Chelsea Market at Serendra

Hubby took me to Chelsea Market, along Fort Bonifacio, for my birthday last June.  Being a complete newbie to the place I was pleasantly surprised to see that it's not a fancy little American/Italian restaurant that I have come to associate it with for some reason, but a quaint little gourmet food market/deli type of place.  I've read somewhere that Chelsea, Manila was inspired by a one stop food haven in New York aptly called NY Chelsea.

Dining at 7 Corners

I'm all about buffets.  More so, if it's a hotel buffet.  Lately, despite constant ranting of unwanted pounds, the Hubby and I have been on a rather regular foodfest schedule.  And so 2 weeks ago, we were treated to another pound-worthy meal at 7-Corners, Crowne Plaza.

Food tripping in Japan

Our very first taste of Japanese food came straight out of a bento box. No kidding.  On our way to Odaiba, our oh-so-polite tour guide handed us nicely wrapped bento box for merienda (snack).

Umm yeah, if this is what they're trying to pass off as merienda, 

it's no wonder I keep gaining those unwanted lbs!

Food tripping in Tagaytay (part 100 hee)

After promising to the high heavens that I shall stay strong with pending diet plans, what did me and my Hubby did yet again last Thursday?  Well, pig out of course!  The stain of our Cebu gluttony has not even been removed and yet here we are eating our way to another added not to mention dreaded 4 pounds.  Tsk tsk tsk.  I'm so afraid that I am seriously considering banning stepping on the weighing scale for now.  I promise to get back on track with the Nestle Fitnesse 14 Day Challenge after this! Promise!!

Food tripping in Cebu

This is the third part in the series of Cebu post.  I love it there! The sand, the sun but most of all I love their oh so yummy food!

Day 1. We were pretty much all about eating at Ayala Mall.  After all it was the closest to the hotel and we didn't want to be stuck inside a cab yet again.  Our first meal at Cebu was at Big Mao.  It's a Chinese restaurant that hugely reminded me of Superbowl hee.  Note to self: Must take charge of ordering when traveling with the Hubby and B-i-l - so as not to be overwhelmed with the sheer number of dishes.

Lazy Wednesdays

Sundays used to be the primo-lazy day for us.  However ever since we got married, it's been quite hectic.  Lunch is reserved for the parents while dinner for the in-laws.  So one Wednesday last week, we just decided to take back lazy days and do away with our real world jobs.

Food tripping in Antipolo

To celebrate our 3rd anniversary as a couple, the Hubby took me to the mountains. Hee, well to Antipolo anyway.  We had dinner reservations at this quaint little out-of-the-way Swiss place called Vieux Chalet.  There was no traffic that day, so it took us just a below an hour to get to Taktak road in Antipolo.  Be sure to print out the map before taking this particular food trip though.  Vieux Chalet is in the hillside in the middle of a subdivision and it gets pretty confusing at times.  Well I guess at least to me who's direction IQ has seen better days.

A little taste of Tokyo

2010 is turning out to be a great year for trips.  The Hubby and I are going to Pearl Farm this Holy Week and Boracay just before April ends.  But what's really getting me all super excited is our impending trip to JAPAN!  I'm a huge anything-japanese lover (ok, maybe not so much love for their porn industry hee)

I can't wait to stroll down the streets of Shinbuyu, ogle Japanese youths over at Harajuki, shop at Ginza, maybe catch a little Geisha performance over at Gion, or maybe enjoy watching fat boys with barely an underwear on sweat it out (too bad there's no sumo competition this April, I'd have to settle for the practice sessions)

We're not leaving until the 9th of April so I get my little Japanese fixes from eating Japanese food made in the Philippines in the meantime. Hee.

Dining at the Chef's table

New Year's resolution of losing weight is losing steam once again.  I thought after the holidays the excuse to be gluttons will one by one vanished into thin air (and hopefully bulging hate-handles will soon follow) but as usual I have underestimated my friends and family.  January has been one party after the other.  Hmm then again, with all the yummy food being served I really am in no position to complain.

Last Tuesday, the hubby and I, together with the rest of the always funny Kaw siblings, were treated to a 6-course meal in a dining-by-reservation-only restaurant at Chef's Table with Chef Bruce Lim at the helm.

Getting there is quite a challenge.  But definitely worth all the traffic-stress.

While Chef goes about preparing your food he shares little bits and pieces about himself.  He has apparently taken up culinary schooling at the famed Le Cordon Bleu in London.  And now, he hosts and produces a bunch of things that are featured in among others, the Asian Food Channel, TFC, Studio 23 and ABS-CBN.

Must Try: Birthday Promo

It's my mom's birthday today!!! Happy 55th!

Good news, apparently Shangrila Hotel is running this really awesome promo for birthday folks. Your age = your % discount at Heat.

Love it! 55% off for a group of 8!

Don't forget to bring your identification with your birthday and age there and make sure to call first for reservations!

Update: Just got back from dinner celebration. Unbelievable ONLY Php 700++ per person. Fiance and I couldn't breathe again afterward. Guess how many people were there for their birthday? We heard the happy birthday hymn around seven times tonight! Imagine if your grandparents are celebrating theirs!! Cheers!

Birthday promo at Heat Edsa Shangrila will last until the end of September.

Looking Forward: Tuesdays at Saguijo

One of the coolest spots to hear indie rock sounds in town will have Pedicab play on their "stage" this Tuesday.


For more information call 897-8629
Address: 7612 Guijo street, San Antonio Village Makati

photocreds: www.saguijo.com

Mad Mondays

Last week, my friends and I decided to gorge on scrumptious buffet and head down to Spiral at Sofitel Hotel to try out their Mad Mondays/Thrifty Tuesdays promo.

Verdict: Food was still yummy as hell however, apparently what we didn't expect was for their promotion to hit the roof. Place was packed that even with reservations people were asked to sit on the two function rooms they had to open nearby.


Drag. Ambiance gone. It felt like the cafeteria.

Must Try: Burger Bound

Online chatter this week has led me to my next post.
....

Last June, after dragging dear friends to Frankie De Leon for their gown fitting we decided to grab a quick and not so light snack at Charlie's Burger. Never mind that we all came from Makati and the Commonwealth area, good friend Pamela wanted to try the burger place and so we blindly went to the Kapitolyo area. I have actually never heard of Charlie's prior to that day. So thanks to Pammy for giving us heads up as always on the hottest IT restos/hole in the wall in the food world.

When we got there, the place was packed - which surprised lil ol me. The neighborhood was very unassuming. In fact, I thought it was quite cool that there was a car wash right besides the place. This indeed is the perfect spot for Dear Fiance (what with his car obssession!) and co-marketer's dream Arnold Suarez (who really did have his car washed).




For our first try we ordered: Fish and Dip, Buffalo wings and their Angus Beef Burger (which for some reason I always thought was their Wagyu Burger. Sigh)

Verdict: Best to share the Fish and Dip and Burger. The serving size is just way too big, especially for yours truly who's under a wedding-gown watch. I was not a huge fan of their fries. I like my fries to be really toasted and skinny - think Twister Fries! But their Buffalo wings, according to friends were fantabulously yummy.


Charlie's Burger is along Kapitolyo Pasig. Near the Tropical Hut (Shaw cor. Pioneer)

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Looking Forward: Mad Mondays & Thrifty Tuesdays

Sofitel has one of the best hotel buffets in town. With a myriad of Japanese, Chinese, Italian, American and Indian choices, it's enough to satisfy any one's distinctive taste palette. And I can't wait to once again go with friends, loosen our belts and have a fabulous time carrying out our favorite sin, gluttony.

Must Try: Food Tripping with You, Me & Dupree

So the fiance, myself and Dupree just got back from having dinner at Nippon, the last on my list of Go-To-Japanese-Resto along Tomas Morato.

The verdict? Ho Hum... I'm not as thrilled as I thought I was going to be. Heard a lot of good things about Nippon. Unfortunately it failed to live up to the hearsay. Dupree had the buffet for Php550 and you can say that it was worth it - plate count-wise but in terms of freshness, there's a big question mark there.

The Salmon Sashimi was still frozen inside when served. The California Maki was missing the crabstick inside. Very poorly presented. (sad face)

Now that we have finished with our Japanese Eating Challenge, I wonder what's next on the list? Steak houses perhaps? Oooh the fiance would just love that.

Trip to Boracay

As mentioned, I spent Christmas at Boracay with family and some friends. Work has been so crazy the past two weeks since the year started that I only found time to post about this.

December 25. Christmas Day.

Woke up really early to finish packing. Our flight was schedule to leave at 10:30AM and since it was Christmas day we of course had to hear mass first. Around 9:30 when mass has ended, we knew we were already running a bit late. Blond moment. I forgot that even domestic flights would require ID. I left my wallet on purpose and decided to just bring some cash and one credit card on my mini coin purse. I begun to panic and started texting my friends who were already there if they were asked for IDs.

Apparently credit card is considered as a valid ID this side of the planet. Whew!

We finally reached Boracay. Love the fact that SEA air takes care of all the transfers as soon as you land.

We stayed at my aunt's hotel, the Grand Boracay Hotel. It's located just besides Tides inside D' Mall. Perfect location for a bum like me. Few steps away from the hotel, you get rows of restaurants to choose from already. Hmm this plug should get me some free rooming there one of these days.

(photos of the hotel)

We pretty much just ate our way throughout the holidays.

1.) Aria - Has the Best Pizzas this side of Boracay

2.) Jonah's - 5th time back in Boracay but Jonah's is still my one MUST stop at place. Too bad they didn't have Avocado shakes when we were there.

3.) Steak House - The brother has been all about the Steak House since we got to Boracay. Unfortunately it takes forever for food to be served that the whole romance with the place fizzles after some time.


4.) Hey Jude - Nice chill spot. Cool music + live DJing on going.

5.) Gasthof's - Yummy yummy seafood! It's hard to get a seat. And if it rains, well you either finish your food in the rain or you forget about it. Guess what we did.... :)

Beach Fashion???

Tank tops, bikinis, scarfs, board shorts, and nerdy glasses?!?

When we got to Boracay, my contacts went haywired. And I had to throw them away. That left me no choice but to wear my geeky glasses everywhere. Thank God I'm engaged!

Must Try: Food Tripping, Japanese Style

The fiancé and I have decided to try all the Japanese restos near our place and rank them accordingly. Of course dear Best friend wanted in on the challenge when she found out.

Hence, for the past few night outs we have been chowing down on Japanese dishes. Not complaining here!

1.) Zensho – Love the place. They serve some of the freshest sashimis this side of Quezon City. Ambiance-wise – it’s just ok. I’m not such a huge fan of the white fluorescent lights but if you’re not planning to go on your first date night here, you should be safe.

$$$: Relatively affordable. Will cost you about Php 1500 – 2000 for 2

2.) Terriyaki Boy – It had recently undergone a renovation. And while the ambiance looks much much better from before I cannot say the same for the food. I hope it was only because fiancé and I ate there when it was about closing time. The salmon sashimi was a bit frozen and hard. Their chawan mushi was cold and service was twice as bad.

Dear fiance at the newly renovated T-Boy

$$$: Affordable. Sashimis cost about 150 bucks a plate

3.) Tempura – This is just the exact replica of Terriyaki Boy. They even had their restaurant renovation at about the same time

4.) Kimono Ken – I love this place. Perfect place to have dinner with the family. And I usually eat here during Sundays with my siblings. No chawan mushi though (sad face for my fiancé – it’s his favorite) But the rest of their food selection are a must-try. Their Unagi is one of the best I have tasted so far

$$$: Relatively Affordable. Dinner for two will cost anywhere from Php 1000 to Php 1500

5.) Omakase – Hmm.. this is somewhat like Kimono Ken only a bit pricier. But just like Zensho - it has uber fresh sashimi's.

6.) Josu – Ooooh this is the newest Japanese resto on the block. I am sooo loving this place. Ambiance is perfect for date night it’s also perfect for hanging out with friends and just relaxing. Their salmon sashimi platter is just delish!

I love their salmon selections

$$$: Quite Affordable. Small servings but won’t break the bank.

Next on our list: Nippon

Where: all restaurants are along Tomas Morato Street

It's Party Time...

Sigh... I finally found time to do some blogging. The whole week has been crazy. The craziness of which will probably echo throughout this week from the looks of it..

Nestle Christmas Part at Sofitel

Fantabulous time. A night filled with music and so much more. Everyone was glammed up as usual. Loving what Pones was wearing! Rocker Chick talaga!

The night ends at Cuisine with lucky Casino winner Nikki treating us for a round of drinks.

Happy Birthday Dear Fiance!!

December 1 - Together with his and myfamily we had dinner at Zensho.

Looking Forward: Happy Thursdays!!

Got this from a workmate....What better way to spend Thursdays, right?