Tata Lantin was living in Bangkok in 2008 when she took a French pastry class under chef Eric Perez. She fell in love with pastry, in particular with macarons, especially their daintiness and pastel colors.
But macaron-making is difficult. She said she labored to master the technique. “I was so challenged to make a proper macaron to the point that I would practice daily for long hours,” she recalled.
She mastered the classic macaron and made it her own by creating it in different shapes and designs.
In 2013, she made her first Hello Kitty macaron and opened her macaron kiosk Macarose at SM Megamall.
“I wanted to get people’s attention,” she said. “I wanted to make something cute.”
Shortly after, other designs followed: blue and pink bears, rabbits in pastel colors, a leopard print and a unicorn.
I reckon, there’s more to come.
Call 0917-8005349, 0917-671 5832 for orders.
Cookies, mooncakes
Epilogue Cookies are meant to wow—they’re five inches in diameter and weigh 180 grams each.
They’re hearty cookies of different looks, tastes, flavors and textures. Notable variants are Chocolate Walnut, Chocolate Cashew, Valrhona Dulce, Valrhona Reese’s, Cranberry Oatmeal, Matcha White Choco Almond, and Dark Choco Sea Salt.
My favorite is the Cranberry Oatmeal for its festive appeal.
Epilogue Cookies is at S Maison, Coral Way Drive, Mall of Asia. Call 8167088, 0917-8140180.
Through the years, Chef Yu’s traditional mooncakes have gained popularity. His mooncakes come in fancy shapes like a roast pig, carp, and even Hello Kitty.
New in the takeout menu is the pork hock set, a pata tim with steamed buns, salted mustard green, coriander and peanut crumble. It is very satisfying.
Call Chef Yu at 2757571, 3620514 for orders.
Coffee machine
The Nanopresso portable and easy-to-use espresso machine allows you to enjoy high-quality espresso anywhere, anytime. Its capacity is eight grams of ground coffee.
Gilbert Uy did a demo of this product and my students were impressed.
The coffee tool kit makes the perfect companion for the coffee aficionado who loves the great outdoors.
One can also even have a glorious cup of coffee while stuck in traffic with water from the thermos, coffee granules and, voila! Coffee in a matter of seconds!
Uy pointed out that the best way to make coffee using the Nanopresso is with filtered water and finely ground, freshly roasted coffee that has been firmly tamped.
Nanopresso has a Nespresso capsule attachment, sold separately.
If you are thinking of something different to give this holiday season, consider the Nanopresso.
Another product from Perfect Home, which distributes Nanopresso, is the smart phone-controlled Twinkly Smart Decorative lights. They’re perfect for Christmas.
For information on Nanopresso and Twinkly, call 5706955, 0939-9292929.