Alpenliebe Candies

I have motion sickness, but I love to travel. Usually, the way for me to cope up with it is to either sleep or have some candies to divert my attention. Whenever I travel, I always have some candies in my bag, and my favorites are Mentos and Fruittella. Mentos helps freshen the breath during long, overnight travels, while Fruittella sort of tricks my mind whenever I feel hungry.

Perfetti Van Melle, the company behind my favorite candies now has another candy that will surely be loved by us Filipinos:


Alpenliebe candies.

The name certainly is new to me, but it actually has been around the International market since 1984, and is Perfetti Van Melle's first milk-based deposited candy launched in Italy.

A little sometime ago, I was surprised to received a bucket of these candies, and it just reminded me of "Heidi." :)



It comes in two flavors - Strawberry and Caramel. Strawberry is made with real cream, while Caramel is fortified with milk. Both flavors are delicious, but it's the Strawberry one I liked more, because it has two different flavors that blended well together. Savoring the tangy strawberry flavor combined with something creamy is like eating dessert. What I loved the most about these candies is that it is smooth until it all melts in your mouth, meaning... it doesn't have any holes that would injure your tastebuds (I hate candies like that).

The candy is now available in many supermarkets, and is available in bags containing 50 candies - good enough to share to friends and families.

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Flourish Pilipinas Media Launch

Last Wednesday, I was at the Ballroom B of Crowne Plaza Hotel (Ortigas) for the launch of "Flourish Pilipinas," spearheaded by the Universal Robina Corporation - Flour Division in partnership with the Department of Tourism, which aims to promote the bread and pastry industry in the country. There will be series of competition, and the mechanics as well as prizes will be on a separate post. For now, let me just share the sumptuous lunch served to us at the event.


The event was attended by different media people and some representatives from each of the sponsors and partners for the competition. As food was served, guests were serenaded by two of the most awesome voices in the Philippine music scene - Robert Sena and his wife Isay Alvarez. They performed timeless folk Filipino songs, and they were just amazing!



Beef Salpicao Salad
To start the meal, we were served this salad. Beef was tender and very flavorful, and the vinaigrette was so interesting that I want to try this at home - if only I know what's in it. Anyway, I tasted a little fruity tang to the vinaigrette (possibly calamansi or dayap), which really went well with the garlic bits in the Salpicao.


Molo Soup
The broth was a little salty for my liking, but the molo filling was good!


Bistek Tagalog
I found it a little weird that we were served yet another beef dish, but I am embracing it all in because the beef just tasted soooo good! The beef cuts were thick, but they were super tender. Unlike the typical Bistek Tagalog we serve at home, the sauce had this gravy consistency and it didn't have any souring agent. The veggies were crispy and cooked just right.


Crepe Samurai
When we heard it was "crepe," I became a little interested about it, because I usually see crepes served like blankets with filling. This, too, had its filling - a mix of mango slices and possibly mango ice cream (which already melted so I couldn't say for sure), and although I didn't eat the mango slices (personal reasons - I am not really into mangoes), I did enjoy the creamy sauce and the pastry.

If you're a baker and would like to take part of Flourish Pilipinas, you can click this link to get know the details and mechanics.

#bakeitfuninthephilippines

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Ristorante Bigoli (Eastwood City - Libis)

Ristorante Bigoli
Ground Level, Eastwood Citywalk 1
Libis, Quezon City 
+63 (02)421-0416 / +63 (02)421-0453 / +63917-889-9502


This spot was familiar to me. A few years ago, I was there with my friend Nathalie eating dinner. Then, it was called Fazoli's, and I loved that dining experience to the point of asking my sister for us to eat there and even suggested brother to take her girlfriend there when she visited us from Cagayan de Oro.


The world goes changing every minute, and from Fazoli's, it is now called Ristorante Bigoli. The name of the restaurant may have changed, but their mission to provide that Italian dining feeling hasn't changed. In fact, they are even striving to think of more ways to give people not just value for their hard earned money, but to really give them the feel of Italy whenever they are dining in any of the Ristorante Bigoli branches.


Like the previous time I was here, I was welcomed with big smiles and the big menu for easy ordering.


This branch has four dining sections - the al fresco side (which, at night, could give you a great view of the shows happening in this side of Eastwood City), the ground level dining area, the second floor dining area, and a separate area (also on the second floor) for conferences, meetings, and other functions.

This wasn't the first time I dined at Ristorante Bigoli... sister and I usually go to their branch in SM Fairview whenever we crave for pizza and pasta. We always find ourselves eating the usual plated meals, so I was excited to have tasted something unique to Ristorante Bigoli - the Stromboli.





It reminded me of the Panizza, the only difference was that these were already rolled and filled with delicious filling and served with a dip to complete the Stromboli dining experience. From top to bottom - Ultimate Beef, Pepperoni, Beef, and Bacon. One thing consistent (regardless of the flavor) was the dough... very soft and slightly chewy. All had enough filling inside, and the dip provided to be a great siding for these delicious babies.

The Bacon Stromboli is served with White Sauce while the others were served with Marinara Sauce. One interesting thing to know - The Beef Stromboli is made using the Kitayama Wagyu Beef, which has lower cholesterol levels compared to other beef types. The cattle that produces this meat were raised in Mt. Kitanglad in Bukidnon. Now that's a great way of supporting the local meat industry! :)

All four kinds of Stromboli were great tasting, but if you ask me my favorite, it would have to be the Bacon. Beef comes in a close second.


One of the dishes retained from the old menu was their Italian Chicken. Long before the sauced up fried chicken became a big rage, this dish already existed. Chicken cuts were big, meat is tender and juicy... and the marinara sauce as well as the cheese on top makes it a good meal. Like me, you may want to eat this with rice, or you may choose to go with any of the pasta dishes.


Speaking of pasta dishes, one new to me was their Ravioli (I always go for the Spaghetti as it is my ever favorite pasta). Like the Stromboli, these are freshly made pasta dough and the filling consisted of Cream Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese, and Bacon. Served with Marinara Sauce, it just had a great combination of flavors. Cheese and Tomato Sauce do go well together; the richness of the cheese fights with the tangy marinara sauce!


Until 10 March 2013, diners may opt to have their Ravioli in heart shapes for the price of 143 pesos (143 = I Love You). After that date, it goes back to the regular square shapes and is priced at 140 pesos.


Another thing I loved with Ristorante Bigoli - their Bread Sticks! Diners are treated with unlimited serving of bread sticks (just wait for the roaming staff to give you one, or you may call their attention for a piece), but if you're taking your food out, you may purchase the extra serving of Bread Sticks. Eating pasta + a few pieces of bread sticks might tick off the carbohydrate alert, but I don't care somehow... it's just so good that I want more of it!


Ristorante Bigoli also offers coffee drinks (hot and cold) to accompany your meals. On the left was my drink - Cookies and Cream Freeze, and on the right was my friend's drink - Double Chocolate Freeze. I was able to take a sip off the Double Chocolate Freeze and it had pieces of chocolate chips (such a pleasure to chew on as I sip more of the drink). Both drinks had the right sweetness.


Surely, no meal is complete without desserts, and aside from the pizza dessert (which I loved), Ristorante Bigoli also offers Stick House products, dubbed as "Gelato on a Stick." The newest item on their menu was the Cupido. On the left is the Strawberry-Chocolate Gelato, and the other is the Chocolate-Vanilla Gelato. Stick House prides on using 100% natural products - they don't use artificial flavorings and colorings; which was why they don't carry a whole lot of flavors. I surely loved the Strawberry-Chocolate Gelato because of the natural taste of the strawberries, but if you're a chocoholic, I suggest you taste the Chocolate-Vanilla Gelato.

Ristorante Bigoli is consistently finding many ways of bringing that Italian dining experience here in the Philippines. They are welcoming more dishes, improve on the ambiance of each of their branches, so watch out for more offerings to come. To know more about Ristorante Bigoli and receive new updates, do follow them on their Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/RistoranteBigoli.





PS - Ristorante Bigoli takes its name and inspiration from "Bigoli," a traditional pasta from the Veneto region of Northern Italy.

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