Bicho bottom dollar

No, this isn't an "Annie" post.

It's a post about the fact that, despite eating at Tsokolateria many, many times, I'm only discovering their Bicho Bicho today.

It's SO good!

The Bicho has the right combination of a crunchy exterior and a pillowy interior, and the choice of dips complement it.

Looks like the Churros Waffle will be dislodged as my Tsokolateria fave.

Danke Schon

Thanks to Arche, I'm now familiar with this German brand of mixed fruits.

Meyve Mix was what I got from the exchange gift, and I couldn't be happier.

Hope they have this in supermarkets in MNL. 

It's sehr lecker!

(Har)vest bet

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Clover Chips.

The taste and crunch of their classic cheese flavour is so familiar and comforting. It was one of my go-to comfort food during my expat days in HKG.

Apart from flavours, there hasn't been anything super new about Clover Chips. 

Or is there?

Yup, there is! Clove rChops has this Cassava chips variant called "Harvest." And it has a sweet and sour flavour, too!

Tried it, and it's good! It has the same Clover texture, but there's a certain difference with the crunch. And while sweet and sour isn't a common flavour for snack food, this one works.

This is going to be part of my snack rotation, stat.

Hopia agree

Durng my trip to Divisoria, saw this small stall that sold hopia. 

What drew me to the hopia wasn't the product itself, but the packaging.

It's a beauty!

It has that very strong Chinese-retro vibe - from the paper colour, tot he ink, to the font style - it was so traditional. But because it was so traditional, it felt modern! The beauty of contrasts.

The hopia inside was bigger than the usual hopia, and each variant had a crunch which tasted like kundol.

While it won't dislodge Holand as my fave hopia, this is worthy of being part of the repertoire.

Nuggets of Wisdom

My newest Milo obsession is thanks to Mark.

Milo Nuggets!

This was his pasalubong from his last SG top, and it's a product that apparently has been in SG for the longest time. 

So, why is this the first time I'm tasting this flavour bomb of Milo coated in Milo flavoured chocolate!

Better late then never, as they always say.

Exotic Taste

Almost forgot about another interesting find from our SG trip.

Apparently, Hershey's has a line called "Exotic/" It was my first time seeing that variant, and this particular one was the one that most caught my eye.

Raspberry and Goji berries. In dark chocolate.

Divine.

And yes, it's as good as it looks. The berry flavoured centre was chewy and bursting with flavour. And the dark chocolate was rich and a bit bitter, which offsets the berry flavour.

Wish they would also carry this in MNL.

Not Yakee at all

Miokins - the coffee shop in our office building - came out with this nostalgic line of drinks that they called "Balik Tanaw." It took inspiration from childhood candies, and turned them into drinks.

Ordered a fruit drink inspired by my fave gum ball - Yakee!

It's an interesting drink with a very tart taste profile. The addition of the gum balls give it added sourness, as well as something to chew on after.

Ah yes. The kid in me is happy.

On Cloudz

Nope, this isn't about the shoe brand.

It's about this Skittles permutation.

Discovered this during our trip to SG last month, and I"m so glad I was able to buy a few packs. It's so good!

But I'll take the Wild Berry Skittles anytime.

A Walk in the Parqal

After seeing it on YouTube so many times, we finally got to visit Parqal.

It's a nice and spacious mall, much, much different from what we think what malls are supposed to be.

Then again, it's very far and requires investing time to visit.

But once stores are open, I'm going to go back and visit this place again soon.

Taking the cake

It's always great to discover foodie gems from other parts of the country.

Through Becky, one of my former students - Maila, sent a box of pastries from a shop in Nueva Ecija called "Edna's Cakeland."

Their pastries are yummers! Their empandaditas have this yema filling that's not too sweet or overpowering. Their brownies and caramel bars have the right amount of firmness and sweetness. And they had sampaloc! 

Nest time I'm in that area (which isn't soon, boo!) I'll definitely take the cake at Edna's Cakeland.

Rockin' burgers

Speaking of outlets, this was a perfect opportunity to try new cuisine. 

We saw a burger joint called Rockaway Burger, and it was a Hawaii-themed resto. Since the vibe was nice and the food looked good, we decided to give it a shot.

Mark got the burger combo, and I got the Surfer Salad.

In terms of taste, value and overall ambience, this place rocks!

The New Standard

Here's one of our new and interesting discoveries in Tokyo.

Standard Products is a home store that's pretty much like Muji. They have items for every room of the house, from the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, laundry room, and the like. The designs are very Japanese in aesthetic, making it as visually pleasing as it is useful.

Now the thing about Standard Products is that it's owned by Daiso. So, the items range from Y300 to Y1200. Yup, they're cheap.

This is going to be a standard store to visit in Tokyo from hereonin.

Come to my Ade

Because our office building is surrounded by Korean stores, I've discovered the joys of their packed drinks.

These drinks are fixtures in convenience stores in Seoul. You buy them, you buy a glass of ice, you pour it and enjoy.

Looks like 7-11 got wind of this because they're now selling ice cups.

So, Korean store + 7-11 =

These drinks - while in tetra packs - taste very natural! This one really tastes like squeezed grapefruit. And this is just one of the many, many, many flavours available.

One down, more to go.

Old and New

Back in my college days, Piattos was the go-to-snack.

We'd often trek near CASAA to buy a pack. Sometimes, the stores inside the restrooms (yes, we had stores inside our restrooms) would sell this as well.The most popular flavour back then was Sour Cream, but we'd buy the cheese one every so often.

Decades after, Piattos is still around, and it's still enjoying the same popularity that it did. One reason is that they're always finding ways to make the product feel new and fresh. Having new flavours is one way they do this.

Just like my newest discovery:

Yup, Piattos is now on the Truffle bandwagon! And while the flavour isn't as strong and distinct as Lay's or Meadows, it's still good. Especially if you thin of how affordable this is.

It's these new things that make me look forward to an old brand like Piattos.

(Not) against the grain

As a bread eater, multi-grain bread is one of my go-to types of bread.

Whether it's with cream cheese, butter and jam, Goober or on its own, it never fails to hit the spot.

On today's supermarket run, there was a sudden rush of excitement after seeing this:

Gardenia now has a multi-grain loaf!

It's super yummers!

It's going to be my go-to grain from now on.

Living Simply

Slowly trying each of the products under the "Simply" line.

First, it was the blue corn Tostitos.

Now, it's time to try the Simply Cheetos White Cheddar.

This one reminds me of the Chiz Curls of my childhood. But because it's made with white cheddar, it tastes a bit more luxe.

Next in line: Simply Doritos and Simply Lays.

Meals with Mark: Ben 10

It's Saturday at the South!

For a change, Mark and I decided to meet in his hood. We went for an early afternoon snack at Robinsons Galleria South (the place to be.)

The decision point on where to eat was simple:

"What do they have here that's not in Manila?"

Mark's answer was Ben's Halo-Halo.

The sign says it all. It's "Laguna's Creamiest Halo-Halo." And they're true to their word.

The halo-halo was so soft and creamy, and it had all the classics in the mix. We also ordered pasta on the side, and they're a perfect savoury foil to the sweetness of the halo-halo.

Overall, this place is a 10. And yes, we will be back.

Dream Collab

By this time, it's clearly established that I'm a fan of hopia, and I'm a fan of Choc-Nut.

So, you can imagine my thrill upon seeing this:

It has less Choc-Nut than it should have, but hey, this combination is a dream.

That’s Smart

Popcorn that isn’t swimming in butter.

Popcorn that’s air fried to make it healthier.

Popcorn that’s gluten-free.

But above all, popcorn that you don’t have to wait for. Just open the bag and enjoy.

That’s Smartfood popcorn!

While this won’t replace our usual microwaveable popcorn at home, at least we have a smart alternative.

Seeing Double

When it comes to chocolate wafer sticks, Giziku is my gold standard.

This was an Indonesian brand that they used to sell in the Philippines. I’d buy 2 of the big tubs and finish them in days. It was that good.

Unfortunately, they suddenly disappeared from supermarket shelves. And i’ve Been looking for a wafer stick that was as good.

For years, that search was for naught.

But last week, I found a product that was close to the Giziku taste I’m looking for.

Suoerstix Double Choco!

Too bad they don’t sell it in tubs as big as Giziku.

Oh well, will just buy double the number.