Blueberry Cheesecake of my dreams, Chicken Empanaditas to live for!

Blueberry cheesecake. Mouth-watering creaminess that melts in your mouth, textured with the semi-sour, semi-sweet blueberries, with the contrasting buttery and slightly salted crust... sinfully delicious...just thinking about it makes me salivate like a dog. Yes, it's one of my weakness. The first time I've tasted it, I was done for. I'll actually trade any dessert for blueberry cheesecake.

Unfortunately, not all cake shop can satisfy my standards. Let's just say that I've tasted my share of this pie that I 've become a self-declared connoiseur. So it was really a delight to discover a small cake shop along Katipunan Road, White Plains, Quezon City that serves my type of blueberry cheese pie.

I've heard of "Gateau de Manille" sometime ago in a radio commercial, advertising for lunch and dinner. I've passed by it a hundredth time and paid no attention. It's outside has no fanciness, it actually looked like a very ordinary restaurant. Our discovery of it was purely coincidental. We've placed an order for chicken in a nearby store but had to wait for 20 mins before it cooks, so we went looking for a decent place to while the time. It was providential that we landed at Gateau de Manille. Their blueberry cheesecake was everything I hoped for! (No contest ang Red Ribbon dito! - Andy).

My dear hubby and also Geoffrey, on the otherhand, fell in love with the chicken empanaditas. It's a bread-filled pastry that's bursting with a very tasty mixture of chicken, potatoes, green peas, raisin, and carrots. As you bite it, your tastebuds welcome the succulent chicken mixture with a tinge of sweetness because of the rasins. The cover is not thick unlike other empanadas where the filling is sooo small compared to the thick covering. Let the pictures speak for themselves. (Talong talo ang Goldilucks at Red Ribbon sa sarap at presyo! - Andy)

Cheesecake is only P415 while chicken empanaditas cost only P18/pc or P105 per box of 6. They also have a broad range of cakes, pastries, pies, and bread. (Magandang pampasalubong! Di ka mapapahiya! - Andy). I look forward tasting their other creations.

Gateau de Manille is located at 117 Katipunan Road, St. Ignatius Village, White Plains, Quezon City, with tel. 9116547, 9116750, 9128573.

Our Favorite Halo-Halo!

The scorching summer heat is here again. It's the best time to eat the Pinoy's favorite dessert - the Halo-Halo. Halo-Halo (Halo means "mix") usually consists of a blend of fruits - banana, camote, beans, macapuno, ube, corn, langka and preserved ingredients like nata de coco, sago, gulaman, ube, kaong, leche flan and ice cream. Shaved ice, milk and sugar complete the delicious halo-halo. There is really no specific ingredient for the halo-halo. You may simply mix any ingredient as you desire. I remember when I was in Japan, my friends and I only used sweet corn and beans in our halo-halo. The secret to a satisfying and delicious halo-halo is not only the mixed ingredients but also the shaved ice. Don't serve ice that hardens like an iceberg - you won't be able to mix the ice with the fillings. We were served once in Tagaytay with this kind of halo-halo and we ended up eating only the fillings and throwing the block of ice (I realized now, I should have thrown the solidified ice to the owner...ooops! Just kidding :-).

Each restaurant concocts its own formula for its halo-halo. In Pampanga, there are three popular halo-halo restos- Razon's of Guagua, Corazon of Angeles City and Kabigting of Arayat. Each of this halo-halo has its own unique taste and special ingredient. (You may read an article about these 3 halo-halos). One of our favorites is Razon's halo-halo. Razon's halo-halo consists only of three basic ingredients - banana (saging na saba), shredded macapuno, and leche plan - mixed with finely shaved ice, evaporated milk, sugar and a tinge of dayap. The mixture is so simple yet it's so tasty - the sweetness is just right. In Pampanga, the halo-halo costs maybe about P50.00 (since my last visit maybe a year ago), however here in Metro Manila, it is P72.00 (at Razon's, Timog Ave., QC). Its price in Metro Manila really has soared high, but at least you don't have to travel to Pampanga to taste the halo-halo. Razon's halo-halo can now be found in several malls like Trinoma and the Mall of Asia.