The French Baker: Now Serving at SM Lanang Premier

The French Baker is a pastry shop/restaurant that has several branches in the country, but has arrived to Davao City just recently when they opened a branch at SM Lanang Premier. I've earlier featured them in a post showcasing some of the new restaurants set to open its doors to the visitors of SM Lanang and I am genuinely excited to try them out. The name itself elicits the idea of a Parisian cafe or patisserie, of which I've always dreamed of trying, but if not in Paris then this might be the next best thing.

The rave reviews I've read on The French Baker also didn't help to curb the excitement. Just last week, I finally got a chance to dine here and it was an overall good experience.

First off, since we came in a bit late for dinner, around 8:30 PM, most of our initial orders were no longer available. Bummer, I know. I would've wanted to give their pasta dishes a try, particularly the Vongole Clam Pasta and Lasagna Verde. It's a frustrating feeling when you see something on the menu and you place an order for that, only to be told that it isn't available.

I decided to go for the Grilled Veggie Sandwich instead. This dish is amazing, thankfully. I would specially recommend this to anyone who loves vegetable dishes! The presentation is unique and creative to begin with, which makes it all the more appetizing. The bread and veggies sandwich are arranged like a kebab on stick. First, the vegetable sandwich are grilled wherein they use a freshly baked ciabatta bread. Meanwhile, it also comes with some side dishes including The French Baker's own potato chips (which was surprisingly sweet and had a nice texture to it) and their honey balsamic greens. But their salad greens was my favorite as the combination of sweet and tart flavor makes this the right compliment to the sandwich.

Another dish we've tried is the Pork Chop Au Foivre. This dish consists of two pieces of herb marinated pork chop and grilled in brown peppercorn sauce. Wow! This dish is superb! I certainly did not expect much but the marinade allowed the flavor to seep deep into the meat. It also comes with a vegetable side dish consisting of corn and carrots, and rice. I would highly recommend this dish and don't forget to order it when available. Every bite is juicy yet savory!

We accompanied our meals with their Four Seasons cold drink but there was nothing special to it. We specifically asked the waitress if it is a fresh juice or canned ones and they confidently reassured that it wasn't the canned variety. But when we got the chance to sip onto our drinks, though, it was the instant juice type. Sorry, not impressed with that.

On my next visit, I plan on sampling their pastries and desserts because that is what The French Baker is all about - especially the much talked about French macaroons. 

Have you tried The French Baker? Thoughts?

The French Baker is located at Ground Floor of SM Lanang Premier, beside ChaTime and Krispy Kreme.

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Annipie: More Than Just Your Cinnamon Destination

I’ve been hearing about Annipie for a while now but never really had the chance to pay one of their branches a visit… until one Friday night when the boyf was hungry that we decided to drop by before having our gym session. Thankfully, their Malvar branch is just a short walking distance from the gym and so it was a convenient option for us.

The place was rather small but cozy. I love the dim lighting at the place and of course the captivating smell of cinnamon upon entering. And I instantly knew I had to taste one of their specialty cinnamon while I’m there. More on that later.

We opted for a light dinner because we were heading to gym after. And so, I went with the Lemon Butter Cream Dory (95) and E chose to have pasta – Classic Carbonara (85). The items on their menu were fairly affordable but maybe because it was also a medium-sized serving, ideal for people with a smaller appetite. But if you’re not yet satisfied, though, there is always a ton of dessert and sweets to choose from to fill you up.

The cream dory dish was nothing special, however. Although I did not really expect anything better at this price, I felt like it was lacking in seasoning. Don’t get me wrong – I love cream dory because it naturally tastes good and requires minimal seasoning. But I felt like there was little attention given to making this dish special (for lack of a better term). I feel like I can do a better job at preparing this dish at home (and no, I’m not kidding).

The classic carbonara redeemed it for us, though. The sauce was rich and creamy with the garlic bread sprinkled with dried basil leaves for added flavor and aroma. Two thumbs up!

And of course, the cinnamon roll was everything I had imagined it to be. I forgot to note how much each slice cost but whatever that cost may be is definitely worth it. I can see now why it’s been much raved about.

If you ever find yourself around Malvar Street, be sure to give them a visit. Highly recommended!

PS: Pardon the quality of the photos. My cam died on me again and had to make do with my camera phone to take food shots.

Fruits in Ice Cream @ Creamery Cafe

I don't know about you, but desserts and sweets are the best ways to complete a meal for me. This is why finding a good dessert place in the city has been on my food radar in a long time now. And it seems like my hunt has finally come to an end..

A few months ago, when The Peak opened its doors to the public, there is this one spot at the left side of the entrance to The Peak that was under construction that caught my attention. I got to see a glimpse of the interiors while construction was still ongoing and I guessed that it must be a dessert shop with its interior design. It turned out to be Creamery Cafe when I went back to The Peak after some time and they already have the name put up. The dessert lover in me got a wee bit excited knowing that I have one more option in case I wanted to grab something sweet. 

And one night, a few weeks after it opened, E & I were contemplating on where to grab dessert after just having dinner at Pepper Lunch. Creamery Cafe, therefore, was the perfect choice for that particular night. Their "gourmet ice cream" selection is quite varied with a lot of flavors not normally available in local ice cream shops, and in local ice cream brands. Hence, this is a good option for those who are looking for something different to treat their sweet tooth to.

They have one scoop, two scoop, and three scoop options for their ice cream so you can pick according to your sugar craving. However, they also have the family size pack that you can enjoy with a friend or two. We opted for the latter as E (thankfully!) spotted a Cookies & Cream flavored one. Of course, I can't pass up the opportunity to sample a gourmet version of my favorite ice cream flavor. 

Don't be deceived by the photo though, the serving is actually fairly reasonable for its PhP 199 price tag. I think this serving would be ideal for 2-3 people. And it is worth the extra money you spend from the regular ice cream. It is not too sweet, but more on the creamy and rich side. The texture of the ice cream is also very smooth, like it glides through your tongue as you put it inside your mouth. I've never had ice cream like this before and was really happy with our choice. 

I will definitely try out Creamery Cafe again, this time out to sample their Fruits in Ice Cream selection. If you happen to drop by at The Peak, do check them out. Highly recommended!

Mom’s Birthday Cake: Choco Cherry Torte from Goldilocks

My family is big on birthday celebrations and we also love food so much that we use every opportunity we have to celebrate and enjoy great food –whether dining out or at home. Recently, mom celebrated her 51^st birthday and even when she persistently refused, we opted to buy her a birthday cake. Too bad, there isn’t a Sugar Munch branch at the mall and they’re also closed on Sundays, so we decided to buy one of Goldilocks’ cakes instead.

Mom isn’t a fan of Goldilocks. She prefers Sugar Munch or Red Ribbon (I would agree, too). But I also enjoyed what we had chosen for the occasion – Goldilock’s Choco Cherry Torte. I heard it is one of their premium cakes, so I expected it to be better than their usual options.

Thankfully, this succulent creation was everything I hoped for. This culinary creation is adorned with cherries on top and chocolate crème. There are also three layers to this cake, which consisted of strawberry, chocolate, and chiffon. Hence, you can enjoy a blend of flavors in your mouth that is succulent and rich at the same time.

If you want to indulge in this sugary goodness, make sure to drop by a local Goldilocks shop! It’s sinfully delicious!

What’s your favorite Goldilocks cake? And why? Share them in the comments.

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Go Nuts Donuts Favorites!

Last Sunday, I was able to visit the Go Nuts Donuts store in Gaisano Mall because I was craving for something sweet to munch on while waiting for the parents to finish doing the grocery. I must say that I got quite lucky during that visit because they had the Cookies & Cream donut that I always look for whenever I go to their store (but always seem to run out of stock). My nephew Andre quickly finished his share of donut, too, so he must’ve enjoyed it.
 

 

We ordered one piece each for us – the Cookies N' Cream and Red Velvet Crumble donuts. The Cookies N' Cream donut is a loop donut topped with sweet vanilla and crunchy cookie crumbles for that irresistible flavor. I love anything cookies and cream, so it wasn’t surprising that I love it at first bite (ha!). Meanwhile, I got to have a bite of my nephew’s Red Velvet Crumble, too, and it was equally good! This Stuffit donut is topped with red velvet cake crumbles and comes with a rich Bavarian filling. Yup, yummy!

Cookies N' Cream

Red Velvet Crumble

My other favorites at Go Nuts Donuts are Chocolate Cake Crumble, Chocolate Frost, Double Chocolate, Rocky Road, and the Peanut Butter Frost. Just the thought of these yummy donuts make my mouth water. And of course, I scored a hit with my nephew yet again.

What about you? What’s your favorite Go Nuts Donut flavor?

New at KFC: Tiramisu Krushers

The KFC Krushers is one of my fave ways to end the meal at KFC, along with their spoonfuls (yes, I'm big on desserts!). I love how they continually introduce new variations to their products and on my recent visit at a local branch, I found out about the new Krushers Coffee.

There are two Krushers flavors to choose from: Coffee Jelly and Tiramisu. I’m big on tiramisu, so it was a natural pick for me. If you love Tiramisu, too, there is no doubt in my mind that you will love it!

The average price for the Krushers at KFC is PhP 65 (if my memory serves me right) but since we ordered this as an “add-on”, it only cost me PhP 40. If you want to cool off, order this at any KFC branch. Maybe next time I’ll get around to trying the Coffee Jelly.

image courtesy of kfc.com.ph

Have you tried the new KFC Krushers Coffee? Did you like it? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Guilty Pleasure: Jollibee’s Milo Blast Sundae Mix-In

It’s no secret that I have a sweet tooth. Thus, any chance I get to eat something sweet, I grab it by the heel. Little did I know that my newest addiction would come from the most unlikely place. Never been a fan of Jollibee, or fast food in general (except for KFC), I found their new Jollibee Milo blast sundae mix-in to be quite… addicting?

As a kid, Milo was clearly my favorite chocolate drink. In fact, I found myself sneaking into the refrigerator a few times to scoop the chocolate powder right off the pack. The idea of mixing it into a sundae never occurred in my mind but Jollibee had concocted quite a surefire formula for the kids and kids-at-heart. 

What’s in the Jollibee Milo blast sundae mix-in that will surely get you hooked? First off, there is the creamy vanilla sundae serving as the base. You mix in the Milo powder, Milo crunchy cereals, and cookie bits! Every scoop provides an explosion of flavors in your mouth, which takes me back to those childhood years of me eating the chocolate powder straight from the pack!

My only qualm is that hopefully they will serve it up to the brim! Ha! Try this out for only P37.

Dessert from Bon Appetit La Boutique

Bon Appetit has been on my food trip radar for some time. Thus, it was but necessary to dine there as we chanced upon Plaza del Carmen in Loyola St., Obrero. But since we initially planned on dining at Duo Commis, we decided to just have our dessert at Bon Appetit. 

We picked two desserts: Sugar and Grand-Marnier Crepe and Apple Tart with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. Of the two, the latter blew me away. 

The apple tart had a good texture – there is a bit of a crunch but easy to bite into. The amount of sweetness is just perfect, too. The thin slices of apple helped to introduce some tartness against the lightly sweet tart crust. And the homemade vanilla ice cream sitting on top of the tart crust and the apples made this one of the best desserts I’ve had in a while. And surely will be one of my all-time favorites. This costs PhP 150 per serving, which can be shared by two. 

Apple Tart with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

I will schedule a visit to Bon Appetit soon, for a full-course meal this time. In the meantime, don’t forget to try this dessert when you visit them yourself. According to the owner, it is their best-seller… and I sure can tell why!

Bon appétit ! La Boutique

Plaza del Carmen, Loyola St. B. Obrero, Davao City

321-2574 / 09228241063

Dreaming of Café Del Sol

One thing I love about cafes is that you can indulge in breakfast meals any time of day. Pancakes. French toast. Omelette. Don’t we all have that occasional craving? Comfort food at its finest.

On my recent trip to Boracay, I had a chance to dine at Café del Sol with E and a friend. We needed to give our feet a break from the long hike and also to grab a quick mid-afternoon snack. We ended up in Café del Sol, which is a small restaurant located right at the entrance to D’Mall. Initially, we planned on trying their breakfast meals but we figured we were too full to eat that time. So, we opted for their dessert snacks instead.  

Cafe del Sol Boracay

But I have a confession to make: the decision to dine there wasn’t spontaneous at all. I had spotted their frozen shelf full of drool-inducing pastries that I HAD to sample one (or two!).

And so we did. Here are our orders:

Square Indulgence

Oreo Cheesecake

Mango Cheesecake

I would be hard pressed to pick which of the three I loved best. All of them were equally out-of-this-world! I forgot to take note of the prices but I think each would cost around PhP150-PhP200. But totally worth every penny spent! I’ve been dreaming of that delectable taste on my palate since I tasted their delicious pastries.

Now, if only Café del Sol opened a branch in Davao. The recent surge of new restos (with the opening of new malls and another one due to open its doors to the locals late this year) has given me hope that eventually this will happen. Until then, the dreaming continues.