Going Through The Motions

Second Blog

2011-01-28T16:58:00.002+08:00

Hi there! Due to some minor quirks, I decided to have a second blog.

Same concept - ramblings of a corporate refugee.

Very random - just about anything that caught my fancy.

Less wordy - It still makes me cringe when I read my previous posts, so I'll try to talk less.

Ktnxbye.

Ooops, here's the link.

Savoring Saigon: Pho 24

2010-12-09T23:18:00.001+08:00

When: November 21, 2010

A trip to Vietnam will never be complete without trying its signature dish - phở! I could still remember my first taste of phở at Phở Hoa a few months ago. I fell in love with it, of course, even though the cilantro left an undesirable taste on my tongue. So, on our first night in Ho Chi Minh City, we absolutely came into agreement to try authentic phở in Phở 24.

I saw the sign!

Phở 24 has a several branches scattered all over the city. The phở restaurants that are closer in proximity to our hotel are Phở 24 and Phở 2000, which are both located near Ben Thanh Market. We were apprehensive enough to try the phở inside Ben Thanh Market or those being sold at the night market outside Ben Thanh. My folks are not that adventurous enough to try street food much less in a foreign country.

Phở bò viên or phở with beef meat balls (45,000 VND or Php 112.50)

We all enjoyed our own variants of phở. My folks picked phở bò (beef phở), BF got phở gà (chicken phở) and I picked phở bò viên (phở with beef meat balls). Each order of phở came with a plate filled with cilantro, basil, lime, chili, bean sprouts and onions.

Dessert: bánh flan or caramel flan

I love this creamy custard because it's not too sweet like our leche flan. Phở 24 also had a wide variety of fruit juices. Their pineapple juice was surprisingly superb as it came straight from fresh pineapple fruit and not from the can.

Courtesy of the friendly waiter

I couldn't help but noticed that the prices are budget-friendly compared to Vietnamese restaurants in Manila. Nothing beats eating phở in the land where it originated!

Phở 24

134 Le Thanh Ton Street (near Ben Thanh Market)

Ho Chi Minh City

Savoring Saigon: Kim Cafe

2010-12-08T10:32:00.003+08:00

When: November 21, 2010

On our first day at Ho Chi Minh City, we agreed to book a guided city tour for only USD 13/pax. We were picked up by a mini-coaster bus at 8:30 a.m. at the hotel and the tour was indeed a sensory overload that is Ho Chi Minh City. The entire tour was very entertaining mainly because of the funny accent of our tour guide named Po. The tour includes a "limited lunch", which was aptly described as rice with pork and steamed vegetables, at Kim Cafe. The said cafe is very popular with backpackers in District 1 as it served low-priced yet authentic Vietnamese dishes and also offers package tours all around Vietnam and Cambodia.

We still felt full from our hotel's breakfast buffet so we decided to skip the limited lunch and have a light lunch instead. What's a light lunch? For us, it means Saigon bia (beer), gỏi cuốn (summer rolls) and bánh xèo (sizzling cake or popularly known as Vietnamese pancake).

Ma & Pa

Saigon bia and softdrinks

Since it was sweltering hot outside, I ordered Fanta orange. I suddenly remember my freshman year at St. Mary's School in CDO where I had my daily Fanta fix, only because it's the most popular softdrink then. Gone are those days.

Gỏi cuốn with lotsa lotsa peanut sauce!

I noticed that in Vietnamese restos in Manila, they usually give small amounts of peanut sauce for summer rolls.

Cholimex hot sauce

Our tour guide suggested that gỏi cuốn is best enjoyed with peanut sauce and hot sauce. I totally agree!

Saigon beer and summer rolls = perfect duo!

Bánh xèo (Vietnamese pancakes) with nuoc cham (Vietnamese fish sauce thinned with water and lemon)

I felt so healthy while eating this. I've been looking for some authentic bánh xèo in the metro for weeks now.

Ready for our next stop

Lunch at Kim Cafe was indeed a wonderful starter for our search for authentic Vietnamese fare. Good thing it's included in the package tour. Steaming bowls of phở were constantly delivered to the tables straight from the kitchen. The place has the same ambiance with our local carenderia here in the Philippines, but the tourists clearly enjoyed the affordability and authenticity of this food joint.

Kim Cafe

268 Dê Tham Street

Ho Chi Minh City

Savoring Saigon: Fanny Ice Cream

2010-11-29T17:36:00.002+08:00

When: November 24, 2010

After our delicious lunch at Lemongrass in Dong Khoi area, we continued exploring the city on foot. Since Vietnam and the Philippines are blessed with tropical climates, the best way to cool down is to have some ice cream, right? Mrs. Martinez, a famous lifestyle blogger, recommended this ice cream parlor when she learned that I'll be going to Ho Chi Minh City. It was such a huge relief on my part to just rely on other people's recommendation and most of them are significantly true to their words. Fanny Ice Cream reportedly serves the best ice cream in town.

Lots of ice cream flavors

Cute water pitcher and glasses

In Vietnam, it's almost mandatory that they serve complimentary green tea or water to the diners. I have to commend the staff for serving us bottomless ice-cold water during our brief stay. At first, we were cautious about drinking water served in the restos since we're in a foreign country. Good thing there's a convenience store similar to 7-11 right infront of our hotel where we buy our daily supply of bottled water. :)

My choice: chili chocolate or chocolat piment (26,000 VND or Php 58.47)

I didn't regret ordering this unique flavor. I happened to love the exciting combination of sweet chocolate and the spicy kick of chili. I can easily compare it with FIC brand in the Philippines due to the rich flavor. It also reminds me of my new favorite wasabi ice cream in Yaku at The Podium.

Folks enjoying kem sura (ice cream)

Mama's choice: durian or sau rieng (28, 000 VND or Php 62.97)

Papa's choice: passion fruit sorbet (24,000 VND or Php 53.98)

BF's choice: rum raisins or rum nho (28, 000 VND or Php 62.97)

I'd say you'll get giddy if you order rum raisins. The alcohol content in it will make you eat a bit more slowly than the usual.

Kem sura lovers unite!

Two thumbs up for Fanny

Even with just one scoop, it's more than enough to tell that Fanny is certainly one of the best ice creams I've had in my life. Armed with a city map and pen and paper, we were able to find this quiet ice cream spot in District 1. Never hesitate to ask the locals in case you get lost since they are most helpful in finding the exact spot. :)

Fanny Ice Cream

29-31 Ton That Thiep Street, District 1

Ho Chi Minh City

(beside Temple Club resto)

Savoring Saigon: Lemongrass Vietnamese Cuisine

2010-11-29T16:42:00.003+08:00

When: November 24, 2010

Prior to our HCMC getaway, I've been browsing travel guides for gastronomic adventures in the city. I was totally hooked to the travellers-slash-foodies' recommendations that I almost suffered from Vietnamese cuisine info overload. We made sure that we sampled authentic Vietnamese food since it's predominantly vegetarian owing to the Buddhist values. And since my family are certified veggie lovers, we definitely made the most logical choice to go food tripping.

On our last day in HCMC, we had our lunch at Lemongrass, a seemingly hip but homey resto that serves Vietnamese cuisine. We were seated comfortably at the 2nd floor and the crew were all friendly and polite. We noticed that we were the only Asians dining in the resto. Most of them are Europeans who are trying out the ubiquitous phở.

The menu

Wacky folks

Papa & his guava juice (49,000 VND or Php 110.20)

In Vietnam, one will never get disappointed with fruit juices. One little sip and you can immediately tell it was made from fresh fruit hence very refreshing.

Dragon fruit juice (49, 000 VND or Php 110.20) and iced tea (10,000 VND or Php 22.50)

Their iced tea was more of cold herbal tea. If you're used to sweet iced tea, then this one's not for you.

Complimentary prawn crackers

In less than ten minutes, our orders arrived piping hot! Just looking at the pictures now made me oh-so hungry.

BF's pick: Grilled skewer seafood with satay (99,000 VND or Php 222.65)

Steamed rice in a big bowl (19,000 VND or Php 42.75)

My order: rice-vermicelli with sauteed beef and onion (89,000 VND or Php 200.16)

This was the best Vietnamese meal I've had! This dish is to die for! The beef strips were very tender and flavorful and the vegetables on the side are so fresh and crunchy. The sauce is similar to our fish sauce (patis) with sugar and chili bits. Try sprinkling some sauce to the noodles to fully enjoy the complete burst of flavors in your mouth.

Mama's order: rice-vermicelli soup with fish (69,000 VND or Php 155.18)

Note that this dish has the same garnishes as phở: cilantro, basil, lime, bean sprouts, onions and peppers.

Papa's order: fried rice with seafood in clay pot (119,000 VND or Php 267.63)

One hungry tummy indeed

Post-lunch pics

After settling our bill, BF and I stayed for a while for some camwhoring. My folks went out to buy some Communist T-shirts as souvenirs just outside the resto. Ho Chi Minh is a city that surely tantalizes one's taste buds. You'll never run out of choices whether you love Chinese, Italian or French cuisine because the city is filled with bustling restos ranging from budget to splurge categories. Lemongrass, for instance, is classified by Wikitravel as mid-range.

Lemongrass

4 Nguyen Thiep Street

Ho Chi Minh City

(near Saigon Opera House in Dong Khoi)

Friday Food Trip: Jatujak + Choco Moist & Fruits

2010-11-29T10:33:00.001+08:00

When: November 26, 2010

After savoring healthy and delicious Vietnamese food in our recent Saigon (now: Ho Chi Minh City) getaway, we decided to check out another superb Asian cuisine - Thai food! While writing this post, I suddenly have this crazy craving to find the most delish bánh xèo (Vietnamese pancake) in Manila. But for now, let's go Thai at Jatujak. The resto name is quite catchy; it refers to the largest market in Thailand.

Very round spoon eh?

Thai iced tea (Php 78 each)

I must admit that their iced tea was superb. It's certainly not powdered ice tea mix that you blend with water but it was real tea with milk. It totally reminded me of my favorite nai cha or the Hong Kong-style milk tea.

Pla Mug Kratiem Prig Thai (Php 220) ~ squid with cilantro, garlic and pepper

The waiter told us that the dishes are good for sharing, so we didn't bother ordering more. Perfect for budget-conscious people like us. The squid dish was rich in flavor and not overcooked. Perfect with the fried rice below.

Kao Pad Ruamit (Php 155) ~ fried rice with chicken, pork and shrimps

Their generous serving of fried rice can feed three people, thus we carbo-loaded that night. Whew.

Since I'm not in the mood for sticky rice dessert, we capped off our delicious dinner with yummy choco moist from SM Supermarket. I have grown to love chocolate cake as a dessert and I discovered this affordable but yummy chocolate cake a few months ago at the grocery area. Last week, this was only priced at Php 69 so I was surprised when I saw this! A five-peso increase in a week? Oh c'mon!

Choco moist (Php 74) at SM Supermarket bread section

Affordable, perfect for sharing, moist and not cloyingly sweet.

Grapes and orange wedges (with rock salt please)

Inspired by the healthy lifestyle of the Vietnamese, I munched on fruits when I got home. Burp! I love love love Friday food trips!

Jatujak

UG/F Building A

SM Megamall

Army Navy

2010-11-25T19:00:00.002+08:00

When: November 19, 2010

I was tad curious about this fierce-sounding burger joint in the metro. My friends had warned me that the burger is not that impressive as compared to Chili's but my curiosity reigned as always.

After placing our orders, I took the chance to take a good look at the interiors. I find their wall signs unique. I could picture out a giant burrito monster at the end.

It seems that only a few members of the crew manned the kitchen that night. After a major, major delay, our orders came out from the small window in installment basis. Argh. First off, the fries.

Freedom fries (Php 60) ~ seasoned thin cut, crispy, zesty fries

I love these fries! Very flavorful and less oily than Mcdonald's twister fries. They vanished in the blink of an eye.

After what seemed like forever, the burgers arrived in metal plates.

Classic burger (Php 135) ~ single quarter-pound beef patty with lettuce, tomato slice and onions

True enough, it was not an all-beef patty. It's high on extenders. The toasted sesame seed kaiser bun saved the day though.

Small bite

Big bites!

Good thing there's unlimited supply of mayo in the condiments area. I literally splattered my burger with it. Yummy nevertheless.

Army Navy

Glorietta 5

I ♥ Dulcinea's Churros con Chocolate

2010-11-18T19:05:00.002+08:00

When: November 7, 2010

Whenever I see Dulcinea in malls, churros con chocolate immediately comes to mind. This Spanish doughnut used to be my favorite during my senior year in law school. Whew! It seems like only yesterday. Since there's nothing interesting to blog about these days, I might as well proceed with my food blogs. On an afternoon stroll en route to my Sunday trip to Booksale, I chanced upon Dulcinea and decided to relive my churros days! Yes, I am that random and quirky.

Desde 1963

We ♥ churros

Churros con chocolate (Php 98)

Sopa de mariscos (Php 85) ~ seafood medley soup

The soup was surprisingly excellent and perfect partner for churros!

More churros lovin'...

... and some more churros lovin'

I guess our churros was the most paparazzi-ed churros that afternoon. :)

Dulcinea

2/F Ali Mall

Araneta Center

Il Dolce Far Niente, Part Uno

2010-11-15T14:56:00.006+08:00

The title has been obviously inspired by Eat Pray Love, the most recent film I've watched. It's the time of the year where I usually feel so lazy. Blame it on the intermittently slow workload, holiday spirit and, horror of all horrors, a major bus strike? Oh well. One sure-fire way of cheering myself up is to take a peek at my camera and sort things out. That being said, I noticed my drafts have piled up and I don't want to be buried in a mountain of drafts, do I? So, here goes another random post from two weekends ago.

One of my quirks is to try new things, relatively speaking. So when my officemate and I were homeward bound one night, we tried this coffee & hot choco vendo machine near Ayala MRT just because.

The news literally came alive in Manila Bulletin 3D edition. Some images are best viewed using the 3D glasses.

General rule: I dread deep-fried food. But the rule admits of an exception - Twistix potato! As a certified cheese lover, I had my crunchy and uniquely shaped potato sprinkled with lotsa cheese.

Twistix potato is the best when paired with peppermint mocha frap! Trust me on this. This is an unhealthy breakfast combo but it isn't a crime to deviate from health standards once in a while, right?

I can't imagine my weekends without going to Booksale. It's a foolproof way to keep me sane in this phase called "the sweetness of doing nothing".

I never really produced a sane idea when I'm dead tired from doing nothing at the office, thus I captured all these random stuff.

Pinoydon + Starbucks Peppermint-y Goodies

2010-11-14T21:26:00.002+08:00

When: November 6, 2010

In this blog of mine, I show my slice of gratitude to the BF. He has now evolved to a perfect companion during food trips. Why? He now gave me full support to take pictures of what we're eating, unlike before wherein I contented myself with ninja shots of food. So, thanks are in order. Oops, it's not really my dream to be a food photographer but I take simple delight in staring at food pictures. Yes, I torture myself with those. :)

Last Saturday, we had dinner at Pinoydon. It's a simple resto that boasts of Japanese-Filipino fusion cuisine.

The menu

Batchoy ramen (Php 120) ~ ramen noodles in a rich Japanese broth topped with sliced pork, chicharon, quail eggs and fried garlic

Manila maki (Php 125) ~ nilasing na hipon and lettuce, rolled in garlic sushi rice and topped with Japanese mayo

Tocino alfredo pasta (Php 145) ~ creamy carbonara with tocino bits and served with pugon slice

The pasta was so heavy on the tummy. It took me a long time to finish the whole plate. The overall taste didn't impress me though.

Pics with Santa Claus

After dinner, we continued strolling and found a familiar fellow - Santa Claus! We didn't waste our chance to have a picture with him. Young at heart we are! Since we're then enveloped with Christmassy-like happiness, we capped the evening with holiday treats at Starbucks. Oh, for the love of that planner.

Tall peppermint mocha (Php 150) and peppermint brownie (Php 70)

I skipped coffee since I want to sleep the night away. To the man who still makes my heart skip a beat (in a good way, that is) - thank you so, so much! :)

Pinoydon -5/F
Starbucks -G/F

The Podium

Yaku Japanese Grill + Sebastian's Chilly Burger

2010-11-07T20:37:00.004+08:00

When: November 5, 2010

Friday traffic can really make a person hungry. In our case, that's what happened. While braving the traffic, the carbo monster in me got so famished even though I had already stuffed myself with delectable portions of spaghetti, pancit palabok and pichi-pichi before leaving the office. So, BF and I decided to eat again. In an instant, I voiced out my craving for something Japanese. After browsing almost all the restos at The Podium, we found ourselves entering this partially lit Japanese resto called Yaku.

Free appetizer: dilis!

Their dilis is to die for! It's sweet and crunchy at the same time.

Nabeyaki udon (Php 292.32)

We asked the server if they can split the serving and he accomodated our request. Their udon was far more tasty than Kimono Ken's. Their nabeyaki udon contained generous pieces of mushrooms, shrimps and other meaty/chewy bits. More importantly, the broth tastes a-okay.

Gyuniku (Php 161.28) ~ spring onions wrapped in beef

At first, I had no idea what gyuniku is. I was captivated by the pretty picture in the menu and I pointed it out to the server. We're happy that this Japanese food taught me to appreciate spring onions. Never underestimate this dish because it's so filling.

Presenting our busog faces!

True enough, Yaku Japanese Grill boasts of an ambiance perfect for those who want to have some peace and quiet and, of course, delicious Japanese food! We consider going back to Yaku when Japanese food craving strikes again.

We capped off our dinner date with chilly burger from Sebastian's Ice Cream Studio and had it split into two halves. It only took me one bite and I was in ice cream nirvana!

Chilly burger (Php 120) ~ peanut butter cup burger (peanut butter cup cookies filled with chocolate ice cream and rolled in even more chopped peanut butter cups)

Interesting ice cream variants

I'd love to try that Fro-Ya flavor next time! Now, who doesn't love Friday dates? ♥♥♥

Yaku Japanese Grill

3/F, The Podium

Sebastian's Ice Cream

4/F, The Podium

Another Super Slow Long Weekend

2010-11-03T21:06:00.001+08:00

When: October 30-November 1, 2010

I suppose this blog is a living document of my daily activities. Well, almost. It keeps me in check. And so I go. So here's how my recent long weekend fared along. I feel old and young all at once, but mostly young. My "young" feeling comes somewhat from the fact that I am happy to share pictures which made me smile somehow. Or is it the other way around? In real life, I'm old, that's why I took delight in cheap thrills? Geez, I don't know. :)

Our pet cat Tisoy is such a sleepyhead. Here, he seemed so peaceful and comfortable catching some zzz's in my sister's lap. Plans to tickle him at his most vulnerable state were aplenty!

Durian love! FYI, I love durian. It's an acquired taste, really. The whole family loves durian. And I feel sorry for those people who can't stand its smell.

Oh, puh-leez, enough with McDo's Twister Fries craze. It's time to go back to pizza fries. :)

Gave some TLC to my recent and not-so-recent book haul. A roll of plastic that cost Php 30 covered these thirteen (13) books. Pretty cool and, yes, a nerdy side of me.

An impromptu walking tour to Tomas Morato was rewarded with Cherry Garcia! I literally squealed with delight when I saw this yummy pint in Rustan's Supermarket at Il Terrazo. Memories of Ben & Jerry's ice cream parlor in Barracks Road rushed in. It was fun reminiscing how we discovered this ice cream and, since then, it became our mutual favorite.

For a pricey ice cream, I must have a souvenir shot. Hahaha!

When we got home, we stuffed ourselves with Mama's version of spaghetti with (cute) meatballs. I had two platefuls. Argh.

Family, love, food, books, good health and prayers to departed souls. That's my long weekend. I still feel old and young. :)

New DO!

2010-11-03T19:44:00.001+08:00

Let me preface this post by saying that I am a 100%advocate of "a woman's hair is her crowning glory". I am a firm believer of a woman's right to choose what hairstyle she would want to have.

That being said...

I couldn't believe that I sported an utterly dry hair for almost a year. By reasonable standards, the "after" pic is the most practical haircut I've had since 2008. On my first short hair day, I had it blow dried. Please note that my hair can really get out of control and "fly" to opposite directions. It felt strange at first to have a bit of a bare back. I love my new hair to bits!

Kangaroo Jack

2010-11-03T18:37:00.002+08:00

When: October 30, 2010

A quick research tells me that Kangaroo Jack is "a steak lover’s haven with its menu boasting ofdelectable porterhouse, tenderloin, and T-bone steaks, sizzling mealsand grills. It also serves burgers, pizza, nachos, quesadilla and avariety of chicken, ribs, seafood, and pasta dishes, all priced muchlower than that of the big brands currently available in the market." Just to satisfy my curious foodie self, I convinced the BF that we should try it.

The menu

The resto interior was surprisingly impressive, maybe because it's fairly new.

Spot 'em!

We noticed that there were hardly no diners that afternoon. Either people are busy trooping to cemeteries or the food's bad, I didn't know yet at that moment. The couple on the far end are members of the crew having their late lunch. Now, let's go to the food.

Marinara (Php 169) ~ house favorite, a mix of all-time favorite seafoods tossed over special marinara sauce. Served with garlic bread.

Yes, that's what BF ordered. I took a couple of fettucine strands to pass verdict. Well, the pasta sauce was too sweet.

Hungarian & pasta (Php 139) ~ grilled hungarian sausage served with white or red pasta and garlic bread

I chose this combo meal since I love pasta and hungarian sausage. My verdict? Just okay. You really got what you paid for. I can tell that the sauce came straight from instant spaghetti sauce pouch. :)

Banana fritters with vanilla ice cream (Php 55)

I thought that the dessert would save the day, but we were wrong. They used rancid oil for frying the turon. Oh well, it must be the food and not the holiday.

Kangaroo Jack (near Mang Inasal)

Araneta Center

The Original Singapore Chicken Rice

2010-11-01T19:57:00.001+08:00

When: October 28, 2010

Truth to tell, I'm not a big fan of Singaporean food except laksa.True to my on-going quest to try affordable yet authentic Singaporean fare, I gave the cuisine another try. This time, it's at The Original Singapore Chicken Rice.

Mama and I got curious of this simple-looking restaurant in the unnoticed portion of Shopwise Arcade. My description may be so lame, but the food there is really worth a try. The best thing about our dinner? It's pretty affordable and a nice alternative from the fastfood chains in the area.

White chicken rice meal - "cool" moist white chicken and "warm" flavorful chicken rice served with a tangy special sweet chili sauce and Singapore achara (Php 95)

I enjoyed my white chicken rice. The chicken rice wasn't as flavorful as I'd hoped, though. It's sort of a miracle for me to say that, considering my not-so-good white chicken rice (or Singapore chicken rice) experience in the past with the BF. Click here and here.

Nasi lemak (menu says: a unique breakfast and excellent merienda) - premium rice cooked in cooconut cream served with crispy dilis, sweet crunchy nuts, a slice of omelet and a special sweet chili sauce (Php 35)

You bet, it's only Php 35! Mama had this and I can tell that she ordered this to satisfy her curious self. You have to mix all the ingredients together to fully enjoy the nasi lemak. I find it weird, sorry. :)

The Original Singapore Chicken Rice (near Lapid Dental Center and Booksale)

Gen. Roxas Avenue

Araneta Center

Carver's Steaks and Sizzlers

2010-11-01T18:48:00.002+08:00

When: October 19, 2010

One day, the BF and I practically ran out of food choices in the Araneta Center area. It must be a massive oversight on my part for not eating at Carver's Steaks and Sizzlers. It was surprisingly cheap and the food was good in this price range. So I pointed out to him this food joint which is easily transformed to a beer-drinking yuppie place at night.

The menu

I just had my hair chopped off before our dinner date. I've been sporting my new 'do for almost two weeks now and my hair has been very obedient. Good job to Going Straight!

What's with the face, huh? LOL!

Combo meal: 2 cups of Java rice, sizzling chicken and beef strips, pitcher of iced tea and moussert (Php 299)

I didn't expect much from the featured dessert called moussert. It's actually an overly sweet cheapo kind of choco mousse.

Sizzling goodness up close

The beef strips were exceptionally tender, while the sizzling chicken was just okay. Imagine your ordinary fried chicken with lots of gravy on top and that's it.

New find: Nestle Chuckie choco swirl (Php 15)

After the meal, I begged the BF to go to Rustan's Supermarket ice cream section and I'm proud of my new find - Nestle Chuckie choco swirl! I love the gooey chocolate swirl in the middle of the popsicle! Definitely one of life's cheapest thrills! :)

Carver's Steaks and Sizzlers

Shopwise Arcade

Araneta Center

My Looooong Weekend in Pictures

2010-10-25T21:26:00.004+08:00

When: October 22-25, 2010

Just so you know, my long weekend started last Friday. Since October 25 has been declared as a special non-working holiday to give way to Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, I called in sick last Friday to fully enjoy my long weekend. Again, I didn't exercise my right of suffrage. As much as I want to spend the long weekend in any tourist destination, that chance seemed elusive nowadays. Gotta save for an upcoming vacay!

My long weekend focuses on cheap thrills and random things that made me smile. It's basically life on the slow lane. Or calories and forgetting my vow not to munch on deep-fried.

Red Ribbon's crispy chicken with mango barbecue sauce

I had crispy chicken meal (pictured above) for dinner last Thursday. It's not officially part of the long weekend but, heck, it's a new discovery. I can proudly say I can cook much better than that! So I moved to another search for good fried chicken the next day. I found it at KFC with its newest chicken variant - Chili Lime chicken (see below). Spicy yet citrusy. Okay, I'll say this to capture it all - it was finger lickin' good! :)

KFC's Chili Lime Chicken

Then came my obligatory trip to the mall with my nephew on Friday nights. Two things that make us both happy are: (1) latest K-Zone mag and (2) DQ's moolatte. What made him happier was that the latest K-Zone featured his fave cartoon hero, Ben 10. At my age, I still read K-Zone to keep me updated of the kiddie world. Hahaha!

Ben 10 + DQ = silencio

Then off to Empanada Nation we went for dinner. It was my second time to visit this familiar stall along Roces Street. This time, the BF went with us and had our bagnet (fried pork belly) fix. I'm not very much familiar with bagnet and the KBL that comes with it. Hmmmm, Marcos? No, KBL means kamatis (tomato), bagoong (shrimp paste) and lasong (small onions).

Bagnet with red egg, garlic rice and KBL

And of course, I can't simply refuse not to taste (again) the famous Ilocos empanada. I think I hoarded enough fat in my body for just one day. Shame.

Saturday was junk food & movie day with siblings Ivan & Nikki, nephew Dave and my one and only sis-in-law She. Thank God for this generous H & W tandem for the movie treat. The movie house roared in laughter at Vice Ganda's punch lines. He was undeniably hilarious! :)

Funnier than the original (remember when?)

Also, my sis Nikki and I had a mini-food fest at Shopwise Arcade food alley. Looking at the picture now makes me sick. Lucky us, no embarrasing public lavatory trip right after.

Blueberry danish, siomai, scramble and tuna kani panini

I'm a sucker for souvenir shots. Those orange pumpkins were too cute to ignore.

My HH 2010 souvenir pic at Trinoma Mall (big thanks to my buddy Princess)

After window-shopping and exchanging stories, we decided to go cheapo by eating at Mister Donut. Hahaha! Oh, who would've thought that Mister Donut has good penne pasta? I must say that it was very al dente, cheesy and affordable.

Baked tomato and sausage penne (Php 60 -beat that!) and Belgian choco lava (Php 30)

Okay, enough with gastronomy. Something new now.

My super mouth telephone!

Here's something lovely amidst my random reads over the long weekend. A single red rose from the BF in honor of our 16th monthsary (October 24). Cheesy, I know. *huge grin*

*sigh*

Wow, I'm starting to sort of enjoy slow-paced, long weekends! :)

Italian Goodness @ Amici

2010-10-23T19:44:00.004+08:00

When: October 21, 2010

The BF's mother is here in Manila for a two-week vacation and, in fact, she celebrated her 63rd birthday last Thursday. Weeks ago, with this celebration in mind, I kept asking the BF where in the world shall we eat during this special day. As repeatedly pointed out by the BF, his mother doesn't have a big appetite and not a picky eater as well. So the only logical choice would be any food spot where BF and I would mutually enjoy. It should be near BF's office. Location, check. Our mutual favorite. Italian food, check. Name of resto? Aha, Amici it is!

My first Amici experience was at their original location at Don Bosco Makati where I had the ~~green-colored pasta~~ spinach fusili montanara and gelato. Their gelato is quite exceptional so I went out to buy a big tub at their newest branch in Tomas Morato that time just so my siblings would know it. I love sharing good food, you see. :)

Spaghetti red vongole e gamberetti (Php 260) ~ pasta served with special red sauce and bounties of the sea

Well, seafood pasta is one of the reasons why BF loves Italian food. Except for those kinds with meatballls in it, he respects tomato-based pasta with seafood. He shared this pasta with the birthday girl, er, lady. :)

Cannelloni agli spinaci (Php 240) ~ a classic favorite! Pasta tubes filled with spinach and ricotta cheese topped with tomato sauce and a layer of creamy cheese

This dish was way too heavy for me. I felt like a genuine glutton after eating.

Al quattro formaggi (Php 295) ~ four cheeses

Never underestimate this plain-looking, thin-crust pizza. It was good especially when I sprinkled chili flakes on it.

Mango sans rival gelato cake (Php 95) ~ a mango lover's dream! Delightful mango gelato mixed with to-die for sans rival gelato embedded in layers of crunchy meringue wafers

Just to immortalize in pictures (read: photo ops purposes) that it's really BF's mother that day, we asked the server if she can put a candle on the gelato cake. Very cute slice of cake! The taste? Delish!

Smile then burp!

Now, where's the birthday lady? Here she is.

Happy birthday, Ma'am Tuding!

Notice the similarities? It's a case of photocopied genes. Hahaha! :)

Amici

3/F SM Megamall Atrium

Chocomize is Love!

2010-10-23T11:19:00.001+08:00

Milk chocolate with candy corn, fall leaves and candy bats

Dark chocolate with candy bats and orange and black sugar

My heart literally stopped beating when I saw these chocolate bars today in A Cup Of Jo, a blog maintained by a magazine writer from New York. These Halloween-inspired chocolate bars came from Chocomize, a seriously rad shop that lets you build your own chocolate bars.

Two things made me wonder - (1) I'm not a chocolate fan and (2) I never did like Halloween, for crying out loud! Strange, isn't it? Now I find these chocolate bars very, very amusing and too cute for words! If only we have one cool chocolate shop here in Manila that offers similar services, then I'll definitely fall in line! I'm clueless about whether we have one in our shores though. It's not next to impossible, I know.

For now, I'll just remain engrossed browsing Chocomize site. :)

Reminiscing Childhood: Scramble!

2010-10-21T20:12:00.005+08:00

Back in grade school, I distanced myself from the wide array of street foods. I went to public school in the province and it's commonplace to see vendors selling all kinds of goodies ranging from banana cue and fritters, camote cue, pork barbecue, green mango (with bagoong or rock salt), semi-ripe papaya (with vinegar and salt), passion fruit (opened on top then you get to sprinkle salt to the seedy mix), cotton candy to... (cue suspense music) scramble! Those were the days. *sigh* Unfortunately, I was deprived of them during those days. My folks would usually warn me about the hepatitis scare. But the little rebel inside me would sometimes sneak away from folks' massive umbrella of concern. Gotcha!

Fast forward to 2010, I am now addicted to scramble goodness! Whoever invented this yummy treat is truly a genius!

The preparation of scramble is much, much more hygienic compared to yesteryears.

Rundown of costs:

Large tub of pink ice shavings with milk powder and choco syrup = Php 17

Toppings/add-ons (mini-marshmallows, rice krispies, chocolate sprinkles, candy sprinklesetc.) = Php 3

Happiness = priceless!

If you read this and don't (1) say "I want that!", (2) mentally include this in your next food trip or (3) go and buy one when you see a scramble stall around the metro, then you shouldprobably take memory enhancers or spiritual guidance (gasp) because you seem to have been deprived of one of the cheapest thrills of childhood. Also, I realize I am late on posting this, but it doesn'tmatter because scramble is timeless, at least for me. :)

Scramble stalls I've visited:

Buzbox Scrambles

SM Mall of Asia

Icebreaker Scrambles

ShopWise Cubao

Ice Cramble

Blessings & Prosperity Food Court

Ayala Avenue corner Rufino Street

"Double Double" @ Empanada Nation

2010-10-18T19:20:00.007+08:00

When: October 18, 2010

I had my first taste of the famous Ilocos empanada at Salcedo Market last August and I liked it so much. Although I still think that it was expensive (priced at Php 60) for a flimsy piece of fried orange pastry, I am still craving for it every now and then. When I got wind that Ilocos empanada is now available in the Scout Area, I was excited to grab one. And that happened awhile ago.

Photo credit: Empanada Nation's FB page

The little store is frequented by many yuppies working nearby. They seemed to be regular costumers of this empanada store which can be classified as a hole-in-the-wall type. The menu items were clearly written in two blackboards.

Without thinking twice, I ordered "double double" which means that my choice of empanada will have two pieces of Vigan garlicky longganisa and two eggs. Damn, double whammy to my self-imposed diet.

Sukang Ilocos

Looking at the bottles of Ilocos vinegar made me salivate already. After more or less five minutes, I finally got hold of this brightly colored empanada. Served hot and fresh!

Double double (Php 75) and Royal tru-orange (Php 30)

The ice-cold Royal tru orange was the best partner to my empanada. I was quite amazed with its size. It's much bigger and taller than the soda can. Well, it wouldn't be called "double double" if it doesn't contain the two pieces of longganisa and two eggs, right? Hence, the extra large size.

My generous sprinkling of sukang Ilocos added a flavor kick to this mighty Ilocano delicacy. Double double is double yummy! Be ready to burp with longganisa breath. Hahaha! :)

Empanada Nation

Scout Tuazon corner Roces Avenue

Quezon City

Birthday Lunch: Johnny Rockets + California Berry & More!

2010-10-17T22:30:00.009+08:00

When: October 13, 2010

I am now 30 and, believe me, this is puzzling. Details of my puzzlement will be somehow revealed in batches as I go along and document my life in this little nook in the web. Deep down inside, I still feel very young and I sincerely hope that it will show. Wishful thinking or not, I don't know. Hahaha!

Okay, allow me to ramble about adding another year to my earthling life. Big celebrations are not my thing. Several weeks prior, my folks posed these classic questions: Where are we going to celebrate? Shall we order food from CCME, Luk Foo or Savory? How about your cake? Pre-ordered (referring to Estrel's) or over the counter (Red Ribbon, Goldilocks or Conti's)? Blah-blah. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely appreciate my folks' concern over their firstborn's 30th birthday. Ladies and gentlemen, I just defied the family tradition and said no tothose. No cooking necessary either. I'm 30, get over it. It's just one day and it will certainlypass. Call it madness or non-conformist behavior but I happened to love my no-frills birthday!

At the Johnny Rockets entrance: Me, holding my Johnny Rockets take-out and a pink balloon (huge thanks to BF who dared to ask if he can get a balloon from the grand opening day leftovers) beside a life-size cardboard illustration of a woman in WWII armed services uniform. If this doesn't spell happy, then I don't know what is!

It will be a normal day, I promised myself. I pretty much evolved from not knowing much about birthday plans to enthusiastically reveling in little surprises. So I had a normal breakfast, normal shower, normal reading pace, normal playlist and then BF showed up. As promised, he appeared normal - meaning, no flowers and gifts mysteriously hidden somewhere. He then asked me where I'd like to have lunch and I instantly told him - Banapple at Il Terrazzo. So we trooped to Banapple but it was packed with yuppies. A few minutes later, we found ourselves entering Johnny Rockets. Whoa! Burger and fries on my special day, why not?

The concept is a diner-style resto circa 1950s. Very interesting!

Jukebox station in every table

Making a smiley face with ketchup on the paper plate when served french fries is a Johnny Rockets trademark. (Wikipedia)

The waitstaff assigned to us was very friendly and accommodating. Songs reminiscent of the swinging 1960s or Sunday classics blasted through the speakers. Then, all of a sudden, the staff began gyrating happily to the tune of Build Me Up Buttercup. What a pleasant dining experience it was!

The diners, BF and I included, were very much entertained with the dance number. Then the food.

# 12 (Php 335) ~ cheddar cheese, fresh lettuce, onion slice, pickle, mayonnaise &our tangy "red sauce." On a scale of one to ten, it's a twelve!

I thought it was too pricey and the only comforting fact I learned was that the burger actually included fries-all-you can. Never mind the fact that I avoid deep-fried stuff nowadays.

The birthday girl's order: sliders (Php 265) ~ mini-sliders with mayonnaise and pickles/ dijonnaise. Perfect for sharing.

I underestimated the capability of these little burgers to fill me up. They were in fact very juicy and heavy on the tummy. I even took the third dwarf burger home with me.

Drinks: bottomless lemonade (Php 110) and Coke in can (Php 85)

Well, dining at Johnny Rockets is definitely not for cheapskates like me. Hahaha! I've learned my lesson, thank you. While on our second plate of fries, the staff performed another dance number to the tune of Y.M.C.A.

Vintage shots

Can we take them home please?

Since I'm all for healthy dessert, then off to California Berry we went. We sampled their newest flavor - green apple - and it was okay, nothing fantastic.

Green apple fro-yo (Php 90, medium cup)

When I went home, I found the whole birthday spread lovingly carried by Lazy Susan. Oh wait, did I just say that I wanted no pre-ordered food? Oh well. Hahaha!

CCME's beef caldereta and lumpiang shanghai, Amber's spaghetti and pichi-pichi and ice-cold Coke

Did I just turn 30? :)

Johnny Rockets

205 Tomas Morato Street

Quezon City

California Berry

Kopiroti Building

186 Tomas Morato

Quezon City

Chocolate Pasta @ Heavenly Chocolates

2010-10-17T19:55:00.007+08:00

When: October 15, 2010

My extended birthday leave has got me bored a little bit. I figured out that staying at home (translation: sleeping too much, reading no-brainers or singing to my heart's content) will do me no good. So after paying the bills at the nearby supermarket, I went to Empanada Nation along Roces Avenue to have my Ilocos empanada fix. Unfortunately, it wasn't opened yet when I dropped by so I walked down a bit and, voila, found Heavenly Chocolates. From Ilocos empanada to chocolate pasta.. how odd, isn't it?

Chocolate pizza and extra large chocolate bar (priced at Php 600, if I remember it correctly)

The cafe is somewhat cozy, sort of Starbucks coffee shop withoutthe noisy caffeine-injected youngsters. Since I'm not really intochocolates and I was merely killing time, I ordered what seems to betheir house specialty. The following are chocolate facts found in one of the cafe's walls and I quote them in honor of the classic tagline "Did you know?":

The Aztec emperor Montezuma drank nothing but chocolate - fifty pitchers prepared for him each day.

Cocoa beans were used as Aztec currency: ten beans for a wife, and a hundred beans for a good slave.

Only Aztec kings and members of his court could drink chocolate. It was a drink for royalty.

In the 16th century, Hernan Cortez brought Montezuma's chocolate drink recipe to Europe.

House specialty: Montezuma chocolate pasta (Php 150) ~ penne pasta, cream, bacon bits, shallots and topped with bittersweet chocolate ganache

This chocolate pasta is the cafe's version of the traditional Pinoy combo of champorado and tuyo. I could barely finish this pasta dish. Hahaha! Truth to tell, I never had a hard time eating any pasta except this one. Sweet pasta doesn't appeal to me. The only thing that motivated me to finish (almost) is fear of food wastage.

After what seems to be forever... my table looked like this. There was no way that I could consume the fudge bar, my choice of dessert, which I requested to be served after my meal. I told the crew that I changed my mind and and will take the fudge bar home. I thought I suffered a chocolate overdose. *sigh*

My chocolate pasta experience was not so heavenly after all.

Heavenly Chocolates

Unit 1 Roces Center

127 Roces Avenue, Quezon City

(near Tomas Morato)

Dinner @ Pancake House with Mama & Sis

2010-10-16T22:17:00.001+08:00

When: October 12, 2010

A day before my birthday, generosity reigned in my heart. I finally gave in to my sister's clamor for a new pair of high-heeled footwear (strappy sandals in my book) for a school event. The quick shopping spree made me think - When was the last time I bought a new pair of shoes for a social event? I tried digging deeper into my memory bank but I failed to come up with a definite answer. Anyway, I extended my generosity a bit and was the dinner sponsor that night. Aha! I wore a "G" for generosity, so to speak, for that night. :)

I chose Pancake House that night since it's not packed with diners.

Mediterranean pasta salad (Php 160) ~ a medley of fusili noodles with olives, tomatoes, walnuts and bacon bits topped with alfalfa sprouts and waffle croutons

Mama chose this pasta salad over the potato salad that she had been eyeing for in the menu.

Chicken fillet with cheesy spinach pesto linguine (Php 195) ~ deep fried chicken breast on spinach pesto linguine sprinkled with parmesan

Pictured above was my top pick among the patio pasta choices. Too bad. It was too bland for my taste. I could have much better pesto at World Chicken for almost half the price.

House special set (Php 215) ~ a delicious mix specialties of the house: taco, spaghetti with garlic bread, pan chicken and iced tea (see below)

Nikki has always been a fastood fare fan, so she ordered the set which contains her two favorites: spaghetti and fried chicken.

Drinks: iced tea (from the House Special Set for Nikki), mango juice (me) and hot calamansi for Mama

Blueberry-filled pancakes (Php 147 for two pieces)

Since Pancake House is famous for pancakes (duh), we had some for dessert. Yum. Perfectly fluffy and not too sweet.

Pancake House

Gateway Mall

Pasta Dinner @ The Old Spaghetti House

2010-10-14T16:55:00.004+08:00

When: October 12, 2010

My enchanted team went to The Old Spaghetti House for dinner last Monday to celebrate our recent victory. We got 99.99% audit score after three weeks of hard work. Woohoo! No sweat. It's just a simple thing called team effort. It really pays to remain positive. During the whole process, I learned three things: (1) maintain sincere conversations with people across the miles; (2) be straightforward; and (3) don't blink at all. Hahaha!

Below are the pasta dishes we ordered. I'm drooling right now because of this Italian food porn. I don't know how each pasta dish tastes like since I was loyal to my own pasta that night. Two of my teammates had seafood pasta and and the other two had pesto. I, on the other hand, chose a white sauce pasta.

# 1 - Seafood marinara for SS

# 2 - Seafood marinara for DL (oops!)

# 3 - Pesto with grilled chicken for MS

# 4 - Pesto with grilled chicken for TV

# 5 - Beef stroganoff with fetuccine for me!

The beef strips are quite tender. It was good except that I had to sprinkle lots of parmesan cheese to kill the blandness.

Nacho supreme

We also had nachos before we ate our pasta. It was not impressive. I could easily replicate it at home and not scrimp on ingredients. Check out my previous entry about super nachos. :)

The Old Spaghetti House (a.k.a. TOSH)

Unit 1-A Paseo Parkview Tower

Valero corner Sedeno Sreets

Makati City

Binondo Food Trip: Wai Ying Fastfood

2010-10-12T23:07:00.000+08:00

When: October 10, 2010

After trying out Dong Bei's kutchay dumplings, we wandered off to Benavidez Street in Chinatown. This street is known for authentic Chinese restos and other hole-in-the-wall food spots. One of them is Wai Ying Fastfood, which boasts of good dim sum at relatively cheap prices.

These roasted peking ducks on display served as our clue that we found Wai Ying.

Since this is a hole-in-the wall food spot, I really didn't expect much in terms of cleanliness and aesthetic stuff. It then reminded me of my Macau getaway last June. I felt like I was pushed inside a time machine and I landed without warning in a hole-in-the wall somewhere in Senado Square where I had a similar experience. Chinese in the nearby tables, greasy table and Chinese characters in a laminated menu.

Hongkong milk tea (Php 50 each)

Two thumbs up for their milk tea! It's the closest thing to the milk teas I've had in Macau. Highly recommendable indeed.

Taro cake (Php 65) ~ a Chinese dish made from the vegetable taro

It's my first time to eat taro cake and I didn't enjoy it. I had this feeling that it was fried in a heavily greased pan. Since we're quite full, we didn't order much. We trooped to Quiapo then to Chinatown right after our heavy lunch at home. Suffice it to say that we entered Wai Ying just for the heck of it.

Hakaw (Php 65) ~ shrimp dumpling

Their hakaw is also a must-try. One can really see and taste the shrimps.

Taro cake with oyster sauce (I think)

Top view of our Wai-Ying experience

Will I go back? Sure! I'll try to skip lunch next time and be in Chinese dim sum heaven. :)

Wai Ying Fastfood

Benavidez Street

Binondo, Manila

Binondo Food Trip: Shanghai Fried Siopao

2010-10-12T11:09:00.003+08:00

When: October 10, 2010

As we were about to exit Chinatown, a savory whiff of siopao passed my nostrils. I immediately stopped in my tracks since I saw lots of people flocking inside this store which sells Chinese goodies. So I did not hesitate to ask the vendor if the siopao is fried in a large pan with cooking oil. The truth is, I dread deep-fried food stuff.

Lo and behold, it's not fried as a whole. It's just the bottom part that gets fried or lightly browned.

Shanghai fried siopao (Php 16 each)

For this quick photoshoot, I split one piece into two to check the filling. Yum. This siopao is packed with meaty goodness and, hey, it has chives too. I saw no signs of scrimping on ingredients here.

Very affordable and tasty. I'd love to go back and buy a frozen pack next time.

Shanghai Fried Siopao

Ongpin Street

Binondo, Manila

Binondo Food Trip: Dong Bei Dumpling

2010-10-11T14:09:00.007+08:00

When: October 10, 2010

We (Mama, BF & me) were supposed to scout for a DSLR in Hidalgo Street but it turned that most camera shops in the area are closed during Sundays. Prior to our bargain hunting, we were quite unsure of what our Plan B is just in case we won't find any good price. I was almost ready to disregard the thought of mingling in the Sunday human traffic in Quiapo. Believe me, snatchers and market smell are big turn-offs but, heck, that much-coveted DSLR must be prioritized above all.

Anyway, our uncertainty of finding a good DSLR proved to be true and no DSLR landed in our hands. So, mutual gut feel made us realize that - why don't we go to Chinatown? The mere mention of Binondo equates to food! Since it's 10-10-10 yesterday, a trip to Chinatown is just a fitting tribute to one of the lucky dates in the Chinese calendar.

After the obligatory visit to Binondo Church (formal name: Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz), we had our first stop at Dong Bei Dumpling. Note the absence of letter "s" at the end. Many foodies are raving about its kutchay (Chinese chives) dumplings which are freshly made at the entrance of this hole-in the-wall.

Kutchay dumplings 101

Dumpling wrapper

We had, of course, the famous kutchay dumplings. The filling is actually a mixture of pork and kutchay.

Kutchay & pork dumplings (Php 100 for 14 pieces)

Yes, the dumplings are very tasty. It's much more appreciated when dipped in chili soy sauce. Yum. It's my first time to eat this kind of dumpling so I wouldn't know if it's the best kutchay dumpling in town.

A closer look at the filling

I hope they have disposable chopsticks next time.

Cold drinks: Wong Lo Kat herbal tea (Php 35) and Royal Tru-Orange (Php 25)

The herbal tea reminded me of black gulaman drink but without the gulaman bits.

Yuchengco corner V. Tytana (formerly Oriente) Streets - the exact location of Dong Bei

Will Dong Bei Dumpling be included in my next food trip in Chinatown.Definitely! I'd love to try the fried version of their dumplings andsome Chinese pancake.

Dong Bei Dumpling

642 Yuchengco Street

Binondo, Manila

(behind Binondo Church)

The Night I Saw A Damaso Shirt

2010-10-10T23:22:00.008+08:00

When: October 7, 2010

One moonlit night, I saw a Damaso shirt being displayed at The Reading Room in Cubao Expo.

Padre Damaso is a character in Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere. He is one of themost notorious characters in the novel, which revolves around the abuses ofSpanish friars during the 19th century. So Filipino 3 in HS and Life and Works of Jose Rizal in college, right? I thought so. Seriously, Damaso shirts are being sold around the metro to support Carlos Celdran.

I'm not really keen in following news tidbits nowadays. At home, one can find me curling up with a no-brainer book or simply blogging while listening to pop music. Then trip to dreamland will immediately follow. But one intriguing news awakened the Curious George in me. Interesting topics were contained in a single news report - Carlos Celdran, Padre Damaso, Manila Cathedral and, last but not the least, RH bill.

I'm not the type to discuss in-depth and geeky info about those topicsbecause any Curious George can simply google them all up. In my shaky world called contemplation, these topics certainly deserve some tribute. What sort of tribute, one may ask. A tribute to college memories, hence this post. College pertains to the stage in my life where idealism comes in tremendous waves. Although I was a bit unsure of what I could possibly do back then, idealism was always present in my heart and soul. Various college scenes were revealed to me in flashes, and the ending is the present me.

For the life of me, I forgot to ask how much it costs. Boo hoo.

At the back of my head, I could hear my younger self saying, "Remember when you're in college? You were so much idealistic and more artsy then!"

Oh Damaso shirt, you've surely made me feel young and idealistic once again!

The Reading Room

Cubao Expo

General Romulo Araneta Avenue

Araneta Center

Death by Tablea @ Chocolat

2010-10-10T09:08:00.002+08:00

When: September 19, 2010

When it comes to desserts, I'm not a big believer of chocolates. My family and close friends know this. Oui, it can trigger the release of happy hormones called endorphins (think Elle Woods) and lead you to sugar rush albeit temporary. It doesn't impress me. Two forkfuls of chocolate cake and I'd give up. When asked to stash mini-snacks for humdrum episodes, I'd prefer buying a bag of potato chips and pineapple juice over a chocolate bar. I find myself more happy with it.

BF, on the other hand, is a chocolate cake person, particularly the bittersweet varieties. So when I asked him to accompany me in the 31st Manila International Book Fair at SM- MOA, I felt guilty that's why I treated him to a chocolate cake after our Kimono Ken lunch! It's a small price to pay after he patiently tagged along with me amidst the human traffic in the biggest book fair. Sweet, you bet! The name Chocolat, after all, holds a special place in my memory as it is one of my favorite romantic films.

Death by tablea (Php 80) and cafe latte (Php 60)

I've read positive reviews about Chocolat, home of deep dark chocolate cakes, so that's where we had his chocolate fix. One of their bestsellers is death by tablea, a chocolate cake with bittersweet icing made with native cacao and condensed milk. After two forkfuls of this cake, I was not very impressed. Sure, it did taste like tablea but the cake lacked moisture and depth. Well.

Revel bar (Php 30) and iced lemon tea (Php 35)

Same thing goes for their revel bar. Too dry. Blah. I'm not really disappointed since their products are reasonably priced. In my list, it may not be an award-winning place for chocolate cravings but it's worth a try.

Chocolat: Deep Dark Chocolate Cakes

G/F North Parking Building

SM Mall of Asia

Finally, Savory Tocino @ Red Ribbon!

2010-10-09T21:06:00.002+08:00

When: October 10, 2010

My half-rice-diet during lunch was set aside today for the first time in three weeks. Culprit? The savory tocino meal of Red Ribbon. I've been waiting for my chance to taste this tocino after reading Mrs. M's blog and lunch time was the opportune time to taste it. Oh yes, I'm guilty of food blog-hopping.

Savory tocino (ala carte at Php 75)

I expected it to be more like Kapampangan's version, which is fatty and red, but it was not. This tocino somehow assured me that it was prepared with less preservatives. I wouldn't know how it was prepared so this is just my wild guess. :)

On the other hand, BF ordered bangus a la pobre meal. The meal includes a slice of cake and drink. I also had the chance to taste Red Ribbon's newest cake - chocolate fudge cake. No biggie.

Bangus a la pobre meal (Php 145; add Php 5 for pineapple drink)

Red Ribbon

Pasig Bayan branch

Dinner @ Super Bowl of China

2010-10-09T19:52:00.003+08:00

When: October 8, 2010

Our Friday date always starts with this classic question -Where shall we eat? Where, where, where? We've been together for more than a year already and yet we don't have a default resto. That's partly the reason why it's quite difficult for us to compromise on where to eat. But we do have a default cuisine and it's Chinese. No sweat. Super Bowl of China always comes to the rescue when it comes to Chinese cuisine. I couldn't forget our peace treaty which was signed in Super Bowl Gateway early this year. Hahaha!

Complimentary prawn crackers

SB celebrates its 10th year anniversary hence the Php 99 promo on their crispy noodles which is ongoing until October 31, 2010.

The food server offered to mix the crispy noodles.

Crispy noodles with assorted seafood (Php 99; original price is Php 250) ~ crispy fried egg noodles smothered with cuttlefish, boneless fishfillet, shrimp & other seafood, mixed vegetables, and mixedmushrooms in a clear, light seafood sauce

It's more than enough for two persons. We didn't manage to finish it all off.

Combination platter (Php 395) ~ a combination of pork siomai, hakao, deep fried wanton, BBQ pork asado, roast chicken, sliced cuttlefish cold cuts, jellyfish with century egg,and pickled vegetables. Served with sweet and sour sauce on the side.

I think this platter is quite pricey. There were only two thin slices of century egg. Oh well.

Bottomless drinks: red iced tea (Php 79) and lemonade (Php 79)

We had three refills for the drinks. Talk about making sulit. :)

Post-CR trip pic. Hahaha!

People actually stopped on their tracks to accommodate this shot. Amazing.

Super Bowl of China
4th Level Atrium

SM Megamall

Food Trip @ Burgoo

2010-10-07T22:32:00.001+08:00

When: October 7, 2010

My good ole buddy Princess invited me to a food trip a while ago. We've been food trippin' since law school days and I could barely remember our food trips at Gerry's Grill and Banana Leaf if not for this blog. I couldn't say no, could I? I've been craving for buffalo wings since Monday, that's why. Prior to saying yes, it's a toss-up between sticking to my diet or give myself a break. I chose the latter, obviously. I promised myself that no pasta or carbo loading this time. Partnering buffalo wings with veggie goodness (salad, dear) isn't bad at all.

Seafood Chef (regular; Php 295) ~ seafood creation of crabmeat and baked shrimps with crisp Romaine lettuce in thousand island dressing

Pictured above is my friend's order. I think Burgoo's menu contributed a lot in deciding what to eat. The menu pictures surely whetted our appetites. True enough, the actual serving looks pretty outstanding.

Seafood Caesar Supreme (regular; Php 325) ~ traditional Caesar salad with fried calamari, grilled shrimps, crabmeat and parmesan cheese

It's my first time to eat a seafood salad. Not bad. I devoured the whole salad and it felt heavy on the tummy. I'll certainly try to assemble this kind of salad at home.

Boneless Buffalo Chicken (regular; Php 295) ~ chicken tenderloins seasoned with herbs and spices, deep fried 'til golden and tossed with spicy buffalo sauce, served with crunchy celery sticks and blue cheese dip

Yum! My craving was instantly solved! I'm not a big fan of celery sticks though.

Bottomless drinks: iced tea (Php 69 each) and Coke (Php 59)

Tummy bulges are quiet hidden so let's smile. Hahaha!

Burgoo

2/F Gateway Mall

Araneta Center

Dinner @ Red Ribbon

2010-10-03T20:06:00.001+08:00

When: October 3, 2010

I just noticed a while ago that Red Ribbon has improved its menu and now offers two kinds of soup - pumpkin and cream of spinach. Thanks to my diet because I found the perfect reason to taste their cream of spinach soup.

Cream of spinach soup (Php 45)

Palabok (Php 60) ~ Red Ribbon’s signature noodle dish topped with special orangesauce, sautéed pork, fried garlic, smoked fish flakes, green onions andeggs

Aside from their creamy carbonara, palabok is another dish which I always look for in any Red Ribbon branch. On the other hand, BF tried the all-beef salisbury steak and picked chocolate heaven among the featured cake varieties for the day. Yum.

All-beef salisbury steak meal (Php 145 with cake and drink)

At the end of our meal, I made a silent promise to myself that I'll try their savory tocino meal next time. Breakfast time, that is. Hey universe, help me lose weight! :)

Red Ribbon

Shopwise Arcade

Araneta Center

Ramen @ Teriyaki Boy

2010-10-03T19:25:00.002+08:00

When: September 20, 2010

Since I started my no-rice-for-dinner habit, I turned to noodles. Ramen, a Japanese noodle dish, remains to be one of my favorite alternatives for a heavy meal.

Chuuka ramen (Php 120)

This is what I had that night. If you ask me, it was a so-so ramen.

Tanmen ramen (Php 165)

Since BF loves shrimps so much, he chose this seafood type of ramen. It's much flavorful compared to what I ordered.

Bottled water (Php 35) & mango shake (Php 65)

During that night, BF and I are the only people who ate at this resto. Gone are the days that Teriyaki Boy branches seemed to overflow with dining customers. This casual Japanese resto was one of my favorite fast food joints before. Well, times have changed.

Teriyaki Boy

The Atrium, Building B

SM Megamall

Friday Food Trip: Almon Marina + Yellow Cab + Red Mango

2010-10-02T20:54:00.002+08:00

When: October 1, 2010

A major glitch happened in my peak-performing team yesterday which disappointed quite a few, myself included. To counter my disappointment, I went to Booksale and purchased three books, which instantly gave me a high. Then, all of a sudden, my tummy made a funny noise. So the big part of my disappointment became clear: I was hungry. Hahaha! Since I logged off early from work, it means I had to wait for BF. But my tummy can't wait no longer so I opted to eat alone. I chose Almon Marina since it's not too crowded for a Friday afternoon and apparently they serve healthy meals. Yes, I'm still trying to lose weight and succeeding at it. :)

Soup of the day: beef minestrone (Php 72)

Crepe asparagus (Php 37) ~ with ham, pickles and asparagus slices

Schweppes ginger ale (Php 50)

For a light meal, it was very satisfying. It was also nostalgic for me when I found out that they serve ginger ale. This is one beverage that reminds me of my first trip abroad. It certainly evoked happy memories. Halfway through my meal, BF arrived from work. Talk about bad, er, good timing. :) I had no choice but to accompany him and eventually partake in his own food trip. Hey, for the record, I lost a couple of inches in my waistline. Thanks to my no-rice-for-dinner campaign.

Chicken alfredo pasta (Php 215)

Yellow Cab is one of our favorite meal spots and chicken alfredo pasta is our mutual favorite. Yum, said my eyes. Self-control is the key.

Hot wings (P210) ~ 4 pieces of crispy and juicy chicken wings in Yellow Cab's spicy wing sauce

I've been hankering for chicken wings for the past few days and Yellow Cab's version didn't disappoint. Perfect finger food.

Green tea frozen yogurt (Php 120 for 6 oz.)

This overwhelming challenge to lose weight is not easy. Since I don't intend to destroy what I've started, I chose a healthy dessert. Red Mango's green tea fro-yo is simply delicious! :)

Almon Marina

Yellow Cab

Red Mango

- SM Megamall

9/26

2010-09-27T16:43:00.002+08:00

I got this text message from a former classmate. I, too, was shocked and disappointed with how the 2010 bar exams ended. It ended with a bang - a terrible bang!

The cowardly and monstrous act of Molotov throwing yesterday at the De La Salle University bar site deserves the attention of the ENTIRE law student community, irrespective of affiliation or school. We are all, first and foremost, a FAMILY sharing the same hardships in school to pursue the same dream to become future lawyers. Instead of turning against each other - school vs. school, fraternity vs. fraternity, sorority vs. sorority - let us all work towards one common goal. LET THE PERPETRATORS PAY. Stand up and forward this to each and every law student you know as a sign that we shall remain steadfast, undeterred and will never forget the events of 9/26 until FULLY resolved.

Trip to: Booksale (Ver. 2)

2010-09-26T21:02:00.005+08:00

When: September 25, 2010

Last Thursday night, an officemate, who is a fellow bookworm, tagged me in her Facebook status which goes like this:

Super sale at Booksale - dela costa. Got 3 titles for only P20 each. [Ms (my name) go na!]

A sudden surge of adrenaline pumped my bookworm veins upon reading it. So I made a mental note to go to that particular Booksale branch the next day, which is Friday. However, I cancelled that much-awaited trip sometime in the middle of Friday afternoon due to a very entertaining singing contest at our office. I consoled myself that I can always visit the Shopwise Arcade branch in Cubao because it's much nearer to our house. True enough, I wasn't disappointed. After patiently peering at the titles on book shelves, I finally settled on these four (4) books.

Total cost: Php 100 only

The four books are:

1) Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

2) The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama

3) Are You Somebody: The Accidental Memoir of a Dublin Woman by Nuala O'Faolain

4) Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

I was and still am giddy with happiness with this book haul of mine. I recently finished reading the books I bought at the MIBF. As always, I'm looking forward to more interesting and cheapskate finds at Booksale. :)

Booksale

Shopwise Arcade, Araneta Center

15th Monthsary @ Brothers Burger

2010-09-25T20:38:00.002+08:00

When: September 24, 2010

Typing the title of this post made me smile. It's not my usual, everyday smile which I can easily give to colleagues, my nephew or whoever I want to smile at, but a silly, very high school-ish smile. 15th monthsary. It's so cheesy I want to hide in my mother's skirt. Well, BF and I try not to lose our genuine desire to celebrate life's milestones. And it so happens that our 15th monthsary falls into the word "milestone". Hahaha!

As we did our customary swiping of prox card at work to log out, my tummy was already making noises. And one of the quickest ways to have dinner to is to grab a burger, right? We're both okay with it, so we ended up at Brothers Burger.

Brothers burger (Php 125 each); onion rings (Php 65) and iced tea (Php 40)

I'm starting to love onion rings.

We can't help but noticed that their burgers have shrinked over the years and looked less appetizing. I still remember the burger hype it brought to the foodie crowd once upon a time. Now, I'd say that the yummiest burger I've had was at Five Guys in downtown CHO.

Wacky shots while waiting

Brothers Burger

Convergys Bldg., Ayala Avenue
Makati City

The 31st Manila International Book Fair

2010-09-19T22:50:00.005+08:00

When: September 15-19, 2010

I've never seen a lot of books in my entire life until last Saturday when we (BF & I = inseparable) went to the 31st Manila International Book Fair in SMX Convention Center. An obvious exception would be big libraries in big universities, that is. However, this is by far the biggest book fair I've witnessed. From law books to medical books to fiction bestsellers to kiddie books to Precious Hearts Romances (PHR) paperbacks... Hahaha! :) Every genre imaginable!

A souvenir shot

A candid fact about me is that I've passed through a stage in my semi-bibliophile life wherein I read and collected Valentine Romances and PHR. Yes, funny but true. In mid-1990's, I felt it was almost mandatory for me to actually read those Pinoy love stories since I had to learn the Tagalog language as casual as I can. Imagine this, I was only a minor then and yet I was confronted with Pinoy romance which, I think, almost equaled Mills and Boon and countless historical romance titles. That stage only contributed a lot of idealism (note my sarcasm here) to my search of love. Cheesy, eh? I couldn't thank myself enough for a successful au revoir from cheesy and unrealistic story lines called romance. So, the on-going Martha Cecilia's Kristine series on primetime TV isn't actually new to my ears. Gosh.

Okay, so we went to the book fair and the most populated area is the National Bookstore. Why not? The largest bookstore chain offered a 20% discount on all titles, even the new ones. Amazing. I was tempted to grab them all, but I can wait for my birthday. To you-know-who, you know what I mean! :)

With one of Rex Bookstore's mascots

Just beside National Bookstore is my other favorite publishing company (really huh?!) which goes by the name of Rex! All law books are being sold with 5% discount. Anyway, I bought two interesting books from NB. Pretty cheap.

Book haul: The Way We Were: Remembering Diana by Paul Burrell (Php 100) and The Gospel of Judas (Php 50)

I love to read anything about Princess Di. I even cried when she died. I picked this controversial account about The Gospel of Judas because it reminded me how head-over-heels in love I was with Dan Brown's Angel & Demons and Da Vinci Code. :)

Lunch @ Kimono Ken

2010-09-19T16:11:00.006+08:00

The 31st Manila International Book Fair, which ran from September 15-19, 2010 at SMX Convention at the Mall of Asia Complex, prompted BF and I to go to SM MOA. It's been a long time since I set foot in this mall. The wave of nostalgia only added to my excitement apart from seeing the biggest book fair in the country. Since I'm purportedly on a diet, then my only choice would be soupy noodles. Lo and behold, BF also said he wanted a no-rice lunch.

We had our lunch at Kimono Ken this time. Whenever we dine in a Japanese foodie spot, we always see to it that we try their maki. It's our mutual favorite!

California maki (Php 135)

The most delicious california maki I've tried.

Iced tea (Php 40 each)

Yaki udon (Php 180) ~ sauteed thick white noodles with pork loin and vegetables

Gomoku ramen (Php 200) ~ salt-based soup with mixed seafood, chicken and vegetables

Surprisingly, my appetite wavered down to only half of this bowl of ramen. BF finished it off for me. I think the diet thing has started to sink in to my system. I took it as a good sign. Overall, Kimono Ken didn't disappoint. :)

Kimono Ken

G/F, SM Mall of Asia

CBTL

2010-09-19T15:25:00.001+08:00

When: September 17, 2010

After the infamous Friday traffic began, BF and I decided to kill time by staying at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Thank God for wi-fi and latest editions of pop culture magazines, being stranded in a coffee shop is quite entertaining. Since we don't want to introduce any caffeine-loaded drinks to ourselves, we opted to order these goodies to share. Sweet. Heck, diet went pfft!

Pink guava juice (Php 99)

Guiltless choco delight (Php 135)

I thought I could finish off the whole slice by myself but my conscience came into play. The cake reminds me of Kooky and Luscious' dementia. How I miss it! Hahaha! :)

CBTL

Space 319-A Bridgeway

3/F, SM Megamall

Dinner at Yoshinoya

2010-09-19T14:57:00.000+08:00

When: September 17, 2010

My second day of low-calorie diet led me to hanker for more during dinner. As y'all know, my lunch box has been purposely changed to a small size. Having a small size lunch box means less rice, and less rice translates to only six (6) spoons of rice. It's a herculean feat, but my willpower will more or less rival it. I hope so. *fingers and toes crossed*

Anyway, back to our Friday dinner, BF and I settled on Yoshinoya. I figured out that if I were to eat something heavy without the guilt feeling, then the only choice would be soupy noodles. On the other hand, diet is such a strange word in BF's dictionary, so he opted for a jumbo plate which is good for sharing. I didn't share at all; the jumbo plate was all his.

Jumbo B: gyudon and beef yakiniku (Php 170)

Chicken udon (Php 70)

The bowl of udon was just right for me. It wasn't too heavy on the tummy considering I had dim sum too. As I said earlier, my willpower was great. If not for this diet, I would've ordered Yoshinoya's beef gyudon.

Kani shu mai (Php 50)

Red tea (Php 30) and apple iced tea (Php 35)

Yoshinoya

Bldg. A, SM Megamall

Food Trip @ Gateway Mall

2010-09-18T21:50:00.001+08:00

When: September 16, 2010

My first day of low-calorie diet was a disaster. Unfortunately, my system didn't adjust well because I went home feeling weak. During lunch, I cut down my rice portion to almost one-third of my usual and it was really a difficult task. So when I heard Mama that she's going to the mall to buy bread, neon lights flashed at the back of my eyelids. Of course, I didn't think twice of accompanying her. Going to the mall means food!

Because I felt I was deprived of heavy food the whole day, I told Mama that I want to eat pasta or chicken. At Gateway Mall, the right place to go to is its food court, where you won't spend too much. And the only food spot at Gateway Food Express which deserves another visit is World Chicken. The others are merely so-so.

My order: grilled chicken with ranch barbecue sauce, mashed potato and pesto pasta (Php 158)

A couple of weeks ago, I had this very same ranch barbecue sauce on my grilled chicken. Check out here. Delicious!

For mama: grilled chicken with farm fresh mushroom sauce, Japanese rice and potato salad (Php 158)

Note that she's into carbo-loading too. :)

MXTea House meal for my nephew Dave

Oh, little nephew went with us and specifically voiced out that he wants fried chicken but not Jollibee. The stall beside World Chicken caught his eye so that's where he ordered food. Good thing he's not a picky eater.

On our way home, the scent of freshly-baked breads at BreadTalk attracted my nostrils. After browsing all the different kinds of bread on display, I finally decided to munch on this Indian bread.

Chicken curry naan (Php 45)

It's quite odd that my taste buds didn't look for any sweet stuff that night. Perhaps I was really hungry that anything salty or spicy will be quickly devoured by me. Oh yes, including the crumbs of that naan! Hmmm... does naan have crumbs at all? Hahaha! :)

French Baker and Mutya

2010-09-12T21:25:00.002+08:00

The long weekend allowed me to bond with Mutya, one of my best foodie friends from law school until post-law school. That's right, I've been eating since time immemorial. Just so you know, I gained quite a few pounds since the Elle Woods chapter of my life. But I don't want to spoil my overwhelming love for food by ranting out excessively about unwanted calories, right? It's always good to know that I have a friend who's just one text away from my erratic mood for food. I miss Mutya and all our seemingly endless conversations about all and sundry.

Since we both lived near Araneta Center, we decided to eat at the newly-opened French Baker at Skywalk. Okay, let's go to the food. We both ordered New York style pizza, an 18-inch monster of a pizza!

White sauce carbonara pizza (bacon, mozzarella, cheese & basil) for me

Red sauce supreme pizza (pepperoni, beef, bell peper, onions, olives & mozzarella) for Mutya

Iced tea

Beef lasagna - layers of mozzarella cheese stuffed with Italian beef Ragu sauce and topped with creamy melted cheese

Lasagna verde - vegetarian spinach lasagna stuffed with layers of mozzarella androasted vegetables in tomato and sided with grilled foccacia slice

Choco caramel fudge cake

I find the paper table mat of French Baker so interesting. The tourist spots inspired me to nurture my dreams more- amongst them is to set foot in Paris, one of my dream destinations. Maybe, I could use my rusty and elementary French language skills into good use. Hahaha! *wishful thinking *

Till next time, Cha! :)

Pasalubong: Pastel

2010-09-10T22:08:00.002+08:00

The firstborn's request has been granted: pastel from CDO, dubbed locally as the City of Golden Friendship. A couple of days ago, my folks went to said city for reasons which I want keep mum. *winks* I clamored nonstop for pastel as their pasalubong.

J & A and Vjandep pastel -original yema flavor (gone in, uhm... 60 seconds)

Pastel are soft buns filled with yummy fillings such as yema, cheese, langka, macapuno, mango, pineapple or ube. Of course, I was specific about my penchant for Vjandep, the most popular pastel which originates in Camiguin. Another brand, J & A Pastel of Cagayan de Oro, is fast becoming a contender for the best pastel in town. A childhood friend confirmed this buzz through Facebook messaging. :)

Want Some Balut?

2010-09-10T19:23:00.003+08:00

Growing up, I was taught that eating balut makes one feel energized or physically strong. I took that word of mouth seriously. In college, I see to it that I consume one when I need to type long reports. Yes, typing back then took me until the wee hours in the morning. I thought I was too young then to worry about the bulk of cholesterol that comes with every piece. I didn't make a big deal of the cholesterol it might contribute to my system simply because I love it. Nowadays, though, I do worry.

Balut with spicy vinegar and iodized salt

If only Fear Factor would make an exclusive season for balut eating, setting aside the health concerns, then I'd probably make it as one of the major winners. Dare me! :)

Trip to: Booksale (Ver. 1)

2010-09-10T11:44:00.006+08:00

One thing that thrills me is a trip to Booksale. Yes, it's my secret retail therapy. Not a secret anymore, I guess. Whenever I feel sad or when something didn't turn out right, I'd seek refuge in the printed pages of a book. If it's food, then that would be emotional eating already. Anyhoo, I have no specific genre in mind. As long as the book -

(a) carries an interesting topic - which, I think, is subjective, or

(b) is tagged as bestseller or has an award-winning author, or

(c) is priced way much lower than its first bookstore appearance; or

(d) AOTA -

I'd buy it right away. What follows is a souvenir shot of my recent book haul. I'm hoping for more to follow.

(a) The Greenhaven Press Literary Companion to British Literature: Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

(b) The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller

(c) Dingers!: A Short Story of the Long Ball by Peter Keating

(d) A Matter of Character: Inside the White House of George W. Bush by Ronald Kessler

(e) The Plot Against Social Security: How The Bush Plan is Endangering Our Financial Future by Michael A. Hiltzik

(f) My Sergei: A Love Story by Ekaterina Gordeeva with E.M. Swift

(g) Pat Nixon: The Untold Story by Julie Nixon Eisenhower

Worthy to note is that I only spent Php 195 for these 7 books. Such a steal, right? Booksale, a cheapskate bookworm heaven, really makes reading affordable. :)

Booksale
Shopwise Arcade, Araneta Center

Stranded in Boringsville

2010-09-09T21:36:00.007+08:00

When I say Boringsville, it's actually my little corner of the world in the offshoring biz. I'm not inclined to spill the actual details of our work in my blog but, mind you, this blog was born in Boringsville. So I felt like I owe a lot to Boringsville. Whatever "a lot" means. TBD.

Anyway, there are days that I feel I'm stranded and the only immediate comfort within my arm's reach is a bunch of munchies.

Tong Garden salted sunflower seeds

Mango Tic Tac

Quaker Oats chewy chocolate chip granola bar

Orion choco pie

Fibisco choco crunchies

Jack 'n Jill Nova multigrain snack bar

I don't mind getting stranded once in a while. But I do mind the extra calories not getting burned from my dormant state. :)

A Taste of Phở at Phở Hoa

2010-09-08T22:56:00.002+08:00

After work a while ago, BF and I trooped to Phở Hoa to have a steaming bowl of phở. I'm tad curious to taste the authentic phở in, where else, but Vietnam. Okay, my birthday first, then our trip to HCMC. Mustering enough patience not to get excited about Vietnamese cuisine is quite a hard task for a foodie like me. I had to tweak our itinerary a bit to accomodate my taste buds in November. After all, Vietnam is known for its delicious, fresh and healthy foods.

Vietnamese spring rolls occupy a special place in my foodie memory. In fact, we celebrated our first anniversary in Zao, a Vietnamese resto in Serendra.

Gỏi cuốn or fresh spring rolls (Php 127)

I love the peanut sauce. But I like Zao's version of gỏi cuốn more and, of course, its presentation.

Phở do vien or seafood noodle soup (Php 295; large)

I dumped all the basil leaves and bean sprouts to the bowl and squeezed the lemon afterwards to complete the phở experience. It's actually comforting to know that we ate something healthy.

Good for sharing

For dessert, we bought a box of miniature Korean cakes from a food stall called Oishi Manju. The box contains 12 pieces of pastillas and choco-filled Korean cakes. I had this feeling that these are miniature versions of Japanese cakes, not Korean. Mind you, I consumed 10 pieces of these goodies since the aromatic sweetness was so addicting! Holy Moly!

12 pieces of pastillas and choco-filled Korean(?) cakes (Php 52.50)

"Tahoooooô!"

2010-09-06T22:29:00.003+08:00

This is my tribute to one of my favorite comfort foods. Wikipedia defines taho as a Philippine snack food made of fresh soft/silken tofu, arnibal (brown sugar and vanilla syrup), and pearl sago (similar to pearl tapioca). I couldn't imagine my youngster years without it. Once I heard the taho peddler on the street, I'd immediately fish out some coins (forgetting how much is actually darn good), rush to the kitchen to get my own glass and, moments later, I'd enjoy a glass/cup of taho!

The biggest tub of taho I had in years (Php 54 at SM Supermarket Makati)

Easy to eat, pretty cheap and rich in protein.

Cute Milk & Tea Cups

2010-09-06T22:00:00.002+08:00

I could not simply ignore these cute milk/tea cups from Clipper Gift Shop so I purchased them on the spot. I gave the black one to BF which means to say that the off-white color stays with me.

Very kindergarten-ish to look at but it gives me a breath of fresh air from my (somewhat) humdrum life as a corporate refugee.

Clipper Gift Shop

Located in major shopping malls

Laksa @ Orchard Road, SM Megamall

2010-09-05T23:23:00.006+08:00

It's the major hangover of BF that made us revisit Orchard Road at SM Megamall. According to him, the only way to cure his hangover is to have a hot bowl of spicy soup. Laksa immediately came to my mind.

Laksa (Php 175) - a spicy noodle soup popular in Singapore and Malaysia

For the record, my best laksa in town vote still goes to Nasi Lemak.

Dimsum lovin': pork siew mai (Php 65 for 3 pieces) and char siew pao (Php 65 for two pieces)

I opted to eat dimsum only in full support to my diet goals.

Milo dinosaur (Php 75) - a glass of Milo with an extra spoonful of powdered undissolved Milo added to it

The food at Orchard Road is not something to rave about, but it was quite a revelation that laksa is an effective hangover cure.

Orchard Road

3/F, Building A

SM Megamall

Zero Degrees Premium Ice Dessert

2010-09-05T22:36:00.004+08:00

I finally had a taste of this new ice dessert which is being offered in an eye-catching food stall in Robinsons Galleria food court this afternoon.

When I asked the crew what it is exactly, they answered politely that it's Taiwanese ice cream. As usual, I also asked what their bestselling flavors are and chocolate is one of them! Between me and BF, the latter is more willing to eat ice cream any time of the day and chocolate is his all-time favorite flavor.

Chocolate with almond toppings (Php 65 + Php 20 for one topping = Php 85)

They even added complimentary spoonfuls of strawberry dynamite pearls. I must have looked so interested on how the ice dessert was prepared hence the surprise addition, or maybe it's a strategy to entice customers to come back. Really, it was a refreshing twist in terms of eating ice cream. It tastes so light without being cloyingly sweet. This new dessert find is also good for sharing since it comes in a large serving bowl.

Zero Degrees Premium Ice Dessert
Robinsons Galleria Food Court (near Samsung)

World Chicken + DQ + Timezone

2010-09-05T21:31:00.001+08:00

My boredom at work and dysmenorrhea (real valid!) propelled me to call in sick last Thursday. I thought I can just curl up in my bed with a no-brainer book or watch TV or catch more forty winks, but I was wrong. After reading a few chapters and extending my sleep for a few hours, I got bored. Now what? So I cajoled my sister and nephew to go to Gateway Mall after their morning classes.

My sister and I had a late lunch at World Chicken. It's been a while since I haven't eaten at this foodie joint which makes grilled chicken more appetizing with their different sauces. On the other hand, my little nephew had lunch already while in school so that saved me a few bucks. :)

Combo meal platter for yours truly: grilled chicken with ranch barbecue sauce, mashed potato and bacon fried rice (Php 158)

For lil sis: grilled chicken with corn & mushroom sauce and pesto pasta (Php 132)

You'd think my main goal was to load up on carbo? Nope. That wasn't my intention, promise. :)

Sis

For dessert, we hopped to our favorite dessert place - Dairy Queen. My nephew and I picked cappucino and matcha green tea from their moolatte (described as: frozen blended coffee with DQ Soft Serve, covered with whipped cream) selection, while sister chose Blizzard with Kit Kat bits.

Sweet treats: matcha green tea (Php 49), Kit Kat blizzard (Php 65) and cappucino (Php 49)

Loyal DQ fans

Since we're at the food court already, the two kids asked for my permission to go to Timezone video arcade. Normally, my folks won't allow them to play, but I think these two kids are behaving themselves well so a little diversion won't hurt.

They just got paparazzied by me!

Now I think I gave SL a new meaning: a food trip and video arcade at Gateway Mall. :)

World Chicken
Dairy Queen
- Both located at Food Express, Gateway Mall

Quick Breakfast: Granola Bar & Chocolate Blanco Drink

2010-09-04T22:05:00.005+08:00

Traveling to the CBD during morning rush hour entails a lot of patience and control not to make funny tummy noises. So after settling in at my work station, I immediately grabbed a granola bar (go click) from my drawer. As far as I'm concerned, hunger pangs need to be remedied immediately!

Chocolate blanco & granola cinnamon bar

Granola bars have become part of my quick breakfast items at the office. Then I paired it with Pan de Manila's chocolate blanco drink. I was quite intrigued about it when I visited Pan de Manila's branch in Timog Avenue, so I bought one sachet. This drink traces its roots from the Spanish colonial period in our dear country. Interesting, eh? Tsokolate eh? Oh, but that's creamy cocoa while chocolate blanco tastes like milk more than chocolate. If I was then blindfolded, I would probably say it's Nido.

Shoo Mosquitoes!

2010-09-02T09:47:00.001+08:00

People close to me can attest to the fact that I really hate mosquitoes. In fact, I'm willing to sweat off by wearing jogging pants or jammies or jackets just to prevent those pesky mosquitoes from landing in my skin for a second or even a nanosecond at that. Plus, applying that seemingly famous brand of anti-mosquito lotion always gave me the feeling that I'm applying poisonous chemicals to my skin because of the smell. Yes, it may say soft and scented but, heck, it reeks like gasoline up to my nostrils.

Aside from leaving my skin so swollen red and very itchy after a successful bite (damn it), mosquitoes are also top contenders for carrying disease-causing germs. Just think of dengue. Think of how many times you've heard how dengue could pester the parents of a grade school kid or a toddler or even an adult who succumbed to the disease. Thus, prevention is really better than cure.

With neem and citronella extracts

I recently found an anti-mosquito lotion which smells like Perla laundry bar soap. Not bad at all. It's the most comforting smell I had after years of using anti-mosquito lotions. So, now that the whole metro has been experiencing rainshowers almost everyday and mosquitoes always seek refuge in dark, watery and murky places, it's always best to keep yourself protected. Shoo mosquitoes!

A.N.T.S. Canefusion's Sugarcane Juice

2010-09-01T22:48:00.006+08:00

When sugar cane juice stalls started sprouting in visible nooks at the malls, I was really intrigued. During my elementary years, there was a lady who sells sugar cane stalks near our school gate and there was a bunch of kids who would buy and then munch on those stalks while walking home. I kid you not! I didn't get the chance to actually buy a sugarcane stalk myself, but a classmate of mine made me try it. It was sweet and rough on the tongue. That's how far my flimsy grade school memory can fill me in right now. The actual cost of one stalk back then escapes me.

A 16 oz. cup of Canefusion (slushy 100% sugarcane juice) costs Php 40.

My sugarcane experience must not be that bad because I was instinctively happy when I approached A.N.T.S. Canefusion stall last Saturday and bought two cups for myself and BF. He looked perplexed when I handed him his drink. He told me that the juice is nothing new to him since he grew up in the province where sugarcane plants grow in abundance. Oh well.

On the other hand, I was like a kid who just opened up her lunchbox and found that an ice-cold tetra pack chocolate drink was there instead of milk! A wide smile. The sugarcane juice may have left a weird flavor in my tongue but with all its health benefits, I could easily disregard the grassy aftertaste and imagine that I'm holding a choco drink instead! La-la-la, grade school years. LOL!

A.N.T.S. Canefusion

Robinson's Galleria Food Court
* You can add Php 5 to infuse drink with calamansi, lemon or mint.

I ♥ New York (Day 1)

2010-08-31T18:25:00.002+08:00

After watching Miss Universe 2010 replay last weekend, I had a major, major inkling to reminisce about my work-related trip to Uncle Sam last year. One of the highlights of that trip is a side trip to The Big Apple.

Date of my personal bite of The Big Apple: May 9-10, 2009

Brooklyn Bridge: The bridge that reaffirmed my bubble thought that I'm in New York!

So how did Miss Universe 2010 come in to my reminiscing, you may ask. It's a prevailing fact that Donald Trump is the myth behind the most prestigious beauty contest ever known. So when the cameras showed Donald Trump in the audience, a vivid flashback of The Big Apple came into play. I do remember my excitement when I stood before the Trump Tower in 5th Avenue last year and took a quick picture of it. Oh man, I was giddy with happiness when I saw where The Apprentice was filmed.

Our group took an early morning flight via U.S. Airways from Richmond, VA to LaGuardia Airport but the plane could not land in La Guardia airport due to poor visibility (damn thick clouds) hovering over the whole New York. The only recourse is to land in Lehigh Valley International Aiport in Pennsylvania, so after major, major delay, the airline gave us a free land trip from Lehigh to Fairfield Inn Marriott in LaGuardia where we made room reservation.

Behold the evidentiary support of my own personal bite of The Big Apple.

A popular way of touring New YorkCity is by classic double-decker, hop-on, hop-off guided bus tour. But nothing beats exploring the city on foot.

Miss Liberty wannabes in Battery Park

WWII memorial in Battery Park which faces the New York harbour

My empire state of mind: wacky!

On a serious note, that giant eagle marker has this:

Erected by the United States of America in proud and grateful remembrance of her sons who gave their lives in her service and who sleep in the American coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Into Thy Hands, O Lord.

The Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House (originally U.S. Custom House) - now the home of the New York branch of the National Museum of the American Indian as well as the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

26 Broadway (a.k.a. the Standard Oil Building) is a New York City Designated Landmark at the southern tip of Manhattan at Bowling Green.

Arturo DiModica's 7,000-pound bronze Charging Bull, a reference to the bulls (optimists) and bears (pessimists) at the stock market

I'm in Corporate America a.k.a Wall Street!

They say that in order to complete your personal bite of the Big Apple, one has to ride the subway. We did and we enjoyed every minute of it!

Trinity Church is a historic, full-service parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It is located at the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway in downtown Manhattan.

Isamu Noguchi's Red Cube, a prominent landmark in front of Marine Midland Building (also HSBC
Bank Building)

Interesting statue of a corporate man in a park near the Ground Zero

Solemn look in an almost solemn site -World Trade Center site (Ground Zero)

Even though I was a continent away when the 9/11 attack happened, the effect still reverberates when I took pictures of the site.

Time to drop our Century 21's shopping loot at the hotel. LOL!

To put to test that NYC is the city that never sleeps, we went to Times Square via, of course, a yellow cab! I have never imagined that I would set foot in the world-famous site of the annual ball drop during New Year's Eve. Also known as "The Crossroads of the World" and "The Great White Way", Times Square has achieved the status of an iconic world landmark and is a symbol of New York City and Uncle Sam in general.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Times Square

The city that never sleeps

Plus, we had a $120-worth of light dinner at the TGIF resto in Times Square. My first day at The Big Apple was almost surreal I even likened it to a childhood dream that finally came true. It came in an unexpected way which left me flushed with happiness up to this day. So, that was my Day 1. Stand by for my Day 2 entry. :)

What I Cooked: Fettuccine alla Marinara & Bacon!

2010-08-29T23:16:00.011+08:00

Date of kitchen adventure: August 22, 2010

First off, the belly bacon and the diced tomatoes in can made a huge difference to my recipe. I owe it to my endless browsing of food blogs. When I went to the supermarket to complete the ingredients, I was damn serious of how to make my pasta dish tastes like real Italian - meaning, very tomatoey and not sweet at all - and a bit vegan as well.

Chopping off onions, bell peppers, carrots and belly bacon

I've learned that having a very sharp knife is a big help in the kitchen.

Diced tomatoes, mushrooms and spaghetti sauce (beef & mushroom and tomato & cheese variants)

Mind you, it's quite a big leap on my part to use the gourmet variants of Del Monte spaghetti sauce. Before, I always stick to the sweet or Pinoy style sauces which are child-friendly and very Jollibee.

I used San Remo fettucine noodles. Needless to say, make sure that the pasta is cooked al dente.

There's fire on the stove so let's cook.

Sweat off 500 grams of belly bacon in extra virgin olive oil. Hurray to healthy living!

After removing some bacon oil, I dumped the onions, carrots and bell peppers. The mushrooms were also added after a few minutes.

Lovin' marinara

I poured the spaghetti sauce and the diced tomatoes to the bacon-veggie mix. Nice tomatoey smell at this point. Too bad I wasn't able to add some herbs to complete my version of marinara sauce. I added a bit of salt and fresh ground pepper to balance everything. I also added McCormick's minced garlic for some flavor kick. The result: very, very tasty and could compete Sbarro's style! Love your own, you know! LOL!

Sprinkle cheddar cheese. Serve at once. Perfect with ice-cold Coke. More perfect when shared with loved ones and, of course, Coke! :)

My shoes are out of the box... literally!

2010-08-29T22:13:00.006+08:00

"There's a little Imelda in all of us."

~ Imelda Romualdez Marcos in a 2009 print interview

Due to lack of outdoor activities during the long weekend, I was forcedto do my part in household cleaning. I've lost count how many times mymother would tell me to sort out my shoes. Throw or give away some, things like that, blah-blah. I finally heeded my mother's plea this morning and I got the biggest surprise of my life!

Magic 27

After throwing out some damaged shoes (say, 4 hopeless pairs of shoes, meaning, beyond repair already) and lining up all my rescued shoes, it dawned upon me that I have a total of 27 pairs of shoes! Well, I think the oldest shoe was bought in 2005. I know I have bought more pairs of shoes all the way from 2005 which unfortunately didn't survive that long or were given away to relatives in the province.

Wow, it was very, very nostalgic just staring at my old shoes again. I hope to write some details or memories behind every pair. That would be exciting and fun! :)