Category: Food

Max’s introduces treats to beat the summer heat

I believe I have a lifelong affair with Max’s.

Okay, that might not sound right, but am sure you know which Max I am talking about–the restaurant, of course.

And indeed I have. From my parents’ wedding reception, the studio recital of my voice and piano students, my daughter’s baptism, reunions, meetings, or any time of the day eating, these all turn to special when we are at Max’s.

And they want you to experience the same through their special summer treats!

There’s heat quenchers, free food for kids, new products and discounted bread items.

Read more HERE:

Rice bowls: complete meal in one bowl. From Mondays to Thursdays, families craving for a hearty lunch or dinner after a long day at work and school can enjoy Max’s Rice Bowls with a free scoop of Selecta Ice Cream starting only at PHP149.

Rice pa more: unlirice!
If you’re more of a Meal Deal type of family, you can also top up with Rice All You Can by adding PHP50 to a Real Deal/Family of 5 meal of PHP100 for a Family of 10 meal.

Halu-halo ALL YOU CAN AND WANT! Looking for a merienda treat to cool you off? Or a place where you can hang out with family, friends, and coworkers while cooling down? From March 23 to 31, customers can get unlimited regular Halo-Halo at Max’s for only PHP 189 every day from 2:00-6:00 p.m.

Kids eat FOR FREE! Make the weekend extra special and troop to Max’s with the family, where kids aged 10 and below can enjoy a free Kiddie Meal, which comes with 1 pc. of Max’s classic Fried Chicken, rice, pasta, sago’t gulaman, and a caramel bar.


Take home treats with a discount. Want to make that weekend feeling last just a little bit longer? Parents looking to take a piece of Max’s home can also enjoy 25% off of Max’s Corner Bakery products from 5:00 p.m. onwards. With a minimum purchase of PHP150, the first 50 customers can avail of the discount on all of Max’s Corner Bakery products.

“Filipinos want to make the most of summer and make it a time to create new memories, so we wanted to make this summer extra special for every Filipino family, every day of the week” said Max’s Restaurant Chief Operating Officer Paolo Serrano. “No matter who you’re with or what day of the week you come in, we’ll make your summer dining experience one to remember with these summer delights.”
This summer, fill your family time with care, love, and hearty, comforting food with Max’s summer treats. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/maxsrestaurant.

Avail one, or all! Visit your nearest branch today. Some offers come for a limited time only, so make sure to catch them, else they’ll soon be gone.

Thanks to Max’s Restaurant and Mommy Bloggers Philippines for inviting us for lunch last week to taste all the new and yummy treats.

Taste test your fave resto through Maya Kitchen Top Eats

I am (kinda) back to the blogging grind!

It was a busy last quarter of 2016 and beginning of 2017 for me (you know why!), so here I am doing what a dutiful blogger should do–attend events and write about them. So, here goes!

Comfort food. Those were the best two words I have heard (and tasted) that rainy afternoon. Four dishes were presented via a cooking demonstration called Top Eats at The Maya Kitchen. The dishes presented were best sellers of Come Forth Kitchen, a new restaurant in the heart of busy Makati City.

I actually liked the concept of Top Eats. It’s like having a taste test first of the restaurant while you get to know how their dishes are prepared as well.

For this demo, four best sellers were presented by Chefs Albert and Rowena of Come Forth Kitchen: Tinapa Caesar Salad, Come Forth Pulpog, Malunggay Basil Pesto with Chicken Pasta, Longganisa Pizza.

And yes, here are snippets of the event…in 3…2…1!

A post shared by Em Alcantara (@touringkitty) on

I would definitely give the resto a visit soon to try out more of their comfort food. Everything I tasted that afternoon was great, and it was just a small sampling. Not only that, because it was a cooking demo, I will be able to try out these dishes on my own home.

The Maya Kitchen presents Top Eats with a new featured restaurant next month. Visit www.themayakitchen.com to know more about their latest class offerings.

Visit www.facebook.com/comeforthkitchen to know more about this month’s featured restaurant.

Masflex Cookware: Celebrating 25 years For the Love of Cooking

The Masflex brand recently celebrated 25 years in the Philippines.

I received an invitation to join Masflex’s celebrations, and it was an afternoon filled with food, cooking, and some surprises.

Products were displayed all over the venue. I was seated near the cookware displays, so I took this video:

A video posted by Em Alcantara (@touringkitty) on

What best way to showcase Masflex’s products than to try them yourself! We were given a chance to do some Pancake Art (which, I think, I didn’t fare well, haha, so much for the non-visual artist musician!).

Pancake Art

This was actually a contest of the best pancake art, and the winners did really pretty designs!

And, live cooking demo, of course! Masflex also introduced its newest Brand Ambassador, Nancy Reyes Lumen. Who else but the Adobo Queen can show off Masflex Cookware’s versatility through her cooking!

Ms. Nancy Reyes - Lumen (Brand Ambassador together with the Host, Mr. Hiren Mirchandani - VP for Marketing
Ms. Nancy Reyes – Lumen (Brand Ambassador together with the Host, Mr. Hiren Mirchandani – VP for Marketing

Ms. Nancy showed us three recipes – Adobo sa Beer, Kinulob, and Bibingka Crepe. She even showed a bonus recipe, called Rodrigo’s Roast, which became timely then because of the name of the new Philippine President.

Adobo sa Beer
Adobo sa Beer.

Kinulob
Kinulob.

Bibingka Ube Crepe Cake
Bibingka Ube Crepe Cake.

She invited guests to be “chef of the day” who assisted her in her cooking of each dish.

Chef Jaja, who is also an art teacher, assisted us in the Pancake Art area.

At the end of the program, the big box onstage filled with Masflex items were won by one lucky guest! 

Awarding of Grand Raffle

Before marriage, I wasn’t that keen on my cookware. What we have at home, we use. But now that I have my own family to cook for and feed, I was checking on the brands of my cookware, ensuring they are of high quality and will last for a long time. I think I’ve found where to invest my money on for cookware and kitchenware.

We are on the process of shifting into induction cooking, which some of my friends say, is more cost efficient and safe considering we live in a condo unit. Gotta change cookware as well, and I know which ones to get from the Masflex line.

Congratulations, Masflex Cookware!

Before I end, a final photo:

Touringkitty with Mr. Mirchandani and Ms. Reyes Lumen for a final photo op. I was so shy to come up onstage at first but I did, and even introduced myself to Ms. Nancy whom I first met during the Teresa production of their Alma Mater, St. Theresas College last year.

All photos supplied by Masflex.

Website: www.masflex.com.ph
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/MasflexCookware
YouTube channel: MasflexCookware

~ Touringkitty

Magnolia Ice Cream + MaiChard: Pinasarap ng Tamang Panahon

It’s extremely and terribly hot these days! Just makes me want to jump in a pool or stay indoors with my AC in high cool temp.

Makes me want to scream, “Ice Cream!!!”

During Holy Week, I got a timely invitation from Magnolia Ice Cream to taste their newest Best of the Philippines Collection flavours. Such a great break from the intense heat that day!

image

image

image

image
The very accommodating Elmer Villasanta, product head of Magnolia Ice Cream, talked about their newest products and campaign.
*8

The three new flavours are Banoffee Pie, Mango Salted Caramel, and Strawberry Crumble Pie. Sounds like desserts, right? Because the names were taken from cakes and dessert flavours. Likewise, the main fruit ingredients are summer fruits–bananas, mangoes, and strawberries, all refreshing in this summer heat.

As you can see, Magnolia had us taste all three flavours in one sitting, giving out a serving of two scoops each one after the other, while the flavours were introduced. It was the first time for me to eat that much ice cream! I wasn’t able to finish each glass though but they all tasted so good and rich.

And the endorsers of these new flavours were introduced to us. And they’re no strangers to the guests who came in the intimate event, because they belong to different fan clubs of the endorsers. No less than the Phenomenal Love Team, Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza.

image
Larger than life: Alden and Maine standees in lieu of the real thing. Close enough!

Fans of Alden, fans of Maine, and fans of their love team had this opportunity to get to mingle for the love of Aldub and ice cream. It was nice to learn how passionate these people are in supporting their idols, who were handpicked by Magnolia to endorse their new product offering. Who else could best spread the news but their fans themselves!

image
Alden and Maine fans flocked Magnolia's office for the tasting.

We also got a pre-launch viewing of the newest Magnolia commercial featuring Alden and Maine, to the delight (and kilig) of the guests. Click this link to watch the commercial.

And if these were not enough, Magnolia extended the ice cream treat to our families by giving us free samples of these three flavours! Plus, they thought of the little ones at home and threw in some popsicles for them.

I actually was able to buy another tub of Strawberry Crumble Pie just recently, and the family finished it in just a couple of days! The big tubs (they only sell in one size) are really meant to be shared with the whole family.

Thank you so much for that yummy and wonderful afternoon, Magnolia Ice Cream!

Do watch out for more from Alden and Maine for Magnolia, and watch out for exciting promos from our favourite ice cream!

If you want to win autographed mini standees, here’s your chance!

image

1. Follow @magnolia_icph on Twitter.
2. Watch out for the questions from Quiz Masters Alden and Maine.
3. Tweet the correct answer with the hashtag #MagnoliaIceCreamisALDUBest
4. First to tweet the correct answer wins!

Touringkitty Cooks: Dump-it-all Tuna Mushroom Pasta

Cooking at home takes up most of my mornings (or evenings). I usually spend 95% of my kitchen time in preparing the food, then 5% goes to the actual eating.

But with my often busy schedule, I would rather rely on eating out, taking home food, or food delivery. Less effort, but often with more cost.

What to do, then?

Chopped up veggies are my best friend nowadays. No more tedious cutting, just open the pack and voila, your ingredients are ready!

My kitchen buddy, all chopped up!
My kitchen buddy, all chopped up!

And here’s a recipe my daughter and I love the most. No cutting or measuring needed. Just DUMP-IT-ALL!

DUMP-IT-ALL TUNA MUSHROOM PASTA

Ingredients:

1 250g pack Pasta Spirals (you may also use Penne, Macaroni, or Vegeroni for added colour)

1 small can Tuna in Light Oil, drained

1 can Jolly Mushroom Pieces and Stems

Half bar of cheese slices (the more, the cheesier!)

Olive oil

Salt to taste

 

Procedure:

1. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain.

2. In the same pot, add some olive oil. Then dump all the ingredients together!

3. Mix, mix, mix. Cook for about 5 minutes. Then…

Dump-it-all Tuna Mushroom Pasta. Done in less than 20 minutes!
Voila! Dump-it-all Tuna Mushroom Pasta. Done in less than 20 minutes!

This has proven to be a no-fail recipe for my daughter. She loves this dish and I like it too because it is a complete meal in itself–carbs, veggies, and protein all in one bowl.

 

How about you, how do you #makeitjolly in your kitchen?

 

~ Touringkitty

Gardenia Bakeries Plant Tour

Just as Mother’s month is about to end, some mommies and kids of Mommy Bloggers Philippines were treated to a fun-filled and tummy-filled half-day in a bread factory in Laguna.

If you’ve been following me on Instagram (you haven’t follow me now! @touringkitty), you’d see my breakfast posts with Gardenia bread. I even took a photo of the truck in Singapore!

Here it is! A Gardenia truck in Singapore.
Here it is! A Gardenia truck in Singapore.

Late #breakfast with our own mugs of warm drinks. #saturday #famfun #weekend

A photo posted by Em Alcantara (@touringkitty) on

Gardenia Philippines, makers of our beloved breakfast/all-day bread, brought us over to their facility in Biñan, Laguna (South of Manila) for a plant tour, and a short program to celebrate Super Moms. And oh, how they knew what would make these moms (and kids) super happy!

Look at that silly kid!
Happy moms with their happy kids. But, look at my silly kid! (Disclaimer: it’s just a photo wall, don’t worry! Some thought already that these loaves are true!)

First, a tourist bus picked us up in the city. So, I had to wake up my little bunny really early. She’s been waiting for this all month! She loves Gardenia. We all love it!

Aria and Touringkitty on the bus along EDSA.
Aria and Touringkitty on the bus along EDSA.

Upon arrival in the facility, we were welcomed by their staff with what else but bread! They served us Mexican Tuna pandesal.

And some juice. And the day was just filled with...bread! Lots of it. Lots of yummy bread!
And some juice. And the day was just filled with…bread! Lots of it. Lots of yummy bread!

Then we watched an AVP of the facility. My kid was fascinated by Gardee, the mascot! The mascot she remembers well because it danced with them on their presentation for a restaurant’s workshop graduation program.

You made Mommy super duper proud, little girl! 🙂 #Ariadne #yoshinoya #yoshikido #graduation

A photo posted by Em Alcantara (@touringkitty) on

Now off to the plant tour! We walked through what they called the 6K Catwalk. Found out that the name is such because the facility can produce 6,000 loaves of white bread in one hour. And look, Ma, no hands! How cool could that be!

And because it's a tour, there should be a tour guide. Here's Quennie, one of their friendly plant tour guides.
And because it’s a tour, there should be a tour guide. Here’s Quennie, one of their friendly plant tour guides.

Tour guide, Quennie, said that there are about only 20 people in that facility who do spot check and quality control. The breads remain untouched by human hands. She also mentioned that the entire process from mixing to packing usually takes six hours. The facility operates all day long with shifting hours. This is so they could produce all those 650,000 loaves per day that goes to dining tables in the whole country!

After that high-tech plant tour, we went back to their conference room for some activities. The kids were taught to create a simple Refrigerator Cake by their in-house nutritionist. They even gave out the aprons as souvenirs!

Say, GARDENIA!!
Say, GARDENIA!!

They also created a dessert/hors d’oeuvre table, all made with bread! Proving that Gardenia can go with any palaman–sweet or savory–or without any palaman at all!

Such a great table set up, and all were yum!
Such a great table set up, and all were yum!

Thank you very much, Gardenia Philippines, for the wonderful treat! All moms had a great bonding time with our children. My kid said she had fun meeting other mommy blogger kids as well.

My kid and I had fun! We all love Gardenia in the family.
My kid and I had fun! We all love Gardenia in the family.

Great news, because you can visit this high-quality facility for FREE! My friends are I are already planning our trip in the coming months.

DROP by for a FREE Plant Tour!Indulge and enjoy goodness of Gardenia breads. Baked untouched by human hands!Bring…

Posted by Gardenia Philippines on Thursday, May 28, 2015

More photos of our tour in the Gardenia Facebook Page.

~ Touringkitty

FoodPandaPH: Fast, fresh, favorite foods in your fingertips

Being condominium dwellers ourselves, food delivery is the next best thing to making our own food. Apart from the usual fast food delivery services, we always seek restaurants which delivery home-loved freshly cooked foods.

Good thing there’s Food Panda!

 

Food Panda Website

 

You can order through their hotline, but Mommy Bloggers Philippines had their members try this service online. So, they gave us vouchers!

It took me quite a while to choose a restaurant, because (1) not all stores deliver in your location and (2) not all stores accept vouchers. Luckily, one store does, Gerry’s Grill in Macapagal Avenue!

Ordering online was easy:

1. Choose your location.

2. Choose the restaurant that delivers to your location.

3. Place your orders. The cart will prompt you whether you have reached their minimum order bill. Check out what I got:

fpgerrys2
They accept vouchers, and has a small delivery fee!

4. For the remainder of the amount, I paid it upon delivery.

Fresh food at our doorstep! Gerry's Grill Chopsuey and Crispy Squidheads.
Fresh food at our doorstep! Gerry’s Grill Chopsuey and Crispy Squidheads.

How would I describe their service?

Fast. Well, it really could have been faster if it were not a busy season like today was. It took the order about an hour and a half.

Fresh. Steaming hot, fresh food right at your doorstep, order placed with a touch of your fingertips (they have a phone application as well).

Favorite. Some of my favorite brands all in one place, without searching or memorizing all those hotlines. Here’s proof:

I ordered Yellow Cab last week. Unfortunately the vouchers were not accepted for this restaurant.
I ordered Yellow Cab last week. Unfortunately the vouchers were not accepted for this restaurant.

How could Food Panda be improved?

1. Vouchers should be accepted in all restaurants. They could be given as gifts, too!

2. More branches so that more restaurants can deliver to a wider location.

3. They should feed back 15 minutes after a customer has not received confirmation. I emailed them 30 minutes after placing my order because I did not receive any confirmation yet, but they were quick to reply.

 

Overall, it is a good service, so you should try it out as well.

FROZEN at Movie Stars Cafe

Last month, we visited Movie Stars Cafe for the third time. Yup, three times already!

And why would we not? We heard Frozen is already showing on the Restaurant with a Show, or a Show with a Restaurant!

Frozen the Musical on Movie Stars Cafe! Not to be missed this cold Christmas season!
Frozen the Musical on Movie Stars Cafe! Not to be missed this cold Christmas season!

Curtain Call. Yes, that's Geoff Taylor as Hans.
Curtain Call. Yes, that’s Geoff Taylor as Hans.

With my Frozen fanatic.
With my Frozen fanatic.

Also caught Barbie show. Dancing girls with colourful hair.
Also caught Barbie show. Dancing girls with colourful hair.

Visit Movie Stars Cafe soon!
Visit Movie Stars Cafe soon!

And what’s even greater, Touringkitty is giving 10% off your food and drinks! Don’t forget to RESERVE SEATS via www.moviestarscafe.com and as you bill out, mention my special code, LGRK-5489. Check out their Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/moviestarscafe or call them ahead to know which shows are showing.

See you at the Cafe!

 

~ Touringkitty

PRESS RELEASE: Bierra Paluto Restaurant: An extraordinary Dining Experience

From the moment you walk through our door, you can expect a warm welcome, lively atmosphere and a burst of exquisite flavors. Take a look and you’ll find a host of authentic features, the freshest ingredients and mouth-watering delicacies that capture the very essence of all things Filipino in Tex Mex Style. Put all of these together and you’ve got a vibrant and laid-back fiesta feeling that Bierra has become famous for. So sit back, relax and enjoy as Bierra takes ordinary dining into an extraordinary experience.

Bierra’s extraordinary experience will take you to a good food experience that no other Paluto Restaurant can do. Bierra’s must try dishes are the following: Buttered Shrimp with Garlic is sumptuous and very buttery with a hint of garlic. Sinigang sa Misong Tanigue will surely make your day, the soup is not too sour and the fish is very delectable. And last but not the least for their must try food is Sizzling Gambas has a lot of flavor and spiciness that you will ask for it every time you go to Bierra.

The Bierra’s menu boasts a wide variety of delicacies of seafood, chicken and meat. To excite your appetite, here is a glimpse of what’s in store at Bierra:

Seafood:

Calamares, Buttered Shrimp with Garlic, Baked Tahong with Cheese, Sizzling Tanigue Steak, Prawn in Chili Sauce, Sinigang sa Miso, Halaan Soup and Ginataang Kuhol.

10833861_315284585344747_81729394_n
A Seafood Feast

Chicken:

Sizzling Chicken, Tinolang Manok, Buttered Chicken and Fried Chicken

Meat (Beef / Pork):

Sinigang na Baboy, Pork Adobo and Ihaw Marinated BBQ.

Veggies:

Adobong KangKong, Chopsuey, Ensaladang Lato and Ensaladang Mangga.

 

manggaatbagoong
Filipino delights Mangga at Bagoong

Bierra’s décor is engaging and have earth hues, it has Mexican feel and ambiance, but truly Filipino in taste. They have a nice wooden glass door, 4 wall light fixtures. The dining room can seat 100 plus people and they accommodate Baptism, Company Christmas Party, Debut and other occasions.

dirtynachos

They also have Live bands, Acoustic Nights, Stand Up Comedian, Videoke Nights and Rock Bands.

It’s all here waiting for you at Bierra Paluto Restaurant!

Bierra Paluto Restaurant is located at Unit 105 Seaside sa Ortigas, Brgy. Ugong, Pasig City is

open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. Street parking and public lots are readily

available. Visit the restaurant on their Facebook Page, facebook.com/BierraPalutoRestaurant. For

reservations, please call (650)367.7974.

Date Night: Wafu and Kilyawan@20

Last Saturday, my husband and I celebrated six years of marriage. And he started the day with these lovelies:

Flowers to start our sixth wedding anniversary! #love #schatzi @tonalcantara

For months, we’ve been talking about how to celebrate. Should we eat out? Watch a movie, a concert? Do we bring our daughter with us? Do we leave her with my mom and sister?

So, we finally decided on having lunch together with our little girl and brought her back home where my mom and sister will take care of her. The Schatzis were off to another date night: at Music Museum!

We rarely had official date nights. The last probably was this one, which I also blogged about. And it was last January! And we watched a concert as well, featuring my colleagues from the UP College of Music, and our Ninong Mark Carpio, who was also part of the Kilyawan@20 concert.

It’s safe to say that my husband and I bond well all these years because of food and music.

Dinner stop: Wafu in Greenhills

As we arrived Greenhills really early, we decided to look for something to eat. A light meal would do. The few minutes of walking around brought us to Wafu for some Japanese cuisine. We had these:

Wafu Salmon Sashimi. Fresh and yummy.
Wafu Salmon Sashimi. Fresh and yummy.

California Roll. Just enough to fill our tummy.
California Roll. Just enough to fill our tummy.

What's Japanese without Ramen? We split into two so we both got just enough.
What’s Japanese without Ramen? We split into two so we both got just enough.

And for these three, our bill was only less than P800! Pretty good deal. Must note, though, that prices do not include service charge and local tax. The less than P800 included them both already. The first two dishes were smaller servings, thus, priced less.

My view. The restaurant has high ceiling. I heard there's Teppanyaki. Must try soon!
My view. The restaurant has a high ceiling (which I really like). I heard there’s Teppanyaki. Must try soon!

Now, off to the main event: Kilyawan’s 20th Anniversary Concert!

Kilyawan poster

My husband and I were in for a treat–pure a cappella goodness, not just a cappella, but popular music, beat boxing, microphones, sung by seven fine gentlemen with amazing voices and a great repertoire. You’d be thinking if they do this regularly. Well, they used to, but now, unfortunately, not anymore.

These seven were originally part of the Kilyawan Boys Choir, which started 20 years ago as Claret Boys Choir. These used-to-be boy sopranos have staged concerts and won important competitions both here and abroad.

Their conductor, Mark Carpio (yes, the choirmaster of the Madz, no less!) actually SANG in the concert (save for one song he conducted with the Kilyawan Male Choir). And for those who missed it, his solo of “Time Will Reveal” brought the house down!

Their repertoire included mostly pop songs. Older songs include Nearness of you, Shout, Change the world, Moondance (Buble fan here, and Sir Mark sang the solo!), as well as newer songs like This Love, the Madagascar theme song Move it, and OPM hits Kapag Tumibok and Puso and Bakit Ngayon ka lang and Christmas songs, too. The other choirs of the Consortium of Voices–Kilyawan Male Choir and Voces Aurorae also performed that night.

To think they’ve not sung as a group for quite some time, they did an amazing job. This same group won the Category Prize back in 2008, for the Popcappella Category of the World Choir Games in Austria. And who would have thought, these used to be boy sopranos are now successful professionals and family men.

Definitely the star of the show, Ninong Mark! We've been telling him to sing more. Looking forward to the next!
Definitely the star of the show, Ninong Mark! We’ve been telling him to sing more. Looking forward to the next!

Some Madz members watched as well, supporting our Choirmaster.
Some Madz members watched as well, supporting our Choirmaster.

More photos can be found in this link, story and snippets by Nicco Valenzuela.

To the Kilyawan core group (ER, Rhett, Rem, Jaymee–who definitely brought most of the comic relief!, Dado, Punky, and Sir Mark), and to the Consortium of Voices, congratulations for 20 years of wonderful music. You are an inspiration to many, including our own choir, who is always in awe when we get to sing together during Madz et al performances. Big congratulations also to Teacher Hazel Copiaco, the group’s manager, who’ve been the group’s second mother all those 20 years! We wish you many more years of music (and hopefully, a repeat of this concert!).

And to the love of my life, thank you for saying yes to watch this! Thank you for the love, thoughtfulness, kindness, and respect you always show and selflessly give all these years. Ariadne and I treasure you so much! Looking forward to many more blissful years together with our little one (and the future little ones God will give us).

 

~ Touringkitty