Right after class, we went to Katipunan for the afternoon that our friends from Cravings have exclusively prepared for us. Since I am a biology major, they wanted me to check out their eco-facility nearby. Of course, they also wanted me to try their good food. Read more…
First, they brought us to SINAG Community Center, where we found out how environmentally-conscious The Cravings Group as a company is. Turns out, the founder of Cravings herself, Ms. Annie Guerrero, is a strong environmental advocate and entrepreneur.
Cravings farms their own organic lettuce, fresh herbs, mushrooms, and honey. They also do vermicompost from waste food materials and coir dust from young coconut shells.
The SINAG Community Center likewise functions as a source of livelihood for women. They gathered women from the community to make bags and other handicrafts for export. Interestingly, they actually make coffins out of newspaper.
After the eco-tour, I was so hungry because I hadn’t had any lunch yet. With my stomach grumbling wildly, we transferred to Cravings Katipunan to try some of their offerings.
When we got to Cravings, I immediately went for their unlimited salad and soup, which comes free with an entrée. But not long after I had a plate of salad, Cravings Executive Chef Jonathan Bautista made us his Asian salad, which was so enjoyable and refreshing. Aside from its oriental flavors, the salad was also made interesting by the crispy noodles on top.
For a taste of their nice pasta selection, we had their Beef Stroganoff with Mushrooms. Chef Jonathan intimated that he uses paprika, which tasty deviates it from the usual.
Then came their signature Cordon Bleu, the pièce de résistance of the meal. I salivated at the sight of it. In front of us was a huge piece of cheese and vegetables rolled inside juicy breaded chicken sitting on a generous amount of mushroom gravy. Beside it were a helping of homemade creamy mashed potatoes and some buttered vegetables.
The dish, in its entirety, was simply divine. Sure, the calories from all the butter, cream, and the deep frying made me guilty, but tasting their cordon bleu made me realize that it was the best cordon bleu I’ve tasted, hands down.
After the satisfying meal, we went to the Coffee Academy, which will soon offer short courses for basic and advanced coffee-making. They expertly made us a rich latte from fine beans that surprisingly did not need any sugar.
A delectable and not too sweet Cherry Cheesecake from the bakeshop section of Cravings sweetly ended our dinner. It was indeed a delicious afternoon with Cravings!
CONTEST ALERT!
Cravings Philippines and I are giving away two special dinners for two and two 1000 PHP gift certificates to four lucky winners! It’s your chance to taste their new cordon bleu pictured above.
1. Like CRAVINGS and The Lost Boy Lloyd on Facebook if you haven’t.
2. Share this photo to your wall and tag three Facebook friends. Here’s the link to the photo:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=448996015140822&set=a.197198943653865.47114.195871543786605
3. Attach the following status message with your photo share:
Cravings and The Lost Boy Lloyd are giving away two special dinners for two and two 1000 PHP gift certificates! It’s your chance to taste their signature cordon bleu! Details here: http://www.thelostboylloyd.com/2012/08/a-delicious-afternoon-with-cravings.html <name of friend 1><name of friend 2><name of friend 3>
4. Be sure to tag The Lost Boy Lloyd Facebook page, and your entry is set to “Public,” so your entry will be counted as valid. Example:
5. You may share the photo above on your wall once a day until the end of the contest. One share equals one entry, hence posting it on more days or daily means more chances of winning. But you have to tag a new set of friends each day.
6. Anyone in the Philippines can join, but please consider that the dinner for two can only be redeemed at Cravings Katipunan in Quezon City. The 1000 PHP gift certificates, meanwhile, can be redeemed at any Cravings branch.
7. This contest runs until September 6, 2012, and the winner will be drawn via Random.org thereafter. The winner will be announced and notified through Facebook.
For questions, please leave a comment below.
