Bests in a bayong

One of my gifts this Christmas is a native bayong filled with some of my all-time faves which are worth sharing to friends.

The bayong includes the following:

1. Tablea Chocolate made in Albay. This is a childhood favourite, and when we were kids, we'd make this in Lolo Doring and Lola Pining's house in Malinao. We'd gather at the long table in the dining area to make these chocolate balls, and the room would be filled with the sweet scent of Cacao. 

(And of course, a classic Wooden Batirol had to be part of the pack!)

2. Meiji Plain Crackers. As one of Japan's best-loved brands, Meiji has a lot of delicious products. Their plain crackers has the right amount of crisp and crunch, and is a great tabula rasa for any type of spread.

3. Bonne Maman jams and jellies. I've written about this brand a few weeks ago. And it deserves a special place in this bayong.

It's always great to share discoveries to friends, especially during Christmas. And I'm glad to be able to share these since they're not just plain discoveries, these are definitely among my best so far.

Conserve-atory

My first encounter with Bonne Maman Strawberry Conserve was when I lived in The Netherlands for a few months. 

While doing groceries at Alberheijn, the packaging of this French brand immediately caught my eye. And since I'm a packaging nut, I eventually bought a jar.

Gosh! Once I tried it on toasted bread with butter, my immediate reaction was: "Whoa! This tastes as good as it looks!"

This brand is also available here in Manila, particularly Rustan's. Several times, when Mark and I would have dinner at the Rustan's Supermarket restaurant at the basement of Shang, I'd see the conserve. And at times, I'd buy it, too.

It's been months - more than 9, to be exact - since my last trip to Shangrila Mall and Rustan's. So I haven't gotten my Bonne Maman fix for that long, too.

But I'm certain this is online. All I need to do is look.

Let me begin looking now.