Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Dipdenza Coffee: A Cozy Cafe in The Fort Strip, Bonifacio Global City


Dipdenza coffee is a cozy little cafe tucked in The Fort Strip, Bonifacio Global City. They offer a wide selection of coffee, milkshakes, smoothies, desserts and sandwiches in their beautiful little space in Fort Strip. Let me make one thing clear, in my opinion they're not a specialty cafe. Having said that, while their coffee is alright the cozy little cafe is certainly a winner if you're looking for a place to hangout or relax. 

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Buffet 101 International Cuisine: A Sea of Food at The Largest Buffet Restaurant

Photo from the Buffet 101 FB Page
We went into Buffet 101: International Cuisine with high expectations for weekday lunch. I left the buffet without much breathing space left but not totally satisfied. I was looking forward to a selection of quality steaks, but unfortunately they didn't have any as the carving station was quite limited.

I scoured the place for some noteworthy food and here's what I think of the all-you-can-eat dishes at Buffet 101.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Vikings Luxury Buffet is a Hearty Feast That Will Drown You With Food

Photo from Vikings FB Page
Vikings Luxury Buffet is considered to be one of the best All-You-Can-Eat-Buffets in Metro Manila because they serve a wide variety of cuisines - Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Europan and many more - while maintaining a high standard in the quality of the food. For other buffets, it's usually a toss up between the number of choices and the quality of food - not with Vikings. 

I recently had the pleasure to feast in Vikings Jazz Mall Makati. I left with a huge smile on my face and definitely a couple of pounds heavier. 

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Single Origin: A Cafe With Excellent Specialty Coffee, Craft Beer, and Delicious All-Day Breakfast


Single Origin Cafe is a popular new player in the Philippine specialty coffee scene. As the name suggests, Single Origin offers single origin coffee from around the world. They are the exclusive distributor of Lamill Coffee in the Philippines - a specialty coffee roaster based in the United States. They also have a wide array of craft beer shipped from all around the world that you can choose from. 

The food here is a bit pricey, but I think the quality of food is worth the hefty price tag.

Whistlestop Restaurant and Bar Is Now Serving Its Popular 24/7 Dishes in Bonifacio Global City


Whistlestop Restaurant and Bar has been serving food 24/7 since 1977, way before I was even born. The restaurant is popular for serving good food that pairs well with cold bottle of beer. It's the perfect place to relax and unwind after a long day in the office or enjoy a midnight snack at around 2am in the morning. To my delight, they recently opened a new store in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. 

Saturday, September 26, 2015

MasterChef Asia Season 1 Episode 4: Recap and Thoughts on Episode 4

MasterChef Asia Season 1 Episode 4: Recap and Thoughts on Episode 4
Photo from MasterChef Asia FB Page
  • This episode, the MasterChef Asia contestants had another team challenge. The contestants were faced with the difficult task of running their own Hawker Stalls in Lau Pa Sat, Singapore
  • The contestants were divided into three teams of four (at random), each with a Hawker Stall that is assigned a particular cuisine. The team with the least number of votes will be facing elimination. 
  • The teams were given 2 hours to prepare their dishes before their stalls will be open to the public. They were also given 10 minutes to plan for their dishes.
  • The contestants will be cooking either Indian cuisine, Malaysian cuisine, and Chinese cuisine. 
  • Marcus won the last challenge and he chose Indian cuisine, I don't think he took into consideration the preference of the regular customers of Lau Pa Sat. I think they would be more inclined to eat Malaysian or Chinese food rather than Indian food.

Friday, September 25, 2015

Samurai Talabahan: A Seafood Restaurant You Wouldn't Want to Miss on Your Next Iloilo City Trip

Samurai Talabahan: A Seafood Restaurant You Wouldn't Want to Miss on Your Next Iloilo City Trip

Most Iloilo City tourists would tell you that to satisfy your seafood cravings at popular seafood restaurants such as Breakthrough and Tatoy's Manokan. Unknown to most tourists is Samurai Talabahan, a seafood restaurant that serves tasty and affordable dishes located at the bustling Diversion Road, Mandurriao.


Other than quality seafood, Samurai Talabahan is also quite accessible. The restaurant is located across the Smallville Complex and is very near SM Ciy Iloilo or UP Visayas - so you don't have to go out of your way to enjoy good seafood. You can even enjoy a hot mug of specialty coffee at the nearby Fuel.ph or at the new Madge coffee shop.

Monday, September 21, 2015

An Instant Guide to Making Coffee [Video]


The creative folks at &Orange Motion Design decided to come up with a video that gives us a quick guide to making coffee using 6 brewing methods. I applaud them for making such a cute video, but even though the grind sizes were accurate, I don't think I agree with most of the brewing times shown in the video. Well, not unless they also show the brewing temperature you should aim for.

If you need a refresher on why I believe all three should be considered, here's my article on brewing parameters.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Indulge in Rich Flavors of Duo Cocoa and Dark Caramel from Starbucks

Indulge in Rich Flavors of Duo Cocoa and Dark Caramel from Starbucks

Starbucks Philippines is now offering two new flavors that I'm sure you'll love. They have a decadent chocolate treat with the Duo Cocoa Mocha and a sweet, luscious favorite with the Dark Caramel Latte. Only the Duo Cocoa Mocha is a new flavor since Starbucks also offered the Dark Caramel Latte September last year. It must really be a crowd favorite! 


Here's are my thoughts on the Duo Cocoa Mocha and Dark Caramel Latte.

Celebrate Satchmi Store's Birthday Party This Coming September 26, 2015 - It's FREE


Satchmi Philippines is celebrating it's first birthday party this coming September 26 - and you're invited to join the festivities! The beloved music and lifestyle store that brought us some amazing old world creations and quality vintage vinyl records is opening it's birthday party for everyone to enjoy. You can expect some tasty (and free) food and drinks, quality music, and lots of giveaways! 

Saturday, September 19, 2015

MasterChef Asia Season 1 Episode 3: Recap and Thoughts on Episode 3

MasterChef Asia Season 1 Episode 3: Recap and Thoughts on Episode 3
Photo from MasterChef Asia FB Page
  • This episode features the first ever MasterChef Asia Mystery Box Challenge! Each contestant has a limited box of ingredients that they can cook with along with a limited staple pantry box. 
  • The judges will only be tasting the 3 most outstanding dishes so it comes down to taste, execution, and plating. Whoever wins the mystery box challenge gets a huge advantage in the succeeding Elimination Test.
  • For this mystery box challenge, the contestants had a box full of chicken, carrots, thyme, corn, asparagus, lime, yogurt, apple, and nori. The contestants had 60 minutes to cook an amazing dish using these ingredients.

Greenwich's DEALicious Duo Promo Offers 2 Barkada Size Pizzas for Only Php499

Greenwich's DEALicious Duo Promo Offers 2 Barkada Size Pizzas for Only Php499

Greenwich Philippines has a Barkada treat for you. For only Php499, you get 1 Meat & Veggies Special and 1 Pepperoni Classic Barkada Size Pizza when you have them delivered. That's two 12" Thick Crust Pizzas at only 249.5 each! 

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Satisfy Your Mooncake Cravings This Coming Mid-Autumn Festival with MXT Mooncakes

Satisfy Your Mooncake Cravings This Coming Mid-Autumn Festival with MXT Mooncakes

The Mid-Autumn Festival, which will be celebrated on September 27, 2015, is almost upon us. You know what that means... MOONCAKES! In Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival remains to be one of the most important festivals dating back over 3,500 years. As one of the festival's hallmark traditions, you would normally find boxes of mooncakes in every Chinese family's household.

Mooncakes are believed to bring about luck and prosperity. The cake's round shape is said to symbolize completeness and unity. As a part of this longstanding tradition, Chinese families usually give out boxes of mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn festival to family and friends as an expression of love or a wish for prosperity.

Experience Everyday Happy Food with PBCo at the Estancia Mall

Experience Everyday Happy Food with PBCo at Estancia Mall

The first time I ate at Peanut Butter Company was a couple of years ago at their Katipunan store and I remember falling in love with their Elvis, The King sandwich. Fast forward a few years and Peanut Butter Company is current rebranding itself as PBCo - a place where you can enjoy everyday happy food!

PBCo is a specialty concept restaurant that believes a simple staple spread like peanut butter can be used to elevate a number of classic dishes and make them even more delicious. Their menu consists of sandwiches, pasta, rice meals, milkshakes, cakes & pastries, ice cream bars, and a whole lot more... all with peanut butter.

We tried a number of their new dishes and here are our top picks from their new and improved menu.


Sunday, September 13, 2015

Look Forward to Mondays with Shakeys Philippines Monday Meal Deal Payback Promo

Look Forward to Mondays with Shakeys Philippines Monday Meal Deal Payback Promo

Enjoy a Php500 discount from the Family Deal 2 Group Meal from Shakey's Philippines every Monday this September. That's a whopping 41.5% discount.  You can use the Shakey's Gift Certificate during your next visit. This promo is only available for all Shakey's SuperCard holders and for dine-in transactions.

MasterChef Asia Season 1 Episode 2: Recap and Thoughts on Episode 2

MasterChef Asia Season 1 Episode 2: Recap and Thoughts on Episode 2
Photo from MasterChef Asia FB Page
  • It's the first ever MasterChef Asia team challenge and the contestants are tasked to feed 80 VIP guests going up on the Singapore flyer.
  • Each team had to serve 5 varieties of canapés - small finger food that's you would see served during cocktail parties. They only had 2 hours to plan and prepare the canapés before they serve it to the VIP guests and two of the canapés had to be served hot.

Friday, September 11, 2015

See You All at the #Bloggys2015 Gala Night on November 21, 2015


I'm quite happy to say that Chef Jay's Kitchen was invited to be one of bloggers invited in the Gala Night of Bloggys 2015! The event will showcase some of the most influential bloggers in the Philippines today from a variety of niches.

I can't wait for the event. If you want to nominate your favorite blog, you can still do so until September 30, 2015 by filling up this form. Your favorite blogger deserves recognition for all the hard work that they've put in the blog, so go ahead and let them know how much you love them. 


If you're a blogger and you would like to be a part of the event, you can still reserve a ticket here. You better hurry, tickets are running out fast!

See you  there!

Cheers, 
Chef Jay

Thursday, September 10, 2015

MasterChef Asia Season 1 Episode 1: Recap and Thoughts on Episode 1

  • Anybody else want to skip the opening credits, the one where they were introducing each contestant, because of the song?  
  • The three MasterChef Asia judges are Audra Morrice, Susur Lee, and Bruno Menard. They each bring a lot of culinary experience to the table and I can't wait to hear some of their thoughts on plating, taste, and techniques in future episodes. 
  • As for the 15 contestants, the show features 3 contestants from the Philippines, 3 from Singapore, 3 from Malaysia, 2 from Indonesia,  1 from Vietnam, Taiwan, China, and India. It's a bit sad to see that there are no contestants from Thailand, Hong Kong, or South Korea. Apparently, some contestants didn't make the cut because they couldn't communicate in English. 
  • The Filipino contestants are Jake Aycardo, Lica Ibarra, and Rico Amancio. I do hope one of them wins it all and becomes Asia's first MasterChef. Go Philippines! 
  • The prizes seem quite generous, although they are a mouthful. For the full list of MasterChef Asia prizes, check out the MasterChef Asia Primer

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

A Primer on Masterchef Asia

MasterChef, the biggest and most popular cooking competition in the world, heads to Asia where 15 of the best home cooks in the region will battle it out for the prestigious title of the first ever Asian MasterChef. The show will feature some of the best cooks from the Philippines, China, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. 

The show will be aired on Lifetime Asia and will have the classic Mystery Box Challenges, Team Challenges, and Restaurant Takeovers. I can't wait to see some of the amazing dishes that the MasterChef contestants will come up with. 

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Enjoy Pizza and Other Stuff With Yellow Cab Pizza Philippines

Have Pizza and Other Stuff With Yellow Cab Pizza Philippines

Yellow Cab Philippines has even more treats in store for us this 2015. While you can enjoy the Two Pizza Promo only on Fridays, the Pizza and Other Stuff promo is available every day for both dine in and deliveries.  

Enjoy Two Pizza Fridays With Yellow Cab Philippines


UPDATE: New 2016 Promotion mechanics may be found in my new Yellow Cab Two Pizza Friday Article.

That's right, you can enjoy two 10" pizzas for just Php560 all year round every Friday with Yellow Cab's 2 Pizza Friday promo! This is available for all their pizza offerings (except craft pizza). The promo is valid for dine in, take out and delivery.


Monday, September 7, 2015

Learn How to Take Amazing Food Photography with These 5 Skillshare Classes

Learn How to Take Amazing Food Photography with These 5 Skillshare Classes
Captured by Adam Goldberg
If you want to learn how you can capture beautiful food photographs, then Skillshare has you covered. Skillshare has a wide array of photography classes, but they also have some amazing classes that focus primarily on food photography. Whether you're trying to capture beautiful food moments for Instagram or composing photographs for a recipe you would like to share, there is a Skillshare class for you.

Here are Skillshare classes you should take to take your food photography skills to a whole new level.


Sunday, September 6, 2015

Muni's Kickstarter Campaign Hopes to Bring You the Finest Coffee from the Philippines

Muni's Kickstarter Campaign Hope to Bring You the Finest Coffee from the Philippines

Philippine coffee has been improving by leaps and bounds in both taste and quality over the years to cater to the booming local specialty coffee scene - and world is beginning to take notice. It started out with Kalsada's successful Kickstarter campaign where they were able to raise $18,056 to bring Philippine coffee to the international stage.

Personally, I love Kalsada's Baldino Family (Pineapple Papaya), Mang Jose (Chocolatey- nutty), and Auntie Asthrine (Bell Pepper and Cocoa) coffee beans because of the bright, unique flavors they provide in a tasty cup of coffee. These are really some of the best Philippine coffee beans and I'm sure business in Seattle is booming for Kalsada right now. In the same manner, Muni Coffee Shop is planning to bring some of the finest Philippine specialty coffee to the London coffee scene. Pretty exciting, right?


Saturday, September 5, 2015

Learn the Art of Baking from South African Food Personality Sarah Graham


If you want to learn how to bake but don't know where to begin, then this Skillshare class is for you. Let South African food personality Sarah Graham walk you through step-by-step on how to make cakes, cookies, breads, and pastries at comfort of your home. 


If you want to add baking to your repertoire, then the class The Art Of Baking - A Beginner's Guide is perfect for you.