Who's Yo Daddy????
Saturday night was still another rainy evening like Friday! I guess, summer is pretty much over....well, only during night time...during day time, its still SUMMER to me!
My friend Sally fetched me from the gym around 7:30pm. We were supposed to have dinner at Cyma at Shang mall, not only because I love it there and sal hasn't eaten there yet, but for special dietary reasons of our other friend, Kitty! I miss Kat!!! She has been busy the past month...and so we haven't spent time with her for quite a while. That is why I was extra excited for our dinner get together =) We fetched Kat at Glleria and headed to Shang.
I had to pick up the shoes I had resevred at Schu...so I begged the girls we pass by the shop before dinner. I would like to thank, the friendly salesladies of schu for having my shoes delivered from their galleri brance to shang and reserving them for me! Muchas gracias! =)
Happy having my beautiful shoes....we went to Cyma....it was passed 8pm..the place was JAMMED!!!! We wer number 45 on the wait list!!!!!! My gosh! I don't know if it was because of my shoe stop over that we were thrown at the bottom pile of the list or if it were really, really packed that night! I think it was the latter, becuse when we scouted around the other restos....most were full as well. It must be because of the rin that people opt to eat in mall restos.
We couldn't wait for our 45th slot at Cyma, so we decided to dine at the next resto to accommodate us....luckily Claw daddy had a table for us. "
Ma'am do you mind being seated outside?" asked the waiter...."
Not at all...kahit pa saa Starbucks kame naka upo basta pakainin nyo kame ok lang !" ;P hahhahhah I replied!
We had the Lobster & Prawn Bisque ....enough for sharing
It was really flavorful with a nice spider web creme touch! hehehhe
This is the
Seared Tuna & Calamari Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette, Walnuts and White Cheese
I didn't like this salad in particular. The seared tuna was cold and was weird with the breaded and fried calamari (which was good if it were eaten alone). The dressing lacked flvor and didn't coat the greens well. Kat and I longed for the Roka Salata at Cyma...we could hear the Hooopa from where we were seated =(
Blackened Pacific Cod Dusted with Cajun Sesoning, Charred on an Iron skillet, served on a bed of Dirty Rice!
This was a gret dish! The Cod was cooked well, but still soft at succulent! The dirty rice....however they mde it dirty (hehehe) accompanied the mild flavor of the fish! We recommend this dish very much! =)
We also had half a slab of
Claw dadd'ys Baby Back Ribs
I
It was really tender, meaty and flavorful! We loved it =)
And to cap our meal....Walnut Pie, we had...double la mode!!!
The serving is really good for sharing! It was really good. The vanilla ice cream buts the sweetness of the pie...that's why we hd it with an extra scoop! hahahah. I just wished they warmed the pie first..that would've made it extra good.
You might be wondering why we had no crabs at CLAW DADDY??? We are not crazy girls you know...just nice ones...for our dear Kat is allergic to crabs unfortunately!!! Next time, I'll try crabs there s I hearded ClawDaddy's is owned by Red crab!!!! 'P
After having our very, very filling dinner....we headed to Grilla Libis, because I was to meet up with my shobe and my brothers....and their pals to hang out. When we got there, my sis, her fiance Jep, Jerry, Morris were alredy there. Kat and Sal hanged for just a short while becuse they needed to head home early. I stayed over....as Wendy's friend Dar joined in and my friend Kirby arrived shortly after; and then his friend Duy! Are we friendly people or what??! We had a couple of drinks...shared kwentos and made kulitan the whole evening---or umaga na ba yun, because they lit up the lights already for closing time, before we left! hahahaha
Back at CBK... =)
I really enjoyed my first visit at the CookBook Kitchen. Last friday, I was back!!! =)I had dinner there with my friends Eliane, Gwen and Kirby!
This time, I tried something new...this is th
Chicken with Pazzaioli (I'm not sure if that is the correct name of the Pizza sauce like sauce! hehehehe )
It was really good. I liked the sauce that went with it.
They all had the Parmesan Crusted Fish, the house specialty.
At first, they all said..."
ang laki naman...dapat we shared lang"....but everyone was able to finish up there invidual dishes!!!.....
Parang bitin p nga sa rice!!!! hahahhha =D
We told kirby...."
sana you ordered pork para maiba naman..." Kirby replied..."
Ayaw ko ng pork eh...madme fats"...then he called the waitress and ordered..." ...
ah isa nga ROOTBEER FLOAT!!" ;Phahahahhaahha
Here is Kirby, with a devilish-look on his Float! hahahaha
and finally....THE SCARLET CAKE! I've been so intrigued by it, because I wasn't able to try it last time.
It was indeed something different. It was like a denser sponge cake with yummy cream cheese frosting! Us girls loved it!!! We appreciated the huge serving portion as well!
Sulit for Php 120.00 a slice!
We had sooo much fun there, in spite of the rainy Friday evening traffic! We enjoyed the food, the simple cozy ambiance, the crowd and each other's company of course! =)
After dinner, we moved on to Moksha---again for drinks to cap our evening!.
I just love fun and friendly places shared with good friends=)
Have a Taste of L.A.
Along Roces venue, has long been standing, a restaurant called
Taste of L.A. I think I've been seeing it's blue neon lights forever.
Last time I was there, I think it was last year, with Didi and friends =) The place is like an old house, with wooden floors and adorned always with fresh roses =) The feel is very cozy and you can say that its kinda of a simple date place.
I had dinner their last night with my friend Cha. We wanted a quiet place to talk about her wedding updates where the food is good.
Pasta ala Checa
We shared an order of this pasta. As you can see, the portion size is NOT meant for sharing ;P Nevertheless, it was really good. It's simplicity makes its appealing to me. It's just pasta cooked al dente with olive oil, fresh tomatoes, parmesan and
kesong puti!
Ultra Thin Tomato and Cheese Pizza
They charge an additional 30 bucks for Ultra Thin Crust Pizzas---
di ba dapat nga may discount 'coz less dough?? ;P hehehehe It was soooo good and lived upto its being ULTRA THIN! The crust was so light and crispy!! I love thin crusts! It was cheesy and good....but I must warn hungry people, this is a VERY LIGHT PIZZA!!!! The paper thin crust will not be able to fill you up---
or baka we were just two girlss with huge appetites??? Nah-!--Ultra thin
talaga kaya very light.
The pizzas there are great primarily because of the rustic stone oven they use ....also for baking their pan de sal! Their pan de sal is so good there, but they don't give free pan de sal as starters, like durting my last time there.
The dessert selection did quite appeal to us, so we moved to our old and reliable favorite...cafe breton =)
Le Delice
Bananas, Nutella and slivered almonds' crepe...topped with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream. How can you not like that?????? We had it with good cafe.... a very nice night cap on a drizzly summer evening.
=) See you again soon Cha! It was a lovely get together.
New Song I'm Loving....=)
4 In The Morning By Gwen Stefani
Wakin up to find another day
The moon got lost again last night
But now the sun has finally had it’s say
I guess I feel alright
But it hurts
when I think,
when I let it sink in
It’s all over me
I'm lying here in the dark
Watchin you sleep, it hurts a lot
And all I know is you’ve got to give me everything
Nothing less 'cause you know I give you all of me
I give you everything that I am
I’m handin over everything that I’ve got
Cause I wanna have a really true love
Don’t ever wanna have to go and give you up
Stay up till four in the morning and the tears are pouring
And I wanna make it worth the fight
What have we been doing for all this time
Baby if we’re gonna do it come on do it right
All I wanted was to know I'm safe
Don’t wanna lose the love I found
Remember when you said that you would change
Don’t let me down
It’s not fair, how you are
I can’t be complete, can you give me more
Oh please, you know what I need
Save all your love for me
We can’t escape the love
Give me everything that you have
CPK
Happy with our Hair do's GF and I went to CPK for dinner. It's been quite a while since I last ate at CPK. There is just sooo many new pizza places to go to nowadays that you tend to forget the good ol' restos that have been there since..they've been there! ;Phehehehe
We shared the To-Share portion of the Oriental Chicken Salad....
We both remember liking this salad very much. Don you think it's kinda like
...lumpiang hubad noh???hehehehe A bit too much dressing that makes you cought a bit hahahaha but still good.
And we had this Tomato, Basil and Cheese Pizza =)
Simple and good.
We enjoyed our good, old and reliable dinner but more so enjoyed chatting along =)
Thanks GF for the great company!
Hair by Tony & Jackie
After my delightful lunch-capade with Sal...I met up with my GF at Starbucks Katipunan. We hanged there to cool-off
sana, but little did we know, we would end up sweating still, because the place was jammed with studying students!
Starbucks Katipunan/ UP & ATENEO LIBRARY/ STUDY HALL!!!! hahaahha Well, ok lng---it's for the
kinabukasan ng bayan!!!! After our Affogato's we decided to have our hair done! I have been contimplating on getting hightlights and GF wanted a haircut.
The Korean salon sensation, TONY & JACKIE, opened a branch at Tomas Morato!!! YEHEY!! =) I have heared a lot of good things about the great hair cuts and services offered by this salon! It has a branch in Malate and one in Burgundy place Makati.
The stylying team was all Korean! GF started with her hair treatment and hair cut at once, while I was still struggling to communicate how I wanted my high lights done. After several minutes of communication....they finally understood that I wanted natural looking high lights =)
Here is my head...all foiled up! hehehe
My Korean stylist, Rex, busy at work...
While having my my hair blow dried, the receptionist and another styleist approached me and ask..."madam, is your father KOREAN?" hahahaa...I wasn't at all surprised with this so I just smiled and told them that I was Filipino-Chinese =) They were insisting that I looked really Korean and we then chatten on Korean actors, actresses and tele-novelas!!!
I loved the results of my high lights and GF loved her hair cut =) From now on my hair shall be Korean made! hahaha
Kamsahamida! Rex and Yani! =)
Cook Book Kitchen
I got up early Sunday morning to do lots of baking! I have to finish 6 boxes of Cinnamon rolls for my friend Sal! So bake..bake ...bake! It was really hot but I managed to finish them all by 11 am---yey!!! =)
Sal fetched me around noon so we could have lunch together. Since we had the luxury of time, I suggested that we try
The Cook Book Kitchen. I read about it first, in Meg magazine (yes...I am a fan of Meg and Candy mags!!! I really can relate to these magazines far more than Cosmo, Mega etc.. =) I wonder why???hehehe) while having my nails done and the feautre caught my attention. I scribbled down the location and vowed to find this place, because Drew Arellano, sowre by the food here!
If it's meant to be..it's meant to be! The Cook Book Kitchen is located at Luna Mencias corner Soccorro St. in Shaw. I wasn't really sure where these streets were ...but can you belive I didn't get us lost! We found the place like I knew exaclty where it was! hahaha ---Fabuloso ei?! It's in a residential area...the place is quiant and casual. There were several cookbooks on shelves, decorating the homey resto. The menu is simple yet interesting and the price---I think affordable but not cheap, cheap.
This was the Champignons with Caramelized Onions (Php 88.00)
A nice appetizer....tasty and light. How can you go wrong with mushrooms =) ?
This is the Parmesan Crusted White Fish (Php 240.00)
This is what Drew A. was raving about in Meg. He described it to be "melt in your mouth" and really yummy. It was yummy and the fish was cooked to a very soft done-ness. I think the melt in your mouth is from the topping...which I detect, to contain some mayo, rosemary and cheese. I liked how the bechamel-like topping was baked to a crusty finish, with the fish underneath still very soft, with butter weeping at the bottom of the dish. Its very rich tasting so it was just fitting that it was served with plain rice.
We also shared this Frutti Di Mare Pasta (php 220.00). It is spaghetti with shrimps, white fish & squid in red sauce.
What you're looking at is half a serving, so you can just imagine the entire serving to be quite substantial. I wished the pasta was cooked al dente. I think it was a tad bit over cooked. Noetheless it was flavorful and good =) Served witha piece of ciabbatta.
There was much rave about Kittin's Red Velvet Cake, which was on the dessert list. Unfortunately it was not available...."
naubos nung Saturday" the waitress informed us. I guess it must really be good then =)....makes me all the more curious about what this cake is all about.
Is it chocolate?
Why is it red??? Strawberry perhaps? ;P hehehe I would definitely go back to this place. It's good for casual lunches or weekday dinner with friends ...or a loved one =)
Sal and I enjoyed our lunch and catching up with eachother.
At Chelsea....
If I were not sure I am Filipino-Chinese...I may think I am Italian =) hahaha... I love Italian food! From the apps...pasta...pasta...breads..breads...pizzas...entrees and dolci!
Does Chelsea of Serendra refer to a Chelsea---as a feminine name or Chelsea the area in London?? Please someone shed light upon this please! hahaha I presumed that it's Chesea as a name because the menu is really Italian (I believe) having pastas, pizzas, italian breads! hehehe Anyhoos, I have read a lot of posts on this resto at Serendra, some rants and some raves. It being an Italian resto or not, I dragged my friends (Oli, Kirby, Ven and Elaine) to have dinner there last night and find out how the food really is.
We got there around 7-ish. Oli and I fetched the boys from Greenhills and met up with Elaine at Serendra.
Mistake numero uno: WE HAD NO RESERVATION! I think it is good practice to make prior reservations, at much fussed about restos, if you dare visit on a Friday night (more so Saturday) at peak of dinner hours!!! We got on the list and I was informed that we were #2 on the wait list for the big table.
Not so bad, we all thought! So we settled at the vacant table outside and patiently waited...enjoyed chit-chatting and watching passers-by ...seeing familiar faces....waited...and waited....
We called on the waiters to ask if group #1 is to bill out any time soon. We were told, group number was still seated out side like us!!!!!
BUT! But! ...the waitress conjectured...
GROUP #1 decided to STAY OUTSIDE so your group has been moved to NUMBER 1 on the wait list!---"
Oh eh ayun naman pala eh!" we all said.....so wait...wait...wait..
It was an awfully
HOT evening...and waiting al fresco is not a very pleasant activity....good thing...the Chelsea people were kind enough to give us complimentary ICED TEAS.....
...and served us the complimentary bread (well, this one we co-erced them to bring out! hehhehe)
the complimentary bread I feel worth noting, because it was served on a nice cutting board with roasted garlic =) That was a nice touch I think. We all loved the roasted garlic with olive oil, which you spread on the foccacia!
That got our minds of the heat and the waiting....but not for long. Oli signaled to the waitress..."
miss number one pa din kame ah! =) " hehehehe "
Yes sir, you're still number one...and still on the wait list..." Hayayay!!!!
We finally came to a consensus that we will settle outside to eat because the free bread and iced tea couldn't hold our hungry much longer! So we placed out orders.
Elaine and I opted for this....
Roasted Portobello Muchrooms, Marinated Artichokes, Roasted Asparagus with Tomato Confit Pizza. (Php 295)
It was served while we were still at the al fresco table, but then we were informed that FINALLY, we have a table inside. So we
waited for the transfer and by the time we got moved in...I think our pizza turned cold =( ....so we asked them to warm it up for us while waiting for the food of the boys...
With all the lovely description of our pizza topping, I was expecting a burst of flavor upon taking my first bite. Alas! I found it a bit flat on taste, sad to say. I liked the ultra thin crust though...I'm pretty sure if we had it piping hot...it would have been very crisp and delectable. I think the cheese is too
konti and it needed a little umph to it. It was ok...we managed to finish the entire 10" thing. Maybe we picked the wrong kind of pizza?
Kirby had the Slow Cooked Norweigian Salmon with Salsa Verde, Classic MAshed Potato and Roasted Pinenuts
It was cooked nicely and tasted well according to him =) Priced at Php 350.00 not a bad deal!
Oli had the
Herb Walnut-Encrusted Chilean Seabass with Rosemary-Orange Beurre Blanc and MARshed Potatoes (MARSHED talaga ang nakalagay sa menu---hahaha) and Asparagus (Php 459.00)
He said it was really good. The Fish was soft and close to the melt in your mouth feel. He just felt the herb crust was a bit over powering.
Ven had Grandma's Crispy DuckConfit & Mushroom Risotto with Peppercorn Sauce and Roasted Organic Vegetables (Php 395.00)
The only set back of this dish for Ven was----the ROASTED ORGANIC VEGETABLES! hahaha Ven, FYI HATES VEGETABLES!!! ;P His reason? ---a mystery to us all!!! So he traded his veggies for Oli's
MARSHED taters! hahaha They were both happy with the deal! Ven ate his duck quietly and he seemed satisfied with it---were you Ven? =D
Well, the Chelsea experience was not bad...when you're with good company, everything is tolerable and enjoyable, I believe so! =) Not bad..but not good. Maybe they should improve more on the service and perhaps when I get the chance to dine here again I'll try a different Pizza or have the pasta, which was pretty good-looking at the other table! Is the grass just greener at the other side of the fence or should I say table? ;p hahahah
Will I come back to dine at Chelsea? ----Why not? =) Everybody, anything deserves a second chance!!! Ohh and I forgot---go back to try the desserts!
And Now.....MY ESPRESSO MAKER=)
It's been a busy work week for me. This morning I am off to some far away place...pasay...MOA and Manila!!! Yikes!
What do I do to gear up for a busy day? I power up with CAFFEINE!!! =) This is my new espresso maker----TADA....
Thank you Dad for saving my life! ;P hahahaha It makes good espresso, even if it is the simple type. I dream of owning the kind that Starbucks uses--you know the state of the art, heavy duty kind ;P hehehehhe
I chugged 3 espresso shots before leaving the office this morning...so I was all powered up for my long day! =)
Food Finds!
There isn't really much nice stuff in Duty Free. Nevertheless There are a few nice foodie finds....
If you watch the Food Network, there is a show there (well, used to be) called The Best Of, where the hosts goes to different cities and try the "best of" what that city offers. I remember they featured the
White Castle burgers, but I forgot which city it belonged to! hehehe We came across it at the freezer section and bought a box out of curiosity...
Inside, you get 8 packs of 2 piece mini cheese burgers in microwaveable plastic wraps. You poke holes through the plastic and zap it in the microwave for 45 secs! It was actually good! I can tell they were really fatty burgers, but the box indicated just 17g of fat for the 2 burgers! 17g? MADAME NA PALA YUN ;p hahahahah Maybe I expected more. 310 cals per servinf (2 pcs per serve).
Here is another best of...Philly Cheese Steak Sanwiches!
They are like mini-sub sandwiches with deli-thin sliced beef and mozzarella cheese! They are individually wrapped in paper, so you just take out the sticker that closes the paper pack together and microwave for 90secs!!!
I like them better when toasted after microwaving to make the bun toasty =) It's really good!
Fast food from the freezer! At 410 calories per serving and 20g of fat! Yikes! I'm sorry, I really read labels of food----food tech kase ako, can't help it it's in the blood! =)
Fun foodie finds, but eat with caution, homemade sandwiches are still the best! =)
Sunday Girl Power!!!
I found myself back at Power Pla Mall last Sunday. There was an Urban Bazaar at the Rockwell Tent and Gwen asked me to go and comb through it with her! I vowed not to make any purchase because I feel I have a lot of stuff
pa from my dad's
pasalubongs. Control Jen!!!!!!!! =)
There were lots of great stuff!!!!
Hay--temptation island talaga! Dresses, shoes, bags and accessories from a lot of new designers! A lot of hip stuff at resonble to expensive prices! What I liked a lot from the selection was that most pieces were one of a kind. I really like scouring through racks and racks of clothing, where you really have to dig for good finds! =) There were a lot of good finds--
I DIDN'T BUY ANY =( Gwen was able to purchase a very nice antique finish necklace----I also found a very nice antique gold charm bracelet that I adored and a charmed locket necklace with a cameo!! I saw something like it that Daphne Osena owned--it was beautiful! A very lovely piece--shucks can you believe----
I DID NOT BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =( What saddness!!!! To find things you cannot have!!!!Whaaaaaaa!! Nevertheless, I really enjoyed looking and trying the stuff on--WINDOW SHOPPING AT IT'S PUREST FORM!!!!!
We had coffee after that, to ease my frustration---coffee is something I always allow myself to purchase! ;P Before we knew it it was moving to dinner time and I have to change my girlfriend date! Gwen met up with her BF and I moved along to meeting my other gal pal..Elaine for dinner.
We had dinner a
Kulinarya! I's just my second time here. The first time I vaguely remember what I had (that is something strange)
We had the
Gamberi Pasta....
We just shared an order so you are looking at half a serving. I was really good. Ample shrimps and the red sauce was very flavorful =) We loved it! I saw a lot of interesting food on the menu like pizzas, apps and entrees so I will definitely visit here again..with an empty stomach! hehehhe
We moved to UCC for some
Tirmisu.....
...and being on a dark chocolate frenzy lately....
Lindt 70% cacao chocolate! This Elaine bought at Rustan's while we were looking around the grocery.
This was bitter and had a sour note to it. It has a creamier mouthfeel than tht of the Hershey's Dark I had yesterday. I was bitter and good! I like =) I wana go for teh 80%!!!!! ;P
Welcome Home Daddy!!!!! =)
My dad is finlly back from his looooong vacation in the US =) WELCOME HOME DADDY!!! We missed you so!!!!
He arrived at noon time, when it was scorching HOT!!!!! Nevertheless....we are all gald that he had a pleasant trip back and he started pouring our stories as soon as we were all in the car! =)
My daddy dearest got me my.......BURBERRY SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!! It was the first thing he handed to me as soon as we saw eachother...well actually he told me that it was the last thing he bought, because it was not available in the US malls so he bought it in Taipei. I love it!!!!! It smells sooo fresh and burberry!!! hhahahaah Thank you dad!
Apart from that, he got me a new espresso machine! My old one (his pasalubong from his prior trip to the US) got busted already and so I am really thankful for the replacement!hahaha I shall post the picture when I do the test run!
I love dark chocolates...and luckily my dad brought home lots of it this time around. My sisters are more of the milk chocolate fans...so sabe ko ---
AKIN LAHAT NG MAY DARK sa label! hahaha
Here is a pack of 60% dark chocolate Ghirardelli chocolates.... I think there are 70-80% cacao available..but this will do! =P
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Here is something interesting among the chocolates he brought home...Hersheys dark chocolates...but these are special...they have bits of blueberries and almonds! =) I love berries and dark chocolate and nuts!!!!!!
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These babies are packed with anti-oxidants from the chocolate and berries!!! Good for you! bad for the hips! CONSUME MODERATELY!!! =D
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I vow not to touch the other chocolates---leave them to my sisters ....for my own sake! hahaha
This Song is Dedicated to My Friend Kirby....
OVER IT
Katharine McPhee
I’m over your lies
And I’m over your games
I’m over you asking me
When you know I’m not okay
You call me at night
And I pick up the phone
And though you be tellin’ me
I know you’re not alone
I’m over it
Your smile
I’m over it
(Chorus)
Wanting you to be wanting me
No that ain’t no way to be
How I feel, read my lips
( I'm so)
Movin’ on, it’s my time
You never were a friend of mine
Hurt at first, a little bit
But now I’m so over
I’m so over it
I’m over your hands
And I’m over your mouth
Trying to drag me down and fill me with self doubt
Oh and that’s why your world
I’m over it
So sure
I’m over it
I’m not your girl
I’m over it, I’m over it
I’m over
(Chorus)
Wanting you to be wanting me
No that ain’t no way to be
How I feel, read my lips
Because I’m so over
(I’m so)
[ Lyrics found on http://www.metrolyrics.com ]
Movin' on, it’s my time
You never were a friend of mine
Hurt at first, a little bit
But now I’m so over
So over it
I’m so over it
(Bridge)
(Oh) Don’t call, Don’t come by
Ain’t no use don’t ask me why
You’ll never change
There'll be no more crying in the rain
No, oh oh
I’m over it
(Chorus)
Wanting you to be wanting me
No that ain’t no way to be
How I feel, Read my lips
‘Because I’m so over
(I’m so)
Movin’ on, it’s my time
You never were a friend of mine
Hurt at first, a little bit
But now I’m so over
So over it
I’m so over it
I’m over it
(Wanting you to be wanting me)
(No that ain’t no way to be)
How I feel, read my lips
Because I’m so over
(I’m so)
Movin’ on, it’s my time
you never were a friend of mine
Hurt at first, a little bit
But now I’m so over
So over it
So over it
Got this from my friend Didi =)
| Your Personality is Somewhat Rare (ESFP) |
Your personality type is playful, charming, open minded, and energetic.
Only about 7% of all people have your personality, including 9% of all women and 5% of all men
You are Extroverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Perceiving. |
Spanish Breakfast Rendezvous
I love mornings!=) Even if I sleep late, I am the kind of person who can be up and about 5am or however early necessary! I am a true blue morning person! Except ofcourse if I am not feeling well.
It's been a while since I had breakfast with my friend Mike. We used to do that a lot because of his unusual schedule and my unusual waking habits! I remember the times when we combed through tomas morato look for a breakfast place open at 6 or 630 am and couldn't find any until we reach greenhills to find most restos open at 7 or 730...so we go back to morato and by that time the restos are open! hahaha--crazy!!!
Last night Mik called me up to asked me if I'd want to meet up for breakfast today. Pefect timing becaus I had some work to do very, very early in the morning at Mall of Asia. We met up at Dulcinea at Theatremall around 830 am! We used to frequent Dulcinea because we love their breakfast there!
This is Mike's favorite ....The Morcillo Con Arroz....
'
They are spanish blood sausages ( which gives it the black color) in fried rice!. There are some sliced pieces and some chopped pieces of the sausages. Really good but very fatty! hahaha
An how the Spanish do love fat for breakfast...I chose the
Huevos al Plato (?) I forgot the actualy name (sorry for that!)
It's Spanish chorizzo sliced cooked with tomatoes, bell peppers and topped with an egg fried sunny side up!
a closer look....
It is served with pan de sal with butter. Fat on fat---but good and filling! This will definitely get you through your day---through lunch----passed lunch! hahaah
I just found out today that they no longer give free coffee with the breakfast =( I was looking forward to cup over cup over cup of their coffee (though their brew is nothing great...but flowing coffee is flowing coffee...hehehe)
Thank you Mike for breakfast! It's really a great way to start the day..good meal with a good friend =)
Hanging by The Cliff
I was with Gwen lastnight at Power Plant and had coffee at UCC Terrace. Yup--UCC
nanaman! Well, we just wanted to hang out and
make-"kwento" we stayed here the whole time!
We shared this interesting sandwich...THE CLIFF HANGER!
Let us examine the cross-section of this sandwich:
This is not your average sandwich my friends! It's triple decked with mozzarella, chicken, bacon, ham and scrambled eggs---as is that if that is not enough to make it over the top---IT'S BATTERED (like french toast), BREADED AND DEEP FRIED TO A CRISP!!!!! Holy sandwich!!!! Now we understand why they call this the CLIFF HANGER---YOUR LIFE IS HANGING BY THE CLIFF AFTER EATING THIS VERY DEADLY SANDWICH!!!!;P hahahaha Good thing we shared this, so we have a chance of SURVIVAL! =D
Jack's Loft
My siters wanted to cellphone shop at Greenhills after work, so I just met up with Oli for coffee at Starbucks thetremall. I met up with Gwen later in the evening and we hanged out for a while while I patiently waited for my sisters to finish their shopping. Thank God for friends lurking around Greenhills! It's my favorite area because I never feel that I'll ever be alone there..I know I'll find or bump into a familiar face anytime! =)
When my sisters were finally done, we decided to have dinner at Jack's Loft, at Wilson.
Here is the
Mozzarella sticks...nothing great but it was ok...the marinara sauce tasted like it came out of a can...a del monte tomato sauce can??? hahaha ;P
I wanted something fried...so we had the Calamares....which was really good actually. It was crispy and not oily and the dip was really good. It was like tartar sauce with some minced carrots (was it?) which was refreshing =) It's way better than the calamares at Fish and Co. and a lot cheaper too. Two snaps up for this! =D
My shobe Nikki and I shared the
Chicken Stir fry. This is HALF an order! (
still madame right?) It was like a mongolian rice dish. It's like fried rice with soy sauce (that tasted like the sauce in
beef steak ulam!), chicken bit, bell peppers, caramelized onions and chopped nuts. I liked it but shobe didn't! hehehe
This was the cream of pumpkin soup..it tasted good but it wasn't creamy at all. A bit too runny for a cream soup, nevertheless it ws ok.
We all shared the famous
Jack's Loft FishBowl Iced tea...according to my camel sisters Nikki and Bob
..."madame ba yan???" hehehe
My atchi and Bob both had the Grilled Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce on a bed of Mashed Potatoes. They declared it was good, especially the sauce, but there were too few grilled chicken pieces! We had no room for dessert which was too bad because the cheesecake there is really good =)
The Grilled Chikenand Mashed Potato The Sauce
Eating Chicken and Sitting on Eggs
Sunday is always relaxing =) I met up with my friend Gwen at Power Plant to shoe shop and of course hear her stories from her recent trip to Vietnam. I need to buy shoes! I need bronze/ matte gold formal stilletos! I saw a perfect Unisa pair at CMG...but it wasn;t my size!!!!!!!! I am a size 5! The shoes was onlyu available in 6 1/2!!!!!!!! Awwwww----I was crushed! I loved the look and the feel...it was comfy but..hayayay it was not meant for me =( Good thing Gwen was there to easy my pain! hehehe We hanged out at Starbucks and went to eat Gelato at Pazzo. We bumped into our friend Sherly and her fiance and chatted along while enjoying our gelato =) Yummm!
We parted ways early evening because we both have to have dinner with our families. My two shobes were home so I fetched them so we could have dinner together.
We decided to try World of Chicken! I have eaten at World of Chicken in G4 foodcourt....a long..long...long time ago! Back where I was working for another company I think! So we gave it a go for our laid back Sunday dinner.
The place was small and casual. You sit on egg-shaped chairs, which my shobe Nikki liked a lot! The menu was very kid friendly and good for people who don't want to fuss.
I had the grilled chicken with asian noodles and potato salad. The grilled chicken was surprisingly good! Very juicy and you get to choose your sauce. I had the brown gravy! The noodles was fetuccine with soy sauce and bell peppers. It's nice. I thought it would be something like the kungpao pasta of CPK.
My sis Nikki had the grilled chicken with potato salad and cheese muffin. The muffin was severly dry sad to say....
And lastly, my sis Che had her chicken on a side of ..yes..potato salad still and tuna carbonara. I think she liked it becaise she mopped it all off! hahaha
The food was ok and cheap! If you're hungry and wana fill up fast--World of chicken isn't a bad deal! =)
Green Tomato
Oli and decided to have dinner at Green Tomato. Why? Sometimes when you're hungry and confused yoiu make rash decision! ;P
Oli had the
Penne Alioli 
He declared that it was good, although the serving was bit small.
I had the
Shrimp & Feta Pasta. I chose this because I like Shrimps, love cheese (like Feta) and into red sauces. It was ok but a bit on the soupy side for me. I found the pasta a tad bit over al dente too. It's kinda strange to eat pasta from a BOWL. I don't know if its just me...but the Italian feel of eating pasta is lost by serving pasta in deep soup bowls. It's like you're eating MAMI in a chinese noodle house! hehehehe
Ven and War arrived after we have finished our pasta in bowls! Ven had the roasted chicken with this gravy like sauce served with potato salad and a wedge of foccacia.
I asked Ven how his food was...he looked at me and the boys answered.."well its chicken..it's hard to go wrong with chicken!" hehehe I take it there is nothing special with this dish.
Warren, my poor Warren, disliked his food sad to say. Take a look at that eggplant lasagna! It really looks itcky to me! I showed this picture to my shobe and she said..."what is that? looks like kanin-ba--..." I will not go on! hahahah
I think presentation has a lot to do with the whole perception of taste and eating pleasure. I guess Green Tomato needs to work on plating! hahahaha
MIniature Bibingkas of Bibingkinitan!
Whatelse is new??! Saturday was another wafully HOT day! My friend Oli told me he wanted to hang out in the mall to COOL down---I was most definitely GAME! He fetched me from the office around 5pm and we headed to Shang mall. My friend Ling was also there waiting for her
BF and so we met up with her for some
meryenda. Oli suggested we try
Bibingkinitan! It's located at the foodcourt of Shang mall, and owned by
Tea Square--(they sell great ice Teas and Breastick...love the chicken pesto!), which it happens to share the stall with.
For Php 20.00 you get one of these mini-bibingkas, freshly cooked and smothered with butter and sprinkled with sugar (if you like)
Not bad for 20 bucks ei! It's rather nakakabusog because its mabigat sa tiyan, being a rice cake! Ofcourse its nothing like Bibingkas from Via Mare, but coming out fresh from the oven and onto little rounds of banana leaves to your empty stomach---its pretty ok na din =)
Making Up for Missed Breakfast
My sis and I were famished alright! The albino maize didn't quite help take away my morning weakening and so we went straight ahead to Taza Cafe to fill up our tanks. Upon sitting, I immediately asked for a cup of their strong brew....
And they did not fail me at all! I felt so much better after this cup. Look at that
crema--an indication of a srtong good brew!!!!!!!!!!!
We had these wantons with spinach cream dip to start our meal....
I think the spinach dip was a bit on the runny side today....maybe diluted?
I had Today's Special: Pasta Aiolio and Oilio (tama ba yan??? meaning pasta with garlic and Olive oil! ;P ) with Garlic chicken and garlic bread! Garlic! Garlic! Garlic! Vampires would be warded-off by this dish! hahahah
I was kinda disappointed with the wings...why wings? Gimme legs, thighs..breasts! hahaha The pasta I found to be too spicy! I failed to read on the board..."with minced chilis" woooha! I skipped the pasta and settled on the bread.
My sis had her usual...Sassy Shrimp...
I don't know why sassy?? It had shrimps and chicken pieces in a white creamy sauce. My sis loves creamy white sauces!
I just had to have another dose of caffeine..so I had another cup of brew and we shared this Kilauea Cake.
We still cannot pronounce the name of this cake! It is chocolate cake with a layer of walnuts inside and fidge frosting. I like it...simple..not too sweet and chocolatey! I love walnuts ofcourse =)
Missed breakfast well compensated for! =) hahahaa
The Albino Maize
I was off to work extra, extra early today! I left the house for Bicutan around 530am!!!! I had to attend to some work in lieu to our on goin SM sale. I got back to the office around 10 am and had to go to Binondo for a meeting....hence...NO BREAKFAST FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!= ( I hate missing breakfast...I love breakfast=) Around 11 am I was already weak...no food...NO COFFEE yet! ahhhhh I was not at my best and traffick was awful---on a SATURDAY???? What's the matter Manila??? Anyhoos...my attention was caught by a passing kariton of boiled mais! How desperate can I get! hahahe It turned out, the vendor was selling white mais..apart from the usually japanese sweet corn. This made me think of my dad. My dad just adores white mais, foir the fact that it is juicier, sweeter and starchier..as he declared. I bot 3 for Php 20...not bad. I didnt't finish one because as I was eating my mais..I suddenly thought....san kaya galing yun boiling water nito???? hahaha...my stomach twitched and I put down the half eaten corn I held ;P
Forgetful Jen!
I had my first fitting for my friend, Shawie's wedding on the first of July. I am the bridesmaid....yeah, yeah...always the bridesmaid..never the...hahaha ;P Our couture is none other than Ms. Debbie Co. Although my gown was still 3/4 done...I love it already! Shawie made me pick the design. She was showedme this picture of an oscar gown worn by Rachel Weisz, and without hesitation I said this is what I want =) The first fitting of the gown and it felty and looked so right..I can't wait to see it finished!
After that I went to Podium and met up with my friend Ling for dinner at Cafe Med.
Weird as it may sound, it's my first time to have their baba ganoush! I know..I know...it's just because I always seem to have hummus as appetizer the times I've been there.
The baba ganoush...is strangely white? Please correct me if I am wrong but should it not be greenish?---because of the eggplant??? In any case, it was still rather good and we mopped it all off with 2 pita breads =)
We bith had the usual chicken gyros...simple shawarma goodness. I like chicken =)
After dinner, we had crepes at our Cafe Breton...the usual La pinay and Cafe Au Lait---the no fail, dessert combination!
We got carried away with out chit chat that I almost forgot I had to meet up with my highschool barakada! Yikes, talk about being forgetful! tsk tsk... By the time I realized it, I already saw them at the adjacent Starbucks. We joined them and caught up with the conversation..until I got a call from my friend Kirby! I forgot also that we were supposed to meet up with our other friends. Ling and I dropped by at Marina, Annapolis to hang with the boys for a while.
I should really start taking memory enhancers! hahhaha Nevertheless, it was a fun evening meeting up with good friends =)
Reason Enough to Wake Up in the Morning....
If there is one thing I really can't live without...its COFFEE I think. Really...I am really convinced that it is so! I really have a difficult time functioning throughout the day without my daily dose of caffeine. Am I an addict?--perhaps =)
Today is the first day I start using the
Trung Nguyen Coffee, given by my friend Gwen=). Can you believe I went to the office really early for this! I normally have my breakfast in the office because ....well just because =) Anyways, I got here around 730am--that's why I am blogging about it now. I just want to share my excitement! hahahaha ;P
As I opened the bag----uhmmmmmmmm...love that aroma!!!!!!!!! There's really something different about authentic Vietnamese grinds. It has this peculiar aroma and tatste that I don't find in any of the usual coffee grinds. I just can't describe it---like ah...dark chocolate and coffee? I remember in Vietnam, they serve their coffee in double espresso-shot quantities and served with sweet milk (a.k.a. condensed milk). They take there coffee at all times of the day, hot or cold in any type of weather. I love it!
There is NO sour tone to the Vietnamese brew. There are some coffee that leans towards the acidic side---that I don't appreciate so much.
Here it is...my coffee...=) Yes, I put cream and sugar. I take my coffee in all possible ways...black...black with sugar....with cream and sugar (brown sugar)...with cream no sugar.
The perfect pick me up!
Here is my breakfast...this is what I normally have, my coffee, whole wheat toast with cinnamon and butter! I love butter---but butter is bad---so I recently purchased this Land O lakes WHIPPED butter! hehehe 50% less fat and calories than normal butter...but with the full butter taste and experience! ;P
I like putting cinnamon on my toast to give it that extra something, something =) Cinnamon is good of us you know. It is a spice and medicine as well! It helps regulate blood sugar, it has anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties and it even improves brain activity! =) Just a little trivia tid bit... to start the day.
Have a wonderful day everyone!!!!!! =)
Laboring on Labor day...at The Coffee Bean & Katre ;P
As I have mentioned...we did have office yesterday (
ganun talaga ang mga slave drivers! hahaha) Nevertheless, it was only for half a day so it wasn't so bad. When I got back to the office afterlunch, my sisters went home and I stayed behind fo finish some paper work. My friend Kirby called me up and after chit-chatting we decided to just hang out together! (Good thing he lives near by na!--hehehe) He fetched me from the office and we went to the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at Tomas Morato. Can you believe they have NO CAKES on the display!!!! WHY??? o WHY Coffee bean???? It was soo hot so we both had Ice blended coffee. Jhan and An joined us shortly. It was like the good ol' days when we used to hang out almost on a daily basis! Kame ang bumuhay sa Starbucks ABS-CBN (nung nasa Star Studio pa ako! ;P), Ashcreek branch and Podium! (Jhan---I miss my
kahera days at Kitaro!hehehe
Pwede ba mag moonlight there again?hahaha )
I had a reflexology appointment later in the evening with my friend Sal. She picked me up early evening from my coffee-capade and we decided to have dinner at Katre.
It's only my second time at this Mediterranean resto tucked behind the main street of Morato. I remember this used to be a resto called Toque (which didn't last soo long...). I like Katre. It has simple interiors that had a touch of formality to it.
We shared this grilled pita bread with Hummus Tahini, Baba Ganoush and Yoghurt-Cucumber dip...
I wished that they grilled the pita a bit more..I like my bread on the toasty side. Among the three dips..I like the Baba Ganoush best =)
This is the Field Green Salad with Grapes, Capers and Kalamata olives with Balsamic Vinaigrette ang Blue cheese
I liked this salad a lot. Light and flavorful. Although, was that really blue cheese??? I love blue cheese and I know that it is a soft crumbly cheese.....in this salad it was more like parmesan!
This was the Pasta ala Katre. It was made with Olive oil, garlic pesto garnished with Artichokes, sundried tomatoes, broccoli, walnuts and blue cheese.
We liked this pasta a lot. Different and flavorful. It's good that we split an order because it can be overwhelming if you have too much of it.
To cap our meal...we had the carrot cake, as recommended by our waiter.
No, this is not 2 orders of the cake! I don't know if they split it just because they saw we were sharing everything or if they really served it by twos =) Initially, we found the cake dense on on the dry side. Bite after bite....the taste seems to grow on you. It got better to good but not the best carrot cake I've had. I would love to come back here and try the other interesting food on the menu.
Labor day well spent don't you think? Nice relaxing day with good friends, good food and reflexology to boot!
Trung Nguyen
My dear darling friend Gwen just came home from her trip to Vietnam. When I was there, I just loved the coffee---really stong, aromatic and full bodied!!! I was sooooo happy when Gwen dropped by the office yesterday to bring me her pasalubong ----Trung Nguyen Coffee =) What a great surprise!!!!!!!!!
And yes...we had office on labor day!!!
Thank you Gwen! Mwah!!!!!
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