Carte D'Or Gelato

When I was in London for three weeks last summer, my neighbour (aka the supermarket - more specifically the frozen goods section) was my best friend. I would buy Carte d'Or gelato on my way out and oftentimes on my way home, too - it was strategically located between the underground station and the apartment I was staying at. My favorite flavours were triple chocolate parfait and crema di mascarpone. 

So imagine my delight when I found out that UK's #1 gelato brand is finally coming to Manila, and just in time for the summer months, too!

To get to know Carte d'Or more, I attended a fun and interactive gelato-making class where I learned the step-by-step on gelato-making process and the ingredients that go into every scoop of the frozen treat.

My take-home lessons:

1. Carte d'Or uses only premium ingredients sourced from the places where they make them best, so we can enjoy natural flavours free from additives.

“We take pride in sourcing from only the best, no matter where it takes us - from Australian butter to pistachios harvested from South Australia and California, from Belgian chocolate to hazelnuts grown in Turkey,” boasts Earl Keh, Carte D’Or brand manager.

Real cream and butter from Australia

Pistachios from South Australia and California 

Chocolates from Belgium

2. Gelato-making is an easy and uncomplicated process. As long as you have the best ingredients, you are already halfway there!

Chef Miko Aspiras showing us how it's done. Basically, you just throw in all the 

premium ingredients and mix thoroughly.

3. It is simple, but you will need a very expensive gelato machine like this.

Cattabriga is said to be the Maserati of gelato machines

It churns gelato slowly but surely, and the result is a smooth, rich and creamy frozen dessert.

Fold pistachios into the churned gelato

TA-DA!!! 

Now it's time to enjoy the smooth, creamy, nutty fruit of my labour. 

4. To save yourself time and trouble (and all that Maserati money) making your own gelato, just buy a tub or four from a supermarket near you.


Carte d'Or launches four irresistible flavours in Manila:

Pistachio

Salted Caramel

Chocolate Hazelnut

And my favorite of the four - rich, dark and sultry Double Dark Chocolate 

We are the very first country in Asia to enjoy Carte d'Or gelato and I cannot wait to try all the local flavours that Chef Miko is cooking up for us. On my wish list: ube, buko pandan, pili nut, tsokolate, turon...

Carte d'Or Gelato is available in select supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide.

Carte d'Or Facebook Page

Magnum White Almond Pairing

Over the holidays, I received a big, big box of sweet temptations.

The newest Magnum White Almond, coated with thick Belgian chocolate and speckled 

generously with almond slivers. 

You see, I didn't go anywhere for Christmas, but I had a lot of fun at home playing with my edible toys.

It's one of my most favorite things to do. Experimenting and then eating the subjects of my experiments. Remember what I did with my one year supply of Regent waffles? See post here.

I played with so many Magnum White Almond pairings, mostly with stuff from our fridge. A few tasted downright terrible, but I got three winner pairings and I thought I'd share them with you. :)

Magnum White Almond with Almond Butter

I love eating nut butters on its own, straight from the bottle, except Mom recently started buying

everything unsweetened. GrUeffllkk. If your mother starts doing the same to you, you 

know what to do - smother the boring thing on Magnum White Almond!

Truffle mushroom cream cheese spread that goes on crackers and into my stomach,

often during ungodly hours.

Now on Magnum. 

Rich, thick, smooth, creamy, earthy, sweet, crunchy, and cold! Yes, it works!!!

I also found the tub of homemade bagoong my good friend Dennis recently gave me 

and I. Just. Had. To.

OMG! We have a winner!!!

Magnum should totally come up with a white chocolate shrimp paste flavor (and thank me later) 

So many more Magnum pairing possibilities!

Costa Coffee

I live in the south and you all know it takes A LOT to tempt me to go past Makati. 

But one fine Tuesday, I made it to Eastwood.

Only coffee from London possesses that power over me

I was not surprised to see half of Quezon City in Costa Coffee. After all, it is the newest

concept to arrive in our shores and did I mention it is also UK's #1 coffee chain?

 Costa Coffee promises fresh brew all day every day

Coffee beans are roasted and shipped all the way from London.

In this bag is the famous Mocha Italia, a unique blend of arabica and robusta that combines 

sweetness, bitterness and the body needed to make a good, strong cup of joe.

 While I took photos of this lean and mean caffeine machine, the barista proudly pointed out that

 it is THE coffee machine of all coffee machines, even describing it as "The Jaguar." Ooh la la.

There are cakes and sandwiches on display

Salads, too. But I did not travel all the way here to eat like a goat.

 I placed my orders and went up to the second floor because "the best seating is upstairs,"

according to the wall.

What I saw made me smile

I totally did not expect this cuteness. Costa Coffee succeeded in creating a fun and homey, 

cheerful and cozy place for its diners.

And I was pretty sure this little nook was designed for me

See? Perfect fit! 

Except the table was too small for everything I ordered.

Since I crossed continents to get to Costa, I did not shy away from pointing at every interesting thing on the menu. 

 Tuna with Sea Salt and Italian Vinegar Cucumber on Ciabatta

Melted Swiss Cheese with Mushrooms on Flatbread 

BBQ Pork Loin in Ham & Cheese Panini. I enjoyed this the most.

Do you see the extra layer of cheese on top of the bread?

Being the dessert monster that I am, I ordered double the amount of sweets, of course!

Freshly baked cookies: Belgian Chocolate Chip, Salted Caramel Chip, Oatmeal Raisin

The Sinful Cake, which, in my honest opinion, needed more wickedness.

I finished this light, sweet and creamy Oreo Cheesecake in no time. This was my favorite thing

 to bake when I was younger and every bite brought back happy childhood memories.

 The coffee at Costa will always be the star. My cappuccino was smooth and velvety.

 And the Flat White was one of the best ones I've had recently. The coffee melded seamlessly

with the milk yet retained the depth of flavor of the roast. 

Yes, I needed two cups to wash down the army of cookies and cakes.

I swear this poor guy lost a few pounds watching me eat! Hahaha!

Mark Shofield came all the way from London to train the Costa Philippines Team and I must say he 

did an excellent job. The service was warm and friendly, and my coffees perfectly balanced.

 Businesses don't make great coffee. People do.

I wholeheartedly agree!

The closest to London I can get for now… That is, until Costa Coffee opens its second branch

in Robinsons Manila this July 31. Finally, much closer to me!

Costa Coffee: Citywalk 1, Eastwood Mall, Quezon City

Costa Coffee Website
Costa Coffee Facebook Page
Instagram: @costacoffeeph

Kajitsuen 果実園 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

 I was actually getting lost inside the massive Tokyo Station when I walked by this fruit parlor. 

I have absolutely zero sense of direction, but my greatest discoveries are also those that 

I chance upon during times my inner GPS fails me.  

My family loves fruits, especially Japanese fruits, so I went in to see what I could buy 

to bring home with me on my flight later that day.

 Cherries were in season and look how perfect each one was! BUT OOOOPS!!!

Something else caught my attention.

CAKES!!!!!!

 MORE CAKES!!!!!!!!!!!

LOOK AT THESE TARTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

AND THESE, TOO!!!!!!!!!!! I was like a kid going crazy inside a candy store.

After pointing to my dessert of choice, I joined these fruit-loving locals at the table

 How about japanese peaches for table centerpiece?

My Strawberry Cake was ¾ the size of my face! 

It was also ¾ my body weight (haha, I wish!) but you get the point. 

It was VERY HEAVY.

Please take your time admiring it from all angles.

And this is why it was so heavy:

It was jam-packed with sweet and juicy strawberries. Oh, God!

The thin layer of cake was there only to hold the shape and 

the cream was merely to fill up the little pockets where 

more strawberries couldn't fit.

Down to the very last bite

What other people were having…

I am not a big fan of parfaits. Cakes are my poison and I will come back for every one of these on my next Tokyo trip:

 Grape Cake

Blueberry Cake 

Mixed Berries Cake

Mixed Berries Chocolate Cake!!!!!!!!

Try to go early because this was the situation when I left Kajitsuen at around noon.

For fruit and other fruit-related shopping, there is also another parlor called Takano (see my post here). They have a wider and more premium variety, but their desserts have got nothing on the cakes at Kajitsuen. 

Kajitsuen: Tokyo Station 1F Kitchen Street, 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan

Tel: +81 50 5869 7755