Whenever I would go to Tagaytay, the first on my list would be Buko Pie and in addition, I'd buy Buffalo or Carabao Milk as pasalubong for the family.  Buffy's is located just beside Orient - The Original Buko Pie Shop so it's quite convenient for me to purchase there.

Their signage is big and eye-catching.

Inside, there's a dine in area.

Yes, they have a menu. But despite my numerous visits, I have yet to try it.

Carabao Pastillas

Carabao Milk (110 php)

To be honest, all buffalo or carabao milks I've tried taste just the same to me.  So I just buy whereever convenient.  The price is negiligible of course.  But, I think Mr. Moo which I've previously shared is a bit cheaper because it is merely a pop out store.  But, the service here is better because they ice the milk properly.  They also have ice creams and yogurt which I have yet to try.

A long time ago, our mom would leave us with our yayas to play in the playground at the center of Glorietta while she goes shopping.  As much as we loved to play on the ropes and on the slides, we also loved it when our mom would come and fetch us because we would always ask her to buy us some Lil' Orbits Mini Donuts.

During that time, Krispy Kreme with its giant donut making factory has not arrived in the Philippines so my siblings and I loved watching the mini donut making machine of Lil' Orbits each time. 

Years later, we outgrew the joys of a simple play time.  But, we would still buy some Lil' Orbits whenever we shop there with our mom.  As we grew older and we had our own errands, buying Lil' Orbits for pasalubong became a practice.   

Until one day, all the food stalls in the Glorietta center moved out including Lil' Orbits.  Years went by and we thought Lil' Orbits was gone forever.  

Can you imagine our joy when we saw a Lil' Orbits stall at SM Mall of Asia By The Bay as we were walking our dogs?  And, it even has a 3 dozen for P100 promo.  We kept buying there every time eat out or walk our dog in the area.  But once again, it suddenly disappeared. 

One time we were in Alabang Town Center and there it was!  So again we happily bought one.  A few months later, we went all the way to Alabang to try Chairman Wang's.  After dinner we hurried to Alabang Town Center (not to mention pay extra parking fee) just to buy a Lil' Orbits but it was once again gone!

One time I was in Market! Market! and I spotted Lil' Orbits there so I bought some.  I asked the staff why oh why are their branches disappearing.  And, he mentioned there was one in Taft.  I was surprised as it was very near my place.  I took some time to find it and I did.  It is located at the back of the College of Saint Benilde but it closes at earlier than malls.  It closes at around 6 pm.

Every time I could pass by early, I would buy some for the family.  Everyone was thrilled whenever I bring some home.  

But, the last time I bought some and watched the mini donut making process, I noticed that the oil was darker and the mini donuts came out darker as well.  As, I've already paid for them, I might as well bring them home right?  The family noticed the difference.  In fact, they found it difficult to finish.  And, so I guess that was the last time I'm buying one.  And, this is were my Lil' Orbit tale ends.

Lil' Orbits Mini Donuts
Business Address	Taft Metro Manila
Business Hours	11am-6pm
Payment Options	Cash
Product Price Range	21-40

We usually have cookies for a mid-afternoon snack.  But cookies as enticing as those of Scout's Honor Craft Cookie Shop deserves an exception.
 
It has a counter top where you could enjoy your cookies with their milk. 


I never imagined cookies would have so many fans.  Will we be one too?  Let's see...

There were so many to choose from.  But, the Matcha Sesame in green stood out for the rest. 

♥ Matcha Sesame (120 php) and Cappucino (120 php)

The Matcha Sesame  is one of the best I've tried!  Yet, it was quite pricey for a cooke sandwich. 
The Cappucino was just okay.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
I loved Scout's Honor Matcha Sesame.  But the thought of having just 1 piece of cookie when I could have a boxful of it  lingers in my mnd in contrast of being enticed to buy some more.

Fellow nibblers, especially those who love spiciness like me, I'm happy to share a new snack that will surely tickle your taste buds.  I just discovered the new  Jack ‘n Jill's Nova Jalapeño.

This has a great spicy kick that will tickle your taste buds making you wanting you more.   

I've been bringing this snack to our family game nights and on our last hiking and camping trip at mount pulag.  I brought a lot of these so I used it as a pillow and hugger too.  And, when my tummy grumbled in the middle of the night, I just had some of this to soothe my hunger.  Since this is also light, it was also our ideal trail food for our 10-hour hike.

What I like about this snack is that its both spicy and fiber-rich (with 4 wholesome grains: wheat, corn, oats, and rice) so it keeps the digestive system active.

I'm so glad they added this flavor.  This is now my new found favorite Nova snack.  Try it out and see if it will be your new favorite too.

I can still remember my pre-teen years when billiards and bowling was the "in" thing.  Whether it's with family or classmates, we'd play at Robinson's Place Manila. After that I'd buy my favorite Cinnamon Pretzel from Auntie Anne's and cap my snack off with a single cone of Pistachio Ice Cream from Baskin Robins located just outside the bowling center.  Later on, the craze faded and I rarely visited that side and when I did, Baskin Robbins had already closed down. 

When I heard that it opened at Central Square, I persistently convinced the family to have our dessert there.   It was a rainy day but as you can see, there are still lines

Before you can reach the ordering station's you'll first go through the enticing cake display.  I hope I can try this on one of my birthdays.

There's an ordering book there too.

There's a procedure guide on top of the chillers.

You can also have a taste before selecting.

Here are our orders.

Green Tea (139 php/Single Scoop)

Mint Chocolate Chip (139 php/Single Scoop)

Rum Raisin (139 php/Single Scoop)

Very Berry Strawberry (139 php/Single Scoop)

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
I'm glad Baskin Robbins is back and we got to try it again.  It's still as good.  I'll try their cake next time.

We were along Fil-Am Highway in Pampanga when the family's interest got piqued by Jiin Bakery Korean Bread. 


So we parked and went off to Jiin Bakery Korean Bread. 


According to this Korean magazine, they have declared the Fil-AM Friendship Highway as "Friendship Korean Town Area" where as indicated is swarming with Korean establishments.   

Jiin Bakery's cakes looks delicious.  Too bad we couldn't try it because we had to endure around 4 hours travel back to Manila on that very traffic Maundy Thursday.  Some of it looks the same as Tous Les Jours.


The staffs thought we were Koreans but we honestly told them we were Chinese.  =p

The Korean owner was there too so we asked which pastries are their best-sellers.

♥ Mini Seashell

She recommended so many but we only chose this Mini Seashell.

♥ Mini Seashell

It is a small super soft pastry filled with mallow-like cream which was lightly sweetened.  My family didn't like it but I did.

♥ Matcha Cookies

I also got some of this Matcha flavored cookies which had the a unique chewy texture.  I also loved it but the family not so much.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Jiin Bakery Korean Bread is worth a try.  Their pastries are different from what usual bakeries offer. They also have tables and free WiFi so you can dine in.

Most addicts don't admit that they are addicts.  But, I'm really honest so I'll confess I'm an ice cream addict!   To prevent myself from stuffing up on too much ice cream (I used to eat a pint/s a day), I have a personal policy of not eating ice cream unless someone else invites me.  So one usual malling night, the family decided to try Swensen's. 

Of course, I was so excited! 

I quickly checked out the flavors at the counter even though all the diners are seated as they have a menu so no need to stand up lol.



As I counted, they have 16 different flavors available.
 
They had a large seating capacity but it was a bit crowded.

Food

♥ Apple Cranberry Sorbet (95 php) and ♥ Blueberry Cobbler (95 php) (Add 20 php for the Waffle Cone)

♥ Yogen Berry (95 php), Mango (95 php) and Blueberry Cobbler (95 php)

We really love that they have tarty options.  The flavors are also out of the ordinary.  

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Swensen's Philippines offers delicious ice cream that will cool you down anytime you need to chill.  They have lots of flavors to offer so you'll sure find one to your liking.  However, I find their pricing a bit steep.