Coffee and Tea

Despite all the marketing hype on which one's the best - coffee or tea, I personally believe that the two are in their own league and should not, in any way, be pitted against each other.

Don't get me wrong, I love both. Coffee is my "perk me up" drink while tea is what I consider my "reward" drink. Reason being is that, I take both in certain times of the day; coffee being at the beginning of a more often than not busy & stressful day; while my tea is enjoyed towards the end of that long busy day - a sort of reward to myself for making it through in one piece.

Coffee Addict
A wonderful take on serving coffee I have found recently with two establishments; the French Baker in SM Malls and Chelsea at the Fort. French Baker serves fine Italian freshly brewed coffee at such reasonable prices. What's also interesting is that, the cup of coffee comes with a glass of cold water infused with lemon and a small piece of either a cookie or pastry. My last visit was kind of in a rush, but they gladly packed my coffee to go in a disposable cup held by a sturdy box for easier transport.


Chelsea's Coffee with Choc Nut

While coffee is served practically everywhere, I was truly in awe when I ordered mine at Chelsea, for theirs is a Pinoy's treat of freshly brewed coffee with Choc Nut candy.

Coffee Condiments

This is served as part of their tray of sugar, milk or cream. Now I have seen chocolates and after dinner mints served with coffee, but never with Choc nut - try mixing it with your coffee, it is interestingly new - and good. I practically hoarded the candy jar but was able to control myself, thank goodness.

Tea-riffic!
While I am a relatively new tea consumer, I started with the traditional warm tea preparations. Warm green tea, cammomile and lemon-mint are my favorites. This changed however, when I finally tried ice cold milk teas. Now I am forever drawn. Nai cha of Chowking served with crushed ice is something that I regularly take when I visit this famous Chinese fastfood. Complete with coffee jelly, it is both a drink and a dessert.

Kopi Roti's Tea Tarik & Kaya French Toast


The Tea Tarik of Kopi Roti is another iced milk tea that I enjoy. Fancy the manner of preparing it - complete with the exhibition of pouring the milk from pot to pot the way the Malays do - this practice is said to enhance the creaminess of the preparation.

Side Trip

Now if you are the type who brew your own coffee or prepare your own tea, nothing beats enjoying this cup with something sweet.

Cadbury Snaps

A recent visit to Duty free presented us with a wonderful chocolate treat of fine very thin sheets of chocolate that is, Cadbury Snaps in milk, orange and mint flavors. Imagine having chocolate in a Pringles format. This one's absolute heaven. Enjoy it with your fresh cup!

Drink your coffee. Drink your tea. Whatever works for you.

Soothing & Comforting at Fely J's

When I just feel super lazy to cook in this wet and damp weather, I eat out and would normally opt for a meal that will give me sensible pleasures of the senses. Nothing beats comfort food on a rainy day. And when we talk about comfort food, the first thing that comes to mind naturally is one that has given you such memorable experiences, perhaps it was a dish specially prepared for you by your mom, or a pasalubong that lola would traditionally provide.

On a rainy day, I found myself at Fely J's in Greenbelt. Here, familiar dishes are offered, Filipino fare that is neither intimidating nor tweaked to provide (con)fusion. It is straightforward, simple cuisine, given a unique touch of no-nonsense presentation that will entice you even more.

I have such high standards for Kare-Kare - my mother-in-law's version being my ultimate benchmark, the kind that takes hours to cook - anyhow, at Fely J's, the standards have been met. With its rich peanut-laced sauce in achuete color, and its soft melt in your mouth ox tail and tripe, I will go back to this place just for this dish.

Fely J's Chicken Inasal


The Chicken Inasal comes in quarters, but is more pale in comparison to what I have tried in Bacolod. Though flavorful, its texture may still be improved.

Pako Salad



The Pako (Fern) Salad is served with a light vinaigrette and salted eggs. It is a wonderful healthy treat for those who love salads minus the extra calories coming from its rich mayo-based dressing counterparts. Indeed, this hearty and fiber-rich preparation is a fabulous Tagala-inspired salad.


Leche Flan, Single Serve


To cap off our meal, Leche Flan and Sansrival, my all-time sweet favorites were ordered. Should you wish for light, bubbly flan, this one's for you. If you like chewy meringue in your Sansrival (which I do), order this if you don't mind the added sugar.
Sansrival Slice



Fancy drinks are also available. I was in cloud nine when I learned that they also offer Cucumber shake. This is, as I should say, my comfort drink. Comforting and fabulously refreshing, this is hands-down, a winner.

Cucumber Shake & Felijini



Now with this type of food, I wouldn't mind eating out despite the weather...

My Singapore Food Trip

Twas a short trip to Singapore one weekend with my sister, which proved to be very educational foodwise, since we were there to take advantage of the food festival the city (make that country) had to offer.

I didn't expect much from the food really, except of course, to try the authentic versions of more popular dishes like the Chicken Rice (aka Hainanese Chicken Rice), Laksa, Soup Dumplings, Sugarcane Juice and Biriani Chicken.

And ate we did. We found ourselves trying food that were both new and familiar. And because we were walking from one place to another most of the time, guilt (from all that we consumed) wasn't part of the experience.

Here's sharing with you what we've found (and ate) during our stay;

Chee Kwah

Found this local dish at the Wah Poh Food Hawker Center, and because the locals were all lining up to avail of this item. Curious as we are, we bought a few pieces to try. Though it looks like our local puto, it doesn't resemble in flavor at all. The cake base is bland and is quite sticky and is topped with caramelized radish and served with sambal (chili) on the side.

Roast Duck Meal

You will find this in any food hawker center, and because it is my personal favorite (never mind the cholesterol), it is best enjoyed with a can of my favorite soda. Unlike how the chinese prepare this, the sauce is quite bland, not too sweet and has a distinct star anise profile.

Pork & Soup Dumplings

At Din Tai Fung, we superbly enjoyed this unique pork and soup dumplings. Each bite is a burst of soup and meat filling that is freshly made - you can view their chefs laboriously preparing each piece and cooked ala minute.

Steamed Pork Buns

Still at Din Tai fung, these are siopao buns filled with Sweet and soft bits of pork.

Laksa

This hot and spicy flat noodle soup dish that is topped with fish cake slices and split prawns is enough to satiate one's hearty appetite.

Chicken Biriani Meal

Because of its strong Moslem population, you will find anywhere in Singapore dishes such as this - highly flavored Chicken Biriani Rice. If you like spicy dishes, this one's for you. I particularly like the rice, fluffy and fragrant and seasoned with curry, cumin and turmeric, very good!

Ben & Jerry's Mix N Match

After touring the Night Safari, my sister and I blindly bought this 500 peso ice cream concoction just to satisfy our sweet tooth. Very good though.

Le Grand & Mc Chicken

There came a point when we both were sick of the local cuisine and wanted to have a break. McDonalds became our alternative and what we tried were these two items not found in Manila, not yet anyway. Le Grand wasn't for the faint hearted as it is good to share and really meaty. The McChicken on the other hand was served with a wasabi dressing. We also enjoyed eating at McDo because, aside from the usual catsup, they also provide chili-garlic sauce to be enjoyed with their preparations.

Kaya Donut

Well, I have tried Kaya toast in Manila but Kaya doughnut? Donut factory serves this and it is even better than I expected - I like this better than the traditional Kaya toast and is perfect with a warm cup of Morrocan Mint Tea.

Sugarcane Juice

Freshly pressed, it served packed with ice and considering that it is all sugarcane, I expected it to be utterly sweet - it was unexpectedly good, but too bad, my sister who has some sugar concerns, had to say no to this.

Chee Cheung Fun

Another food hawker center popular, we bought this out of curiosity. Thin flat rice crepes rolled and served with a light hoisin-style sauce and topped with toasted sesame seeds.

Chicken Rice


The best of them all. The chicken rice at Wah Poh was the best amongst all that we've tried in Singapore. One lady in fact, even shared with us that the rice is cooked not just with the chicken broth but also with fresh coconut milk - something I have yet to try in my own kitchen.

Visiting Singapore will not be complete without cheking out their supermart. Here's what we found that's worth mentioning;

Milk Eggs

This would be milk chocolate eggs and I just found the trays quite fascinating.

Deli Section

All the hams and cold cuts that you crave for, you'll find here.

Pickles & More

From all kinds of olives to raitas, hummus and sun dried tomatoes, this section was a feast for the eyes.

Sadly, our trip was short, but sweet. Looking forward to going back soon.