Let's Jamba! (Jamba Juice BGC)

Pacquiao will probably hate me, but chaos-free EDSA during his match vs Marquez was too tempting for a swift drive to Jamba Juice at Bonifacio Global City. The nation might scorn me for abandoning local pride in pursuit of fruit, but I can never ignore the whimsical reasoning of my stomach. That, and my sleepless nights over acai have got to end!

[caption id="attachment_924" align="aligncenter" width="461" caption="The JJ Balloon, a better navigator than Googlemaps"][/caption]

It was a dehydrating trek to the Jamba area (it's across R.O.X. or follow the balloon) located in this pristine lot with sawdust still layering some seats. There was a country vibe to the facade, which served the fruity-Jamba image quite well, but of course inside was rather the opposite: vermillion and sweet chaos. Good thing the lines weren't that long. Skipping the Pacquiao match had its perks - reduced queuing time, which I imagine could be a real nuisance once the hordes of hungry sports fanatics decide to celebrate with mangoes, steel-cut oats and berries.

The smoothies and other drinks were prepared on-the-spot, so the constant buzz of the blenders forms the background sound for those who chose to dine inside. Skipping the aircon and going for the outdoorsy feel was another option: peace, quiet, a lot of sunlight and as already mentioned, sawdust.

Still, I'd go for country over blender music.

[caption id="attachment_925" align="aligncenter" width="768" caption="The infamous photobooth (Oh wait, is that my foot?)"][/caption]

First timers would be delighted to see their drinks poured from a hodge podge of raw materials, blended and transformed into those colorful smoothies. For those who can't get enough of photos and tagging themselves everywhere, there's the live photobooth which directly sends the photos to your email. Good thing, people were still in the lazy Sunday mood, so cam-whoring was not part of their agenda or perhaps my foot was just in the way. (Sorry, it was a long drive!)

[caption id="attachment_926" align="aligncenter" width="819" caption="(L) Acai Supercharger and (R) Banana Berry"][/caption]

From reading the list of ingredients of the drinks, you could already tell how the smoothie would taste, in close approximation. When I got a sip of my Acai Supercharger, it tasted way better than I had imagined. I was expecting sour-fruity shake, but what I got was Fruit by the Foot yummy-fruity flavor that was not hampered by the soymilk's queer taste. The consistency was thick not because of the ice but because the drink was jam-packed with fruit. The same went for the Banana Berry that had that candy kind of fruity taste that brings comfort drink and nutrition in one cup.

With that voluminous serving of fruit, it's natural to expect a lot of sugar and calories in one drink. I suppose that's why they say it's equivalent to a meal or a great refresher after a work-out. Whoever said Jamba Juice is a dieter's dream still must be dreaming because with that much fruit and milk in one cup, you can't expect to just fly away with zero calories. Same goes for diabetics who ought to check out the labels before indulging in a fruit fiesta.

Jambajuice.com is rather keen on posting the nutritional content of the drinks and food served at Jamba Juice, to which I'm grateful for. Here's some trivia on our drinks plus what's listed in my next visit's to-try list:

The Acai Supercharger (16oz) is blended with acai juice, blueberries, strawberries, soymilk, raspberry sherbet, and antioxidant powerboost (equivalent to 2 fruit servings). A cup contains 260 calories, 46g sugar and 930% of the day's Vitamin C requirement.

The Banana Berry (16oz) is blended with bananas, blueberries, apple-strawberry juice, raspberry sherbet and frozen yogurt (equivalent to 2.5 fruit servings). A cup contains 270 calories, 57g sugar and 3g fiber.

The Steel-cut Oatmeal variants are very promising buys in the future because they are all under the 300 calorie level, sport at least 5g of fiber and a maximum of 25g of sugar. With bananas, apple cinnamon and blueberry & blackberry as available toppings, this is going to be another tough decision.

If in the mood for granola (but with soymilk, so very PETA-friendly), the Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits would be very, very tempting for breakfast or snacks. Available in Mango Peach, Berry and Chunky Strawberry - I can only wish that Jamba Juice will soon be blending in Quezon City! But wait, the 16oz parfait contains at least 550 calories and 55g sugar, so make sure you're super hungry when you indulge in this granola cup!

With pretzels and California flatbreads, there really ought to be a next time. I haven't even started with the breakfast snacks, the boosts and shots and my all-time favorite matcha!

[caption id="attachment_930" align="aligncenter" width="819" caption="Blending Soon in... QC? I wish."][/caption]

Here's to a new alternative to milk teas and fraps!

My grandmother might call it a  fruitshake shop wrapped in organic sophistication, but then, our blender's broken so someone ought to make my smoothie.

Seriously though, Jamba Juice ought to blend soon somewhere up North. If you're having trouble finding a spot, you can always use our house!

Saint's Alp Teahouse

If you're going to make saintly references to teahouses, you might as well serve drinks that are so heavenly, people would squeal, "Holy cow, I love it!" in delight. Saint's Alp Teahouse at 2F Regis Center, Katipunan didn't get us close to squealing, isn't situated on a snowy hilltop or is even close to one and is far from heavenly as far as taste goes. We might as well call it Mortal's Alp, though this particular mortal will think twice before coming back.

So to answer a potential question: No, I don't suppose Saints congregate and have tea at this place. I surely didn't see one when I went there. They're afraid that if they do linger, they'd choke on the tapioca pearls and become mortals again.

[caption id="attachment_907" align="aligncenter" width="646" caption="(L) Green Tea with Milk and (R) Oreo Milk Tea"][/caption]

The Green Tea with Milk (Regular P105) came with tapioca pearls voluminous enough to clog my esophagus. The milk tea's sweetness was on the median side, but tasted more like jasmine. I sprinkled a bit of Matcha powder on top, with the hope of bringing out more green tea flavor, but it turned to jelly the moment it hit the liquid. I ended up having messy green residue that wouldn't stick to the straw and tapioca pearls that I wished the Saints had never invented. The Oreo (Black) Milk Tea (Regular P115) obviously tasted like oreo, barely the tea. The pearls have a way of hogging the spotlight from the oreo bits, which is a really a nuisance especially for the oreo lover. And I admit, the place doesn't offer pudding, the only add-on I recognize, so my bias is sure to reach the heavens.

Saint's Alp veers away from the common milk tea trend by 1) Offering unusual add-ons such as agar and wheat germ, but not my favorite pudding, 2) Having no customizable sugar/ice settings, 3) Serving drinks in real glasses (making me Mother Earth's killer having opted for a plastic cup), and 4) Displaying an extensive selection that includes breakfast, salad, toast, rice, milkshakes in its vast menu with font not-made-to-be-read by the near-sighted.

On a Saturday afternoon, the place was half full with a reasonable turnover of wi-fi seeking and chatty youngsters, who seemed to love their pearls as much as their highlights and gadgets. Good for them. With other milk tea places closer to home and at the malls - cheaper and provide a more delightful experience - I don't suppose I'll be climbing this Alp again soon. Unless you call it something more relatable and appropriate, like Mortal's Mountain or Cat's Alp.

Another Parvati Cheesecake

I never thought Cebu Pacific's delayed antics would ever get to me, but maybe it's the awful November heat so today, I wasn't very forgiving. Spiteful perhaps, having seen a shoeprint on my checked-in backpack. Come on, my backpack is probably the lightest item that ever rode the conveyor belt, what could possibly be the reason for kicking or stepping on it? It's pure black, so don't tell me it resembles a soccer ball, a weighing scale or even someone's face. Cebu Pacific, you owe me laundry!

Oh, and add the chirpy cabbie who just had to pretend to be a human taxi meter with an inaccurate sense of distance, and I wonder, "Since when did Wednesday the 9th become the new Friday the 13th?"

I needed cheesecake.

I ran to Parvati and bought whatever I saw first. It was a wee slice priced at P140, but the Triple Decker Chocolate Cheesecake by Kusina Torre seemed to calm the raging storm and I suppose that ought to do the trick.

The decks include: fudge brownie - cheesecake - butterscotch brownie.

The fudge brownie and cheesecake were all right - what you'd typically expect from their "traditional" flavor. The layers weren't extraordinarily spectacular but are great enough to be comfort food variety. The brownie though is compact but not dry, which makes a perfect partner for tea.

The bottom brownie seems like a repetition of the fudge brownie, but this one was topped with something nutty-butterscotch. At first glance, I thought it was oats (like revel bars) so I instantly shoved a giant mouthful, but had to cry out when I detected nuts. Not really a "nut" fan, the cheesecake could do without this nutty layer, but I suppose for those looking for a sweet crunchy center, this ought to do it. (I scraped out mine, sorry!)

This lengthy critiquing has got to end, since I did finish the cheesecake in one sitting. It's really filling, so good thing someone decided to invent caffeine-free green tea or I'll be up all night blogging about Cebu Pacific.

And I'm not even a travel blogger. Yet.  LazyBlackBackpackCat.wordpress - no way! Too lazy for that.

Fly me to the Moonleaf Tea House

For those highly prone to get lost in those long-sounding Filipino adjectives of Teacher's Village, welcome to the club! Maginhawa, Magiting, Mapagkawanggawa, Mabait.. My God! Pronouncing them is difficult enough, but to remember the intersections and landmarks is pure madness, a crisis for the geographically challenged. I propose adding easy-to-remember street names such as Matakaw or Mataba. They have better appeal too, especially for restaurants, but I digress.

Moonleaf Tea House was the reason for this navigation challenge. Described as along Maginhawa St., Teacher's Village - that alone was vague, since Maginhawa is kind of a long winding road, which hosts denizens of other milk tea joints. Spotting Mini Stop at an intersection, we turned left (that was Magiting St.) and found the green Moonleaf logo at the right side, beside Fancy Cakes. Basically it ought to be called Moonleaf along Magiting, but probably Maginhawa has scored a higher popularity score at the polls, making it a more desirable address name. It doesn't matter though because WE FOUND IT! Tea time!

The popular choice for the day: Oolong Milk Tea! No one wanted to try the Jasmine or Black tea so Oolong it was. Oolong Milk Tea (P70) with Pudding or Pearls (+P10) was available in one size, but it was huge and not even a well could complain at the height of this cup. I suppose to-go was the trend at this place, having just a few seats that served as its waiting area. Brewing time was fast though and it was more like, checking my watch than waiting, texting and counting the change in my pocket.

The ordered Oolong Milk Tea came with less sugar, giving emphasis to the Oolong Tea. Oolong happens to be my second favorite tea, next to green tea which wasn't available in their menu. Nevertheless, the flavor was strong (translation: deliciously intense) yet properly complemented by the smooth and sweet taste of the milk. The overall blend bursts with flavor and tea-delight. The pudding is slightly soft - not sure if it's Moonleaf's version to mimic the consistency of "taho." Maybe next time, I would try the Aloe Vera add-on (P15). The drink on its own though, is sweetly addictive, appealing and greatly filling. Nothing watered down or boringly bland going on in their gigantic tea coolers.

I'm this close to mastering the map to Magiting, unless Moonleaf decides to land on the malls on its next sighting. Now that would really make me maligaya and masuwerte, but I don't suppose mahirap would make it to the list!

Bon Chon Fish Tacos

That's right. For those of you who consider Chicken Bon Chon to be well, a chicken place, that is partly true. Spotting the Chap Chae poster at the entrance of the Promenade branch piqued my curiosity, but I wasn't in the mood for noodles then.

What did catch my attention was the Fish Taco that retails at P75. Ah yes, I haven't had a decent fish taco in months, so it was time to refresh my taste buds, and that meant devouring at least 1 taco. Reading on, I realized the value of thoroughly scanning the menu and not just deciding spontaneously based on the best looking photos, as I found exactly what I was craving for: Fish Taco Meal (2 fish tacos + drink for P150). Perfect.

At first glance, you can already assess the overall appeal of the fist taco. Here's what I thought: If you're not a cabbage person (good thing I am), you will hate the taco.

Seriously, the taco is composed mainly of cabbage shreds with a light mayo dressing. The cabbage feast was mildly enjoyable, and underneath all these baby shreds, a chunky dory marinated in the same flavor as the original Bon Chon Chicken. Allow me to re-christen it as the Bon Chon Fish - really soft, tender, tangy and a fantastic breather from the nest of cabbage that surrounded it. Pescatorians will finally get the chance to enjoy the taste of Bon Chon in this excellent seafood selection. The only downside: the pita wrapper. It was hard, toasted and definitely a challenge to masticate. And, my fork broke! That's the type of fight it put up against me, trying not to be eaten. In retaliation, I tore it with my fingers and ate the tacos partly with my hands - very out-of-character!

In the midst of this wrapper struggle, a big mess was made. Hence, no photos of that fabulous fish fillet. As an apology, here's the regular Bon Chon Chicken leg. Imagine it without the bones - same coating and color but soft, white fish steaming from within. Yum, huh?

Next time, my self-made Fish Taco + Chap Chae super combo!

Cha Dao To-Go

Cha Dao Tea Place along Maginhawa St. was seen as the only destination to ward off the potential mad November heat stroke. But no, we couldn't go there because it was All Saints Day and we had to, well, do the more holy things required by law to make this holiday appear more official.

The only solution to deal with the summer madness: Cha Dao to-go! Brilliant idea.

I watched in fascination as 11 cups of milk tea were delivered, gulped in various degrees of thirst and delirium, and all finished in a matter of minutes, with matching burps and sighs. The assortment was colorful too: from chocolate to assam to the classic milk tea with extra, extra pearls.

I had the Matcha with pudding, less sugar. It came with less ice too, after having been in transit for a few minutes, which I pretty much preferred since too cold a drink would be an invitation for a sore throat with this kind of weather. The matcha flavor was rather diluted by a combination of water, milk and perhaps the ice that had melted. The tea flavor was not as rich as other milk teas, but I spotted a hint of jasmine in the green tea that made it more "fruity" on the side. The egg pudding was all right - sweet and smooth.

It might be safe to say that Cha Dao boasts of quantity over flavor, which might seem appealing to those more into the milk portion of milk teas, the tea novices and those who just like to go for that sweet milky drink. Without the egg pudding, this would've been a lighter drink and in that sense, a refreshing treat and life saver for those suffering in this unforgiving -ber month heat wave. Best of all, it's cheap and with branches scattered in the QC territory (Katipunan and Teacher's Village - what joy). I guess it's cheers to Cha Dao!

*Do forgive the crappy photo. Dehydration prodded me to take pictures in haste.

Shakey's Ultimate Cheese and Garlic

Shakey's finally got it right! 

We've been battling with burnt crusts and absent cheese for some time now, but luck finally pushed through with this Shakey's Ultimate Cheese and Garlic, Thin Crust. Of all places, the Domestic Terminal. Way too far from home but thank goodness, the road trip to Manila was worth it.

The cheese toppings were thickly and generously spread; each bite was made chewy and garlic-zesty. There were no craters from lack of cheese, and the crust was baked just right and veered away from cracker-dom. A far cry from the Margherita that would make its namesake cry out in frugal shame.