Food Test (may): Starbucks, Tokyo Bubble Tea, Chez Karine, Sbc

a little bit late, but here is what i sampled for the month of may. :)

starbucks: banana mango frappuccino and spinach tart

this is a combination of starbuck's mango passion fruit juice + milk + 1 whole banana. yep... 1 whole (dole) cavendish banana. this is a perfect drink for the summer season. there's the sweetness of the mango and banana, a hint of tang from the passion fruit and creaminess from the milk. i wouldn't say it is the healthiest of the drinks (just count the calories involved), but it is a good alternative to the other coffee based drinks.

this isn't always be available though. once your starbucks of choice has ran out of bananas, they won't be serving this drink for the day.

**you can also order other variants of these - the banana raspberry and the chocolate banana (which they have formally launched as a new flavor)

i have always liked the variety of food items that is available at starbucks, and this one is definitely a good choice. this consists of a puff pastry with a creamy filling consisting of spinach, onions, garlic, mushrooms and cheese. it is filling enough for a snack (or lunch even - if you eat that way). i like that the pastry is buttery and flaky (although a little messy to eat) and that the flavor of the filling has just the right balance of spinach and cheese.

in time for the cherry blossom season, tokyo bubble tea launched limited-time products which are sakura inspired. being very fond of this flower, i just had to try this.

sakura milk tea is a combination of vanilla, green tea and cherry blossom essence. it also comes with their signature bubbles which are sweet and chewy. i ordered this at 50% sugar level, and the sweetness was perfect for me. this is a drink i would not get tired of. plus its color looks really nice and dainty. ;) too bad, it was just available until the end of may. hope it comes back next year.

chez karine: macarons and vanilla royal pudding

i have read many good reviews for this shop, so when i was at the serendra area, i dropped by their store to sample some of the sweet goodies they have.

from their site: soft set custard pudding with dark caramel at the bottom.

i like that this dessert is not too sweet and you can taste the subtle flavor of vanilla in the custard. to fully appreciate this, you must ensure that you get both the caramel and the custard in each bite. plus points for the packaging. acording to spot.ph, you can actually collect your used jars and once you have 7 pcs, you can exchange it for a free glass of iced tea.

flavors i got: pistachio, red velvet, dark chocolate, speculoos, black sesame, mint chocolate and strawberry.

the macaron size was standard (?) in comparison to others that i've tried. it was crunchy and chewy at the same time. there was a generous amount of filling in between that you would get a nice dose of flavor. you can really tell and differentiate each of the flavors. of those that i tried, my favorite would be the black sesame and the red velvet.

seattle's best coffee: caramel heaven

i availed of one of the coupons which i got from my sbc 2014 dream journal, and i got a caramel heaven javakula. it is a mix of coffee and caramel, topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with sugar crystals. i like the flavor of caramel, so this drink is easy to like. it was just a little too sweet for my taste.

i wish sbc could come up with something new, since they have been offering caramel variants lately.

and that's what i had for may. :D