food trip – Page 2 – Rich Cervales Blog

Trader Joe\’s

December 30, 2013UncategorizedLeave a Comment

Speculoos Cookie Butter is one of the many food trend that happened in 2012-2013. At first, I didn\’t understand why. I\’ve known about Trader Joe\’s from my husband way before the hype. I was wondering how it became an food trend. According to a friend it was shared in Instagram by Pinoy celebs. Of course, with their legion of followers everybody\’s curiosity will spark. Why would they even bother to post if it\’s not really delicious?! But I didn\’t bother to jump in the hype because it\’s mahalia jackson. Imagine they resell it for 400 pesos per piece! (Ok fine, have to pay for shipping)

I was able to try it here in the US. At hindi pa agad-agad ha! Most of the time when we visit TJ\’s in Eastlake this is what I would see from the speculoos shelves…

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The cookie butter\’s taste is still very much like peanut butter with hint of ginger cookies. I find it different and unique because I never thought you can add cookies in peanut butter. Though I\’m also aware that the TJ brand is not original speculoos. I heard it hails somewhere from Europe.

Aside from the cookie butter they also have lots of organic goodies. From cookies, mini cakes, wine, chocolates, pasta, chips, fruits, veggies etc. There\’s lots to see inside aside from the cookie butter. It\’s nice to actually experience that the store has a variety to offer.

We made the stores bigger (if you can imagine), decked the walls with cedar planks and donned our crew in cool Hawaiian shirts. Most importantly, we started putting innovative, hard-to-find, great-tasting foods in the \”Trader Joe\’s\” name. That cut our costs and saved you money. Still does. —SOURCE

The store\’s humble beginnings dates back from 1958. They have a rich history, go check out their timelime.

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Photo Source

My favorite chocolate among the rest. They also come in dark chocolate and 73% super dark chocolate with almonds.

I don\’t eat brussel sprouts but I love the calligraphy sign for it.

Is someone thinking of bringing Trader Joe\’s to Manila? I think it\’ll be better if there\’s a creation of an organic grocery store that would feature products from our local farmers and food entrepreneurs.

XOXO

Fast Food Fix

November 1, 2013UncategorizedLeave a Comment

Lots of fast food joints are available in San Diego. Most of it are not exactly approved by Seff (hubby is fitness junkie period). From time to time he lets me experience a part of it.

The fast food industry here is quite diverse. I\’m happy for the variety so there\’s a lot to choose from (aside from my fave Subway sandwiches). I also noticed the humongous servings that they have! Which makes it sulit. Most of their drinks are refillable. A small or regular sized drink will do because you can refill it anytime. This is what I call a well deserved cheat meal.

1. El Pollo Loco

2. Chick – Fil – A – Specializes in chicken meals. I love them because they support the military. We got free breakfast from them!

Chick Fil A Chick n Mini – Chicken in biscuit. Tastes good with their sauce ( I forgot the name)

Chicken, egg & cheese sunflower multigrain bagel for hubby.

3. Wendy\’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers – Even when I was in the PHL and SG, among the famous burger joints Wendy\’s has the best and juiciest burger in my opinion. Hubby told me that their meat are always fresh that\’s why he finds it expensive among the other burgers.

I was thinking, how come Wendy\’s comes in a longer name/title. Hhhmmm…

I can\’t remember the name of this wrap. A healthy alternative from Wendy\’s aside from the salads.

Chili. Have to mix it with crushed crackers. It\’s delicious not too spicy.

4. Hotdog on a Stick

I tried their cheese and its sinfully good.

The following are those that I wasn\’t able to photo because I was really hungry.

6. Arby\’s

…known for slow roasted roast beef, turkey, and premium Angus beef sandwiches, sliced fresh every day. —-SOURCE

Roast Turkey and Swiss Wrap. Photo grabbed from their website.

7. Rubio\’s – First time I was here it was a Taco Tuesday.

The Original Fish Taco

8. Stone Oven – Gourmet sandwiches and salads.

Got this from their website.

I had their Santa Fe Hot Ham. Aside from the sandwich this includes a side item of your choice Gourmet salad, Caesar Salad, Pasta Salad, Potato Salad or Gourmet Potato Chips. So their serving are good for two people if they are diet conscious plus the drinks are refillable for sodas.

If my brothers and sisters are here, they will surely love this food line-up.

Till next my next foodie trip.

XOXO

Pho "T" Cali – Clairemont Mesa

October 25, 2013Uncategorized2 Comments

My husband has taken me to his favorite dining places. One of these is the Vietnamese restaurant Pho \”T\” Cali in Clairemont Mesa.

I fell in love with the place because it\’s very clean. The staff are very courteous. When they see a customer come inside they quickly greet and accommodate them. Not to mention the staff smiles a lot.

My husband had his usual Beef noodle soup with all the greens. The servings are humongous! We were able to share the big bowl.

Ooops he that single strand right there.

My forever favorite, Fresh Spring Rolls! I had the beef filling for that day

They have the peanut sauce instead of the fish sauce ensemble when I was in Vietnam.

They have a variety of dishes in the menu aside from the above mentioned. The restaurant is huge but they get full during lunch and dinner time so plan accordingly.

XOXO

Malacca Food Trip

October 4, 2013Uncategorized2 Comments

If I stayed in Malacca for a few days I would have looked like Mr. Stay Puft. The food selections are varied so there are lots to try. I really want to follow the food adventure that Doc Gelo had. Time constraint was my problem. It didn\’t stopped me from appreciating what I stumbled upon.

Jonker Street, the most famous street in the heritage site offers lots of food choices. It\’s very accessible from the Dutch Square. You can also avail souvenirs from the shops along the way. Please take note that prices here are higher.

1. Hainanese Chicken Rice – Chop Chung Wah
Upon arriving Malacca, I was really hungry, I saw a queue before entering Jonker Street. Turns out it was this famous Chicken Rice Balls.

In fairness I love the taste of their chilli. It\’s not that spicy.

I was disappointed to tell you frankly. It\’s just another Chicken Rice. It was served cold and I don\’t even feel the Chicken Rice taste. It\’s not cheap too.

2. Restoran How Kuai
Located at the far end of Jonker Street. I wasn\’t satisfied with the Chicken Rice, I ended up eating again.

And of course the Cendol Ice Dessert. Too bad I wasn\’t able to try the Nyonya Cendol. But this version will do.

I love how the Gula Melaka made this dessert \”alive\” in appearance and taste. The Cendol and other ingredients are at the bottom. I don\’t like mixing everything even with our (PHL) halo-halo and (SG) ice kachang.

3. Yogurt Ice cream – saw this from a grocery store.

I tried the Chocolate flavor! Not too sweet and doesn\’t melt easily.

I want to buy this but then the tindero and tindera dinedma ako. It looks like sapin-sapin.

Surprised to see a Hard Rock Cafe in the area. Near the bridge before going to Jonker Street.

I didn\’t know Upin and Ipin has a fast-food joint. This animated series has certainly come a long way since airing in Disney Channel Asia.

Given the chance I would love to comeback…I want to try their food circle, a different spin.

XOXO

Singapore Food Trip: Bao Today

September 27, 2013Uncategorized2 Comments

If you\’re in Orchard Road and doing some late shopping. Try stopping by Bao Today for some affordable dimsum treats.

Their place in Somerset is quite small. So I\’ll be guessing they\’re packed during lunch and dinner time.

I find their service slow even if they\’re not full house.

I ordered their congee. Nothing special. They served it a bit cold. But my former roomie Sharon liked their dimsum. I had a taste of it and indeed it was good. I liked their drinks though. I had the avocado shake and I forgot the name of the blue drink. The blue drink is delicious! It has this bubble gum-like taste that goes well with the longan or lychee on top. Gula Melaka (coconut sugar if I\’m not mistaken) as sweeteners.

I recommend trying their dimsum since it\’s their specialty. The shakes are also great. Service is average. Price range are affordable as compared to the surrounding restaurants available within the Somerset ground floor vicinity. In general, it\’s not really memorable. I would see myself stopping by if I\’m shopping late and I need some food recharging.

Rating 2/5

Jollibee in SG

May 14, 2013UncategorizedLeave a Comment

One of the staple pasalubong or request from friends visiting or coming back from their annual leave (from PHL to SG) is the Jollibee Chicken Joy. It\’s truly nakakamiss because it\’s like no other. The taste is authentically Pinoy. Juicy meat, crispy skin, delectable gravy makes my stomach grumble with hunger.

When I was a kid, Jollibee is our happy place. It\’s just so fun to be there because aside from eating we get to play in their indoor playground. Mom even signed me up to the Jolly Kiddie Club and I get to receive newsletter every two months, if I\’m not mistaken.

Imagine our delight when we found out that Jollibee has opened. Yehey! It\’s about time! USA, Vietnam, Hongkong et.al. has been enjoying it for so long (even Anthony Bourdain has a say about it). Now it\’s Singapore\’s turn.

I heard that the first day it opened, the queue was CRAZY! I heard they don\’t close until 2 AM in the morning just to accommodate people who waited. What surprised me the most are the locals especially my colleagues at work would ask me about it. That made them curious. Good thing, Jolibee is Halal-certified so our Malay brothers and sisters can enjoy it as well.

I can say the opening is a success. They are already planning on opening a second branch. As for the naysayers…God bless you.

After all the hype, I was able to try it with my friends. The best part is, LIBRE ni Ate Jenet. Thank you 🙂

Ate Jenet, Jay Cee, Me

Photo courtesy of Jay Cee

XOXO

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