Saturday, September 8, 2012

Phoebe's Cupcakery

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I wouldn't miss a new cupcake store for anything. Well, except when something comes up. But when I heard that Phoebe's Cupcakery will be opening real soon, I could't resist. Who can with all those floral-colored walls paired with yummy cupcakes?

So, I dragged along the boyfriend for some yummy cupcakes at Phoebe's. I really have no idea where their store was except it was located in Maria Luisa Road. We had to do some walking to look for the store. It was quite an adventure. Then we saw the purple cupcake store and knew we're at the right place.








I must say that Phoebe's Cupcakery was like made out of a dollhouse. They have quirky floral teacups on the wall. They also have floral wallpaper and seats. The store has a purple theme with purple chandeliers and  flowers all over. I felt like I was in a dollhouse, or better yet in a Victorian parlor.

When we got in, there were already customers inside. It was quite obvious that they were enjoying their cupcakes. So, we ordered for ours. We got scarlette (red velvet!), cookie monster and.choco hazelnut We got Sola for our drinks.



the sharing plate. :)

our cupcakes and drinks for that afternoon.




All of Phoebe's cupcakes were definitely yummy! My favorite was the choco hazelnut. It was just the right sweetness for me. The cupcakes were soft and the icing have the right sweetness. They were so perfect. I left Phoebe's with happy taste buds and a filled stomach.

I can't wait to go back to Phoebe's really soon to try more of their cupcakes.

*photos taken by Paw*

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Heart Tea (and The New Heart Tea)

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I met up with Frank of Heart Tea two weeks ago to get to know more about Heart Tea. Sorry for the late post! It was really nice to talk to someone who could really provide good information about how the entire venture started. I've been to Heart Tea once, a few months back, but I wasn't really able to taste much of their drinks. You can read my entry here.

Wintermelon. Are you ready for what's coming?

Frank, one of the owners of Heart Tea, is a tea enthusiast himself. Having heard of the booming tea fad in Manila, he and his wife did more research about the different teas in Taiwan. They even sourced their ingredients directly from Taiwan. 

Heart Tea was inspired by tea, being a hearty drink. Tapioca, Coffee Konjac, and Wintermelon are among their bestsellers. Take note that Winternelon does not have sinkers or tapioca so you'll have to add one to your drink. Tapioca and other drinks have sinkers, though. But, it pays to ask the attendant if the drink already has sinkers. Frank mentioned that they themselves created their own milk tea drinks, which makes them different. 

I would have to agree with Frank. Their wintermelon taste really different compared to other stores. Frank said that their own version does not have an overpowering aftertaste. Their wintermelon is good to go even without the tapioca.

the red ones are the strawberry balls
They also have these fun strawberry burst balls that you can add to your drinks. This is Frank's favorite. He says this is like Cobo's but does not pop right away. You'll have to put your teeth on the balls to make them pop or burst which adds to the fun.

Basil health drink is a drink that's unique to Heart Tea (in Cebu). This drink has basil seeds that is great for losing weight. Frank suggested to consume the basil health drink after gym. It really is a filling drink. I even didn't feel hungry after drinking basil. The seeds are also fun to chew, well I had fun.

the white stuff at the bottom are the basil seeds. :)

One of the things that make Heart Tea different from the rest is that their drinks are can be personalized for no extra charge. Frank noted that customers can ask their attendants to customize their drinks. One can choose to add more tea and lessen the fructose or vice versa. You can ask them to add more dairy, if you want. Other tea places only let customers customize the sweetness levels.

Heart Tea has three branches, as of the moment. They can be found in IT Park (besides Krispy Kreme), Cebu Doctor's University, and inside Convergys. Frank confided that they are planning to expand the business and clients can expect more branches. The most exciting part about our talk is the upcoming changes in Heart Tea. Clients can anticipate for a better Heart Tea with even better teas and other things to offer. They are reopening this September and I'm also quite excited the new changes.