Cafe Caudal ~ Spot on Desserts

 Nothing beats a hot cup of coffee taken with heavenly tasting desserts in the company of good old (but still sexy and pretty) friends.

 

Our latest coffee shop discovery is Cafe' Caudal in Taytay Rizal.

 

It is owned by Karen Louise Caudal, a nurse turned coffee shop proprietress, whose passion for baking is evident in her delectable ~ cakes, cupcakes and dessert creations.

 

 

 

Cafe' Caudal is a beautifully decorated-modish cafe'. It is hard not to notice the details that went to decorating this shop.

 

 

The place can seat 20-25 pax comfortably.  And could easily house small events and gatherings. 

 

 

 

Coffee selection is blackboard long (with the average coffee price of P70 per cup). There were so many to choose from.  However, I like mine plain and simple, so I opted for a Café Americano, while a friend ordered Latte.

  

Cream~creamy Latte!

 

 

 Oh so many decisions. It was so hard to choose, so we went for the owner's recommendation and ordered Tres Leche's cake.

 

The other cakes look as tempting.

 

Tres Leches (P800/whole, P100/slice) was a perfect choice. It was moist and creamy, sweetened just right.  No wonder it is a best seller.

 

We also ordered Red Velvet Orea Cupcake and a Blueberry Cupcake. Both were equally luscious.

 

 

Red Velvet Oreo Cupcake (P70)

 

 

Blueberry Cupcake (P70)

 

I love Cafe' Caudal's cupcakes so much ~ I had to buy to go, for my husband and kids as "pasalubong".

 

 

 

 Cafe' Caudal also serves sandwiches, pasta and rice meal. We were unable to try them, since we just had dinner.  Worth a try, the next time I am back.

 

CAFE CAUDAL ~ is THUMBS UP!!!

 

Cafe' Caudal is located at C. Gonzaga Bldg.

(the building owned by the family of celebrity sisters Toni and Alex Gonzaga),

Brgy. San Juan Taytay Rizal

It is open daily 9am-12mn.

 

For reservations and inquiries you may

follow Cafe' Caudal in facebook  ~ CAFE CAUDAL or contact Ms. Karen at 881-0918

My Minion Assistant ~ I Heart MONDE mamon-it-yourself!

Are you looking for a fun activity to do with your kids? 

I was out doing grocery today and found this cute and cool (not to mention timely) Mamon-It-Yourself concept by Monde at only P70/pack. 

 My boy was ofcourse extremely delighted to see my purchase, having watched The Minion Movie just recently. 

The Minion master came prepared with Minion glasses and the only Minion shirt he can find.

He opened the package immediately and hurried to create his own Minion mamon.

Each pack comes with six (6) mamons and decorations enough for two (2) Minions.

TIME TO START

MATERIALS:

• mamon = check
• frosting = check
• fondant eyes = check
• Minion master hands (not included in the pack) = check 

There is an instruction at the back of the decoration pouch, but the Minion master was all too excited to read it and proceeded straight to creating his Minions.

EATING TIME!

VERDICT

• So cool of Monde to have thought of this gimmick. My boy loved this activity and can hardly stop smiling while creating his own Minion mamons.
• There are six  (6) mamons in the pack, but decorations was only enough for two (2) (as you can see we were unable to finish our second Minion  :C ).  I hope Monde provided enough décor for all six (6).
• If the pack came with complete decorations for six (6), this activity would have been perfect, for a Minion Themed Birthday Party.

So CHEWY JUNIOR!

 

Are you looking for unique and one of a kind desserts?  

 

I have a penchant for desserts taken with brewed coffee.  It was like coffee + dessert = happiness for me.

 

 

We discovered Chewy Junior Megamall, while looking for a place to relax our tired aching feet (from sight malling ~ since we did not buy anything). 

 

 

The store is small, with a long counter display across the limited seating area.  But I guess that was just fine, as most of the people coming in were ordering take-homes.

 

 

 

 

Oh Yummy!!! 

 

 

They have deluxe and premium chewies.

Deluxe are priced at P45, while the Premium is P55.

 

 

 

 

We were too busy filling up our tummies, we forgot to take pictures of our order (so I got these photos from the Chewy Junior Philippines website instead).   

 

 

Hubby and I got deluxe Almond Sweethearts, while the boys got Chocolate Cereal Crunch.

 

 

 

 

The chewies went very well with our coffee.   

 

The Almond Sweatheart reminds me of J.Co's Alcapone donut, only Chewy Junior's bread is chewy from the outside and cream filled inside. Our chewy was not as sweet, as I first thought.  

 

I never got to taste the Chocolate Cereal Crunch (I know you know already why), so I assume it was good too!

 

 

We will definitely be back to try out their other products and flavors, especially their Chewy Puffs, which I heard are best seller ~ delicious!

 

Chewy Junior SM Megamall is located at the Lower Ground Floor (across the event center) of SM Megamall (SM cinema side).

Coffee Grounds ~ All You Need is COFFEE!

Me and hubby are self-confessed coffee addicts! 

 

 

 

 

What can I say, we LOVE OUR COFFEE!!!  

Coffee keeps us ~ up, awake and enthusiastic :P 

 

It is thus, not surprising that everywhere we go, we end up hunting for coffee shops for our daily dose. 

 

Our latest find is this little coffee shop along Ortigas Extension called Coffee Grounds (the place used to be a Mocha Blends branch, but moved on to a new Coffee Grounds).  

 

 

We were just there for coffee, but the Sansrival looked really inviting, it was hard to say no... so we said "YES" (lol!).

 

 

(Coffee is priced at P90-120 with a discount on refills).

 

 

What we liked about Coffee Grounds (aside from it's specialty coffees) :

 

1. They have an assortment of sandwiches, pastries, pasta, and an all day meal selection. 

 

There are plenty of food options to choose from.

 

 

2. Homey atmosphere.  The place made us feel right at home.  There were very few customers when we came in and we had some real quiet time - to enjoy our coffee (while browsing the internet and reading the newspaper).

 

 

 

 

3. Cordial crew. The staff were very nice and attentive of our needs.  I am not sure though if that was because we were one of the few guests inside that time ~ but none the less, those two ladies manning the counter that morning were jovial and warm!

 

 

4.  Free WIFI. I know right? Nice place to do blogging.  Will definitely be back to do some writing over my freshly brewed coffee.  

 

 

 

Coffee Grounds is located  at the Valley Fair Town Center, Km. 19, Ortigas Avenue Extn. Taytay Rizal

Contact Numbes:650-5258 / 0917-5016444 

 

Coffee Grounds is open daily from 8am - 1am.

 

 

Midas Hotel and Casino Review ~ A Posh Boutique Hotel

I snatched a Midas Hotel deal via a group buying website, which I thought was perfect for my husband's birthday staycation.

 

The package we got is for an executive room, inclusive of buffet breakfast for two (2), access to the executive lounge, high-speed internet access, use of fitness center, and free transport to the SM Mall of Asia (although we did not use the free transport, since we used our own car).

 

Location was perfect as we have plans of going to DreamPlay at the City of Dreams, located just a few minutes away the hotel.

 

 

 

 The Midas Hotel lobby is posh and modern.

The executive rooms are clean, but basic.

The pictures presented in the web are way-way better.

 

 

We opted for two (2) single beds, which were quite comfortable.  The linens and pillows smell fresh and new.

 

 

 

(The beds are a bit small, but the plush daybed made up for the lack of bed space. My youngest laid claim to this one!)

 

The room is equipped with flat TV, with plenty of channel options to keep everyone entertained.

 

 The bathroom though small is spic-and-span.

 

 

We had a clogged sink early in the day, right after  check-in, but maintenance was fast in fixing it.

 

The bath tub and shower in one.

 

 

 

 

Open bar with coffee and tea making facilities.

 

  

 

 

Bathrobes were provided.

Robes and towels smells fresh and new, as well.

 

I was surprised to see a complete ironing set nicely tucked inside one of the closets ~  very nice. This would come in handy especially for business travelers.

 

The safe works and is easy to use.   

Executive rooms come with Bulgari bath toiletries, impressive.

Complete toiletries set for two.

 

 

 

Guests billeted at the Executive Floors enjoy exclusive access to the Sunset Lounge for complimentary spread of gourmet snacks and hors d’oeuvres, and choice drinks from 4 pm to 8 pm. We were, however, unable to try this one since I don't want to leave the kids alone in the room.

 

 

VERDICT

• Staff are well-mannered and welcoming.  I felt so at home, with staff greeting us nicely, opening doors, carrying our bags ~ admirable customer service.
• There is no indoor parking, but they do offer valet parking for free to hotel guests, very convenient.
• Wi-Fi is complimentary ~ fast and reliable. My boys went gaga downloading games.
• There is no swimming pool, but my youngest made do swimming in the bathtub.   
• Buffet spread is plenty, but just so-so.  The pastries, however, were exquisite.  Since our package is just for two (2), we paid extra for the kids at P400+ each.

 

 

 

We were so into the pastries, we forgot to bother taking photos of the buffet spread...my bad!

 

 

 

I call this place ~ Pastries Haven!

 

Overall we had a satisfactory stay.  It is a decent hotel for business travelers, but not so much for families.  Although it is just a short distance the SM MOA, StarCity and DreamPlay, traversing to and from the areas of interests may pose a bit of inconvenience.

 

 

 

Location and contact number:

Midas Hotel and Casino

2702 Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City 1300, Philippines.
Contact Number: +63 902 0100