Blue Pumpkin | SIEM REAP

After our dinner at Cafe Central, we felt like it was too early to go home [the time was about 11:30ish]. We weren't looking to go out clubbing or drinking, but we did want a reason to hang out before going back to the hotel... This was obviously a no-brainer for me, did I hear DESSERT?! And just like that, we landed at Blue Pumpkin. At the time, I thought we were pretty impressive for scoping out a fun, foodie spot - little did I know, Blue Pumpkin is thee place to go for ice-cream, breads, pastries and that of the sort. They also serve light snacks, sandwiches, coffee/tea and shakes. We saw quite a few outlets planted around the city, even at the departure area of the airport. Anyways, we made the right choice indeed. I had a refreshing passion fruit sorbet and Aileen a creamy coconut scoop.

If you're wondering who our 2 friends are below, I will explain. When we were outside enjoying our sorbets, 2 boys came up to us selling books about Cambodia. We felt bad refusing and repeating ourselves, "Sorry, we don't need the books." Trust me, these boys don't take "No" for an answer. They kept insisting we buy the books and that they were very cheap. The books were cheap -nothing more than $10- it's just that we really didn't need them. Then Aileen offers, "How about instead of buying books, I buy you 2 some ice-cream instead?" The ear to ear grins on their faces said it all. It was so cute, Aileen and the 2 boys went to the counter and she let them choose their dessert. You could tell this was such a big treat for the 2, and just seeing how thrilled they were... Priceless.

DESSERT @ PIZZERIA MOZZA

...You didn't think we skipped out on dessert at Mozza, did you??

Jon and I joined fellow visitors Kae and Iza for everyone's favorite third course. Kae has been spending quite some time in Singapore -and Mozza ;)- so she was able to get us a last-minute table for some late-night sweets. It's always nice to rendezvous in a new city with friends from home. Mabuhay from Singapore!

Cafe Latte

*Talking about friends in different cities... I bumped into a Kappa sorority sister from college days in MALIBU! Small world, I tell you. Hi Jen :)

Butterscotch budino, Maldon sea salt & Rosemary pine nut cookies

Coconut gelato pie w/ hot fudge & salted almonds

Espresso Gelato

Shake Shack

Finally!

After much wait, I can now say I've eaten at the famous NY "roadside burger stand", Shake Shack. Claudia and I went to the original one in Madison Square Park. We were immediately greeted by a long line of locals, tourists and pretty much everyone in between at what seemed to be a neighborhood fixture. I thought New Yorkers were always on the go... Quick, fast, quick! Not here. Everyone was happily enjoying the sunshine and greenery in that afternoon line.

I remember asking people what was "so good" about Shake Shack, and they would always tell me it was the equivalent of In N Out. So now I get it, it's pretty much the same novelty. Honestly, I think the battle of In N Out vs Shake Shack is probably comparable to an East Coast/West Coast battle. They're both delicious (or in the other case, great cities)... But as usual, you do have one favorite ;)

Shack Burger (ok i was so full from eating 2 Levain cookies right before this... i could only stomach a burger and no fries... sad i know)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Custard (obviously i had room for this teeny dessert!)

I.Scream

It's always fun to entertain, especially in your own home. Making each dish from scratch (read: homemade) can understandably be both tiring and time-consuming; more so if you're doing it all alone! By the time you come to the dessert course, you're just about ready to buy a cake from the nearest shoppe and plop it on the table for everyone to enjoy. Well, here's a little sumthin' sumthin' you can put together with the illusion that you've prepared a sweet-ending. You can buy all the ingredients, yet still assemble them in a way where you've made something of your own.

Easy steps below to a DIY: Ice-Cream Sandwiches

What You Need: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, Vanilla Ice-cream

Take 1 jumbo scoop of ice-cream and sandwich it between 2 cookies

Roll the outside of the sandwich (the ice-cream part) in the chocolate chips

Congrats!! You're finished and ready to serve a plateful of ice-cream sandwiches to your guests :)

*First blogged on my Powersnet account

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Here's a few options to add some variety if you want to switch up your dessert sandwiches:

-Instead of chocolate chip cookies, you can use any other cookie you prefer, store bought or even homemade [sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies, white chocolate chip cookies, etc]

-Instead of vanilla ice-cream you can use any other flavor you like [chocolate, strawberry, cookies&cream, etc]

-Instead of chocolate chips, you can try something else [M&M's, chopped nuts, rainbow sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, etc]

Join the Cru

Cru Steakhouse, located in the Marriott Hotel, is Manila's answer to a modern chophouse. Quality steaks take center stage, but great thought has also been extended to the appetizers, sides and dessert. With an open kitchen, subdued lighting, dark wood and textured furnishings, you are likely to enjoy a meal here.

Complimentary Trio of Bread

Goat Cheese Spread

Lime Marinade Tuna Avocado Tartar

Ocean Shrimps w/ Homemade Salsa

Rib Eye [Australian grain fed Angus]

Onion Rings & Creamed Spinach

Rib Eye [Australian grain fed Angus]

Black Truffle Risotto & Portobello Mushrooms

Apple & Rhubarb Crumble

P & J

*First blogged on my Powersnet account

Umami Urban

"Buh-bye see you later" dinner with Meg at Umami Urban aka the Space 15 Twenty location.

It really is see you later... See you in Vegas soon purty lady! Xoxo.

First Friday's [3 of 3]

Last stop: Cool Haus

Here's the scoop, the combination of a hunky ball of ice-cream sandwiched in between freshly baked cookies is nothing but pure pleasure... Especially when you get to custom make your own dessert! Everyone leaves happy :) Perfect "night cap" for our final stop at First Friday's.

Patti: Chocolate Chip + Dirty Mint Chip

Becca: Snickerdoodle + Baked Apple Pie

Eddie: Chocolate Chip + Vanilla Bean

L to R: Becca, Patti, Eddie

MILK Treats

Look who's treat beat the heat :)

Becca _ Grasshopper


Patti _ Nutella Bar

Stephanie _ Red-Velvet Bar

Patti _ Coffee Toffee Sandwich [Mom, don't hate me for eating two... I promise all this packing has burned it off]