五十八：Famous Belgian Waffles

Waffles are becoming popular these days or should I say, eating breakfast anytime of the day is the trend and waffles is among the famous breakfast food.

One of the fastest growing number of food stalls that I have observed is Famous Belgian Waffles. I've seen a stall in like each SM Mall that I've been to.

wooden chairs and tables

 You won't miss it because once you pass by it you'll smell the scent of waffles being cooked. In my opinion though. it doesn't smell like waffles but coconut oil. Maybe they are using coconut oil for their waffles?

Ham and Cheddar cheese and Chocolate Banana waffles

 While strolling one day at Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall, I passed by their stall and there were a lot of people lined up. Out of curiosity and hunger, I went ahead and ordered some waffles.

 I ordered a Ham and Cheddar Cheese waffle, Chocolate Banana waffle, Hot Chocolate and Malaysian Coffee.

Our waffles and hot drinks

I liked the ham and cheese waffle because of it's sweet and salty combination. The chocolate banana is also good but nothing special. The waffle itself for me is too soft or soggy but it tastes like ordinary pancakes.

The coffee reminded me of the tea tarik in Malaysia. It's like rich milk tea than coffee but it tastes really good. The hot chocolate is also good but again it's your typical hot choco and it goes well with the waffles.

Hot chocolate

The price range of their waffles start from 30Php to 55Php depending on the filling. The drinks are around 30Php to 45Php.

From what I know, what I ate weren't Belgian Waffles. Belgian Waffles are supposed to be chewy and thick because it starts as a dough and that dough is put inside the waffle iron and it rises almost like bread. 

On the other hand, Famous Belgian Waffles' waffles are like pancakes. They have a liquid batter which they pour in the waffle maker after a customer's order is taken.

Malaysian Coffee with milk

So, will I buy waffles again from them? Well, I haven't bought waffles from then ever since so most probably no. It's not bad tasting but I was expecting "authentic" Belgian Waffles.

If I you want REAL Belgian Waffles, try going to Caffe Bene instead. It's a Korean cafe but they serve authentic Belgian Waffles.

Location: Famous Belgian Waffles have stalls in almost all SM Malls in Metro Manila.

五十七：Xocolat, The Ultimate Hot Chocolate

It's been a while since I last uploaded a blog post. I've been quite busy the past months mainly because of work, trying out new stuff and seeking adventures. :P

Like my last post about Rocci, I'm going to review another chocolate cafe which Xocolat. 

I was introduced to Xocolat by my ex-boyfriend who also likes chocolate a lot. He told me that they have these cold blended chocolate drinks that are really good. 

My first time trying their chocolate drinks were at their Katipunan branch in Quezon City. 

The place looks like a house turned into a cafe and so the ambiance is very cozy, it's like drinking hot chocolate at your own house.

The second time that we tried Xocolat was when it was still located inside Eastwood City in Libis, Quezon City. 

They had a small bar-like store at the Citywalk and the ambiance was still cozy. Unfortunately that store had to close and they moved outside Eastwood City.

This is Red, Red Velvet Cake, 115Php per slice.

Lucky for me, they were just a few minutes walk outside Eastwood City. It's quite hard to find because they are located inside one of the warehouses in Libis. There is a tarpaulin outside the gate but unless you're very keen you will definitely miss it.

I was really happy when I found out that Xocolat is still accessible at least from where I work

And so I had a friend accompany me there.

Xoco Lava 145Php

I ordered their Xoco Lava which is I think their signature drink. They call it Cold Caprichos. They actually name their dishes with some quirky names such as Tentaciones for their cakes which I assume means temptations.

Their Xoco Lava is like hot chocolate that is served blended with ice with lots of milk and topped with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. The drink is 145Php for the large size. Unfortunately, it tasted a bit bland compared to what I tasted in their Katipunan branch.

I also ordered their red velvet cake called This is Red. It's 115Php per slice. I also didn't quite liked it as it was too dry in my opinion. I wish I could have ordered a chocolate cake instead.

Assorted Cakes on display.

As the name implies, they serve a lot of chocolate products and most especially hot chocolate. They have chocolate cakes, chocolate drinks, chocolate pastries, even savory chocolate dishes.

Revel bars, Brownies etc. 50Php

Besides chocolate, they also serve real food like pasta and rice. They also have non-chocolate cakes such as cheesecakes and they also have other pastries like ensaymadas etc.

lamps?

I really like how this branch looks. From the outside it's like a small country house with trees and flowers and inside it's cozy with wooden tables and chairs, couches and they accentuated their walls with some small paintings and other wooden crafts.

Cute tiles.

Even their bathroom has some art in it. The tiles have flower designs and some wooden planks with paintings.

Overall, I still like Xocolat. I just noticed that the drinks aren't as good as I remembered it would be compared to my first time trying it in Katipunan but I will still go back there another time to try some of their products.

Website: Xocolat

Location: Casita Xocolat, Topy’s Compound, Economia cor Calle Industria Street, Bagumbayan (beside Eastwood City and Nuvo City)