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 After my breakfast date with Divine at Agahan in Makati City and my bulaluhan date with Camille along España, was the road trip/food trip/ocular visit half-day experience with Anna, Arvin, and Divine to Cavite. :) It was the 6th of April and while everyone was devoutly observing Lent, we were busy stuffing ourselves with… Well, let these pictures speak for themselves.

First stop, Kusina Pilipina for breakfast:
After spending some time at Mount Sea Resort, off we went to Malen’s for lunch:

Desserts were care of Malen’s too:
 A bottle of ice cold beer called for the occasion, so! :P

Usually, the Holy Week for the family means an out of town trip with the Uy clan. Although this year was different, it was still as memorable and fun, nonetheless. :)

This is the last series of my mother and sister’s short visit in Manila.

I have not seen the Uy Clan for ages. A meetup with them usually equates to great food, endless stories to share, playing with Kinect (lol), and of course, pictures! I saw how Avron has grown up real fast, which was good in a way because he was more outgoing and easier to talk to now. :) He taught me how to play Kinect and have fun with it too. :)

Word has been going around that they will all be going to Cebu on the 21st of April to celebrate Andre’s birthday. Being with them that day made me realize how I have missed them so much that I was already devising plans of going to Cebu too, even if it is last minute. :)

After having lunch and a few games over at Kinect, which involved fighting off zombies and dancing, most of the time (haha!), Auntie Chu, Uncle Allan, and I set off to bring Ruby and Mama to the airport. :/

But, it left me excited to see them again on the 21st! :D

 One of the most interesting science related exhibits I have went to was the Myth of the Human Body Exhibit last 2010 which featured preserved human parts found in every body system there is (even that of the nervous system!). While I was there, I could not help but think I was inside a human meat market.

It was then very eerie but enlightening. For one, I found out there was no difference between how a non-smoker’s lung, exposed to so much air pollution, would look like compared to that of a smoker’s lung. Haha! It is another story when the lung gets infected with cancer though. :/

When it comes to art and/or historical museums, the best one I have visited so far was at Intramuros. Visiting old houses and learning about how Filipinos back in the olden days lived, has given me a better appreciation of how the times have changes and at the same time, an understanding of how some things should remain the same. :)

However, museums of all kinds are best enjoyed with the right kind of people, who has the same appreciation, curiosity, and hunger for learning as you. Given that my sister was visiting Manila for a short time, I made sure she went to the Mind Museum in Taguig City, which recently opened last March 16, 2012. :) Camille is also an enthusiast of learning new things and solving puzzles on her own, so I thought it would a great idea to all go there one Friday afternoon. :)
 We each bought an All Day Pass ticket. :) Being with these two “kids” felt like I was a child again, haha! :) I was particularly happy when Camille persisted on solving a puzzle in which she succeeded, with the help of my equally brilliant sister, haha! ;)

I must admit it was indeed pricey for PhP 750 (it gets cheaper though if you are a student and is a part of a tour), but who can peg a price on learning new things and elevating an adult’s curious mind to a different level?

 My mom has always been a die-hard fan of Saisaki and/or Dad’s at Megamall. When I was small, special family occasions were mostly spent there. She was also a huge fan of sashimi and sushi, something which I pleasantly and secretly liked about my family, because I absolutely love both. Although I have gotten my unlimited sushi and sashimi fix from Saisaki over the years, and only last December 2011, Yakimix, I was really pleased with Sambokojin’s arrayed and unique sushi/maki spread!
 The tuna and salmon sashimi in particular melted in my mouth! :D I remember telling myself again and again that I would just go back for the sushi and sashimi spread. :) One major indicator (for me alone) that Sambokojin has beaten Saisaki in our life is because my mother has turned to a convert. She was particularly pleased with the quality of food  and how affordable it was.

Goodbye, Saisaki. :)

The kind of service we experienced was noteworthy too. I think my mom really took advantage of it as she took the time asking our “assistant” a lot of questions, haha! He was a huge help since I learned which sauces to use for which type of food and grilling became more convenient too. :)

My sister and Camille’s Mind Museum trip, next! <3

My sister and I are six years apart and yet, she is like the best friend I never had. I may already be 27 years old, but sometimes, I act impulsively and too recklessly at times, that someone might mistake me as an 18-yr. old lady. That is where my little sister comes in—as my older sister to the rescue, to reprimand me and awaken me to reality.

But last Wednesday was about eating good food, spending quality time with her, enjoying some laughs, and sharing some emotional bits about ourselves. She will only be in Manila for two more days before she goes back to Cebu. I wanted to make sure then her visit becomes truly worthwhile. :)
First stop was Saint’s Alp Teahouse, Regis Center, Katipunan
 When I scanned its menu, I thought the White Moustache selection would be good. I asked the staff and the bestsellers were taro and light black tea. So I had the latter while Ruby went for the green tea drink from the same selection. Saint’s Alp also offers some snacks, sandwiches, and salads btw. I opted to have one order of Cheezy Tempura Balls.

 We both sat on comfortable sofa chairs near the counter wherein we had a good view of the place. I thought it was clean, sweet, and very pleasant to the eyes. :) The crew were approachable and very confident to talk about their products. It was also a conducive place to learn, which is a plus since I bet most of its customers are students from the universities/colleges nearby.

I loved the glasses of tea that we had because it had cream cheese with salt in it! The tempura balls lived to its name—it was very cheesy indeed! Happy to have experienced a quality tea spot I would like to recommend to friends, I was also very glad I got to share it with Ruby. :)
 It was almost lunchtime when we finished and while I was looking for another yummy food spot at FoodspottingCom, I was elated to find out that Katipunan now has Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza too!

The pizza served to us after some time of camwhorage inside the restaurant was called Bianca Verde. Even its crust was good to the taste! Sure it was pizza, notorious for being loaded with carbs, but I was not guilty about gobbling two slices at all!

After having a feast at Saint’s Alp and Gino’s, we went to Eastwood City wherein I had a tea from CBTL before we headed home and I have my sleep for the day. :) One might think I have had too many tea last Wednesday, but I really enjoyed the last tea I had, which I think was called, Sunrise Tea? at CBTL. Even Ruby liked it. :)

That concludes our first date together this year. I cannot wait for our Sambokojin and Mind Museum trip later!

 It has been a week since we ate at S.R. Thai Cuisine. Look where we went yesterday after her shift? :P
 The lover and I were both in a for a treat. She ordered the Bagoong Fried Rice and I still had my plate of hot Pad Thai, but this time, we also ordered the Sizzling Beef. The latter came with annatto oil and minced chili pepper. Yum! I definitely liked the Bagoong Fried Rice, but the Sizzling Beef was like tapa na tocino.

The whole three plates were clean in an instant. :) It was also a Sunday but more customers, some students and mostly families, were dining at lunchtime.

She has mentioned that the college she attended was near Dapitan, so I prodded that she bring me to St. Jude College. While we were on our way, we passed by Tinapayan Festival which according to her, serves the best Sylvanas in Manila City. :)
 I did not try it ’til we have sat inside J. CO Donuts and Coffee, where we were also due to go that day. :) The sylvanas from Tinapayan was indeed good, with the right texture (crunchy) and sweetness. On the other hand, the minute I walked-in J.CO Donuts and saw the doughnuts that were being handled in progress, I have set my eyes on the almond covered one! :3
 I ordered a box of six and only had one for each treat that I thought would taste heavenly. True enough, Alcapone instantly became my favorite. :) I could only finish two doughnuts out of the seven I bought and did not even get the chance to eat the J. Club Cheezy Rich:

Camille bought me a cup of Thai Iced Tea btw, which I thought, went well with the doughnuts and sylvanas I was sinfully munching on my own, haha!

I want to go back for more! I wish they would continuously innovate and create divine desserts as its franchise becomes successful here in the Philippines. :)

Students are lucky these days for food shops usually sprout nearest to where universities are. Lately, I have been dreaming of dropping by Katipunan again just to savor the new food and milk tea shops that have gone haywire along its crowded streets. :) I have yet to try Boulevard Diner and Saint’s Alp for example. UP Diliman also has its share of must-go-to food haven like the Chocolate Kiss Café, Rodic’s, or Mang Larry’s isaw.

Lucky for me, Manila City has its own potluck of food just by running along Dapitan Street, thanks to UST and St. Jude College (and the rest of the schools that grace it. We just had our lunch at Spice City and because we were both disappointed with the food and I wanted something sweet, I looked for the nearest shop with desserts and/or milk tea. I then prodded the lover if she can try Simple Line with me. :)

I would use the iPhone app, Maps, whenever I go to an unfamiliar place, but it was no help during that time. Concepccion Street was no where to be found. Good thing I spotted the milk tea shop’s sign while we were inside the jeepney along Dapitan. Simple Line was oddly cheap as a quality milk tea drink that the lover liked. We finished it inside Cerealicious btw, where I had Nutting Hill and the lover had a cup that has her favorite cereals. :)

There were other food shops along V. Concepccion, but what caught my interest was S. R. Thai Cuisine. The lover and I were already full but I still thought of satisfying my craving for PAD THAI!!!

I thought SOMS still served the best Pad Thai, but S.R.’s was sulit just the same. :) It was a good thing we ordered another one of its bestsellers, which was the S.R. Seafood Fried Rice. It was very affordable, delicious, meaty, and!!! it was good for two for the price of PhP 99. :)

Camille and I would definitely go back to S. R. Thai Cuisine with our tummies ready as she already had her eyes on the Bagoong Fried Rice the next time we go, haha! I would not mind having another large cup of milk tea and cereals from Simple Line and Cerealicious too, respectively. ;) It was a Sunday when we went btw and the said food shops were not as crowded as one would expect, so it was also a good day to just take pictures anywhere and anyhow. Haha! :)

‘Til next time, Dapitan St.!

This is a story of how a pedestrian, humdrum day can turn into something exceptional and worthwhile by merely having three important elements: 1) Pictures! 2) Food! 3) The people you love! :)

It was just like any other regular day to have a haircut. I accompanied Camille to Monique’s salon, together with Jared and Kim. We have been craving for kwek-kwek too since the lover and I had some along Roxas Boulevard last Thursday and so, we had hoped that day that we would spot a street food vendor along the way after her haircut.

Luckily for our hungry tummies, we got more than what we expected. The salon happened to have a vendor of street food beside it that not only serves quail eggs, kikiam, and the likes, but fried isaw, mais con hielo, halo-halo, and fish shanghai to boot!

Camille and I immediately thought of buying a cold 1.5L of Sprite from the nearest sari-sari store to go with our afternoon snack (the said store even served free tube ice!). There was also a table available right beside the food street stall so it was very convenient for us to aat and order as many variety of food as we want. I thought I would never get full by the amount of food I gobbled and ordered, haha! :D
 I have been wanting to go back because every treat that was prepared was done with quality and satisfying tastiness ;) than all the street food I have been tried so far. I mean it!

To cap off an epic day was a Magnum bar treat for Kim and Jared at SM. :) Jared was happy to have been given a new toy too, plus! a toy car ride! :)

In Manila, anytime is a beautiful day to fall in love. Let the pictures I took speak for itself. :)





Happy 28th month, Tiger.

 I invited Papa one Sunday morning to have breakfast with us. :) Little did I expect that we would be in for a treat!

The first prospect I had in mind was Biksa, but I later learned that it opens at noontime. I followed my hunch to head to Pan de Amerikana instead. My dad, Camille, and I have never been there and had no idea how to get there, but with the help of  Maps, we reached our destination anyway. :)

 When I first saw the restaurant’s facade, I was already giddy with excitement! Upon entering, I was definitely at awe. It was as though I have to make a step and pause in order to really absorb the interiors, decorations, and architecture of the place. I have not even seen the huge chess pieces yet!

Every nook and cranny offers an unexpected treat. This is a photographer’s haven. :) The closest restaurant I have been to that gave that native Filipino design was Kusina Salud, but it was miles away from Manila! Pan de Amerikana however, offers something unique and fresh. :) It made me want to dine in every corner of the place, haha! It helped that the atmosphere was very bright and lively too. :)

Camille and I ordered all its bestsellers.

What won the lover and my dad’s hearts was the “Everlasting.” :) Frankly, the food did not impress me, but the service, ambiance, and fun yet serious interiors made the visit a very worthwhile one. I could not get enough of taking pictures all over the place. :) Oh, did I mention that we only paid exactly PhP 500 for the food? :D

Wait, that was only breakfast turned brunch. I thought of going to Café Lidia so off we went to scourge the entire city, only to find out it opens at later at noon, haha! We lost all hopes of trying another new restaurant on that day, so we thought of heading to Starbucks.

But when Camille thought of checking what time Biksa opens. Well, Lo and Behold! :D
 It was a good thing we were the first customers that arrived so we had the place all by ourselves (and I get to take advantage of it by taking pictures of us all over the place, again, haha!).

The Oreo Cheesecake and mocha frap I ordered did not impress, but the interiors was something fresh and appealing to the eyes. :) This café was tucked away from the bustling Marcos Highway, so I thought it was a place I would recommend a friend if we would like a quiet and low-key place to meetup. :)

I hope Papa, Camille, and I will have more food trip Sundays like this one!