Sweet Treat From Estrel's

Many of us take comfort in sweet food. Have you ever wondered why? I have read somewhere that people innately gravitate towards sweet or salty food and whichever flavor of comfort food we prefer is influenced by our genes, environment, and experiences.

After reading that article, I came-up with a not so scientific and maybe not so original theory that most people love sweet comfort food because we have always been treated to candies and chocolates as rewards when we were little kids. Of course, there are more scientific reasons like, for instance, chocolates, which according to studies boost the production of serotonin, a chemical that averts depression.

As for me, I find comfort in sweet food because it refreshes my mouth, especially if followed by a glass of water. I may have a sweet tooth, but my tonsils cannot tolerate very sweet desserts. It’s fine with me, though, because very sweet treats leave a bitter aftertaste.

I think the key to comfort sweets is striking the balance. And this is what Estrel’s has perfected over 66 years of baking.

Konnichiwa! Welcome to Tokyo Cafe!

The moment I flipped through the menu of Tokyo Cafe, I told myself how stupid I was for ignoring this restaurant for years! In its Mall of Asia branch, I always notice its crepes displayed behind the glass windows but something about it intimidated my lowly being. Maybe because it looked high-end or maybe because its name suggests food faithful to the Japanese cuisine. While I love the deep-fried and grilled Japanese dishes, I am reluctant to try the raw ones.

Tokyo Cafe’s menu is a variety of western dishes with a Japanese twist, a fusion. I was curious how pizza and pasta will become JapaNice but I was pretty sure that it will be good. I have tried “Philippinized” western food and I have not had a bad experience with them. Looking at the menu, I knew I was not in Tokyo Cafe for that first bad encounter.

Mezza Norte: The North's Mercato

One reason that stops me from inviting my dorm mates to a Midnight Mercato food trip is the long haul from Quezon City to Bonifacio Global City. I have been there on an early Saturday morning with my sister and her hubby but it took me an hour to get up from bed and another 30 plus minutes to commute all the way to Taguig! So when I saw Anton’s teaser photo on Mezza Norte (Mercato of the North), I swore I would not miss it. True enough, my dorm mates and I trooped to Techno Hub on its opening last July 26.

Roboto San Japanese Buffet Grill

Just like a good friend who listens to our woes, food fills in a unique happiness we need. And for an average earner like me who finds joy in eating, my best food trip buddies are group buying sites. So, whenever I feel down, I open all my trusted group buying sites and check out food deals worth my meager but hard-earned money. On good days, I stumble upon restaurant deals that catch my interest, like Roboto San Japanese Buffet Grill (P344), a new buffet grill in Bonifacio Global City.

Papa John's: The Unlimited Pizza Experience

Since Papa John’s opened it’s first store in Manila, my sister, Les, kept bugging me about bringing home to Leyte a box or two of its pizza. When she is in Manila, though, we never get the chance to visit the place. Even I, who is often near a Papa John's branch, have never gone there until its Unlimited Pizza (P199) promo every Tuesday.

Welcome to Nicknamed Cheenee

Hi there!

I am athenaD., nicknamed Cheenee. I am a lover of food, a late bloomer in the fashion department, a globe-trotter in my dreams. You might be wondering what “F” in “all the F’s in the world” stands for. Nothing green or foul. “F” is for everything fun and anything I fancy. Or frustrations, maybe. This hodgepodge is a product of my cluttered mind, a dump site of anything that will remind me that life is awesome, and this is also nicknamed cheenee. Welcome to my little space! Enjoy! (:

Table For Two, Please*

*This post was originally written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog.


Back in college, couples often received a glare from me not because I did not have a boyfriend, but because I was envious that they were with each other doing three of my favorites– eating, shopping, and strolling.

If I did not have my dorm mates, college barkada (TSUBA), or the R’s (Tito and Tita R, and Raiza) along with me, my cellphone served as my trusty companion and I bet you know why. It was crazy texting “Ui, I saw nice shoes….” and went on describing down to the tiniest detail but end up frustrated because he had no idea what wedges (or whatever it was I tried to describe) were.

Magnum Mania*

*This post was originally written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog.

Magnum's been all over the internet (and trashcans) since it became available in MiniStop, 7-11 chains, and supermarkets. Everyday I'd see a number of posts on and a number of poses with Magnum in my facebook feeds and I bet everyone who reads this can relate.

I am not someone who'd buy a hyped ice cream before reading A LOT of reviews and A LOT of stories from friends on how it tasted like so it took me three more days (from the day it was released) before deciding to buy the Magnum Classic (P55). It looked sophisticated from the wrapper up to the smooth chocolate coating. The chocolate coating was good, especially with its little hint of bitterness that went well with the creamy vanilla. I thought it was not really worth the hype...

Was at Wingman again*

*This post was originally written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog.


I went back to Wingman at The Collective last February 29 not really because I was craving for it but because I had to use the Ensogo voucher I bought last September since it expires on March 2. This was a solo food trip. That's what you have to get used to when your off is on a weekday and practically all your friends have work.

The Collective is quite hard to find when you're unfamiliar with the streets of Makati. When we went there last October, we had a car and Tito Rey knew the roads of Makati. This time, however, I had to commute alone from Taguig to Makati. It took me three jeepney rides. One from C5 to Market! Market!. Another from Market! Market! to EDSA-Ayala and another one from EDSA-Ayala to Buendia. I was impoverish last week hailing a cab didn't even cross my mind. I even walked from my drop-off point along Buendia, the corner near Centro Escolar University-Makati, to The Collective despite the heat.

The Collective: Wingman (Part 1)*

*This post was originally written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog.

After one of my closest college friends, Danielle, told me stories about good online deals she had, I scoured the group buying sites for my first ever discount voucher. Since it was my first time to actually transact online (that's aside from booking plane tickets online), my side of OC-ness showed. I opted to try something chicken and voila... I saw Wingman on Ensogo.

Pepper Lunch for Dinner*

*This post was originally written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog.

Eating is an experience that must be enticing from the visual standpoint and satiating up to the aftertaste. Creativity and uniqueness in the food industry's marketing and gimmicks have already leveled with the creativity and goodness of the food itself. The "fast steak" restaurant, Pepper Lunch (PL), is among the restaurants that have successfully married creativity with good food. It gives you not plain gimmick but a gastronomic experience worth repeating.

In the Philippines, we have Cecile Zamora (of CHUVANESS.com) and husband Chef Jeroen to thank for bringing PL to the Philippines last 2008. I never knew it has been years since the DIY steak house introduced their patented electromagnetic plate that heats up to 260 degrees Celsius within one minute. Cool, right?

Barquillos en Sorbetes? Muy delicioso!

I do not know when exactly this happened during my childhood (or if it happened a lot of times) but this one memory, the one that flashes in my mind when I hear the word barquillos, never fails to remind me how these thin rolled wafers perfectly compliment the sweetness of ice cream. In that flashback, I remember buying an ube flavored ice cream from a drugstore slash grocery at the market after persuading someone to buy a big tub for us. Then I remember filling my barquillos with the ube ice cream.

Year-Round Wish List

The problem with having a wish list is that I seem to want and need everything! But last September 1, the beginning of the "ber" months, I managed to shorten my first ever wish list (Kris Kringle aside). I almost forgot about these lists until I felt the Amihan kissing my skin these past few nights.

I made a separate list for the material and non-material wishes and I'm sharing with you the "material" wish list. There are a few items on this list that you may find weird but who cares? Walang basagan ng trip! I find it weird too why they're there.

Since most of these "wishes" are not easy on the pocket, I decided that this will be good until August 31, 2012, 11:59 PM. I won't pressure myself though. Not all wishes come true so whatever it is I'll be able to afford or whatever it is other people can give me would be more than enough.

Don't Send Them the "Yes, Rob Me, Please" Message*

*This post was originally written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog.

MRT (photo from tourism.gov.ph)

While residents near Manila Bay and Sofitel's guests were being evacuated as big waves hit the bay's seawall due to a storm surge, and while situation in Marikina and other flood-prone areas were being closely monitored by authorities, my primary concern during Typhoon Pedring's battering was the power outage that halted MRT operations.

MRT, with all the pushing and shoving, is a convenience most commuters fail to notice, much less appreciate. And if you have an extreme harpaxophobia (fear of robbers or being robbed) and scelerophobia (fear of burglars or being harmed by wicked humans) just like me, no MRT equals more chances of being robbed or harmed. I can handle the wild ladies on the train because I am pretty good at forcing my way through a crowded door to the middle of the coach where there are fewer people. But robbers? Who can handle them?

The 32nd MIBF: The Written World and Beyond*

*This post was originally written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog.

Trucks of bookstores and publishing houses were parked on the side of World Trade Center one Sunday night in September 2006. I did not know what the event was but it was a good sight. Pardon the ignorance but it was 2006 and I was a new girl in the Metro so I knew little about events like this, save those that my sister dragged me to. The next day, the great "F" friends were abuzz with great books they bought at a good price. It was all about the Manila International Book Fair (MIBF).

The Nativity, techie version*

 *This post was originally written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog.

It's almost the end of the first "ber" month. Have you felt Christmas yet? Yes or no, I scoured youtube for this video that "Señora" was watching about a week ago. I hope this makes all of us remember the "real" story of the Nativity and the reason why we celebrate Christmas. Enjoy!

video courtesy of ExcentricPT , http://www.excentric.pt posted on youtube on Dec. 13, 2010

Keeping it simple with Aglio e Olio*

*This post was originally written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog.

Simplicity has perhaps propelled the popularity of pasta all over the world. This is one dish that is not exclusively made heavenly by professional chefs, but a staple suited for home cooking. Italian cuisine is rather big on the quality of ingredients than focusing on techniques elaborate and complicated for the ordinary home cook.

For the rookies in the kitchen, cooking pasta would be a great start to experiment and play with. In every dish, a newbie can try chopping the onions, or garlic, or both. The instructions are practically easy to understand with simple steps like boil this then throw that to the pan then mix this next then tadannnnnn, your very own pasta. It can also unleash the "cook's" creativity with the variety of sauces that can be made or the shapes of pasta that can be used.

Aglio e Olio (spaghetti in oil and garlic)                                                                                                                                   

Shams and Miss U

*This post was originally written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog.

After all the glitz and glam the ladies from all over the world showed in the Miss Universe pageant, it is the impersonators' time to shine! The lady with character and the one who made an impact will definitely find herself hilariously copied.

The Becky Miss Philippines

Miss Universe 2011 Shamcey Supsup Q&A (Becky Version) with socialite and becky Divine Lee.

Hello, World!*

*This welcome post was written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog. Read her new welcome message here.

Finally, a blog!

I have always been a little girl with great ideas. They remain stagnant until they get bored and voluntarily leave. It was a different scenario when I was in grade school and high school, when I was still able to contain my fears and write and speak confidently. That was more than a decade ago. I have already fallen under the thin line (or rather imaginary) between the reluctant and confident me.

College gave me reasons not to be confident but it was fair enough to give me MORE reasons to be and these are reasons I'm trying to live by. Not! [HAHA] As usual, it took me days (weeks and months) before deciding to start this blog because I doubted if I would be coherent and comprehensible. The idea sent me to deep thoughts. My mind debated with itself, unnecessarily weighing the pros and cons. Fact is, this is not my first attempt. A blog site was already on the works months ago until it lost its appeal. Then it kept popping out my mind until I finally did something about it on September 10 and was able to come up with this blog in one day (for the record).