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| Tsokolate Ah at Tsoko.Nut |
Smoldering hot liquid, an alluring deep brown color, thin froth forming on the surface, the wonderful taste of cacao; rich, earthy and slightly sweet. Who wouldn't want to have a good cup of hot chocolate? Especially on this rainy weather. I could imagine myself curled up on my bed, reading a suspense thriller paperback and a hot cup of chocolate right on my bedside table while a light rain would make succeeding tapping sounds on my rooftop. Creating a form of sonata that would make the twist and turn of the story that I'm reading more palpable.
It's very seldom that I get the chance to try our native tsokolate, so I always grab any opportunity to have a taste of this wonderful tsokolate treat. So, when my friends (Henry and Gael) and I found ourselves in the Eastwood area, I instinctively direct them to this local chocolatier shop, Tsoko.Nut Batirol, found at the ground area of the Eastwood Excelsior building.
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| Combo C: Tsokolate Ah w/ ensaimada |
Tsoko.Nut Batirol has several branches in Makati (also in Alabang). But proved to be too far for me to travel to those areas to get a taste of their hot tsokolate. As if an answer to a solemn prayer, I saw, via the Facebook news feed, a friend of mine checked-in through Foursquare to a Tsoko.Nut branch located in Eastwood. That saved me from bracing through the heavy traffic of Makati's main thoroughfares.
Henry's chose the Combo C (P119.00) which include the Tsokolate Ah Batirol and ensaimada (also called Pinoy brioche). There's two types of hot tsokolate: The Tsokolate Eh, which is a thicker version, more like a melted tsokolate or ganache best used for dipping breads (churros and ensaimada would be ideal) and the Tsokolate Ah, a diluted or watered down version and more ideal for drinking or sipping. This native tsokolate drink was also mentioned on Jose Rizal's novel, Noli Me Tangere, wherein a Franciscan friar would use these coded instructions to his female servants on the type of tsokolate that will be served to his guests, which is tsokolate 'eh' and tsokolate 'ah'.
I have tried these two versions on other restaurant cafe. The tsokolate eh at Abe and the tsokolate ah infused with choc nut at Mary Grace Cafe. I liked them both. In the case of Tsoko.Nut Batirol, I was so enchanted by the look of their serving cups that I need to order one for myself. Their version of the tsokolate ah was indeed mesmerizing. I expected a slight bitter taste would assail my taste buds but I was instead confronted with a delicious sweet taste of chocolate. I drank the contents of my cup to the last drop.
I was able to try some of Henry's order of ensaimada. A shimmering delight of butter and sugar topped with slivers of cheese. Delicious! I should have order one for myself, as well.
I couldn't resist not to order something savory as a form of break from all the sweet treats that we're eating so I also had the Spaghetti Aligue (P115.00) for us to share. Gael wondered why I squeezed in some calamansi to the spaghetti. She initially thought I ordered a regular spaghetti marinara dish. The spaghetti aligue was wonderful. It has a slightly salty sauce tempered down by the sourness of the calamansi. My friends asked me to take it easy with my consumption of the pasta since aligue (also known as taba ng talangka or crab fat) spells death for someone who has high blood pressure. But I just shrugged off nonchalantly and told them I always take my daily dose of maintenance medicine. Plus I took heed of their advise to eat this pasta dish as sparingly as I can he-he!
Gael didn't feel like eating just yet so she settled for one of the Cool Blends being offered at Tsoko.Nut, their own version of frapp drink---tsokolate-style. She had the Tsoko Loco (P99.00). She didn't like it that much, she said, but maybe because she just recovered from a slight fever so her taste buds were still out of whack. As for me, I just loved my Choco Amaretto (P105.00). A chocolate frapp drink spiked with the Italian liqueur. Don't you just wonder how some liqueur could make almost anything taste absolutely divine? Even with something as simple and harmless as a chocolate frapp drink? *wink*
I also order a Mini Tablea Cake (P95.00) to complete this tsokolate experience at Tsoko.Nut. This one looks deadly. If chocolate cake has a dark side, this tablea cake most certainly have one. Its color as dark as midnight. One taste of this cake and I'm swoon by its intense chocolate flavor. The bittersweet flavor of the tablea cake is not off-putting at all but would make you want to fork a piece of it. One after another. Definitely just for hardcore chocolate lovers.
As if the sweet indulgent we just had were not enough, Gael tore a package of imported M&M chocolate candies with peanuts inside and we munch on them while finishing our respective drinks.
I've always wanted to dine inside on most of the restaurants that I come to visit to fully immerse myself. However, my friends would prefer to dine al fresco which worked to my advantage since I don't need to tweak the settings of my camera phone that much to take clear pictures since the interior of Tsoko.Nut (at least on this branch) was kinda dark and moody. The only disadvantage was that we were plummeted by gale-strong winds that I'm afraid that our plates and cups would soon fly along with it. Henry was worried that the umbrella underneath our table would soon fall on us because of the strong winds. Another thing was the table we chose outside was sort of small and rickety that a wrong move would send a cup or a plate to its shattered end on the floor. Something of the sort did make that contact with the floor. In the form of Gael's phone that I inadvertently brushed while it was perched on top of her drinking glass nesting on a bed of nondescript sheets of tissue. Good thing it was just an inexpensive phone with a monochromatic screen. A quick powercycle and the phone is still up and running. But if it was a high-end smartphone that made its plummet to the floor, all hell would break loose.
I would love to visit again Tsoko.Nut Batirol. Maybe to try their newest offering, the Barako Frost Coffee Cake. That one looks so tempting!
Henry's chose the Combo C (P119.00) which include the Tsokolate Ah Batirol and ensaimada (also called Pinoy brioche). There's two types of hot tsokolate: The Tsokolate Eh, which is a thicker version, more like a melted tsokolate or ganache best used for dipping breads (churros and ensaimada would be ideal) and the Tsokolate Ah, a diluted or watered down version and more ideal for drinking or sipping. This native tsokolate drink was also mentioned on Jose Rizal's novel, Noli Me Tangere, wherein a Franciscan friar would use these coded instructions to his female servants on the type of tsokolate that will be served to his guests, which is tsokolate 'eh' and tsokolate 'ah'.
I have tried these two versions on other restaurant cafe. The tsokolate eh at Abe and the tsokolate ah infused with choc nut at Mary Grace Cafe. I liked them both. In the case of Tsoko.Nut Batirol, I was so enchanted by the look of their serving cups that I need to order one for myself. Their version of the tsokolate ah was indeed mesmerizing. I expected a slight bitter taste would assail my taste buds but I was instead confronted with a delicious sweet taste of chocolate. I drank the contents of my cup to the last drop.
I was able to try some of Henry's order of ensaimada. A shimmering delight of butter and sugar topped with slivers of cheese. Delicious! I should have order one for myself, as well.
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| spaghetti aligue |
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| choco amaretto and tsoko loco |
I couldn't resist not to order something savory as a form of break from all the sweet treats that we're eating so I also had the Spaghetti Aligue (P115.00) for us to share. Gael wondered why I squeezed in some calamansi to the spaghetti. She initially thought I ordered a regular spaghetti marinara dish. The spaghetti aligue was wonderful. It has a slightly salty sauce tempered down by the sourness of the calamansi. My friends asked me to take it easy with my consumption of the pasta since aligue (also known as taba ng talangka or crab fat) spells death for someone who has high blood pressure. But I just shrugged off nonchalantly and told them I always take my daily dose of maintenance medicine. Plus I took heed of their advise to eat this pasta dish as sparingly as I can he-he!
Gael didn't feel like eating just yet so she settled for one of the Cool Blends being offered at Tsoko.Nut, their own version of frapp drink---tsokolate-style. She had the Tsoko Loco (P99.00). She didn't like it that much, she said, but maybe because she just recovered from a slight fever so her taste buds were still out of whack. As for me, I just loved my Choco Amaretto (P105.00). A chocolate frapp drink spiked with the Italian liqueur. Don't you just wonder how some liqueur could make almost anything taste absolutely divine? Even with something as simple and harmless as a chocolate frapp drink? *wink*
 |
| mini tablea cake |
I also order a Mini Tablea Cake (P95.00) to complete this tsokolate experience at Tsoko.Nut. This one looks deadly. If chocolate cake has a dark side, this tablea cake most certainly have one. Its color as dark as midnight. One taste of this cake and I'm swoon by its intense chocolate flavor. The bittersweet flavor of the tablea cake is not off-putting at all but would make you want to fork a piece of it. One after another. Definitely just for hardcore chocolate lovers.
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| M&M candies |
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| Tsoko.Nut; Eastwood Excelsior |
As if the sweet indulgent we just had were not enough, Gael tore a package of imported M&M chocolate candies with peanuts inside and we munch on them while finishing our respective drinks.
I've always wanted to dine inside on most of the restaurants that I come to visit to fully immerse myself. However, my friends would prefer to dine al fresco which worked to my advantage since I don't need to tweak the settings of my camera phone that much to take clear pictures since the interior of Tsoko.Nut (at least on this branch) was kinda dark and moody. The only disadvantage was that we were plummeted by gale-strong winds that I'm afraid that our plates and cups would soon fly along with it. Henry was worried that the umbrella underneath our table would soon fall on us because of the strong winds. Another thing was the table we chose outside was sort of small and rickety that a wrong move would send a cup or a plate to its shattered end on the floor. Something of the sort did make that contact with the floor. In the form of Gael's phone that I inadvertently brushed while it was perched on top of her drinking glass nesting on a bed of nondescript sheets of tissue. Good thing it was just an inexpensive phone with a monochromatic screen. A quick powercycle and the phone is still up and running. But if it was a high-end smartphone that made its plummet to the floor, all hell would break loose.
I would love to visit again Tsoko.Nut Batirol. Maybe to try their newest offering, the Barako Frost Coffee Cake. That one looks so tempting!
G/F Eastwood Excelsior
Eastwood Ave., Bagumbayan, Libis
Quezon City
489-4617
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