Heaping Teaspoons

Wan Chai Tea House

2007-05-22T23:09:00.001-07:00

Last weekend after shopping in Manila's finest retail market, I was treated to one of the best Chinese restaurants in Manila. There are plenty of Chinese restaurants around old Manila because this is the place where some of our Filipino-Chinese community live and converge.

Wan Chai is actually one of the busiest commercial areas in Hong Kong with many small and medium-sized companies gathering, likewise various shopping centres and restaurants serving cuisines of different countries. But we're not going to Hong Kong for this feature!

Wan Chai Tea House is one of the first, if not, the oldest Chinese restaurants in Manila. It is located in the heart of Benavidez St. just before reaching Tutuban Mall or 168. Their menu is simple and consists of some of the traditional Chinese cuisines known to many. And it is indeed one of the best in Manila.

For starters, we ordered the usual chicken feet, siomai and two of my favorites, hakaw and spareribs. Hakaw is a soft dumpling with shrimp inside. It has a unique translucent coating with some soft cooked egg-dough inside.

Hakaw

Hakaw insides

Spareribs

After that we ordered their Yang Chow Fried Rice and their Fried Chicken. And as much as possible, I try to avoid carbonated drinks, so as always, I ordered their lemon tea. Nothing really special about the lemon tea 'cause it tastes like the regular iced tea!

I would say that their chicken is simply one of the best fried chicken's I've ever tasted. There's no need for a sauce because the flavor is so locked inside the chicken meat. I could eat that everyday!

We also ordered their Beef Tenderlon with Radish in a hot pot. This dish is a little bit sweet, maybe because of the radish.

I also liked their Seafood Roll. It has a mixture of crab meat, some crab sticks, fish, and shrimp, I guess. Nevermind what's inside. What's important is the taste! hehehe!

Seafood Roll

Seafood Roll insides

I was so full that afternoon but for me, there's always room for dessert! Some of the desserts on their menu include the taro pudding, the mango sago and the lychee with almond jelly. What I had was the mango sago. I think they need to improve the consistency of the dessert. But I always loved the taste of mangoes, so it's really not a big deal.

Mango Sago (Mango with Tapioca)

Other good restaurants within the area also includes President's Tea House and Waying. I'd have to say that these are some of the best Chinese restaurants in Manila and the price is really affordable. You'll really get what you're paying for. The interiors are not really that fancy compared to the restaurants found in Malls or other establishments. But they compensate that in taste and in service!

Wan Chai is located in 918 Benavidez St. Binondo, Manila. For reservations, you can call (02)245-4406.

Filipino Fear Factor!

2007-05-18T18:31:00.001-07:00

My week in Alabang will not be complete if not for the side trips of my friend's agents to a so-called Mang Raul's. This is not your typical restaurant nor is it a kiosk in some mall. To cut to the chase, it's just a small space enough to fit a couple of barbeque grills under a tree! That is where Mang Raul cooks his Filipino-Fear-Factor delicacy.

Mang Raul's is located in BF Homes right between the intersection if streets Lovely and Imelda. At first glance, it would seem like your typical barbeque stand, but on a second look, you'll see that there's more to it than just barbeques and hotdogs.

As soon as we got there, we saw several cars parked already within the long stretch of Imelda St. Yes, cars! People from different places of Paranaque would literally drive there and eat at Mang Raul's. Some of them would go there and bring the food home. Mang Raul's is indeed a booming business in the peaceful neighborhood of Paranaque. But things really gets messy as soon as people start to pour in. I was lucky enough to get some photos before the big fight!

Mang Raul's offers you a wide variety of roasted meat, particularly the ones a typical Caucassian butcher would discard...but not a Filipino. We Filipinos are proud to say that nothing goes to waste when we slaughter a pig or a cow, for everything is used for something. In this case, it's the intestine! In an english dictionary, it translates to: innards.

Here's Mang Raul's menu of the Filipino Fear Factor. Anyone up to the challenge?

pork innards

pig ears

chicken innards

chicken feet

tender juicy's

All you have to do is wait in line and order from the wide variety of carcinogens in Mang Raul's menu. I'm glad to see that they also offer some hotdog buns and some urban refreshments too! After ordering, is food processing. Signal Mang Raul or any of his staff if you prefer the spiced vinegar, the sweet red sauce or the sweet & spicy-hot special sauce. Be careful, because when we say hot, we mean really hoooot! After that, it's up to you to pick any spot there and eat your hearts out! Their so-called-barbeques are served in a small plastic plate. How about that for street food? Huh?

And I'm sure most of you are thinking of health. How do you know if it's clean? Well, you don't!

Mang Raul's best

Banana Crème Fraîche

2007-05-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

This is a very simple dessert but I'm sure that it'll make your guests crave for more. Bananas are a valuable source of Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and potassium. This fruit can be found on most groceries and other produce stands all over the city. Bananas are typically grown in most Asian countries and one thing that we can all brag about the bananas here in the Philippines is it's sweet and delightful taste!

Ingredients:
10 pieces banana fingers
1 cup (1/4 kilo) brown sugar
3-4 cups water
1/8 stick butter

There are a lot of varieties of bananas but for this dessert, I chose to use the "saging na saba." This is a common Filipino dessert and can sometimes be seen in most restaurants served with shaved ice and some milk.

Slice the bananas in an angle, put them in a large strainer and wash them. Drain the excess water and transfer them into a medium sized bowl. Add 3 or 4 cups of water, depending on how you want the consistency of the syrup to be. Cover the bananas and leave them for about 10-15 minutues in medium fire.

Once the bananas are soft, add the sugar and leave for another 3-5 minutes. Once the sugar has thickened into your desired consistency, add 1/8 stick of butter. You can transfer them into a small container once the butter is fully melted.

checking the banana's consistency
To add a little twist to this recipe, I created a caramel sauce with some special ingedients.

Arrange 5 pieces of the banana into a serving plate, add some vanilla ice cream and drizzle it with some syrup. Serve and enjoy. This recipe serves 6.

Banana Crème Fraîche

Can you say C-H-U-R-R-O-S?

2007-05-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

After a very stressful 2 weeks and a half, I found myself back in front of my computer…blogging again! I apologize to the “few” people who visit my blog. I’m now back and hopefully all things will be well. I’d like to write something for Mother’s Day but I guess I’d skip that for my next entry. I’d hate to drag you out to some restaurant or some bar, as I am sure that they will be filled with people who will celebrate Mom’s Day.

Instead, I’d like to share a simple recipe for those who wish to avoid the rush this weekend. If you have kids at home, I’m pretty damn sure they’d love this! Can you say “Churros”?

Basically, a churro is a fried-dough pastry based snack which originated in Spain. In Filipino terms, I guess it’s the doughnut you’d typically see in your local panaderia coated with lots of sugar. The churro is typically fried to a crunchy consistency. Its surface is ridged due to being extruded from a churrera, a syringe with a star-shaped nozzle.You can use a pastry bag or your cake decorator if you can’t seem to find one. Churros are generally prisms in shape, but instead of being straight they may be curled or spirally twisted.

Here's the ultimate recipe to make your own churros at home, just like they were at the churrería stands. Of course, the difference here is price. Here you can make a whole batch for what is cost for a few. Once you make the churros, you can make the authentic chocolate dip to dunk them in.

Ingredients: (Makes one platefull)
vegetable or olive oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Prepare to fry the churros by heating oil in a pan (1 to 1&1/2 inches) to 360 degrees F.

To make the churro dough, heat the water, margarine, salt and vanilla to a rolling boil in a 3-quart saucepan; stir in flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute; remove from heat. Beat eggs all at once; continue beating until smooth and then add to saucepan while stirring mixture. Be sure that the dough is not too hot as you might end up with egg lumps on your dough.

Spoon mixture into cake decorators' tube with large star tip (like the kind use to decorate cakes). Squeeze 4-inch strips of dough into hot oil. For a more fancy design, try swirling it in circles.

Fry 3 or 4 strips at a time until golden brown, turning once, about 2 minutes on each side. It's best if you have a strainer to flip the churros. Using a prong can sometimes damage the churro. Drain on paper towels. (Mix sugar and the optional cinnamon); roll churros in sugar or dump the sugar on the pile of churros, like the pros.

Note: REAL churros in Spain are made without cinnamon mixed with the sugar, but the cinnamon adds an extra nice flavor.

Chocolate for Churro Dunking

4oz dark chocolate or tablea's (all the way from Batangas)
2 cups milk
1 tbsp cornstarch (with the help of the batirol, of course!)
4 tbsp sugar

Place the chocolate and half the milk in a pan and heat, stirring, until the chocolate has melted. I use the tableas all the wat from Batangas to add that distinct Filipino taste. Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining milk and whisk into the chocolate with the sugar. Cook on low heat, whisking constantly, until the chocolate is thickened, about five minutes. Add extra cornstarch if it doesn't start to thicken after 5 minutes. Remove and whisk smooth. Pour and server in cups or bowls for dunking churros. Do not pour over churros, but use the mix for dunking churros after every bite. Served warm and enjoy!

Exploring the Seafood Palate

2007-04-30T08:36:00.001-07:00

After the tedious process of polishing my latest blog entry, I just can’t help but write something about "seafood". For the past few days, I have been browsing on food websites, not to mention my most visited site, watching cooking shows and browsing at some of Manila’s good restaurants.

Luckily, I really don’t have to wait till the week ends just to feature a “food article” because I somehow managed to save some of the food-pictures in my camera. I’d like to share my palatable experience in one of the restaurants in “Seaside” in Macapagal Highway.

The Philippines, with its 7,107 islands has been blessed with aquatic resources. Almost one with the sea, here you can find all sorts of fishes and other “marine fauna” good enough to make your sea food platter a complete buffet.

After falling in love with the wide choices their menu has to offer (and the prompt service too), I’d personally recommend that you try the cooking at Lola Ina’s Grill.

But first things first! Before you can enjoy their home-grown cooking, you need to shop for your choice of sea food. Right next to the countless restaurants is a seafood market. The choices are endless but for starters, I suggest that you stick to the basics.

Crabs, fishes, shrimps, squids, clamshells, and all other types of crustaceans can be found there. What we got was the shrimp, the squid and my favorite, the crab! Prices are cheap compared to your local 'palengke’ and supermarket.

After sea food hunting, it’s now time to head back to the restarant to have you hand picked food prepared. We chose the Tempura and the Garlic-Buttered Shrimp. We also had Grilled Squid and our all-time favorite ‘Calamares.’ A must try is the Sweet Chili Crab, one of the restaurant’s specialty.

Tempura

Garlic-Buttered Shrimp

Calamares

Sweet Chili Crab
After pigging out, stroll back to the market and shop your way home. You can also find several fruit stands there and some DVD stalls too.

So why don’t you get your favorite fruit for dessert and sit back while enjoying your favorite movie!

Salcedo Weekend Market

2007-04-17T06:52:00.000-07:00

Looking for the right ingredient for that perfect dish can sometimes be so tedious. Most people nowadays would just go to the nearest supermarket and find what they need. It’s more convenient and conducive for shopping too! But if you’re the adventurous and daring type of person, why not try the busy streets of Quiapo or Divisoria. Smelly, crowded and a pickpocket's paradise, but you can get anything here, often at rock-bottom prices. The sensory overload is a bonus.

Our trip was quite different. Located behind the tall buildings and the large condos is Makati’s very own market. Right in the gut of Makati Business Center District is the Salcedo Park. Every Saturday, vendors would take their spot in the park to showcase and of course, sell their specialty items. The choices are endless. From lechon to chicken inasal, to sauces and spices, for sure, you’ll be back for more.

As soon as you step in the park you will be welcomed with the smell of freshly roasted beef - on a stick, that is! This is the Pinoy's version of the barbeque. Hehehe : )

Lechon Baka

Aside from the lechon baka, there's also freshly roasted chestnuts and some native items such as the buri hat, the "abanico" (fan), some picture frames, "banigs" (straw mat) and the likes. Flowers are also for sale.

native items

After that, we're off to the fruits and veggies section.

The choices are just endless! One of the vendors even say that they harvest their fruits the day before they sell them, so buyers are really in for a treat. One can be sure of the freshness of the products. Not the one that you'd see displayed in supermarkets preserved with formalin! After the fruits and veggies section comes the most exciting part of the market. Gourmet food! What's great about this is they offer you free taste samples of the different dishes and food that they sell. This ensures the consumers that they are buying what they really like. There's no room for sorry in this market. That is also the same reason why more and more people are going back because they are satisfied with the service and the food that they're buying.

Here are some of the pics of the delicious food Salcedo Weekend Market has to offer.

They also have some French food, wine and some Filipino dishes. Inihaw na tilapia, pork barbeque and chicken inasal are some of the other food they have.

Pinoy dishes

more ulam...

Chicken Inasal

Inihaw na Tilapia

Here are some of the pics of the French food.

This weekend market is just a haven for food lovers! What I enjoyed looking at are the spices in a small stand. They are arranged and all lined up together in small cute bottles. Aside from that, this weekend market is also home to some of the best pastries and sweets. They have Filipino sweets from different provinces, some still being cooked right in front of you, and some are already prepared and ready to go.

sugar, spice and everything nice

pistachios

tea flavorings

laurel leaves

black lemon

saffron

star anise

Here are my pics of the Pinoy sweets. Most of them are home-baked pastries. Each recipe has been perfected and has been passed on from generation to generation.

freshly cooked piyaya

The Salcedo Weekend Market is truly a gem within the busy and fast-paced environment in Makati. This is indeed a haven for people who don't have the time to go bumping and dodging cars and motorcycles in Quiapo or in Divisoria.

The market is being managed and supervised by Brgy. Capt. Nene Lichauco with the cooperation and support of the Makati Comercial Estates Association Inc.

Salcedo Community Market
Jaime Velasquez Park, Tordesillas
and Leviste (formerly Alfaro) Streets
Salcedo Village, Makati

Dining Excellence in the Walled City

2007-04-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

After our amazing trip around Manila, we then decided to go home and take a break. But our trip would not be complete without stopping at a local restaurant and eat! We then decided to dine in Ilustrado, a small fine-dining restaurant whose pastries are simply to die for. We really didn’t eat there because Filipino dishes were not our cup of tea that evening, but we did grab a bunch of their fine pastries.

I’ve heard of Ilustrado from a good friend of mine (who by the way loves dessert too) when I was assigned to teach new-hires in Alabang. This good friend-of-mine would literally steal her agent’s lunch boxes and check for their food, particularly if they had chocolates or dessert. She’s bullied her agents to give her something to eat or else she’ll be grumpy the rest of the shift.

She had me taste the sinfully sweet Chocolate Moist Cake, and as soon as I tasted it, I asked her where she got it. She simply said: "Ilustrado".

Ilustrado is located in 744 Calle Real del Palacio (General Luna Street) Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. For reservations, visit their website or contact them at (632) 527-3674 and (632) 527-3675.

Calle Real

After months and months of persuading CJ to go to Intramuros, I finally had the chance to taste the other cakes in Pasteleria Ilustrado. Here are some of the few cakes we’ve managed to taste so far.

Chocolate is simply the best dessert for me. For starters, I would suggest the Double Choco Cake. This two-layered cake is filled with dark chocolate in between then topped with a generous amount of while-chocolate shavings!

Sansrival: The perfect indulgence after a satisfying meal! These are layers of cashew wafers, filled, topped and iced with butter cream. Delightful!

Try one of the many bread recipes from their collection of breads, including the Chocolate Bread recipe. Not the typical choco-bread found in your suking panaderia. It’s a cross between an ensymada and a chocolate roll! Soft and moist! Yummy!

The Chocolate Moist Cake is the simpler version of the Double Chocolate Cake. For those who want the less sinful chocolate cake, this dessert is for you. One slice is not enough. Makes you crave for more! Comes in heart shaped mini-cakes good for a valentine treat!

Why not get your fair share of their mouth-watering Cheesecake? It’s not too sweet unlike the cheesecakes you’d normally find, but I might say, it’s one creamy dessert for you.

My favorite amongst all the pastries in Ilustrado is the Chocolate Decadent Cheesecake. Composed of two layers, one’s the regular cheesecake and the second is a creamy consistency of the best chocolate cheesecake I’ve tasted so far! Crowned with a chocolate chip cookie, it is indeed the king of desserts.

For people on the go, or for take-outs and snacks, you can also grab some of their Chocolate Cupcakes. Small yet very sinful! Makes a good “baon” for the kids.

So what are you waiting for? Indulge yourselves with some of the best Filipino-made cakes! Ilustrado is truly the dining excellence in the Walled City.

Blue Ginger: Taste of Thai

2007-04-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

I have been craving for something sweet, spicy and something “Thai” for the past few days and that craving has finally been satisfied last weekend! I’ve been on a Thai-resto quest and was looking for some places that serve authentic Thai food. Sukho-Thai was on the very top of my Thai list. Unfortunately, their store in Megamall closed already. Banana Leaf in Glorietta and in Greenbelt was my second option. To my dismay, the restaurant was already closed. I was about to get so disappointed that night because I don’t want to eat in another resto that caters Chinese cuisine. I was just not in the mood for Chinese food.

We (my parents and my sister) circled the second and third floor of Greenbelt 3 and found several restaurants that offer Thai cuisine. But what struck my attention was the orange eating place on the far end of the third floor. As soon as I saw the sign: “Taste of Thai”, I just have to check it out and see, and of course, taste what they have to offer.

We really don't know if the food was great or if it would taste the same as the food in Thailand. For our soup, we ordered Tom Yum Goong, which is a hot and sour soup with lemon grass, mushrooms and prawns topped with a generous sprinkling of freshly chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves. It was good, but I think that they need to add a little more coconut milk to make it a bit more thicker. I really don't have any problems with coconut milk (aka "gata") because my grandfather, who is from Laguna, would cook food that have coconut milk as the main ingredient. Tom Yum Goong is perhaps one of the most famous dishes in Thai cuisine. The dish is good for 2-3 servings with a very reasonable price of Php 165.

Tom Yam Goong

For our entree, we ordered the Phad Thai, a dish of stir-fried rice noodles with eggs, fish sauce, tamarind juice, red chilli pepper, plus any combination of bean sprouts, shrimp, chicken, or tofu, garnished with crushed peanuts and coriander. It is normally served with a piece of lime, the juice of which can be added along with the usual Thai condiments. In Thailand, it is also served with a piece of banana flower. Good for 2-3. Price: Php 185.

Phad Thai

We also ordered the Si-Khrong Moo Yang (Barbequed Spareribs) for Php 165 and the Gai Hor Bai Toey (Chicken in Pandan Leaves) for Php 155. The common thing that we Filipinos and Thai's share would be our love for the different sauces or sawsawan. The Chicken Pandan has a sweet and sour suce with a sprinkle of sesame seeds while the Barbequed Spareribs has a mustard-like sauce and another sweet, sour and spicy one.

Si-Khrong Moo Yang

Gai Hor Bai Toey

A visit to a Thai restaurant would not be complete without ordering the Khao Kluk Kapi or the "Bagoong Rice" (Shrimp-paste Fried Rice). The dish is sauteed in shrimp-paste and is usually served with green mango strips, eggs, a lemon and a pinch of chilli on the side. The rice is often served with sweet pork making it a complete meal for people that's usually on the go! And to flush out that tangy and spicy after-taste, try sipping on Thai's famous ice tea...with milk! A real combo-winner! The Bagoong Rice is good for 3 and costs Php 135 while their iced tea for Php 35.

Khao Kluk Kapi

Thai Special Iced Tea

And of course for dessert, we had the Ruam Mit of the Thai Halo-halo. A mixture of green jelly (we fondly call it "goo"), beans, rice crispies and water chestnuts drizzled with coconut milk finished our Thai dinner. Other desserts on the menu include Vanilla Ice Cream with Bananas and Coco Cream (Php 145), Sticky Rice with Mangoes (Php 115) and the Coconut Rice Pudding (Tha Kho for Php 55). The bowl of the Thai Halo-halo costs Php 75.

Ruam Mit

The over all experience was great. But still, nothing compares to Sukho Thai and Banana Leaf. The food was great and the ambience was relaxing. Murals of Thai dancers were placed on their orange walls though that huge pole on the entrance is hideous! Their chairs should be cushioned for a more comfortable eat.

Blue Ginger interiors

Blue Ginger Thai Resturant offers Thai cuisine with its blend of spicy, sour, sweet and salty dishes. Blue Ginger presents dining options which are unpredictable as other Thai native and contemporary dishes - which sets it apart from others. Blue Ginger Thai Resturant is located at the 3rd Level, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati. (632) 757-1745.

For other links to Thai Reviews visit Anton's blog at "Our Awesome Planet" and Lori's website at Dessert Comes First.

Tsokolate: Filipino-style

2007-04-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

Tsoko.Nut Batirol is a native tsokolate and coffee shop truly for Filipinos. For years, it has been a place not only for those who want to unwind with mugs of native tsokolate and coffee, but also for those who want to relieve memories of traditional food treats prepared with love buy old folks.

I first saw Tsoko.Nut Batirol in Don Bosco Makati, near Walter Mart. Then lately, I saw them featured in Lori's website. The very first time I saw the pictures of the tsokolate, I already knew that I have to go there and try it! I was quite lucky enough that their other store is in the proximity of my office in Ayala. And speaking of store locations, they have two more branches, one in Dela Rosa Car Park (also in Makati), and another in Fun Ranch near Tiendesitas in Fontera Verde in Pasig. By the second quarter of 2007, Tsoko.Nut Batirol is set to open two more branches, one in Shopwise, Sucat and another in RCBC Plaza in Ayala, Makati.

Tsoko.Nut Batirol is known for its special Tsokolate Ah Batirol, Kape Barako, Iced Banana Batirol, Spaghetti Aligue, Suman sa Mangga, Ensaymada with Quezo de Bola, and Bibingka with Kesong Puti and Itlog na Pula. They take pride in the cacao beans that they have, for they are specially shipped from the Visayas. Ruzzel, the marketing and franchising manager, said that they choose the beans from Leyte because it's sweet and it doesn't have a bitter after-taste.

The first time I went to their place in SM Makati, I was greeted with the rich and thick aroma of tsokolate in the air. Store owner and manager Patrick (as he is fondly called by his staff), welcomed me with all smiles. I first tried their Tsokolate with Kasuy and the Suman sa Mangga. But before I sipped my way through their delicious tsokolate, I tried to get a few snaps of the place so I could have something to write about when I get home. It was then that Mr. Patrick approached and asked me if I am connected with the press or maybe a newspaper or sumthin’. I told him that I am neither, and I would just want to have some pictures for my online journal. I told him that I’ve seen their store in Walter Mart last year and read about it in a website.

Suman sa Mangga

Bibingka with Kesong Puti and Itlog na Pula

Ensaymada with Quezo de Bola

He then came back to serve me with my early afternoon dessert and was so kind enough to “upsize” my regular tsokolate to their big cups – on the house! The thick tsokolate made its way into my mouth as traces of the cashew paste were left on the edge of their unique hand-made cups. It has been said that each cup was specially done by a potter and that no cups are the same.

the three flavors of Tsokolate Ah: Unsweetened, with Mani, and with Kasuy

the special and unique cup of Tsoko.Nut Batirol

After my sweet merienda, I knew that I’ll be coming back for more of their tsokolate. And true to my word, less than a week, I found myself in the same spot, but this time I was there for lunch! I was hungry and it was holy week. Mr. Patrick recommended the Bangus Belly with Pangat (Laing); I concur. Aside from their tsokolate and coffee, they also serve special rice meals like Callos, Chicken Rolls, Chorizong Hubad and Relyenong Bangus. These are special in the sense that the foods that they serve are the ones that are difficult to prepare at home.

Bangus Belly with Laing

Tsoko.Nut Batirol caters to enthusiasts of old-fashioned goodness with bits of something contemporary – those who want to see, smell, taste and feel the flavors of traditional treats blended with homey and modern Pinoy ambience.

They say that each visit translates to a “homecoming” – a return to good ol’ days of good blends, good eats and good recollection. True enough, all these only proved that Tsoko.Nut Batirol is not an ordinary native tsokolate and coffee shop…for every sip and bite captures the simple desires of the common Filipino. Tsoko.Nut Batirol. The goodness of Pinoy flavors!

Trivia!

The name is spelled as Tsoko.Nut, but pronounced as "choco-nut" and not "choco-dot-nut."

"Tsoko" is derivative of the shop's specialty - the "Tsokolate Ah Batirol"

"Nut" refers to cacao nuts - the origin of tsokolate. It is also for those Pinoys who are really nuts about old-fashioned tsokolate.

"Batirol" is added to the company name to emphasize that the shop offers tsokolate that is being whipped with a local wooded stirrer.

Mani and Kasuy are meticulously grinded in the store's commissary, which are then delivered in paste form to all Tsoko.Nut branches.

Bits of the paste are mixed and "batiroled" in the drink and served with traces of the paste on the lips of their unique hand-crafted mugs for a delightful presentation.

Special thanks to Mr. Jun "Patrick" Patricio, Ms. Ruzzel Dela Cruz and Ms. Marian Romano for making this article possible!