FOOD & CUISINE
by people from central Asia. Another term used is kafir which is known as a Middle Eastern fermented beverage that is sourced from camel’ s milk and is flavored with spices. This latter name is what I was familiar with.
So what exactly is kefir? The wall also has answered my query.“ Kefir is a cultured, enzymerich food filled with friendly micro-organisms that balance your inner ecosystem. Known to be more nutritious and therapeutic than yogurt, it supplies complete protein, essential minerals and B vitamins.”
So it’ s healthy, but is it tastier than yogurt? Regular toppings are graham, almond, walnut, mini choco drops and banana nut clusters while special toppings include triple chocolate crunch, strawberry almond crunch, honey & almond to name a few. One regular topping is Php20 but if you buy two regular toppings they would only charge you with Php30. Special Toppings are priced at Php30 each. To sample is a must, so I ordered a sagheer( termed for their 6oz size) priced at Php90. I added two regular toppings of almonds and walnuts – I wanted to try other toppings to add color to my kefroz or frozen kefir but since I am aiming to eat something healthy, almonds and walnuts were the best choices. For starters, the scent is delicate yet quite familiar – smells like Yakult and tastes like it too – but with very subtle notes. It was not sour unlike some plain yogurt available in the market. Honestly, I love it! What I love most about it is that I did not experience any stomach pains – unlike when I would eat plain yogurt again, after a long time. To return to Swirls Frozen Kefir is a must.
Bake & Churn
I have a love-hate relationship with Bake and Churn. I love it that I used to have it as dessert on a daily basis when it still had a kiosk in our office food-court. But hate myself for loving it that I practically gained weight from my daily intake. My day was not complete without ordering a slice of Chocolate roll, a slice of Mango Madness cake or a cup of Black Forest. If I were too stressed from work, I end up on an all-day Bake and Churn spree from lunch, to afternoon snack and then dinner. Good thing they close by 9pm or 10pm or I’ ll end up snacking on it until midnight. The rich taste of chocolates and the luscious mango is overly addicting. Aside from my favorites, Bake and Churn whips up other interesting flavors from Buko- Pandan, Mocha-Caramel and Strawberry Cheesecake logs to Concorde, French Chocolate,
Cookies & Cream and Nutty Caramel cakes. Though Bake and Churn is no longer easily accessible in our office’ s food-court, there are still a number of areas where I can savor this well-loved dessert – with branches at SM City North Edsa, SM City Fairview, SM City Manila, SM City Marilao, SM City Clark and they also have branches in Batangas, Molino and Dasmariñas.
Bake and Churn is an ice cream and cake dessert rolled into one. Two of life’ s simple pleasures made simpler and more economical as you get to eat the best of both worlds.
As I end this article, I could not help but remember a famous TV advertisement by megastar Sharon Cuneta that invaded our tubes several years ago – with a background song that would make you laugh a little, love a little until your poor heart breaks a little. This is the story of my cold comfort love. •
More than meets the eye, this is a fusion of cake and ice-cream. Highly addicting!
24 7107 ISLAND TRAVEL