dekaphobe.com | Food, Travel, and Lifestyle Blog

I admit: I rarely line up for anything, and I haven't been to J.Co for the donuts, but for the coffee. One food tripping day with a good friend led me to give in and grab some J.Co donuts for the family. Luckily, this particular branch doesn't have this crazily long queue like the branch near my workplace.  J.Co Donuts costs Php 42 per piece, Php 230 for half dozen, Php 350 for 1 dozen, and Php 550 for 2 dozens. To save money, it is more sensible to buy 2 dozens. 

I was invited last week to attend the student interaction of Michelin star Chef Alain Ducasse at Enderun Colleges . Chef Alain Ducasse currently holds a total of 21 Michelin stars and owns 24 restaurants in 9 countries, including Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo and Le Jules Verne at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. He has also appeared in Masterchef US Season 3 Episode 18, where he was a VVIP guest judge along with Chef Guy Savoy and Chef Daniel Boulud.  Chef Ducasse is also the founder of Ducasse Education, which offers courses in culinary and pastry arts with an intense hands-on approach that emphasizes core skills-building and real-world practical application at any level. 

One of the things that I promised to re-learn this year is to bake. So I thought of using one of the products we sell in dudeygoodie s: Reese's Peanut Butter Spread. I love the creaminess of this spread, it isn't too sugary like other peanut butter spreads, so it can really be used for cookies. This recipe was inspired by a recipe I found online.  Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup butter 1 1/4 cups brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract chocolate chips 1/2 cup Reese's Peanut Butter Spread

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  Not everyone knows that URBN has good food. For a place known for partying, URBN surpassed the ancient bar food standards and still strives to serve impressive dishes to its patrons.  My first visit to URBN a year ago easily became one of the most unforgettable food experiences I had. I'm still having dreams of that Dry Aged Rib Eye, mind you. That's why when they invited me again to try their new menu, I didn't have hesitations about revisiting them.  I was with a friend who has been to URBN many times before but hasn't been at an earlier time to see how classy the place looks like with lights on, and was greatly impressed with what he saw. 

One of the most popular campus food places around UST is Mang Tootz Food House . When I was in college, the lines are so crazy I only make do with their Banana Rhuma, which I ask my classmates to buy for me. Unlike Almer's (one of my favorite lunch destinations then), Mang Tootz proudly serves dishes that can be on par with other restaurants. 

Note: The winner's already announced. See the widget below for the winner.  How about a quick giveaway? I will be giving away a package from dudeygoodies ! This package has 1 jar of Reese's Peanut Butter Spread, 2 OMG's Chocolate Clusters (Dark Choco and Milk Choco).

It is not a secret that I really, really love ice cream. From vanilla flavor to any other one-of-a-kind flavor, I'll eat it. Now that the summer season is coming, I have more reasons to eat ice cream (hurraaayyyy!!!) That's why I was ecstatic when Nestle introduced a new creation under its Temptations, Flavors of the World flavor line: Dutch Speculoos . :)

My friend Rhoda and I took advantage of the Mitch Albom Philippine Tour to sneak in some vacation without having to leave the metro, so I used the GC I won a few months ago and spent the night at Hotel Celeste in Makati.  Hotel Celeste is an haute couture boutique hotel located in the heart of Makati. It has 30 rooms (25 deluxe and 5 suites) with European-inspired design. 

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  My colleagues have frequented this humble steak place in Ortigas Home Depot named RAP Steaks and Cakes . It has made me curious for months, so I finally gave in and dragged my teammates there for some protein fix.  We were eyeing the popular Porterhouse for lunch, but the server broke our hearts when she said that it wasn't available, it got me thinking "but they just opened!" Oh well...  We settled with the T-Bone (Php 189, 330 grams). A teammate asked his steak to be well-done while some of us had it medium-rare.  T-Bone

Note: BurgerBar was rebranded to 8 Cuts Burger Blends. It's been months since I enjoyed a good burger , so when my friend (who's addicted to burgers, btw) and I went to Makati, we only had BurgerBar in mind.  It was mid-afternoon so it wasn't that crowded when we arrived, so we had a booth to ourselves. Yay. :) In BurgerBar, not only you can customize your burger toppings, you can choose your own patty blend as well. Patty blends include The Beef Bomb (Chuck + Short Rib), The Steak Cut (Sirloin + Chuck), The Big Game (Hanger + Brisket), and The House Blend.

I received a package of OMG's Clusters a few weeks ago, but I wasn't able to try it right away because of my cough. OMG's Clusters is a product from Canada, these are delicious chocolate graham clusters mixed with toffee bits, almonds, or peanuts.  I was given all the flavors: Milk Chocolate , Dark Chocolate, and Peanuts . All of these come in resealable packs. :) Because I love Milk Chocolate, I opened it first. What looked like an ordinary chocolate product sent to go OMG! It was really delicious. Though I usually prefer plain chocolates, I love the combination of toffee bits and graham with the chocolate. 

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  I met up with a high school friend last month who I haven't seen for years. We decided to grab late lunch at Kimukatsu then went off to have coffee and desserts at Wicked by Cravings .  The counter displays an array of beautiful desserts that my friend and I took a while to choose our desserts. Glad the chef was very patient in helping us with our orders. 

Note: Commune has relocated to 36 Polaris Street, Makati City. As a coffee drinker, it has been a personal dream to visit all coffee shops possible. Moreover, it is an achievement to discover a coffee shop than combines art and good coffee, like Commune Cafe + Bar . One look and I know that this is one of those cafes that I can hang out the whole day. While most coffee shops are proud of their pastries, I was surprised that the server offered to us their savory dishes. It must be delicious, it was just too bad we already had lunch. 

I love massages. Though I know I don't feature a lot of massage places/spas in this blog, I always try to get a massage at least once a month. Places that I frequent are VISMA in SM Megamall and Nature's Way in Robinson's Galleria (I hope I'd get to feature these places soon).  After our lunch at Primero Casa Filipino , my foodie friend Jeng and I drove around the area to look for a dessert place, but we ended up having a foot massage in Beijing Foot Spa instead.  I haven't been to Beijing Foot Spa before because I seldom have foot massages (should I have one, I just go to Nuat Thai), so I didn't know what to expect. We both had Foot Massage (Php 500, 70 minutes), which includes head, hand, shoulder, and back massage as well. 

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  This is one of those rare moments that I get invited to a food trip, and not the other way around. I'm grateful for friends who share my love for adventure.  I have been curious about Big Daddy Jay's after reading positive feedback from fellow foodies.  The place is a few meters away from Araneta Center, right across a gas station. The place is quite small with less than 10 tables. Right outside is a smoker and griller, signs that we're in the right place.  The menu is quite straightforward, with a few items to accompany the star, the Original Smoked Ribs. 

As a bookworm and frustrated writer (read all my book posts here ), it is my ultimate dream to meet the writers I look up to. Moreover, it is more wonderful to have my books signed by them. When I found out that Mitch Albom will be having a book tour here in Manila, I blocked that date already. I wouldn't want to miss not having to meet him, like Nicholas Sparks when he had a book signing tour last 2011.  Mitch Albom is the author of "Tuesdays with Morrie", "For One More Day", "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" and many more. He was here in the country to promote his latest book, "The First Phone Call From Heaven" and to extend help in rebuilding libraries in Tacloban.  My friend Rhoda and I were well-prepared for this event. We spend the night in a hotel in Makati so we can line up early the next day (thank goodness I won a hotel voucher a few months ago).  The registration for the book signing starts at 10am, but we had