Sweet Treats from Dessert Barn

[Disclaimer: Products provided for review]

I met up with Twinkle yesterday for coffee after I picked up a few items at Ortigas. I told her I'll just grab a quick bite and satisfy my fast food cravings then I'll dash off to the MRT to meet up with her in Glorietta. She texted. "Surely, Don't forget to leave some room for dessert!" As soon as the MRT reached the Ayala station, I hauled my bags, took the stairs instead of squeezing through the elevator and met up with Twinkle where she presented me with two boxes, which were her bestselling cakes.

The first time I met Twinkle, she was my client at MAC and I encouraged her to take the plunge for red lipstick. She was one of those clients you would want to have often and we ended up making chika while doing her makeover. The second was at a food event and she shares too her fondness for sweets. I then knew that she also bakes. She has a baking business that she fondly calls Dessert Barn that fuels her passion for baking, which are among her many other passions.

After a bit of chat, she showed me the first cake, which, I was reassured wasn't fruitcake.

Bananalicious cakes with [top] cranberries and roasted walnuts and [bottom] roasted walnuts. Php 350 for a 6-inch cake and Php 500 for a 9-inch cake

She calls this cake bananalicious cake, which she describes the cake as literally "half banana and half cake." For every 1 cup of batter, she's got 1 cup of bananas thrown in. The natural sweetness makes it less migraine-causing than cakes overloaded with sugar and grease, so not only does it taste good, but it's also healthy.

The icing on top, I asked if it was made of cream cheese. She said it was snow glaze, the same glaze used in donuts. The one I tasted was the one with cranberries and roasted walnuts and she also has another bananalicious cake with just the walnuts, for those who aren't cranberry fans. I actually like cranberries, and this brings me memories of turkey and Thanksgiving, making it a perfect Holiday giveaway. The dried cranberries are less tart though, and go well with the sweetness of the snow glaze. I had to give in to a slice though, and wedged a teaspoon at the edges. Usually, edges are hard though, with the tenderness and moistness of the cake concentrated on the middle. The Bananalicious cake, however, had a uniform moistness and consistency through and through. Even kids wouldn't gag at this cake. My 10-year-old nephew at first was apprehensive to try this out since he thought it was just banana cake. However, after a tiny sliver of this, he asked for seconds and had another slice for breakfast the following morning. When cakes get dry and mealy by the third day absorbing whatever flavors and odors the refridgerator has, this one was still true to its flavor, of course I kept it inside the cardboard box.

After that, I sipped some peppermint tea to cleanse my palate in tune for the next cake, which I assume would be a hit among everyone with a sweet tooth but also those who want to indulge in a guilty pleasure once in a while, the Amnesia cake, a four-layer moist chocolate cake with chocolate filling with dark chocolate fudge encapsulated with an Oreo cookie crust.

Amnesia cake, so good that you'll forget your name. Php 480 for a 6-inch cake and Php 958 for an 8-inch cake.

I asked Twinkle why it was called Amnesia cake. The name was actually from her brother, who said that this cake is so good, you're going to forget your name. I chuckled a bit at the description. When I took a bite, I was quite surprised. Normally, I thought a chocolate overload like this would be too sweet that I'd be getting a sugar overload but it was quite a surprise, really, that the sweetness was mild and mellow. The reason for this was that Twinkle uses dark chocolate for the recipe, which is healthier. You get to taste and enjoy the chocolateness without the bitterness. The texture and genuine chocolate flavor are in one delicious compromise. The fudge was also rich, which added to the melt-in-the-mouth texture of the soft chocolate cake layers.

The Amnesia cake travels well when frozen. If you're taking this with you as pasalubong or baon when you go abroad, you could tell Twinkle ahead of time and she would give you instructions on how this could stay fresh up to your next destination. This makes a great pasalubong as well for your loved ones abroad when you fly off to visit them. This was an easy sell to the kids, though and they didn't think twice when I said chocolate and enjoyed their slices even though I told them after they got their second slice that it was dark chocolate. Normally, kids don't like dark chocolate because it's bitter but this one was sweet enough for them to go halfway the 6-inch cake in minutes. If you've got more of a sweet tooth that you can't handle, try a scoop of vanilla ice cream too. Too sweet? Then have a cup of espresso or tea.

Aside from these cakes, another bestseller is the Red Velvet cupcakes (iLOVu), which you could order per dozen (a dozen costs Php540). The Red Velvet cupcake is for the romantics who love the rich taste of red velvet cakes and cream cheese. Twinkle adds another touch by dusting some cocoa on top and adding a rosebud.

Dessert Barn also has cupcakes for giveaways and desserts during Christmas parties or Christmas dinners. To order, you could send a PM at Dessert Barn's Facebook page or if you want to sample their treats, Dessert Barn would be at Our Awesome Plante's Ultimate Taste Test 5.0 this Friday at 7:00 p.m. at the NBC Tent. In the meantime, you could check out Dessert Barn at http://dessertbarn.multiply.com/ or Facebook page.You could order too by texting or calling 0927-2697252

*Pictures taken from Dessert Barn's website.

Must-Try: Ming's Halo Halo

En route home from Batangas, Mike, Nix, and EJ suggested to stop by this place for halo-halo. Although we were experiencing a bit of drizzle that time, it was still hot and we needed a bit of a cooler to lower the body temperature.

Along the highway to Tagaytay, this open-air restaurant is home to good halo-halo. It uses real carabao's milk so it's richer. To get here, from Sta. Rosa exit, just follow the road that leads to Tagaytay. Look for this sign. There you go.

Aside from carabao's milk and finely-shaven crushed ice (i.e. no tooth-crunching ice bits), this type of halo-halo contains all the goodies we find in halo-halo, minus the beans. Anyone with gout here? This halo-halo is for you. As for me, I've never been a fan of beans or garbanzos. I leave those out. I was lucky that this one is legume-free, so I was able to enjoy it, except for much of the milk part, since I'm lactose intolerant and full cream milk is one of the stuff that I avoid. I was able to consume finished the fillings down to the last piece. Good thing there was EJ to finish off the milk for me.

For less than 200 pesos, you get one serving. One tall glass is already good for 1 person, although some could opt to share, especially if you're not that hungry (but we were heheheh). Anyway, the catch though is this place closes early, especially on weekdays so best go here before 4 p.m., since according to Mike, the first time they went here they were a few minutes late from closing time.

Another must-try is the puto (I think it's around 28 pesos for 4 pieces) which they serve hot, in contrast with the halo-halo. Oh, and before leaving, this place is great for photo-ops as well, with the scenery.

Tutti Frutti: The DIY Frozen Yogurt Treat

Ever since I had frozen yogurt, I hardly ever looked back. I'm a fan, a lover, and a promoter of frozen yogurt I have at least two every week. I love it because it gives me excuse to be healthy while eating something sweet. It fills in my calcium needs without my lactose-intolerant stomach complaining. The tart taste has grown on me, I guess.

The soft opening of Tutti Frutti made me go wild and mad with flavors that didnt cause me to pump them out of my digestive tract. Yes. The heavens have heard me this time. Gluttony without consequences. Going DIY fuses my creativity with my ultimate katakawan.

Tutti Frutti (at least the branch I visited) is located in Glorietta 4 near the food court. This is different from all frozen yogurt stations since not only does it boast more flavors (lychee, green apple, kiwi, peanut butter, taro, banana, chocolate, pineapple, and the original tart flavor), it also gives us the ultimate liberty to choose our own flavor combinations, size, and toppings (as much as we want) until we pay the tab.

So what's the price? This sign tells it all.

The style of this place is DIY and self-serve, meaning the attendants are just there to guide. You pick your yogurt combination and toppings yourself.

First the cup....

Small, medium, or large it's up to you.

Then go pick a flavor or flavors:

Yay! I get to make my own yogurt combination. I chose first a twist of Death By Chocolate (oooohhh deadly) and original tart. Plus I squirted on some peanut butter since I wanted something sweet. I just watched Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs so I wanted something fun and sweet. Besides, I never tasted chocolate yogurt before. EVER.

Onto the toppings bar, there was absence of my favorite topping: mochi balls, so I piled on mangoes, cherries, graham crackers, coffee jelly (I told you I was crazy) and caramel syrup. After that, they weigh your cup and tell you how much it costs. Since it's DIY and by the ounce, allow a bit of allowance from your estimated cost.

So here's my after-movie dessert:

The caramel syrup freezes upon contact with yogurt so it's more of a candy. kinda like the caramel-covered ice cream bars before. Speaking of ice cream bars, my flavor combination is perfect for those who aren't too keen on yogurt's tart taste. It's sweet, I didn't think I was eating yogurt. It's a bit soft though, but the toppings added variety to what I'm eating. The cost for my cup was roughly Php130.00. I'm not actually a fan of chocolate ice cream but chocolate yogurt and I bonded really well.

Do I like this? I sure do. I probably will go back there tomorrow during my break and try a different combination this time.

Anyone try this yet? Do share your combination.

Post-Christmas Food-Tripping In Greenbelt

Just last Monday, I met up with my friends again and with a planned tambay mode in Greenbelt turned out to be a hell of a foodfest that drained our wallets thin yet left our tummies full. Yet, we all had so much fun that day. At least we had more time to really talk since the last time we saw each other, we barely had an hour.

Anyway, so here's the agenda... I had a meeting at Enterprise with Nix since I purchased her malette. After that, I walked to Greenbelt 5 to meet up Ram, Jho, and Bugsy. We were deciding where to have lunch and so, we walked to Pepper Lunch. While at the line (I told them the line's really fast and this is one of the most organized restos I have ever dined in, even at peak hours), we discovered one particular boo-boo : We don't have cameras. The photographers Ram and Bugsy forgot their dSLRs. Jho didn't bring her SLR either and she forgot also to bring her trusty digicam. I didn't bring my camera since it was low-batt. We didn't want to leave this day un-documented so we relied on our camera phones. And so our first shot was lining up at Pepper Lunch:

Please note that I was wearing a belt in that picture. We got our orders soon after and since we were hungry packs of carnivores (that day at least for me), we were eating our yummy hot food.

Bugsy and I mixing up our orders. How I finished my Curry Beef Pepper Rice down to the last rice grain, I didn't know.

Bugsy's friend Arhleen followed soon and she joined us with our food trip. :) Food was really hot up to the last spoonful. Everyone finished their food and was totally satisfied. I love my Curry Beef Pepper Rice with LOTSA PEPPER! These pictures were taken by Jho, who made sure that we document our stay there.

For dessert, we headed next door to Gelatissimo, the newly-opened gelato shop. They were so nice to let us try all the flavors. Wiiiiii!!!!!! We sure went crazy doing so.

Even at kooky pictures, Jho looks amazing.

Ooooohhh look at all the gelato! The chocolate liqueur actually uses real Bailey's. When they said liquor, I wanted to try it (heeheehee). It was really good, but I wanted something to wake me up. So you all know what I got? Coffee! Coffee for a non-coffee drinker. Price for a small cup was around Php 110. The medium cup (with two flavors) costs Php 160. So Ram got a medium cup in order to get two flavors. He got the Chocolate Liqueur and Tiramisu. We hung out there for a while until Arhleen had to leave for work. Yet we remained there to clown around, especially with the red seats.
Impromptu shoot. :P The dude at the store even fixed it for us and allowed us to have pictures taken there. Yay! Thanks guys!

After hanging out at Gelatissimo, we wanted to go to another hang-out. Of course, with food involved so we went to Jho's turf... i.e. Red Mango. Jho and Bugsy had yogurts, Ram had a waffle, and I got a cup of tea to ease my stomach from all the food plus I took out some white cheddar tofu chips from Chimara for us to share to have something "healthy" this time. However, I couldn't resist but get a cup of yogurt too. Green tea with double mochi balls.

Jho had to have a picture with her on the wall :P. Even if we already finished our snacks, we were still there to chat. We left around before 5 in order for Jho to get a taxi that would take her back to Eastwood.

How do I evaluate this day? Really fun. :) I really had a marvelous time with my friends and in fact, we're already planning a new food adventure. This time, we're gonna make sure to bring our cameras.

Thai Silk Sampaguita Sorbet : Interestingly Sweet

One rainy night, for a change and since I wanted something to rid me of any cough before they start, thai cuisine was the way to go. I wanted something sweet so I checked out the dessert menu. I chose sampaguita sorbet, which was quite interesting. I mean I'm familiar with the flower seeing it hung on leis during church every Sunday but I never actually thought of it as a dessert flavor.

Actually it was a choice between this or durian ice cream. I chose this. Those who know me full well know this.

Don't expect this to be creamy though like ice cream. It's actually more of like fine ice shavings sweetened with sugar with the taste of sampaguita. The taste? Quite interesting and exotic. It does remind me of the flower's scent for some reason. A hidden joke is that it tastes like the air freshener. Not that I munch on the air freshener though...

(Sampaguita Sorbet available at Thai Silk restaurant at Serendra)

Quick Short Post

But still good news...

There's White Hat already in Makati!

Wheeee!!!!!!!

I was on my way to the Employee's lounge since I was at my break during my shift at MAC when I saw at the Rustan's Makati grocery .... the White Hat stall!

I've been going there ever since. Just recently, I've had a new favorite: cheesecake+brownie+cherry combo.

I think i'll know where to take my break this Tuesday :)

Mochi Is My Treat

Ever been to those old-fashioned ice cream parlors that bring back memories of our favorite ice cream treats like Chunky Monkey, Banana Split, Peach Melba, and sundaes in various flavors that we love?

After the family's annual New Year dinner, we went for ice cream at Magnolia Ice Cream House (it's located near SM Mall of Asia. I don't know the exact name of the location but it's in the line of Dampa-type restaurants and it's located right near Lydia's Lechon). While waiting for our order, I saw this display box:









The pop-art design caught my eye and so did the cute-sounding name. I asked if they had these in stock and they said yes, for Php10.00 each. Since I was intrigued at mochi balls having seen them in groceries abroad, I wanted to give this a try.

There were only two flavors available: Sesame and Ube so I ordered one of each. They came to me served in a little plate and each mochi ball was individually wrapped just like candy with the wrapper still cold.



Mochi = ice cream balls wrapped in glutinous rice





Here's the sesame variant, which reminded me of buchi without the seeds. The covering is just like espasol, down to the flour coating (or is it powdered sugar?). If you're a neat freak and will be snacking on this on the car, better have tissue ready to dust off any powder particles that fall (tip, thaw the mochi ball a bit before eating so the rice covering is chewy and the ice cream is soft enough)



The ube here, aside from the pretty purple color (to those who like purple) has more flavor than sesame, there's more sweetness to it.





The kids seem to like this more, I dunno, maybe it's sweeter?



The box also can be ordered to go, at Php100.00 for 10 pcs in a box (relatively the same price if you buy it individually) and yep, this can be chucked inside the freezer.




Oh while you're at the store and would want to enjoy a treat, I recommend the strawberry cheesecake. I ordered it saying it was their bestseller and I thought it would me really small when I got it. When I saw it, It's good enough for 3 people:

Ang laki chong!

Graham cracker butter layer, strawberry ice cream, cream cheese, and strawberry topping drizzled with little chocolate slabs and chocolate syrup. Three people to eat: yumyum. Two people: buuuurp. One person alone: Ultimate brain freeze and sugar high. Php180.00 for 3. Plus if you love PINK, this is for you.

Mochi balls, however, I don't know if they have this is the grocery. Magnolia Ice Cream Shop has this, but last checked, there was none at SM Hypermart. Anyone know where they may be at?

Empire Macarons

@ Rockwell last Saturday on my way to Rustan's grocery for a bit of errand-shopping, I spotted a row of bake sales with free samples so naturally, thesugarbug eyed the foodies and sampled the samples. :-) Among them, a colorful display caught my eye and after much deliberation, I bought some macarons from the Empire booth



shown here: mocha (spackled), strawberry (red), and pistachio (green)

A macaron actually

"is a traditional French pastry, made of egg whites, almond powder, icing sugar, and sugar."
[Text credits]

We see them in familiar coffee shops and I'm just glad a lot are making macarons nowadays. The price can get pretty steep at Php30.00 for a piece due to the difficulty in making them. As traditional macarons were sweet, dry, and crunchy, like your regular biscotti, this macaron and all other macarons are crunch and crisp on the outside but chewy inside intermixing with the icing/cream filling in between the two cookies. It's actually spelled macaron instead of macaroon, which is a totally different pastry (a dense cookie made out of coconut), and these two should never be interchanged

Although Empire participated in Rockwell, they can also be seen at the Saturday Salcedo market. They also pack macarons per dozen or for 10 pieces, which could be given as gifts. Aside from the regular flavors of chocolate, white chocolate, cookies and cream, lemon, strawberry, pistachio, classic (probably a vanilla flavor), mocha, chocolate peanut butter, cherry, and blueberry, they make premium flavors of caramel-pecan, rose ganache, triple chocolate, blueberry cheesecake, Irish creme, and Hazelnut Ganache (Php 35.00 per piece or Php400.00 per dozen).

They also make cheesecake balls which can be a quick sugar treat or a pasalubong for kids or a gift for your boss or a special friend who loves cheesecake. I'm a fan of the strawberry chocolate cheesecake ball, which is not too rich but they've got that chocolate.

I recommend the lemon flavor, which doesn't taste very tart and this is a perfect meal-ender. Not to mention the yellow color looks cute. Other favorites are strawberry, mocha, pistachio, and blueberry, which together look pretty good in a gift box.

To order and for more information, contact Empire at (02)4671995 and (0917)8861190.

My Big Fat Ensaymada Love

Remember when I attended the Diamond Club Dessert Buffet? I got introduced to the mini-version of their best-selling Ensaymada. Carlos Celdran highly recommends this pastry and since the mini-version was not enough and I haven't reviewed it yet, I craved for the Ensaymada and wanted to experience it in full.




Php100.00 (Ube Ensaymada) at the Cake Club at the Powerplant Mall

It got to my table heated with the cheese and butter-sugar frosting melting. It's actually served better warm. I like the ube filling and for someone who does not eat root crops or legumes... that's plus plus plus! I had to hover to all corners of the ensaymada with ube.

With the sweet and creaminess, it's best served with tea or just water. The frosting and cheese happens to be my favorite part (literally icing on the cake), I scraped through the plate to get through the cheese part.

Yum yum? Sure is! There's also an original variety but for the same price, I went for something with more flavor and this did not disappoint me. Remember, if you're gonna take this home, it's best served heated.

Thesugarbug recommends: Razon's Halo-Halo

Me like Razon's Halo-halo not only because it's their bestseller but because of the following reasons:




1. The milk - creamy yet it didn't hurt my tummy. I love the sweetness and creaminess. It's rich but not too much
2. The ice - crushed finely. I don't get 1-cm diameter chunks that i have to chew on
3. Value for money - One Php 60.00 serving is good enough for two. I can't finish one, so we have it split. :)
4. The leche flan is to-die-for... creamy but not too sweet. It practically melts in the mouth. I could eat it just that.
5. It does not contain beans, monggo, garbanzos, or any legume. Yet, despite that it contains just saba, macapuno, nata de coco, and their leche flan, the overall taste is never, ever sacrificed.

Tip: Best shared and not taken everyday. My favorite Razon's is the one in Greenbelt here in the Metro. Also, try Razon's sisig with rice! Yummy! It's best served hot as it can get too greasy if it's too cold. I prefer eating the sisig with plain rice.

A COOL Treat: Cold Rock Express in Alabang Town Center

I have not been to ATC a long, long time I guess. When I did yesterday, I went all giddy and hyper when I saw this at the Activity Center:






Finally! There's Cold Rock here in the South. No longer do I have to go all the way to GB3 when I'm craving for DIY ice cream.


fter a carb-loaded lunch at Brookyn Pizza, we proceded to Cold Rock for my long-awaited treat.

Carbs again but it's a Sunday, and I'm in for a treat!





The rainbow of ice cream flavors is very welcoming. I had a hard time choosing. One of my favorite staples is choco mint ice cream but I wanted something different.





Choosing toppings was harder too... cookie dough? too heavy. gummy bears? yumm but naaah. Pound cake? Marshmallows? Cold Rock sprinkles? Strawberries? Gooseberries? Omigod, I can't make up my mind

So we settled for a Kiddie Cup of our choice of one ice cream plus 2 fillings (Php 165, but good enough for 2 people)





ferrero ice cream + choco mallows + fudge brownies





So they mix it in this stone slab that's regulated up to a cold temperature (you can see "frosts" forming that they clear out each time they have to mix ice cream and fillings). Ohhh... so that's how the name "Cold Rock" came to be. The kiosk setup is just hard to manage when there's a large crowd (expect that with families and barkadas). However, the crew, despite that it was a Sunday and there were 3 families and a couple ahead of us... they managed to deliver quite well all permutations of ice cream flavors.




Here you go yum yum yum!

Super compact ice cream. Nothing extended or fake. Plus each time I get to visit Cold Rock, I get to have a new experience each time. I can create my own flavors and get all crazy with the toppings or try a different ice cream flavor. I hardly even look at the suggested combos because I always like making my own.

For those in the South who want to know where the Cold Rock Express kiosk is, it's located in the Activity Center near California Pizza Kitchen and the kiddie carousel.

Another Customizable Treat

Ever been to Crepes and Ice Cream? I've been there thrice and each time, I get to experience something different with the concoctions I make. For those who see the stall in MoA, Rockwell, Robinons Midtown, or visited it at Forbes Town Center, you get what I mean. Each time I go there, I try ordering a different DIY crepe. I prefer it that way, since I get to try out a sorta-original flavor

Here's my most recent sweet crepe combo:


Peaches with mocha ice cream, chocolate syrup, and tiramisu bits! This was an after-lunch dessert and pre-client makeup snack so I needed all the energy I could give. My combo before was mangoes with choco-peanut ice cream and hazelnut spread with caramel syrup. Mmmmm!!!!

Crepes and Ice Cream also has pre-selected flavors and combos for you to try when you're not creative. If you're not much of a sweet tooth, they also have savory crepes for a light meal. If you want just ice cream or ice cream and toppings, they serve that too.

Also, Crepes and Ice Cream also has got frequency cards. You just fill up 6 stamps and get one free.

What could be your Crepes and Ice Cream combo in your next visit?

Strawberry Sweet Delight

What can I say about Dulcelin's strawberry shortcake?

Just like the cartoon character, it's pure delight. Not too sweet, not too tart (strawberry-flavored anything lovers have been traumatized by how tarty strawberries actually are but this one has got the sweetness of pastries and the tartness of the fruit). It's pretty refreshing, really, and for the cake to be uber light in texture and not too heavy on the stomach.

Basic math of the mixture: Strawberries+cream+chiffon+torte = YUMM!!!!

Aside from this, the Mango torte is another bestseller. That I gotta try! :)

Did someone say Dessert?

Who does not love dessert? Dessert the course that "seals the deal" in a meal. It's a meal's own way of bowing out. Every country has its own dessert. Here in the Philippines, we have our halo-halo and buko pie. Go to any Chinese restaurant and you'd order Almond Jelly after a smorgasboard of dumplings and lemon chicken. Certainly dessert is there to complete a meal. Sometimes, it's what some people look forward to.
At the Diamond Hotel, they took dessert to a new level by creating their version of Dessert Nirvana - a scrumptious dessert buffet offering

"one of the most extensive, if not the most extensive, stand-alone dessert catering service in the metro by putting together an array of treats concocted with skill and expertise borne out of its five-star heritage."

The event was held at the Cake Club at the Powerplant Mall where food bloggers and bloggers met, dined, and enjoyed a night of good food and good fun. When I got the invitation to join this event, I couldn't say "no." I'm a sweet tooth myself (hence my blog's name) and what better way to start my new baby food blog but an event such as this? Despite that I had a marathon photoshoot the day before I made it a point to attend this event.

I got to Rockwell a little past 6 (the event was at 7 pm) bearing Makati Friday traffic so the cab had to take a detour to Kalayaan just to get me to Rockwell on time. When I got there, the event was just being set up so I did some window shopping first. When I got back, I spotted Sophie of Beautynomics.com, looking radiant with her newfound makeup skills. I also chatted with the event host, Val.

While I was chatting with her, the makeup artist in me was tempted to ask her if I could be her makeup artist some time. I wanted to put makeup on her! Her skin is flawless!

Okay... Back to our event. Diamond Hotel also provided us with a light dinner of salad, cold cuts, fruit slices, and a croissant.

There were also games, where a mystery cake was presented to the bloggers and a bloggers' team was asked to guess 5 ingredients on the cake

It's a cheesecake actually, and we were asked to guess the 5 nuts in the cake. Our expert food decoder, Phoebe was able to distinguish walnuts, pecans, almonds, and confirmed my theory that the dessert had pine nuts. Fran also confirmed walnuts. When we submitted our answers, guess what? We won the game! The prize was a gift check for one whole cake for each winner!

If the happiness was not enough, they also raffled out GCs and I also won another GC for knowing what a Mont Blanc dessert was. I managed to sample out a Mont Blanc, which was a

"French chestnut paste with dark rhum on almond tart"

So that's what the familiar taste was! And it really looks like a white mountain, hence the name.

Speaking of trivia, I also found out trivia that a famous Christmas icon actually originated from Egypt and was believed to be food for the afterlife. Guess what it was? Fruitcake!

Also, if you want this Dessert Buffet at your next event be it a corporate event or wedding or debut, Diamond Hotel also offers specially-created dessert buffet packages. All you have to do is to call Diamon Hotel or go at The Cake Club to place your order. You don't have to pick all the desserts up yourself- they'll be delivered right to your door by Diamond Hotel's temperature-controlled vans. Yeah!

Okay, so after which, the dessert buffet was open and we got to take pictures and sample out all the lovely desserts Diamond Hotel has to offer...

The macarons are classics! I got a rose macaron, which I've tried before. The rose actually has this interestingly exotic flavor associated with it. Sort of like a florally sweet type. You just gotta try it!

I was also able to sample their sugar-free desserts - green tea pannacotta and aloe vera jelly. The aloe vera jelly is another interesting delight. It was light on the stomach with an exotic sweet fruity taste. It was amazing how they put something I usually associate with skin care and makeup into a dessert.

Green Tea Pannacotta fuses both East and West with the creaminess of Italian Pannacotta with Japanese Green Tea. I just could not believe it was healthy! I also fell in love with the Green Tea Creme Brule and the Baked Cheesecake, a classic Diamond Hotel favorite. In fact, I had the Baked Cheesecake for breakfast this morning!

More dessert pictures that let them speak for themselves....

I also took the time to chat with other bloggers. Jane of The Yogini from Manila was with her son and her son said that the event was worth missing all his favorite shows. I also met Arpee Lazaro, a food blogger who shared with us his insights on food, good eats, and all. I also managed to share a few of my own makeup tips and reviews. It was really cool meeting different bloggers from different genres.

After all the dessert has gone, it was time to call it a night. Definitely, I'm sure to catch some more desserts at the Diamond Hotel or its extension coffee shop at The Cake Club at Rockwell.

(Diamond Hotel Philippines is located at Dr. J. Quintos St., Manila 1000 Philippines. Tel. No. (632) 305-3000)