GoNuts Donuts' Cookie Butter Donut and Mary Grace's Cheesebread

A beautiful sight when you're bored in the hospital room.

About a month ago, we were stuck in my former 'home-away-from-home', Makati Medical Center, because my dad got confined for a couple of days. Glad it was nothing serious! Family and friends were visiting, and what do I blog about then? The food they brought! Haha. I hope they don't mind!

Cookie Butter Donut

I know that Cookie Butter is soo three months ago. These days are all about the Cronut, but still, I thought I'd blog about this anyway. It was pretty much what I expected from the cookie butter taste to the consistency. It was okay. So far, the best cookie butter execution I've tried is the pancakes from Pancake House.

Pastillas de Leche Donut

A couple of years ago, GoNuts Donuts started making waves and I believe it's best and most popular creation at the time was this Pastillas de Leche donut. While I don't remember that it was quite this glazey and that there was a flower on top, it's still similar to what I remember. I believe there was more filling before though. I'm not nearly as much of a sweet-tooth as I was before, but I still enjoyed this donut.

Cheesebread

For the longest time, I only knew about the ensaymada (which I love, by the way) from Mary Grace and not the cheesebread at all! I immediately appreciated it once I got to try it, and it has been consistently good ever since. Light and cheesy, it makes quite the addictive snack. One way I think it could be better is instead of a stick of cheese, it was stuffed with the grated Quezo de Bola topping from the ensaymada! Please hear me out, Mrs. Mary Grace!

Verdict:
Cookie Butter Donut: Okay
Pastillas de Leche Donut: Good
Cheesebread: Very Good

Thanks again for the food you brought, Tita Milagring and Auntie Marivic! :)

Love GoNuts Donuts and Mary Grace? Hate them? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!



GONUTS DONUTS
Website: http://www.gonutsdonuts.com/
Facebook: GoNutsDonuts
Twitter: @gonutsdonuts

Amici: Pizza Fest

Amici, particularly the branch near Don Bosco will always hold a special place in our hearts. Not just because they have great food, but because it is where our Savvy about Nothing journey began. For our return visit, we happened upon Amici during its Pizza Fest promo. Buy 1 Take 1 Pizza? Awesome!

Al Quattro Formaggi, P364.00

A cheese-lovers delight. A flavorful combination of Mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan and blue cheese.
The pizza was alright, though I wish there was more than a speck of blue cheese on each slice. I am not really a big fan of these tiny thin crust pizzas, but pizza is pizza, so I still enjoyed it.

Tutta Carne, P364.00

An all-time Amici favorite! Italian sausage, ham and pepperoni.
This was not a favorite of mine. It is similar to our other pizza but I found it to be boring. Nothing some chili flakes can't fix!

Penne Rosa & Bacon, P252.00

Bacon, pomodoro and bechamel sauce sauteed with mushrooms, garlic and onions.
Not surprisingly, we over-ordered. Takaw-mata! The penne was alright, but not nearly as flavorful and delicious as the pasta we have come to love from Amici. I don't remember why we ended up ordering this. Haha.

Menu:
Insalata
Wood Fire Baked Pizza
Wood Fire Baked Pizza 2
Pasta

Verdict:
Al Quattro Formaggi: Good
Tutta Carne: Okay
Penne Rosa & Bacon: Okay

Looking back only a few months later, it seems we've come such a long way since the first time we were here and blogged about it. It's been a very fun ride, and a very fulfilling hobby. I can't wait to see what's in store for us over the next year, or until I reminisce again, perhaps at a third visit to this fine establishment. Haha.

Love Amici? Hate it? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!



Savvy about Nothing's first post:
Amici and Cara Mia Gelateria

AMICI
Don Bosco School
A. Arnaiz cor C. Roces
San Lorenzo, Makati City
(02) 818-4444
Facebook: Amici Philippines
Website: https://amici.ph/


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McDonald's: Chocolate Syrup Hotcakes

Heavy breakfast!

Now that Alvie and I are at different work shifts, we try to make up for the difference in time by going out for quick meals every now and then. We do tend to rely on restaurants that are nearby, so naturally, McDonald's is one of them, being nearby to everywhere. I was interested to see that they now had new syrup choices for pancakes, because I love pancakes. When I was a kid, I used to stack them up as high as I saw them in cartoons, and I always finished off my plate!

Yep, this was me.
Image from here.

We shared the three piece hotcake with sausage meal, and the syrup wasn't quite as I expected.

3 pc. Hotcake and Sausage Meal (coffee included), P115.00

The syrup wasn't as syrupy as it was on the posters. It's a bit more like pudding. It was alright though. Not as moist as I imagined, but it tasted good. The pancakes were your average pancakes, and the sausage was the same as always. Coffee at McDonald's is a bit too strong for my taste, but it's definitely convenient and cheap. Haha.

Texture-wise, the syrup was nothing like this.

Calories: 
McDonald's now has a flyer for the calorie counts of their meals. There wasn't one for this meal specifically, but I extrapolated data from it and it looks like this meal has around 700 or so calories. Yeowch! Glad Alvie and I split this. Haha. I suggest going for a jog or something to make up for this hefty breakfast.

Verdict: Good - The syrup, however did not turn out to be better than the good ol' maple syrup so I might just stick to that next time.

Not the best of new things from McDonald's, but I'm still happy to see something new. Whatever happens, Hooray for the delicious-but-rarely-spicy McSpicy, and cheap, decent coffee!

Love McDonald's new syrup? Hate it? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!



Also from McDonald's:
McDonald's McSpicy: The Next Big Zing

Did somebody say Pancakes?

IHOP: The Latest Pancake Craze

Pancake House: Cookie Butter Pancakes Surprise

Slappy Cakes: Make Yer Own Pancakes!

MCDONALD'S
Facebook: McDonalds Philippines
Website: http://www.mcdonalds.com.ph/

Mexicali: My Favourite Enchilada

I love Mexican food. How did I come to love Mexican food? Well, Tia Maria had a hand in it, but it was mostly just Mexicali. I have long deemed them to be the king of Mexican food. With new successful ones popping up like Orale! and Ristras, how does Mexicali hold up? I ate here with my family recently when we availed a voucher for many burritos and I started with my absolute favourite dish here: the Cheese Enchilada.

Cheese Enchilada, P244.00

Soft corn tortillas filled with meat, or cheese, topped with a zesty red sauce and sour cream. Served with your choice of Mexican rice, a green salad, or tortilla chips.
My oh my, I missed you, Cheese Enchilada! Well.. it wasn't as majestic as I remember it to be.. but it is still the best enchilada I've ever had. Orale!'s enchiladas come very, very close, but they can't beat this because they don't have an all-cheese enchilada.

All cheese. Perfect.

What's more fun than eating cheese with rice? or cheese with anything? NOTHING! I enjoy this enchilada because it lets you enjoy cheese and mostly cheese without the annoying things that get in the way like meat. What I've learned about this dish over the years is that it is at its best when piping hot. Pity it was served to us just slightly warm. The rice wasn't as flavorful as I remember too. I love you the way you were, Cheese Enchilada, so please don't ever change.

Pollo Asado (Grilled Chicken) Burrito (Regular), 258.00

Ground Beef Burrito (California), P258.00

Mexicali's is the first burrito I've ever tried so it holds a special in my heart. However, it has met its match in Orale!'s burritos, which have become much better (Orale! isn't paying me, I swear!). No matter who beats Mexicali though, I will still always enjoy eating here. Maybe it's because it makes me feel like a kid again. Haha. This burrito is fun, but could be more flavorful. I enjoy the chicken more because the grilled steak version distracts me, but they are about the same.

Menu:
Page 1
Page 2

Verdict:
Cheese Enchilada: Great!
Pollo Asado (Grilled Chicken Burrito: Good
Ground Beef Burrito: Good

New logo!

Mexicali is back inside Glorietta! Just like old times. Their new place isn't quite as homey as the old one, but it's alright. I really hope Mexicali steps up their burrito game, because they're not the only players in the game anymore. They have a LOT of competition. Whatever the future may hold for this restaurant though, I hope they never go away, because my family and I always look forward to eating here.

Fun family feast.

Love Mexicali? Hate it? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!



MEXICALI
2/F, Palm Drive, The New Glorietta Mall, Glorietta
Ayala Avenue cor. Pasay Road, Makati City
(02) 856-3114
Operating Hours:
Sun - Thu: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Fri-Sat: 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Facebook: Mexicali Restaurant Philippines
Website: http://www.mexicali.ph/


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Umami Hambaagu House: Okonomiyaki Baagu

A while back, we were planning to drop by Sunrise Buckets for some exciting wings but it was too late and we we were welcomed by nothing but a CLOSED sign. Another sign in the vicinity welcomed us with open arms though.

Well, we are definitely NOT boring! ...right?

So, Umami Hambaagu House is, you guessed it, a Japanese restaurant focused on burgers (or baagus?). I'm more of a sushi guy but hmm.. I can get behind that! We were looking for a quick light dinner, so it wasn't too difficult to choose, though they did have several interesting burgers. We kicked things off with some fries.

Sweet Potato Fries, P95.00

That's a lotta fries! I really enjoyed their fries, which were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Kamote is healthy too, isn't it? Haha.

Takeshi's Castle Hambaagu Set, P345.00

For okonomiyaki lovers: a mad rush for bonito flakes, sea-weed, sweet sauce, and Japanese mayonnaise.
All hambaagu steaks include steamed Japanese rice, sesame mayonnaise salad, fat french fries and salted edamame.
I enjoyed this meal. It really is like a hamburger version of okonomiyaki, something I also really like. It was meaty, tasty, and interesting topped with dancing bonito flakes and Japanese mayo. The rice was good, as Japanese rice should be, and the edamame was well.. weird. Truth be told, I am always attracted to ordering edamame at Japanese restaurants because it is usually cheaper than the rest, but I never seem to actually like it. Haha.

Menu:
The Hambaagu Set
Takeshi's Castle
Other Orders

Verdict:
Sweet Potato Fries: Good
Takeshi's Castle Hambaagu Set: Good

Nooooooo!

We weren't blown away with the food, but it was fun. The place was very interesting, too! I look forward to coming back and trying out the rest of the unique menu.

Love Umami Hambaagu House? Hate it? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!



Also at The Grove by Rockwell:
Sunrise Buckets: Ultimate Crazy Hot

UMAMI HAMBAAGU HOUSE
The Grove by Rockwell , C5
Ugong, Pasig City
(02) 695-3643
Operating Hours: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Facebook: Umami Hambaagu House
Website: http://umamiburgersteaks.com/


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Chibby and The Eye That Popped Out

Recuperating with the cone of shame.

One night when Alvie and I got to her house, and as it usually goes, her tiny tiny tiny dog, Chibby came running to greet us, and it didn't seem like a night unlike any other. Upon getting in, we were told that something happened to Chibby's eye: it had popped out of the socket. What?? As crazy as it sounded, I rushed toward the little dog and checked. Yep, it's out, alright. Where one of here eyes should be was a huge seemingly red plastic ball just sitting there outside her face. It wasn't dangling or anything (thank God) so it wasn't as gruesome as one might imagine, but still, seeing the red dried up eye that definitely did not look functional anymore, and just imagining the pain our little canine friend must have been going through was enough to get us to be very alarmed. It was strange how Chibby didn't seem to feel the pain, she was pretty normal except for the fact that she looked exhausted, with her other eye being closed often. Perhaps the eye had grown numb?

It was past eleven and I was just about ready to start on my long drive home, so I was still tempted to leave it for tomorrow but I couldn't just forget that the dog couldn't blink, and I couldn't imagine what would be left of the eye the next day. Much as I needed to rest, Chibby needed it more. With a long internal groan, I suggested we start on looking for 24 hour vets online. Thankfully, it didn't take us long and we eventually chose one on Kalayaan, which was relatively close. We called them up to verify they were available, and set out on our errand to save an eye.

We got lost a bit on our way to the New Central Pet Clinic, but we eventually found our way. The area and the entrance were quite dark, but the clinic looked nice once we got in. I appreciated that they had dogs and cats roaming around the area. These people are real animal lovers. Chibby was now in the safe hands of Mr. Vet Man (I think his name was Doc Mike, but I'm not sure). Even with his experience and care, it turned out to be a disturbing affair. He injected a sedative which knocked the little pup out in 30 seconds, with her eyes half open and tongue sticking out. Putting the eye back in was tough, even after lubricating with baby oil, and then after lubricating with KY Jelly. It was getting so lubricated that the eye was slipping out even more. Ugh. After many tries with a pair of forceps for assistance, the eye finally popped back in. It was a great relief, because it was getting pretty heavy to watch. Even though it was now back in place, the eye and muscles around it got to be very swollen. The doctor then proceeded the sew the eye up. We needed to keep it sown up for two weeks so the red eye could heal much better. The scary part was that aside from regularly placing antibiotic eye drops on the wound, we had to keep watch for any sign of infection. If there is any pus, they'd need to take the eye out and shut it up permanently, due to the danger the infection would spread to the brain. Yeesh.

Resting on the first night.

When we got home, Chibby seemed to be very relieved and exhausted. Well, it could just be the medication. I set her down on the floor and she was wobbly and couldn't walk straight. I felt a bit guilty that I found it really funny. Haha. Here eye was so swollen I was afraid it had popped out again, but we decided to just wait and see if it would subside. It did over the next few days, and now, two weeks later the eye is totally fine and not only the eye, but her vision was saved too. What a relief!

If your dog ever has the misfortune of getting its eye popping out (Shih Tzus and similarly big-eyed dogs are most prone), time will be of the essence. In the hands of a capable veterinarian, all will be okay, but you have to get your dog there quick. If an entire day passes, the dog will lose sight in the eye permanently or worse, the dog will have to lose the eye completely. It has to be resolved in a matter of hours. I wish our canine companions weren't so prone to this at all, but alas, we have to do what we can to take care of 'em.

Mister Donut Cafe: The Pon de Ring and the Do-ssant

Truth be told, I haven't been paying much attention to Mister Donut in the past, oh.. kajillion years. I was raised on Dunkin' Donuts, and little by little, we were introduced to new donuts on the scene like Gonuts Donuts and their addictive Pastillas de Leche donuts. Then came the ever-famous and ever-unhealthy Krispy Kreme, followed by Indonesia's innovative J. Co Donuts. What about Mister Donut, then? They've been around since before I was born! They are no stranger to changing things up, because what I associate with them are Michael V and the many, many bavarian donut evolutions they come up with. I actually tried one of the 2-in-1's or something before and didn't like it much. Understandable though, because they focused on lower-cost pastries.

The reborn Mister Donut Cafe.

We were invited to visit Mister Donut in Greenhills and of course, very flattered, we were looking forward to doing so. Honestly, I've only really liked the good chewy chocolate twists of Mister Donut and not much else, so my expectations weren't exactly through the roof, but I was excited to try new food just the same.

Real food?

After rushing around Greenhills only to find out that the Mister Donut Cafe is still at the nice corner it has always been, we were welcomed by a neat, lively interior. I was surprised to see that Mister Donut has.. real food? Pasta, sandwiches, turnovers, and lots of other interesting things. One thing in particular struck my fancy...

Donut Burger,  P120.00
Bacon, P20.00
Egg, P10.00

Behold the Donut Burger! (or Donger? No.. let's stick to Donut Burger.) I know they've had something like this in Mercato before and I never had the luxury of trying it, but Alvie has and she said that this one is so much better. Glad I didn't miss out, then! I was quite impressed with this burger. It doesn't just bank on the fact that it's special. The patty was really quite good and meaty, and I enjoyed the cucumber, cheese and lettuce. The donut isn't too sweet and the sugar just tickles the senses slightly. To make your burger experience more complete, I suggest taking it with bacon and egg, and as you can see in the picture, it is arranged quite well. The bacon was a bit "hammy" but there was a good amount of it and it still adds good variety.

Japanese Crab & Corn Snackwich, P90.00

Before the cronut, let us not forget that there was the croissant. Beyond all the hypedy-hype about the new flaky pastry, I'm still a croissant guy through and through. I can't wait to visit Paris and see croissants sold on the street like pan de sals are here. Haha. So when this was suggested for a light lunch, we were quick to agree. This was pretty much just Kani Salad in a croissant, so if you like both things like we do, you're in for a treat. Alvie did taste the wasabi but my spice-hardened tongue didn't. I would have preferred more wasabi, but that's just me. The croissant was good but could've used a tad bit more flakiness.

Brewed Coffee, P35.00 each

Remember the time our wallets didn't get noticeably lighter after grabbing a small cup of coffee? (I'm looking at you, Starbucks. and I'm looking at you more, Seattle's Best.) This is good brewed coffee for not a bad price at all. I'm no coffee connoisseur, but I quite liked it. I wish they had Splenda for more guilt-free caffeine replenishment. After our "main" meal, we were introduced to a totally new kind of pastry.

From top clock-wise:
White Almonds Pon de Ring, P39.00
Classic Glazed Pon de Ring, P29.00
Pistachio Pon de Ring, P39.00

Introducing the Pon de Ring! This is actually more than just a trend. It's a type of donut famous in Japan and other asian countries which Mister Donut is famous for, and they're bringing it over to the Philippines. Mister Donut has been so successfully assimilated in our local culture that a few years back, I was surprised to find out that it wasn't a homegrown brand at all! Well, the Pon de Ring has been out there for a while and now, we have the pleasure of getting to try it out for ourselves. Having tasted it, I can definitely say it was indeed a pleasure.

Mister Donut Japan's mascot for the Pon de Ring is the very funny-looking Pon de Lion. Image from here.

Also sometimes referred to as the "Mochi Donut", I really enjoyed its texture, which was delightfully chewy and addictive. They come in many different flavors, though I have found that I really enjoyed them all. You see, I'm more a fan of mochi than donuts, so this refreshing new texture is very welcome for me. Price-wise, it is also very fair since mochi can get really pricey, while this ring of 8 mochi-ish balls goes for 29-39 pesos only. Not bad at all! I also find the shape amusing since they remind me of those old red ammunition rings for toy guns (what do you call those again?? haha).

It's also very easy to share since it's basically eight uniformly-sized balls.

Not to be outdone by pretty much every big-time bakery and donut shop out there, they have their own version of the cronut, which they call the Do-ssant. It seems to be doing well already, because it was out of stock when we got there! Sometimes persistence pays off because we dropped by after some shopping around Greenhills and they had a batch ready for us! We took some to go, as well as some Pon de Rings to share at home.

Yummeh!

We tried out them cronu.. I mean.. Do-ssants at home.

Cinnamon, Dark Chocolate, Glazed and Sugar-raised Do-ssants, P65.00 each

I was quite impressed with the Do-ssants. Before even tasting it, I knew they were both the cheapest and the largest cronuts around. This did concern me because maybe the quality was sacrificed?

Perfectly flaky and soft.

The Glazed Do-ssant surprised me. Biting into it was much more enjoyable than I expected. Despite it's size it was delightfully light and it was as flaky as a do-ssant should be. The glaze wasn't overpoweringly sweet. Usually, cronuts are like sandwiches with cream between slices but what sets their do-ssants apart is that there is Bavarian cream injected throughout the whole ring. This ain't no sandwich! I really enjoyed the cream in this do-ssant. I also tried the Dark Chocolate Do-ssants and it was even better. I prefer the dark chocolate topping instead of the plain glaze.

Texture wasn't as good, but I enjoyed the flavor.

We also got to try the Cinnamon and Sugar-raised Do-ssants. For these flavors in particular, there was a noticeable change in texture for me, so they might still be a work-in-progress. It wasn't nearly as flaky and light as the other flavors, but that doesn't mean we didn't enjoy eating these too. I would stick to the other flavors but 65 pesos isn't a bad price at all to take a chance on these ones. They've gotten it right already, so I'm guessing it should just be a matter of time for these to get up to speed.

Verdict:
Donut Burger with Bacon and Egg: Very Good
Japanese Crab & Corn Snackwich: Good
Brewed Coffee: Good
All Featured Pon de Rings: Very Good
Dark Chocolate and Glazed Do-ssants: Very Good
Cinnamon and Sugar-raised Do-ssants: Okay

I was never an avid Mister Donut fan, but the food was so much better than I expected. I am really happy with Mister Donut's new direction with their reimagined Cafes that have great food and great new pastries. The 24-hour Mister Donut Cafe was launched in Greenhills last March 15 (too bad I'm hardly ever there) and new branches will be opened in Megamall (next month!), Trinoma (November!), and Ermita this year. I'm hoping they bring one to the Fort too for fun, affordable, quality food.

Love Mister Donut Cafe? Hate it? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!

P.S. For this post I was pon de ring about using some puns but I decided otherwise because it just seems too easy, do-ssant it?



Other Cronuts:
Wildflour's Cronut: The Doughnut and Croissant's Love Child
Dunkin' Donuts: Crunkin' Cronuts

MISTER DONUT
G/F, Shoppesville, N. Western St. cor. Service Rd.,
Greenhills Shopping Center,
San Juan City, Metro Manila
(02) 570-9773
Operating Hours: 24 Hours
Facebook: Mister Donut
Website: http://www.misterdonut.ph/
Twitter: @MisterDonut_PH


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