Sojourn Eats

Just basically a blog about my foodscapades ~ because I've been eating & cooking a lot lately. WARNING: low-res and crappy photos. Almost all photos are taken using only my blackberry phone camera. ♥

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Here's a picture of the mouthwatering and gooey Double Chocolate Muffin! And a picture of Mariel and I :)

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TullY's Coffee

I recently had a writing stint and was assigned to do a feature on TullY's Coffee. I haven't heard of it before, so I was really interested and excited to visit their store. 

It's my first time to do a store visit and try out whatever they offer for a job stint, so I had my cousin, Mariel to accompany me for the day. We arrived at 11am and the very friendly Miss Janet assisted us. They prepared lunch for us and so that we can try some of the selections from their menu.

To start, we had the creamy and tasty Pea with Bacon Soup. To go with the soup, I also had a healthy and fresh Cobb Salad. Mariel had the Chicken Caesar Salad which is quite more tasty more than my salad. Then we tried some of their sandwiches. We tried the Smoked Turkey Sandwich and Herb Roast Chicken Sandwich. I absolutely loves my Smoked Turkey sandwich that even though I was already full from my soup and salad, I still munched on it. 

And of course, how can we missed out on trying their coffee. I tried out something from their Bellaccino blends, Mocha Bellaccino. For those who are not really coffee drinkers, like me, I recommend trying out their Bellaccino blends. It has a perfect mixture of sweetness that is not too sweet and coffee that is not too strong. Bellaccino blends are like the counterpart of Starbucks' Frappuccinos. Meanwhile, Mariel tried one of their signature favorites which is White Chocolate Mocha.

After our lovely and delicious meal, we got to interview Tully's Philippines General Manager, Rusty Lemon. And believe me, he is one of the most accommodating and friendliest people I've ever met. And a sweet tooth as well! He made us try their best seller and personal favorite pastries which are the Double Chocolate Muffin and Banana Chocolate Walnut Muffin. Both to die for desserts! Honestly, I'm not a fan of chocolates, but I sure am coming back to get one of those double chocolate muffins. The chocolate surprise inside is gooey, moist and oh-so-mouthwatering that a non-choco lover like me, loved it! It's a perfect match to a really tasty and perfectly brewed coffee!

The whole Tully's experience was fun and delish! Everyone in there, from staff, baristas and the GM himself were all very friendly and made us feel at home. They even gave us some lootbags with their very own Champorado Cookies and Caramel Popcorn. I would want to go back and try out more of just anything from their menu. Looking forward to my next cup of coffee and plate of pastry! 

Tully's Coffee is located at McKinley Park Residences, 31st street corner 3rd Avenue (BGC, The Fort), Taguig City and at The Exchange Regency, along Meralco corner Exchange Road and Jade Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

Call them at 02-6617723 or email at [email protected].

You can also visit their website: www.tullyscoffee.com.ph

Like them on Facebook: facebook.com/tullyscoffeephilippines

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COOKED: Herb & Garlic Pasta with Chicken Hotdog, Mushroom, and Tomato

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COOKED: Garlic Pasta with Mushroom, Sausage, and Tomato

First time cooking a pasta dish like these. It was a success. Really loved how it tasted light and not overpowering, but you can still savor every ingredient's taste.

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Santorini Korean Restaurant

I've been living on my own for about a year now and decided to celebrate 'my independence' anniversary at this Korean restaurant near my university (UST). It's quite famous to students, specially to K-pop fan students. The walls inside the restaurant are filled with K-pop posters and fan signs (see top layer pictures). And the TV inside the store only shows Korean shows as well. 

I was really craving for Korean dishes that time and thought of Santorini right away. The chance to visit UST again was a plus!

We ordered Ramen (100php), Rabokki (180php), Tuna roll / kimbap (100php), and Beef roll / kimbap (100php). 

If you like spicy food, you will most probably like Korean dishes since most of them are spicy. Both the Ramen and Rabokki are spicy. But really tasty! Both of the dishes' serving are good for sharing. I remember ordering Ramen in college but I couldn't finish it myself because the serving is quite big. Big serving for a very affordable price! Yey!

However, for those who dislike spicy food but still want to give Korean dishes a try, you can order Kimbap instead. Kimbap is like the Korean counterpart of Japanese Maki. They have 3 varieties of Kimbap in the menu: Tuna, Beef, and Cheese. We ordered Tuna and Beef and both taste good. Each serving has 14 pieces, which makes it good for sharing as well. 

I have yet to try other dishes they serve. Will surely be coming back to try their Bibimbap and Bulgogi!

Santorini is located at P. Noval Street (Near UST - P. Noval Gate), Sampaloc, Manila, PHL. They are open 9am to 9pm.

Call [phone] or 0929-356-0609 (smart) or. 0915-524-1900 (globe) for more inquiries.

Add them at facebook: http://www.facebook.com/santorini.ust

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COOKED: Pesto Pasta with Spanish Sardines

People who know me in real life know that I can only cook pasta dishes. Those who are lucky enough to have been in my place, also know that I never ran out of pasta, pesto and olive oil. Actually, I even use olive oil for frying hotdogs and egg, because that's the only oil I have (hehe). Meaning I rarely cook, BUT I can cook delicious pasta. 

This dish is something I did not pick up from a recipe book or another food blog / site. It just so happen that the ingredients listed below are the things I only have in my kitchen. And I was so hungry already that time. There's no way I can eat out or order food delivery because rain was pouring hard and streets were already flooded. So, I ended up cooking this simple and quick pasta dish.

Ingredients:

Note: I'm no chef and neither am I experienced in cooking, so the amount of ingredients in here are not exact. 

Pasta (I used regular spaghetti pasta. But you can use any type of pasta you want)

Olive oil

Garlic (4-5 cloves)

Salt

Pepper

Pesto (I used pesto sauce - which I have plenty bottles of from Italy. But in case you can't find one, you can use powdered pesto mix commonly sold at grocery stores. eg. McCormick)

Spanish sardines (1 can is enough. Separate the sardine from the oil.)

Tomato (4-5 pieces but it really depends on you if hate or like tomatoes)

Cheese (optional)

Cook the pasta. Check the pasta label or packaging for the suggested number of minutes to cook the pasta. 

Set aside the pasta and keep warm once cooked. 

Heat the pan. Add olive oil and garlic. Saute for about 1-2 minutes. You can either slice or dice the garlic, which ever you prefer. I prefer my garlic sliced when in pasta. Make sure the heat is not high so that the garlic won't burn.

Add tomatoes (chopped).  Saute for about 1-2 minutes.

Add cooked pasta and mix.

Add Spanish sardines and mix. 

Pour 1/2 of the oil from the sardines and continue mixing.

Add pesto and mix well.

Add to plate and serve. You can also add cheese at top if you want.  

Pasta is always best eaten warm or fresh from the pan. ♥

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Cravings | The Coffee Beanery (TCB) - Shangri-la Plaza branch

Celebrated a friend's birthday with a dinner and unlimited cakes and coffee treat. I had Bleu Cheese and Mushroom Fettuccine (295php). I like that the white sauce is not thick, but smooth, light and still very tasty. Then for dessert Laguna Cheesecake, Cherry Walnut Cheesecake, Twix Cheesecake, Blueberry Cheesecake, Black & White Fantasy, M&M Mudslide (not included in the picture), and Devil's Food Cake (not included in the picture). I'm not a fan of chocolate cakes (or of chocolates in general) but all of the cakes, specially the cheesecakes, are good! My favorite would have to be the Twix Cheesecake.  And coming from someone who is biased with cheesecakes (Me), I recommend to non-chocolate lovers like me, to try the Black & White Fantasy. It's not too sweet so it might work for your taste buds as well. 

Unlimited cake and coffee for only 300php, definitely worth it!

Check out TCB at facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/tcbunlimited

http://www.facebook.com/pages/TCB-The-Coffee-Beanery-Shang/125497424179500

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Mama Lou's Italian Kitchen

An intimate and cozy restaurant that serves authentic Italian dishes. I like that their pizzas are not greasy or oily, but still fresh and super delish. I'm not really a fan of thin crust pizza but this one is a must try!

Mama Lou's Special Pizza: tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto, mango, arugula, and balsamic cream. 

Mama Lou's is located at:  B1 L36 Tropical Ave. corner Tropical Palace BF International, 1721 Las Piñas, PHL

Follow them at Twitter @mama_lous

Like them at Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/mamalous