An afternoon of coffee, tea and CHOCOLATES!

An invitation from one of Iloilo City's top bakeries for an afternoon of coffee, tea and chocolates is one temptation I easily gave in. In preparation for it's annual chocolate festival, Tinapayan Bakeshop has invited members of Iloilo Bloggers Inc. for an exclusive look of what's to come and expect on its 5-week long chocolate festival.

Sinful Desires at Tinapayan, officially starts on Monday Sept. 27, 2010, and in the next five weeks, Ilonggos will again go loco over choco as the bakeshop highlights chocolate based cakes, breads and pastries on top of their usual line of baked products. Each week, Tinapayan will showcase a selected number of chocolate based products like breads and choco bars plus a featured cake of the week. Plus for a minimum purchase (PhP25) of any of their products, one can get to experience a dip on a 4 feet tall chocolate fountain.

The previous two years saw Chocolate Fashion highlighting Iloilo's first and only chocolate festival with also the country's first and only chocolate dresses. But this year, Tinapayan will hold its first ever "Cake Decorating Con test" on Oct. 1, 2010 to highlight this years chocolate festival. Participants from different schools in Iloilo City will battle it out in creating the most visually appealing chocolate cake that will land in Tinapayan's cake collection in time for it's annual chocolate festival.

Last Thursday, we were graciously hosted at The Promenade by Ms. Evelyn Que, owner of Tinapayan Bakeshop and Mr. Scott Sarria, General Manager of Days Hotel Iloilo. It's actually my second year to be invited this launching activity but this year it is way different, for it was solely organized for and attended by bloggers. It was an up close and personal afternoon as we were briefed on the highlights and sidelight of the chocolate festival over the mouth watering and delicious cakes, breads and bars Tinapayan is known for.

A display of Tinapayan's chocolate based products that would highlight the first two weeks of the festival provided both visual and gastronomical appeal during that "exclusive for bloggers " event. And we really enjoyed them from the start, taking a lot photos , to finish, the tasting.

(Next to choco mint) Choco orange is my favorite combination so naturally this Chocolate Orange bar was an instant hit! The mandarin orange mousse perfectly complemented the rich chocolate base and with cream, chocolate and fresh mandarin orange as garnish - it wasn't easy resisting a third bar.

Bananas are too common that often we take them for granted but with the Choco Banana bar, it changes one's perception of this lowly fruit. Smelled and tasted like bananas but made even more exciting with walnuts and ofcourse, chocolates.

Aptly named as Mocha Decadence, this melts in your mouth mocha fudge bar is made with a rich chocolate base topped with walnuts and smothered with caramel syrup. No wonder it was called as such - truly indulgent in every bite!

Nothing spectacular on this coconut and chocolate combo but this Coco Fantasy bar is a can become addicting and a guilty pleasure even if one is lost in fantasy or not.

Smelled like it was freshly baked, this Marble Pound Cake presented a tasty combination of vanilla and chocolate in compact cake. On it's own or even smothered with icing, it's a a good eat, pound for pound!

Seems irresistible with those chocolate shavings on top complementing the icing. Tinapayan's Choco Ensaimada is the among its ensaimada lineup (together with cheese and ube). Though it wasn't as soft as I expected it to be and personally I like other two ensaimadas better .Now who took a bite of the ensaimada?

The Choco Hazelnut Mousse Cake is made up of alternating layers of chocolate cake and choco hazelnut mousse that I can only describe in one word - heavenly! And I finished a big slice of it even wanting more.

The Choco Mango Torte could easily have been the centerpiece of the entire display because of its very appealing design. But what's inside is a revelation - layers of butter cake, mango mousse and chocolate cake, making a delectable cake both visually and gastronomically appealing.

It was a really a gastronomical afternoon of coffee, tea and chocolates for we did not only enjoy the goodies offered by Tinapayan (and some take home too) but the chance of being trusted, as bloggers, to promote up and coming events of the bakery. And as "Sinful Desires at Tinapayan" officially kicks off two days from now, be ready to indulge and go loco over choco with the great selections and activities the chocolate festival has to offer.

Mama's Kitchen and Sinamay House in Arevalo

A stones throw away from the plaza of La Villa de Arevalo is an ancestral house where one can find not only good pasalubong items but also a look into the past of the district. Known as the Sinamay House , this well preserved ancestral house is an attraction not only in the outside but also what it houses inside. A collection of what the past like is housed in the two storey edifice which also acts like a museum of sorts. Sinamay is simply known as abaca by most and, here, a variety of products made from this fiber can be found. I remember watching a feature on tv wherein the owner proudly showed a framed letter signed by the late Princess of Wales, Diana, showing her appreciation of the handkerchief she was given as a gift coming from this very shop. But the attraction I am most familiar with are the chewies and crunchies made by Mama's Kitchen. Attractively packed in boxes showing their current flavours and variety, this is among the better...

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece por...

Easy Century Tuna Recipes

If you're looking for simple, easy and delicious Century Tuna recipes online, congratulations, you've found it right here! How about spicy tuna sisig or tuna sinigang ? Maybe stir fried tuna with pickles or just yang chow fried rice . I love Century Tuna from its flakes in oil variety, the spicier the better, but when I discovered the versatility of its solid variant, it became an obsession. At first I was just into the usual tested recipes; pasta and sandwich filling, but then it got simpler – I just eat it straight from the can! Usually with a piece of bread or an apple. I just add a few drops of vinegar to spice it up a bit. Then came the experiments. Yup I got tired of that habit that one day, I decided to test my skills in the kitchen. Serendipity, you might call it yet most of them turned into good recipes that I have shared now and then. Satisfying my Palabok cravings had me experiment on this recipe on the spot. With Century Tuna in lieu of the us...

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare. ...

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