I received an intriguing invitation. They were launching a new product, obviously, but what did the question, “Are you sweet or savory?” mean? My first guess was, “THEY’RE PUTTING BACON ON KRISPY KREMES!” My heart promptly skipped a beat, imagining how lovely the fusion would be.

Close, but not quite. Bacon was coming. But not on doughnuts. Instead, it now graces Krispy Kreme’s newest line, the Baked Creations. Currently, this line carries two variants. There are Kruffins, hand-made muffins with a hole in the center that’s stuffed with either fruits, nuts or chocolate.

Then, there are Pull Aparts, or hand-rolled sweet breads with holes in the center that’s filled with either sweet stuff like Cinnamon and cream, and savory stuff like cheese, sausages and BACON! North Carolina-based Krispy Kremes Chef Rick Cavanaugh, who flew in just to launch the line, described Pull Aparts as Monkey Bread with breakfast-y fillings. Like BACON!

Can you just imagine how sad I was to discover that they ran out of BACON and Cheese when I got to the counter? I had to settle for the Cinnamon, after much prodding—initially, I wasn’t in the mood for anything sweet, especially after being sorely disappointed about the BACON. It was a pleasant surprise, tearing into the Pull Aparts. The soft sweet bread was a treat to bite into, being all fluff on your tongue. It’s not too sweet either, so the taste doesn’t overwhelm the bread’s texture.

Still, the BACON will not let itself be forgotten. I found myself going back to the Ayala branch to grab a Bacon and Cheese Pull Apart for breakfast. As I planned to eat at my desk, I got mine straight from the shelf. I was advised to reheat it in the microwave for a minute and was handed a small cup of Ranch Mayo.

Reheating for a minute was a mistake. Or maybe it had to do with our office microwave’s wattage. Still, it smelled really good at 30 seconds, with the bacon getting all crackly so I stopped it then opened the microwave door. The delicious scent of bacon started wafting through the air, earning me complaints from my work colleagues. Torture for them, heaven for me as I happily grabbed a cup of coffee and started pulling my Pull Apart apart.

There. are. no. words. Sheer bacon goodness, fluffy soft bread with a hint of something sweet glazed on top. The ranch mayo adding a slight tang to the whole thing. Occasional bits of black pepper hitting your tastebuds for added bite. BACON! Glorious BACON! It has found its soulmate in the Pull Apart’s bread.

Fellow bacon-lovers like me will probably be rushing to their nearest Krispy Kreme to grab one. Unfortunately, it’s currently available at the Greenhills and Ayala stores only, however, there are plans for a wider release soon. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.

The second part of dementedchris’ food adventures in Beijing. Crazy eats! Reward her for finishing everything. Support her story, A Kind of Flotsam, by casting your vote for it in the Philippine Graphic Fiction People’s Choice Awards. Who knows, we might be able to persuade her to eat crazier things if she wins!

“You have to try some silkworms,” my friend John Rae urged, as we made our way back from the Great Wall. Not that I really needed much urging at that point; I was determined to try something out of the ordinary. And Donghuamen Night Market’s Snack Street, a colorful row of food stalls to the left of Wangfujing, is anything but ordinary.

Here, the everyday meets the exotic. Bowls of steaming noodles sits beside stalls selling sea snakes and sheep penises. When my friends and I were there last summer, it was early evening, and the string of stalls was slowly filling up with people — local teenagers pulling each other in search of a snack, foreigners eager for a taste of adventure. I noticed that a good number carefully watched what everyone else was trying first, in what I would suppose passed for calculated deliberation (or another version of eeny-meeny-miny-moe) in a circumstance like this. Snack Street has plenty for everyone, something you’ll discover as you stroll down the brightly-lit stalls and catch bits of the vendors’ enthusiastic sales talk. Most of the vendors can speak a little English, but the prices are printed on huge boards atop the stalls if you’re not in the mood to negotiate. Even if you end up not trying anything, the experience is an interesting way of spending an evening in Beijing.

We headed for the starfish first. I thought it was a safe start, because they looked harmless–and pretty. Pretty always works. The starfish were deep-fried so that the exterior hardened into a crunchy shell. I opened mine and ate what was inside, which reminded me a little of crab fat. My friend Oz bit into everything, shell included. Until now, we still don’t know which was the proper way of a starfish, but if it helps, both of us are still standing. Not bad for our first exotic snack in Beijing.

One of my friends suggested that we alternate between the weird and the normal, an idea which I agreed with hastily. As attracted as I was to the strange new tastes, I knew my normally-queasy stomach would want something to anchor it as the evening went on. So we tried some cream balls, fried little balls of flour sprinkled with sugar(if they had cream inside, it must not have noticed), which to me tasted like banana fritters.

I wasn’t prepared at how much I liked our next exotic meal: scorpions! Three small ones on a stick cost about 15 RMB. They were deep-fried and had a crunchy, salty taste. We each bought a stick to start with but Oz and I liked it so much that we bought a second one to split. The stall also sold larger scorpions, but it was a bit more expensive so we were happy with our small ones.

Now we were getting a bit thirsty. Oz went for some bubble tea, which I wouldn’t even recommend if it didn’t have that bubbling, smoking thing going on. It was like soda diluted with lots of water. But I think bubbling anything makes for pretty interesting dining experiences so it wasn’t such a waste in the end.

Back to the exotic. Because John Rae had mentioned it even before we stepped onto Snack Steet, the silkworm larva was next on our list. He said it was crunchy, and with the small, compact shape, I was already imagining that it would taste something like chicharong bituka. Unfortunately, I was in for a surprise. Either the silkworms that we had were undercooked or the ones that John Rae had tried the night before were the fluke, because the silkworms were chewy, not crunchy. Really, really, really hard to keep down. Mine burst when I bit in, with all the insides filling my mouth. My mouth’s inner walls were starting to itch. I didn’t know what to do with the rest of the chewy shell, as I tried to cut it into more manageable pieces. In the end, I dropped the rest of it into a waiting trash can, my only tragic failure of the evening. I tried, believe me. I ended up with one horrible allergy, but I tried.

That bubble tea was suddenly looking better and better.

To appease my shocked taste buds, I headed for the nearest comfort food I could find. Both Donghuamen and Wangfujing are filled with sticks of candied fruits, a delightful mix of strawberries and kiwis and other delicious-looking treats. The three of us shared one stick — it was too sweet a delight to finish alone.

With my allergy rapidly making one side of my mouth swell (the side where I had kept chewing at the silkworm shell), we knew that the evening was about to come to a close. Our last bite were some sea horses. They weren’t as good as the scorpions, but I don’t know if that was because mine was dipped in vinegar and some spicy sauce. I’m not a big fan of either.

To wash it all down, we bought some yogurt milk in glass bottles, which was about 10 RMB. We sipped it through little straws, amused and satisfied with our evening. Maybe locals frown at this place as a huge tourist trap, but if you’re looking for an adventurous night around Beijing, Donghuamen Night Market is the place to go. My friends and I were misled by the thought of a ’snack street’; by the end of the evening, we were all pretty full. Lots of unexpected treats in one unexpected city. Just don’t forget the antihistamine.

Missed out on part 1? Catch up here!

I’ve encountered Murano glass before—a friend once got me a pair of Murano glass earrings as a souvenir from his travels, but seeing Caffe Murano’s displays up close was a different experience. From accessories to larger art pieces, they possessed exquisite, attractive colors that surely draw the viewer’s eye.

Caffe Murano is a good place to catch up with friends. Half of the cafe section is within the glass shop, so you can chat without being disturbed by distracting music. If you’d prefer to chill instead, the outdoor section has its own bar and mini-stage for live performances. Drinks are reasonably priced, especially when you remember that you’re in Greenbelt 5.

Rotch, Melo and I sat inside the shop because we needed decent light for photos and because we wanted to gossip a bit. We got a caprese antipasti platter—slices of tomatoes and mozzarella drizzled with olive oil and topped with some basil. Served on a bed of greens and with ripe olives on the side.

We opted to share a whole pizza as well. Our server recommended the San Daniele Ham with arugula, artichokes and gorgonzola. It sounded good so that’s what we got. The ham was a strongly flavored one, dominating the pizza. We thought it was like proscuitto. Only much later did I find out that it IS proscuitto. I learned something new!

Aside from the pizza, we also had the Ravioli Spinach. It was stuffed with spinach and ricotta, then dressed with a fresh tomato sauce. Served with slices of toast on the side. The pasta’s texture wasn’t as firm and as fresh as I’d like, but flavorwise, it was okay.

Rotch opted to try their gelato, which she claimed was good. I was reasonably stuffed (plus, I didn’t want to mix beer and ice cream) so I passed it up, but I trust her when she says it’s good. Especially since I found out much later that their gelato is supposed to be really good. My loss, I’m sure.

If you’re looking for something different in Greenbelt, Caffe Murano and Art Shoppe just might be the place for you, as it brings new meaning to “combining art and food.”

But the maitre d’ invited us in ever so nicely (They had a maitre d’! Should I be in a skirt and heels?) and seated us by the windows, so I followed her meekly. It was good I did, fear of a bazillion pieces of silverware set aside, as the food was good, and the meal memorable.

We started off our meal with a shared Caesar’s Salad. Classic, just the way we like it. No chicken or shrimp. Just a sprinkling of bacon bits.

My mother had the Chilean Seabass Chorizo Saute. Basically, a lightly panfried Seabass fillet topped with a chorizo, pepper and asparagus saute. Served with rice on the side and a helping of ratatouille. It was pretty okay, she said. But not as yummy as our food.

I had the Salmon Rockefeller. An evil evil way of cooking that’s more popular with oysters. Very yummy, with a perfectly cooked salmon fillet doused with a creamy cheesy spinach sauce. Served with potatoes and more ratatouille. The salmon was awesome, but the potatoes kinda soggy. A bit on the oily side, even.

J had the Panfried Chicken topped with Three Cheeses. A boneless chicken breast slathered with three cheeses. How can you go wrong with cheese? Well, there are ways, but this dish is simply cheesy good. Served with mashed potato and, yes! Even more ratatouille. Makes me wonder whether they have a mouse-chef employed in the kitchen, the way they keep piling the ratatouille. Not that you’ll have me complaining. (About eating ratatouille, not mice in the kitchen. Mice will have me up in arms.)

We passed on dessert, none of us being dessert people. Something I later on realized might’ve been a mistake, after another friend told me about how she loved the desserts there. But then, maybe it’s a sign to go visit again, yes?