UBE-fever invades dream cake

It's been awhile since I created a post... been too busy with life and work, but I never really stop eating. 

In the coming days will be posting more...promise! 

Alot of my friends and family know that i'm very picky with my cakes; like i prefer certain brands not because of their name or price, but because it's the only cake that I like. When dream cakes started going viral, i automatically joined the bandwagon and tried almost all "branded" dreamcakes available in the market. 

I got too tired easily though coz of the "umay" factor in most of them, and yes, some of sponges they use are not that great either...they're either too moist or dense that after being in the fridge for awhile, it just tastes argh...

However, someone gifted my mom on her birthday an Ube dream cake-ish.  Hesitant to try it, coz I dont really like Ube being something else aside from Halaya and putting it as a topping on Halo-Halo... 

But my mom insisted that I should try it coz it came from the same dessert shop where we got one of the best carrot cakes in town.  

True enough, the Ube cake didn't disappoint.  It wasn't exactly a dream cake as they used regular icing.  It wasn't too sweet, neither the taste of the Ube was overpowering.

You can also taste the Ube in the cake, but not overbearing.  I love how it melts in your mouth, and you can eat a big chunk of it, because it's just your typical cake placed inside a tin can.

I'm beginning to think that this dessert shop has potential...hehehe... I already like 2 of its products, carrot cake ( which I'm not really a fan of) and this Ube in a tin can cake...

Honestly, I would like to promote this cafe since i'm all for supporting locals.  And who knows, when this pandemic is over, I could try their other products as well.

Craving for some churros

I often times get hit with cravings.  Like I can crave for hotdog and can survive for a week with just that.  So, my family knows when I start craving for something, it usually leads to non-stop badgering, borderline obsession.

I've always had a fascination with choux pastry.  I love cream puffs, eclairs and baignettes; and my current 'thing', the churros.

Churros use choux pastry.  But instead of baking, you deep-fry them. To

My churros obsession led me to this new-craze in town, La Lola Churreria.  I know...i know...There are other places I could get better-tasting churros, but why La Lola?

First, I was curious on what's all the fuzz about it? I sometimes blame social media for my food finds. Glad though that they have a branch at the Mall of Asia. As soon as I saw the truck, and thank god there were no lines, I immediately took my wallet and got me a 6pcs order with dark chocolate dip.

I was then on my way to the province and thought of bringing it as baon.  Buti na lang I did...I was stuck in traffic for almost four hours, and my churros saved me from getting hungry and wrecking havoc at NLEX...(seriously, you dont wanna see me "hangry").

The churros at La Lola are crispy.  They never get saggy or oily, even after hours of buying them.  I even re-heated by left-overs the next day using my ever-reliable over toaster, and they remain crispy sans the unwanted oil.

La Lola Churreria offers not just your classic churros but they also have Matcha, white and dark-covered ones.  They also have stuffed churros (banana nutella, dulce de leche, nutella and speculoos), which I'm sure i'll try one of these days, churros ice cream sandwich and some savory sandwiches.

Just yesterday, I found myself lining up once again at another Lo Lola Churreria, this time at Megamall.  Shared it with some friends, since I kinda told myself that I need to limit my churros intake to two...

My Cafe Fleur experience

(from Cafe Fleur Facebook page)

The first time I heard about Cafe Fleur in Angeles City was when my sister went there with her friends.  The place is owned by Chef Sau Del Rosario and it serves Filipino cuisine with a twist.

The dishes are actually what you normally serve in your households, but maybe better...and tastier... hehehe...But honestly, I knew from the start that the place is special.

We decided to celebrate my mom's birthday at Cafe Fleur.  The place has enough parking space, and if you don't have a car, it is accessible to public transportation.

We ordered Fried Catfish salad, Swam na Mais (corn soup), Kare-Kare, Okoy, Roasted Salmon in White sauce and Pad Thai. For our drinks, we ordered two kinds of Tsokolateng batirol, I forgot my mom's version but mine was with choknut.

Fried Catfish Salad

This is one heck of a salad. It has the right blend of crisp from the Catfish, sweetness from the onions, tartness from the mango and sweetness from the tomatoes, with the mixture of sweet and sour, it will leave you craving for more.

Okoy

My parents, especially my mom loved this dish. Don't me fooled by the color of the mangoes placed on top of the okoys.  They weren't sour at all.  I guess they were put there to balance the flavors, you know, to avoid the "umay" factor.

Roasted Salmon in white sauce

The salmon was perfectly cooked.  It wasn't dry, and the middle remained pinkish. There was no need for pepper or salt because it was well-seasoned.

Crispy Pork Belly Macadamia Kare-Kare

This was a little disappointing for me. One of my all-time favorite dishes is Kare-kare. That's why whenever we order Kare-Kare in restaurants, i'm very critical about it.  The pork belly is not crispy at all.  Having two senior citizens with us, they weren't able to enjoy this dish as well.

However, the saving factor was the sauce.  We couldn't get enough of it.  I would've ordered extra rice, kaya lang diet ako. (yeah, right?!)

Pad Thai

Cafe Fleur also serves authentic Thai food.  I like how they serve their Pad Thai.  They put on separate containers the sweet sauce, chili flakes and peanuts.  It's up to you how you would want your Pad Thai.  It was one of the best Pad Thais' I've ever tasted; and I've been to quiet alot of Thai restaurants.

Tsokolate Batirol

Don't be deceive by its looks... This is purely sinful!  Imagine if I ordered this hot, I would've died and went straight to heaven.  Their Tsokolateng Batirol can be served both hot and cold ok, so maybe next time, I'll try both. (no one's counting calories and sugar here!)

Sorry I wasn't able to take pictures of our dessert.  I messed up with my phone and ergo, they were already enjoying the cakes before I could take a snap of them.

Cafe Fleur also has a dessert area where you can enjoy their cakes and yes, different drink concoctions.  I heard their smoothies are a big hit too.

Welcome back Whammo's

I just wanna say...So happy that it's back...

I used to fight with the workers at 7/11 in Star City because they always seem to run out of it every time I try to buy.

However, good news to "hoarders" like me, 7/11 is now overflowing with Whammo's.  One of the cashiers even called me and said, "ma'am, nasa may counter na po yung whammo's nyo!"