weekend getaway

Vikings Buffet !

2014-06-07T00:59:00.001-07:00

I love birthdays ! For this year, my family enjoyed Vikings Buffet. We went all the way to SM Marikina because this branch offers celebrant's to eat free at 3 days before and after birth dates. The SM Mall of Asia branch offers promo on the exact birthday only. My kids were really looking forward to the buffet. They have heard about it from their friends.

My friends mentioned it has a wider spread than the standard hotel. It delivered! Of course, it' not like the other buffet restaurants available where you grill your food at your table (which was actually very challenging). Here, I enjoyed walking.. and walking... and walking around looking at the wide array and the various presentations of each dish (japanese, filipino, chinese, american, pastas, etc etc). You would not know which one to pick first. So I suggest, you take small amounts that you most want to try and work from there. My favorite has always been Japanese food, so I always start with that. The oysters though did not fail me. The Angus steak was really tender and filled with flavor.
Lastly, I enjoyed the brewed coffee at the end of my meal (I had 2 cups!)

Buffet rates at SM Marikina :
Adult at P688 lunch / P888 dinner for weekdays and P888 on weekends
Kids 4ft - 4ft 6in at P388 lunch/ P588 for weekdays and P588 for weekends
Kids 3ft - 4 ft at P188 lunch/ P288 for weekdays and P288 for weekends
Kids below 3ft are FREE
75 yrs old and above get 50% discount

Fresh oysters with lots of cheese !

My son could not get enough of the squid. But you have to wait some minutes for it to cook. Hurry ! because they run out fast. But they do replenish.

The Salad spread

The shushi and maki spread were very enticing

The cold cuts

I love Japanese food so for today , this is my choice : Pumpkin soup, Maki and Ebi Tempura

Birthday cakes for the celebs!

Enjoy!

Abe Restaurant !

2014-03-29T07:40:00.001-07:00

A Korean friend visited and we wanted to let him taste the best of Filipino cuisine. I have heard about Abe restaurant by the LJC group but have not tried it yet. My friends have though and they said the food is really good. So we went and they did not disappoint! Pronounced ah-beh , the restaurant is a tribute to Larry Cruz's father, Abe.

We tried the one at Alabang Town Center. Ambience is nice. On the walls you will see sketches inspired by our Filipino tradition.

First on the list is the rice cooked in bamboo. Unfortunately, it was served already and the bamboo discarded before I could take a photo. It was good.

Next is the Crispy Pata. Oh dear, I forget the I am on a diet ! Very crunchy pork skin, moist meat. Cooked to perfection.

Love the Baby squid rice. It's bagoong rice topped with baby squid and one whole salted egg.
The Binagoongan is all also good/

For dessert. we tried all kinds : the Leche Flan , thee Halo-Halo , Sansrival and the Sikreto ni Maria. The Sikreto is made of suman with ice cream and caramel - Yum!

I was surprised that on a weekday , the place gets full packed during dinner !

The Leche flan is too sweet for my taste

The Halo -Halo that our Korean friend enjoyed!

The Sansrival. Big serving !

And this is the Sikreto ni Maria!

Enjoy!

Amici !

2014-01-10T06:08:00.000-08:00

The name Amici itself suggests an Italian restaurant and it's one of the best I have tried. The branches I've tried are the Don Bosco branch in Makati and the one at Ayala Triangle.

The Ayala Triangle branch was full packed as expected on a Friday and not to mention that it is the Christmas season after all.

Here's what I think of the place :

Service - good but of course serving time is 15 to 20 mins. I must say they were happy to send a small birthday cake for my cousin

Food - great ! I especially love the Spaghetti Ai Tesori Del Mare (spaghetti pasta topped with seafood : mussels, clams, scallops with tomatoes). You should try this !

Ambience - It's tight and there is a waiting line (especially on a Friday). But it's worth the wait. You could go watch the light and sound show at Ayala Triangle while you wait

Price - reasonable. The Spaghetti Ai Tesori Del Mare is about Php344 and it's a big serving.

Spaghetti Ai Tesori Del Mare - try it !

I just had to try their Mozarella sticks

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Mediterranean Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad

My cousin's birthday cake

The blue lemonade is actually good

If you would like some Italian food - do try Amici this Christmas !

Union Jack Tavern !

2014-01-02T06:33:00.001-08:00

The family was looking for a new restaurant this Christmas season. I have heard of Union Jack Tavern and had always wanted to try it. So today we did and we were not disappointed.

Union Jack Tavern is an English pub serving authentic British food including Haggis among others. Unfortunately, I was not able to try it but I will next time. Instead, we had the lamb shank and I had the buffet spread of roast turkey, roast beef, pudding, apple pie among others.

Next time, we will try the Fish and Chips and the Haggis and Tatties.
By the way, they also have Indian Curry Buffet which I think is worth trying. But I'd have to go back again to find out for myself :)

Location - Festival Mall in Alabang
Price - Ok. Lamb Shank was about Php465 and it was a big serving
The buffet was Php 545 +
Ambience - Great for dining with family (If you are with kids, I suggest to go for the non-smoking area)
Great for dining and drinking with friends while watching sports
Food - love the lamb shank !

What is Haggis ? It is a Scottish dish made from heart, lungs and liver of a sheep cooked in a casing traditionally made of the animal's stomach. Hence , it is some kind of a sausage.

I like the crew's uniform. Shown here are British delicacies from sausages to pies

Here is the buffet spread that I tried. Yum !

Slow cooked Lamb Shank. Believe me you won't forget it

My buffet - with roast turkey and roast beef. I love the gravy !

The apple pie and English trifle

First time to try Carling beer. It's light and flavorful.

In case you want to try the Indian Curry , here's the list.

Want to try something new ? Come on over to Union Jack Tavern.

Enjoy !

Ayala Triangle Lights and Sounds !

2013-12-25T07:07:00.001-08:00

My cousins from Australia were here for a week stay. Billeted at Manila Peninsula, it was a short walk going to Ayala Triangle area. I have heard of the place but have not gone there before.

Rows of restaurants filled the area with both indoor dining and dining al fresco. Given that it was a Friday and t'was the season of merriment, the place was full packed as expected.

It was good timing that we were there just when the lights and sound show started. Different array of colors danced among the trees which beckons one to stare and enjoy the season of Christmas! It was such a sight to see!

You have time? go ! go ! go !

Here are the rows of restaurants that I mentioned. Ayala triangle is the place to be this Christmas if you like to feel the revelry of the season!

Enjoy !

Fun Farm at Sta Elena !

2013-07-29T07:42:00.003-07:00

I had been looking for a place where I could bring my family to enjoy nature; to get close to as much greens as possible and smell the breath of fresh air. Well , I found one and I don't have to get on a plane or travel a long long way. It's just down south at Cabuyao, Laguna and it's called the Fun Farm at Sta Elena.

I was so excited to see a lot of trees ,ponds , farm animals. Inside the Fun Farm is the Holy Carabao which sells organic produce. Not many people were there that day maybe because we went on a Sunday.

The farm opens at 9am and closes at 4:30pm. Make sure you have reservations since security is very strict at the gate of Sta Elena. Security will ask if you've made a reservation. Am glad I checked out their website first before going.

Fee is P300 per head and already includes all the activities including horse back riding, mini fishing, mini boating, mini zip line, feeding of rabbits and guinea pigs and the most exciting of all - riding the carabao cart!

They do not have a restaurant so do bring food and drinks and go for a picnic inside their hall or at the picnic area.

The 'welcome' sign beckons you to go in to enjoy and be a child again.

My kids enjoying the fishing (more like catch and release). They each caught a lot of Tilapia but they were small so we just put them all right back in the water.

Meet Choc-Nut, the carabao (or water bufallo)! I love this sight. There's something about a carabao-drawn carriage that lets me reminisce my childhood days in the province when we visited our grandparents. Love it ! Love it !

The staff gives you carrots for feeding the guinea pigs and rabbits. You could even enter the rabbit's den. After the feeding session, there's alcohol that they let you use.

The rabbits run around and play and there was even one that got out of the pen !

There are team building activties such as this one where somebody needs to call out Left-Right or else all will tumble !

So many things to do especially for the kids !

Go up the truck and have some fun !

Enjoy !

Sky Ranch Tagaytay !

2013-06-19T07:10:00.001-07:00

Now there's another reason to visit Tagaytay -it's called the Sky Ranch ! Not only do you get to enjoy the view ot the Taal Volcano and savor the cold weather, you could now experience an amusement park amidst all these. Sky Ranch houses the tallest ferris wheel in the Philippines called the "Sky Eye". The Sky Eye has individually airconditioned gondolas - very nice!. The place also has a Super Viking , a mini Viking, a mini roller coaster and other children's rides.

Let me show you here the place. But actually, most of the buildings are still under construction and I can't wait to return again when all are completed.

The entrance fee is normally at Php100 but it was at 50% off so we got it for Php50 per person.

You won't miss Sky Ranch with the huge sign and the tallest FERRIS WHEEL ! Sky Eye is at Php150/person

The Nessi Coaster will be enjoyable for the kids

Am sure the kids will want to try this. I would suggest though not on a full stomach

The Super Viking and The Sky Eye !

There is also a train that goes around the place. Fee = Php50

This is always a big hit at Php 250/ 30 minutes

Enjoy !

Won Restaurant !

2013-06-07T09:15:00.001-07:00

I was asked what I wanted to eat for lunch and my answer was simple - korean food !

Won restaurant is located at Paseo de Sta Rosa at the 2nd floor and is a favorite go to place of those craving for korean food down south.

Everytime I go to a specialty restaurant, I try to eat something new/ So this time I tried the Galbitang - it's beef short ribs soup served with rice and red spicy paste which I did not use because I prefer the Ssamjang (a thick red paste). It tastes a lot like our bulalo (boiled beef). The great thing about this is that the beef is fall off the bones.

My friends had the Dwelgi Galbi which is grilled pork ribs. It is served with lettuce, garlic and ssamjang. The way to eat this is to get the lettuce leaf - put in a piece of pork - add garlic and ssamjang , fold and eat !

My korean friends had the Bibimbap which is mixed rice , normally with vegetables.

All korean restaurants serve side dishes like below - kimchi, dilis or anchovies, cucumber salad among others. The side dishes differ per restaurant.

Some restaurants serve free iced tea or iced coffee at the end of every meal. Sadly, Won did not have that. But they did have free dessert - free pineapple !

After my hearty meal, comes an ice cream ! I like korean ice creams because it's out of the ordinary. Just like the fish ice cream which has some custard filling! Yum !

So when you're down south or passing through , do try Won restaurant !
Enjoy !

SM Aura !

2013-06-02T08:32:00.001-07:00

All roads lead to SM Aura !

I just had to get a glimpse of the new premier shoppping. mall. Located at The Fort in Taguig, it boasts of an Imax theatre , a Skypark and the most important of all is the green architecture. It had opened last May 17 and has been packed with curious shoppers.

It's SM shopping mall has a first class feel compared to other SM branches. The Skypark is for al fresco dining. However, it was raining hard that day so we were not able to enjoy this part of the mall.

Not all shops are open yet and the parking is not finished yet either (we parked at the lowest basement parking - does that make sense ?, that still smelled paint). The restaurants are not all open yet so the volume of all people created a lack of seats so we just ate at the food stalls of the supermarket. Do try the dimsum there - it tastes good !

I must admit, I like the feel of this new SM Store

A new cupcake place called The Royal Touch gourmet cupcakes. Had tried the chocolate flavor and I like it (it doesn't crumble at all). I learned that the creator Carolyn Robb was a peronal chef to the Royal family of UK. So much class here even inside their store.

This is the food court called Food on Four (on the 4th floor, of course). Not a lot of food stalls opened yet and the line is very long (it loops!).

The Skypark is supposed to be for Al Fresco dining but I think the rain was just too much that day

Stores like Kultura , I think, should be in all malls to showcase Filipino products and ingenuity

The main celebrity who graced the opening of SM Aura - Ms. Sarah Jessica Parker!

Enjoy !

Yakimix buffet!

2013-05-20T04:14:00.001-07:00

Our eyes were set to dining in a buffet restaurant and Yakimix was our choice for today. Had always wanted to try this buffet resto - it's one of the popular buffets in town!

The price list. Drinks are included in the price. Isn't that nice ?

We love the pork, beef and seafoods!

Some of the choices

My kids choices !

An array of raw foods - meat, fish, shellfish !

Enjoy !

Stackers Burger Cafe !

2013-05-12T08:43:00.001-07:00

It's Mother's Day! We were looking for a place to eat at Resorts World Manila and our feet led us to Stackers Burger Cafe. I saw the same resto at Alabang Town Center and had always wondered how the food was like. This branch is small and a bit cramped. There were 13 of us and it was really hard to move around.
I get the menu and start browsing - burgers - stacks and stacks of burgers , chicken, all day breakfast deals, kiddie meals, fish and chips, milkshakes etc. So I try the chicken so did my sons. Everybody else had the burger. I enjoyed the chicken. It was cooked properly and it was really good! For the burgers, I would recommend Jack's Burger. They also have what they call the Penthouse - it was 3 stacks with everyhing on it. You could even create your own stack.

I think it's a bit pricey though. Next time, I will have the fish and chips-love to try this one !

Some prices on the menu :

Jack Burger - P185 for single and P248 for double
2 pcs chicken with rice - P155
Stack burger - P105
Kiddie menu ranges from P144 to P188
Milkshakes from P95 to P105

They have a full wall which explains the Stackers Burger

This is the Penthouse at P688 !

The Creamy Carbonara

One of the Kiddie meals

This is the Stack Burger courtesy of my sis-in law

The Jack Burger with bacon and mushroom in it ! Liked this one

The All Day Breakfast meal

Enjoy !

Luigi's Pinoy Comfort Food !

2013-05-04T05:15:00.001-07:00

Update on this resto : May be permanently closed

I usually browse through the discount sites. This time, I found something that I thought was worthy of trying - Metrodeal's offer on Phillychangas at Luigi's Pinoy Comfort Food! I bought it for P99 from original P150! Nice, right ? Well, I have to try it first. The deal was for 3 months (Feb~May) and I waited till the last minute to claim it. I couldn't take it as dine-in so we decided to take out instead.

When I got home, I just had to try it already and I was not disappointed at all. Even my kids love it. The oozing cheese and beef in crunchy fried tortilla ! It was a good thing I ordered for 2 pieces instead of 1 - else we'd be fighting over the 1 pc.

They also have other items on the menu which I can't wait to try - like the Vigan Pasta Aglio Olio or the Choriburger which I know my son will love !

It's located inside BF Paranaque so we are lucky it's near our place. Not sure though if they have other branches or if they would open others. Check it out.

It is along Aguirre Avenue in BF , near PCJ and across Puregold. It seats maybe approx 20

It's cozy and the layout is inviting. It doesn't look cramped at all.

Look at that oozing cheese and steak !

Enjoy !

Sambokojin !

2013-03-22T04:46:00.001-07:00

Today , we are proud parents of graduates. My twins are graduating from elementary. The ceremony took about 3 1/2 hours and ended with a well worth wait for their very own graduation song. After the commencement exercise, the kids ,probably very hungry, requested for a buffet restaurant. I was already planning to give them a Sambokojin treat !

Sambokojin has a buffet spread of both Japanese and Korean dishes and their specialty is the Yakiniku smokeless grill. My kids , as expected, went straight to the ebi tempura area. While the adults went for the sashimi and sushi area. I particularly enjoyed my favorite salmon sashimi, the kamameshi rice, and the gilled beef and pork. Yum!

Promo :
They do have a promo going on for graduates. The graduate gets to eat for free but needs to bring at least one companion. This promo ends April 30, 2013. You might want to call for reservation as the place gets packed.

Location
We tried the one at Southmall in Las Pinas (02-5117843) They are located at the ground floor near the SM supermarket.

No left over price:
It's P519 for weekday lunch and P619 for weekday dinner
And P659 for weekend lunch and dinner
Children below 4 feet is P319

Samples of sushi and sashimi. They have a lot of variety. Be careful tough because some are spicy and they do not have the label that say so.


Wide array of grill choice from fish, pork, beef, chicken, veggies, shrimp. My favorite is the bulgogi beef and the pork on bbq sticks

Katsu choices

We grilled more than this but they were quickly consumed before I could take a photo ")


A great find for us. We've craved for Kamameshi for a long time. My kids at the back drop enjoying some games after having a satisfying meal

Dessert choices include cakes, ice cream, fruits, jellies and pudding among others

Sambokojin has a big dining area and I like it that they've put the buffet right in the middle

Am already looking forward to our next visit. By the way , I was told that they also have a promo for birthday celebrants. Very nice, right ?

Enjoy!

The Tea Hub !

2013-02-06T06:23:00.001-08:00

Never thought I'd like tea but surprisingly and since all of these tea places came around, I just simply have to have it at least once or twice a week ! One of the places I like going to is The Tea Hub. It's a cozy place (just look at the pictures!) where friends would want to just go lazying around for some laughs and some chats.

My favorite drink is The Jet Lady at 50% sugar level. They also have fruit teas which my friend ordered - Mango Surprise. They also have stuffed breads at P25 each that comes in different flavor - chicken pesto, pepperoni, tuna and taco. Love them all!

So, if you'd like to catch up with friends - head on over to one of the tea places. like The Tea Hub.

Drink list : Refer here for the The Tea Hub menu

My favorite drink at Tea Hub is the Jet Lady!

Wintermelon is a common favorite too

Cozy area to read a book or work on your laptop

My friends enjoying their drinks

Enjoy !

Bento-Ya (Tatsu No Ko) Japanese Restaurant !

2013-01-11T19:42:00.000-08:00

There is this restaurant place in BF Homes, Paranaque that always made me curious. Everytime we pass by the place, it was always full. And yet it was not all that grand. It had a simple facade, simple signs. It's basically a house converted to a restaurant.

Tucked away inside BF Homes along El Grande Avenue is Bento-Ya or Tatsu No Ko restaurant. We had always wanted to try the place and this time we did. As you enter, you are greeted with the usual 'Irashaimase'. The place was simple, clean and rustic with japanese interiors.

There are 2 dining areas. The other one feels like you are home. Unfortunately, that is not where we stayed. We opted for where the TV was.

We ordered our usual favorites : Tempura, bbq, tempura udon, california maki. And there's one that we ordered for the first time : octopus sashimi. To me, it's too tough to eat so I think I won't try it again. Everything else was great. Price is reasonable also.

So if you are in for a rustic feel, do try Bento-Ya/Tatsu No Ko. I absolutely recommend it.

Tatsu No Ko restaurant or more popularly known as Bento-Ya Japanese restaurant

California Maki P135

I like this hangings on the wall. Makes me reminisce my Japan trip

The chicken bbq at P35 each

Tempura Udon at P180. It' a big serving and could be shared

Octopus sashimi at P110. Too tough for me.

Tendon at P180. Very satisfying


The interiors with a homey japanese feel

Enjoy !

Le Petit Cheri !

2012-12-31T10:20:00.001-08:00

Before we ended 2012, my friends and I decided to go out and celebrate with coffee and dessert at Le Petit Cheri. It's a quaint French restaurant tucked away in Molito, Alabang. Since we already had dinner at the house, we just had dessert... lots of desserts !

Le Petit Cheri means 'the little darling' and it was just that. As you go in, you are greeted with 'bonsoir' which means good evening. I love the interior because it feels very cozy. They have acoustic music and I was told it was on every Saturday. Love their uniforms also as it makes you feel you are indeed in France!

We absolutely enjoyed what we ordered - and we tried to get some of each - creme brulee, truffle cake, macaroons, creme puff (I forgot the French translation) and bread pudding They also serve other viands and I would definitely try those on my next visit.

So if you are craving for French food, do check them out.

Cozy and quaint place

The bread choices

Your choices of desserts.

What we ordered ! Yum!


That Nutella is 5 kgs!

And of course their gorgeous Christmas tree !

And as they greeted while we were going out - Merci beaucoup!
Enjoy !

Elias restaurant at Bonifacio High Street!

2012-12-05T06:56:00.001-08:00

Another food find this weekend is Elias Restaurant. It's a high end restaurant that boasts of a different twist in Filipino food starting with the names that they have given them in the menu.

They have clever names like Tiago's Triumph, Mi Ultimo Felicidad, Achara ni Ibarra among others. It definitely sparks a conversation among family members on who best remembered the Spanish colonial era particularly the novels of our national hero - Jose Rizal.

We went there for the 18th birthday of my niece. Another table was also celebrating a birthday. I guess it is already favorite place for celebrations and it is easy to see why.

The food size is huge and definitely for sharing. The ambiance has a homey feeling to it and the food tastes great. The price is also reasonable for me because it is for sharing.

Location :
7th Ave cor 29th St
Bonifacio High Street Central in Taguig

I love the Binagoongan. It's served as layers from the egglant topped with bagoong or shrimp paste then with the crispy pork liempo. Yum!

De Los Santos - a medly of fish, pork , oysters. chicken. My son loved the oysters !

Notice the crispy pork on this Pilosopong Pinakbet !

This is the surprise part when the bill came and it was inside this bird. So unique !

I will come back for more surprises !

Enjoy!

WEBCAMP Internet Business Super Conference!

2012-11-30T08:25:00.001-08:00

Last Wednesday, we attended the very first Webcamp internet business super conference at RCBC Plaza in Makati sponsored by Learning Curve. There were supposedly four speakers but we ended up with more than that sans Mr. Chris Ducker.

The aim of the seminar is to equip would be web-preneurs on the different options of how to start and grow an online business. Let me tell you what each of the speakers had to say and maybe you could pick out some ideas.

My goal here is to make you aware that these seminars are out there and if you are really serious in going for an online business, then go grab a seat ! Just make sure to get the early bird rates.

Here are the four speakers. Unfortunately, Mr Chris Ducker couldn't make it. I really wanted to learn about his virtual outsourcing. Nevertheless, all the other speakers were very informative and are truly experts in their chosen internet biz.

Ms Eireen Diokno-Bernardo is an ecommerce expert running several online stores and selling different products. Her story began when her husband used up his retirement pay to buy a truckload of vintage soda bottles which he sold online for a profit. Eireen followed suit.
Eireen is a giggly person and there was not a dull moment during her presentation. She has an upcoming seminar called E-commerce 102. Check out the website.

Mr Jojy Azurin is an expert in membership sites. He created Businesssummaries.com , an online executive book summary service. That became very successful. After his talk, I realized that membership sites could be very profitable and not so hard to maintain. Jojy always referred to internet business as like building a money tree.

Mr Ian del Carmen is an expert in internet marketing. He has humble beginnings but was able to get to the top. How did he do it ? He worked his way selling digital products and through affiliate marketing. He got so successful in internet marketing that he has a certification for it. Lesson he taught me is that there is no more excuse for not reaching your dreams of becoming successful in internet marketing.

Rich Dad Asia also graced the occasion. They have a congress to be held in Manila in 2013.

Watch out for some latest updates from Learning Curve.

Enjoy!

BGC Passionfest weekend!

2012-11-24T06:58:00.001-08:00

My family had nice walk, talk, play and eat at the Passionfest at Bonifacio Global City (BGC). There were giant game installations, a picnic area , mobile concerts and more.

BGC is a place where families could unwind and walk with their dogs. We don't have a dog yet to walk but we love going to the place to see different kinds of breeder dogs.

Some of the booths and stores we visited :

There was the PAWS (Philippine Animal Welfare Society) which rescues dogs and rehabilitate them both on the physical and behavioral side. They had a free photo booth where they ask only for voluntary donations.

Sperry Topsiders was also on opening sale at 20% off.

Lego land had a big display. There were game booths for playing I think you'd have to have tickets to join.
There's a big game installed also - what's the name of this game? (I forget)

There's also the BGC Hop On-Hop Off Bus tour where you could explore around the BGC area/

The BGC Passionfest is running until tomorrow, Nov 25 so you still have time to catch it.

Don't forget to see the giant outdoor movie with schedules as follows :
Toy story 6 pm/ Finding Nemo 8pm/ The Avengers 10pm

Enjoy !

Indoor Wall Climbing at Market! Market!

2012-11-17T06:56:00.001-08:00

This is first time I've seen wall climbing of this scale inside a mall. It is about 44 ft high. When I saw this at Market!Market! I just to stay a while and see the climbers do it with ease. It makes you think that it is as easy as A-B-C but hhmm I just have to think again.

Camp Sandugo offers indoor wall climbing at Market!Market! for beginners, enthusiasts and thrill seekers. It's at P50 for a single climb and P340 for unlimited climb with an instructor. It's less P200 if you don't need the belay assistant. They also have a store there where you could find a lot of adventure packs.

It's probably a great stress reliever too..

Of course there are rules to follow just like any sports activity

Enjoy !

Chewy Junior !

2012-10-19T04:50:00.001-07:00

To cap off my birthday celeb , I treated my kids to a Chewy Junior dessert. I had made cream puffs when I was a kid and this looked like a very different , no ordinary cream puffs. My kids were pointing to it from miles away...

My kids would always go for chocolate. I tried a bite size and I liked it ! Crunch on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside. One cream puff is about P45 which was well worth it.

You could find them in Greenbelt 3 Makati, MOA in Pasay City, SM Megamall and Trinoma mall. I hope they open in the south soon.

A lot of flavors to choose from

So Yummy !

Oozing chocolate !

This is one way of enjoying all the sweet flavors. Enjoy !

Uncle Cheffy's !

2012-09-14T10:13:00.003-07:00

One of our office managers treated us for lunch and everybody clamored for Uncle Cheffy's. I have never tried it and I was not expecting anything great. I did expect that it would be expensive.

Hhmm, I was wrong. This place is full of surprises. Our order came one after the other only after about 15 min and I loved everything I tasted !

The Roasted Chicken was especially good - which was served with rice already.

The pizza was very good. It was served with alfalfa sprouts and salsa. The way to eat is put some salsa and sprouts on the pizza and roll away ! This was called the Uncle Cheffy favorite.

We also ordered the Uncle Cheffy salad. Now this was new to me. It had crispy pork belly ! I had more of the belly than the salad. It was so good.

We also had the Barbecued Tuna Belly and the Tiuey Noodle.

I will defintely go back !

Location :
Uncle Cheffy
Nuvali, Sta Rosa Laguna (they also have other branches in Taguig, Eastwood, Lipa among others)

Budget :
There were five of us and the charge was about over Php2000.

Next:
I was also told that the ribs are good too. So next time, will try that

Would you look at that !

Look at those pork belly!

Enjoy !

Chili's !

2012-09-14T09:21:00.003-07:00

Finally, my friends and I went for some night out fun. My friend who had migrated to New Zealand visited and this is our welcome back dinner. But hey, she is always here twice a year so we'll have many more welcome back fun !

We wanted to go out for some cocktails and some good food. So we headed for Chili's in the south. Being a Saturday night, we expected the place to be full packed.. and it was ! but It didn't take long for us to get seated. Our waiter Jed made our evening really comfortable and he waited on us really well.

For the longest time, I had wanted to try the Bottomless Tostada Chips and now was the opportunity. Thin crisp chips served with home-made salsa. To go with that we ordered for the cheese dip on skillet. Believe me the cheese dip was enough and so yummy !

We also had the Wings over Buffalo and the Grilld Barbecue Chicken salad. This was specially good. I just wish it was also bottomless ") The only thing missing ? Rice.

Everybody had gotten one piece each before I could even take a picture

Of course, the night wouldn't be complete without the cocktails and my friends couldn't resist getting the bottomless Margarita. I had the Mai Tai and I loved it.

The bottomless Margarita !

The bar area. Most of the guests that night are either family groups or barkadas

Location :
Chili's (newly opened)
Alabang Town Center

Tip :
If you're going to order the bottomless Margarita, make sure to specify if you want the frozen or the classic.

Enjoy !

Purple Oven at Sta Rosa !

2012-09-01T01:21:00.001-07:00

Another Korean friend was visiting this week and requested to have lunch at Seafood Island in Solenad 2. After lunch, we just had to get some dessert so I suggested to go to the new Purple Oven at Sta Rosa. What we saw did not disappoint us.

My Korean friend gave a whole blueberry cheesecake to our colleague who is getting married this September. I got the 16 pc revel bar and my other friend got the choco banana cake and lemon squares.

Everything looked delicous. I would really love to try all of it. Definitely will come back to do so !

Location :
Purple Oven, Solenad 2
Tagaytay road, Sta Rosa Laguna (near Nuvali)

Doesn't the front entrance look different and inviting ? Makes you wonder what's inside. I did.

These are the revel bars that I ordered. All courtesy of my Korean friend !

An array of fresh breads : turnovers, cheese breads and doughnuts!

The dome cake looked very rich and moist. Have yet to try it..

My friends enjoying the lunch and dessert treat !

Enjoy !

Wakeboarding in Nuvali !

2012-08-20T07:39:00.001-07:00

Today's bonding with the family included a roadtrip down South. We were supposed to go to Tagaytay but Sta. Rosa beckoned us, specifically- Nuvali ! What I like about Nuvali is that it has always something new to offer. Last time we were there, we headed for the Koi fish feeding and the kids enjoyed that. Now , there is something new - wakeboarding !

Wakeboarding is a sport that combines water skiing and surfing. But instead of being pulled by a boat, this wakeboarding is pulled by a cable.

From a distance, it really looks like fun. There was even a kid joining. My son wanted to join but I feel he needs proper training before he could join in.

When we arrived, it was raining , but the people didn't seem to mind it. The atmosphere was really nice. Everybody was putting on their gears, some are just sitting and watching the wakeboarders. People kept coming despite the rain.

Tips:
For further info, you could visit their website at http://republ1cwakepark.com/ .
There is a snack bar so you don't have to worry about getting hungry after the ride.

The road leading to Republic wakeboarding. No need to worry going there. There are sign boards.

The wakeboarders waiting their turn

The waiting area and snack bar area

Looks like fun !

For lunch, my family opted to go to Ryuma restaurant. Then off to Solenad 2 (please see my other blogs about these).

Enjoy !