Coley's Just Saying...

Thailand Travels Illustrated

2019-02-11T22:13:00.001+08:00

I haven't been into the blog much recently, so I decided to try a different medium of illustrating my travels and travel tips.

Most of my travel tips are on Instagram, so you can follow me
at @coleysjustsaying

My friend Sam gave me a travel journal, and I finally got a chance to use it.

Last year, I lived here for 9 months, but I only got to visit Ayutthaya. This year, my goal is to visit one new place a month. Instead of blogging about it, I decided to draw it instead, so feel free to scroll down and zoom in on what interests you.

Ayutthaya

Chiang Mai

The weekend was go much fun, it deserved a full spread.

Chiang Khan (via Loei)

I'm hoping I not only achieve my goal visiting new places, but I hope I get an album of of drawings of my favorite places and things to do and eat there too. just saying.

2018 Where Did you Go? 2019 Ready or Not... Here We Come!

2018-12-31T14:28:00.000+08:00

This year, I was the year I finally stopped blogging. But like any OC-pretending-to-be-organized person, I thought, I will just write a short post, to give my blog closure... so here goes...

What better way than to write my annual Year End Post, though I must say 2018 has been a bit different. I just blinked and it was over. How did that happen, right????

I had to look back on last year's post, you can read it here, because I remember that this time last year, my professional life was in limbo. There was a lot of talk about me moving to Thailand, but in my company, no contract, no move, so I wasn't really, really sure it would happen, though clearly, my last photo in that post was already a big hint.

Fast forward 12 months after.

1. I now live in Bangkok. 9 months done. 9 months to go. At least that's the plan.

April 1 2018. We arrived in our new home carrying 100 Kg of essentials.
20 or so soft toys included.

Sofia's favorite part of our new home is the pool.

Mine is the balcony, but I realized, I only like it when I don't have to clean it.

2. Despite all the yummy food in Thailand, and believe me, every day is a feast, I managed to more or less (+/-1Kg) maintain my weight and my 80% vegetarian lifestyle.

Dec 2019 Christmas Brunch with Karl and Ralph (missing Jay)
Payat pa din ako! Woohoo!!!

3. I realized there is an Introvert in me, which makes me an Ambivert. If you know me, this will come as a surprise, because I used to be very much of an extrovert, but the last few years have made me enjoy my own company and yes, the peace and quiet that goes with it too.

I actually like staying home. I even started meditating.

4. I have lived abroad 3 times in my life. Paris, Singapore and now Bangkok.
But this is the first time I actually used my kitchen. I can really cook now.
Though - my cleaning is still passable at best, and my laundry still gets done in Manila if I accumulate more than 1 wash load in 2-3 weeks.

I not only cook (mostly veggies though).

I make yummy bread too.

5. I finally partnered with Seek the Uniq on my passion project, and I am hoping to grow our business in the years to come.

Go to SeektheUniq.com Look for shoes, sort by Bestsellers.
The Wanderlust Athinas Sandals is number 2!!!

What's in store for 2019? No resolutions, let's talk goals instead.

1. I need to see more of Thailand. 1 New Place a month.

I need to see more than Ayutthaya

Talad Khlong Mayon (the floating market) and
provinces where I only see stores!

2. I have a new role. It will be challenging, but I look forward to making a difference.

Looking forward to working with this Team.
Flashback to the first time I had lunch with them in May 2018.

3. I need a real honest to goodness vacation. See 2018 - no real vacation.
I need to go somewhere with the risk of freezing to death. I hope I get a chance to do this between new role, and next role after that.

Long weekends at the beach (La Union, Bali, La Union) are great,
but they don't really count.

4. And maybe, just maybe, I'm not that ready to say goodbye to this blog yet. just saying.

China Town Restaurant at Suvarnabhumi Airport

2018-04-26T17:00:00.000+08:00

Normally it's a challenge to eat well at an airport where you have no lounge access. The food is either not good, or expensive, or both, or you need to settle for the usual fast food like McDonald's, Burger King and Starbucks.

I like Chinatown Restaurant at Suvarnabhumi Airport. It's a no frills dimsum, noodles and congee place and the price is reasonable.

Salted Egg topped Pork Siomai. Quite Good.

I'm a loyal customer now. just saying.

China Town Restaurant
Departure Terminal
After Immigration before the Boarding Gates

Angus and Foie Gras Donburi by Tanuki Raw

2018-04-20T06:00:00.000+08:00

If you're looking for a good lunch, what won't break the bank, head over to Tanuki Raw.

They have lunch set meals where you can score an Angus Short Rib Yakiniku with Foie Gras and an Onsen Egg for SGD19.90.

Egg Porn

They also had a Matcha Salted Egg Cake that you could
add on to a meal for a discounted price.

Of course I couldn't resist, so I ate all the salted egg bits
and some cake. Quite good.

I also saw rave reviews about their rolls, so note to self, the next time I come back, I need to bring someone to share my food with. Thank you Jackie for the reco! Please join me next time. just saying.

Tanuki Raw
181 Orchard Road,
04-01 Orchard Central,
Singapore 238896

Museum of Me at Emporium in Bangkok

2018-04-17T23:33:00.000+08:00

THAILAND SERIES

If you're vain or bored or both, the Museum of Me at Emporium Department Store in Bangkok, is worth a visit. Located at the lowest floor (I think), entrance is free with any purchase from Emporium or emQuartier.

Before you enter, they take your photo (one by one), and a QR code is then attached to your ticket.

To enjoy the attractions, which will all star yourself, all you need to do is insert the QR code in the slots provided and Voila! Selfie Galore!!!

There are five frames to choose from in the first area, though one was out of order during our visit.

Haunted by Ninong Tim's ghost.

Then you scan your ticket before entering a second room where you are given 1 minute to enjoy the artwork of yourself.

So this is what happens when you run out of time... (blooper video)

The Museum of Me only runs until tomorrow (oopsie!), so hurry and visit quickly if you're interested. just saying.

Emporium Bangkok
622 Sukhumvit Rd,
Khwaeng Khlong Tan,
Khet Khlong Toei,
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon
10110

Our first Songkran in Bangkok (kid friendly edition)

2018-04-16T13:20:00.001+08:00

THAILAND SERIES

We just moved to Bangkok, and the timing is absolutely perfect, because we arrived just in time to welcome the Thai New Year... and celebrate Songkran!

Songkran is also known as the water festival, coming from the practice of pouring water on Buddha as a sign of purification, washing away your sins and bad luck. During Songkran, people wear bright colored shirts and pour water on each other. It's three days of one big water fight party, especially in the areas where Songkran is celebrated. Both local and foreigners a like walk around with huge water guns. There is sort of a code where people with water guns only shoot the other people with water guns, but you still may get wet in the cross fire.

There are also a lot of Songkran parties at night that go on until early morning and we were lucky (or unlucky, depending on how much we love our sleep) enough to have 2 happening clubs under our balcony... so we fully enjoyed 4 long nights of Songkran parties.

It was very stressful for my OC daughter to walk around town, with the threat of getting drenched (there are some areas where locals and foreigners alike stand around to wet the passersby).

If given a choice, she would opt to stay home and play in the pool, which she did every day before we stepped out.

I prefer waiting in the shade.

There are Songkran events for kids, so we went to the Songkran Splash at K-Village Shopping Mall. They have an open area with a bouncy castle, and they provide water refilling stations, so all you need to do is come with your water guns.

I had to line up for Sof and I got extremely drenched.

Sof says the security guard was shooting
with Ice Cold Water.

The good thing about K Village is you don't really get shot at if you're not at the designated Songkran Splash area, so when you're done with water play, you just change into dry clothes and go your merry way.

The next day, Sof opted to stay indoors and do the dry "Pearl Pool" at EmQuartier instead.

All you need to do is register by scanning the QR code, and you can play at the pearl pool for free.

We were very happy to have Ninong Tim visit us for Songkran. For more information on kid friendly activities for Songkran you can visit this website. You can start planning for next year. just saying.

When Thai Milk Tea meets Bingsu or Shaved Ice at Fucheer it's dessert heaven

2018-04-04T06:00:00.000+08:00

Another dessert perfect for Thai Milk tea lovers is this Shaved Ice Thai Milk Tea concoction of Fucheer.

One serving is good enough to share for three-four people.

The secret is waiting for the shaved ice to melt and soak up the bread
cubes on the side, for a yummy melt in your mouth dessert.

Just like that.

The three of us couldn't even finish it.

It was really, really good though. just saying.

Fucheer Lounge
6th Floor The EmQuartier
693 695 Sukhumvit Road แขวงคลองตันเหนือ เขตวัฒนา
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10110, Thailand

Audrey's for the Best Flower Pot Cakes with Buttercream Icing in Bangkok

2018-04-01T06:00:00.000+08:00

The best dessert ever if you love Buttercream Icing, and moist cake are the Flower Pot Cakes from Audrey's. We stumbled upon them as we were walking around the emQuartier Mall looking for dessert, and I'm so happy we discovered them.

If you love Thai Milk Tea, you absolutely need to try the Orange Rose Cake, which has Thai Milk Tea filling and Buttercream Icing.

It was so good, I went back and brought a friend to try it. Though some of the cakes were on 50% off, so we limited our choices to that. Hahaha.

Yellow Rose (Peanut Butter Filling in Banana Cake)
and Strawberry Shortcake.

Both were good, but I still liked the Thai Milk Tea one better. It's really quite a steal at Baht 125 for 2! They sometimes bill you service charge when you eat in, but sometimes they don't. I don't really get that.

I loved it so much, I went back again with another set of friends, and this time we got take away, because the food a L'Appart (Sofitel Rooftop) is good, but their dessert sucks.

Yes, you can get it to go. It comes in this nice box too.

Now I'm torn between wanting to try more flavors, or sticking to my favorite Thai Milk tea. I guess I'll just have to see what's on 50% off next time. sucker for a sale forever. just saying.

Audrey Cafe and Bistro

-Audrey Cafe สาขา Siam Center ชั้น 4

-Audrey Cafe สาขา EmQuartier ชั้น 8

-Audrey Cafe สาขา Central Embassy ชั้น 5

-Audrey Cafe สาขา Central Ladprao ชั้น 4

-Audrey Cafe สาขา Esplanade Ratchada ชั้น G

-Audrey Cafe สาขา Zpell @ Future Park Rangsit ชั้น 2

-Audrey Cafe สาขา Central Plaza Westgate ชั้น 2

-Audrey Kiosk สาขา CentralPlaza Bangna ชั้น G

-Audrey Kiosk สาขา CentralPlaza Changwattana ชั้น G

-Audrey Kiosk สาขา The Mall Bangkapi ชั้น G

https://www.facebook.com/Audrey.Cafe.Bistro/

My NutriBullet Go-To Recipe where I lost more than 20 pounds!

2018-03-26T06:00:00.000+08:00

Around this time last year, I went for my Annual Physical Exam required at work. To my horror and great surprise, I was at least 10KG heavier!!! Que horror!!! No wonder all my clothes were tight, and I thought they were just shrinking in the wash.

Me with an extra 10KG +.

I decided I needed a drastic lifestyle change, in a way that was acceptable to me, so it would be sustainable, and I won't bounce back to my unhealthy habits. I decided to give the NutriBullet diet another chance.

The idea behind the NutriBullet is to replace one meal a day with a green smoothie. It's a powerful blender that can convert raw veggies, fruits, and nuts in a filling smoothie good for a single serving. All you need to do is fill the cup, and put liquid (water, almond milk, yogurt, juice, etc) until the max line, and voila, you're all set.

My first attempt to smoothie 3 or 4 years ago

The last time I tried to do the NutriBullet Smoothie, I experimented a lot, and most often than not, my smoothie tasted as bad as it looked. I think I managed to do it all of 3 or 4 days, then I felt sick, I decided it was the smoothie that was making me sick, then I quit.

This time around I was much smarter. I stuck with MILD TASTING VEGGIES, and Strong Sweet Tasting fruit, to find a combination that actually tasted good. It's so good I have been taking it daily for a year now, except for when I'm travelling.

Coley's NutriBullet Smoothie Recipe

Handful of Spinach (use less when you start, and add more as you get used to the taste)

2 Cauliflower Florets (this helps thicken the shake and make it more filling, you can skip this and just add 1 Tablespoon Chia seeds instead)

1 Banana

Half Apple

Half Pear

5 Strawberries

Then I fill the cup with cucumber slices until full

*Water till the max line (to save on calories)

Note that recipes calls for fruit available the whole year.

When Mangoes and Pineapples are in season, you can substitute the apples and pears.

Tip: Papaya, Watermelon and Avocado don't do much to add positive flavor for your smoothie, so just eat them separately.

Another Tip: If you freeze your ingredients before making your smoothie, it will come out creamier.

At first I wondered if I would ever get sick of drinking my smoothie everyday, but I told myself it's just like coffee. So now, I even miss it when I travel.

I have lost more than 10kg in around 5 months but the good thing is I have embraced a lifestyle that has allowed me to keep it off.

I normally take a late low calorie breakfast (why eat if you're not yet hungry) ie baked egg cups and hummus, or sweet potato toast, etc. and half my smoothie for a late lunch and the other half for dinner. Since the smoothie fills me up, I no longer have any space for rice, so I normally eat a lot of veggies as part of my meal with some protein.

The result is I am back to my Singapore weight and I am within a few pounds of my University/ just joined Unilever weight.

This is me in Sri Lanka Oct 2017.

This is me in La Union January 2018, and that Bikini Bottom is a Roxy S!!!
Achieve!!! just saying.

Culture Crêpes

2018-03-25T21:38:00.000+08:00

Our favorite Crêpes place in Paris is Breizh Cafe, but it's such a hassle to go because reservations are required, and they do not entertain walk-ins. You can read my post on Breizh here. One trick I've used before, which only worked once, was to go to their deli next door, which has the same menu, but given that Culture Crêpes is a fraction of the price for just marginally less quality, I think this cozy place in Saint Michel is my new favorite.

This is Jem after 20 hours of sleep.
She finally looks like a person after travelling sick for over
a week.

I was craving for an omelette so I ordered a ham and cheese one, but I shared
Ady's galette and Jem's buerre et sucre (butter and sugar) crepe.

Yummy!!!

The place is small and cozy.
Though the sign says they have tables for a party of 1-10.

We didn't make a reservation, but you may want to. I think next time I will. just saying.

Culture Crêpes

26 Rue Saint-André des Arts,

75006 Paris, France

My Vegetarian Birthday Bash at Lucy in the Sky Cafe and Welcome to Pumbaa Nicole

2018-02-25T20:16:00.000+08:00

I've been 39 for a week and honestly, it feels fabulous... Hahaha, in preparation for my Fabulous at Forty milestone!

Given the 2.18.18 date, my best friend Jem insisted that I absolutely MUST HAVE a party, which we used to do every year, and haven't done much AS (after Sofia). If you know me from many years ago, you will remember that our parties always have a theme, so this year, I decided to get everyone to celebrate with me... The Vegetarian Way!

Yes! I seriously told people to snack before. Hahaha.

We checked out Lucy in the Sky Cafe a few weeks before the party. I loved the cozy ambiance, the food that was yummy... in a way that is not forced. (I totally hate vegetarian restaurants that serve tofu in every dish pretending to be something else).

My sister in law checked out the place with me (and Pumbaa was still in her
tummy).

I also dragged Sam and convinced her to work from here one day.

We ordered the dishes they recommended and surprisingly, 2 our of 3 were really good. Good enough for me to decide to have my birthday party here.

The Shiitake Tempura was great!!!

The Vegetarian BBQ was yummy too. If you didn't know it wasn't pork,
you may get fooled for a bit as the look and texture is quite similar.

They recommended the sisig, but this one I wouldn't
recommend. Very far from the original.

They had Vegan Chocolate Cake

They gave us a small one to try (for free) and we absolutely loved it,
so we ordered one for the party.

Lucy in the Sky Cafe is actually an offshoot of the Art Studio where they have art workshops for kids. They are closed on weekends, but for important events like my party, they agree to open for a guaranteed minimum consumable amount. I pre-ordered some best sellers, but I also wanted to give my guests the freedom to order anything they wanted off the menu.

Birthday Salubong
In our younger days, we used to welcome our birthday by staying up the night before, and finishing a big cake... because it was "matter of pride!!!" We haven't done the birthday salubong thing in ages, but because of the Big Bad Wolf 24 hour book sale which we visited at 10PM at night, we decided we could do birthday salubong this year. The original plan to go to Sofitel was a bit derailed by the impatient little miss Maria Pumbaa Nicole Therese (you can go directly to last part of this post if you want to meet her) who was impatient to come out, so we ended up at Old Swiss Inn instead, to satisfy Sofia's good-bread craving at 1AM (unfortunately, they ran out of butter, so we had to buy Star Margarine from 7-11).

I swear, we looked fresher in person! The camera was sleepy!

Dark Chocolate Toblerone Fondue is the BOMB!!!

Coley's 39th Vegetarian Birthday Party
02.18.18
Lucy in the Sky Cafe

These are party giveaways. Not for sale. Hahaha.

Thank you barkada early birds.

Yes, toned arms and nice collar bone cleavage Chipsy!!!

Because Ampaw-Giving-Age na si Tim!!! Hahaha.

My other family.

Only Karl was polite enough to spend time to make small talk with
the parentals.

Selfie by Fi, photobombed by Sam.

Another photo by Fi. This is me, Fabulous at almost Forty.

I had to invite the gang who was always present whenever we had a
birthday party!!! Miss you Alf and Jerome!!! Let's meet kahit walang party!

Unilever loves.

Thank you to the two game masters for the most entertaining game ever!!!

Name as many commercial jingles as you can, sing it to get a point, or cancel out the score if another team has it too.

I'm still not convinced that this team had no
inside information. BEAM, YC Bikini Briefs... Benta!!!

The ICAn team didn't even put up a fight.

In fairness to the millenials...

Vegan Chocolate Cake from Lucy in The Sky Cafe,
and White Chocolate Sans Rival from Jem and Ivan.

Thank you to all my family and friends who came to celebrate with me.

Thank you so much Sam for singing. You can watch Sam's rendition of Adele's Make You Feel My Love here.

First to arrive, last to leave. High School friends are the best.

Hi Atch and Ed, See you nalang sa wedding.
Aabangan ko tong photo na to sa video!

Lucy in the Sky Cafe asked if I wanted a buffet set-up or to pre-order everything. I said no, because I wanted to give my guests the freedom to order what they wanted. I promised not to complain if the service took a while. Ate was a one man front of house team and she was wonderful.

Thank you so much Ate for taking care of all my friends.

After the vegetarian party, we had our usual Sunday dinner... but I got to choose where we'd eat since it was my birthday, so Minamisaki it was!!!

Aburi Sushi craving satisfied! I swear, they have the best Aburi Sushi in
Manila!!!

My other favorite dish is Chicken terriyaki, but I gave away most of the
chicken since I ordered it for the veggies. Note to self, ask for sauce on the side.

Thank you Auntie Lilian for my beautiful birthday cake.

More cakes = More wishes! May they all come true.

After dinner, we went to visit Reen and Timmy at the hospital because my beautiful lucky niece wanted to come out and share my birthday.

So nice to meet you Maria Pumbaa Nicole Therese!!!
The world is so lucky to have the 2 of us in it!!!

Trivia, I was also born on a Sunday Night 39 years ago.

Happy Birthday it was indeed!!!

Thank you Lord for all the blessings, and to my family and friends for spending time to celebrate with me. 2.18.18 was epic. just saying.

Where to buy Khanom Krok or Coconut Rice Pudding Cups in Bangkok

2018-02-21T06:00:00.000+08:00

I love Khanom Krok, the Cocunut Rice Pudding Cups you buy from street vendors in Thailand. The only catch is the street vendors are roving around, so it's not really easy to find them. A few years back, you could sometimes get them outside Central World in Pratunam, but recently, there are no more vendors on the street, so I was really at a loss on how to satisfy my Khanom Krok craving.

It's a good thing, I love reading magazines. On a recent trip, I was reading Lifestyle+Travel and they featured Thai Taste Hub, the food court of King Power Rangnam which features an assortment of famous Thai Street Food, right in Bangkok City, and accessible by BTS Skytrain too (BTS Victory Monument).

When I saw they had a famous Khanom Krok stall, the only place I wanted to visit during my last Bangkok business trip was King Power Rangnam. It's fairly accessible, you need to get off at BTS Victory Monument and it's a 5-minute walk.

A pleasant surprise you'll discover on the way there is the street is lined with clothing shops that are much cheaper than Platinum Mall!!! I wasn't really planning to shop, but since I also can't resist a good bargain, I ended up finishing my money the first time I went, and the second time I went back I literally had 24 Baht left!

This is King Power Mall Rangnam. It caters mostly to Chinese tourists.
It has a giant beehive structure you won't miss.

I went straight for Mr. Pamuan Misin Kanom Krok,
but they will tell you to load up a card as you need it for
all purchases.

Khanon Kror is Love. My favorites are plain and corn.

It's perfect that I know where to find it anytime I crave for
it.

The only catch is I always have to bring enough money to shop along the way. just saying.

King Power Rangnam Thai Taste Hub

8 Rang Nam Alley, Khwaeng Thanon Phaya Thai,

Khet Ratchathewi, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400,

Thailand

You can read the Lifestyle+Travel Article here

Coley's Baked Egg Cups Recipe

2018-02-11T07:00:00.000+08:00

My favorite make ahead healthy breakfast recipe is baked egg cups. It's so yummy and easy to make even Sof can make them.

Baked Egg Cups

Filling: Anything you want in your eggs.

My favorites include Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella. I also do ham and cheese. Below is my take on brocolli and cheddar with the yummy Tapa that I brought home from Tita Joy the other day.

This tapa is so yummy, I forgot I was now mostly vegetarian.
When they offered the leftovers, I gladly say yes.

I mixed it in with broccoli flowers.

1. All you need to do is to fill silicone muffin pans with your desired filling.

2. Then make a scrambled egg mixture. I use 4-5 eggs for 12 egg cups.

3. Add a little milk, salt and pepper.

4. Then pour into the muffin cups.

5. I always top it with my favorite secret ingredient (MORE CHEESE), salt and pepper, before baking.

6. Put in the oven at 350 degrees. Check it after 15 minutes and remove when the eggs are set. (It normally takes mine between 20-25 mins to bake.)

Voila! It's that easy.
You can eat it straight from the oven, or put it in the fridge for breakfast when you are rushing.
1 Egg Cup (Tomato, Mozza, Basil) is only 40-50 calories.

I can normally eat 2-3 egg cups for breakfast or I have 1 topped with jalapeno hummus as a filling snack. just saying.

Apéro Neighborhood Cafe is my new favorite brunch spot

2018-02-10T07:00:00.001+08:00

I first tried Apéro Neighborhood Cafe for Christmas brunch with friends last year, but I wasn't quite back to blogging then, but I knew I loved the place.

Coley's Babies Yule 2017

The food was good, the coffee was good, the location and ambiance was
perfect too.

Date with Yana at Apero (Yule 2017).

Recently, I have had more chances to come back and enjoy this place again.

Their Morning Bun is absolutely to die for. Flaky and Buttery just like the
good croissants in Paris, but also lightly crusted with sugar. Sof loves it too.

I make baked egg cups... but nothing like these BAKED EGGS.

The duck confit porridge is also one of my favorites, if you're looking for
some comfort food for breakfast.

Apero is owned by the same group that runs Duck and Buvette (another fave!)
Great job on this place Jacq!!!

Catching up when I see you is a great bonus too. just saying.

The Apéro Morning Bun is also Sofia approved. just saying.

Apéro Neighborhood Cafe
Corinthian Hills, Temple Drive,
1800 Quezon City, Philippines

0917 511-3475

You can read my post on D&B here.

Coley's Sweet Potato Toast Recipe

2018-02-04T07:00:00.001+08:00

I like browsing through recipes before sleeping, and if it's interesting enough and passes the sleep-over-it test, I start buying the ingredients so I can try it.

I was intrigued by Sweet Potato Toasts because I love toast... but I try to stay away from bread... so when I saw people raving about this idea online, I decided to try it out.

Thankfully, I have very nice office mates who let me experiment on them. I volunteered to prepare breakfast for us at work.

I must say, it turned out quite well.

Prep work is easy. Just cut a well-cleaned (but I peeled mine) sweet potato into 1/4 inch thick slices and brush both sides with olive oil (You can do this in advance). Then pop into the toaster oven for 10-15 minutes at the highest setting.

You can top it with anything and everything you desire.

My favorite is a generous serving of Peanut Butter with truffle honey and truffle salt! It really hits the spot.

Oh, and this combo works well with bananas too.

Thank you girls for letting me experiment on you.

Happiest Birthday Peach!!!

May you get everything your heart desires, I pray for great health, and a life of full of blessings and love with Karlo. just saying.

La Mamounia Palace Hotel in Marrakech

2018-02-03T14:17:00.000+08:00

My last post on Marrakech, showed the Kasbah or Medina, which is the inner part of the city, which was quite poor. It was so poor my dad was traumatized, hahaha. So let me show you, where the rich and famous stay in Marrakech, just a few minutes outside the medina.

On our last day in Marrakech, Auntie Celita invited us to lunch at La Mamounia Palace Hotel, a five star hotel ranked as the 6th best Palace in the world.

It really feels like a world away from the 20 Euro ~~hotel~~ bed and breakfast that we stayed in. We didn't check out the rooms, but we opted to eat in their French Restaurant instead.

Sof had their Chicken Nuggets

Auntie Celit had Magret de Canard (Duck Breast)

The rest of us carnivores had steak.

They serve it with Steak Fries cooked in Duck Fat.

It was perfectly cooked and oh so yummy...

We couldn't leave without having dessert.

And Mint Tea, of course!

A room will set you back around €450 a night (which is €430 more than what I was willing to spend... hahaha), but you sure can eat a really good meal in their French Restaurant for the cost of an average meal in Paris. just saying.

La Mamounia
Avenue Bab Jdid
Marrakesh 40040, Morocco

Coley's Super Easy Homemade Takoyaki Recipe (Octopus and weird ingredients not required)

2018-01-29T07:00:00.000+08:00

When I was in Tokyo for a vacation 5 years ago, my favorite purchase was a Takoyaki maker, which I thought was a steal for less than 1,000JPY.

The box says for use in Japan only, so I lied and said I lived in Japan,
but what they actually meant was to warn me that the machine was 110volts.

After 5 years, I finally decided to try out my machine. I looked through a lot of recipes online, disregarded anything complicated and then tweaked it based on my preference.

Homemade Takoyaki Recipe

1. Measure 1 cup flour and 1 tablespoon + 1.5 teaspoons cornstarch, add 1 egg, 1 cup water and 1 knorr cube (dissolved in the water)
2. Add 1 tablespoon Kikkoman and another 1 cup water
3. Mix well with whisk and refrigerate for 30 minutes (it also turns out well if you have no time or no patience to wait).

4. Prepare your filling.
I used cabbage and cheese and spam and cheese for my second attempt. They both turned out well.

5. When you're ready to start, brush your takoyaki cooker with olive oil.
Then heat it for awhile, then put in the filling, before pouring in the batter until full.

My first attempt was quite messy.
I attempted to copy the takoyaki vendors, but it's not easy to put the filling
after the batter, and shooting them into the holes if you're not an expert.

Taste-wise, it turned out quite well though.

Since we didn't have any terriyaki or tonkatsu sauce, I used sriracha with
Japanese Mayo instead as topping and it was delish!

I couldn't get over my messy takoyaki balls, and I remembered that some takoyaki stalls use the ketchup bottle for better control over the batter... so I went to the supermarket, bought myself a bottle for Php55, and attempted to make takoyaki again. This time with Spam and Cheese too.

The ketchup bottle is truly a game changer!

This recipe was tailored to my own personal taste and it doesn't pretend to be close to the original takoyaki you buy from Osaka. just saying.

Sofia's Unboxing DIY Gummies

2018-01-28T08:28:00.000+08:00

Sofia loves watching unboxing video reviews on YouTube.

This is her attempt at one.

You can watch the video here.

Not bad for our first attempt, if I may say so myself. just saying.

Lyon Revisited with the fambam

2018-01-27T12:39:00.000+08:00

My second favorite place in France, next to Paris of course, is Lyon, the country's gastronomical capital. Ady and I really enjoyed our first visit to Lyon, which you can read about here, so we convinced the family that it was a good idea to go.

We arrived super hungry, and it was surprisingly
difficult to find an open cafe on a Sunday.

I managed to buy some gauffres (waffles) and this pastry, which he snacked
on with free coffee from our serviced apartment (Citadines).

The location of our hotel was wonderful, and we could walk everywhere (though we didn't attempt to climb up to Vieux Lyon this time around).

The best part of Lyon, are the bouchons!!!

Best French Comfort Food ever... for a steal!!!!

We brought Timmy and Reen to our favorite bouchon, Aux Trois Cochons.

I've been craving for Poached Egg in Red Wine Soup since I tried in it Lyon, but they never make it as good elsewhere.

Our favorite Goat Cheese or Chevre Salad.

I might have attempted to eat healthier with a Lyonaise Salad, but it comes with a generous serving of bacon , cheese and poached egg.

For our mains, the Garlic Butter Chicken was to die for, sauce palang ulam na. It comes with a side of potatoes too.

Sof loved the chicken with white sauce because it reminds her of her favorite dish at home.

My favorite fat brother fighting food coma.

The next day I just walked to Paul and the supermarche for some petit dejeuner (breakfast).

Then we walked around the city, making our way to Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse because we didn't know LES HALLES IS CLOSED ON MONDAYS!

We ended up eating at another bouchon, to be covered in a separate post. Then I walked with Fi to the old part of town.

I think our whole foodie family enjoyed Lyon, but the next time we come back, it will definitely not be on a Monday. just saying.

Coley's Mushroom Cauliflower Risotto

2018-01-26T08:27:00.001+08:00

Since I lost so much weight doing the Nutribullet Smoothie (note to self, do a blog post on that), I decided to try and eat healthier as well.

My newest health kick is an attempt to go 80% Vegetarian. The 20% is loophole for the meat I enjoy like Fried Chicken Skin, Steak with Fat and Foie Gras. I try to live by a simple rule, if I don't really like the meat dish, I would opt to eat vegetables instead.

To make this plan sustainable I've been on the look out for interesting recipes of healthy alternatives for food I love to eat. I can live without eating rice forever, but put Risotto in front of me and my self control is gone.

I was so happy to find several recipes of Cauliflower Risotto online which I tweaked to be most similar to the Mushroom Risotto recipe we know and love, and it turned out so well, even I was surprised.

Mushroom Cauliflower Risotto Recipe

1. Pulse 1 large cauliflower head (florets only) until it looks like rice and set aside.
2. Cook a small package of Shiitake Mushrooms (cut into strips) in Olive Oil then set aside.
3. Saute 3 cloves garlic until brown, then add 1 finely chopped onion until translucent.
4. Add the cauliflower rice, chicken broth (I used 1 Knorr Chicken Cube dissolved in 1 cup water), and add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Don't forget the secret ingredient: add 1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese/ or any salty cheese. Put as much cheese as you want!!!
6.Top with parsley or basil.

Perfect for calorie counters as it only contains 95 calories per cup (without the extra cheese), it's so easy to make too. If your helper does all the prep, cook time is approximately 10 minutes. This recipe is a keeper. just saying.

S'mores by Sofia

2018-01-21T07:00:00.000+08:00

Sofia has cooking class in school. She was so proud of learning how to make S'mores, she insisted on re-creating it at home.

S'mores by Sofia:

Break your graham crackers into squares.

Top with chocolate. We used Royce Dark Chocolate Squares.

Top with marshmallows.

Bake until golden brown.

Sof didn't know how many minutes to tell the yaya, so she stood there and waited for it to turn brown.

Then top with another graham cracker square.

Tip: Smaller marshmallows melt faster, become more gooey. The big ones handle better if you like them just right.

Diet Portion for mom. Half the carbs. just saying.

Homegrown Organics for Fresh Veggies delivered straight to your door

2018-01-17T07:00:00.000+08:00

After shopping so much this year (and it's only mid-January!!!), I put myself on an online shopping ban. I have quite a few loopholes though.

One of them is I can still shop for food. So I can still do honestbee and I finally tried out Homegrown Organics which I always see my previous boss raving about on facebook.

Uhm, to be totally honest, I ordered my groceries from Thailand where I was on a business trip, because I needed a shopping fix (yes, I am Nicole, and I am a Shopaholic!) and I was quite excited to try them out.

It was such a pleasant experience. Their website is very user friendly. The first offer I saw was a free bag of organic tomatoes which you can add to your cart (sucker for a freebie that I am, I was sold!). They will deliver your vegetables for free if you spend Php350. That was a bit of a challenge for me because I am leaving again for Bangkok this week so I didn't need too much vegetables.

I bought some zucchini for zoodles, some spinach, and coffee so I could get free shipping. My bill was Php400. I just told the helper to expect it, and prepare the cash if it was delivered while I was out.

My vegetables were delivered the next day. The courier messaged me before coming with the estimated delivery time and my bill, which is convenient just in case you forget. I ended up paying only Php325 because half my spinach order was not available. I got free delivery anyway.

Baked Tomato, Basil, Zucchini and Kesong Puti Egg Cups for brunch and
Chili Garlic Zoodles for lunch.

Now I can order organic veggies anytime I have the urge to shop online. Hahaha. I'll get to eat healthier pa. just saying.

Sofia's Unboxing Series: Playmore x 7-11 Gummy Blocks (just like Lego)

2018-01-14T07:00:00.000+08:00

Another cool find from my 7-11 Thailand panic-buying spree.

Sofia's Review:

The gummies are super yummy especially the yellow one.

It's a bit hard to build though, and you don't have a lot of bricks in one pack.

Needless to say, Sofia also asked me to hoard more of this for her next week. Truly my mini-me. Well, it is quite a steal for 29 Baht. just saying.

Sofia's Unboxing Series: 7-11 x Gudetama Summer Time DIY Chocolates

2018-01-13T17:55:00.000+08:00

I just came from a business trip to Bangkok, where I didn't really get a chance to shop, so I panic-shopped at 7-11 instead. One of my coolest finds was this 7-11 x Gudetama Summer Time box. I wasn't really sure what it was, but for 25Baht, what the heck right? It turned out to be such a winner find.

This is Sofia's unboxing photo-journal.

*all the photos were taken by Sofia (except for the action shots taken by Ninang Ady)

you only need hot water

then you need to put it in the freezer

The box makes 2 sets. Sof and Ninang Ady were too lazy to use the chocolate tube for adding the details. Since I thought this post was incomplete without it, I made a deal to use the second set, in exchange for buying more, since I am flying back to Thailand this week.

Sofia's Review:
The chocolate is a bit hard to mold because you need to make sure that the chocolate is flat. It tastes very yummy, a little on the sweet side. Gudetama is orange flavored white chocolate!

It must really be good because I have strict instructions to look for this and hoard more on my trip next week. just saying.

Paris Revisited Winter 2017

2018-01-12T07:00:00.000+08:00

When we did an impulse Eastern Europe trip this Winter, I said I needed to pass Paris before flying home to close my bank account since HSBC has been giving me a hard time. I didn't expect our Prague, Vienna and Budapest legs to be so much fun... and so inexpensive too, that my trip budget was virtually untouched when we arrived in Paris, which sort of gave me license to go all out and shop.

Jem, Ady and I were in Paris for 2 nights (Jem stayed longer with Ivan). We stayed in this nice boutique hotel in the Saint Michel area which was excellently located, plus they had a lift too!

Their lift fits 3... but it was quite a tight squeeze with
luggage.

Since we arrived late in the afternoon, and we only had one full day, we decided to make a go of it, and run directly to the outlet.

Hello, La Vallee Village (with a strict 30 minute stopover at Primark to get all of Fi's bilin). I think we arrived 1-2 hours before closing, but we managed to make good use of what little time we had.

We bought so much and had such a long travelling day (we flew in via Beauvais Airport!) that we just simply collapsed in the comfy couches in the mall as soon as all the stores closed.

You can see us in the ceiling reflection.

We treated ourselves to comfort food for dinner in none other than Leon de Bruxelles.

The restaurant was probably only a 10-minute walk to our hotel... but we really didn't have any more energy to walk. It was really worth it though, because we filled the cab with all our shopping bags.

And the lift too!!! Again!!!

Our hotel was very cute, but you need to borrow a water
kettle.

and you should go in Winter, so you can use the
window sill as your fridge.

La Bagagerie is walking distance, so I bought my set of Rimowa luggage, and I just pulled it home. With a stop for some Pain Au Chocolat.

Hooray for luggage that matches my scarf.

We also went to the Rimowa flagship store so Ady could also buy luggage.

This was the prettiest store on
Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

Our favorite Hema Store is now also in Chatelet (inside the Metro Station).

Over-all it was really a great shopping trip (which I
haven't had in ages!) My Valentino Haul not in photos.

Food-wise, we also tried several great places, from Tim's favorite Cheap Eats Category on TripAdvisor that they deserve their own post.

Culture Crêpes in Saint Michel

Bistro Des Augustins for winner Gratin, with a view of
the river and Notre Dame.

Then we capped of the meal with dessert from
Factory & Co.

Their Key Lime Pie is so yummy... and it's light. Just like air. Hahaha.

We still had a full lift when we left... minus Jem and
her things.

At the hotel courtyard.

At the hotel walkway.

I think I now prefer Paris in the winter over spring. So the question is, do I go back in a few weeks, while it is still Winter? or do I wait till December? I am still using bank errands as my excuse (thanks to HSBC's inefficiency). just saying.

Hotel Excelsior Latin

20 Rue Cujas,

75005 Paris, France

Culture Crêpes

26 Rue Saint-André des Arts,

75006 Paris, France

Bistro des Augustins

39 Quai des Grands Augustins,

75006 Paris, France