Pre-Birthday Teaser at Teazzan, Metrowalk

It's Sally's birthday coming this sunday!!! ADVANCED HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SAL!!!!! =) Just to be sure that we get the chance to get together to celebrate, we decided to have dinner last night.

We went to Metrowalk and checked out Teazzan. by the name itself...I was kinda thinking it was like the defunct, Struan and Tang's (remember that?). So we instinctively tried their fruited iced tea...

I had the Kalamasi flavored and Sal had the Strawberry...as recommended by our waitress....


The drink is based on brewed green and jasmine tea...with fruit flavored syrup. The taste did not agree with me as I found them both to be too "candy" tatsing! I couldn't detect the tea taste anymore b4ecause the syrup they used was too overpowering....


We split this honeyed balsamic salad.....


...it's mixed greens with caramelized walnuts (but the menu says...cashews dapat!), sundired tomatoes (I love sundried tomatoes!) and balsamic vinaigrette (which tasted like it was JUST balsamic vinegar). Nevertheless, I liked the salad =) or was I just famished? ;P


Next up...we spilt an order of the seafood pesto linguine....

We bothed like this dish! It had pesto and a little bit of red sauce, which I think gave the dish dimension. The prawns were fresh and the linguine cooked al dente!

This is the spinach-cheese crepe (with mushrooms). We were supposed to have the quiche, but the waitress told us it was a very tiny order (muka siguro kame malakas kumain talaga!hahaha)

The crepe was more like egg lumpia wrapper to me, but I did like the spinach -cheese-mushroom filling. I love spinach and cheese =) Although, after a few bites, I found it "nakakasawa".

For dessert...we had the mango souffle...good for 2 for Php 225.oo

Hmmm...I really don't like white stuff =( I like the soufles at Le souffle..but this one, I took a pass. It was too eggy for me...I could barely taste the mango and it didn't seem like dessert to me at all. After 2 or 3 bites..I let it go. Sally like it though.

It was nevertheless a plasant and filling dining experience overall. I like the interiors of the restaurant.

Ponderings...

I have been busy baking the past few nights and I'm loving every minute of it! =) Thank you to all the wonderful people who order cinnamon rolls from me (hugs to you all!!!) I really need the baking frenzy to get my mind off a lot of things...I welcome the work with open arms!

I don't know if any of you out there realize, that sometimes the seemingly happiest people around can be the saddest people you'd know?

I just got a text message now...

" do you know what real love is?....itis when you go through the hard trials of trust & sacrifice, and still wake up every morning falling in love all over again..."

Just wanted to share that because it's nice.... and true=)

Why do nice people have to go through emotional hardships? Betrayal? Disappointments? Hurt? I know a good deal of good people who are not getting the kind of love and care they deserve. And is this the saddeness I am talking about? Well, yes. I think one of the heaviest burden a person can have---more than any kind of physical stress or wear---it's hurt in the heart that is most painful. It has mind altering, mood swingging, appetite losing and body deteriorating effects to people....some pretty good people. It happens to many of us and it happens to the best amongst us.

I think pretty much all of us have dealt with this ..at least once in his or her lifetime. Sometimes I just can't help but wonder...why so hard on some people? Why easy on others?

Just some thoughts...

Sunday Shobe Bonding Day =)

I have been out quite a bit the past week and I missed my shobe a lot, so I decided to take my shobe out malling last Sunday.

But first things first...I went out of the house early to bring some cinnamon orders to 2 of my friends in greenhills. Can you believe after my Saturday night out at Apartment B1 I managed to bake when I got home? O yes I did! That's how much I love baking---love it more than sleeping! hahahha ;P

After my deliveries, I met up with my friend Gwen at theatremall for a quick chitchat =) (just can't live without that! hahaha)

I went back to the house to pick up my shobe and to Podium we headed on! My shobe goes..."are we gona meet with your friend Gwen ba?" I said..."no, tapos na" and she goes..."bakit tayo aalis?" I told her "wala lang for bonding =)" hehehe

We had early dinner at UCC, one of my favorite coffee shops. I really like the food selection here. The I call their menu, simple-fancy...the items are really ordinary..you know like pasta...sandwich and salads...but the put very nice complexity to the dish that you cannot find elsewhere! I love it! =) hahaha

Let me expound.... consider exhibit 1.A Chocolate French Toast!

My shobe was contemplating on this or a waffle and apparently this won her over. The cubes of thick bread made into mini- frensh toastlets that are slightly crisp on the outside and soft in the indside...smothered with chocolate sauce, topped with whipped cream (this is the yucky part! ---to me:p) and sticks of pocky! =) (i like pocky...specially the kind with almonds) My sis loved it!

And here...exhibit 1.B Chicken Terriyaki Penne...

This is for yours truly =) When it comes to pasta...I am inclined to the noodle type..i.e. spaghetti, spaghettini, fetuccine, linguine, angel hair..... but for this dish I am ok with the penne since the Terriyaki chicken has strong flavor. I love this dish! As I love Terriyaki...I love chicken and Cheese!!! I think this will be a UCC favorite of mine along with the Terriyaki eggplant sandwich (see Terriyaki still???) Warning though..this dish IS VERY FILLING! Super busog and like you need to be wheeled out of the resto! bwahaha (exagg!!!)

Apt 1B

I have read and heard so many good raves about this cozy little place called Apartment 1B by some of my favorite food bloggers. I finally got the chance to vist this place last Saturday night with my good friends...Mikey and "Angel" ;P . We got there after for a little night cap.

The place is homey with comfy looking interios...tables and couches. We were seted at a corner table on the ground floor, but I would have liked it better upstairs (it looks cozier there!) Mike and I had the brew of the day, which was 100% Arabica coffee. Arabica is the most fragrant of all coffee beans but it lacks the body that I look for in my coffee =)

And for dessert we had the Carrot Cake....

...this was ok..though I found it a bit too sweet for my preference. I didn't appreciate the caramel sauce that they drizzled on it. I think it over powers the complex flavors in this dessert and it made it even MORE sweet! There was also some sort of dried fruit incorporated in the cake...like glazed fruits or was it dates? It made it more like fruit cake than carrot. The cream cheese icing...was a bit weak on the cheese. Nevertheless, it was ok. Not bad but not good, I'm sorry to say. I remeber the carrot cake I really, really liked....the one from Cafe Ysabel. I'v had it aloooong time ago and I remember loving it (I just don't know if its still the same). The carrot cake of Fleur de Lyss, I like also =)


Moving on, we had the famous White Toblerone Cheesecake....

as you can see....WHIPPED CREAM A TOP!!!!! =( SADNESS!!! I hate whipped cream! I actually, am NO fan of white chocolate as well. The crust was graham cracker with some nuts in them, again too sweet for me. The cheesecake body had bits of white toblerone in them---it was ok but nothing I would fancy. I must add that the strawberry sauce they used to plate this dessert was too much and too thick! I'm so sorry to all the fans of this dessert. Perhaps I am a biased opinion as I hate whipped cream, I don't like white chocolate and I don't appreciate excessive saucing! hahahah ;P

A bad dessert day for me? Well, not really...I still appreciated the cakes we had. They were not my taste but I bet there are lots of people who like them=) We mopped out both cakes anyway so there you go! hhahhaha

What interests me though, is the hot items on the menu! The food looks very interesting....casual gourmet. I will definitely go back here FOR DINNER and/or BREAKFAST! Yes, they offer breakfast satrting at 7am! I love breakfast food! I love breakfast as I love morings! I can't wait to try the eggs benedict and waffles! ;)

Despite my disliking the cakes...I will definitely give this place another go!---matigas talaga ulo ko! hahahaha

The Turkish Pasta Pic...

A-ha! I found the missing pic to my Ziggurat post! Here it is my friends... the Turkish Tujmaj =)

Look at the plate---its the same plate they use at Cafe Breton! ;P hehehe

The Temple Tower of Ancient Mesopotamia!

I have long made a list of restos I want to try out, and I have totally forgotten about this mediterranean resto tucked away in the heart of Makati (somewhere near the red light district hahaha).

Ziggurat is a quaint resto having a very interesting menu of African, Indian and Persian food. The place is quite small, but very cozy. I like that you get to sit on the carpeted floors with throw pillows...makes the dining experience more authentic! The menu is a Gazette and serves as a guide as well to novice patrons.

It was a real great idea that Gwen suggested we dine here for our Friday night out, along with my good friend Oli. Gwen ordered the Beef Wet, the picture of which was deleted unfortunately! It was sliced beef with tangy red sauce with feta cheese and hard boiled eggs on the side on top of a big pita bread. The tangy red sauce didn't quite agree with my palate, but nontheless I didn't dislike the dish over all. Every bite was a mystery to me as I try to decipher the spice that went in the sauce and my brain tries to understand what is being masticated in my mouth! ;P hahaha I love it!---The thrill of eating strange food!

For something safer, we had the Mixed Kebabs plate....

It consists of chicken, beef and kofta with a grilled tomato and minced herbage--that was thyme-mint like. The chicken was grilled perfectly! Tender and juicy. I didn't touch the beef and we all liked the kofta. Kofta is like an elongated burger patty to me ;P

This is just traditional hummus...we just had to have it and it was great! I love the pita bread too.

Lastly we had the Turkish Tushmaj---or was it Tuchmaj? The picture of which I have to find, but let me just describe to you what it was. It was egg noodles...more like fetuccine but thicker and more gummy to the bite. It had a yoghurt based sauce giving it a slightly sour zing to it and it came along with some muchrooms and bell peppers (if I remember correctly). It was ok..but I would crave for it ;P. Again another dish worth trying but for me...not to try again! ;P hahahaha I just loved that it had a strange name =)

I would definitely go back here and maybe try the duck couscous! I love couscous! There are soo many interesting food on the menu and it would be really fun trying them out! to top it all off..the price is reasonable ah---I was surprised.

After our gastronomic adventure...we really planned to go to Fez in Serendra..but we got an invite from some other friends to hang out. So wewent to side bar in Ortigas----hahaha..yes, yes...so old school ei? But old school it maybe....it was jammed when we got there! Our friend War was there and Claudine, along with more of her friends. It was fun hanging with them, although I the place was really, really "ma-usok" .

Thank you Oli for taking us out. I look foward to our Fez night Gwen! hahaha

Another Song I'm Carzy About Now...

Last Night by P.Diddy and Keisha Cole


Diddy:] Last night, I couldn't even get an answer.
Tried to call, but my pride wouldn't let me dial.
And I'm sitting here, with this blank expression.
And the way I feel, I wanna curl up like a child.

I know you can hear me
I know you can feel me
I can't live without you
God please make me better
I wish I wasn't the way I am

[Keyshia:] If I told you once,
I told you twice, you can see it in my eyes.
I'm all cried out, with nothing to say.
You're everything I wanted to be.
If you could only see, your heart belongs to me.
I love you so much, I'm yearning for your touch.
Come and set me free, forever yours I'll be, baby won't you come and take this pain awayyyyy.

[Diddy:] Last night, I couldn't even get an answer.
Tried to call, but my pride wouldn't let me dial.
And I'm sitting here, with this blank expression.
And the way I feel, I wanna curl up like a child.

[Keyshia:] I need you, and you need me.
This is so plain to see, and I will never let you go and, I will always love you so.
I will... If you could only see, your heart belongs to me.
I love you so much, I'm yearning for your touch.
Come and set me free, forever yours I'll be, baby won't you come and take this pain awayyyyy.

[Diddy:] Last night, I couldn't even get an answer.
Tried to call, but my pride wouldn't let me dial.
And I'm sitting here, with this blank expression.
And the way I feel, I wanna curl up like a child.

[Diddy:] Tell me the words to say, to make you come back, and work me like that.
And if it matters I'll rather stay home, with you I'm never alone.
Don't want to wait till you're gone, let me be, just don't leave me.

[Diddy:] Last night, I couldn't even get an answer.
Tried to call, but my pride wouldn't let me dial.
And I'm sitting here, with this blank expression.
And the way I feel, I wanna curl up like a child.

[Keyshia:] I need you, and you need me.
This is so plain to see, and I will never let you go and, I will always love you so.
I will... If you could only see, your heart belongs to me.
I love you so much, I'm yearning for your touch.
Come and set me free, forever yours I'll be, baby won't you come and take my pain awayyyyy.

[Diddy:] Last night, I couldn't even get an answer.
Tried to call, but my pride wouldn't let me dial.
And I'm sitting here, with this blank expression.
And the way I feel, I wanna curl up like a child.

[Keyshia:] I'm so alone I'm soooo lonelyyyyy,
Why don't you pick the phone, and dial up my number, and call me a baby, I'm waiting on you. Why don't you pick the phone, and dial up my number, just call me a baby, I'm waiting on you.

The Brown Brotha! =)

It has been awfully HOT the past weeks. I feel like ice cream melting away everytime I am out of an air-conditioned area. Nonetheless, however uncomfortable for us HUMANs the weather may be...some living things actually desire such conditions---the YEAST! hehehe Yes my friends! --the icky and sticky temperature nowadays is very conducive to yeast growth, thus now is the time to make BREAD! =)

Meet the brown brother of my cinnamon rolls...the CHOCOBON---hmmm...shall I call him Chocoboy? ;P hahaha I made these last night, an order of a friend of mine. These are the original version actually of my cinnamon rolls. It has chocolate dough with dark chocolate chips inside. For this batch however...I mixed in white chocolate morsels with the dark because my friend likes white chocolate (unfortunately--I don't! ;P) .

I made them after dinner...and boy did I sweat like crazy for this, which made my missing out on pilates class to bake...quite alright! hahahaha It was soo hot in the kitchen...and naturally I can't put on the fan (because the draft will dry out my dough) and air-conditioning will slow down fermentation. Good for the dough....bad for the baker....nevertheless, seeing my brown babies rise perfectly (and quickly, I might add) is worth the suana experience! I call this BIKRAM BAKING! hahahaha =)

I decided to put the cream cheese frosting today, because I don't want it to melt away while I am in transit.

These are 7 x 5 rounds....interested parties may contact me for orders...just leave me a message =)

Half Moon at Serendra--Mezzaluna!

I haven't seen my friend Sal for quite sometime now...with all the vacation gaps and all. She invited me to have have coffee with her at Starbucks Corinthianhills and went antipasti shopping at Santi's. She had her holy week vacation at Baguio and she surprised me with Benguet Coffee and a silver "J" pendant from Ibay's !!!! =) How sweet!!! I loved them both!!! Thank you my dear Thesally!

I was supposed to just stay home and rest that evening...but my aunty...or is it cousin "I"? Invited me to have dinner with her to catch up. I coundn't refuse since she has been asking to meet up with me even before my boracay trip....and I missed her too... so I ofcourse obliged!

We went to Serendra because aunty "I" hasn't tired any of the restos there. I picked Mezzaluna. As I have learned, it has the same owner as Amoroma (I have yet to try Amoroma since I have heard good things about this Italian resto =) )

For starters, we had the warm salad with foie gras and scallops.....

this was good although a bit too oily for my taste. After having the 2nd small foie gras piece....I felt a little queezy! ;P hahahah Nonetheless..the scallops was perfectly cooked.

As our main...we had the Chilean Seabass on a bed of mashed potatoes topped with bacon. I forgot to take a photo of the entree, as I was enthralled by consuming the main course at once! bwahahahaha....I was a bit disappointed that it was a bit cooked over...rendering the fish a bit on the tough side as opposed to being soft and melt in your mouth ...the way Antonio's doest it =)

The bed of mashed potatoes was good...but not as smooth as I'd want it to be. I still compare it to Antonio's version of this dish...thier mashed potato was smooooth and creamy and dreamy. And I tell you, I am not much of a mashed potato fan!

We just felt "not busog" by our food...so we ordered this Pizza Margherita. I love my pizzas simple....with thin crispy crust! Just good 'ol cheese, basil and tomato/tomato sauce for me please! This one was good...but after having a slice...I suddenly felt myself fill up---sayang??? ;P hahahhaah

After our dinner and lively chit chat...we moved on to Fez for a drink. Fez is this quaint bar at Serendra, situated beside Larry's bar. If I remember correctly it has the same owner as Moksha, a bar somewhere on the side streets of Wilson. Aunty "I" had the strawberry diquiri and I had a lychee martini. I liked my drink...it's base is Absolut blue complimented by the sweet fruity taste of the lychees =) I can only take alcohol that doesn't really taste like alcohol. Nevertheless, I have learned my lesson well and the hard way...that is why I know better NOT to have more than one cocktail =). Note: Things I've learned before I turn 30...#1368 know your alcohol limit or you might regret it! hahahhaha

As I was telling my Aunty about the affinity of Fez to Moksha...she got curious about it so we decided to go check the place out. I have been there once a few years back with a friend of mine and I remember liking the it.

When we got there..the it was full! Can you believe it..on a Sunday! The people were mostly contemporary Fil-Chi people. We asked if there was still an available spot for us...the waiter ushered us to the back and told us...ma'am sa taas po. We saw that there was NO staircase to be found...so we asked him again.."saan yun taas?"...the waiter replied..."ma'am jan po" (pointing to the back room! My aunty and I looked at eacheother and we go.."ah..eto pala ang TAAS" hahaha I never knew they had a "back" portion, and it was quite spacious actually. Can you believe there were lots of people there still??? Luckily there was just the two of us so we got seated. I liked the place...nice...cozy...familiar. It's just like hanging in some 'ol friend's house. A nice place for friendly chit chat and hang time. I wanted to have coffee, but it was not available..so I had the next best thing....coffee freeze! Well they put whipped cream ...ewwwee...but I managed to consume my drink without it mixing in ;P I can only complain about the service...you know...nobody appreciates having "wala" "wala" na reply from waiters when you order something ( no cofffee, no cake, no bananas flambee....so why do they put it on the menu???? ;P) and to top this off...i asked for a spoon and tissue....which never came. Oh well, perhaps it was because it was a sunday? perhaps it was late? perhaps..perhaps! But nevertheless, I think I'll be goin back here soon....on a better day...say a friday night or saturday =)

Take Me Away by Stacie Orrico

From your walk to your style
From your lips to your smile
Got me feelin like a child
And baby I just want it all for me
Baby tell me that it's all for me
From your kiss to your touch
Got me needin it so much
Boy I got a crush
And with you is where I wanna be
So please tell me that its all for me
(CHORUS)
I love it I dont want it to stop
Every minute I'm without you always seems like a lot
Feels like I'm in a dream when I'm not everytime I get close to you
Please don't wake me baby cause I really hate seein you go
But you gotta handle business, yeah baby I know ??? when you walked out the door
Please take me away with you
From the look in your eye You want me as bad as i want you in my life Baby lovin you feels like a dream And your lovin has become a need
Every time that you go
I get a pain in my heart, and that lets me know
I just gotta have you all for me Baby tell me that it's all for me -CHORUS x2-
A love like yours is hard to find
Can i be yours will you be mine
I think its time Please take me away with you
Cause you bring out the best in me
The greatest love I've ever seen
Is what I need please take me away with you

Cyma for the nth Time!

This Saturday, I had to visit my cousin at American Eye. I decided to hang around in the mall after that since I was to meet some girl friends in the afternoon and for dinner. I stumbled upon a new salon....(or at least, it was the first time I noticed it) Studio 546! My hair was priorly managed by basement salon, I went in and check out their "menu" and decided to get a hair treatment after running some errands at Rustan's.

My treatment took a good 2 hours of my precious time! Luckily I had my trusty iPod and a friend of mine was there as well...so we did a little chit chat on the side.

What great timing that as I was paying my salon bill, Gwen got there and we moved on to shopping and had a little coffee break.

How time really flies when you're shopping! Before we realized it..it was time to meet our friend Shir for dinner.

Can you belive that even if we had made reservations for 7pm as early as 4pm...we were still on the wait list!

We had a the Roka Salata--the to share portion because we were all famished! We really loved this salad! It has caramelized walnuts, sundried tomatoes, cheese and lots of greens with a light vinegrette dressing!

ROKA SALATA

MOUSSAKA (is it ss or kk or both?)

We all loved this dish as well! It was all our first time to have moussaka and we were glad we had it! It's redolent of meat and eggplant lasagna...=)

And lastly...we had the Osso-bucco. I really am not much of an osso fan...but we had it because Gwen and Shir wanted to try them. They were not that crazy about this dish. We found the red sauce a bit over powering. This dish could have used a bit more pasta in it. Personally, since my trip to subic, beef seems to turn me off =( I think I had too much U.S. rib eye steak lil 'ol me can handle! hehehehe Or should I say---I have consumed my year's beef quota! hahahah

After dinner...we had dessert at C2! My shobe Nikki joined us there because she came from watching a recital at Meralco theatre....she hasn't had dinner yet so she had the Vigan Longganisa with garlic rice and salted egg. Shir had the guinomis (I think C2 serves great guinomis) and Gwen and I had the Ube Jalaya Shake! Yup.....wierd ei? It tasted like ube ice cream..but lighter and with tiny sagos.

My two favorite C's....Cyma and C2! hahahaha ;P

After holyweek baking!---PRETZLES

What a long, uber fun vacation spree I've had! Thank God for being oh soo good to me =) I tell you, after my boracay vacation, I went to Tagaytay for a wedding then back to tagaytay maundy thrusday then subic on Sat and Sun!

Being still a holiday Monday, I woke up ealry to work on my pretzles! This bacth is an order of a friend of mine...they are soft, butter-salt pretzles =) A batch is 8 pcs! Just pop them in the overn before eating. They are great with cheese dip!!

Birthday Dinner at SEAWIND

The eve of the birthday of my dear friend Lotte, she decided to celebrate at Seawind Seafood buffet. A great choice I might say. We were all famished from the afternoon activity of swimming, walking around and paraw sailing!

Seawind is located at the far side of Station one..very near Discovery Shores. It's a bit of a walk from where Jonas and all the other clubs are located, but it was worth effort!

There was a wide array of seafoods (ranging from a variety of fish, squid and the best part...huge prawns!!!!!!!!!!!!), beef, chicken, pork. Atop of that, a pasta station with a good array of pastas, sauces (marinara, pesto, cream sauce)and meats (i.e. bacon, chicken, scampi, squid etc); a salad bar and dessert bar!

Grilled seafood

What's left of the grilled prawns (I think we had over 40 pcs!)

Pork BBQ

We were all full to the brim! We decided to walk along the evening shores and head to discovery shores!

Thank you Balots for the great dinner and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU GIRL!!!!! =)

My dear Cafe del Sol

If there is one place other than Aria that I cannot miss out when in Boracay..it's CAfe del Sol. It is strategically situated right beside Aria. I love their brew and the great desserts to boot!

The perfect pair!--Cafe Americano with Mango Cheese cake! Ohhhh ----we all fell in love with it! I am really a baked cheesecake lover, but for this one, I make and exemption. It's somewhat like a cross between a gelatin set cheesecake with a smooth, soft panna cotta mouth-feel. Its light and creamy and has a distinctive mango flavor imparted by the mango bits and topping! It has a Strawberry sister actually, that is more popular among the patrons...but for me...mango is the best =)

This is the cappuccino cake...well I really forgot it's actualy name. Its really good too, I like the coffee taste (ofcourse...anything coffee...espresso...I LIKE) =)

This is the mouse cake I think...I forgot how this one tasted but I am sure it was good as well.

We mopped off all the cakes and washed them down with the strong brew! A perfect ending to a perfect meal!

ARIA

After a morning of snorkeling and shopping for some some of us, we were all famished by early afternoon. We decided to have out delayed but never too late lunsh at my favorite Aria restaurant. It's an Italian resto owned by the Elizalde's (if I am not mistaken) and I remember adoring their pizzas!

What's really good about eating in bigs groups is that, you get to sample several dishes! =)

This is the Squid Ink fettuccini with cream sauce...a little too rich for my palate. Farther back is the Aria Pizza...with Parma Ham, Mozzalrella and Arugula. I like my pizza with thin crispy crust simple (few toppings, preferrable parma ham, herbs/veggies, i.e. basil or arugula, and cheesy! I'm really not fond of the commercial...pizzahut, shakey's type where its loaded with way too much topping that make you go nauseous after eating! hahah (Sorry to the Pizzahut and Shkey's fans out there!)

Calzone---I didn't get my hands on unfortunately!

Salmon Agurula Salad

Cheese Pizza!---It's simplicity makes it good =) Look at that crispy crust! I think a thin delicate crust is the best canvass for any pizza topping!

We all enjoyed our lunch at Aria! Very good no fuss no frills Italian food by the beach! =)

Lemon Grass Cafe

The agaenda for the day was snorkeling! Hmmm...remembering my first snorkeling experience during a trip to Vietnam and recall freaking out...not letting go of the life saver and having a very hard time breating through the mouth piece!!! Naturally, I chose to pass on this water activity of the day. Good thing my friend's Larry and Yet didn't like to snorkel--yey I am not alone! hahaha So parting with the rest of the gang, we decided to walk around the beach, check out the mall and get a massage!

It got amazingly HOT around noontime...too hot and sticky to get a massage! So amidst our shopping trip, we decided to cool down in the cool looking cafe in d'mall..the lemon grass cafe! The place was a cool lemon hue, with seiling fans, comfy tables and chairs, and an inviting dessert display! Larry and Yet wanted to try some desserts as we cooled off and waiting for the rest of the gang to finish their water fun.

This was Yet's Coconut Pannacota. It had a nice coconut flavor which was complimented by the mango topping. I had a bit of a gritty texture as opposed to being smooth (as a pannacota is supposed to be). Perhaps its due to the moisture drawing property of the coconut added? hahah

Larry opted for this Lemon Tart. This was a tad bit too big for a tart tart! He found himself scooping out the lemon filling as he tells me its too much for the crust, and when eating tart we want a good balance of filling and crust dont't we? =)

As for me? I loved the iced lemon water! ;P hahahahha

Ribs at Gastof's

When it comes to ribs---I always remeber my good friend Warren and how much he raves about this ribs place in Boracay-Gastof's! And when I told him I was going to Boracay, he goes---"Jen! Gastof's! Askfirst if may RIBS if wala don't bother!"

I told my friends that we give this place a go and here it is...

This was the pasta marinara--good.

Here is what we all came for--the RIBS! Oh yeah they were really good! The ribs were tenderly cooked and smothered with bbq sauce! I like that the bbq sauce was not so overpowering.

Ole! Ole! We're at Boracay!

Boracay! Boracay! My second time here and this time with my very dear friend Lotte, who is vacationing in Manila from D.C. along with 6 more of our friends! YAHOOOOO!!!! We arrived evining of March 27! Why? o Why so late??? ASK CEBU PACIFIC!!!! grrrr.... We experienced quite an infuriating first night at the island...but I will not get into the nitty gritty of that!

We stayed at the Beach Comber. It's a new hotel located at station 1 and it was great! The rooms were very very nice, very good service, nice ammenities and a pool to boot! our accommodation included breakfast at Inasal chicken--which offerred a choic of various silogs (i.e. tapsilog, tosilog, bangusilog,chorilog---chorizo sinangag at itlog!hahahah).

Our first official day, we walked around the beach and checked out d'mall (ah yes---shopping on the first day agad!) I must tell you, there are soooo many new hotels and restos that have been put up since my last visit 2005! I was kinda disappointed to see so many commercial restos and shops that have been put up there, like good ah, mongkok, nothing but water etc..etc... I'm sorry, I have nothing againts these restos and shops (as I loce em all in Manila) but I just kinda feel the Boracay beach, far from Manila-feel, touch is deminished/lost when I see establishemenst that are found back home.

For lunch, we dicided to go for spanish! We picked Ole spanish resto located right smack in the middle of d'mall.

We had this soup made of bacon (or was it ham?), chick peas and spaghetti noodles---I forgot what it was called, but it was a good meal starter. Then we had baked mussels...

As you can see, from what's left of it, they were delicious----garlicky and buttery! =)
This is the Asparagus-Goat Cheese quezodilla---really, really good! I just kinda hoped they made 'em toasty as opposed to being a bit on the soggy-side. Nevertherless we devoured it to the last bit!

Lastly, the Paella Valenciana! This was really goo as well, although by the time we got to it we were kinda full already =(

Sunday Cinnamon Rolls

I woke up later than normal last Sunday. I guess I got pretty tired from the fridaya nd saturday activities. I wanted a relaxed day and had great inspiration to bake! So I made my cinnamon rolls, but this time I made them with a plain dough and plain filling! This is only the second time I made them this way. The first was for the birthday of my dear friend Shawie and now I bake for my good friend balot!! Yehey!!! She is arrving from Washington DC on Monday!!!! I sooo miss her na and we go to bora on TUESDAY!!!!! I CAN'T WAIT =) I made three batches of these babies...one for Balots, one order of a person na ayaw ng chocolate (pero malakas sakin kaya all the rolls I made turned out plain! ;P) and one for my sisters (na na finish almost the whole round after lunch--well they got to it at its freshest state and believe me nothing beats good 'ol cinnamon rolls hot off the oven!!!). I took the pic while I was cooling the bread and I forgot to take a pic of it with cream cheese frosting!

Hope they all like 'em. The original verion is Chocolate cinnamon rolls ( I posted about it along time ago) with chocolate bunn with dark chocolate-chips and cinnamon-sugar filling topped with cream-cheese frosting. Some like 'em frosted...some like 'em plain!

Anyway, the whole bread-making experience is a real stress-reliever for me. I love preparing and kneading the dough...patiently waiting for it to rise...and rise and rise....the smell of the whole kitchen as they bake....and the best part? Seeing them being enjoyed by loved ones.

Baking for friends, family or even for business....is all a good for me. A perfectly spent Sunday I might say.

To end my day, my sisters and I had dinner with my Aunty, Uncle and counsin at Napoli in Tomas Morato. They serve simple and good Italian food not to mention cheap! We had a Huge Cheese Pizza, Mushroom pasta, Crab Asparagus Pasta, Eggplant Parmigiana, Chicken Fingers, Itallian Sausage pasta and a side of MORE Itallian Sausages...all for Php 1,500.00 ++ only!!! My Uncle picked this place because he is vegetarian and he feels he has lots of food options here. Don't worry, the chicken and sausages are for us non-vegans! hahahaha

Stuffed that we are...my sisters and I managed to push in more food in our stomachs as we went to Starbucks for some coffee and dessert (hard to belive but we had cake pa ;P ) hahaah

A good day of baking and quality time with family =)

Graduation Day!!!

Last Saturday was the graduation day of my dear lil sis Nikki =) Congratulations shobs! mwah! We are sooo proud of you!

It also happemd to be the launching day for the 2007 Honda CRV! I think I have not blogged about the very unfortunate accident where our new Honda Civic was ruthlessly smashed by a speeding Trooper----at broad day light!!!!!!!!! I still can't believe how spineless some people can be...to be able to sleep at night while turning their backs on RESPONSIBILITY! Let me just say that we are victims of people with NO conscience, NO morals, NO fear of God! It's soo brutal of me to say such harsh words, but I really don't know how to define people like that. People who run away and hide from the resposibilty they have after inflicting danger and damage to their fellow! Anyways, I shall not dwell on that----may KARMA naman and our God is JUST and FAIR!

Taking that aside, I went to the lauching of the all new honda CRV with my brothers. Take a look at this.....



Wow....it is great and I fell in love with the white one =)


After that we hanged out at UCC tomas morato, went isaw and fishbol tripping in UP and headed on to my sis's Graduation.

We had dinner at Italianni's afterwhich we went to Grilla in Libis. A very exhausting day but very fun and worth while =)

Thank you my brothers, my sisters and CONGRATULATIONS SHOY!!!!

Back from Hiatus!!!

My goodness!!! How blog lazy I have become! I have been awfully busy with wedding plans---YES ....wedding plans...but NOT OF MY OWN! hahahahahha My shobe Che is getting married this NOV!!!! I have been busy helping her get suppliers and making the necessary arrangements to make her wedding special...in other words, feeling bride ako! hahahha We attend meetings with wedding hosts, cake makers, inivitation printers, florists, videographers etc...sometimes I eve n go without the BRIDE! Napapagkamalan tuloy ako ;P Nonetheless, its fun to do and when it's my turn---experct nako!

I have always thought that when my sis gets married...I will lose my kid sis. She happens to be my roomie at home and I feel a tinge of sadness when I look at her bed when I get home, thinking one day it will be empty =(. Lest, I forget my brothers in law have been hanging out with me on a regular basis. We have dinner wherever (i.e. our favorite snakaroo, which serves cheap steaks for us cheap skates! hahaha), coffee (starbucks, fiugaro, bo's) and even go drinking ;P!!! I have fun with them all time. In hindsight I realize, I have gained a bigger family =) Thank you my brothers!

Alongside all of that, I have been introduced to BIKRAM YOGA by my good friends Didi and Edi. It was just a few weeks ago that I got a text message from Edi making kulit that I go try out yoga with them. I have been practicing yoga for sometime now. I started taking yoga classes while I was at Firtness First and continued on practicing at home via DVD! I thought to myself...hey I can handle BIKRAM yoga ---yoga is yoga right?---errr...not quite! The BIG difference here is that in BIKRAM yoga---you practice in a HEATED ROOM!!!! Imagine doing 1 1/2 hrs of yoga in THE SAUNA ROOM!!!! Yes! It is that hot. My first time to join the class, I had to forego coffee hang time with my new borthers ...(ganun ka lakas sila edi and didi sakin!) I found out also that our friend Annie was in the class too. How did my first time go???? MY GOODNESS--I SWEATED LIKE CRAZY!!!! To tell you honestly, I am not a person who readily sweats. I used to do hours of cardio at the gym and it is very rare that I seat profusely. Well, not in BIKRAM YOGA!!! We work out infront of mirrors and after every pose, I see my face all flushed PINK and my wholebody DRENCHED with SWEAT!. It was the first time in my life that I found sweat dripping off my arms and legs!!!! After the very challengiong class....I felt great!!!! I felt relaxed and a bit sleepy! I wasn't able to eat dinner while we were at Italianni's after the class...I just felt very thirsty!

Atop that, I have gone back to my bread making once again! I have been making my cinnamon rolls since I got some orders and I also made for friends =)

That all sums up why I have been away from my blog. Hopefully, this is the start of my religious posting. I have Missed out on posting sooo many things that I have been to, restos that I have tried! Ah!!! Sayang. Like my church hopping escapade (to Calaruega, Pink Sisters, Simbahan ng Inang Saklolo etc.) at Tagaytay, breakfast at Josephines...trying the Boutique Bed and Breakfast....eating finally at SOMMS Thai Carinderia! soooo many stories....

Next week I shall be leaving for BORACAY!!!! =) YEHEY!!! So when I get back, I hope to have pics with my blogs!!!!

Later I shall Have dinner with some friends...we shall be trying PALOMA at Shang =)

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO ALL !!!! =)

An Evening of Minkus

My good friend Gwen invited me for An Evening of Minkus at Le Pavillon. I was more than delighted to go with her, since I just love cultural entertainment. If had I the chance, I'd love to watch more plays, concerts and, in this case, ballet as a refreshing change from malling and goin to movies for recreation and relaxation. Above all of this, its always nice to have a nice evening with a good friend =)

I got out of the office a bit earlier than usual. I planned to go to Mall of Asia and have a look around, before the play, but I decided to have coffee with my friend Oli at Dorset Cafe instead. After our little coffe tryst, I headed on to Le Pavillon to meet up with Gwen.

We almost got there around the same time and quite early for dinner. Nevertheless, we were served wine at the cocktail area as we read the evening programme. We were ushered in shortly and chatted along as we waited for dinner to start. The event was catered by The French Corner. I read some nice reviews about this restaurant, but never got the chance to dine there because its located at my rarely frequented West Gate, Alabang.

We were served rolls and ciabatta with some tapenade along with red wine and iced tea. For starters, we had the roasted prawn salad. I really liked it for the fresh and tenderly cooked prawns with lettuce and slivers of parmesan. I appreciated that the dressing was drizzled along side the bed of greens and not tossed-in all togther. I really don't like my food drowned with dressings or sauces and I kinda like controlling the amount I incorporate as I eat (pretty finicky of me ei?) Gwen, enjoyed this salad as well. Next, was the essence of mushroom soup. It was very flavorful and the purred muchrooms gave the soup a nice texture and mouth-feel. For our main course, chateaubriand with gratinated potatoes. Gwen kinda found the serving a tad bit too small---too big for out plate, hence minus points for presentation. Nevertheless, the beef was tender despite being cooked to the well done end. The potato gratin was delicious and I liked the bordelaise sauce that accompanied the meat.

Finally for dessert, strawberries marinated in gran marnier sauce with peppered ice cream and french creme. I love starberries, but I simply hate cream or creme....white whipped cream anything just turns me off. I would have loved it with dark chocolate ice cream!!! Frozen strawberries with chocolate hagen daaz---heaven for me =) Good thing coffee was served--I took it as MY dessert!

We were serenaded by excellent singers, who happened to be impaired of sight but definitely NOT of talent. They sang several love songs and even their personally composed repertoire.Then we moved on to the main event. Carlos Garcia of Les Ballets Granvia, New York lead the evening of art in motion accompanying the music of Lugwig Minkus! Carlos, together with a group of young and talented ballet dancers. They pranced, swayed and even seem to fly along with the music, with grace and power.The evening ended which much admiration from the patrons. It was a great evening of lovely song, dance, food and the great company of my friend--thanks Gwen =)

Pretzels and Cream Cheese Cookies

Last Sunday my sis Che and I got up really early for our confirmation at Manila Cathedral. The mass was at 7am and we were to meet up with my Ninang Kat and Sal at Philam Homes and go to church together. We got there 6am and headed to intramuros. We had time for a little breakfast, so we stopped over at McDonald’s for some pancakes and coffee.

We got to the church on time, and met up with Shawie there. It was a nice mass and a solemn moment for us three. Thank you Kat for being our ninang and thank you Sal for being there for us =)

After our Confirmation, we parted ways with Shawie and the rest of us went to Greenhills Sunday market to get some fruits. We were able to buy some fresh and fragrant Guimaras mangoes and a bunch of bananas plus a dalanghita (given for free!). We headed back home before lunch because we all had our own lunch plans with our families.

It was a laid back Sunday afternoon. I had the urge to do some baking. I made Soft Pretzels, and Cream Cheese cookies. The recipe for the Cream Cheese cookies I made was from bakingsheet. It was actually called Cheesecake cookies. They were the soft chewy kind. I kinda browned them a bitwhile baking because I liked slightly toasty cookies, although it was supposed to be whitey and soft when done. My pretzels turned out pretty good. I just put salt and melted butter on it. It was crisp on the outside and soft in the inside. Its great with cheese whiz or as my sis Nikki preferred, with loads and loads of President butter! Nothing beats pretzels out from the oven!!! I wana make these babies again but I want to try to make sweet pretzels…coat them with cinnamon sugar or brown sugar and almonds or chocolate.

Our afternoon snack was quiet filling so we had a light dinner and for desser, I prepared a chocolate fondue =) . I cubed some Guimaras mangoes and bananas we bought at the Sunday market, put some grapes and arranged them all in a little plate and shoved them in the freezer before we ate our dinner. I prepared the chocolate ganache by melting dark chocolate chips with some evaporated milk. I find using evap better than using heavy cream because it gives a smooth and lighter ganache.

I so love preparing special treats for my two younger sisters…=)

My Confirmation =)

My good friend Shawie is getting married on July 01! I never knew that you needed so many things in order to get married in the Catholic church. One of them is that you have to be confirmed already (given that you're baptized in the holy Catholic church). She asked me to be her "ninang" for her confirmation and I was more than delighted to oblige. I told my sister Che about it and she reminded me that I myself haven't had this sacrament as well as she hasn't. I told Shawie about it and she told me that my sis and I should all go together and get Confirmed with her. It was indeed a great chance since I was to be there as her ninang.Saturday was the scheduled confirmation seminar, held at the Manila Cathdral. My sister and I went there a bit early toavoid the traffic. We decided to have lunch at Starbucks. As we were enjoying our coffee and sandwiches, a familiar face walked into the room....it was Jake Roxas. He was very good looking in person, I must say. My sister, who is always starstruck, had this crazy idea to get a picture taken with him. I told her "and jologs mo ah" but what the heck...its seem like a fun idea. My sis gave him the "look" and he smiled and we approached him for out mini photo shoot. Oh, he was a really friendly person. He asked if we were all by ourselves and that if he could join us for coffee. Ofcourse we said it was ok! He pulled up a chair and we chatted along like old friends. Nice, nice guy =)

We headed on to Intramuros and met up with Shawie for our seminar. I didn't know that a confession was to be done that same afternoon as well. It was a very spiritual and enlightening aftrnoon.Later that evening I had dinner with my good friend Pin at Peri-peri chicken in Promenade. I know I swore-off this place a long time ago, but I just had this sudden urge to go eat there that night. It turned out alright. After that I met up with my friend Harry and the rest of our old bora gang for some drinks at Grilla.

A nice wholesome day it was =)

My Sunday Cheeserolls =)

MY BUTTERY CHEESE ROLLS...SOME I TOPPED WITH EXTRA WHIPPED SWEET BUTTER AND MORE CHEESE, SOME PLAIN ....=)

Last Sunday, I woke up with a great inspiration to bake bread. I rushed down to the kitchen and gathered up my ingredients and tools to go about making lovely dough. Cheeserolls it was to be! I had a vision of warm swrils of buttery-cheesy goodness coming out of my oven. My sisters were all asleep so it made me more excited to make them. How good it is to wake up with freshly baked bread for breakfast?---REALLY GREAT, I tell you.

I used my recipe for the dough I use to make chocolate cinnamon rolls, but I altered the recipe to make them into cheeserolls. I ommitted the chocolate and replaced the cinnamon and chocolate chips with butter and cheese. I used whipped butter which I lightly sweetend with powdered sugar and grated quick melt cheese.

Well, they turned out pretty good =). I'm so happy to be making bread again. I plan to make dinner rolls, ham and cheese rolls, wheat pan de sal and raisin bread! So many breads to bake...so little time!

Lovin' Wine and Cheeses

I would like you all to meet Madame Therese.....

While strolling through Power Plant Christmas day, I came acrosss Titania Wines, which is coincidentally owned and run by my favorite La Vigne Wine and Bistro, and what great surprise that they were on sale! I really don't take alcohol well but I am not really fond of drinking. It was only when I attended a wine tasting dinner get together at La Vigne, hosted by no less than Madame Tita Trillo, did I learn to appreciate the aged beverage. As a novice, I was recommended to have sparkling white wine to go with antipasto or starters. I was offered Madame Therese and fell in love with its crisp sweetish flavor that went well with antipasto.

Without hesitation, I got myself a bottle of the Madame (only for Php 609.00!!! --what a bargain) I thought of having it for New Year's celebration....and serve it with christmas ham and......CHEESE!!!!


Ohhhh... I am sooo loving the wine and cheese combination. For our family New year's day celebration, I prepared a plate of ham, Pato quezo de bola, macadamia nuts, chocolate covered raisins and served it with the Madame. It was lovely on the palate...I wish I had some Roquefort, Cashews and grapes =)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!!!

I've been really blog lazy since before Christmas. I have been busy with a lot of party's and get togethers...it was great =)

I shall back track on them very soon because I don't want to forget all the good moments that has happend over the holidays and more importantly share them with whoever cares to read this blog =)

For now, I thank God for all the good times shared over the holidays with family and friends. What a year it was, and may this coming year be another great one for all and maybe even better!

A Get Together with the Girls at Barcino

Shawie and I planned a dinner get togther for Ros. These two girlfriends of mine are both brides to be and it was as exciting evening for all of us. Shawie recommended this tapas and wine place at city golf in Pasig, Barcino. We met up there for dinner and Joy, another very good friend of ours, joined us shortly. It was another cellar type resto, similar to Galileo, but with a smaller area a fewer tables. It is a good idea to make reservations before going there.

The menu is quite simple, an array of tapas, paella, arroz ala bubanna, legua, ribs and a selection of wine. Shawie and I had the ribs, which was really good. The pork was so tender, with a melt in your mouth feel to eat. It had a delicious sweet tangy sauce that was just perfect yet very simple. It came along with garlic rice which was a good compliment to the dish. Joy and Ros had the legua. It was cooked perfectly and the sauce was very flavorful but not over powering. Along with that we had a bottle of semi-sweet red wine and had a very relaxed and pleasant evening of catching up and listening to the wedding plans of our brides to be. The place is simple and personal and very fitting for our girly get together.

We are college gal pals and looking back, we realize how grown up we all have become. Its great that even if we are separated by time and geography, we manage to keep in touch and be there for eachother, more importantly at life changing moments in our lives.

Welcome home Ros!!!!

My good good friend form college is back in town. Ros has been my friend since sophomore year in UP. I am sooo thrilled to see her again for the holidays and this time with very juicy news! My dear friend is engagged. We set on to meet after dinner.I had dinner with my friend Elaine and Chiqui at Tempura in Tomas Morato. I went to Greenhills for fetch her from her dinner at My Angels Kitchen and we went to promenade for some coffee and chit chat! We settled at Bizu. We got the Soleil cake, that happened to be the cake of the day. This was chiffon cake layered with mango balls and cream, fenced with white choclolate. This meant that we get free tea with that--nice! I was bad for I had a cappuccino! I really needed caffeine tonight because of the long chit chat we would have! hahahaa

Our good friend Tiff and her husband Jam joined us later and we enjoyed very much catching up with eachother and ofcourse talking about Ros' wedding plans. We look forward to meeting his fiance on the 26th! It was Tiff's birthday as well so we surprised her with a little birthday TIRAMISU! I adore the bizu Tiramisu. It's the only cake I really like there hahaha.

Happy Birthday TIFFANY and welcome home Ros!!!!! =)

Christmas is for the Children

Christmas is just a few days away. My friend Mike again asked me to help him do round 2 of his gift shopping. For today its for the kids. Our destination TOY KINGDOM! We went to Megamall and started scrimmaging for toys for boys and girls of various ages. We got lots of funstuff for each of his :ina-anaks". Its really fun going through isles and isles of toys. As I remember, when you buy a toy from Toy Kingdom, you get free gift wrapping. I guess times are really hard for they are charging 5 bucks per wrapper and 1.75 for each gift tag.

After completing our shopping list, we got famished and had dinner at Jipan. I adore this place. Its a simple Japanese bakeshop that serves delicious and cheap Japanese food. They have a wide array of interesting bread, pastries and sandwiches you can have to go. There meals are really good and satisfying. Mike had the Oyakudon and tuna sashimi. I had the chicken terriyaki bento, which comprised of chicken teriyaki, japanese rice, a portion of kani salad, a gyoza, kakaiage and miso soup. Not bad for Php220! Food is always freshly cooked and served in a jiffy. Perfect when you are starving and in dire need of good, hot, nourishment! hahahaha We finshed or dinner in a flash and did some shoe shopping for me =) . I was on the hunt for white strappy shoes to match a dress a bought a few weeks back. Its always good shooping with Mike because I'm always successful finding the artcle I want when I'm with him. Thank you Mikey! I was able to snag a pretty white-strappy-wedgy pair of shoes at U.R.U.S.

We suddenly craved for dessert after our shopping success. I suggested we have gelato at Italiannis but Mike had a deadlier dessert in mind. Krispy Kreme!!!!! Ohhhhh hahaahaha I conceeded to his cravings and we headed on to the Fort. Mike got 2 chocolate glazed, 2 regular glazed and one cheese cake flavored. He also had the Krispy Kreme blend coffee, its the signature coffee concoction of KK ---coffee with KK flavor??? hmmmm...Mike enjoyed it a lot with the doughnuts. As for me, I don't know, I was more enamoured with the doughnut they give out while you wait in line. It's fresh from the conveyor----piping hot, freshly glazed and soft and pillowy to the bite with that melt-in-your-mouth fatty and sugary goodness! That's the only way I enjoy doughnuts. If you give them to me cold or after being shelved---well they don't appeal to me anymore. Well..still ate some but I kept looking at the hot doughnut samples. Mike kinda notice this and asked one of the staff to get me a piece ---unglazed (as I want them) =) Sooooo good...that I polished off with a blink of an eye! :P

Uno is numero uno!

I've always been happy dining at Uno. I love their breads, pasta and entree's. I had lunch there last Saturday with my friend Paolo again. It was his last day in town, so I recommended Uno for him to try. We had my favorite sourdough ciabatta. I had it with carrot and cardamom soup, which was really good! A meal by itself! He had the Ham and mushroom soup, which was good as he declared. I had the pan seared Dory fish with veggetables and potatoes. He had lamb with hoisin sauce and red rice pillaf. Our food was good and we enjoyed them a lot while chatting along.

For dessert, I had the fallen chocolate cake and he had the creme brulee. The creme brulee, as he told me, was a bit too runny in the middle.

Yours truly, happily smiling ... =)

Galileo, Galileo!

I have read and heard so much about Galileo Enoteca for quite some time now, and I have truly been intrigued by the charm of this place. I was quite excited to get the chance to have dinner there and see it for myself. It was like going in a wine cellar with dining tables and benches, with walls adorned by the vast wine collection, lots of dried pasta, bottled Italian sauces, cheeses and cured meats. It was so much like Santi’s but with a wider wine selection. The menu was quite simple, they have antipasti, panninis and pasta. My friend and I opted for the set menu since we were to order, cheeses, cold cuts, wine and pasta. This was exactly what the set menu comprised of. Unfortunately, the tomato eggplant pasta was not available that evening. I chose the Putanesca and the Black olive pesto for my friend. We were first served with the house red wine and crostinnis. The cheese platter followed, which comprised of 2 cheeses (that I forgot the names of ) and the Grana Padana (one of my new found favorite cheese). The Grana Padana tasted like it was fermented from Yakult! It had a tinge of sweetness to it that goes well with the wine. The cold cuts were ok as well. The pasta was cooked a bit too al dente, to the point of being under cooked. I even got a conglomerate of half cooked fettuccine in one of my forkfuls. Nevertheless the sauce tasted good.

Its truly a very interesting place, with lots of foodie goodies to find, try and take home. I liked the cheese and wine bit, but I just hope they put a little more effort on the presentation of the food and take care in preparing the pasta =).

Galileo is a very promising place for casual gatherings to enjoy food and coversations.

Here is moi =)

Le Opera

It’s my first time to dine at Le Opera Ristorante Italiano, and I fell in love with the place at once. The place had a somewhat romantic feel to it---a little rose on each candle lit table while being serenaded by troubadours. Lovely! ...And the food….was great =)

For starters, me and my friend had the octopus carpaccio. It was an interesting alternative to the more common tuna or beef version of the dish. It was a very good palate stimulant with its unique texture and tangy flavor. I had the minestrone soup followed by my grilled lobsters with roasted vegetables and baby potatoes. The lobster was perfectly cooked with sweet butter on top.

The only thing I had room for was strong espresso but too bad I am not allowed to do have this pleasure. It would have been the perfect ending to the meal. Oh well, I promise myself when I get well….when I get well….. =)

Sunday at Le Souffle

Le Souffle is one of my favorite restaurants because of the nice, spacious ambiance and needless to say, the wonderful menu selection that is always interesting and with unwavering gastronomic satisfaction.

My friend Paolo (who is vacationing here from New Jersey) and I had dinner at Le Souffle, Fort after hearing the Sunday mass at UP church. We started our dinner with Escargot and Prawn Tomato bisque. Escargot is redolent of baked oysters with a more delicate texture, plus the thrill of picking the meat out from the coiled shell with the aid of a trusty cocktail fork, gives an added thrill. I just adore the little “clamp” you use to hold the snail body =). The Tomato Prawn bisque was divine! I just love the thick puree consistency and the melded flavor of prawn and tomato. It was served with a nice little flaky cheese bread stick on the side---nice! For my main course, I chose the grilled Ostrich served with steamed vegetables and baked potato. Ostrich meat taste so much like beef, but with a finer grain and much leaner meat. Paolo had the Sea bass with butter sauce and wild rice risotto. It thought it was very nice touch that the skin of the fish was removed and fried to a crisp, then served atop of the poached flesh. It gave a contrasting mouth feel of crunch, from the crisped skin, and softyness of the fish meat. Our food was superb! We were definitely happy with our food. What better way to complete the meal than to have a fabulous dessert? While in Le soufflé, we should have the soufflé! Apart from the vast array of dessert options, the soufflé list was really difficult to choose from. Good thing our good ol’ server recommended the soufflé special du jour. It was a chocolate soufflé with almonds, strawberries, mangoes, apples a ala mode, caged in caramel candy served with chocolate sauce!!!!---Ooooooooh lalala It was so grand that it didn’t have a name! I loved the perfectly molten center and the crisp yet most outer body of the soufflé.

My picture doesn't do justice at all to this exquisite dessert!

Senju and E bar at Edsa Shang

Last Friday, I met Paolo, the borther-in-law of my best friend in NY Yen. He is here for a weeks vacation and I was asked to take him around. I gladly obliged, ofcourse!

We went to Shang mall to have meryenda at Cibo and strolled around the mall. We bought some baby stuff to bring back to NY, Yen is pregnant with her first baby and we are all very excited for her.

Paolo decided we have dinner at Senju Japanses restaurant at the Edsa Shangri la hotel. We got there a bit early, so we had cocktails first, at E bar right beside Senju. E bar is a very nice louge type bar. The place was cozy and very conducive for chatting (when the band is not yet playing).

Senju is a nice Jap resto. I enjoyed my mix sushi plate. I love uni maki! The jiggly texture of the uni is creepy but ohhh sooo good. I was just kind of disappointed with the prawn teppanyaki---it was just ONE prawn! with ONE asparagus strip cut into 2! It was a bit over cooked, adding insult to injury! I could tell, because the prawn meat was sticking to the skin. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable experience all together.

After dinner at Senju, we met up with my friends Oli, Nikki, ELize, MArcel and War at Metrowalk. They had dinner at Misato! Japanese night for all of us. We all decided to go visit Krispy Kreme at the fort to try the famous doughnuts.

Ahh... what a line that welcomed us! Nevertheless, no one minded wating in line because we were all well fed with freshly fried and glaced doughnuts!!!! ;P Oh lalala--the first bite was deadly----oh so soft, warm and tooth-achingly SWEET!!!! I cried out for coffee..but =( can't have it.

Sugar high we moved to Stir- Crazy, a small bar somewhere in Ortigas, where we met up with some of Nikki's friends and they had a couple of drinks to cap the night.

We all had a great evening!