Quirk Overload: Singapore's Kki Sweets and The Little Dröm Store

In my last post, I fell in love with sexy and dramatic Scarlet Hotel. I arrived the night before, and I was tempted to stay in, but good thing I had the good sense to venture out. I knew I wanted to go to indie knickknack shop Little Dröm Store, located two minutes away on foot from my hotel at Ann Siang Hill. I didn't know it also shares space with Kki Sweets, a fine pastries purveyor.

my heart skipped a beat when i saw these signs. i scoped out
ann siang hill in my first morning in singapore. the place opens at 11 am

kki sweets share the premises with little dröm store. their cakes are lovingly made, and cute!

exhibit a: the little red riding hood. choco mousse encased in dark choco,
with raspberry center. moist, rich, and pretty

i had tea with my order.
the place has a very scandanavian design sensibility--
blonde wood, clean lines, but with a sense of humor

table top ornament. less is more

quirky knickknacks galore. it was difficult to choose a souvenir. felt like a kid again,
with all these nostalgia-triggers on display 

ultimately, this little cherub went home with me from singapore.

i thought my little angel, a kewpie doll, was a girl, until i noticed  his
pototoy. kewpies, as they are called, are based on illustrations
by rose o'neill that appeared in the ladies home journal in 1909

For my next post, I'll write about how I stumbled upon the Hainanese Chicken approved by Anthony Bourdain.

Kki Sweets
The Little Dröm Store
No. 7 Ann Siang Hill
Singapore

Pasalubong Options 2: Bacolod and Pampanga

1. Bacolod

Work found me in Bacolod a few months ago, and beyond the usual piaya and biscocho here are things that I tried and brought back home to Manila.

baye-baye is made of coconut meat, sugar, and pinipig.
sticky and grainy in texture,  the ones i tasted hinted of peanuts

merci pasalubongs are found all over the city, and this one is quite addicting 

ogoy-ogoy

cute shirt. from merci pasalubong

2. Pampanga

Pampanga is known for its good cooks, and this product affirms that. I did not travel to Pampanga for this one; it was brought to the office by a colleague. Joriel's cassava cake, a popular dessert, is soft, moist and rich. Cassava cake is made from manioc, a woody shrub cultivated for its edible tuberous root. It appears that Joriel's cassava cake is based in Mexco, Pampanga. 

Half-day Bohol Tour Part 2: Souvenir Shoppin at Bohol Bee Farm's The Buzz

If you're in Panglao Island, drop by the Bohol Bee Farm. You can check-in the resort or try the restaurant (something I'm planning to do the next visit). During our last visit we were lucky our hotel was just a skip away from the Bee Farm. During the first night we tried the quirky ice cream flavors and the squash loaf. Read about it here. The next night we checked out the souvenir shop.

Quirkiness permeates the resort's DNA. Exhibit A

Exhibit B

While shopping you can try the ice cream options.
I love the spicy ginger

A variety of loaves of different makes

this is one of the bestsellers

soaps galore

My loot: mango and honey spread, Bee Natural Moisturizing  Shampoo,
and Bee Natural Innocent Body Lotion. I swear by the shampoo--I have fine, limp hair,
and the shampoo leaves it light and full-bodied

Happy shopping! Let's support small independent merchants.

Bohol Bee Farm and Resort

Dao, Dauis, Panglao Island

(+63) 38 5022288

Pasalubong Options: Tagaytay, Cagayan de Oro, and Dipolog

Back in college, I love bringing as pasalubong (homecoming gifts) to my Manila-based friends the best that my province has to offer--puto, cassava cake, fish bagoong, and locally-grown vegetables that make up for flavor what they lack in bulk. Not only do I promote goodwill, I also get a kick promoting Pangasinan's best. Now that I travel for a living, I get to share parts of the places I go to with my Manila-bound colleagues.

This is the first of a series of pasalubong recommendations. For this post, I'll zero in on options from a favorite get-away place two hours from Manila, as well as two from cities down south in Mindanao.

1. Amira's Sylvannas

Sylvannas, sometimes silvanas, is a frozen cookie, usually rounded, made of buttercream sandwiched by cashew-meringue wafers. I prefer their buco tarts. These were a hit when I brought a box to the office after a visit to Tagaytay. For more of Amira's and the latter, go here.

2. Slers Longganisa and Bacon

Any of these two is a good bet for pasalubong from Cagayan de Oro City. The meats are lean and flavorful.

3. Montano Spanish Sardines

The common thread from this post, aside from these being pasalubog best bets, is that of promoting local manufacturers. I fell in love with this brand of Spanish sardines from Dipolog. It helps that I have a liking for this product. This is one of my comfort foods--Spanish sardines and mound sof warm rice is always a treat.

Watch out for the next post. There will be more in the coming weeks.

Basey, Samar's Woven Products

Until my trip to Leyte last month, I've always associated woven products with Bicol. We made a side trip to Basey (pronounced Basay), Samar, and we were lucky the family of our host, Judge Estorninos, is one of the main producers of these, supplying malls in Manila with their products. In this trip I scored banigs, or handwoven mats, for my home.

A quick online research yields that Basey used to be the capital of Leyte during the American Period. Basey is based on the Waray word, "mabaisai," which means beautiful. The town is indeed quite lovely. For a related post, go here.

Below are some of the products on sale at Delza's native products, from bags...

to mats...

bought the orange and maroon ones for my house

these were just lovely

to wall accents...

slippers...

hats...

Add caption

and more wall accents.

Judge Estorninos shows us the raw material that they use for their products. Tikog is a grass that grows along rice fields, and slippers made from this grass is much sought after.

dried tikog

When in Basey, do drop by the store. I went crazy with my purchases, and I resolved to return.

Delza's Native Products
San Fernando Street
Basey, Samar
055-276-1059
0947-4688289

At the Souvenir Shop

When we stayed in Puerto Princesa City, close by our hotel was the Tiangge Tiangge Pasalubong and Souvenir Shop. This is where our driver brought us after our Ihawig firefly watching activity (read about it here).  Since it was quite late, the open air stalls were closed, but the air-conditioned  section was still open and buzzing with tourists.

I took a few shots of the merchandise, in case you happen to drop by.

freshwater pearls in neon colors 

more pearls

dreamcatchers 

more necklaces

crocodile stuffed toys

wooden crocodiles 

sea-turtles 

dried fish

cahsew nuts 

corn snacks

Since I live in a tiny condo, I avoid buying things that would only clutter what limited space I already have. I tend to buy food

"non-spicy" tamarind candies, which turned out to pack a little heat

and, for non-perishable items, things I'd use, like this mug I bought from a mall in General Santos City.

isn't she pretty?

In Pattaya, I broke the no-knickknack rule and went for these glass tortoises. How could I resist?

tres tortugas marinas