The Toledo District is one of Belize’s lesser known areas, and receives far less tourism than other parts of the country. Its relatively remote location is ideal for travelers looking to road trip through Belize, and what better reason to head south than for a chocolate festival?

If you’ve never had Belizean chocolate, you are missing out. Cacao is native to the Americas and the southern part of Belize is renowned for its superior cacao. While chocolate, such as THC Chocolate Bars Canada, is certainly an important local product, it’s not surprising that cacao beans also provide an excellent export crop for Belize.

The Chocolate Festival of Belize is a three day festival typically falling later in May, the same weekend as the Commonwealth Day Holiday.

Wine and Chocolate kick off the event on Friday night with a variety of fine wines, Belizean chocolate, and even a specially brewed Belikin Chocolate Stout. You’ll need to purchase tickets in advance for this event to save $10 BZ. The festival website has a list of all the phone numbers you can call to order tickets in advance.

In conjunction with the festival, you’ll find the Taste of Toledo street fair in Punta Gorda town. This pedestrian only street fair is held on the Saturday of the festival weekend, and showcases art, food, and music from the five primary cultures that make up the Toledo District. These ethnic groups include: Garifuna, Maya, Kriol, Mestizo, and East Indian.

Booths will feature some awesome food, chocolate of course, crafts, and other interesting local products. Look for a chocolate connection on many products, be it chocolate soap or hand-carved masks depicting cacao. Some of Belize’s best chocolatiers will be in attendance answering any questions you may have on the chocolate making process.

One of the highlights of the festival is the Taste of Toledo cooking competition — with prizes given for the best use of cacao in both savory and sweet creations.

If you can stay the whole weekend, the finale takes place on the last day (Sunday) of the festival. There are live musical performances throughout the day, Garifuna drumming, Mayan harp groups, and more. Be sure to purchase artisan souvenirs like baskets, hammocks, carvings, and of course, lots of chocolate for your family and friends back home!

Traveling with kids? There will be a Cacao for Kids section where kids can be left supervised in a safe environment while you go explore the street fair. Activities for kids include face painting, finger painting, handcrafted jewelry making, and more.

Wondering what makes Belizean chocolate some of the best? Like other food products, and most certainly wine, soil and climate play an integral role in the success of cacao growth. This is typically referred to as terroir, and if you’re an oenophile like myself, you know that terroir is a very important part of growing grapes.

Aside from its superior quality, I love Belizean chocolate as it’s all produced by local, “mom and pop” type businesses. There are four main producers in Belize, several of which you may already be familiar with. These include Ix Cacao (San Felipe Village), Kakaw Chocolate (San Pedro), Goss Chocolate (Seine Bight), and Cotton Tree Chocolate (Punta Gorda).

If your Belize road trip includes a boat ride or flight out to Ambergris Caye, be sure to stop by the Belize Chocolate Company on Front Street and enjoy some freshly made chocolates, and other sublime treats like chocolate coffee, chocolate cheesecake, and more. Sit inside where it’s cool, or enjoy the sea breeze and people watch from the outdoor bench.

The 2016 Chocolate Festival of Belize takes place on May 20-22. For more information, be sure to visit the Chocolate Festival of Belize’s website, stop in at the Belize Chocolate Company in San Pedro for more information, and read My Beautiful Belize for more festival updates.

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This post was in partnership with Alamo Rental Car, but as always, thoughts and opinions are my own. 

When I found out I was going to be traveling to Mexico City this month, one of the first stops on my “must eat” list was Churreria El Moro.

Multiple people recommended a stop at El Moro for the best churros in Mexico City. The original location is open 24 hours, just like the Chocolateria San Gines in Madrid, Spain. However, Churreria El Moro has multiple branches throughout the city so you can get your churro fix quick, no matter which part of Mexico City you are in. But before being able to venture to Mexico, you might need to ask nvc inquiry for the requirements.

Churreria El Moro History

El Moro was founded in 1935 by Francisco Iriate, an immigrant from Spain. He started the business after realizing no churros were sold in the city. The name El Moro is a nod to the Arab salesmen traveling through towns in Spain selling churros from carts. Iriate installed his original churro cart in the Zocolo, and eventually moved into the building where the original branch is located today. Sadly Iriate passed away at a young age, but his brothers arrived from Spain and took over the business with help from local services like https://business-insolvency-company.co.uk/pre-pack-administration/. While it’s been passed down several generations, Churreria El Moro remains in the family.

El Moro Churros Menu

When we visited, they had two main types of standard churros on offer — the regular and the chocolate-filled varieties. There are also mini churros and a mini-churro sandwich with ice cream. The first branch of El Moro we visited was one inside a mall in the Polanco neighborhood. Even on a weeknight 15 minutes before the 9 PM closing, there was a lengthy line. We opted to try both types of churros and ordered chocolate for dipping, since that is what I was used to in Spain with “churros y chocolate”.

There is a decent list of different types of chocolate drinks. The Spanish is the traditional version that is very thick and sweet, perfect for dipping. We also tried the flavor of the day, which was Chocolate Mint. Other flavors include:

• Mexican (lightest version)
• French (with vanilla)
• Special (with a touch of cinnamon)
• Light (light milk and no sugar)
• Swiss chocolate with whipped cream
• Mocha

As far as desserts go, churros from El Moro are cheap. Four regular churros are 20 pesos, or around $1 US with current exchange rates. You can get chocolate and four churros for 77 pesos.

If you want something less heavy, the milkshakes looked amazing. If we had been eating there, I might’ve had a milkshake. Choose from chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, oreo, or ask about the flavor of the day. I even saw Uber Eats drivers picking up milkshakes and churros to go. That would be way too much temptation if I was living in Mexico City!

Some locations may have different menu options as well. There was a spit with meat for tacos al pastor at the Centro location and the Roma location was serving a torta with mole.

El Moro Locations

Centro is the original branch, however, while open 24 hours, that is not necessarily the area I would choose to be in late at night. We had no problems while there during the day, but I’ve read numerous accounts that say watch yourself in the historic center at night. And El Moro is not right by the Zocolo, so the area may feel rough if you aren’t expecting it. We opted to stick to the other locations, primarily because the line was so long at the original one that we couldn’t even make out the starting point for the takeaway and the sit-down lines.

Aside from the Polanco branch, we also hit the Roma branch that stays open until 1 AM on Friday and Saturday nights. Be cautious when you look this location up, as you want to Google the Roma Norte location, not the Roma Market, which has shorter hours. There is supposed to be a branch in Condesa where we were staying, but we oddly never visited that one. Maybe that is for the best since I probably would’ve eaten more churros on the trip!

I love that all the new locations have this super clean white and blue tile decor that feels very modern, yet pays homage to the blue and white tiles, like those kitchen backsplash tiles, in the original location.

I’m not sure how long the lines are in the morning when they first open, but don’t be surprised to stand in line at any branch no matter what time you go. Even at 10 PM at the Roma Norte location, we waited close to 45 minutes for churros to go. But, it was totally worth it!

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For this most recent trip to Hong Kong, I decided to try a little different approach to tackling some of my food research updates. Rather than take to the blogs of my favorite food blogger friends, I relied solely on their Instagram accounts to compile my “must try” foods. One theme was tackling a solid list of soft serve ice cream joints, a major craze in parts of Asia these days. One of the first, and oh so Instagramable ones, is Sweet Monster Popcorn Ice Cream from Korea.

I’ve seen many Hong Kong foodies posting IGs and blog posts about Sweet Monster’s instant popularity as soon as the store opened. It’s a pretty simple, but delicious, concept — soft serve ice cream and popcorn! You can also get just regular ice cream, but it’s the combination of soft serve and popcorn that makes Sweet Monster such a hit.

Sweet Monster’s Ice Cream Base

One of the key elements to good soft serve ice cream is the quality of the milk base. Sweet Monster makes their soft serve fresh in-house every day, using more than 75% milk content as the main ingredient. The ice cream is rich and has just the right amount of sweetness.

Sweet Monster Popcorn

The most iconic popcorn option at Sweet Monster is the Cheese and Caramel Monster. It’s a mountainous soft serve ice cream base with a mixture of cheesey and caramel popcorn crusted along the mountaintop. Other options include flavors like chocolate, milk, or strawberry.

The Monster Popcorn is made with non-GMO corn and popped by air in Korea. They also emphatically ensure no trans fat, saturated fat, or artificial colors are used either. You can buy Monster Popcorn in tubs as well.

Other Sweet Monster Menu Items

If ice cream and popcorn aren’t enough, Sweet Monster offers a variety of other menu items as well. They are known for their cakes, which look absolutely delicious. Tiramasu or Cheesecake bases are topped with a variety of delectable toppings like blueberries or caramel walnut on the cheesecake, or banana Nutella or pistachio almond on the tiramasu. They even offers a menu item of soft serve ice cream with a piece of cake on the side!

Other menu items at Sweet Monster include Monster Coffee, hot chocolate, or various cold fruit-ade drinks.

Sweet Monster Character Icons

Not surprisingly, Sweet Monster has some adorable character mascots. The cartoon critters include various “mons” themed to each of their menu items. My favorites? A tie between BLUEmon, CHOCOmon, and POPmon.

The Sweet Monster tag line is “American Festival Sweets.” These are items you’d typically expect to find at American festivals, carnivals, and theme parks.

Sweet Monster Locations

If you’re traveling in Korea, you’ll undoubtedly come across a number of Sweet Monster locations. If you’re only passing through Seoul on a layover, there is even a location at the Incheon Airport.

Outside of South Korea, your options are still pretty limited. The Hong Kong branch is located in Mongkok at the Langham Place Mall. It’s a bit tricky to find as it’s tucked under an escalator and we walked by it twice, as at first glance, it looked like a Ben & Jerry’s logo from a distance! It’s only been open since August, 2015, so it’s still quite popular. We lucked out and went on a rainy day when most people were in line for Dreyer’s in the mall for some reason so we had no wait whatsoever, but I hear that may not always be the case.

China has a location in Chengdu, Singapore has one in Plaza Singapura, and there are two in Thailand I believe. The most interesting new locations to note that still say coming soon are in the UAE and Saudi Arabia! Want to own your own Sweet Monster? They are looking for franchisees in Vietnam, Beijing, Malaysia, Indonesia, Shanghai, and even Taiwan. Maybe that’s my way to move back to Taiwan!

[color-box]Interested in food-related activities in Hong Kong? Consider a cooking class or book a Hong Kong neighborhood food tour. [/color-box]

Our Verdict of Sweet Monster Ice Cream

We opted to order only the Cheese & Caramel Monster to split as one ice cream can definitely feed two people (and we needed to save room for hitting another ice cream place in the same day to complete my list.) LOL!

You can definitely taste the milk in the ice cream, and it’s not overly sweet. I prefer the natural flavor of the milk in a soft serve ice cream, not mounds of sugar. And, you don’t want an ice cream that overpowers the popcorn either. The cheese and caramel popcorn were a nice blend of sweet and savory, and I will readily admit, I could’ve easily eaten one on my own. My only regret was not buying some of the popcorn to take away!

One thing to note is the Sweet Monster ice cream creations are one size only, another good reason to share between two people. And, as trendy ice cream concoctions go, the price is really reasonable — 39HKD, which is around $5 US. Other menu items vary and cost more, like the shakes, cakes, etc.

I can’t speak to other locations, but be prepared to stand and eat your ice cream or take your cake/drink to go. Because it’s literally like a fast food stand under the escalator, you won’t find seats or a restaurant seating area. Most people stand off to the side by the cute BLUEmon character to eat their ice cream.

I’d like to try some of their drinks and cakes on a future visit for sure. I also have my eye on that cake and ice cream combo!

[color-box] Planning a trip to Hong Kong? Stay right at the Langham Place in Mongkok or explore other available Hong Kong hotels for your trip.[/color-box]

This post is the first in a series of upcoming sweet “Sinful Sunday” posts outlining some of the best ice cream joints in both Hong Kong and Japan!

Have you been to any of the Sweet Monster locations? What’s your favorite and most recommended menu item? 

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Talk about being in the right place at the right time, these were just made and were not even released for sale yet. They were just released yesterday so, if you happen to be in Belize, hop over to Ambergris Caye and get some Sorrel Stout Truffles before they are all gone for the season.

Strawberries just happen to be one of the best matches for traditional aged balsamic vinegar from Modena. Add some hunks of Parmigiano cheese and this became dessert Sunday night!

In conjunction with S.T.A.Y., Chef Alleno designed a more casual outlet to showcase traditional Parisian style tea time, along with signature French pastries. In January 2012, Sweet Tea soft-opened on the 4^th floor of Taipei 101, just steps away from S.T.A.Y.

Back in March, Chef Alleno visited Taipei to coordinate a gala dinner and celebrate the official grand opening of Sweet Tea with a presentation for local media. I had the pleasure of meeting Chef Alleno at the gala dinner the night before so I was looking forward to the press event and learning more about his latest creation.

Chef Alleno has a background as a pastry chef so the creations at Sweet Tea were quite intricate and extremely elegant. The concept of Sweet Tea is very feminine on purpose and definitely caters to Taipei’s more upscale female population.

The open-air tearoom sits in the middle of the most scenic area of Taipei 101’s mall, flanked by luxury stores and one “leg” of Taipei 101 itself. The theming and attention to detail certainly blend with its location, in the more ritzy XinYi area of Taipei.

Yannick’s vision for Sweet Tea was to have pastries treated as luxury items and, therefore, presented as artful creations. They are showcased as “luxury jewels” in elegant crystal boxes, all of which seemed to be a big hit with the female members of the local press.

The colors at Sweet Tea also lean to the feminine side, as bright pops of blue, yellow, pink, and green, are found on everything from glasses to the boxes and bags. The feminine design is not nauseating to the point where a man would be uncomfortable enjoying tea and a decadent French pastry as well.

One of the benefits of attending a press event is the ability to try the food you are writing about, and, of course, there was an abundant supply of pastries for us to enjoy.  They had created tiny versions of several signature pastries, which was perfect.

While we only sampled a small portion of what is available at Sweet Tea, I am confident when I say that probably anything you order is going to be amazing. All pastries are made fresh daily and include classics like croissants, macarons, and Madeleines.

Here’s a look at some of what we sampled:

Vanilla Mille-Feuille

This classic French pastry is very popular, but it’s not one that I’ve typically been drawn to. Most times, I find it too sweet and rich for my taste.

Gasp! I know….how could I not like it right?  Well, I’m the girl who scrapes off ¾ of the buttercream frosting on cakes if that tells you anything.

I was surprised to see Yannick’s take on the traditional classic pastry – rather than the expected square, his is round. The cake layer is quite crisp with sweet caramelization on the top.  The filling is one I would never scrape off of anything – a rich Tahitian vanilla – one of my absolute favorite flavors.

St. Honore

This is named for the French patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs, Saint Honore. Typically, this pastry has puffed pastry, small cream puffs, caramelized sugar, and finished with whipped cream that utilizes a special St. Honore piping tip.

Chocolate Croissant

Yannick had come by to talk to me early in the event and told me I needed to definitely try the chocolate croissant as it’s one of his personal favorites and a signature item at Sweet Tea. He calls it “Choc Alleno” and it is pretty much a chocolategasm. The croissant itself is flaky and rich, while the chocolate is decadent without being overpowering.  Not surprisingly, Yannick insists on using only the best French chocolate for this pastry.

Macarons and Madeleines

Two other French classics were on hand for us to sample. I’ve become a bit of a macaron addict the past several years as new chocolatiers and pastry shops open in Taipei – many of them renowned artisans from Paris and Japan. Macarons are either hit or miss – they either seem to be perfect or a disaster, never really in between.  I’ve probably sampled macarons from 10 or more shops over the past six to eight months and these were definitely among my top two. The meringue on the macaron was so delicate and light, while the filling was not overpowering or sickeningly sweet ganache.

The Madeleines were divine and next to Robuchon’s, the best I’ve had.

Chef Demo – Sweet’dwich

During the event, Chef Alleno drew the biggest crowd when he demonstrated how to make one of his best signature items, the Sweet’dwich.  Every photographer ran up to capture this while one of the local journalists served as his assistant.  The Sweet’dwich is inspired by traditional salty sandwiches, but contains some beautiful sweet elements.  He uses brioche bread instead of a crispy puff and you can choose from three flavors: strawberry, praline chocolate, and Tropezien. Each one is quite different and Yannick uses a variety of flavors and textures to really create a unique culinary experience.

The strawberry is the most popular, which is a mix of pistachio flavor custard and fresh strawberries, topped with pistachio crackles and sugar powders.

Salty Sandwiches

While the main focus is on pastries, there are also a number of tea style salty sandwiches available.  Both at lunch and in the afternoon, there is a small menu of salads and sandwiches. We sampled several of the sandwiches, which were also nicely executed with soft bread and good flavor.

About Chef Yannick Alleno

For those unfamiliar with Chef Alleno, he earned three Michelin stars for his work at Hotel Le Meurice in Paris in 2007.  He was elected “Best Chef of the Year” in 2008 byThe Chef Magazine.  In the same year, he developed his own company, “Group Yannick Alleno”, which has since been responsible for his ventures outside of Paris.  In addition, his mission is to help hoteliers and food professionals by offering his skills. He became involved in Le 1947 at “Cheval Blanc” in Courchevel, and after one season, it earned two Michelin stars.  Alleno also took over the F&B operations of “The Royal Mansour” in Marrakech with two “Grande Table” (French and Moroccan), andthe “One & Only The Palm” in Dubai.  In addition to his two S.T.A.Y. outlets in Beijing and Beirut, he also opened a Sweet Tea in Beirut as well.

While I attended this event as a member of the press and my afternoon was comped, all opinions and views expressed are my own.

Like most kids in America, I grew up eating ice cream regularly, especially during the summer months. I can still remember lounging in the pool and waiting for the sound of our neighborhood ice cream truck making its way down the street. My best friend and I would bolt from the pool and make our way to the front yard as soon as we’d hear the music, which now, as an adult, I find extremely annoying ironically.

One thing I learned early on in my childhood was regular ice cream soon bored me. I think there’s a reason they refer to boring things as “vanilla” sometimes. I was not a vanilla ice cream kinda girl, unless it had heaps of caramel on it. I can distinctly remember driving my parents bonkers during multiple pouting fits if we went to our local Foster Freeze and they didn’t have chocolate that day.

As I got older (aka had my own money) I started buying more interesting and unique flavors of ice cream, like ice cream rexburg, — the more stuff mixed in, the better!

And then in 2006, I visited Italy for the first time.

Gelato…The answer to all my frozen dessert dreams.

Sadly, it seemed to be a fleeting affair as I did not indulge in too much gelato since that trip. Perhaps, it was discovering Movenpick’s decadent ice cream and various shaved ice desserts the last few years in Asia that distracted me from my true love.

And then, the Blogville project with the Emilia Romagna Tourism Board presented itself, and I suddenly found myself back in Italy three different times for a total of 25 days between May and now. In fact, I just returned from Italy yesterday.

Gelato and I were reunited and it was love at first bite all over again — we picked up right where we left off so long ago.

Wonder what the differences are between gelato and ice cream? Despite many saying that gelato is just Italian ice cream, there are noticeable and important differences that separate gelato from the traditional ice cream many of us grew up with. In fact, you can spot the difference by making ice-cream and gelato yourself.

Gelato has Less Air and Lower Fat

Gelato has much less air than traditional ice cream, which can be as much as 50% air. And for those concerned about the fat content in ice cream, check out gelato! Gelato typically has 4-6% fat whereas ice cream may contain as much as 16% in some cases.

Gelato is Made Daily

Typically, gelato is made on a daily basis in gelaterias in Italy whereas ice cream is often made in large batches incorporating ingredients designed to ensure its lengthy storage in the freezer.

Gelato has a Stronger Flavor

Because of the less incorporated air, lower fat, and higher temperature, you have probably noticed you get a more pronounced flavor profile versus eating ice cream of same flavor. According to the Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna, this is because the higher fat content in ice cream coats the tongue, the less air in gelato provides more flavor in each spoonful, and your taste buds are not dulled from the frozen temperature of ice cream.

The stronger flavor profile, the softer and more smooth texture, and the lower fat content are just a few of the reasons I prefer authentic gelato over ice cream. I could not, and would not, eat ice cream every day, but I could, and did in a few instances, eat gelato every day in Italy. Blog posts of all the amazing gelato I consumed in Emilia Romagna still to come!

I think it’s safe to say after Blogville, my love affair with gelato is likely to transition into a more long-term romance. Fortunately, there is a pretty decent gelato place next to the new apartment in the Netherlands, and I am thinking of taking my love of gelato to a new level — perhaps taking a class and learning how to make it myself!

While my stay(s) in Emilia Romagna were hosted by the tourism board, all views and opinions are my own.

It turns out, the news isn’t quite as bad as it appeared!

While heading out to On Tap for some fish and chips the other night with some coworkers, I was surprised to see a huge line of people waiting for something on Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, just before the intersection with Yanji Street.  This was still a few blocks ahead of the dance clubs on Zhongxiao, and the crowd was a much more diverse mix than you’d expect for a club, so I knew it couldn’t be for that.  But what was it?

I apologize in advance for some of the photos – I was not expecting this find and only had my phone with me!

As the taxi drew closer, I saw the sign that made my day…Ice Monster is Back!

Only open again since May 29, we decided to brave the line to try out the new Ice Monster after our dinner.  What better dessert could you imagine than some iconic Bao Bing and Xue Hua Bing?

The line went pretty quick, we were around 30 people back and our wait was only around 20 minutes.  There were staff at the front of the line handing out the menu and taking orders in advance of your entering the shop, so that helps the line run smoother.  They also don’t let people into the shop when there are no seats available, unless you tell them you just want to order for take away, then they may let you cut into the shop while those wishing to dine in wait longer in the line.  There are around 50 total seats in the shop, so turnover is fairly quick, and being indoors, it’s much more comfortable than the old exterior seating of 15 Yongkang Street.

The Ice Monster menu has four main sections; Avalanche for the Bao Bing shaved ice, Sensation for the Xue Hua Bing snow ice, Mocktail for mixed juice drinks, and Freeze for the frozen drinks.  Many of the menu items seem to be more similar to those that were on offer at Yongkang 15, not quite back to the offerings of the original Ice Monster.

We ordered two Mango Avalanches for the three of us, we actually wanted one to be a Fresh Mango Sensation, but I misordered! The avalanche was a delicious mix of shaved ice with sweet condensed milk and brown sugar syrup, a mango jelly and a scoop of mango ice cream, with a heaping serving of fresh mango mixed in for good measure.

I do not know why, but the staff could apparently see our enjoyment of the avalanche, and perhaps thinking this was our first / only time stopping in, they decided to sample out some other wares on us!  We were each also given a scoop of their lemon ice, a scoop of melon sorbet to share, and they even gave us a small Fresh Mango Sensation to share as well!

The Mango Avalanche and Mango Sensation were both outstanding, but I have to say, I think the lemon ice was one of the best I’ve ever had!  This tasted exactly like the Italian ice I used to get as a kid, and I thought the only thing that could have possibly made this one any better would have been the little white paper squeeze cup I remember from my youth.  I’ll definitely order one of the lemon based items on my next visit to Ice Monster, most likely the Lemon Jasmine Tea Sensation which caught my eye.

Ice Monster
1F., No. 297, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Da’an District
+886 2 8771 3263
http://www.ice-monster.com
Hours: Monday – Sunday / 10:30 – 23:30

I spent last week roaming around parts of Japan photographing the cherry blossoms, or sakura.  It was my first time in Japan during the blooming period — what an amazing experience.  On the way home, the Japanese menu dessert in Business Class was a mochi type sweet with a cherry blossom pattern on it.  China Airlines logo incorporates the cherry blossom, so this was a nice touch — especially well-timed!