OT: A Thanksgiving for MLhuillier Food Products

Pin It Now!

I had the privilege to be invited to the thanksgiving dinner of MLhuillier Food Products, Inc at Pino Restaurant last Friday. Thanks to Dr. Nestor Alonso and Patty Taboada. I also met Michel and Amparito Lhuillier who were very kind and sweet. I felt a bit awkward myself shaking hands to such famous and big people in the country. They were so good-natured (and good looking, too) that you can't help but like them.

If you've been reading my blog for a long time, you'd know that I'm not really a fan of events. I'm too shy, even if I don't look like it. However, I was really glad that I went to the thanksgiving dinner because I met Justinne of Babe for Food in person for the first time. Yay! Not only was I relieved, I was also happy to have found someone to talk to.

MLhuillier Food Products, Inc produces and exports dried tropical fruits. They've been around since 1989 and only recently been certified by TUV SUD for GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) and HACCP (). This makes the company a globally-accredited business that makes them competitive worldwide. They are already exporting to 11 countries and are still trying to penetrate new markets. Señorito Michel was really happy to share the story of the company to the guests and of his own life story, too. He mentioned that they were all hardworking. It's really nice to hear stories of successful local companies and businesses because they not only bring money to the country; they also create more jobs for Filipinos.

There was an after party at Labeled near Capitol and the guests were invited to join. However, I wasn't able to go thanks to my curfew. My aunt was already looking for me at 10:30PM so it was a signal that I had to head home pronto.

What made me really happy were their products. They handed out samples of the products to us, media people, before we went out. Yay for free food! Honestly, I was really excited to try out their dried fruits, being a dried-mango fanatic myself. In the stash were dried mangoes, coconut, pineapple, papaya, mango-tamarind candies, and mango nectar juice.

I gave away some of the stash to the boyfriend and another friend, whom I met up a nearby restaurant. We ate the dried mango while waiting for their bill. We found it really good. The mangoes aren't too sweet. They were just the right taste. I really love it. I finished a pack on my own while snacking at home. Even my brother and aunt enjoyed the dried fruits that I brought home. My brother loved their dried pineapple. Another favorite, aside from dried mangoes, is the mango-tamarind candy. It's definitely good. I never imagined the two to compliment each other's distinct flavor.

MLhuillier's products are available in different grocery stores in Cebu, like Rustan's. Robinson's. Gaisano Grand, Fooda, and other pasalubong centers in Mactan and Cebu. Price range for these yummy treats range from P10 to 100. 

Gong Cha Cebu

Pin It Now!

"Gong Cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me," is what the boyfriend sang out when we first passed by the Gong Cha branch in SM City Cebu. It's pretty catchy, I must admit. Often, he would even sing it for the rest of the day while shopping in SM, which gives you an LSS.

I realized that we have to try Gong Cha, because it's a new milk tea place and there were many people lining up. We were able to order their milk tea, however, on the second time we passed by.

Gong Cha is a Taiwanese brand that already has a steady stream of followers here in the Philippines. They already have many branches in the world. The branch in SM is Gong Cha Philippine's 19th branch.

We got the Gong Cha Winter Melon Milk Tea, which is one of our ultimate milk tea flavors for every tea house in Cebu. It tastes just like the usual winter melon flavor. It reminded me of Heart Tea's own Wintermelon Milk Tea, which costs about half of Gong Cha's. I also wasn't impressed with their pearls. We found it too hard and a struggle to chew them all. I wasn't even able to finish all of my pearls.

Gong Cha's bestseller: House Special Milk Winter Melon Tea

The next time we went back, we tried their bestseller which was the Gong Cha House Special Milk Winter Melon Tea. We weren't expecting much from it because we didn't really love their other milk tea. However, we were wrong. It was REALLY good. It tasted just right with the perfect sweetness and flavor in it. It's also refreshing with every sip. It was just like heaven. The boyfriend referred to it as being "raw." It's like your all the stresses inside you are relieved with every sip. It's now one of my most favorite milk teas here in Cebu and it's worth the money.

Although Gong Cha is on the expensive spectrum among the tea houses in Cebu, I think some of their teas are worth the price, especially their bestseller. I can't wait to be back and order another Gong Cha House Special, but still the winter melon tea.

Tell me what you think of Gong Cha's teas and comment below. :)