Last-minute preparations are up. You're deciding on what gifts to give your last batch of family and friends. You're also in the process of putting the finishing touches on your Noche Buena spread and arrangements for Christmas lunch and dinner. These available last-minute options may just come in handy.

YULE CAKE AND GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Honeybon presents a delectable array of holiday treats this year. There is the Yule cake, a flourless, fudgy Belgian chocolate cake layered with rich custard filling and topped with soft chocolate frosting, with the crunch of candied walnuts.

Then there are the DIY (do-it—yourself) kits — Christmas Village DIY Kit and Yuletide Cookies DIY Kit — that foster the joy of having participated in the creation of something special. With Honeybon's DIY Christmas Village, the pre-assembled Gingerbread house comes with decorative candies and three colors of icing for P499 each. You can make either Santa's cottage, the elves' cabin, Rudolph's shed, or choose your bundle of three for P1,350. 

The other DIY project is the gingerbread cookies, which are soft and chewy, crafted with a blend of Christmas spices and molasses. For P350, you get a bundle of three Gingerbread Men, one Christmas Tree Cookie, one Reindeer Cookie and three Royal icings (green, red, white).

Both DIY gingerbread house and cookies can be bought as add-ons for the Yule Cake at P400 and P300, respectively.

These Honeybon holiday treats are available at SM Megamall, Festival Mall; and in Tokyo Bubble Tea branches in Banawe Avenue, Quezon City; Wilson Street, San Juan; and Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Online orders may be placed through Honeybon.ph.

SPECIAL PLATTERS AND TREATS

Want your favorite Hainanese chicken rice complete with all the works to be delivered to your house this Christmas? Or fried chicken, maybe chicken with ginseng soup for a healthy kind of celebration? Chicken teriyaki perhaps? Or fall-off-the-bone tender baby back ribs? You can have them delivered by Kookoo. Simply phone in your orders one day ahead at 0917-6267211.

Midnight Bakers, which is a sister company of Kookoo dedicated to baking breads, pastries and pies, also offers delightful individual-sized bibingkas in boxes of six, savory chicken pies and more. Orders may be coursed through the same number.

FESTIVE BUFFET OPTIONS

Inspired by well-loved Christmas traditions, Guevarra's has curated a Pinoy-forward menu with a modern take, giving classic dishes a Pinoy flavor twist while staying all-natural and sans MSG.

For appetizers, there's bite-sized beef empanaditas (hot) and Christmas devilled eggs (cold) and two sandwiches, Caramelized Ham and Cheese Pandesal and Adobo Liver Pate and Cold Cuts Sandwich, on the buffet this Christmas. Plus two soups, creamy seafood bisque and chicken and ham broth with basil purée, on alternating cycles.

Salad comes in the form of Apple & Romaine Salad with honey peanut dressing, bacon and potato salad in garlic mayo, and roast chicken macaroni salad.

The mains are, yes, the main event, with Christmas Bringhe Jambalaya, camaron rebosado with sweet chili dip, crispy fish fillet in salted labahita sauce, braised pork asado, lengua in shiitake cream sauce and crispy pato in orange sauce. Spaghetti with longganisa meatballs and sweet potato gratin are the accompanying carbs.            

At the carving station, guests have house-cured honey glazed ham, bacon and spinach embutido and chicken galantina to choose from.

And there's always room for dessert with ube leche flan, puto bumbong, mini bibingka, Red Velvet crinkles, crema de fruta, turon triangles, buko salad, cheese cupcake, pandan de coco bread, and pan de regla.

Guevarra's is located at 387 P. Guevarra Street corner Argonne Street, San Juan City. For inquiries and reservations, contact 0998-8813200.

HOT AND COLD INDULGENCES

It's the perfect time for Halo Halo Story to launch two new creations—Ubeng Ube ng Kapitbahay (which is available only at the SM Centerpoint branch) and ubeng champorado with danggit or cheese.

The former is like a combination of Halo Halo Story's Ubeng Ube, a best-seller, and Halo Halo ng Kapitbahay. It is artisan ube ice cream, special frozen ube milk, leche flan, banana cinnamon, nata de coco, macapuno, red beans, white beans, kaong, ube halaya, red and green gelatin, and rice crispies for P188. The latter is a new breakfast or meryenda item priced at P138.

CAKES GALORE

Looking for cakes to give friends, relatives and colleagues? Le Delicieux Patisserie and Café offers a number of delectable choices, including Mango Dream Cake (nutty meringue base with two layers of light chiffon filled with fresh cream and mango slices, and topped with mango); salted caramel cake (light chiffon cake filled and frosted with salted caramel and decorated with buttercream flowers); and dark Belgian cake (a layer each of nutty meringue, moist chocolate cake and mocha chiffon with mocha buttercream filling and dark Belgian chocolate coating), among the best – sellers. Le Delicieux is located at 1763-G Paz Guazon Street, Paco, Manila.