Today's Word: Romans 5:8

Once again, it's Holy Week! For some of us, it's the perfect time for a summer getaway. For others, it's the best opportunity to reflect on what God has done for us - He gave us Jesus, to die on the cross in order to save us from eternal condemnation. While setting our minds on Jesus -- pondering about His death on the cross -- is the best thing to do, true followers of the Lord should do this all year round and not just 
on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Come to think of it, 
it's the greatest love story ever told!

 For who among us would be willing to give up life for someone who does us wrong, who hurts, insults, and humiliates us? But that was exactly what Jesus did for us humans! During the hours leading to His death. He was mocked, insulted, hurt, yet He endured everything to the point of death, knowing His sacrifice would mean salvation for us. What great, unequalled love! 

Today, ponder on Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and God's immense and immeasurable love for you. Give back to Jesus by accepting Him as your Lord and Savior. He deserves all your love and praise for what He has done! 
Have a blessed Holy Week.

(Thank you, vision2hear.wordpress.com for this photo)

Awesome breaks at Seattle's Best Coffee

I'm having a new favorite place for food and coffee, one that I tried for the first time only early in January this year, though it's no newbie in the gastronomic scene. Yup, Seattle's Best Coffee has been in the Philippines since 2000 (it opened in 1991 in its place of origin -- Seattle, Washington), but I only paid attention to it when I saw its beautiful-looking store inside UST. And what do you know, I fell in love with the food, drinks and ambiance of this place that I've gone back regularly since the first visit. 

What I've tried so far:

All-vegetable salad, P165. 
This was my very first order and already my favorite. I have this almost each time I visit. Crunchy greens, carrot strips and croutons plus yummy Caesar dressing (there are other kinds of dressings, by the way), it's a health buff's treat. Well, that's what I'm trying so hard to become - a health nut. The only thing I dislike in this plate? The heap of potato chips! When you're trying to eat healthy, this could be a step back so I try not to eat it. 
I fail every time, though. Hehe.. 

Regular Breakfast 2, P190.
My next visit was an early one like the first, so I had breakfast at SBC and this was my choice. The corned beef was really good! A little salty as expected, but very juicy and flavorful. There were bits of potato to tone down the saltiness, thankfully. Together with the pieces of wheat bread and two sunny side up eggs, my breakfast plate was awesome! Surely a nice way to start a work day. 😉

Clubhouse Sandwich, P200.
I shared this and an order of All-Vegetable Salad with my youngest child one time. I loved that wheat bread was used in the clubhouse instead of white tasty bread. As you could see, scrimping on fillings is unheard of here. There's 
a lot! -- ham, bacon, cheese, egg and veggies. Potato chips also come 
on the side. If I still need to say so, this sandwich 
is both delicious and filling!


Pesto, P180.
One Sunday after church, I again decided to drop by UST before heading home to have snacks at Seattle's Best. This time, I chose to have pasta -- Pesto. This one was really good! The sauce made up of olive oil, basil, nuts and garlic was bursting with flavors, you won't want to stop eating till the last wee bit of morsel! 
I even wanted to lick my plate clean. 😁

Ham & Cheese Croissant, P90.
One of my two daughters joined me once at SBC. I then had the all-vegetable salad while the young lady went for this Ham and Cheese Croissant, 
which was delicious -- flaky and crusty.

Chicken Pie, P85.
Just yesterday, I was with my helper at the very new (just opened this week!) SBC store at Fisher Mall in front of the stand-alone Cotton On after plant shopping at QC Circle, and this was her choice. She said the pie had a good amount of filling and that it was good and she liked it. She paired this one with Snapple Pink Lemonade.

Adobo Pandesal, P75.
This was mine which I paired with Matcha Javakula and it was a perfect match! This pandesal is light and soft and deliciously filled with shredded pork adobo. It's so apt for a light snack and even for breakfast, with fried egg and brewed coffee, I could imagine.

Almond Caramel Roca - P145.

One time, I met with a friend at Seattle's Best and it was good to have someone to share the guilt of eating cake with. Hehe...This teardrop-shaped babe brought no remorse, though, 'coz it was undoubtedly the best cake I've had in a long while. It's not entirely chocolate, it's actually layered inside. There's marshmallow and a layer of what tasted like sans rival. This Almond Roca is like a piece of heaven! I could totally 
ignore the diabetic's guilt with it. Hahaha!

Oreo cheesecake, P145.
My kids and I love Oreo (though I could only eat apiece once in a while). Who doesn't? It's sweet and comforting - handy when one needs to chase the blues away. Double the goodness when you find it on top of your cheesecake! You bet it's perfect to have while sipping steaming cup of joe.

Matcha Green Tea Javakula, P180.
This is one of the four special Javakula flavors SBC is offering this summer. The others are Peppermint Pot, Sea Salt Caramel and Java Chip. Because I love Green Tea on account of its health properties, I tried this flavor first. It's cool and refreshing..Perfect to have on a searing hot summer afternoon. And isn't that emoji topper cute?

Green Tea Latte (M), P165.

Loved this one too, which was my breakfast drink one time at the UST store. It had a rich and creamy taste with nary a hint of tea bitterness. Too bad I forgot to ask the crew who got my order to tone down the sweetness or scrap sugar altogether so the yumminess of my drink didn't pass without some guilt.

Iced Breve (S), P130.
It was at SBC when I first learned about Breve coffee. And it was love at first sip! Breve is half-half of milk and steamed milk plus espresso.

Chocolate milkshake, P175.
My son's order which he finished to the last drop. I guess it's good? 😀

Raspberry Mocha Kiss (S), P155.
Daughter's drink which she regretted ordering 
for the "medicine" taste.

Latte (S), P120.
What? No latte art? It's the only downside to this. Perfect 
cup of joe taste-wise, though.

Brewed coffee (M) P115.
My early morning elixir when I had breakfast at SBC. Some jolt, it provided, to literally jump-start my day.

Seattle's Best Coffee at UST

The newest Seattle's Best Coffee branch, opened April 6, 2017 at Fisher Mall

Needless to say, I've added Seattle's Best Coffee to my list of cafés to regularly visit. The food is good, coffee is crave-worthy (the Breve is tops!), and the prices don't  require breaking the bank. What's more, I love the peace and quiet I get to enjoy at the UST branch, which, as an added bonus, is very near our home. The only other branch I've been to so far is the new one at Fisher Mall but it's really small so we had to sit outside and as it was a hot summer afternoon,
I didn't get to enjoy my stay much.
 Try Seattle's Best Coffee in case you haven't, guys. It has many branches in Metro Manila and surely, there's one near you. By the way, for a bit of trivia, SBC is owned by the same ones of Starbucks. Quality-wise, I think that's an assurance, though I must admit I'm no fan of the latter.
Happy eating!

Rainbow in my coffee at Happy Beans

I'm admittedly a lazy person when it comes to going places especially when I have to be out of my comfort zone, that is, Manila and Quezon City. But what great motivators food and coffee are! Last Saturday, I purposely went to Metrowalk in Pasig City, tagging along two of my kids, just to have a "pretty" cup of joe in this cute and comfy place called "Happy Beans". Well, we were indeed pleased to be there although our orders were a mixture of hits and misses, ayes and nays.

What we had:

The Food

Happy Burger to You

For me, this was the miss and nay. The burger patty was too soft and I suspected the reason to be that the meat had a lot of fat. Because I didn't like the texture, the taste followed. My daughter liked it though, so she proceeded to eat my burger when I stopped after two bites. Good thing the fries were good - firm with some crunch to it, and flavorful. The burger could be ordered ala carte but I opted for the "combo" with 
unli-fries and drinks for P168.

Three-Cheese Pizza

Sorry to say but this wasn't good either. The crust was a bit tough plus there 
was a lack in the flavor department. But then, 
I preferred this over the burger.

 Pestoriffic Pesto

This one saved the day for me. It tasted fresh and was bursting with flavors. It was somewhat different, too, as it had mushrooms and tomatoes -- a welcome change from the usual pesto. Yummy this! A must-try at Happy Beans!

Crazy Fingers

This was neither a hit nor miss. But it could have been a real hit if the batter wasn't soft but a bit crunchy. Still, I enjoyed this one solely for the reason that chicken 
is one of my top comfort foods.

Nacho Loco

The three of us all loved this one. Well, no one could go wrong with nachos even if all that's put on top is cheese. The chips are fresh and crunchy, thankfully. 
And there were enough bits of beef, tomatoes, onions 
and cheese to cover everything.

The thirst-quenchers 

Rainbow Latte
Isn't this pretty and very much Instagram-worthy? Well, I came for this and I was glad that it didn't disappoint me. Apart from its good looks, it tasted good as well! The coffee wasn't too strong and I loved the balance between the milk and espresso. This Rainbow Latte not only added life and color to my afternoon meal, it also 
gave me some jolt, enough for me to endure 
malling and some shopping afterwards.

Rainbow Milkshake
This was my daughter's and she loved it. How beautiful, this milkshake was, 
only it was too sweet for me. Just look at all those candies!

Mango Graham Milkshake
My son went for this one as he absolutely loves mangoes, be it ripe or green. This one was a wee bit lacking in the looks department but because it had mango, it was delicious and the not-so-little boy loved it to the last drop.

In and around Happy Beans 

 Menu

Happy Beans is at 2nd Floor, Mall of Korea, Metrowalk Commercial Complex, Meralco Avenue, Ugong, Pasig City


All in all, it was an enjoyable stay that we had at Happy Beans. I failed to mention that board games were available for diners and my kids had a blast with two rounds of chess while we waited for our food. I also loved the cozy and homey ambiance 
plus the friendly service. 
Sadly, as I said, not all the food that we ordered was good. 
Good thing the prices are reasonable. 
Would I come back? Why not? For the Pesto and the Rainbow Latte. Also, there are many others on the menu that I would want to try.
Try Happy Beans, folks, and have some fun with family and friends.
Happy eating!