SOUL SEARCHING: THE BEST CAFE MOKA IS AT PAUL

Who can resist a dessert? In my opinion, a meal is not a meal without a dessert. It typically concludes a meal, paired with a great coffee or…? well I am a little biased with tea, as I am not really a tea drinker so I will not include it in my list but let's say a hot chocolate perhaps? COFFEE or HOT CHOCOLATE? I LOVE THEM BOTH! I usually order them when the waiter ask me, coffee or hot chocolate ma'am ? It's sooooo mind bugling wasting the cells in my brain to decide which one is the best so I just say I'll have them BOTH. Coffee AND Hot Chocolate.

                                                                COFFEE

OR

HOT CHOCOLATE?

While walking around SM AURA, I happen to end up having dessert at PAUL. YES you heard me right, they have PAUL BOULANGERIE already in MANILA. No I am not talking about in PARIS, but in MANILA.

         

PAUL BRANCH in PARIS

PAUL BRANCH IN SM AURA MANILA

 I remember whenever I have a flight to PARIS I always buy their COCO FLAN before riding the TRAIN (GEEZ I hate riding trains).

But going back to PAUL, some rich guy brought it to Manila named BEN CHAN. He franchised it from PARIS and brought it all the way to MANILA.

BEN CHAN

PAUL is always packed but there is always a seat available for everyone. I went here twice already and it's always the same story.

I sat in a little nook just beside the window which is always my favorite spot so I can have a better view outside the window and observe people's behavior while I talk about them with my mom. haha!

I ordered the usual COCO FLAN which is what I usually order back in PARIS and……and here is where the mind boggling starts.. to have COFFEE or HOT CHOCOLATE????

I observed in their open kitchen, that their hot chocolate seems very dark and thick, just like how I want it. AND IT DOESN'T seem POWDERED!!!

While at the same time, I always want a coffee every after meal, so the kind waiter told me why not try our CAFE MOKA? A mixture of coffee and our version of hot, dark and semi sweet chocolate. I gave it a go.

The drink was like made in Heaven. I've never had this perfect cup in years. Its semi sweet, little bitter but creamy and extremely delicious combination of hot chocolate and coffee. I tried making them at home but the taste is not the same.

I came back again at PAUL to have lunch and got intrigued with THE CROQUE MADAME PHP 420 which consists of farmer's ham, Emmental cheese, cream, pain de mie topped with a fried egg.

I am vegetarian so i asked the waiter to remove the farmers ham and put mushrooms instead. I got what I requested. Of course my order won't be complete without my CAFE MOKA.

My cravings were satisfied and I can't wait to go back to PAUL and RAMEN NAGI again and again. And I encourage you to try it as well as my SOUL SEARCHING for food was deeply satisfied.

Till next time!

SOUL SEARCHING INCLUDES EATING GREAT FOOD

I jump from places to places around the world and landed just where my heart is and that is in MANILA…I heard there is a new mall open, a bit upscale than usual which is at SM AURA THE FORT. Of course I came there to find great restaurants that I can include in my different phases of SOUL SEARCHING. I happened to crave for some RAMEN which seems to be the latest craze in MANILA.

People have been talking about RAMEN NAGI which is said to be hailed as the best RAMEN version in TOKYO JAPAN. Rumor has it, that RAMEN NAGI also have a branch in HONG KONG which is known as BUTAO where people line up for hours just to get a taste of their RAMEN.

Well lucky for me, I don't need to go to HONG KONG or JAPAN to try this RAMEN PLACE as it is already in the comfort of my own home MANILA VANILLA. =)

I've always been fond of creamy and rich ramen, and I've heard (again rumor has it) that they do have a squid ink RAMEN at RAMEN NAGI. So I was dying to try it.

The waiters were very attentive, and explained to me in detail the kind of RAMENS that they have, their restaurant history and future branches as well. I was impressed, the waiter were very informative and the place was clean as well.

Well of course I will try the BLACK KING (kuroo) Ramen which is made of squid ink plus pork toppings. I DONT LIKE PORK, so I requested the waiter to have NO PORK PLEASE ramen. And they were kind enough to just put it on the side (just in case I change my mind).

My mom (which is my food buddy) ordered THE RED KING (Akao) RAMEN which is their version of spicy yet creamy RAMEN with PORK of course.

The waiter will give you a paper to fill out, how you want your RAMEN, If you want the noodle to be AL DENTE or Soft? etc… what kind of vegetable to put, either cabbage or spring onions?

I like my noodle to be al dente and my soup to be extra rich.

I like their idea where they let their customers have control of how they like their RAMEN, because different people have different taste and preference. Always a WIN/WIN choice to ask them.

I made the right decision of not putting the pork meat, as the pork meat was too salty which if mixed inside the RAMEN makes the taste salty as well.

My mom complained later on, the saltiness of her RAMEN and later found out because of the pork meat.

Per table there was a pitcher of cold tea for free. Enjoy it with your RAMEN.

They have some condiments on the table that you can have. Some extra Garlic or some BEAN SPROUTS that taste like soaked in kimchi sauce. The waiter told me its better to eat the bean sprouts on the side, and not to mix it with the RAMEN just because it taste better.

I took his suggestion well and enjoyed the Bean Sprouts so much, the waiters kept on refilling their condiments until I get full. EXCELLENT SERVICE, I must say.

I'm a lover of eggs so I ordered a TAMAGO (egg) (extra 50 PHP) to put on top of my RAMEN.
BEAUTIFUL TASTE!

A very delicious and satisfying lunch.

They don't serve dessert and my SOUL SEARCHING for food is not complete without a great coffee plus yummy dessert..

So I walked again around SM AURA and saw another delicious discovery that will make me want to come back again and again.

 CHECK OUT MY NEXT FOOD BLOG: SOUL SEARCHING PART 2: EATING GREAT DESSERTS PLUS COFFEE

Early Bird Breakfast Club

What an awesome way to start your day with a nice jog around THE FORT area. You can bike, you can jog or even rollerblade without the worry of so much pollution all around you.

But after 1 hour of endless jogging, biking or rollerblading, you have the sudden urge to eat breakfast although it is no longer breakfast time as it is 5 pm already. Where do you go?

Breakfast foods are no longer limited for breakfast, head down to one of my favorite restaurant, The Early Bird Breakfast Club. They serve not just breakfast foods but they put excellent presentation as well.
The Vision of the restaurant is to give high satisfying meals to people that will start or re-start their day right no matter what time their day start.

Created in 2012 by group of friends who loves breakfast foods. This restaurant was opened January 2013.

Armed by Chef Mattew Lim, a Filipino Chinese chef whose expertise is Filipino breakfast and Chef Mattew Bates , a British chef specializing in Western European breakfast.

They bring art into the ordinary.

Champorado made into a Yin yang?

I brought my dog along with me, and the manager gently stopped me. She asked, let me call my boss ma'am as dogs are not allowed here usually especially if they are not inside a stroller.

I pleasantly waited and finally allowed my dog inside even just on a leash.

Looking for a restaurant who can allow my little boy!

We sat down on a corner table and the place is quite small but cozy with high ceiling. They have free wifi. The waiters were very attentive to their customers needs.

I started with a yin yang champorado and Puto bumbong pancakes. I love it. These 2 dishes are a must try when you go there.

Yin yang Champorado

Puto bumbong pancakes

I tried the butter beer as my drink and it was excellent. It taste like root beer float to be honest. (There is no beer in it mind you)

We tried a few best seller dishes which are:

The Early Bird full English cost 495 pesos
  1 English banger, 2 strips of bacon, mushrooms, ripe grilled tomatoes, 2 scramble eggs, early bird hash potatoes, baked beans and a choice of either 2 pieces of fried bread or 2 pieces of toast.

 

                It taste okay, pretty mediocre but
                     good enough to share for 2.

Ultimate Grilled Cheese with roasted Tomato soup 295pesos.  a must try!

I love the taste of the tomato soup. It's thick and semi sweet with sour cream. Perfect combination with the grilled cheese sandwhich that is a combination of cheddar, mozzarella and gruyere.

Breakfast Sausage Tart 285 pesos


A combination of Sausage, egg, bacon, mushrooms and ripe tomatoes with a tomato and pepper salsa

For a simpler choice go for:

THE EARLY BIRD TOAST
 
   A 2 sunny side up eggs inside 2 toasts.

Simply good

For drinks a must try are the 

BUTTER BEER

And the NUTELLA HOT CHOCOLATE 

So if you are nuts about breakfast, try The Early Breakfast Club! It will be worth your visit.

Unit C, Ground Floor, Fort Pointe 2 Bldg. The Fort Complex, 28th street, Bonifacio Global City

Tel. +632 4708847
Operating Hours: Sunday to Thursday 7am to 12pm
Friday and Saturday: open 24 hours

Best After Golf Activity..DRINKING

Happy 2014 everyone! I am sure everyone had a great holiday break and not to mention a great holiday food trip! But I want to know, now that holiday is over, what do you do to lose the extra budge? Are you fond of exercise? Do you go on diet? A great detox perhaps?

For me I go for my yearly golf game with my Aunt Cora. Every January, the first month of the year we always play golf in the Philippines.  Yes a good 4 hour walk in the golf course is my idea of perfect relaxation.

But after 4 hours of walking under the sun you will feel dehydrated...not to mention very hungry. The last thing you want to talk about is dieting or detoxing.
 So let's not talk about being healthy today as I have some drink suggestions for you.

I have enlisted my best post golf drink for "dehydrated" individuals. This can be applied in any sport as well.

Beer - some say adults only play golf because it is nice to drink beer in the golf course.  I couldn't agree more.  Beer has this magic that taste so good when you are tired.

My 2 favorite beer suggestions are:

                        Hoegaarden

                     

Known as the original Belgian wheat beer. It's refreshing, with spicy coriander taste and curacao orange peel with a surprisingly smooth taste.  A MUST TRY!

Cerveza Negra

A full bodied dark lager made in the Philippines with a rich caramel flavor with the right balance of sweetness and bitterness with a creamy, frothy head. I compared the taste of Guinness beer vs Cerveza Negra and Cerveza Negra taste so much better for the reason that it is not bitter but more of caramel taste.

My Best Cocktail Bet after golf:

Gin and Tonic

Classic, easy and light. A very refreshing drink indeed after a hot afternoon of golf. The best Gin and Tonics are made with the best Gin like Bombay Sapphire or Tanqueray Rangpur. 

Sangria

A very common drink in Spain, this is a huge hit even for those who are not into wine because it is fruit based made with red wine, seasonal fruits, sweetener and brandy. Served cold.

If you were in my shoes, which alcoholic drink would you pick after golf or any sport that you do?

 Share me your thoughts