Buddy's Dozen - Park Avenue Desserts Part 2

I've been on a dessert spree lately, so after trying out Park Avenue Desserts' French macarons and Molten Brownie Bites (see my post on PAD's macarons and brownie bites here), I went straight for their Buddy's Dozen, a dozen of Park Avenue Desserts' best-selling mini cakes.

I really like the packaging, very simple but with a touch of elegance

Park Avenue Desserts' best-selling mini cakes in one box!

It took some time before our little family of three finished the whole box, but we did it (well, almost), and here's the verdict.

Quadruple Chocolate Mousse

Heaven on Earth cake from Starbucks. Notice how
similar they look? Tastes the same, too.

Quadruple Chocolate Mousse -- What can I say? This is one of my favorites, and the little boss' as well. Layers of dark, milk and white chocolate, and coffee mousse on a thin chocolate cake base. I tried tasting each layer separately (quite hard as each layer was really thin and delicate) and was pleased to note that each layer indeed tasted differently, although I must admit the taste of the coffee mousse was lost on me. This cake is very much like the Heaven on Earth cake at Starbucks both in looks and taste, and left me wondering if PAD is the supplier of the coffee store's mini cakes.

The tear-shaped Roca cake that I ordered ala carte

The round Roca Cake that came with Buddy's Dozen

Roca Cake -- Chocolate overload! The chocolate covering this cake was so thick and rich that it was like  a round chocolate bar impersonating a cake! Chocoholics would love this cake, though those who aren't fond of sweets might find it a little too much. The caramel cream inside was almost lost in the thick chocolate frosting. The first time that I ordered this ala carte, the cake was shaped like a teardrop, but the one that came with the Buddy's Dozen set was round like the rest. I like the round one better, simply because it was a bit bigger, haha!

Muscovado Cheesecake

Muscovado Cheesecake - A very light cheesecake that tastes, well, like muscovado sugar, except that it's not overly sweet. I'm not fond of cheesecakes, but this one's good enough for another try.

French Apple Pie

French Apple Pie -- Again, I am not really a fan, but I definitely like this one. Just the right amount of sweetness and cinnamon flavor, and not too thick pastry which is the case in some apple pies. 

Lemon Meringue Cake

Lemon Meringue Cake -- Like their lemon macaron, PAD did not scrimp on lemon on this cake. Really tart lemon curd, and would go well with a nice cup of green tea with lemon. But what we really liked was the meringue on top, soft and just the right amount of sweetness. I would have liked it better if the meringue was a bit toasted like the ones on their promo photos as it would give the meringue a slight burnt-sugar taste.

Chocolate Mallow Malt Cake. 

Chocolate Mallow Malt Cake -- The little boss loved this because of the little marshmallows. It was good like the rest, but I didn't think it was that special. Just layers of chocolate cake with marshmallows and chocolate ganache. It didn't help that the marshmallows on top were quite burnt instead of just toasted. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but not as good as the Roca cake and Quadruple Chocolate Mousse, at least in my opinion.

Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake -- I normally don't like red velvet cake, simply because I don't like its color (Weird, I know!). It was good, though quite crumbly. It actually felt like cake crumbs formed into a mini cake. It was just OK for me, though.

Mango Crunch Cake

Mango Crunch -- Crumbly graham crust with cream and mangoes. Hubby and the little boss liked this, too. Sweet cream, but not overly so, with little pieces of fresh mangoes in between and on top. Again, this one looked a lot like the Mango Madness mini cake at Starbucks, though with a slight difference in the cream topping. I didn't get a photo of the Starbucks cake, though.

Rum Bundt Cake

Rum Bundt Cake -- Comfort food. That's what came into my head the minute I tasted it as it reminded me so much of the cupcakes that I loved when I was a kid. I can't remember the name, but the texture and taste are almost the same. It's basically pound cake with rum and sugar frosting. I almost didn't taste it as it looked so ordinary. So simple yet so good. It would go so well with a cup of tea on a rainy afternoon.

Blue Velvet Cake

Blue Velvet Cake -- I wasn't able to taste this one as we had a few unexpected visiotrs and I had nothing to offer them but the mini cakes. It would have been rude if I asked our guests to let me have a bit of their snack, haha!

PAD's description of the Blue Velvet Cake: A stunning Blue Velvet Cake studded with layers of blueberry filling in cream cheese filling. Warning: This cake is addicting!

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake -- Another one that was served to our guests, so we'll just have to make do with the product description from PAD: The quintessential crowd-pleaser! Light and enticingly moist carrot cake covered in classic cream cheese frosting. Who doesn't get hungry just thinking about it?

What's My Name

What's My Name -- The third one that I didn't get to taste. Oh, well. Nine out of twelve ain't bad.

Product Description from PAD: Nutty, chewy oatmeal and brown sugar tart. Topping of tangy lemon cream and blueberries completes this new creation. It's so good that we don't know what to call it.

The stand-outs for me are the Roca Cake, Quadruple Chocolate Mousse and Rum Bundt Cake, while the Hubby liked the Mango Crunch. The little boss, of course, liked everything. But what I really liked about these cakes is that each one had just the right amount of sweetness. I'm defintely going back for more of these mini cakes, and the macarons and molten brownie bites, too!

Park Avenue Desserts can be found at #7 G/F MegaCenter, Paseo de Magalanes Commercial Center, Makati City.

Photos by Mike and Shella Esguerra

Note: This is not a sponsored post. 

Santis Deli-Cafe -- More than you usual deli

I've always liked Santis Silang for two reasons. One, the store may be small but it's complete. It has really good quality cheese, hams and other meat products, and hubby's favorite ladyfinger cookies. Two, the store is very accessible to me as I can drop by anytime since it's very near our house. Of course, it goes without saying that the staff there are among the most friendly and courteous I've met, and over the years, hubby and I have come to regard them as friends. They even call the little boss "Santino", as hubby used to joke that he was raised on Santis ham during my pregnancy. That's not entirely true, but the joke stuck, and the little boss is "Santino" to them.

Santi's menu

Fresh produce

Cheese, cured meats, hams, cold cuts, and sausages 

Steaks and other meat, fish and seafood

Imported items like chocolates, biscuits, teas, sauces, and more!

Wine selection

During a recent visit, hubby noticed the brochures for their Roast Beef Night and remembered the Chef mentioning it to him a few months back. He wanted to try it but never got around to it, and we thought the promotion ended. Apparently, it was a hit with their customers that they continued offering it every second and fourth Saturday of the month. Judith, the store manager, invited us to give it a try, and as it's been quite a while since we last dined there, it was not hard to persuade us. For good measure, we invited some friends who also like a good slab of steak every now and then, thinking that if we were splurging a bit, might as well have company, eh?

We got there early on a Saturday night as the place easily get full during weekends. As expected, hubby and our companions all ordered the roast beef.  Each order consisted of a generous serving of their US Angus Ribeye with a preferred side dish and sauce, a serving of salad greens with choice of dressing, and a glass of Argentinian red or white wine. Hubby and our friend decided to have red wine to go with their steak, while our friend's wife and their son had theirs changed to soda.

Hubby and the little boss while waiting for our companions

The Day's Special. But we were there for
the steak, so nobody really took notice.

Dessert choices which we opted to skip.

As I was sharing with the little boss, I got the broiled chicken in mustard, which I've had a couple of times in the past. It's grilled chicken fillet in a mustard-based marinade served with a side of home fries. The skin was removed, fried to a crisp, then arranged with the grilled chicken. The chicken was tender and seasoned nicely, with the mustard flavor not too overpowering. I have to admit to being a little disappointed with the fries, though. The fries used to be fresh-cut potatoes that were fried and lightly seasoned with salt and a dash of spice, hence the term home-made fries. The fries that accompanied my order were the usual commercial variety that one can get in a grocery. That aside, my chicken was as good as I remembered it to be.

Warm rye bread to start your meal.
The little boss liked it so we asked for another slice for him.

Broiled chicken in mustard with cripy skin.
I miss their old home-fried potatoes, though.

Hubby and I shared the salad that came with the steak, which we asked served with orange vinaigrette instead of our regular ceasar dressing. This is Tagaytay territory with Gourmet farms less than a hundred meters away, so it was no surprise that the greens were fresh and crisp. I particularly liked the vinaigrette, it was slightly sweet and light, very refreshing.

A generous serving of salad greens with your choice of dressing

US Angus Ribeye cooked medium-well,
served with baked potato and a glass of red wine.

I also snitched a few bites of steak from hubby's plate, and was not surprised that it was melt-in-your-mouth tender as a good quality ribeye should be. Hubby opted to have his steak with au jus instead of his usual gravy, and it was good decision as the natural flavor was not masked  by sauces or seasonings. I'd probably get a steak that good from famous steakhouses for more than double the price, and without wine or any other beverage at that. It was really good value.

We skipped dessert and opted to have coffee in a newly-opened local coffee place. But I know we'll be back should our craving for good quality steak hits again.

Santi's ladies. Forgot to invite Chef to join them. Sorry Chef!

Photos by Mike Esguerra

Note: This is not a sponsored post

Park Avenue Desserts Part 1: Macarons de Paris and Molten Brownie Bites

Browsing through an online buying site (I have developed a very bad habit of checking their deals on a regular basis), I chanced upon an offer for Park Avenue Desserts. Now I have a really sweet tooth, so anything that says dessert is sure to get my attention. However, I was hesitant to buy the whole dozen of assorted mini cakes in the deal as I felt that 12 cakes ware just too many for our family of three. Also, I checked Park Avenue Desserts' FB page and found out that they have French Macarons, so I decided to try those first. BUT, I did buy the deal for the mini cakes, too, though that would be the subject of another post.

Anyway, I managed to convince hubby to drop by Park Avenue Desserts in Paseo de Magallanes on our next trip to Manila. The place was not hard to find although it was at the very end of the row of buildings facing SLEX. The store was a bit small, with about four or five small tables inside and a few more outside. Though it was a bit cramped inside, the size actually made the store feel cozy and homey. There were chalk boards on the wall with the menu written on it, apparently the place also offers a selection of snacks and meals. But as I was there for the dessert, I went straight to their display cases and zeroed in on the French macarons.

PAD's display cases

Hard to resist those goodies inside the chiller case.

They have cronuts! Will try this some other time, though.

I don't remember what these are, sorry!

Little pastry chef

PAD has a lot of macaron flavors to choose from, and at the time of our visit, there were eight flavors available: Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Red Velvet, Tiramisu, Pistachio, Lemon, Mint Chocolate and Bubblegum. One box contains eight macarons in a plastic, shatterproof box, and I got one of each flavor except for Bubblegum, substituting it with another chocolate piece. Each piece had a generous filling of buttercream, while the shells were were light and crispy with a chewiness near the center, just the way macarons should be.

PAD's pretty packaging

The macarons in a plastic, shatterproof box. Nice!
A box of eight costs Php360, or Php45 per macaron.

Our box of sweeties before the little boss and I attacked them, haha!

I was expecting the Chocolate macaron to be my favorite, but surprisingly, I liked the Salted Caramel and Red Velvet better. The chocolate was good, but it didn't really stand out, at least for me. I guess I was expecting it to have a richer, more intense chocolate flavor.

Chocolate macaron. See that how thick the filling was? Yum!

The Salted Caramel was bursting with creamy caramel flavor that contrasted nicely with the hint of saltiness. It looked like it had the usual buttercream filling, but when you bite into it, you'd be surprised by the caramel hidden inside. Yummy!

Salted Caramel Macaron, my favorite of the bunch.
There's the yummy salted caramel in the center!

The Red Velvet, meanwhile, was very rich with its thick cream cheese filling, and oddly enough, tasted more chocolatey than the chocolate one. I was actually surprised that I liked it so much, given that I am not too fond of cream cheese on pastries. (I normally scrape the cream cheese frosting on cinnamon rolls if the frosting is too thick.) Unfortunately, I was not able to get a photo of it as the little boss claimed the Red Velvet macaron for his own and would not let go of it, only allowing me to have a bite because I begged.

The Lemon one tasted really tart and lemon-y, prompting hubby to comment that PAD was not kidding around with their lemon flavor. Lemon lovers would not be disappointed with this one, though I was not quite taken by it. I didn't get to taste the rest of the flavors, either because the flavor didn't interest me, or it was eaten by someone else, haha! The whole lot was gone by next morning.

Aside from the macarons, I also got a small container of their Molten Brownie Bites. 

Molten Brownie Bites, Php150 for a box of 8. Not bad!

 At first I couldn't understand why it was called such, until I bit into one:

There's the generous chocolate filling inside the brownie.
Nice and rich, though a tad too sweet for my liking.

Each round brownie had a chocolate center, much like truffles. The brownie itself tasted more like dense chocolate cake, soft and heavy, while the chocolate inside though soft was not quite molten. Perhaps next time I should pop them for a few seconds in the microwave to truly experience that molten chocolate bite. Hubby and I liked it, though after you've had a couple you'll feel like it's a bit too sweet due to the chocolate center.

It took our little family just a couple of days or so to finish those macarons and brownies, so naturally I had to get on the online buying site to purchase Buddy's Dozen, an assortment of 12 of Park Avenue's best-selling mini cakes. As we are only about halfway into finishing our dozen, I will post a separate blog on them. Now, back to those cakes...

Photos by Mike and Shella Esguerra

Note: This is not a sponsored post. 

Weekday lunch at Buffet 101, SM by the Bay

Truth be told, I wasn't too keen to try Buffet 101. I've read reviews comparing it to a similar buffet place and in most of these reviews, Buffet 101 came out second in ranking. I also learned that it is owned by the same people that own Yakimix, and having been to Yakimix several times already, I assumed that there wouldn't be much difference between the two.

Buffet 101, SM by the Bay

However, I'm not one to pass up a good deal, either. So when I saw that Buffet 101 lunch vouchers were being sold at a discount on an online buying site, I purchased a few, intending to use them for hubby's office staff lunch out. As it turned out, we dined there twice, once with hubby's staff, and second with my sister who spent her short vacation with us.

Buffet 101 rates
(Photo downloaded from the web)

Reserving a table is quite easy, as it can be done via their Facebook fan page. The first time we got there, there seemed to be some confusion with the reservation as my name wasn't on the list, but I had a text message confirming my reservation, so the staff hurriedly ushered us to a couch table near the dimsum/Chinese section. We were a bit cramped as there were four of us plus the little boss who was given a high chair at one end. The second time, we got a table beside the wide glass windows facing SMX Convention Center which was good for six, and there were just three of us plus the little boss. But that was fine since the little boss fell asleep about thirty minutes into our lunch so I was able to lie him on the long couch beside me.

As expected, I saw quite a number of dishes that I would normally see in Yakimix, plus a whole lot more. Here are some of the photos that we took during our visits:

Salads and appetizers

  

Sausages and roast meat at the Chinese section

Assorted makis

A whole lot of cooked dishes

Barbequed ribs at the Meat section. Not as good as it looks, though.

Seafood for grilling. These are display items only as the seafood
to be grilled are already inside the kitchen.

Seafood chowder with pastry puff.
I wanted to try this but was discouraged by the large serving.

I honestly don't know what section this was, although it was beside
chafing dishes of pasta, spinach with cheese and baked oysters.

As it is really quite impossible to sample everything in a large buffet, I would focus on the good and not so good things at Buffet 101.

First: The Good.

A lot of people say that Buffet 101 has the best tempura. Well, I wouldn't say it is the best, but it could be one of the better-tasting tempura around. The batter is not oily, as is the problem with some tempura, and the shrimp inside is perfectly cooked. Downside is the serving dish is almost always empty, and diners are always waiting for the next batch. It seemed that as soon as the tempura is served, it's all gone within a couple of minutes.

I also liked the shrimp on stick that was buried in a mound of warm sea salt. I initially though it would be too salty, but it wasn't. My guess is that it was cooked by dry heat then buried in sea salt, but then I might be wrong. Just the same, I liked this better than the tempura. Didn't get a picture of it, though.

Spinach with cheese on top. Very, very good. Spinach is one of the few vegetables that I actually enjoy eating. Pair it with cheese and you've got me hooked. Again, no picture. Sorry!

The buffet had a lot of cooked dishes that I think I lost count of how many there are. Although I did not get a lot from this section, my companions said that most of those that they tried were good.

Another hit with the diners were the live swahe which you can ask the chef to cook for you. However, we were seated beside the aquarium where the swahe were swimming, and it was just a tad uncomfortable to see the cute shrimps get scooped up in a net, dumped in a pot of boiling water then served to waiting diners. It reminded me of an inasal restaurant that was so famous in one part of the Visayas region where the decor were live chicken inside glass cases embedded into the walls beside the diners' tables. But that's another story.

I also like the fact that they have a shake station that offers about three or four different fruit shakes. During our visits, they had pineapple, watermelon and grape. What I didn't like, though, is that the shakes were too sweet. I thought they just made a mistake of putting too much sugar in my shake during our first visit, but it was still too sweet on the second visit. I asked my companions, and we all agreed that the fruit shakes were too sweet. It was even sweeter than the iced tea and lemonade.

The Not So Good:

All of us were quite disappointed with the steaks that they served. They had prime rib on both our visits, but I have to say it didn't taste like prime rib at all. The meat was quite tough and bland. They also had tenderloin which is cooked upon order, and we asked that ours be cooked medium well. Upon serving, the steak was very well done that it was a bit tough, and the meat was marinated so that all I can taste was the sweetish marinade that they used. I did not ask for it on our next visit.

The prime rib. Taste and quality is below par.

The desserts -- Although they had a wide array of desserts, I cannot really say that I enjoyed them, except for the dark chocolate mousse that I had on our second visit. It was designed to look like a plant pot and was really nice, although I got a nagging suspicion that they copied the presentation from a "Cooking Like Heston" episode which was shown a few weeks prior. The rest of the desserts were so-so.

Red ribbon cakes

The smallest chocolate fountain I've seen in a buffet. 

  

The only dessert that stood out: dark chocolate mousse

Hubby's dessert plate. He didn't like the creme brulee and
that mango something with cherry on top.

The only good thing on my dessert plate is the chocolate mousse.

The Chinese/dimsum section had no hakao. They got a lot of other dimsum items like chicken feet and siomai but no hakao.

One thing that we particularly didn't like was an incident during our first visit. Halfway into our lunch, the smell of something getting burned suddenly permeated the air, and we saw a bit of smoke from the stove inside the Chinese section. The staff quickly put out whatever it was that got burnt, but not before a Korean chef, who was obviously one of the bosses, got wind of the incident. For more than 15 minutes he was shouting and berating the staff responsible for the incident, repeatedly making threatening gestures like he was going to hit the poor guy. The Filipino chef who seemed to be the one in charge of that section had to put himself between the two when the Korean starting pushing the staff on the chest. A lot of diners couldn't help but stare at them as the shouting seemed to go on and on. I guess the Korean got mad because the incident could have caused a fire, but the humiliation he inflicted on the staff was totally uncalled for. The proper thing would have been to call the staff to the back kitchen and give him a stern warning, not humiliate and threaten to hurt him in full view of everyone including the guests. That incident left a bad taste, and hubby really didn't want to dine again at Buffet 101 after that, only we still had a few vouchers left from my purchase.

Buffet 101 certainly has a lot going for it. Although it cannot boast of having the best buffet, their selection is quite good given the prices that they charge. It can certainly attract a lot of the buffet-going crowd. However, an incident like the one that we witnessed can turn off potential patrons. It not only shows lack of professionalism on the part of the Korean, but lack of respect for the staff concerned. I sincerely hope that such is not a preview of how the management treats its employees, particularly those who hold lower positions.