Thursday, October 11, 2012

A Sweet Morning at J.CO

It was a rainy early Saturday morning, and I'm really hesitant on going to one of my most awaited event at OpenRice PH. I'm afraid that I might be stranded while I'm on my way, so I waited for the dark sky to turn a little bit lighter to grayish blue. Fortunately, the weather was turning to be fine so I rushed and headed quickly to the event. Rain was pouring and I'm hoping that it will stop before I transfer to another vehicle on my way to the MRT. Minutes passed, and I know I'm late. I walked quickly the moment I went off the train and search for J.CO, one of the restaurants that I really wanted to try.

J.CO, originally from Indonesia, invaded the Philippines in March 2012. They located their first branch at SM Megamall (which is also their top branch as of now), followed by branches at MOA, Greenbelt, and Trinoma. To tell you frankly, I'm not familiar with J.CO at first, but when I passed by their store in MOA and Greenbelt, it gave me a big question mark on why does it always have a around 10 to 20 or more people in a cue just to buy their donuts. I tried to fall in line, but I'm really not much fond of waiting so I really waited for this day to come.

What does J.CO mean? Well, it's a secret, as what they've told us. I really don't know why, and it bugged us a bit. Their SM Megamall branch was big and really spacious. They have two counters to separate customers depending on their needs (donuts counter, and drinks & frozen yogurt counter).
It's only around 11 am and people are starting to cue for their donuts.
Though their customers are constantly coming in and go, the staff maintains a kind and enthusiastic attitude towards its customers. They were also polite and prompt on providing customers' needs.
J.CO offers a wide and unique variety of flavors on their donuts.
Sweet things welcomed me as I arrived late on the event. This made me more excited on the food tasting!
The ambiance was as sweet as their food. They have a couple of couches, chairs, and tables to provide a comfortable experience on their customers. Customers can also enjoy a free WIFI service with fast connection during their stay while enjoying their donuts, drinks, or their frozen yogurt. I just noticed that they have warm yellowish lights which can be a factor of discomfort to the eyes. 
Sugar-rush.
Not only one, nor two, nor three drinks were served.
Cheers to our sweet morning!
1. Jcoccino - Formulated by the World Barista Champion especially for J.CO. It's actually an espresso with a drip of milk! It's hard to tell because the taste was really unique. Perfect match to your choice of donut! The artsy side here is that you get to request what latte art you want on your cup.
2. Iced Hazelnut Latte - It has a light coffee essence with a hint of hazelnut. I personally liked this drink!
3. Jcoccino Frappe - A cold, frappe version of Jcoccino. I prefer this one! ;)
4. Iced Thai Tea - Black tea with milk or can be best describe as J.CO's version of milk tea. This one was my top drink on the list. I love the creamy and light flavor of this drink.
5. Green Tea Frappe - Mildly sweet and bitter, creamy, and thick drink. They used powdered Japanese matcha. It has a light green tea flavor but it's prominent on every sip.
6. Orange Yogurt Frappe - It's bursting with zesty orange flavor, don't be hesitant on this because it's sourness is bearable!  
7. Cafe Avocado - Tasted weird at first by its combination (avocado + chocolate syrup + coffee), but as you drown yourself to the avocado powder essence used on this drink, you'lll surely enjoy every single sip!
Alcapone - J.CO's pride, their best seller donut. I'm not fond of nuts, but I know I can't miss this. The white chocolate gave that mild sweetness that one cannot complain, while the almonds gave that crunchy texture over the soft, fluffy, and chewy dough.
Mona Pisa - Donuts aren't just about sweets. J.CO created that possibility to give a soft-batched-pizza-flavored donut for its customers. It's mainly cheese and pepperoni, but it actually tasted like a real pizza - just in a softer donut-shaped bread!
Leaf latte arts on Jcoccino! I just want to adore it rather than to ruin that beautiful art in front of me. Haha! Nah, just don't miss the last drop! :p

JCool Frozen Yogurt with Blueberries! JCool was just a recent addition of their menu. Their yogurt has the right amount of sweet-sour taste. They have various selections for your choice of toppings. You could have this for take out, and don't bother about melting your frozen yogurt because they have a special packaging for that, and it can last for hours!
Yummy treats for take out! Green Tease & Alcapone!
Thank you so much J.CO for having us! I really enjoyed my stay here. I love the wide selection of donuts and drinks as well as the enthusiastic staff you have! Much love! ♥
J.CO will soon open their branch in Alabang Town Center, Eastwood, and SM Fairview. I'll watch out for that! :)

J.CO Donuts & Coffee
SM Megamall, Megastrip B

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Chuck's Deli: Deli Big Slabwich

E and I purchased Chuck's Deli discount vouchers at Ensogo which can be found here. We haven't tried eating there and my friend, Jomen, told me that it's a good place, so that pushed me to convince E to buy the vouchers. We bought two vouchers, which means that we can order 400 pesos worth of food for 200 pesos. Yay, I'm excited!
Chuck's Deli, to my surprise, was just a small place which can cater roughly around 20 customers. The place has a couple of blackboard that contains graffiti and some promos and information.
A huge menu welcomes you in front of their store.
Yummy dishes to choose from! Guess what's our order?
Cool graffiti over here!
The servers were very kind and accommodating. They were knowledgeable on what's on the menu and  knows what to offer on new customers like us! :)
Chuck's Deli Challenge: Finish their Buffalo Chicken Slabwich in 5 minutes! OMG. I can't even imagine myself finishing it in a nick of time!
Hand Sanitizer on each table!
Signature dressing (Original and Hot)
Hamsome Threesome ( P495.00 ) - Three different kinds of ham, shredded lettuce, tomato, cucumber, mustard garlic sauce, and cheese. It comes with your choice of side kick. We asked the waiter to divide our slabwich into two.
Onion Rings for our side kick!
FIVE layers of ham!
Ready to eat? =p~
Nomnom! And I didn't finished mine, so I just had my leftovers for take out. :p

We had fun and we really enjoyed our slabwich for the night. I'd love to go back to try their Buffalo Chicken Slabwich, it looks delicious! And I know there are still more must-try dishes on their menu :)


Chuck's Deli
G/F Serendra, Bonifacio Global City
Along the driveway across Market! Market!
Tels. (02) 576-4210, (0923) 398-6378
Website: Chuck's Deli PH

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Jamba Juice with E

Backlog & quick post. E and tried Jamba Juice at Alabang Town Center. I felt positive and relax seeing their orange and green interiors. They offer comfy seats and high chairs inside and outside the store. So if you want to feel the ambiance of fresh air and have a wild chitchat with your friends, you can use the chairs outside just in front of the store.
Look, we have the same color of rubber bands in our braces ~ blue green! :)
Uh-oh. People piling up on the cashier. They really have a lot of customers!
It can be a good place to relax, have cup of your healthy fruit drink, read a book, chitchat with friends, eat a snack, study, or even just to chill.
Razzmatazz (mixed berry juice, strawberries, bananas, orange sherbet) for E!
Cheddar Tomato Twist
Strawberries Wild (strawberries, bananas, apple-strawberry juice, non-fat frozen yogurt) for my drink :)
Jamba Juice offers a free photo booth for its customers! You can't print the picture but you can send the picture to your email afterwards. :)