It is, ehem, was, delicious!!!

All little girl asked for was a Kai-lan cake. But it has to be the moist choco cake of tita Sharon.

Sharon made the pink princess cake of little sis a few days ago. Totally different personalities my kiddos have. Totally different cake. I was holding myself back not to poke my finger into the sweet smelling icing as I carried her majesty deliciousness to my little girl's school for her party.

The smell alone could take you to heaven!!! I kid not, no sir-ree!

So these little pet hamsters...

Finally have their own hotel.

Yes, it was all about Nihao, Kai-lan...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY our little Sunshine!!!

Thank YOU Boss for my beautiful daughter.

Thank YOU for the guidance, spirit and love.

Familiar with "budbud"?

In most Asean restaurants it is called sticky rice.

In different parts of the Philippines it is called by different names but composition of sticky rice is the same.

My fave is the one made in my town in Leyte. Very sticky, wrapped in oily banana leaf. Many many ways to eat it. Of course in restaurants, it would either be laid out in your plate and garnished with mango slices. Or sugar. Now these are the 2 non-messy ways. But I prefer to do mine like I've always did since I was a little girl. How my cousins and relatives had been eating it.

Out of its leaf and sunk down into a mug of hot bitter native chocolate!!!

I let it sit for a minute or 2 for the chocolate to be absorbed well by the budbud.

DELICIOUS!!!

Just like so.

Messy to open the leaf, yes.

I have nailed cleanly opening the oily banana leaf with fork and knife right down to a science.

YUM!

If you by any chance know my number and house, you are most welcomed to come right over for some snacks!!! hehehehe...

Ohhhhhh...
Swiss!!!
Lisa, a high school classmate of mine flew into town from Switzerland yesterday and gave my girls this bag of goodies!
Saw her last about 7 years ago during one of our big high school reunions. Yep, we were downing tequila pretty fast that day with our spouses. hahahaha (she married a Swiss, cool guy). Just a year before I conceived with my firstborn.



YEY MY MOST FAVE OF THEM ALL!!!
I love dark!
I love MINT!!!



Thank you Lisa!!!
See you again this weekend!

Tablea.
The word is not known globally as it is a term used for our country's native chocolate. Bitter to the taste, sweet to the heart.
Tablea Chocolate Cafe.
One of it's kind, and it opened here in Cebu!



Isn't it glorious! In Bisaya, "tablea" makes for a good "sikwate", a chocolate drink, in which you can dunk pretty much everything! In this case, churros!!!
Tablea Chocolate Cafe was born of Filipino tradition and a long-standing family ritual. "Sikwate" as the basis of this viable business venture, who would have thought of that but none other the owner's own charming father. Armed with her mother's talent in culinary, Ms Aya Garcia Schlachter officially launched Tablea Chocolate Cafe yesterday at the Robinson's Cybergate much to the delight of native chocolate loving Cebuanos such as myself!!!

You will be surprised what is in store for you!

Cakes!!! Brownies!!! Polvoron!!! Unbelievable all tablea-based.


When we make a "sikwate", (the chocolate drink) out of the tablea (cacao, the chocolate), we do not use just any utensil. We use the monilillo, the Mexican whisk, the "batirol" in our language. Back when I was little I used to help my mother whisk the 'sikwate' for our afternoon snacks.
Yes, you can buy a monilillo at the cafe, each specially handcrafted here in Cebu.
I love it's feel!







These were the samplers. YUM!!! ...believe me!



There are also baskets of samplers available for those who wish to bring home the goodies. They make for unique and delicious gifts...


Can you say champorado? It's sticky rice cooked into the 'sikwate'...


And for us craving for some coolers, glasses of iced concoctions are ours!


Oh, yes...hehehe. I just had to click a shot of the lady owner's stilletos. Fierce. Yes, she bakes them all herself. Grand, isn't it?


Can I just have one more look at those samplers? hehehe