Pages Menu
TwitterRssFacebook
Categories Menu

Posted by on Dec 10, 2012 in Food, Ganns Likes, Personal | 0 comments

Ganns Likes: Lipton’s Endless Possibili-teas

Ganns Likes: Lipton’s Endless Possibili-teas

When I first met my wife, Caths, we had a lot in common, but drink preference wasn’t one of them. I liked coffee, and she liked tea. As years passed by, I learned to appreciate tea too, and she’s learned to appreciate coffee.

One of our favorite teas is Lipton Yellow Label. My father used to drink this when he was dealing with upset stomach, and Caths used to brew it and put some milk in it . (Now, no more, since Lipton manufactures its own milk tea.)

So, it was quite the welcome surprise to receive this delightful little gift bag from Lipton Philippines!

This delightful bag contained:

  • A box of Lipton Yellow Label Tea. Our home always has Lipton tea – the milk tea variation lately – so we were thrilled to get another box of this terrific tea.

  • A tea recipe booklet. This was Caths’ favorite part of the bag. This booklet contained ten recipes on how to make different types of tea drinks, including chocolate, nutty, and fruity teas that would no doubt be interesting to our kids.
  • Sweet N’ Low’s! I am not diabetic, but I do watch my sugar intake. Having Sweet N’ Low’s with the packet was really a treat; this would make sure that there would be less sugar in our teas.
  • McCormick Flavored Essences. Along with the booklet came four different flavored essences to add a bit of extra zing to our drinks. Our house has several essences already because my wife loves to bake, but this was a real treat. We received pandan, vanilla, banana, and almond essences, and you know we’re going to town with these babies.

The bag also came with:

  • Two bags of Oishi Sundays fruit juice mixes. Nicki went out of her mind!
  • A little Japanese lunchbox. Nathan went out of his mind!
  • A little glittery blue notebook. So girly! Caths went out of her mind!

As you can see, we’re all nuts here.

The next few weeks are going to be insane, as our family experiments with the different drinks we can make with these. You can bet I’ll be blogging about them! One thing is for sure: we’re going to enjoy the holidays with more Lipton teas. After all, the possibili-teas are endless!

Read More

Posted by on Oct 22, 2011 in Food, Personal | 1 comment

Quezon City vegetarian restaurant Caffe Dolce pleases

Quezon City vegetarian restaurant Caffe Dolce pleases

Last week, my wife took me to Caffe Dolce, an inspired vegetarian restaurant along Banawe Street in Quezon City. Located on the second floor of the building at 848 Banawe Street corner Linaw Street (the building’s name escapes me, but there are restaurants selling burgers and cheesy rice meals on the ground floor), Caffe Dolce is impeccably designed, delicately furnished, and elegantly inspired. The restaurant serves vegan-friendly Asian-Western fusion cuisine that will have health-conscious diners returning over and over… especially if you’re female.

That’s right, female.

Are you familiar with Etude House, the Korean cosmetics maker? If someone decided to make an Etude House restaurant, Caffe Dolce would be it. It’s pretty. It’s oh so pretty. The flowered wallpaper. The faux garden. The waterfall glass pane. The pinks and oranges. The clear chairs (from Dimensione, I heard). The smiling staff at the counter, and the pretty, can’t-wait-to-eat-it pastries. The free WIFI. It’s the perfect watering hole for women.

Yet the food appeals to me, a meat-and-potatoes guy. And this is ironic because Caffe Dolce doesn’t serve meat.

That’s right, it’s meatless.

The lamb? The chicken? The pork? The beef? All items on their menu are veggie meat. But oooooh they’re good. And not just good, they’re presented just as prettily as the restaurant. Caths ordered an eggplant with dragon fruit (almost typed dragonfly, oops!) sauce, and it was different and delicious. I had this incredible ice cream cake that had bread around it and cream in the center and fruits all around…

It was pretty.

And it was delicious.

They had a fruity iced tea that was ridiculously refreshing.

They had a whole bunch of chocolate cakes I wanted to try. And “lamb” dishes. And “fish” dishes. And pastas.

It’s a mouthwatering menu. Every dish looked good. Burgers and patties are all house-made and are 100% veg. Presentations are lovely. The staff was extremely friendly, like people out of Coffee House, a Korean romantic comedy that aired on TV a few years back. We could totally produce a TV show around these kids.

Wifi, baby. Wifi. And a smoking area outside.

Prices were okay. You’re not paying for McDonald’s here, folks; you’re also not getting the run-of-the-mill food types that people normally eat, so it’s a nice place to try something different.

If I had to recommend a restaurant for folks wanting to try out vegetarian cuisine, I’d recommend they go to Caffe Dolce, because it serves good food. And it’s pretty. Oh so pretty. Guys, guard those man-cards and take your girls on a date there. You’ll enjoy it. And even if you don’t, I’ll bet your girl will.

Caffe Dolce | 848 Banawe Street corner Linaw Street | 11am-11pm | Web | Cash only

[album: http://www.gannsdeen.com/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/Caffe Dolce/]

Read More

Posted by on Sep 21, 2010 in Food, Ganns Likes | 2 comments

Caffe Ti-Amo: Mmmmm!

Caffe Ti-Amo: Mmmmm!

Last week, Caths took Nathan and me to Caffe Ti-Amo, a newly opened gelateria in SM North EDSA’s Annex building to sample the ice cream that she says is better than Sebastian’s. (I love Sebastian’s, so I was, like, really? We’ll see about that. *snicker*)

Guess what? I actually liked Caffe Ti-Amo! I ordered two scoops of ice cream – the dark chocolate and the milk cheese – while Nathan and Caths ordered a half-waffle with milk cheese and dark chocolate. (Yes, we chose the same flavors. Nathan sampled some of the other flavors, including the chocolate and the ube, but Caths and I decided to go with what they said their bestsellers were.

Caffe Ti-Amo’s milk cheese gelato is arguably the best gelato I’ve ever tasted. Rich and creamy, with little bits of cheese. It was light, yet creamy. Heavenly little thing. I’d order a pint of that if I could. (Oh, wait… I can. Mental note to return.) The dark chocolate was rich as well, but paled – see what I did there? Dark chocolate? Pale? – in comparison to the milk cheese. We’d come back in a heartbeat just for that milk cheese gelato.

Was it as good as Sebastian’s? For me, no; I still like the creaminess and indulgent texture that Sebastian’s has to offer, but overall, Caffe Ti-Amo is my new favorite ice cream hangout place. (Because 1) Sebastian’s isn’t really as comfy as Ti-Amo, and 2) Oftentimes, I take out my Sebastian’s.)

If you hie by Caffe Ti-Amo at SM North EDSA, try the milk cheese. Mmmmmm.

[album: http://www.gannsdeen.com/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/Caffe Ti-Amo/]

Read More

Posted by on Jun 26, 2010 in Food, Ganns Likes | 0 comments

Yummy Earth Organic Vitamin C Pops

Yummy Earth Organic Vitamin C Pops

Given the amount of sugar available in most processed candies, Cathy and I were originally hesitant to buy them for our children. That was until we discovered Yummy Earth’s Organic Vitamin C Pops at Healthy Options. These lollipops are a much better alternative to the commercially available lollipops from Jack N’ Jill and the like. There are no artificial dyes and colors; all the flavor and colors come from the real fruit extracts that go into the making of the lollipops. They’re organic, gluten-free, vegan, and free of soy, nut, and dairy. There were no pesticides or chemicals that went into the processing of the fruit that went into the pops. That’s pretty good stuff, if you ask me.

Each bag of the Yummy Earth Organic Vitamin C Pops has three flavors: strawberry smash, tooberry blueberry, and razzmatazz berry. Look at these ingredients: Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Tapioca Syrup, and or Organic Rice Syrup, Citric Acid (from beet sugar), Organic Acerola Berry, Natural Flavors, may contain Organic Black Carrots, Organic Black Currant, Organic Apple, Organic Carrot, and Organic Pumpkin.

I feel better with my kids eating these instead of the artificial flavors and refined white sugar that go into the production of the run-of-the-mill lollipops. How often do my kids eat these pops anyway? At one a day, they get their 100% vitamin C requirement at only 22 calories a pop. I find my kids’ sweet teeth are assuaged with just one pop; they don’t ask for more after that, and snacking is reduced. Sure, it’s pricier – a lot pricier – than other lollipops, but we invest in our kids’ health, we reap the benefits in many, many ways, right? I’d recommend Yummy Earth Organic Vitamin C Pops for parents looking for a yummy candy that’s good for their kids’ health.

Read More

Posted by on May 10, 2010 in Food, Ganns Likes, Personal | 0 comments

Rock Salt Restaurant in Timog does it again

Rock Salt Restaurant in Timog does it again

Yesterday being Mother’s Day, I wanted to take my wife out to dinner. With my mother spending the night to help watch the kids, Caths and I went to the Rock Salt Restaurant in Timog. Rock Salt is one of Caths’ favorite restaurants; she goes there regularly with friends. It made sense to take her to a Quezon City restaurant that wouldn’t let her down.

There were four items on the nightly “Specials” list, but one item caught Caths’ eye: the “Bug Sandwich.” In a nutshell, the Bug Sandwich is a whole soft-shell crab, coated with cornmeal and served as a burger-type sandwich, with root chips and a tangy-sweet mustard-like dip. (This is what I get for not writing down the actual descriptions.) I was apprehensive, but it was time for something different other than the Cheese Steak sandwich, which I usually get. So while Caths opted for a pan-grilled salmon (served with a dill sauce on asparagus), I got the Bug Sandwich. And you know what? It was delicious! The texture was different, and I have to admit the combination of the crab with the other sides was, well, indulgent. What a novel idea for a sandwich!, I said to myself. It went really well with the bottomless iced tea, which I really enjoyed. Caths hated it; “too sweet,” she said.

After dinner, Caths recommended their Lava Cake, which was different because it is topped with caramel popcorn; on the side, ice cream served on a bed of crumble. So we ordered it, but since it was Mother’s Day, Rock Salt was giving free Lava Cakes to the mothers who dined in. (No signs or anything announcing it, so we were pleasantly surprised.) Yay! Free delicious dessert! (The ice cream crumble, in particular, was terrific!)

With a dinner like that, it looks like we’ll be visiting Rock Salt Restaurant in Timog more often. Special note to those of you considering Rock Salt: Tuesdays, all burgers are 40% off! See you next Tuesday! EB!

[album: http://www.gannsdeen.com/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/Rock Salt Mothers Day 2010/]

Read More

Posted by on Nov 16, 2009 in Food | 12 comments

Rock Salt restaurant in Timog satisfies

Rock Salt restaurant in Timog satisfies

In a nutshell: This a review of a new restaurant in Timog called “Rock Salt.”

Last night, after a fruitless attempt to get into Trinoma for its Green Light Sale – luckily, we were also there the night before, where we were able to secure a 15% discount on iPod earphones (with remote and microphone) – Cathy and I decided to drive along Timog Avenue looking for a restaurant in Quezon City to eat in. Because I had kare-kare for lunch, I didn’t feel like eating at Jay-J’s Inasal, which is usually where we eat when we’re in that area, so we decided to look around.

We then saw a Timog restaurant nearby, right beside Savory Chicken (which is another delicious place to eat). I gotta admit that the font of its name was what attracted me to the restaurant, which called itself Rock Salt. We walked in and were pleasantly surprised to find out that 1) the first level was a lounge for customers to wait if the second floor was full of diners, and 2) it’s a hatchery for a culinary institute! “Eh, eat food cooked by students?” was my first thought. Then again, my wife does do work for DLS-CSB, and I’ve had good food cooked by the kids over there, so I figured what the heck.

Rock Salt was decorated tastefully, with mostly creamy-white furniture and new art. Deciding to eat there was a good decision, because the food at the Rock Salt restaurant in Quezon City is awesome! Pics – grainy ones shot with my Nokia 5300, sorry – follow with my comments on each item.


The angry shrimp cakes were perfectly cooked. Just the right amount of crispness. The side chili sauces come in two variants, mild and hot. Delicious, guys!


This nice little collage of various food-related pictures and images decorate the stairwell leading to the dining area.


Notice the pretty girl, then the pretty wire bowls hanging on the wall.


Some of the students hard at work.


This is their Cheese Steak Burger, obviously based on the Philly Cheese Steak premise. I wasn’t expecting it to be so large. And delicious. Panalo to. I asked for it well done, but it was delivered, at best, medium well, which wasn’t half-bad. The cheese steak was ridiculously good. Hindi ko naubos in one sitting. Plus the side salad was great.


This is the pan-fried salmon with asparagus and dill cream. It’s larger than it looks. Flaky goodness, check. Well-cooked fish, check. Breadcrumbs on top, check. Dill cream, check. Sarap sarap? Check.


Another shot of my burger reveals the bottom of the buns were toasted, arguably in butter. Forget your diets this one time if you go for this. Plus, the fries are barbecue-flavored, which is great for the kids, but I found ‘em a wee bit salty.


Their bathroom set-up is unisex, but it’s clean and large.

Cathy and I really enjoyed our meal at Rock Salt. She’s already planning which friends to bring. I, since I have no friends, will tag along and eat another cheese steak burger at another table.
Ironically, I forgot to take photos of the outside, but trust me when I tell you the font’s cute, kinda old-school with a touch of Rockefeller class.

Read More
Page 1 of 41234