=)

MERRY CHRISTMAS

AND

A

PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!!!

Happy Birthday to Me ^_^

My turn to add another year in my life. Above is my 33rd birthday cake, which my bf got from Bizu! It's a SAMBA!!! =) It tastes as good as it looks! All chocolate here..rich and decadent...just the way I like it!

I am happy that I am keeping this food blog. It helps me backtrack on the year that was...how I spent a certain day in a different year....how I felt...what I ate...I can accurately get back at...check, read and get to re-live that special moment. I went 3 years back. My 30th spent in Bali and finishing the day in Malaysia...I thought was a kinda cool. I remember feeling happy where I was, yet still dreaming of that special somebody to complete me. How was I to know the following year..I would be spending my birthday with a special somebody =) That was really nice. We never know what life has in-stored for us. It is exciting, sometimes scary to wake up each day and live out the day and watch the future unfold...sometime without us realizing, the "now" we are in...is the "future" we dreamt and hoped for a couple of years back.

I am very grateful that at my 33rd, I woke up with much excitement and anticipation of the day to come...excited for what the days will bring as life continues to unfold before my eyes. I thank God above for all the blessings and love around me now.

Now, let's celebrate with good food =)

I chose Cafe Caruso for my birthday dinner. I love the place for it's sophisticated-casual ambiance and ofcourse, very good Italian food.

There was no time for bread, as our food turned up right before we were wondering why we haven't been served our bread basket.

For my birthday pasta....I chose

Spaghetti Aglio-Olio, Peperconcino e Vongole Php440.00

Spaghetti with garlic, olive oil, chilly and clams. This was my half portion. I didn't get the chance to snap a photo of the whole dish because our server immediately served it on our plates. The pasta was perfectly al dente...strong garlic, clams and chili flavors. Simple and perfect.

Lapu-lapu alla Favigna Php660.00

Grilled Lapu-lapu fillet with capers and green olives sauce. Our server's recommendation. We chose mashed potatoes as our side dish, which was delicious and creamy.The Lapu-lapu was cooked very nicely. I loved the light crust with the soft and moist, yet perfectly cooked flesh. The capers and olive sauce gave the fish saltiness and complimentary flavors. What was great was that the fish was so fresh. Delicioso!

Napoletana Pizza Php590.00

The reason why we didn't care for our bread basket. Tomato, garlic, anchovies and mozzarella pizza! The crust is just divine. Crusty, chewy...I love the slightly burnt edges. Pizza at it's best. Simple yet divine. =)

After our wonderful dinner, we decided to move to another place for dessert. I chose Cafe Ysabel...I don't know why. Perhaps, in continuing with a relaxing evening...we wanted to cap the night in a not so crowded place.

I picked the Cafe Ysable Truffle Cake for my birthday dolce....

..one bite...and I wished I just opted for Tiramisu at Caruso.
...you can't win them all....but it was still a wonderful birthday dinner ^_^

Happy Birthday to me! =)

Paparazzi Birthday Dinner ^_^

Time does fly! I can't believe I am posting about our birthdays again...but very happy to be doing so =)

It's the birthday of my bf....this year he chose Paparazzi, Edsa Shangrila Hotel, to celebrate his birthday. We actually celebrated his birthday in two parts: 1) family lunch at Tau Yuan...which was AMAZING...unfortunately I cannot share with you or perhaps tease you with the splendid food we had there...(not polite to take pics while hungry members of the family want to start getting food ;P hehehehe)....ahhhh but let me just have a run down of what we had....lobsters (lobsters GALORE!), salt and pepper crabs, chili crabs, steamed fish, hong ma, tofu with minced pork, tau-pe spring rolls, birthday mee, hainanese chicken and chicken rice ofcourse (mmmmmm...pure carbo love!) plus I brought yummy chocolate cake from Mrs. Risa Perez (one of Manilas best chocolate cake! ) yummmmmmmmmm...=)

2.) special dinner date for two =) ....

We love the ambiance....elegant without being stiff....very cozy...we picked the table with a half circle sofa...behind us was the grand piano....I imagined how even more perfect the night would be with a pianist serenading us through dinner....but sans that, it was yet to become a perfect night.

Starting off with the complimentary stuff....Marinated Vegetables Bruschetta

a boat of bread varieties! We likey!!!!

Oat-rye, grissini, rosemary lavosh, ciabatta, sesame seed roll and onion roll.....delicioso with the olive oil-balsamic-Parmesan dip

bread basket second helping ;P

please note we didn't ask for any...they were just so gracious and even asked us our favorite kinds and gave us plates more throughout the meal.

To start of our meal aside from the delicious breads...we had

Mozzarella Caprese Con Olio Aromatizzato E Basilico Php 450.00

Buffalo mozzarella with beefsteak tomato, aromatic oil a

and basil. They referred to the "cut" of the tomato as beefsteak heheheh ...fyi ;P It wasn't beef looking to me...but we love how creamy the fresh buffalo cheese was.

Fettucine Paglia E Fieno Con Salsa Ai Funghi Misti E Pollo Php 450.00

Spinach and egg fettuccine tossed with chicken and wild mushrooms in creamy sauce. This was absolutely delicious! We are not really fans of creamy sauces on pasta, but this was highly recommended by our server. The portion was just just and perfect with red wine.

Salmone Arrostito Con Asparagi Grigliati E Salsa Al lo Zafferano Php 850.00

Roasted king salmon with char-grilled asparagus and saffron cream sauce. The skin was nice and crisp although we would have enjoyed it more if the salmon was cooked medium, nevertheless, the creamy saffron sauce offset the done-ness of the salmon...so all went very well =)

Ravioli D' Astice Con Salsa Di Mare Php 550.00

Lobster ravioli in light seafood broth scented with Aglianico wine.....

...topped here with freshly grated parmeggiano...love the giant grater !!! =)

Delicioso!!!! =) Lobster...pasta...cheese...how can that not be good? =)

And a scoop of Limoncello Sorbeto to finish of fine dinner

A wonderful birthday dinner for a perfectly wonderful person ^_^

Happy Birthday my love! =)

Paparazzi

Edsa Shangrila Hotel,

Garden way, Ortigas Center,

Mandaluyong City

Tel# (632) 633 8888 ext. 2738 or 2739

Beringer Night at Spasso

We enjoyed our first Spasso experience, so we made a come back. It was their Beringer night...10% off on all Beringer wines and Dianne Elise serenading you to boot!

Olive Oil-Balsamic-Parmesan Dip for the Rye bread

Yummy! Yummy!

Chicken Liver Tartufo Php 220.00

Our fave! It's just so rich tasting and creamy...excellent with wine and bread!

Tomato-Basil Fritata Php 195.00

Sooooooooo good! Like a pizza Margherita!

Their tapas explode with flavor...so a little goes a long way!

A great evening of savoring flavors, enjoying music and best of all conversation...a perfect weekend indulgence! ^_^

Spasso Italian Tapas and Enoteca

The Lexe Residences

4th Ave. cor. 28th St.,

Boifacio Global City

Tel# (632) 556 0070

Kebab Factory

It was a day to take on once again----FOREVER 21! Ah yes! My first F21 experience was extremely EXHAUSTING! I vowed NEVER to return...but promises are made to be broken....specially by girls who love to shop like me =)

For this trip, I am with my two sisters...like good soldiers before a battle, we know we have to be properly nourished to get the energy we need....but know well enough not to fill up...as we don't want to get depressed by needing a size up because of our full bellies ;P hehehhe

Something light...something fun to eat...we chose:

Baby sis and I had a very heavy breakfast..so we just wanted snack-lite food...married sis on the other hand, had this as her first meal for the day.

Hummus Php 120.00

Well, well, the hummus ain't bad...but ain't good either hehehehe...we needed an extra order of pita for this...the bread needed a bit more toasty time.

Spinach Feta Cheese Dip Php 180.00

This was yummy! I could really taste the feta...what I didn't like was the chip-like toasted pita. This place need better Mediterranean bread! With that, this dip could have been a real delight=)

Chicken Samosa Php 150.00

Served with a side of chutney. Yummy!

Vegetable Samosa Php 150.00

This was good also..but I like the Queen's version a whole lot more =)

Lamb Kebab Php 180.00

For my married sis...something more substantial. She loved it! I wish they served it with basmati rice =)

Goulab Jammo/ Milk Balls Php 150.00

The winning dish for the day. Like spongecake soaked in spice and honey. Sister's loved it!

For added energy we went to Caramia to get scoops of our fave gelato flavors! Now we are all set for FOREVAH! hahahahha

I assure you, we burned off all those calories! =)

The Kebab Factory

2nd level The Atrium,

SM Megamall

Tel#6319648

Hunan Lutong Bahay

Here we are at long last! hahaha The small apartment in Rockwell, famed for serving authentic Hunan cuisine at prices that will make our pockets happy =)

Lucky we didn't have a hard time hunting this place down...from EDSA....turn right on Estrella St. ( the road leading to the Power Plant)...count three corners then make a right, then take the first left turn...you should be on Camia St.....and look for this....

Huraaaaaaaaaaaaay! It's such a glorifying experience finding a foodie place sans the hassle of getting lost...getting famished....that sort of experience. We arrive right on time for lunch----ding! 12nn! =) When we got in the rain actually started to pour--lucky us! hehehe

At 40 bucks you can get your fill of hot steamed rice. I read food here is mighty spicy...so I suggested we go for bottomless plain rice than fried rice, to buffer the heat!

We picked....

Kung Pao Chicken Php 180.00

I have always loved the Kung pao pasta of CPK...so I was excited to have this. It was not as spicy as I thought it would be, and I am weak with spice. Perhaps this was one of the milder dishes. We were pleased...but not so wowed. Flavor-wise...it was ok.

Fried Dumplings Php 140.00

Generous indeed! About 8-10pieces of yummy fried dumplings. Now the dipping sauce it came with was HOT!---toooot! toooot! hot hahahaha...so I just asked for a plain dipping sauce...and happily devoured dumpling after dumpling with rice like so:
There are a lot of interesting items on the menu..but seemed good for a group to share. As far as what we have tried are concern, hunan house serves yummy and homey food at affordable prices and simple ambiance. We kinda expected TOOOO much that is perhaps the reason why we were not so wowed by the food.

Come here with empty stomach and simple expectations...you will definitely enjoy! =)

HUNAN LUTONG BAHAY

#6404 Camia St., Makati

Tel# 0915-4252972

Chicken at Baboy: Chic-Boy

We like to have balance in our life, more so in our eating patterns ;P...so after the Italian "wine and dine" indulgence....we crave for simple, pinoy eats...so we go visit ....

Chic-Boy!

Yup, yup! Good ol' Cebu style lechon manok, liempo, inasal and a mish-mash of pinoy veggie snacks and sidings to enjoy.

Complimentary Soup

good ol' batchoy broth to whet start the meal

Garlic Kangkong Php 35.00

Chopped kangkong sauteed in garlic...topped with lots of toasted garlic! Yum!

Pancit Canton Php 45.00

Yummy and uber cheap! Topped with troasted garlic! They are quite generous with toasted garlic here...they even give it as a table condiment---very nice!

Inasal na Pecho Php 99.00

the meal comes with endless helpings of rice..ala mang inasal! I topped my rice with the toasted garlic on our table hehehe

Well, as for the taste, it;s kind of similar to mang inasal inasal...although a bit on the dry side...but tasty. We found our soon after that we picked the wrong chicken combo meal...we should have ordered the CEBU lechon manok....we got a bit confused by the combo meal codes hehehe. We each had a pecho inasal meal and with all the sidings...a bit still bitin! hahahaha ;P

So we ordered halo-halo Php 45.00

Hmmm...we didn't like the halo-halo so much....needs to be sweetened with lots of sugar...and I find the milk used of poor quality. The milk was thin an tastelkess ( wala pa rin tatalo sa Alaska! ;P hahahahha)

Our meal was uber cheap and satisfying...we need to go back for the real specialty of the house which are the CEBU lechon manok and lechon liempo...mmmmmmmmm....sounds nice =)

Chic-Boy

Chicken at Baboy

Jupiter St., Makati

Beside Legend of India

Spasso Italian Tapas Enoteca

It's tapas time! Spasso is a hip Italian Tapas and Enocteca at the Fort, where one can relax and unwind enjoying delicious piccolini, vinos and music. The place is dressy-casual, patronized by the mature and ex-pat clientele. They have quiet a selection of tapas, main curses, pastas, dolci accompanied by an extensive wine collection.

Grilled Baby Octopus in Garlic and Olive Oil Php 295.00

My favorite among the tapas we ordered. Sweet, savory and delicious!

Meatball Diablo Php 230.00

Very spicy Italian meatballs.

Bruschetta Caesar Php 295.00

Tuna Caesar salad on crusty bread.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp Php 290.00

Very spicy shrimps, bell peppers and mushrooms cooked in garlic olive oil.

Chicken Liver with Truffle Cream Php 220.00

This was his favorite. Very rich tasting!

Napoletana Stuffed Peppers Php 295.00

Red and greed bell peppers stuffed with ground meat, spices and baked with mozzarella.

and to go with all of the Tapas...Rustic Rye Bread with Extra Virgin Olive Oil-Balsamico and Parmigiano!

The tapas were all delicious...nothing fancy...nothing notably great tasting, but the experience is very much enjoyable. They are all very flavorful dishes, perfect to compliment your bread and wine. They have weekend bands playing after 9pm.

We will definitely be back =)

Spasso Italian Tapas and Enoteca

The Lexe Residences

4th Ave. cor. 28th St.,

Boifacio Global City

Tel# (632) 556 0070

Yujiin, San Juan

Rainy days make for best times to eat! Don't you just love the rain at the backdrop while you share good food and conversation? I most definitely do =)

Looking for a place to eat sans having to fuss over traffic and parking, we decide to go to Yujiin Japanese Restaurant, along Wilson Street, San Juan. We were a bit unsure of whether do dine here or at Omakase. Both of us last visited this place, quite a long time ago, so we don't know what to expect.

The place was still ok. It had a simple and home feel.

Complimentary sweet-spicy dilis....

Miso Soup Php

Nice to warm our tummies on a rainy day.

Agedashi Tofu Php 120.00

Sashimi Moriawase Php 360.00

Fresh squid, shake, ebi, maguro and kani sashimi.

Seafood Teppanyaki Php 300.00

Shrimps, tuna, salmon and squid in steak sauce.

Over all, our food was yummy and fresh. Nothing notable, but quite enjoyable =)

Yujiin

#221 Wilson St.,

Greenhills, San Juan

Tel # (632) 727-5291/386-2028