Dippin' Dots: A Futuristic Dessert Throwback

Futuristic yet retro - my friend saw that description of Dippin' Dots ice cream somewhere online. Dippin' dots has also been in the country for quite some time. I remember having one when I was a kid. It's not the usual ice cream that you scoop out of a tub. Rather, you scoop out tiny colorful ice cream dots. They also had this type of ice cream in Universal Studios Singapore, in their Sci-fi Cafe, when we visited last 2012.

Wanting that futuristic-retro-ice-cream, I bought a cup at their SM Mall of Asia kiosk.

There were 4 flavors on display: Peppermint, Candy Cane, Strawberry and Vanilla. You could order a maximum of 3 flavors in a cup. They only had one serving size. I ordered Peppermint, Candy Cane and Strawberry.

Peppermint and Candy cane looks alike with the green, red, and white colored dots. They also both have a minty taste. The difference is that the peppermint had brown dots which are probably chocolate flavored. The white-light pink on the left side is the strawberry.

You could choose to let the dots melt in your mouth or just munch on them.

Peppermint is what I liked best. The novelty of eating ice cream in dots form is fun too. I just hope there were more available flavors or even just a variety with what was available since candy cane and peppermint tasted almost alike.

Branch visited located at: 2nd floor, Main Mall, SM Mall of Asia

Click here for the Dippin' Dots website: Dippin' Dots!

The Gastronomer's Diary on Facebook!

Chewy Junior: Cream-filled Dessert

For an alternative dessert, we went to Chewy Junior to have some chewy cream-filled goodies.

My gastronomer friend had the New York Cheesecake. This one is vanilla cream filled with a creamy cheesy topping. It is also covered with cheesecake-crust-like powder.

I ordered the Java Chip Cookie that was covered with chocolate and topped with cream plus half an Oreo. As the name suggests, it has coffee cream filling. On my first bite, I got chocolate and cream on my face - a sweet mess I had to clean. This did not stop me from finishing the whole thing.

The consistency of the bread is similar to a Japanese doughnut - chewy. The creaminess comes from the filling while toppings determine the flavor. So if you have cheese toppings, you ought to get some saltiness. While if you have chocolate based toppings, you get more sweetness. These are perfect for snack time, dessert time, or for any time you need a little chewy-creamy fix.

Branch visited located at: 2nd floor, Entertainment Mall, Mall of Asia, Pasay City

Baskin Robbins: Ice Cream for 3, coming right up!

Want to cool down or simply just want to enjoy the afternoon? Ice cream can be an answer to both. We visited Baskin Robbins in BGC to finally get a taste of their ice cream after years of absence in the country.

Decision time...There were many flavors on display.

Scooping up! We chose Pistachio Almond, Jamoca Almond Fudge, and Love Potion #31.

We ordered a triple regular scoop ice cream. I just felt like a kid holding this big bowl of ice cream. An excited and happy kid. (P.S. I shared this with 2 other people)

The ice cream tends to stick to the plastic spoon. That explains the crater in my pistachio scoop - where a plastic spoon used to be. I can't smoothen it out since somehow more ice cream just sticks. Is this a sign of creamy ice cream? Thus, we proceed to tasting.


Pistachio Almond

Occasional nuts and a not too sweet ice cream. Perfect if you want to have a little bite in your ice cream. One of the more common flavors in the market but with an added treat (almonds).


Jamoca Almond Fudge

When you can't decide between coffee and ice cream. It has that coffee flavor with ribbons of chocolatey syrup.


Love Potion #31

Raspberry filled chocolate hearts and white chocolate and raspberry ice cream. I think this one was the sweetest because of the chocolate hearts. The hearts weren't too few nor too many. I almost always get a piece every spoonful but it did not overpower the ice cream. The tart-berry taste went well in the mix.

What I liked about the three is that its sweetness is not super super sweet. Sometimes a super sweet food makes me feel like my throat is going to itch and I need to flush it down with water. But for these three, it was nothing like that. Just ice cream eating time :)


Branch visited located at: Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Potts Point: Mother's Day 2015 - Australian Organic Lunch

--------- Happy Mother's Day!!!!!!! ---------

Potts Point has recently opened a branch in Mall of Asia. What's good about their food is that it is organic. What's better is that we got online discount coupons (again) that gave us 40% discount. Yay! Just in time for an advanced Mother's Day celebration. We had our lunch here the day before Mother's day.


Organic Roasted Chicken Fillet with Salsa Verde, Mango Cream, Garlic Yoghurt Sauce, and Quinoa-Red Rice Salad

I liked the way they presented this with the sauces forming patterns on the side.

This one is perfect for rice-people who want a healthier alternative. A little salty outside tender and simple inside.


Australian Grass-fed All Beef Burger with Australian Cheddar, Pickled Beets, Olive Oil Aioli and House-made Brioche Bun with Baked Sweet Potato Wedges

The patty was made of pure beef, a little crumbly in texture, but juicy and tender. The patty itself was a little salty compared to other burgers where the saltiness comes from the sauces and other burger toppings (like the Cowboy burger of Village Tavern where its saltiness comes from the bacon topping). Pickled beets, cheese, lettuce filled up this burger. You could also add an organic egg if you want for additional Php30. It comes with sweet potato fries generously sprinkled with Parmesan cheese on top.


Baked Prawn Thermidore Shepherd's Pie with Garden Salad

A thin layer of cheese covered the prawn pieces resting on top of mashed potato at the base of the "pie". This was a little spicy. It also came with a salad and 2 pieces of bread. It had two of my favorite food items - prawns and cheese.

You get cheese, prawns, potatoes, and spice with almost every mouthful.

Old Fashioned Grass-Fed Meatloaf - for sharing

Another pretty sauce pattern.

For more beef, we had meatloaf for sharing. We were hesitant at first to order meatloaf. But we were glad we did. The sauce was what I liked most about this dish. Sweet, just the right sweetness. The loaf itself was tender and the mashed potato was lightly seasoned.


Branch visited located at: 2nd flr, Veranda, Entertainment Mall, Mall of Asia, Pasay City

Backlog Post: Tokyo Cafe: Mother's Day 2014

Mothers' Day is fast approaching! Around this time last year, my mom and I had a mini food trip of our own at Tokyo Cafe in SM Mall of Asia. Aside from Japanese dishes, they also have American and Filipino inspired dishes in their menu.


California Maki

The mayonnaise inside the maki itself is what I remember best about this. The rice was good too. It was the first item served and being at my hungry state, I easily devoured some.


Tokyo Boneless Chicken

Pieces of herbed chicken fillet in gravy. The chicken itself was tender but the sauce was a tad bit salty for us.


Pork Tonkatsu and Ebi Furai Bento Set

We ordered the Tonkatsu and Furai as part of a bento set. Bento sets are good deals if you want to get more than one type of food. This one came with rice, soup and side dishes.


We got a free set of lifestyle magazines and a tote bag due to the special occasion.

*This is a backlog post. Actual food expedition was made a few months prior to publishing of this post.

Branch visited located at: Ground floor, Main Mall, SM Mall of Asia