EAT IT UP: Probiotic Pops by Sugarleaf

POP CULTURE: Beat the heat with these homemade healthy pops with flavors (left to right) like Spirulina, Baguio strawberries, and freshly-squeezed oranges. Sugarleaf owner Angelo Songco (rightmost) comes up with new flavors each week.  

Bring up popsicles and I revert to my nine-year old self fussing over his Twin Popsies. These were (are - they're still around) bright orange sheets of ice the color of road construction cones that tasted of sugar, syrup, and maybe a drop or two of citrus. In short, sheer magic for the blistering hot summer of '93. Nineteen years later and I still love popsicles though time has made me a little more choosy.

So when Angelo Songco who owns healthy-leaning cafe Sugarleaf came out with his own line of homemade pops, it seemed that nine-year old me and his yuppie, slightly jaded counterpart could finally agree on something. So far there are three flavors - a glowing blue Spirulina that's mildly tastes of sea, Mountain Province-picked strawberries, and orange, awfully reminiscent of the kiyat-kiyat I had snacked on earlier that day.

Each tastes fresh in a way usual frozen desserts don't, and though not as creamy or sweet, they're pretty satisfying too. Try them or other kooky flavors at a Sugarleaf near you.

Sugarleaf
Ground Floor, Health Cube Building, 226 Wilson Street, West Greenhills, San Juan City
Tel. 385 0387
Ground Floor, MEDICard Lifestyle Center, 51 Paseo de Roxas corner Gil Puyat (Buendia) Avenue, Makati City
Tel. 891 7323

Visit www.sugarleafph.com

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In Lieu of the Chocolate Man

by Twinkle

He came, they saw, he faltered.

Whispers (well, text messages to be accurate) of a chocolate man roaming around the ballroom found it's way to me.  Although I arrived 30 minutes after the doors to the Grand Wine Event opened, it seems like I've missed the chocolate man!  I’m guessing people started drooling over him and scared him off.  I was left with a room full of premium wine choices, long tables lined with tapas, a giant paellera and a chocolate buffet that would make Willy Wonka proud!  A giant chocolate bar that covered the whole long table, thick brownie logs, a chocolate tree abloom with french macarons (again more chocolate!), and a dark chocolate sphere covered in giant strawberries.  

The 'forbidden fruit'?!?

I’m a chocolate macaron convert!  I’ve got my fingers crossed hoping they have the brownies and macarons at the Marriot’s patisserie outlet.  

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