Chocolate review: Wawel Dark 70% cocoa

I interrupt the Baguio articles with this post on a chocolate I purchased at Clark. We haven't been to Clark for some time as well. The last time would also be before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Puregold store is still there and we got a few items including chocolates and juices. I got a few bars of this chocolate that turned out to be from Poland.

Wawel had this 70% dark chocolate that was an easy pick for me over the milk chocolate variants that were also available.

Details on the chocolate at the back of the packaging.

This chocolate is manufactured in Krakow, Poland. The name Wawel actually refers to 

The chocolate claims to have a minimum of 70% cocoa or cacao solids.

The chocolate was surprisingly smooth and more on the bitter side rather than sweet. We thought this was good to pair with some cheese (we got some sharp cheddar to eat with this), and eat with some nice wine after dinner. I will definitely get some more of this the next time we are in Clark.

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Closed - Mile High Outlet shops in Baguio

What was the Mile High Outlet shops at Camp John Hay in Baguio City closed. I just found out for myself while taking my morning walk last week. Here are some photos of what was a shopping and dining option in Baguio.

What was once a vibrant commercial area is now like a ghost town.

Mile High used to be lined with shops and restaurants that people go to and out of their way as this is located in Camp John Hay.

The place is practically deserted and cordoned off. The van's driver probably is resting here after a long drive and waiting for his passengers who could be having breakfast somewhere.

Took this photo of one of the horses headed to the horseback riding area beside our hotel

I assume there is another one like this somewhere in the city. Down the road from the place is a techno hub that also has restaurants and shops. It's a newer place with familiar restaurants and shops. Mile High probably was a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic.There are many other options so its closure is not a total loss.

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Stopover tupig in Pangasinan

Tupig is a rice cake delicacy you'd find in many places. Made from glutinous rice, coconut milk and (prefereably) muscovado sugar, its origins are supposed to be the Ilocano provinces as well as Tarlac. On our stopover at Sison, Pangasinan the stop had a tupig station. I wanted to buy some but unfortunately, it was still a couple of hours on our way to Baguio and dinner was also waiting for us at the hotel. I didn't like my tupig to be cold or eaten the next day without being heated.

This tupig is branded to be identified with the province.

Tupig fresh from the grill

I will return to Baguio very soon and perhaps will be able to get some tupig on the way back home.

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Back in Baguio after 8 years

I'm back in Baguio City after more than 8 years. We vacationed here in June of 2016 when my brother-in-law was visiting with his wife after not being able to come home for many years after he emigrated to Canada. So we took advantage to take a break from work and typical daily routines. This time, I am in Baguio for work again. All of my previous trips here were work trips whether these were for workshops or for projects. My first project after graduation was here for the city's first flyover that eased travel to and from La Trinidad. That's a story for another article that I hope to be able to write in much detail one day.

Here are some nice night shots of the surrounding area from the balcony of our room at the Le Monet Hotel:

We are staying in the Camp John Hay area so the surrounding forest is still preserved.

The photos were taken with the night mode of my iPhone. I thought they were pretty decent shots considering the lack of lighting.

I will share more photos I took around our hotel, which is near The Manor. I already took some walks and got to take photos of the area including The Manor.

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A vintage Ricoh World Timer

There are a few watches that I consider to be like grail watches. These are not luxury watches that I cannot afford in the first place but certain models that are within reach if reasonably priced. These include the Vulcain Cricket (I currently have two), LeCoultre's PowerMatic and FutureMatic (I have one each), Seiko GS and KS watches (I have a few of each), vintage Glashutte divers (I have two), and Philippine Edition watches from Seiko (I have all with the exception of the last one that was supposed to have been inspired by the Banaue Rice Terraces. The latter's design just wasn't my type.).

A rare Ricoh World Timer automatic watch

Side view

Side view showing the unsigned crowns and date adjustment button. The crown at 4 o'clock is for adjusting the time while the crown at 2 o'clock is for adjusting the inner bezel. The first variants of the watch had signed crowns (R).

Case back - the first variants of this watch had a mispelled 'Warld Timer'

Close up of the dial and the outer bezel. Note the Japan and model number indicated above the 6 o'clock. Notable, too, is the 'Manil' beside H.K., making this one of a few world time watches (vintage or non-vintage) featuring Manila on the bezel. This is actually one of the reasons I considered this a collectible.

Another close-up showing the raised R and printed Ricoh below the 12 o'clock. Other models have the R printed and the Ricoh raised.

Wrist shot - I replaced the old strap the watch came with with a rally strap from Hirsch.

Wrist shot after I changed the strap. I thought he rally strap from Hirsch was suitable for this big watch.

 

Wrist shot - the first time I wore the watch, I decided to use it almost everyday for a week straight. It ran continuously and kept decent time, losing only 1 minute over about 3 days.

I did my research on this watch before I finally pulled the proverbial trigger. I am very happy to have acquired one in good condition. It is not mint and you will probably be suspicious if you one that is claimed to be like new or new old stock. 

 

Perhaps on top of my list now is an Enicar Sherpa. I saw a few ones on sale but they were priced beyond my budget.

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Pasta or noodle sauce from Japan?

I was looking for some pepperoncino pasta sauce but the Japanese and other Asian stores do not carry or are out of stock. My brother checked out a store near his workplace that he said had a good selection of products from Japan and got me a couple of packs. One of them is this sauce packet from Yamasa. While it looks like tomato based meat sauce for pasta, it is actually for udon.

Sauce from Yamasa

Details on the sauce at the back. There is no English translation so I had to dig deep in trying to understand how this sauce was used and for what recipes.

The pasta came out to be on the spicy side. We used linguini instead of spaghetti. And no, we had no udon at home so we improvised with pasta as substitute for udon.

 

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Ishiya Shiroi Koibito

One of my guilty pleasures will have to be something I started enjoying while in Japan. My first taste of Shiroi Koibito (White Sweetheart) was probably a souvenir from a friend who traveled to Hokkaido in northern Japan. These where white chocolate sandwiched by a couple of biscuits (butter cookies to others). Later, I discovered they also had the more typical chocolate instead of the white that defined the "White" part of the name of this product.

The packaging is practically the same as I remember from over 25 years ago when I first tasted this treat. I placed a pen beside the box as reference to its size.

Details on the chocolate at the back of the package. Since this was sold in Bangkok, Thailand, there is already an English translation. I thought perhaps there is none in the ones sold in Japan.

Unwrapping the box shows a more familiar design.

Opening the box reveals 24 pieces of dark and white chocolate varieties of this favorite of mine. There is also a picture of what the biscuit looks like.

Whenever I go to Japan, Singapore or Bangkok, I try to get a box of these to take home. There are Tokyu stores in Bangkok and Takashimaya in Singapore where I can get Shiroi Koibito. So far, I have not found a store that sells this in the Philippines.

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Snacks: Alfort Mini Chocolate

I received this pack as a souvenir (pasalubong) from a colleague who recently traveled to Japan. Though it is now available locally, it is still a thoughtful gift and one that brings back memories of Japan. I used to buy these at the coop store or the convenience stores at railway stations for a quick snack at school or at home.

Alfort mini chocolate provides a quick and satisfying snack.

Details on the chocolate topped biscuits are at the back but this came from Japan so there is no English translation on a sticker like what you'll find from similar products sold in the supermarket.

Inside the box is a tray of biscuits wrapped in foil.

Opening the foil wrapper, the biscuits are revealed.

The chocolate is basically on top. Here's what the flipside looks like.

These biscuits provided me a quick satisfying snack for when you want a 'sugar high' during the day.

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These shoes are made for walking...

This is what the bottoms of my running shoes look like:

I got these shoes last year when the Adidas store in the nearby mall went on sale.

While the shoes were supposed to have been made using recyclables, they surely performed as I used this pair almost everyday for my walks. At times, I have used them as casual wear when going to the office or perhaps the supermarket. They are definitely comfortable and could have been in better condition if I had not used them almost daily. I think the pair served their purpose but I still use them for my daily walks. I probably will get another pair soon.

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Another Seiko Navigator Timer GMT watch

It's been a while since I've written about a watch in my collection. I sort of slowed down and currently content looking and browsing rather than buying. I have several Seiko GMT watches including four world timers; two of which are from the time of the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. I had one Navigator Timer from October 1976 that I acquired more than 3 years ago. And I say 'had' because now I have two of these Seiko 6117-6410's. The latest acquisition was again by chance when few seem to give attention to this older model with imperfections on the dial.

Seiko 6117-6410 with imperfections on the dial particularly around 6 o'clock to 11:30.

Side view showing the crown at 4 o'clock

The other side view

 

This one's an older model that was probably manufactured in October 1972. I assume that the case back is originally with this watch and not a replacement. If this was true then this is a 52-year old watch as of this writing.

This piece was made in October 1972 as indicated in the serial number.

Close up of the dial showing also the hands in good condition. Note that unlike the other one I have the writing above 6 o'clock has 3 lines - the top states Navigator Timer, the middle states Water 70m resist and the last shows the Suwa logo. The middle line is absent in the later models of this watch.

Wrist shot the first time I wore the watch.

Based on my using the watch for one week straight, I would say that this one's in tip-top condition and did not lose or gain significant time. The inner bezel is also working on this watch unlike my other one, which fortunately is fixed at the correct 24h position for the inner bezel.

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"Cacao for Schools"

In the previous post about a chocolate, I included a photo of the inside of the packaging or wrapper. Here are more details and close up photos of a "Cocoa for Schools" program:

The entire inside of the wrapper is dedicated to the advocacy.

How the company engages the farmers and communities.

The program is committed to improving the lives of cocoa farmers and their families in several towns in Tanzania.

Photos of improvements in the supported communities

Website and QR code for more information on the program

I recall that there are similar advocacies in the Philippines and particularly in Mindanao where there are many cacao farmers now growing cacao for local chocolate production including those of Malagos and Auro. These are worthwhile causes and should also help the industry overall.

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Filipinos - chocolate covered biscuits

An interesting 'pasalubong' from a friend is what I thought to be a chocolate bar at first but turned out to be a pack of chocolate covered biscuits.

 

A friend gifted me with this pack of Filipinos after her return from a vacation in Spain.

Nutrition information

Manufacturer's information. This is a product of Spain. There are 15 biscuits in the pack.

Manufacturing and expiration dates

I think we didn't store it under the conditions where the chocolate would not have deteriorated like this.

Each biscuit is in the shape of a donut.

They still tasted good though more on the sweet side for the chocolate. The taste was like that of Knick Knacks snacks, which are also chocolate covered biscuits.

 

I remember many years ago this was a topic of some discussion. It wasn't really as controversial as some people wanted or perceived it to be - making it appear as insulting to us. It's not and actually delicious.

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