I don't like soft pretzels. Alright, fine, I love them. You only caught my bluff because I already…read moregave Auntie Anne's 5 stars! Why did I give them 5 stars? 'Cause they deserve it! C'mon, they have soft, freshly baked pretzels with varying kinds such as the Original, the Sweet Almond, and the Cinnamon Sugar. Pair them off with their awesome dips (Caramel, Chocolate, and Cream Cheese, to name a few) then you're all set with a lovely snack! Plus, you can watch them roll and twist the dough on the spot, so you're assured that they're made fresh! Really, what's not to love?

Addicted to chocolate? This is the place to be. (Almost) everything has chocolate, even their…read morepasta! Ambience is A+ because their interior and outdoor seating areas complement the comfort food & drink they offer. They have comfy seats, background music, free wifi and restroom so it's easy to stay long in their place to do work. Plus, they have plugs for those who have laptops. The staff is friendly and first-time customers get cool recommendations on snacks, meals and desserts. I highly suggest their Xocolat chicken pasta, Xoco latte, and double choco chip cheesecake. For something different, salads and panini are also at the top of my list. I surely will come back to Café Xocolat to satisfy my sweet tooth! ;)

Chocolate on chicken and pasta? YECH who does that??…read more Xocolat, does apparently, and very, very well. Cafe Xocolat is well known as a study-dessert place, but what most people don't know is that they also serve some pretty good savory stuff! My absolute favorite are the croquettas with the cheese and salsa dip, next to their yummy pastas. Of course, we shouldn't discount their drinks. I'm normally not a big fan of desserts (or sweets, in general) but their hot chocolate's made me a believer. What makes this particular hot beverage stand out from the rest? It's that they use bits of chocolate in a tall glass, and pour in steaming hot milk-- right in front of you! You get to see how your hot chocolate-- well, becomes hot chocolate. Yummy comfort food, plus the soft, cosy interior with their warm yellow lights and mismatched furniture-- it's always quite fun to chill and study here.

There are a lot of food order options that you can't go wrong with. Our group ordered the Pork Chop…read moreSteak, Creole Grilled Chicken, and the 2Pcs Greek Yogi Fried Chix and they were all amazing. The sauces they have available to pair with the fried and grilled food also do complement them very well. What was not as good was that there were a lot of items in the menu which were blocked out and not available to order at the time. The Pork Chop Steak is uniquely prepared by being pounded and tenderized thin. Personally, I find it a little too thin with the skin or breaded layer sometimes coming off the white meat. Service reliability was a little hit and miss. There are a few times we had to wait to be attended to. That may be passable since towards the end, more customers are starting to fill in. It was perfect that we came in when we did at just before the usual dinner time. We ended the meal by ordering something they are also known for which are the ice creams. My group all got to order different flavours from the big variety of ice cream options available.

Mad Mark's is one of the more popular icecream brands in the city. Good but not great for me. The…read moreicecream is smooth and creamy enough, but think the flavours aren't super strong and there's not as much mix-ins as I'd like (personal taste). Best flavour is easily Javan Hot Chocolate.

"Nothing is perfect but you can have... Perfect Moments." That's the slogan of this cute yet…read moreunpretentious bakeshop in the 1st floor of Blue Wave Mall. Perfect Moments is a bakeshop and snack house offering pizzas, sandwiches, halo-halo, cupcakes, cake slices, cookies, and bread. But what makes this place stand out are the cakes. My favorite is the Red Velvet with its bittersweet taste. In fact, whenever we order the Red Velvet for family occasions, our guests never fail to praise the balanced taste of this cake. Yet it's not only the quality of the baking that gets positive marks. Also very pleasing to the eye is their way of presenting cakes designed for special occasions. They can design your cake into a Louis Vuitton bag or turn it into a castle where Rapunzel's long hair flows from the top to the bottom of the cake, or they can create an ice kingdom where Frozen's Elsa reigns queen or carve a bride and groom standing side by side in a paradise of flowers. Their designs are so beautiful it's almost a shame to cut the cake. But, I assure you, finally tasting the cake would erase any regrets.

If you want dessert, this is one of the places to go to...I am rating only for the dessert mango…read morefantasy we ordered. Has mango ice cream, corn flakes, fresh mango colored whip cream and some pound cake on bottom. It's located in Greenbelt three, second floor. The cafe is quite roomy and AC works. They do offer wifi access that works and it's a bonus to me anyway. Customer service is as expected.

There's something about St. Marc Cafe that is so inviting and homey. A Japanese cafe franchise that…read morewas recently brought in by the Bench group, the place is definitely a welcome addition to the cafe scene here in Manila. In Japan, the cafe is actually named Chococro, named after their best-selling chocolate croissant. The croissant is also available in two other flavors - marble and matcha. I've tried the chocolate one myself and it is very delicious. The bread is just the right amount of thickness and flakiness and the chocolate is rich and there's a generous serving of it. Perhaps what sets St. Marc Cafe apart from the other cafes is their selection of ice cream cones and sundaes that have a Japanese twist to them because of ingredients like matcha and red bean. Aside from the sweets, they also serve all kinds of coffee and tea drinks and delicious pasta dishes as well.

"Gong Cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?" has long ceased to be funny, and milk tea now…read moremeans an entirely different thing to Filipinos especially hear in Metro Manila, but I'm not quite done with my obsession for this drink and this particular brand. Truth be told, I've only ever ordered one thing here: the WINTERMELON TEA (take note, this is different from the highly popular Wintermelon Milk Tea, which all milk tea shops seem to have a version of). The Wintermelon Tea is just that: iced tea in a cup. But what makes the world of difference is the milk foam they top the drink with. I've tried other brands but none comes close to the thick, slightly salty and creamy foam used by Gong Cha, both flavor- and texture-wise. Don't be surprised if you find yourself tearing off the sealed plastic lid of yout drink to get your finger on the foamy goodness inside (the straw doesn't quite manage to clean it up). Been there, done that. It wasn't pretty, but it was oh-so-satisfying. I can't wait to try again!

You can only find something so intriguing after so many times before everything starts to taste the…read moresame. Their bread is good, I'll give it that. I'll always swear by their pesto cheese breadsticks. Their mamon is a little dry though and I would recommend eating this with milk or some juice... But what some people probably aren't aware of are the doughnuts. Yes, you heard me, doughnuts. They have pretty good doughnuts. You've seen most doughnuts, I'm sure. JCO, Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme... but where have you seen doughnuts with flavors inspired by Filipino snacks? I'm not talking about your typical leche flan and ube combinations. I'm talking Pili Nut. Coco jam. Polvoron. Definitely flavors you don't normally see used in doughnuts. Definitely worth a try, at least once. Get a couple of flavors that intrigue you and one of their hot chocolate cups for a really good afternoon snack.

Love the pastries! Staff is very helpful and polite. Although the dining area is small, they made…read moresure they keep it clean at all times. I will come back to try their meals.

I've had French Baker's french onion soup before, and I didn't like it very much. Not sure what…read morepossessed me to try this again at a different outlet, but I'm glad I did. I love the huge improvement in the flavor, and the portion size was just right. I like lifting the puff pastry off the edge of the cup, and dunking it whole in the soup. It makes for a filling mid-afternoon snack to help tide you over till dinner time comes around.