Coffee and Cake Kind of Afternoon with Phillip Di Bella

Oh, look! It's coffee o'clock! For caffeine lovers, drinking a good cup of coffee is equivalent to a happy way to start anyone's day. Majority of us are coffee dependent, because it never fails to give us that boost and perky outlook we need day in and day out. Therefore, there is nothing more frustrating than tasting bad, rancid coffee. To be brutally frank, I am not a coffee person, but who was I to say no when Australia's Coffee King beckons you to try a cup or two? Stick around to know if Phillip Di Bella made me a coffee convert.
Shaking things up in the coffee world, The Cravings Group has formed an exclusive partnership with Di Bella Coffee, which they import all the way from Australia. This collaboration materialized so that customers can get to relish specialty coffee in all TCG's restaurant chains: Cravings, Epicurious, Lucia Ristorante, Lombardi's, C2 Classic Cuisine, B&P, The Blackboard by Chef Michel and The Coffee Beanery nationwide.

To celebrate their genius collaboration, TCG and Phillip Di Bella threw a coffee and cake festival, is there a better way to enjoy a ridiculously good cup of coffee? I don't think so. Every nook and cranny was a sight to behold. There were cakes, pastries and all sorts of desserts all in one convenient location.

I can't help but be in awe in the presence of greatness, and I recognize it when I see one. No, you silly! I wasn't talking about the chocolate cake, but of Australia's Coffee King. A 2005 finalist for Ernst & Young's Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and a 2008 winner for the same category. A 2010 winner for Brisbane Business News' Young Entrepreneur award, among the many other achievements this outstanding gentleman has achieved.
The way he talked about coffee made me want to become a convert, right then and right there. There was so much passion and love for his craft, and it shows. Phillip advised everyone to not put sugar in their cup to be able to savor what a good cup of coffee is. I was intrigued, I had to try one.

But of course, I had to get lost in the labyrinth that is the dessert stations. Yes, not one, but two long tables calling out my name. I tell you, it was so hard to resist! Enough with the talk already, this time around I'll just let the pictures do the talking for me. Scroll down if you are brave and not at all hungry, don't say I didn't warn you.

The mini pizza trays were a delight. It was our palate cleanser after binging out on all the sweet stuff, it looks like we were not the only ones who got hooked on these little things.

Flaky and freshly baked croissant, I swear the waitstaff lured me into getting a piece with one end dipped in melted chocolate. Oh, the things I do for this blog! #foodbloggerproblems

I'm not entirely sure, but according to Yumi, these were chocolate coated banana chips. In my defense, it was hard to tell with all that coating :P

If there was such a thing as a dessert wonderland, this just might have been it. I'd bet everything I have that kids and even kids at heart will have a hard time choosing which piece to devour first!

The thing that makes me drawn to desserts, is of course, their alluring presentation. Take a look at these clown cakes or rainbow cakes. It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling just looking.

I wish I had detailed and mouth watering descriptions for everything I pictured, but my tummy can only go so far. Sorry, can you ever forgive me?

It is true when they say that everything tastes better with bacon. Such is the case for these dark chocolate bars, topped with crisp bacon sheet. Salty marries sweet in one of the most deliriously yummy ways possible!

I have a thing for anything pretzel and just couldn't pass up the chance to try just one. If it isn't obvious yet, I'm a sucker for salty and sweet combinations!

This is my dessert plate after battling and conquering the urge to hoard a whole lot more and wipe out the dessert stations clean. A nibble here, a mouthful of bite there, a sip of creamy and freshly roasted coffee (sans the sugar) and I was in heaven. The coffee was rich but didn't overpower, instead it blended and complemented everything on my plate perfectly. It was indeed, a match! I now have renewed impressions on coffee, it may not be too late after all to start a new addiction. See you on my next pig out sessions!

Your pig out buddy,
Madz