Bread & Bean PWNS All Other Coffeeshops

Happy almost-Easter everybody! This is probably my favorite holiday of the year (well, next to Christmas). One of the best things about it is that because everyone's out of town to enjoy the long weekend, the city streets are clear as day and I can drive from Alabang to Quezon City with no sweat. Which brings me to today's topic.

Bread & Bean is coffeeshop, bakeshop, and restaurant all in one.

Living in the South, I am usually hesitant to travel further than Makati for recreation (by that I mean eating out). Ortigas, San Juan, and Quezon City are places I usually pass up because of the hellish amount of traffic that can be expected along EDSA. To make things easier, I just stay within fifteen kilometers of my house.

But there are some exceptions. Bread & Bean is one of the few (another one is Everything at Steak). This little coffeeshop along Jose Abad Santos street in San Juan is of those places that I'd gladly and willingly go back to, traffic or no traffic.

L-R: Classic Hot Chocolate (p80), Choco Peppermint Fredoccino (p100),
Capuccino (p80), Dark Choco Fredoccino (p100)

Even though there are so many coffee shop chains close the South, Bread & Bean gives you a different experience. The area is laid back, with warm wood decor and, comfy chairs, and friendly personnel. But those just the extras. Besides the general homey feel, they also serve excellent coffee, breads and cakes.

My all time favorite is the Choco Peppermint Fredoccino, a cool and refreshing frappuccino blended in with minty chocolate bits and topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

The mango cake slice is lovely.

They also have a selection of mouth-watering cakes (pictures as proof!), all reasonably priced at 60-80 per slice. Another Bread & Bean feature is that their breads are baked fresh daily. The very tasty (and my favorite) ham and cheese loaf is a treat. Sorry, I don't have a photo of the bread section, just head over and try their fresh breads yourself. You won't be disappointed.

FACEBOOK PROMO:

Look at what I saw posted on their wall-

Like and share the Bread & Bean fanpage (link below) and get a cake when you visit, absoulutely free. Just tell them your name when you get there (won't hurt to tell them you heard about them from BaconTunaMelt).  Pretty sweet deal, imo.

Bread & Bean Cafe

Location: Unit 3, Citiplace Building Jose Abad Santos Street, San Juan

Other info: Bread & Bean Cafe Facebook Page

Map:

View Larger Map

Thanks to Metrobank, Thursdays are North Park Days

Do you have a Metrobank credit card? If so, you'd be happy to know that by using your credit card, you can claim your North Park's Special Toasted Noodles every Thursday for free.

North Park's Special Toasted Noodles (p235) (Picture not mine, taken from here)

How? Just order anything on the menu that has the same amount (or greater) as the  North Park Special Toasted Noodles, and you'll get the noodles for free. It's like a buy-one-get-one deal! The promo has been running for a while now but it seems to be little known. But I can guarantee that it's still ongoing- the first time I availed of it was in July and the last time was just yesterday.

North Park has always been a favorite because there are branches everywhere, the prices are affordable,  and the nomz are good. With this Metrobank deal, it has now become even more so. Because of the promo, North Park dinners are becoming a regular Thursday habit.

Groupon Mania in Manila! (Part 1)

A new trend has popped up in the city recently and it's called "groupons". For those new to the term, a groupon is a website that offers group deal coupons. Group + coupons = groupons. That pretty much explains how it works.

Discounts are usually given to those who buy in bulk. This is why when you get three pairs of shoes at Greenhills, you get each pair for less than if you just get one. But what if you don't need three pairs of shoes and want to get it for a lower price? That's where groupons come in. The beauty of groupons is that you get deals at bulk rates (a lot of deals are restaurant discount coupons) but you don't have to buy in bulk. Members of the groupon site can avail of the day's offer, collectively meeting the minimum number of buyers to be able to get it at bulk prices. Ingenious, ain't it?

Groupons are quite popular internationally, with the original website serving many cities in the United States, but it was not until this year that our country has caught on to this craze. To my knowledge, there are only three active local groupon sites as of now (and one just opened today!) but I'm pretty sure many more will pop up soon enough.

These are the pioneer groupon sites of Manila-

1. Buyanihan

Click to go to the Facebook page

This site is my current personal favorite. They've been around the longest too (among those I know of). Their name has quite a nice ring to it and is most certainly very Filipino. Their website is nice and simple, almost monochromatic, and their ordering and payment scheme is secure enough. I've been seeing good deals from them since they started. I've tried a few and I'm satisfied with their service.

2. Cash Cash Pinoy

Click here to go to the Facebook page

Theirs is a much happier looking site, with blues and reds as the main hues of their page. They usually have very interesting offers but I have yet to avail of one. An interesting feature of Cash Cash Pinoy is that you can choose to get a coupon as a gift for a friend.

3. Awesome!

Click here to go to the Facebook page

This predominantly green groupon site launched recently and they've caused quite a stir. Their first deal costed only 24 pesos for a spa massage at a 92% savings. That's probably the biggest discount I've seen so far as well as the cheapest. I'm definitely looking out for their next deal.

Another groupon site that has launched just today is-

* Presyong Patok

Click here to go to the Facebook page

Today's deal, their very first deal, is a bit too expensive for an initial offering. They're offering a 35% discount for a entrepreneurship training that will cost 2599 pesos. Still, Presyong Patok seems promising. Their name sort of sounds like a game from a local noontime show. Presyong Patok has a very yellow theme. Notice how all four groupon sites have a very different look and feel?

(Read all about Groupon Mania in Manila! (Part 2) here.)

Tips for a successful groupon buy:

• Read the offer carefully. Don't just get blinded by what's written in bold lettering, the fine print is very important too. Take the time to read it through twice so you know what exactly you're gonna get.
• Before you click "Buy", think if you really want to get it. There's no turning back after you've clicked "Finish". It's an actual sale.
• Make sure that your purchase is secure. Be careful when giving out your credit card details, you might become a victim of a scam (although the groupon sites listed here are all legit).

Brothers Burger Celebrates Thanksgiving on November 15

At a burger joint last night, I was just saying that Brothers Burger Double Brothers Burger remains to be my favorite burger of all time (followed by Burger King's Whopper at 2nd place, McDonald's Double Cheeseburger a close third, and Cable Car's Gripman Burger rounding up my top 4). This morning, I got wind of this bit of good news via the Brother's Burger Facebook Page-

Isn't social media a wonderful thing?

Brothers Burger is celebrating Thanksgiving by offering a 50% discount on their famous Big Brothers Burger! The promo will run on November 15, 2010 from 11AM until 10PM. We get an eleven-hour window to avail this Thanksgiving promo! That's tomorrow guys!

I'm a little bummed that the branch at Bonifacio High Street isn't part of the promo. Participating branches include- Convergys, Magallanes, Tomas Morato, Megamall, Malate, Ortigas, Capitol Hills, and Pasong Tamo. There's a maximum of twenty burgers per guest, so my suggestion is to group yourselves and draw lots! You just need one or two people to line up to get burgers for everybody! ^_^

Get a Free Whopper Jr. at Burger King!

The promo has been running for a couple months already, but this is a heads up, just in case you hadn't heard of it yet. From April 30, 2010 to April 29, 2011, Burger King will be giving away a FREE Whopper Jr. every time you get a Whopper Jr. Combo Meal and upgrade your meal to large fries and large drink.

The combo meal costs 130 pesos and the meal upgrade is an additional 40 pesos. A total of 170 pesos for two Whopper Jrs, 1 large fries and 1 (very) large drink. That's a meal good for two right there. Great deal!

Chicken-All-You-Want at Max's Restaurant!

Max's is celebrating it's 65th anniversary and there will be a month-long chicken fiesta! Starting June 17 up to July 17, Max's Restaurant will be offering a Chicken-All-You-Can promo. For only 165 pesos, you can avail of this fantabulous anniversary offering and eat all the chicken that you want and can!

I've always been a fan of Max's best-selling chicken and this, for me, is an awesome way to celebrate 65 years! Thank you, Max's!

Dude on the poster is kinna cute. Anyone know who he is?

Terms and Conditions:
1. Chicken will be served in quarter pieces, and parts will be based on availability.
2. Add P39.00 for bottomless Pepsi Softdrink.
3. Promo period is from June 17 - July 17, 2010 and from 6 PM to 10 PM only.
4. Promo valid for dine in only. Not available for take-out, delivery and bulk orders.
5. Cannot be combined with other offers. No sharing. No Leftover. Chicken will be served after each piece has been consumed.

Source: Manila Life

Pitstop of an Online Foodie – MunchPunch

Here's a scenario. You're stuck at your workdesk and your friends email you for a near-impromptu dinner/get-together in two hours and put you in charge of picking the place. What do you do? IM online friends and ask them for suggestions? Open up Google and search for "recommended restaurants in Makati"? Email your friends that you're busy and they should decide and just tell you where to meet?

I used to do all those (the last one most often) until I found out about MunchPunch.

What is MunchPunch?

MunchPunch is a nifty little site that has in its database details of most restaurants in the Metro. And it doesn't just list them, they have all the information you need. From the address, the contact number, reviews from fellow foodies, the menu and prices, this site has got it all.

Search and filter options for MunchPunch

You can even search for restaurants by location, by mall, or by cuisine. I often use the by mall search because there are just so many restaurants in one mall these days (MOA, I'm looking at you) that I lose track of them even if I've been there already. Another great feature is the Promos section where they list current restaurant promotions, discounts and freebies. I'm a discount junkie and this feature just gives me the happies. A new feature of the site that I haven't tried yet is ordering online. I bet it'll be useful for when you and your office buddies need a quick merienda break.

Details and menu prices for World Chicken at GB1

I've used MunchPunch for preparing small gatherings, get-togethers, and even simple dinners. With restaurant details posted on one location online, I can easily call up the restaurants for bookings and reservations, compare prices of different restaurants, pick out orders from the menu selection, get the best deals with restaurant promos, all that in one stop.

Now when my friends set up dinner dates, I get to pick the place. ^_~