Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

May all of us remember to be thankful and enjoy this day with our loved ones. :)

- Mara

The Perfect Weather for Coffee

I think this is the second time or so this week that I'll mention how chilly it has been for the past days, weeks even. 

This is the perfect weather to grab yourself that hot drink to really savor this rare cold weather we have in this tropical country that we live in. With that being said, I'm debating with myself right now whether I should head out earlier than my 7PM date with friends and have some hot Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks.

Need A New Phone?

Hello guys!

Just a short commercial from my food-related posts.

Please check out my other blog, I'm selling a spare phone I haven't used.

Let me know if you're interested!


Thanks so much!




Regards,
Mara

Frozen Yogurt Craving

How much frozen yogurt can one have to satisfy his/her craving for it?

I know the weather these past few days do not call for frozen yogurt, or any cold food or drinks for that matter. It's been quite chilly and rainy the past days but my weird cravings choose no occasion, time, day, and weather. For some reason, my taste buds want froyo for dessert and I haven't given in to the craving for almost a week.

Yoh-Froz (with Kiwi fruit); Golden Spoon (with Mallows & White Chocolate); California Berry (Blueberry plain); and White Hat (Strawberry plain)

Any one of these frozen yogurts will do and I'll have a happy tummy and happy taste buds. I'm actually missing two photos here, one from Red Mango and Lulu Belle. Yes, I love frozen yogurts, desserts, and trying out different and all kinds of food from different places for comparison. If you're wondering, White Hat's on top of my list. I'm open for suggestions of any other frozen yogurt place other than these 6 I've already tried.

I WILL GET MY FROYO FIX...BEFORE CHRISTMAS. ;)

BonChon's Fish Rice

It has been a year since BonChon has graced Manila with its "no-need-for-gravy" chicken and people still line up every time a new branch opens up. I tried this Korean-based franchise restaurant when it opened up a store in Ayala Triangle, just to see (and taste) for myself what the fuss was all about. Fortunately, it appealed to my taste buds and I loved it! I love how the chicken doesn't need ketchup or gravy or any other sauce other than the flavor itself. You can choose to have soy garlic or spicy.

But even though BonChon is popular for their chicken, they have also added up new food to their menu including their fish tacos, bulgogi and my new favorite: fish rice.

The "combo" meal has 3 strips of fillet fish (with choices of soy garlic or spicy) with rice + drink. I love my food spicy so even when I had my fish spicy already, I still ordered an extra spicy mayo just to add taste. Spicy mayo can also be used for the chicken which I also do because I just can't seem to eat fried chicken without some condiments and BonChon's spicy mayo is just right with the chicken's flavor. Gravy or ketchup would be too eeky.

Next on my list is to try their fish tacos and bulgogi.

Visit BonChon in Shangri-La Plaza, Ayala Triangle, Greenbelt 1, Promenade Greenhills, Taft Avenue, and Eastwood.

Which Hot Drink Do You Prefer?

To be more specific, which hot drink do you prefer to have on a cold, rainy day? Coffee? Hot chocolate? Milk? Tea?

I woke up today and the first thought I had was that of a song from Maroon 5, Sunday Morning, because it was raining on a Sunday morning. Apparently, it has been raining the whole day and my urge to have Iced Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks ended up being a Hot Green Tea Latte instead.

Because I wasn't able to take a photo of my to-go drink, I got this from: Fabulouslybroke

I don't know if it's just me, but no matter what I want to drink, when it turns out to be raining I always opt for something hot to drink and usually when I'm just at home I'm limited to either coffee or hot chocolate.

Any other hot drink suggestions? What are your favorites?

Adsense problem

***A break from food related post***


I have been having problems with my blog's Google Adsense for the past couple of months and I have zero idea on how to deal with it and fix it.

Is there anyone here who can help me with it? I'll send you an email or IM. I've tried searching Google's FAQ but I don't have the patience and the time to sift through each of the hundred topics posted and find a specific solution or explanation to my problem.

It would be a huge help and I would really appreciate it.
I can link you back as a thank you. :)

Thanks in advance, guys!

Gelatissimo

Gelatissimo, a gelato retail chain from Australia has opened several branches here in the Philippines too and it's not just about the gelato as they also offer coffee, sundaes, gelato cakes and mostly dessert products.

Here's my first Gelatissimo flavor:

Gelatissimo: Rum and Raisin

The photo actually made it look big but I had the smallest size and it cost me around P100 or so. It may seem pricey for a small dessert but then again, it's sort of an imported product and it is actually worth it because I had a scoopful, not the usual small scoop ones.

I would love to give the other flavors a try especially Green Tea and Bailey's. Gelatissimo has 6 branches here in the Philippines including 2 in Cebu (Ayala Center and SM City), 2 in Quezon City (SM North and TriNoma), 1 in Taguig (Serendra) and 1 in Makati (Greenbelt 5).

Mr. Jones, Greenbelt 5

I had the chance to try out Mr. Jones in Greenbelt 5 when a good friend of mine was having her on-the-job training there. I've heard of the place before but haven't really tried it so I was not familiar with the menu. The night before I was to have lunch at Mr. Jones with my friend's girlfriend, I searched for their menu and familiarized myself with the food that they have.

Everything sounds and looks delicious! But the first thing I noticed was the price, I initially thought that it was a little pricey for my budget even for me who enjoys eating out and trying new restaurants. A single order of their soup and salad is somewhere between P195-P375 ($4-9) already and the rest of the menu, including drinks range from P200-P600 ($4-15).

"Good thing I'm with Trish tomorrow!", is what I said to myself. I saw several food that I wanted to order the next day that I don't think a P1,000 ($25) budget would be enough to cover it.

Here's what I had that day:

Mr. Jones' Wicked Truffled Mac 'N Cheese

Priced at P395 ($9) and is good for sharing, Mr. Jones' Mac 'N Cheese is a must-try for everyone who is a first timer at this restaurant. You really can't go wrong with mac 'n cheese and this one just tastes so good you can eat it all by yourself. I love the creaminess of the sauce, not too creamy or sweet, but not bland at all. it has mushrooms, pancetta, and green peas too. This is the first food I ordered while waiting for Trish and I was trying not to eat it all before she arrives.

Mr. Jones' Spicy Drumstick

I'm not sure exactly what the name if this food is but is spicy and they're drumsticks. I love spicy buffalo wings, and this one has made it to my list of favorites. It has fries on the side of the bucket, too. The drumsticks are huge compared to others, the sauce balances out its spiciness but not removing the spicy factor. It actually just makes it more....delicious.

Overall, we've had 4 different food and 1 milkshake. I think our total bill was around P2,000-P2,500 but it was totally worth it. I wasn't able to take pictures because we were already busy eating.

Visit Mr. Jones at Level 1, Greenbelt 5 in Makati.

Crazy for Milk Tea

Is there anyone who's also wondering why the sudden popularity of milk tea shops in every corner?

I remember having my first taste of "milk tea" in HongKong when I was barely a teenager. It was literally a tea with milk and it was from a restaurant, not from a milk tea cafe or shop. I loved the taste of it that's why every time I feel like having it, I just steep a tea bag and add milk. Homemade style.

But now, there are a lot of milk teas everywhere; Serenitea, Tea Tap, Gong Cha, Happy Lemon, Moonleaf Tea and believe me... a lot, lot, lot more!

I admit that I am an avid drinker but I still have yet to try the other places. So far, I have Happy Lemon and Serenitea crossed out from my list and I love them both that I just crave for these two every time.
Happy Lemon's Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese is a favorite of mine, so is Serenitea's Hokkaido.

This is why from now on, I will be making "Crazy for Milk Tea" a series. I will post and share with you my experiences, suggestions, and most importantly my reviews and ratings of the drinks.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions for me (I'm sure you have a lot!) and I will be more than willing to give it a try.

Watch out for the future posts about Serenitea!

Pepper Lunch's New Menu

Has it really been almost 6 months since my last entry post here? My, my, my.
Sorry for that. I know I've been extremely busy with work and social life that my body (and mind) just couldn't take it if I spend even my weekends in front of my laptop. BUT...that doesn't mean I'm not taking food photos. I still do. And every time I do, I still think about putting them up here.
I will do my best to update my blogs at least once a week.

Anyway, my first post for this year is dedicated to my favorite: PEPPER LUNCH. It's actually the reason why I felt the need to update Mara's Appetite. I think it is worth it to spend a few minutes of my self-imposed break to share with you guys that Pepper Lunch has a new menu! I don't know about you, but I am one excited gal when I read about it on Twitter.

Here's their new menu which you can also find on their blog (click Pepper Lunch):

I am looking forward to try their Angus and I read that they now have Yakisoba too. I have been craving for PL for weeks now and this Thursday is my Pepper Lunch day!!! :)

What to try? What to try?
I promise to keep you guys updated when I get to taste one of the new addition to the PL menu. Promise!