Dr. Pearl – Cool Cure for the Summer Heat!

We were invited by Dr. Pearl to the opening day of their first Metro Manila branch last Sunday, March 27 at Robinsons Metro East and we were treated to a quick introduction of their brand, their products, and a scoop on their future plans for Dr. Pearl in Metro Manila plus drinks and a loot bag!

About Dr. Pearl

I was really excited when I looked their website up on the net because I thought (I really thought), that Dr. Pearl was a Japanese brand imported here in the Philippines, but, apparently, Dr. Pearl is a Taiwan brand that has been franchised here in the Philippines since 2006, but from that time until before their Robinsons Metro East branch, most of their branches are located in the Northern Luzon area.  So being a Taiwan brand, everything is imported from Taiwan.  Yes, all the ingredients, little bits and pieces in the shop, are shipped from Taiwan to the Philippines.  And with the shipping comes the question of quality and safety.  They assured that all their ingredients are melamine free, and to attest to their commitment to quality, they are ISO certified as well.  I liked their shop theme which was overall hip Asian, cute, and pink.   ^_^;  And of course, I love the sakura flower in the logo…

You can relax and enjoy your drink with friends because they have 2 sets of tables and chairs in their booth. I wish there were more...

About Their Product

Ok, it gets tricky (a little bit) in this area because they offer a variety of things you can drink and eat, but to make it easy for you to digest, let me try to break it down in the simplest way possible.

For their cold drinks you can choose from Chantilly or Blended Shakes.  And what’s “chantilly” you ask?

A French term referring to sweet or savory dishes that are prepared or served with whipped cream. Crème chantilly is lightly sweetened whipped cream — sometimes flavored with vanilla or LIQUEUR — used as a dessert topping.

– From Epicurious.com

Not satisfied with the description?  Well, we have illustration too!

Photo c/o Dr. Pearl / The Top Part (the cream part) is what’s called the “Chantilly”. This photo also explains that with Dr. Pearl, you can customize your drink 3 ways. 1) Choose a topping/chantilly flavor 2) Choose your drink flavor 3) Choose either Pearl or Jelly (if you choose Jelly, you have options for which flavor of Jelly as well!)

All flavors can be purchased as chantilly or as shake, the difference really is just the cream on top.  So if you don’t want that, you can just order their shakes.  Anyway, even without the cream on top, they still put cream in the juice so the drink (even without the chantilly) is still creamy.  Another thing to note is that their juice selection can either be  powder-based, juice-based and yogurt-based drinks.  Aside from that, they have 38, yes THIRTY EIGHT cold drink flavors to choose from.

They also have hot drinks, the usual cafe offering, and some snack items like fries and toasts.

Ok, so without further ado, here’s the Robinson’s Metro East Menu:

Sorry if the text is not readable, but that’s because the menu was so big (it had to be, to accommodate all the flavors). And this is just what they have for the Robinsons Metro East Branch.

Their other branches are bigger which featured comfortable spaces for customers who are dining in, and other hot dishes on the menu.  Dr. Pearl has plans to open up bigger shops in Metro Manila so I’m looking forward to that.

What We Ordered

For our complimentary drinks, Mario wanted whatever was the sweetest flavor they had, which was “Ovaltine” (yes, from real Ovaltine powder) and I tried one of their best sellers which was “Melon”.  Both our orders were Chantilly, so we had that chocolate and cream, plus pearls.

Ovaltine Chantilly P59 (Small)  

Mario had no complaints and said that the sweetness was just right, in fact, what we both really noticed was how REALLY REALLY SOFT and WONDERFULLY CHEWY the pearls were.  Soft and chewy?  How can they be soft and chewy at the same time?  Well, it’s soft because when you bite on the little pearls, they don’t really fight back as much as the other pearls from other brands do, but they’re still a little “together” enough to chew and let you enjoy that part too.  The pearls are prepared every 4 hours.  Not once for the whole day, but every 4 hours, to ensure that they’re as soft and chewy as we got them!

 

 

That's Mario, with his Ovaltine Chantilly.

 

Melon Chantilly P59 (Small)  (4 boots for the pearls, the creaminess – as for the flavor – read on ^_^)

Again, the same soft and chewy pearls in mine.  To be honest, I forgot that I was drinking melon.  I think I got too carried away with the pearls that I really forgot about the melon flavor so I couldn’t comment on that… ^_^;  Gomen!  But here’s what we both noticed, we were full after that 1 serving of small Chantilly.  Well, you can take into consideration that we were also munching on Dr. Pearl puffs (will blog about this soon) before these drinks got to our tables.

The green one is my Melon Chantilly. Mario couldn't wait and started mixing his cream that's why his "chantilly" was not really there anymore... ^_^

Overall

We were really blown away by the pearls… ^_^  And I’m still intrigued by the seemingly limitless number of drink combinations…  I mean, if you ordered Ovaltine Chantilly, and opted for a caramel cream top, and (instead of pearls) coffee jellies, how do you think would that taste?  I also love the fact that they have a lot of flavors to choose from and in different types of drinks too (the juice, powder and yogurt-based ones).  It might be a bit overwhelming at first, just like when we were asked to choose our free drink flavor, I couldn’t decide right away because there were just too many on the menu.  But I think when I come back I have clearer plan of attack in terms of what to order next.  ^_^

Isn't this teacup mascot cute!? A little weird with the body but cute non-the-less. They would probably have teacup mascot merchandise in their shops some time in the future.

Future Plans

Watch out for Dr. Pearls in Manila, in particular, Robinsons Manila also, a possible “BABY” size because their small is actually medium compared with other brands.

Bag of goodies!

Yep, Mario was definitely there!

He was everywhere.... ^_^; Big Chantilly for a Big Guy?

I was there... Tired from the looooong drive (even though I wasn't the driver.. ^_^). Trip from Parañaque to Robinsons Metro East.

Boots!

Contact Information:

Level 5(near cinema) Robinsons Metro East–Pasig City

Website:  http://www.DrPearlCooler.com/

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/DrPearlCooler

* The event featured in this article was sponsored by

Dr. Pearl and the products were provided free for

review/blogging purposes, butbut the whole article is 100%

the opinion of the writer and was not influenced by the company.

Pia y Damaso – Rizal’s Literary Characters – Foodie-lized

It’s time for some interesting sounding desserts that takes me back to the novel I was required to read in school and eventually come to love, Noli Me Tangere.

The QD Delivery Experience

I used their SMS ordering system and sent the details of my order to 09182121212.  Someone from QD called me up in 5-10 minutes after I sent the message.  Because my SMS was detailed, she only needed to confirm my order, delivery address, and give me the ETA.  For orders that are outside the city where the restaurant is, it’s usually 60-90minutes and I was alright with that.  I ordered around 5:15pm and it arrived at 6:30pm, and it came all the way from Greenhills!  Not bad!  Bravo!

The Pia y Damaso Experience

There is an extensive choice of salads, starters, seafood dishes, beef and game, pork, and dessert!  It’s easy to get lost but it’s not really overwhelming.  The descriptions are all so detailed and it’s tempting to order just everything if given the chance.  Their menu is mixed Spanish and Filipino, the classics we love, given a new interesting twist, and some really new ones (at least for me they’re new).

What We Ordered

Clam Chowder P180  (bacon, celery, baby clams, potato noodles and milk)

I love clam chowder (I love anything chowder for that matter)!  It was creamy (as all chowders should be, otherwise it will be called soup – correct me if I’m wrong).  I preferred eating it with rice though (did I just weirded you out with that?).  ^_^

Chicken Pastel P290  (baked chicken breast, chorizo, bacon, potatoes, carrots & peas with a flaky crisco crust)

I never had Chicken Pastel with a sort-of pie crust but I’m not complaining!  This one, I admit, may not be priced right especially with the serving size it came in.  That said, the chicken was FLAVORFUL (yes, it’s necessary to capitalize every letter).  The chicken meat tasted like it’s been marinating in its sauce for years!  I simply do not know how they cook these to perfection but that’s also probably one of the reasons they’re confident they have the pricing right.

Camarron Cocido P380   (seared prawns and seafood thermidor with scallop, fish, mussels, squid, potato and gratineed cheese sourdough crumbs)

A little pricey, for just 2 prawns… but it’s not just prawns!  It’s scallop, fish, mussels, squid, and yes, potato and cheese sourdough crumbs, plus excellent cooking skills!  The seafood thermidor (usually cooked with lobster meat), has a subtle yet unmistakably prawn taste although the texture gives away its other seafood ingredients.  It’s creamy, the prawns were cooked excellently, they remained moist and sweet.

Brazo ni Dona Vicki P100  (Chewy meringue roulade with fresh butter curd)

This is a treat for Mario and he’s really a self proclaimed expert on Brazo desserts (one of his favorite desserts).  Mario commented that he has tasted sweeter versions than this one (FYI, he likes everything sweet – even adobo), but for me, I think that it’s just the perfect sweetness.  The meringue embraced the whole roll of white marshmallow-like goodness and the perfect texture and taste for the curd filling.  It was exquisite!  Oh, by the way, almost all desserts on the menu have been playfully named after characters in Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere.  Dona Vicki, incase you’ve forgotten, is actually Dona Victorina “de de Espadana”, the pretentious Filipina who prefers to be associated with the Spanish people and would always wear heavy make-up.  I would imagine that the meringue is like her really thick make-up that cakes and cracks all over her face because of how thick it is.  ^_^;

Overall
I enjoyed everything we tasted but would love if the serving size just upgrades even by a little bit.  Then again, the hardwork, precision, and cooking skills they put in each of these dishes are reflected on how flavorful each one turned out.  I would love to try their other dessert dishes – the Guni-Guni, Ibarra’s Kiss, Sisa’s Dementia, etc.  ^_^  I think this will help kids love reading the novel too, as they understand and remember the classic characters more with every sweet bite.

Restaurant Location:

UNIT 2-053 Greenbelt 5

Ayala Center, Makati

Telephone:  729-5511

Email:  kaffedamaso@yahoo.com

DELIVERY:

Quick Delivery:  http://www.quickdelivery.ph/

Delivery Hotline: 2121212

Order Online: http://www.quickdelivery.ph

Delivery Call Back: Text your landline number or text <ORDER> to (0918)2121212 and they will call you back.

Order Time:  Open 24 hours

Delivery Time: 10AM to 10:00PM

* GC provided by QD for blogging purposes but the whole article

is 100% the opinion of the writer and was not influenced by the company.

Easy Tuna Sisig – For Lent and For Diet

I mentioned in my other blog that I prepare my own tuna sisig and use that for my wheat bread sandwich whenever I decide to go on a “no-rice-diet“, while my husband loves this with rice and more mayo on the side (that’s how he always eats his sisig, any kind of sisig).  Here’s the recipe and just a quick, easy instruction on how to prepare it.

TUNA SISIG Recipe (Quick and Easy Home Version)

serves 2-4 with rice / makes 5-6 sandwiches

Ingredients:

You can choose not to add egg. One or two depending on the batch you're making and how, umm.. "creamy" you want it to be. Is it just me or is that thing smiling? ^_^

I choose Hot and Spicy so that I won’t have to add hot sauce anymore.

420g of Tuna is good for 1 week if you're using it for sandwich, or 1 meal and a half if you're preparing this for 2-3 people. Really depends on how hungry those people are, I guess. 420g for me and my husband is just 1 meal. ^_^ Go figure...

Onions

Green Bell Pepper

Calamansi

Soysauce

Mayonnaise

Egg (1-2)

Canned Tuna (either Tuna in Oil or Hot and Spicy Tuna)

Salt and Pepper (season according to taste)

* Chili or Hot Sauce (optional)

So your next question would probably be, “How much mayo, or soysauce, etc?”.  Forgive me, I never really measure.  I use my small wooden ladle both to cook and to, kinda, measure the stuff I throw into the pan (the liquid ones) but for the onions, bell pepper, etc, you just have to wing it.  I love generous amounts of onions and green bell pepper.  If you’re not a fan of these two, then go easy on them.

How to Prepare Your Tuna Sisig

1)  Open the canned tuna with a can opener (of course) but do not open all way so that you can use the very can it’s in as a strainer but don’t completely drain it.

2)  After draining some of the liquid from the can, lift the top of the can with your knife or spoon and pour everything into a hot pan (medium heat).

3)  Add the onions (you can leave some of the onions for later if you want them a little crunchy and add them right at the end).

4)  Add soy sauce, mayo, egg, and hotsauce.  Mix everything together.

5)  Season with salt and/or pepper.

6)  You can add the calamansi now or just have it available when you serve the hot tuna sisig.  I prefer adding it right away.

7)  Serve hot with rice or let it cool a bit, put it in your air tight storage (I use Lock n’ Lock), and put it in the fridge to use on your sandwich anytime you want.  For sandwich, sometimes I like it cold, and sometimes I reheat the tuna sisig.

This batch was moist (instead of the usual dry sisig) because I really didn't drain the canned tuna at all. If you want a crispy batch, drain the tuna well.

Paired with wheat bread (I use Gardenia).

 

*  I add honey barbeque sauce sometimes to add a little sweet kick to my sandwich.

I hope you find this recipe useful!  Do your own twist to this and share them on the comments area below!

Empanada Mas – A Must Empanada Experience!

We received another GC from our friends at Quick Delivery.  We decided to go snack time and I think we absolutely had fun with the yummy choice of getting Empanada Mas empanadas!

About the Quick Delivery Experience
I ordered around 2PM (or rather texted them my order) and after a few minutes, they called me back to confirm the order.  Yes, texting them is the way to go if you don’t have a landline and you don’t want to spend your own phone credits by calling them on your cellphone.  Going back to the call, I said that I was going to pay via Gift Certificate, I’m not sure if the person who handled my call was a new guy, but he had to confirm from his supervisor (I’m not sure what he needed to confirm).  Anyway, he got my GC code and all was well (estimated delivery time is 60-90minutes).

Around 3PM, QD called me again saying one of my orders (Ham & Cheese Jalapeno Empanada) was not available, so I just replaced that with another order.  Then, around 3:20 (it’s been more than 60 minutes since my order), QD called me up again to say the Fritas was not available, so I replaced it yet again with another order.  Around 20 minutes later (order was coming from BF Homes and we’re at Moonwalk Paranaque), thank goodness the restaurant was near our place or else it would probably take another hour if it came from a different city.

All in all, it was a little bit frustrating by the time I got the 3nd call about the 2nd order that’s not available (you’re still able to follow the story so far? ^_^).  In my past experience, I would know during my first call (or at least on the 2nd call) which items are not available and which ones are.  This time, they were a bit less organized than the other experiences.  And by far, this is the longest time we’ve had to wait for our order, compared to our first few QD experiences even though the restaurants those times were located even farther than Empanada Mas.  Well, in anycase, better late than never?  At least the empanadas were warm when we received them.

About Empanada Mas

I love how they kept their menu simple and focused on their specialty, empanadas.  They had all the right combinations and no misses.  Their prices are also very affordable and their options make sure that there’s something for everybody.

What We Ordered

Everything fit in 2 boxes.  At first I thought it would have been better if they gave us a code which ones which.  We had to cut into the big ones to find out which one is pork, chicken, etc.  Until this day (although there were color coded dots on each empanada) we’re not sure which one was chicken and which one was pork (yes, we all tried to unravel the mystery to no avail).  With the Empanaditas, it was easy to figure out, but we made it into such a game and it was really fun.  It was like, the old fish bowl lucky draw thing.  Close your eyes, get one, and bite!  The surprise is finding out the flavor after you bite!  And again, there’s really no danger in doing that because every one of them was delicious, no matter the flavor.  But for those who would like to know, we’re very sure that the green dot for the small ones means cream cheese.  The green dot for the empanada, means spinach.  Here are the photos, enjoy!

The Empanadas  (available in boxes of 6 or 12 and you can put assorted flavors in a box)

Chicken P27.00 (The original, generations-old recipe. Lightly seasoned strips of chicken breast, potatoes, green peas and raisins.)
Pork P27.00 (The original, generations-old recipe. Lightly seasoned ground pork, potatoes and raisins.)
Chorizo P30.00

Upto this day, as I said, we’re not sure which one is pork and which one is chicken (maybe you can help us out with this).  But we have a fairly good idea which ones are the chorizo filled empanada (I hope we’re right).  The only thing we had going with chorizo is that it should be a little bit spicier than the other 2.  It didn’t really matter because we weren’t allergic to anything and also, all of them were soooooooo yummy!  So I’ll just present the photos for those 3 together.

Spinach with Cream Cheese P30.00 (Fresh spinach leaves flavored with a seasoned cream cheese dressing.)

Ah, yes, unmistakably green and flavorful.  Remember that I wasn’t a big spinach fan until the Va Bene experience, so now I’ve just loved spinach and everything “spinachy”.  This really blew me and my mom away!  Instant favorite for us veggie lovers and I really didn’t expect spinach to be used as empanada filling.  Combining the green goodness with cream cheese was genius!

The Empanaditas  (Available in boxes of 6 or 12 and can be assorted falvors)

Cheddar Cheese ( Box of 30 pieces  P190.00,  Box of 60 pieces P380.00,  Dozen  P76.00,  Half Dozen  P38.00, Per Piece  P7.00)

Semi-Sweet Chocolate (Box of 30 pcs.  P190.00,  Box of 60 pcs. P380.00,  Dozen  P76.00,  Half Dozen  P38.00, Per Piece  P7.00)

Cream Cheese & Chives (Box of 30 pcs.  P200.00,  Box of 60 pcs. P400.00,  Dozen  P80.00,  Half Dozen  P40.00, Per piece  P8.00) A creamy blend of cream cheese, garlic and chives.

Peanut Butter Fudge (Box of 30 pcs.  P200.00,  Box of 60 pcs. P400.00,  Dozen  P80.00,  Half Dozen  P40.00, Per Piece  P8.00) This classic combination of creamy peanut butter and semi-sweet chocolate will remind you of a favorite childhood candy.

Here are the photos!  Enjoy! (because we certainly did!)

Cheddar Cheese

Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Peanut Butter Fudge

I wasn't able to take a photo of Cream Cheese but that was what my brother was looking for (and has found) in this photo. It has a green dot and it was his favorite out of the bunch.

Overall

I would definitely order from Empanada Mas again! And again! And again!  I wish next time the Jalapeno is available because I would really want to try that.  Their empanada bread was sweet, yet not overwhelming the flavors inside, it wasn’t too thick and too thin, it was perfect.  The filling inside is really worth every peso.  Again, I would definitely order Empanada Mas especially the empenaditas and bring them to one of our family adventures.  I’d put them in a container and have everyone just draw which one they want to eat without choosing, so that every bite is a surprise!  Oh what fun!

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Store Branches:

Makati Supermart, Alabang Town Center — in front of Cashier #4(Mon-Sun 9am-9pm)
Food Park, The Enterprise Center, Ayala Ave. Makati City(Mon-Fri 7:30am-7:30pm)
Ground Floor, The Pergola Mall (Robinson’s Supermarket), Aguirre Ave. BF Homes, Sucat Parañaque(Mon-Sun 10am-10pm)
Fiesta Market (Near Razon’s & Fruitas), Market Market Mall, The Fort, Taguig City(Mon-Sun 10am-10pm)

DELIVERY:

Quick Delivery:  http://www.quickdelivery.ph/

Delivery Hotline: 2121212

Order Online: http://www.quickdelivery.ph

Delivery Call Back: Text your landline number or text <ORDER> to (0918)2121212 and they will call you back.

Order Time:  Open 24 hours

Delivery Time: 10AM to 10:00PM

* GC provided by QD for blogging purposes but the whole article

is 100% the opinion of the writer and was not influenced by the company.