And if all else fails...

Round No. 20!

And if all else fails... if you're lacking the budget, the time and the imagination, just go and grab some cereal-energy-breakfast bars, it comes in many names so I used them all *lol*.  It's available everywhere, even in the nearby sari-sari store, it's super cheap, as in 5-6 pesos a bar and it comes in different varieties, flavors and brands.  If you're in for a quick fix, this is for you.

Anyway, 'it's the thought that counts', and just to be sure, I'll help you pray a little *lol*.

Toblerone Crunchy Almonds

Round No. 19!

Eto ang pinaka-aasam kong chocolate simula ng makita ko sya sa chocolate aisle ng isang grocery store.  Alam nyo naman na kakagaling ko lang from UTI, and imagine the horror of not getting any and the torture of waiting for that moment when I can have my hands and mouth on it (if green-minded ang babasa nito, iisipin iba ang sinasabi ko, hahaha) kaya naman nang sabihin ng doktor na I'm cleared na from pesky bacterias, woohoo, takbo agad ang lola nyo sa pinakamalapit na grocery kung saan available ang Toblerone Crunchy Almonds, actually, hindi ko nga alam na crunchy almonds ito eh, basta ang alam ko Toblerone blue at gustong-gusto ko sya matikman, as in kulang na lang mapanaginipan ko sya *lol*.

My husband's aunt was married to a Swiss and she's still in residence at the Alps (Switzerland), she had two children, one boy and one girl and last they visited they told us that Toblerone is pronounced as Tob-le-ro-ne and not Tob-le-ron.  Pa-sosyal pa kasi tayo magsalita, un naman pala ganun lang ka-simple un, galing noh, hahaha.

Swiss Classic Extra Fine White

Round No. 18!

I blogged about another Frey product a while back, the Classic Branche, so if you wanna learn a little something about the brand, just go and click the link coz I won't type all that stuff again, I'm not even up to typing this post eh *grins*.

i love this shot but i know it will feel a little awkward by itself as it doesn't have the green background that others had, so i decided to give it a partner *pointing below*

Extra Fine White (photo above) comes from the Swiss Premium collection and lined in the Swiss Classic (Frey's Chocolat Classic), other products include Extra Fine Milk, Extra Fine Dark, Whole Hazelnuts and Raisin and Nuts.

Dark Chocolate Rounds

Round No. 17!

Another chocolaty goodness from Marks and Spencer, I had blogged about the same (but slightly different) product, Milk Chocolate Rounds a week or two ago, so if you want to learn a bit more about the product, I suggest you visit that blog post, but because I am me, I think a disclaimer is in order, don't expect too much, you know, to prevent frustrations and unnecessary ill will towards the writer *grins*.

As per the packaging, it is a biscuit covered in luscious, dark chocolate.  The luscious part I inserted to give my sentence a bit more spice, hahaha.

See and read, more than 50% chocolate, and believe me it is sooo true.

Ferrero Rocher

Round No. 16!  A few more posts and I'm done *giddy with relief*.

I think everyone (earthlings and aliens alike *wink*) is familiar with Ferrero Rocher, the brand started on 1942 at Alba, Piedmont, Italy under the crafty hands of Pietro Ferrero.

The Rocher variety (photo below) came out in 1982 and was first launched in Europe.  The other Ferrero variants - Rondnoir (dark) and Prestige (Garden Coconut) was developed and marketed in the latter part of the decade.

Prevailing dream of the moment - to have a taste of Rondnoir and Prestige, pasasaan ba't mapapasakamay ko din ang mga iyan, kalma lang at dasal, hahaha...

Delicia Chocolate Truffles

Round No. 15!

I searched far and wide but I found none, as in nothing, nada, no relevant information whatsoever about these luscious babies, but pout not, as the lack of details would not hinder the joy, the pleasure that you'll experience in having Delicia's Chocolate Truffles.

Delicia is a product of Italy, as stated in the label and from what I've gathered from online-selling sites, a pack consist of two 450 ml. jars and priced at (more or less) $40.

Cadburry Fruit and Nut

Round No. 14!  A gift from Kuya Josel, thank you po!

Because of what I've learned yesterday about Lindt and Cadbury and Swiss and Brit peeps, I decided to have this *pretending to hold the chocs below and doing the classic game show hostess way of showing off their prizes*.  No comparison will be done, mind you, as I adore both brands and I wouldn't want either one to have a grudge on me *lol*.

If you dare ask a kid born in the middle to upper class families, what the color purple bring into mind, I am sure you'll get several Cadbury answers, Barney will top the list, of course *grins*.

Cadbury began in 1824 with John Cadburry opening a grocer's shop that sold cocoa and drinking chocolate in Birmingham, England.  From him manually making / mixing his chocolate concoctions using a mortar and pestle some 200 years ago, Cadbury is now a humongous company that cater to a worldwide chocolate-loving market.

Les Grandes 34% Noisettes

Round No. 13! My favorite number *wink*.

Lindt Les Grandes 34% Noisettes is a creamy milk chocolate bar infused with lots of whole hazelnuts, it was a treat from Switzerland, as always, courtesy of husband's ever dearest aunt, ehem more chocolates please ehem *lol*.

I did some web searching and I found out that what Lindt is to the Swiss, Cadbury is to the Brits!  Well, we Pinoys have Choc Nuts and Cloud 9, hurhur!

We finished the whole bar in approximately 5 minutes (maybe less), so that must say a big lot about how good it actually is, we might be chocolate maniacs but we're the picky kind *grins*.

Swiss Extra Fine Milk Chocolate

Round No. 12!

One of Marks and Spencer's finest, personally speaking of course *smiles*.

Described as extra fine Swiss milk chocolate with a touch of ground hazelnuts (as read in the packaging), what could I say, it really is extra fine *grins* and I was like in love with it the whole time we're gobbling it down.  It turned lukewarm after but I know that the feelings' still there which will be (instantly) rekindled the moment we meet again *lol*.

I don't have that much to say as I've already said everything I could about the brand in my last few / several posts, hurhur!

Tell you a secret though, what I really like about M&S chocolates is that it doesn't have any artificial flavoring and coloring, it kind of take some of the guilt in eating a whole bar in one seating, hurhur!

(Travelling) Toblerone

Round No. 11!

Are you some kinda curious about the title?  Well, look at the photo below and you'll know why *grins*.

Toblerone is the legendary triangular Swiss chocolate with honey and almond nougat, featured in this post is the milk chocolate variant.  As far as I know (seen), there are four kinds of Toblerone bars - milk chocolate (gold box), dark chocolate (black box), white chocolate (white box) and the fruits and nuts (blue or purple box).

Another loot from Mommy Nene, this one was specifically given to yours truly as she knows how much I adore Toblerone and chocolates in general, hence, the biggest chocolate bar went to me.  Winner!

Thorntons Fudge Milk Chocolate

Round No. 10!  Imagine that, I reached double digits and my chocolate series is still on *grins*.

When Lloydie went to London for a month (to visit her sister and her family), I got her to promise to bring me a Gap and an I <3 UK shirt which she both fulfilled, though she got me a different tourist-y shirt, a printed London Eye... wait, does that mean she still owes me an I love UK shirt *tongue out*?

But wait there's more *channeling Bosing Vic*, she also brought home some honest-to-goodness yummy chocolates - Thorntons, said to be  seen by the great British public as the ultimate chocolate treat on the UK high street.

Thorntons Milk Chocolate w/ Fudge

Thorntons opened its first shop more than a hundred years ago, 1911, under the skillful hands of Joseph William Thornton.  From a limited number of chocolate offerings, they now have a couple dozens of choices and cater to a bigger and wider market, they even have an online shop to give us none-Europe-based peeps the chance to indulge in their heavenly chocolates.

Merlion Chocs with Almond Nuts

Round No. 9!  

Another material from my stock file and another pasalubong, this time it came from a long time family friend, he was my brother's high school classmate who became a friend  and another son / brother to my family and I.  He used to be a sweet little big kid, now he's a sweet, rich, successful IT professional, and though I haven't said it, I never bothered to inflate his ego, not even once *grins* 'I am so proud of you!'

He went sight-seeing in Singapore with his girlfriend and because it was almost Christmas season when he went, he was forced to bring home something from Singapore, hold onto it for a while and then give it as Christmas gift later on *lol*.  Joke lang John Carlo, alam mo naman mahal ka namin kahit na di mo na kami madalas pasyalan, alam namin busy ka at di ka na masyado ma-reach, hahaha.

Milk chocolates filled with whole almonds and shaped like a Merlion, a classic token of a Singapore trip and my kind of pasalubong *grins*.

Milk Chocolate Rounds

Round No. 8!

Another sweet treat from Marks and Spencer inaptly named Milk Chocolate Rounds, it would have been better called as Milk Chocolate Flowers *lol*, it is described as shortcake biscuits fully coated in thick milk chocolate.  A pack (8 round / flower pieces) would cost you 325 pesos, yes I know, it's pretty expensive, but... as it comes from the shelves of M&S you shouldn't expect anything less *sneers like a true-blooded b!tch, er, like a woman bathe in richness*.

As you can read from the packaging, it is tagged as Extremely Chocolatey Milk Chocolate Rounds and it has More Chocolate Than Biscuit, both of which I can attest to.  The chocolate is love, as is usual with M&S's milk chocolates, I can't say much about the biscuit as it was overly coated with generous amount of chocolate goodness, I won't even know it's there if it wasn't mentioned in the label.

Classic Branche

Round No. 7!

Another luxe Swiss chocolate product, another pasalubong from Switzerland, another round of gastronomic applause and delight for us.

Frey's Classic Branche is mainly marketed for kids, as you can deduce from the box, but its taste and texture and its uncommon (big word *ala-Laida in It Takes a Man and a Woman*, hahaha) ability to just melt in your mouth and make you experience ecstasy in a bite is, absolutely, not just for kids.  I won't take that, I can't allow that, imagine what we'll miss.

Frey's began in Aarau, Switzerland in 1887 and currently hailed as the country's no. 1, well, their website tells me so *grins*.  Don't go arguing with me, I won't depend Frey's, I don't even get to enjoy it as much as I like, I might though, if they ever decided to send me boxes of complimentary (free, yey!) chocolates *grins*.

I don't think it's available in the local market but I've searched online and saw a few online shops who carries it in their line, just be sure to check the price and sched of delivery, if and when you decide to order.

By the way, Thank you ulit ng marami sa pagpapatikim sa amin nito Mommy Nene!

Swiss Chocolate Dark Mountain Bar

Round No. 6!

Another one from Marks and Spencer, not that I can afford to hoard M&S products, I was just lucky to received lots from people who love me, yes, I am that lovable *grins*.

Swiss Chocolate Dark Mountain Bar is described as extra fine Swiss dark chocolate with honey and almond nougat priced around 200 pesos and is available in all Marks and Spencer stores / boutiques.

Late Lunch at Dragon Chef

You already know how I am right? Like how I was / am always late at work, at life, and at posting on this blog.  How I love to procrastinate and do stuff that I can and supposed to do today at a later date.  You know, the me that you have learned to be patient with and love altogether.

Okay, now that we have settled that, I have a confession to make, this post was almost a year late, I was not supposed to tell but the last I visited Trinoma, Dragon Chef was gone, maybe I was mistaken, maybe it just transfer to another level or something, well I really hope it is the case because I wanna have a taste of their Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet with Lychee (photo below) again and a searched on the web shows that their one and only branch is the one at Trinoma *fingers crossed*.

Sweet & Sour Fish Fillet w/ Lychee

Dragon Chef is a joint venture of restaurateur Ricky Laudico and chef Florabel Co-Yatco that offers lots of delectable Chinese cuisines, add up the restaurants cozy and Once Upon A Time in China-ish ambiance and good serving staff and you'll get a dining experience to remember.

M & M's Limited Edition Peanut Chocolates

Round No. 5!

Another pasalubong from Mommy Nene, limited edition M&M's (with peanut), I think these cute little pastel-colored darlings came out last Easter, it's not fool-proof though, but with Yellow and Red showing off their bunny ears, I'll bet my whole month's salary that I'm spot on *grins*.

I don't think you'll find the same kind in the market in time for Valentine's Day but any other kind labeled as M&M's will surely have the same effect.  These brand of chocolates are more appropriate for kids and teens but mommies like me will definitely appreciate and delight in receiving one, too.

But I still prefer Twix, Mars, Milky Way or 3 Musketeers, actually anything with caramel I like better!  Paging husband, brother and friends... anyone?

Goldhase Lapinor (Gold Bunny)

Round No. 4!  

To selective few, this may come as a weird and not-so-in-season with Hearts Day chocolate gift but to others, it'll be one of the cutest chocolate gift ever.  Also, to the me, who is using stock file photos, choices are limited, hurhur!

Lindt is a world renowned Swiss chocolate brand which is base in Zurich but its products are readily available worldwide, here in the Philippines, you'll mostly find their brand in high-end supermarkets and groceries, imported food shops and in mall chocolate stations / kiosks / corner.

Photo above is one of the pasalubong we got from Mommy Nene, husband's aunt, in her recent voyage home, she's a resident and citizen of Switzerland but she makes it a point to visit her hometown (Malabon City) at least once a year.

Milk Chocolate Digestive Biscuits

Round No. 3!  Marks and Spencer's Milk Chocolate Digestives.

Digestive biscuit is sometimes described as a sweet-meal biscuit.  It is, actually, a semi-sweet biscuit (cookie) that originated in United Kingdom and is popular worldwide.  The term 'digestive' is derived from the belief that it has antacid properties due to use of sodium bicarbonate when it was first developed.

A pack cost more than a hundred pesos and is available in all Marks and Spencer stores / boutiques, a personal observation, I think the M&S management tend to stock more of this item as I never find it lacking in their shelves, ever.  I had blogged about the same product albeit a different variant a couple of years ago - the Dark Chocolate Digestive Biscuits.

Maestro Chocolates

Round No. 2!  

Times like this, I can't help but thank the good Lord for making me a procrastinator, as you can see I am reaping the fruits of my procrastination *lol*, even though my initial plan of gorging myself with chocolates and live to blog about it failed, I still have a huge backlog to help me through my Valentine series.  I love myself sometimes *lol*.

Elvan Maestro Chocolates in Caramel, Vanilla and Hazelnut

Maestro is a product of Elvan, an Istanbul-based chocolate company, I don't know much about it as Google failed to deliver needed details and information, yeah I'm blaming them *lol*.  I asked my brother for the price tag but he kept mum, so there's non of that too, but as it came from a cheapskate such as he, I'm sure it's not that expensive (I'm blaming my bro for the lack of price info).  Irritated with my post yet?  Kasi naman, you have to give me a chance to redeem myself before you decided to hack me into pieces, so here goes nothing.

Maestro Caramel is Compound Chocolates with Caramel Cream, the Vanilla variant is compound chocolates with vanilla cream and the Hazelnut variant is compound chocolate with hazelnut cream.  It's about 85% compound chocolate and 15% cream filling.  Verdict?

If the person you'll give chocolates to appreciate the thought better than the actual gift, I mean, if s/he is not a chocolate connoisseur or pretending to be one, go right ahead and pick a bar or three of Maestro up, if you're sort of short on the budget and you just want to pass Valentine's Day with your relationship still intact, a bar of Maestro will suffice, just add a few warm hugs and intimate kisses.  But if you have a choosy wife, girlfriend, lover, you better stay away, I suggest you stick with the regulars - Toblerone, Hershey's, Ferrero, etc.

Well, it's just me, what's bland for my taste may become a hit with yours, so if you have some money to spend, do give it a try, if it fails your expectations, charge it to experience *grins*.

M & S Jaffa Cakes

Even before the year change anew, I had already decided that I am going to do a series of chocolates / chocolate-related blog entries for the whole month of February as my way of celebrating Heart's Day here in Pud Blag ni Ako.  I even prepared a list of chocolates that I'll feature and when I'll do it but life doesn't always happen as we planned it to be, I suffered from tooth infection for two weeks (started a few days before Christmas, what a bummer) and then a couple of weeks later Urinary Tract Infection came and conquered my body, I'm still in the process of healing, and, saddest of the saddest news, chocolates' one of the food I shouldn't touch until I'm totally cleared of UTI *crying buckets of tears*.

I still plan on doing my series though, I just need to be a bit resourceful and you just need to bear with me *grins*.

Jaffa Cakes from Marks & Spencer is described (as you can see from the photo above) as golden sponge topped with tangy orange and half coated in dark chocolate.  A box cost a little more than 300 pesos and is available in most M&S shops / boutiques around the metro.

PIO's Lunar New Year Celebration

Our department (Public Information Office - Navotas) had our own lunar new year celebration, we even did ours prior to everyone else (Chinese or not), as Friday (Chinese New Year) was a holiday, we had our feast a day earlier, the last working day of January.

All of us decided to have lunch at the office to celebrate and, of course, to bond a little, with a hundred pesos per head contribution we were able to cook up a feast, not literally though, it was Kuya Josel's mother-in-law who did all the cooking and made our gastronomic fill possible.  Thank you po *channeling Chichay of G2B*, I'm a fan of the show, in case you care to know, hurhur!

Century Egg courtesy of Mickee

slabs of Lechon Kawali

Our Lunar New Year Feast

I sent my lunar new year greetings your way last Friday, January 31 with corresponding photos of us (son and me) and our simple feast.  I was kind of busy and not in the mood to blog so details of the said celebration is a bit delayed.

the round table, clockwise from top: pomelo&ponkan, oranges, chocolates, lettuce, pancit luglog, sweet&sour meatballs, siomai, camansi, tikoy, kikiam, bacon, relyenong bangus

relyenong bangus

Whole fish is a must in new year celebrations, I bought relyenong bangus as I, quite recently, learned to appreciate its taste, and sans the usual steamed ones.  I don't generally eat fish, so me loving relyeno at the moment is a welcome change in my family.