Tsoko Nut Batirol

Last Saturday, a bunch of us went to Ayala Museum in hopes of getting free entry. Unfortunately, the place was totally packed and we decided to go somewhere else.

We ended up at Tsoko Nut Batirol at SM Makati.

Tsoko Nut Batirol

Though they were selling these P99 cooler blends, I went and got the large hot chocolate Tsokolate Ah Batirol (P98).

Tsokolate Ah Batirol

While not as rich as some other blends, this is a very good mix of tablea chocolate that reminds me a lot of  my childhood. The cold version, which I sipped from one of my companions, was quite nice too.

I'd forgotten about this place but it was nice to be reminded again.

Choco-late de Batirol

What is a trip to Baguio without the ubiquitous trip to Camp John Hay?

Some people go for the shopping, I go for the food. It's a good thing that Baguio is much cooler than Manila, especially in summer - so you can best enjoy hot chocolate and other goodies such as suman and bibingka. I had this as a mid-morning snack after the long drive up, and it's the perfect pick me-up to start sight-seeing.

Different sets were available, and what we got came with their signature batirol hot chocolate, suman and bibingka. For those who don't know, a batirol, batidor or molinillo is a wooden implement used to whisk the hot chocolate. This version, while frothy also contains a lot of "grit" which gives it a nice texture as well as flavor. Note that this hot chocolate is not as sweet or as creamy as your standard Starbucks hot chocolate. It does not overwhelm the tongue, which pairs it well with both the bibingka and the suman. The serving of hot chocolate is generous, but the food was not enough for our hungry tummies - we had to order another serving of delicious bibingka.

Suman (F), Choco-late de Batirol (M) and Bibinka (B) at Choco-late de Batirol

It is possible to order a concentrate of the product at their store. However, included instructions were a bit too complicated for me right now. Maybe in the future, or at one of their other branches.

Choco-late de Batirol
Camp John Hay
Baguio City, Philippines

McVitie's Dark Chocolate Digestives

I like biscuits, I love dark chocolate and I always seem to end up buying a pack of M&S Dark Chocolate Digestives. 

This week, I found this at the grocery and couldn't help snagging a box.

McVities Dark Chocolate Digestives

What I like about this is that important information like this is written in front of the box, so I am reminded of how many calories I put into my mouth everytime I get a cookie (it sure stops me from eating half the pack in one go). Also, that this does come in a box covering the plastic packaging, it makes storage much easier.

The biscuit itself is coated on one side in a layer of dark chocolate, around a quarter of the height of the biscuit itself. Unfortunately, it doesn't taste quite as dark chocolate-y as expected.

I end up eating 2-4 of these at a time- they're a bit more filling than the M&S ones (I end up eating 4-6 of those at a time).

The weather is still pretty nice and it's nice to pair with a cup of hot coffee, or even tea.

Unit16sweets Peppermint Chocolate Bar

I love chocolate and peppermint. I especially love both of them together, hence my love affair with Starbucks' Peppermint Mocha every Christmas. However, now that Christmas season is over, I find myself craving mint chocolate. Luckily, I discovered this:

Peppermint Chocolate Bar

A Peppermint Chocolate Bar (Dark Chocolate with Mint) that doesn't break the bank! This little baby is from unit16sweets (you won't see this at their site) and costs P50 for 12 squares (3x4) of chocolate-y goodness. I found this little baby at a weekend food bazaar in podium. They also have other specialty flavors: chili, sea salt and ginger. While I am interested in trying those out, my diet constrains me...

Anyway, this is not the best chocolate I've ever tasted, but it's pretty sweet for its price! I liked the fact that it had an expiration date (around a year), but who are we kidding? Chocolate can last 1 week, tops, in my world.

What I didn't like about this? The wrapper! While it looked nice and neat, it felt disgusting on my fingers. Fortunately, the silver foil inside allowed me to unwrap it as soon as possible.

Buy Again?
Of course!