Guilty Pleasures | Starbucks Danish

For the better part of a year, my second breakfast has consisted of the Starbucks Brewed Coffee of the Day and a Danish. Second breakfast? Yup, I usually take my breakfast just when I get up for work, around 4:30am. But because of my acid reflux, my stomach starts grumbling around 7:00am, which means I have to eat a second time.


Previously, I'd take some coffee and a hash brown or some pancakes from McDonald's, but my doctor seriously suggested that I cut down on the oil from my food intake, so I had to ditch the hash browns. Fortunately, Starbucks started offering a Danish as one of their regular food items, which was just what I needed.

Most Danish pastries are buttered pieces of baked dough that are divided into sections, with some kind of filling like fruit stuffed into those sections. The Starbucks Danish uses three fruit toppings: blueberries, strawberries, and peaches, plus some flaked almonds. It goes perfectly well with coffee--the stronger, the better. A hot beverage is also best, and since the combination of the pastry and the fruits already results in a sweet taste, it's not recommended to pair the Danish with a sweet drink, or else you'll get a sugar overload.

Now blueberries are my favorite fruit, with strawberries coming in a strong second, which makes this version of the Danish as the best version ever, LOL.

Pokemon | McDonald's Pikachu Collection

The current Happy Meal toy promo from McDonald's is by far my favorite, as it features not one, not two, not even three...but eight Pikachu figures! Yup, it's another Pokemon tie-up, and this is probably the best one yet.


There are 4 different types of figures with 2 versions of Pikachu for each type--a talking figure, a rolling stamper, a stamper & sticker dispenser combo, and a gearbox, which is basically just a figure with wheels that rolls around.

The talking figures are the best, with one version clearly intoning Pikachu's unique "pika...pikachu!" cry, while the other has him saying it in battle stance mode. The rolling stampers are a novelty of sorts, as they're self-inking and stamp a long line of alternating Pikachu and Meowth or Zorua heads.

The stamper & sticker dispensers are also self-inking, and stamp a tiny figure of either Zorua or Zoroark, while the stickers have various 4th Gen Pokemon on them. Finally, the sole gimmick of the gearbox is that when you pull back on them, they go zooming in the other direction (yawn).

Not sure why this promo has the "Diamond & Pearl" label on them, since both Zorua and Zoroark aren't even in Pokemon Diamond & Pearl; they're 5th Gen Pokemon, and actually make their appearance in Pokemon Black & White.

But I'm not complaining though, as these Pikachu figures all have excellent build quality, with some having awesome poses. And since Pikachu happens to be my favorite Pokemon of all time, it stands to reason that I should get all of these--and I sure did, LOL.

Music | The Marshall Tucker Band - Last of the Singing Cowboys

I remember this song fondly during the year 1979; that particular period of time, as the seventies transitioned into the eighties, was a great time for music, with many different genres enjoying crossover status into the mainstream pop charts.


This song in particular from The Marshall Tucker Band wasn't their usual type of song as they were mostly a Southern rock band, but this one song was noteworthy in the sense that it incorporated western themes with many jazz elements, with an awesome brassy sound that echoed the early sound of another rock group, the band called Chicago.

Only one radio station played this song constantly during that time, and it was my favorite station, 99.5 RT, whose programming was heavily influenced by late 70's USA Top 40 radio. Sadly, Last of the Singing Cowboys was indeed the last of its kind, and actually became part of that unique "RT sound" that couldn't be found anywhere else.

While Last of the Singing Cowboys barely missed entering the Top 40, the song remains a favorite of mine--it's a true classic, and hearkens back to an era where songs were actually songs that didn't rely on samples or rapping, and performed with a passion that only true songwriters and musicians can give.

Gizmos | Satin Silver PS3

Announced some time last week was a new color variant for Sony's PS3 slim console. Called the Satin Silver version, this new color isn't exactly new, since there was a similar version for the old PS3 that was released in 2008.


Like the old Satin Silver PS3, this version also comes with a silver-toned Dual Shock 3 controller. A silver vertical stand will also be available separately, but come on, who uses those vertical stands?

It actually looks good, almost resembling brushed aluminum, but I think a gold PS3 would look better, heh. The Satin Silver PS3 slim will be released in limited quantities on March 10, 2011. As always, these color variants are for Japan only.

Cuisine | Pho Hoa

My friend Marga first introduced me to Pho Hoa more than a decade ago. I was already familiar with most Southeast Asian cuisine like Thai, Singaporean, and Malaysian dishes but never Vietnamese, so when she suggested that we have lunch there one time, I jumped at the chance.

Pho Hoa is a well-known franchise that operates a chain of Vietnamese restaurants worldwide. I'm not exactly sure when they first opened here, but I think that first time Marga and I ate in their newly-opened branch at SM Megamall was during the late 90's, and I also recall eating in a Hong Kong Pho Hoa branch with my friends Val & Eric in 2000.

Pho Hoa's chicken noodle soup, Pho Ga

At any rate, the main reason one goes to dine at Pho Hoa is their Pho, or noodle soup. The first time I tasted their Pho Ga, or chicken noodle soup, it became an epiphany of sorts; it was fantastic--the clear, refreshing broth mixed in with plump chicken chunks and their white rice noodles, plus a variety of greens, herbs, and a couple of quail eggs.

They usually serve a saucer of garnishes for the Pho, which contain sprouts, basil, mint, and a wedge of lemon. What I usually do is add some sprouts to the soup, several small leaves of basil and mint, stir in very small amounts of hoisin and Sriracha chili sauces, then finish with a squeeze of lemon. The result is quite frankly, one of the most awesome soups I've ever tasted.

The yummy Mango Crepe with ice cream

Pho Hoa serves a lot of other good Vietnamese dishes, but I usually ignore them in favor of the Pho Ga, heh. However, their desserts are also quite excellent, particularly the Mango Crepe, which is served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. The combination of flavors is incredible and has to be tasted to be believed. I'm not really fond of chocolate sauces but it goes rather well with the mango and ice cream.

Vietnamese coffee--the hot version, with their unique drip container

Now coffee is one beverage that I'm always fond of, and even Pho Hoa elevates their version to a higher level. Their Vietnamese coffee comes is a unique drip container that filters the coffee as it plunges downwards a glass container with a small layer of condensed milk at the bottom. The mix of strong coffee and milk is really good, if a bit sweet.

Since that first time, I've become a regular patron of Pho Hoa through the years just for the Pho Ga alone; all other chicken noodle soups I've tried out now seem to pale in comparison with this Vietnamese version. I have some Pho Ga at least once a month, and the taste has remained consistently the same all these years--this is one superb example of comfort food that's truly gratifying for me.