends and enjoy a nice sipped of coffee or tea.

Sinfully Delicious

Hungry? Looking for a gift? Or you are simply craving for some sweets? Well, Love in the oven is the answer to your questions. Love in the oven offers freshly home-made baked cupcakes and brownies.

I first tasted the cupcake last December when Anna, my friend and the Marketing and Salesperson of Love in the Oven gave me a cupcake as a Christmas gift. At first glance you will be hesitant to take a bite because the frosting is beautifully perched on top of the cupcake that you do not want to destroy it.  Once you took the first bite, it will be hard for you stop eating the delicious cupcake. The bread is soft and very flavorful and the frosting, unlike other expensive cupcakes, is tall with edible bead toppers and sprinkles. And the aroma of the cupcakes tells you that they are freshly made.

Aside from the chocolate cupcakes, Love from the Oven also offers other flavored cupcakes like mocha, vanilla, oreo, banana, carrot, red velvet, crazy choco and dark chocolate chunks. They also have brownies, blondes and butterscotch bars, and cakes.

Price per individual cupcake is Php 20.00 for the basic flavors and the special flavors is at Php 30.00, brownies and blondes is also at Php 20.00. They also have cake & cupcake packages for birthday and special occassions, price vary depending on the number of cupcake and size of cake.

For more details and inquiry regarding Love from the Oven, you can check their Facebook Page or you may contact Anna at  09173529200

A Trip to Baguio Part II: Instead of the Panagbenga Festival

Since, our planned Panagbenga Festival didn’t go out well, instead of being sober of the incident, we decided to go to the Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad and the Lourdes Grotto.

All of my friends are eager to bring home some fresh strawberries, so we went to the Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad, Benguet. This is one of the activities that we failed to do last year when we went to Baguio. The farm is a 30 minutes drive from Baguio City, approximately 10km from the center of Baguio City.

We arrived at the farm at 3:00 in the afternoon. According to one of the farmers there are only few fresh strawberries left for picking. Luckily, the farmer is kind enough to pick-up some strawberries for us and gave it free of charge so we can taste it. According to the farmer the ideal time for harvesting is in the morning. Aside from the strawberry, the farm also has lettuce, broccoli and Malaysian mumps. This is where the tourist usually buys the fresh strawberry and vegetable wherein they harvest the crop and are weighed in by the farmers.

the strawberry farm

Malaysian Mumps at the farm

Lettuce

After almost an hour at the farm we, decided to head back to Baguio and went to Lourdes Grotto. The grotto is located in a high hill in the western part of Baguio wherein at the top you will see the image of Our Lady of Lourdes; but reaching the top is not that easy for you have to climb 252 steps of stairs.

Upon reaching the site, you will be welcomed by vendors selling multi-colored candles, each color representing different personal intentions. There is an altar below the image wherein you can light up your candle and pray. Aside from the image of Our Lady of Lourdes, you will also find an image of Jesus Christ just before reaching the top of the stairs.  Upon reaching the top, I and my friend decided to light up three candles for our personal wishes. It is just sad that there are people coming in the grotto that are not paying any respect and are vandalizing the place.

                                                         

going down the 252 steps

 After saying our prayers and being a photoholic we decided to go Burnham Park. Burnham Park is considered as the heart of Baguio, since can be accessed by the different roads in Baguio namely Harrison, Kisad, Governor Park and Magsaysay road; and it is surrounded by the other prominent landmarks of Baguio, like the Session road, Baguio Cathedral and Baguio City Market.

It is around 6:00 pm when we reached Burnham Park which is already filled by people watching a concert. We directly went to the man-made lake to have a boat ride. When darkness came upon the park, we were fascinated when all the lights from the lamp posts and rope lights hanging from the trees came to life simultaneously creating a Disney – fairy tale effect. Our boat ride lasted around 30 minutes.

Burnham Park 

When we finished our boat ride we decided to have dinner along Session Road before buying pasalubongs at the Baguio City Market. And since we also planned to watch the float parade the next morning, we decided to retreat early to our hotel.

A Trip to Baguio Part I: Lessons Learned

Last February 24, 2012, me together with four friends gear-up to experience the Panagbenga Festival in Baguio. And since, this is a huge event in the City of Pines we prepared early for the trip.

          

During the last week of January we are already inquiring different hotels in Baguio for a reservation on February 25-26. To make our search for a hotel accommodation easy, my friend got a list of all the e-mail addresses of the hotels in Baguio and send them a message inquiry. From the long list of e-mail addresses that she has only 2 or 3 replied for an available room.

The next task on hand is for a bus reservation. Luckily Victory Liner has an online reservation, so there was no hassle in reserving the tickets. You just need to go to their website and fill-up a form to make a reservation. Victory Liner will then sent you an e-mail confirming your reservation and instructions on how to make the payment. Here is the link to reserve online http://www.victoryliner.com/reservations/. Victory Liner charges an additional Php100.00 if tickets are bought online for the courier fee; but it's worth it than falling in line.

Though, we made early preparation for the Panagbenga Festival, unfortunately we were not able to witness the festival. Our departure from Manila was delayed by more than an hour (our scheduled departure is 11:50 pm, we left the Cubao Station at 1:00 am) and even at 3:00 am there was traffic, so the usual 6 hours became an 8 hours travel. Thus, we were not able to watch the street dancers perform on Saturday morning. The next day Sunday, the Float parade was scheduled at 8:00 am, we wake up early to witness the parade, but when we reached Upper Session Road, the streets was already jam packed by people. We tried to find a nice location but to no avail.

Because of the said experience we learned some lessons that we will remember when we returned again to Baguio for the Panagbenga Festival. Here are our lessons learned:

1.       Make early hotel reservations; start hotel inquiry as early as the first week of January.

2.       Choose hotels that are along or near Session Road or Burnham Park.

3.       Check the event or program schedule of the festival. Here is a link that you can check for the schedule http://www.panagbenga.ph/

4.       Make early reservations for the bus ticket. It is better to make two-way reservations already.

5.     Leave Manila early. Since the event is done every last Saturday and Sunday of February, file a vacation leave for Friday.

6.       Wake up early. According to a taxi driver, starting at 5:00 am people are already at Session Road finding a nice location to watch the parade.

7.       Best location to watch the parade is SM Baguio and the Post Office at Upper Session Road.

Dinner at Bon Chon

A recently opened Chicken Bon Chon branch in Alabang Town Center is making a big buzz. Since it’s opening last January 10, 2012 until today, the restaurant is always jam-packed with people craving to take a bite of the unique taste of their dishes.

Though the restaurant opened last January 10, it was only on the 31^st that we were able to step foot in their store. And since, we went there on a payday, the place is full of people and you have to be listed in their waiting list to be seated. It is nice that their staff are accommodating and are eager to help every customer find an empty table.

  

For our dinner we ordered a Chicken Wings Rice Box, Chicken Drumstick Rice Box, Chicken Chop Rice Box, Fish Fillet Rice Box and Caesar Salad. Though Bon Chon is very known because of their chicken, they also offer salads and sandwiches that is a must try as well. You can choose between hot and spicy or garlic flavor for the chicken. Their hot and spicy chicken has a very unique taste; at first bite it is sweet and has the kick of spice and hotness at the end. So even if the customers are exclaiming about the the spicy flavor they still cannot resist having another bite. 

Aside from the affordability the serving is also hefty. The rice boxes that we ordered costs Php 145 each and the salad is Php 125. The rice boxes have 2 pieces of chicken per order and the fish fillet is 3 big pieces of cream dory.

Overall, in my opinion, Chicken Bon Chon is one of the best restaurant in the Metro, wherein you can get value in every single centavo that you will pay, not just because of the food affordability but as well as the good customer service that they offer.  

Chicken Wings Rice Box

Drumsticks Rice Box

croutons and lettuce

Chicken Chops





I Love Bon Chon