Fine Life On A Budget + + +

Kids in superhero and macabre costumes were all over the mall trick-or-treatin'. I, however, was not and decided to just treat myself to something sweet. It was when I saw Cacao, the lone chocolate stall on the bridge way of Megamall.

There were lots of products to choose from. For a not-so-chocolate lover, I was not about to zone out. All I had to do was zero in on comfort flavors so I ended up buying just a piece of a dark chocolate (Php34) and a so-called Mint Melt Away (Php37) since I fancy anything minty in taste. To secure my mint week snack, I also bought a box of the 28-piece Andes Mint Parfait Thins (a smooth blend of mint and chocolate flavors; Php165). The mint-choco product is most famous for its three-layered piece with the chocolate as top and bottom and the mint in the middle. What I bought, instead, is its inverted version wherein the mint flavor covers the two layers with the chocolate in the middle.

What I like about Cacao is its location. I'm neutral when it comes to chocolates (unlike sushi for which I have a declared aversion), so I don't mind eating a piece or two once a week. The chocolate stall is just perfect for my daily route from work and weekly mall activities.

Eat where you work. In my case, I take my office breaks at various fast food chains along the formerly called Emerald Avenue in Ortigas Center, Pasig City four days of my 5-day work week. Every Saturday morning, though, I head to Banchetto which is "feast" in Italian. And it is a whole street of food feasting from Friday night to Saturday noon!

The lined up stalls may literally be dwarfed by the business district's tall buildings, but the Banchetto experience always leaves the urban foodie satisfied for the affordable food that's available in various forms.

Banchetto is also famous for the crepes being sold by Crepe Man. If you love Cafe Breton, maybe you can give Crepe Man a chance. To see how they do their crepes, click here.

It was the wee hours and I got a nasty appetite for pizza and chicken. Fifteen minutes later, I was at Sbarro, Eastwood-Libis. It was one hour and 30 minutes to closing (4:30am) and I was the only customer inside. It was like waking up to a home-situated restaurant that's just next to my room.

My chicken meal wouldn't be complete without the chicken vegetable rice. I love how I always need to put in more salt for extra taste. An officemate of mine loves to pair it with Sbarro's meatball viand. I just love the vegetable rice just the way it is.

The Supreme flavored pizza that I love was out, so I settled for the flavor featured above. I honestly forgot what it's called, but I tore into it anyway. I also got myself a serving of spaghetti and a buy-two promo of their bite-size pizza (Php120).

We know Max's for its great tasting chicken and I couldn't agree more. After recently visiting one of its branches for brunch, I stopped by the restaurant entrance and got inspired to bring home snacks for the household members. By snacks, I mean baked goodies. Yes, Max's is no longer just servings full meals. They have expanded from tossing in those caramel bars in their value meals. These days, one can also buy puff cake (ensaimada in Spanish), polvoron, and other pastry products at Max's Corner Bakery. There are also various cake flavors that remind me of how Goldilocks solidified its presence in the bakery landscape in the late '80s.

For a taste test, I grabbed a 9-piece set of meringue, a cheese bun, and a box of caramel bars. I may just have to return next time for the brazo de mercedes. It looks richer tasting than Goldilocks and Red Ribbon's versions.

Money. Bread. Dough. I don't have that much this month. Lots of expenses came up. I guess this gives me the opportunity to really live the fine life on a tight, tight budget.

Case in point: relying on housemates for snacks like Dunkin' Donuts which, believe it or not, I have not tasted in years. Honestly, I loved the strawberry-filling in that innocent-looking donut so much so that I gobbled up two.

I would have preferred Mister Donut, but beggars can't choose, can they?

YOU OUGHT TO READ THIS:
My Red Ribbon breakfast one rainy morning

Mango Tart La Coeur-style is sometimes available (I was not able to ask the schedule) on a buy-one-take-one basis. Don't be deceived by the images as they come in tiny carton packages.

Why buy these suckers anyway?

Three Terrific Reasons To Snack on Mango Tarts:
1) It serves mango with a twist.
2) It comes in small servings which is healthy for a mid-afternoon snack.
3) It's darn good with coffee or tea.

For a mango tart recipe, click here.

The Le Coeur mango tart promo is priced at Php65 only from its original Php100+. I gobbled on my tart after eating a big beef bowl at Yoshinoya.

Julie & Julia is now showing in Manila and I managed to catch a screening this weekend.

The new Meryl Streep and Amy Adams-starrer, Julie & Julia, is more than just about cooking. The film is also about blogging. Food blogging to be specific. In several scenes, the movie shows how a blogger grows from signing up one's blog account to having supportive readers who constantly comment. Paypal is even mentioned. And, of course, there's the readers' loot which is more practised in the US.

I was able to relate to the character of Julia who struggles entering her '30s not knowing what she'll do with her spare time. Her day job is nothing that she's passionate about and her leisure time is seeking refuge from the daily remnants of work. Soon, she finds herself blogging about the thing she loves to do -- cook.

Meryl Streep, as the legendary food author and cooking show personality Julia Child, is also featured in the movie to render Julia's connection to her childhood adoration of the former.

The movie, by the way, is an adaptation of a book which director Norah Ephron wrote for the big screen.

I started blogging about the food I eat, the restaurants I eat out in, and the snacks I bring home to eat because I reckoned what else is good to write about but those that I engage in on a daily basis, right?

YOU OUGHT TO READ THIS:
The day my folks convinced me to eat home-cooked mussels (tahong)

It's only this year that I get to sample on various kinds of snacks and desserts that I've never encountered in my entire life. While passing the time at the mall I decided to grab a cream puff before boarding the FX taxi on my way home.

First of all, I didn't know what a cream puff was until I checked it out at Beard Papa's, the stall selling it. It's been there for so long that I just had to pay attention once and for all. As my second point, I can't eat and walk just like anybody else I know. I have to take my food sitting down.

Cream puff, I learned, is a pastry that's got the filling of whipped cream. And that's what I munched on from the stall, all throughout the mall ground floor, all the way to the taxi line. The good thing about it was that the cream puff is certifiably a good to-go sweet snack.

YOU OUGHT TO READ ABOUT THIS:
My comfort snack: steamed milk and cheese roll

I waited until now to write a post here because I felt that the local calamity in Manila compelled me to simplify my already simple food cravings. Hence, my comfort food: the polvoron (powdered milk candy).

Two major typhoons ravaged the capital region of the Philippines where I reside. In the midst of the chaos and panic-buying, I walked inside the mall one day looking for something different than the usual full meal. I ended up discovering a stall that showcases only various polvoron products.

The House of Polvoron stall also sells other powdered candy flavors such as cookies 'n' cream and pinipig, but I've always preferred the classic milk flavor. I especially find the packaging interesting because the carton design seems to give the local sweet concoction a prestige that can be recognized internationally.

SEGUE: Allow me to present here the FOODBUZZ BLOG NOMINEES for various categories...

1. Best Overall Blog:
1. 101 Cookbooks
2. Bouchon for 2
3. Kath Eats
4. The Pioneer Woman Cooks
5. Smitten Kitchen

2. Best Photography Blog:
1. Bouchon for 2
2. Sippity Sup
3. Smitten Kitchen
4. Taste with the Eyes
5. White on Rice Couple

3. Best Recipe Blog:
1. 101 Cookbooks
2. A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa
3. Evil Shenanigans
4. Local Lemons
5. Simply Recipes

YOU OUGHT TO READ THIS:
I came up with a restaurant name logo for a chef student's school project.