Recommendation of the Week: Mocha Mudpie

Hands down my all time favorite dessert: Mocha Mudpie from TGIF Restaurant.

Mocha Mudpie - P295

Their menu shows this as a "rich chocolate almond mousse and coffee ice cream frozen in a chocolate crumb crust topped with hot fudge and almond slices". NOT your ordinary ice cream cake. The mousse is a perfect accompaniment to the soft yet still firm coffee ice cream. The hot fudge is very thick and not your usual Hershey's chocolate syrup in a bottle. The slivers of almond is generously added on top and adds a nice crunch to the dessert.

Price is a bit steep but this is good for 3-4 person (skip the overpriced drinks ;p). Trust me, no matter how full you are, order this one for dessert.

Food Porn

An unfamiliar term that I encountered recently in an episode of the TV show "Ang Pinaka". They were doing a countdown of the most popular picture trends right now and number 4 on their list was Food Porn. I was like, wth?

According to urbandictionary.com, Food Porn is:

"Taking mouthwatering pictures of delicious foods and proliferating them throughout various social media websites as status updates, thus tempting all those not even currently hungry into getting a food hard-on and getting food-horny and blowing all of their heroic dieting efforts to hell."

Can't be more graphic than that :D

If I take food pictures with the primary purpose of arousing one's desire for food, does that make me a food pornographer? Hmm .... certainly food for thought. Anyways, here are some of my food porn collection. 

Tamarind Shrimp from Bawai's

Buon Giorno Salad

Eggs Benedict from Breakfast at Antonio's

Sausage Platter from Poco Deli

Devil's Pancake from Breakfast at Antonio's

Frozen Margarita from Mesa

Prosciutto El Funghi Pizza from Buon Giorno

Lasagna from Buon Giorno

Pistachio Sansrival from Buon Giorno

Hope to add more in the future!

Zark's Burger : Bigger is Better?

I love living in Paranaque these days. A lot of food establishments have been opening up lately especially in the BF Homes area that there is really no need for me to go anywhere else. So, with the willing help of my family and close friends, I have resolved to try the different restaurant/cafe/kiosk  in this part of the South.

First up is Zark's Burger which is located along President's Avenue.

We came in Saturday morning around 11am. No one was there but by lunch time, all the other tables were occupied. Place was very simple, clean and unassuming. Had a little bit of cafeteria vibe.

Nachos - P85

Their Nachos, which is P85, was good for 2-3 person. The chips were ordinary, the cheese was not cheez whiz (thank God), there were a good amount of real bacon bits and the salsa was freshly made. The only weird part for me was the white sauce which tasted like mayonnaise. Additional salsa is P15. 

Zark's Burger : 1/4 burger with cheese sauce in a bed of veggies topped
with mushroom and bacon - P130

Philly Cheesesteak Burger : 1/4 burger with chopped onion, sirloin strips
and cheese sauce - P180

Burger from Hell : Cayene burger topped with onions and chili,
chili garlic oil and chili cheese sauce - P135

Double Bacon Cheeseburger - P185

The more bigger burgers (more expensive) already have fries and ice tea. But for the others, you need to pay an additional P25. Their burger patties are big and doesn't taste like they put in a lot of  extenders. The bun was beautifully grilled and has that nice toasted texture. The cheese sauce was plenty. However, aside from the Burger from Hell, the taste of the burgers were a bit bland. Kudos for them, though, for providing mustard condiment. 

Fried Snickers with Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce - P125

Not-so-little sis was inordinately fascinated with the Fried Snickers. I was expecting a very hard and oily chocolate candy. Happy to find I was wrong. The heat melted the Snickers bar enough so that the chocolate was soft but not melted and the fried batter was not oily at all. Ice cream on top was perfect. 

happy family

Zark's Burger is at a 2nd floor of a building located along President's Avenue just a couple of minutes from the BF entrance. It's on the left side across from A1 Driving School. 

The Verdict? 

Burgers were definitely bigger than those from most fast food restaurants, lots of different kinds to choose from, ingredients seems fresh and plenty but the burger patties itself is a little bit shy on the flavor side. Still, overall, their burgers were not bad for the size and price. 

*********************

Although already full, couldn't help but be tempted by the cake shop a couple of doors away titled Cake 2 Go. 

Not-so-little sis recommended I try their Dulce De Leche Cheesecake. I wasn't that impressed at first taste but then as I ate more, I began to like the fact that it wasn't too sweet. It had that delicate leche flan flavor and not too dense cheesecake texture. Overall, this makes me intrigued to try the other cakes as well. Thankfully, they sell their cakes per slice as well. Will definitely try more when I pass this store again.