Summer Means Halo-Halo and Ice Cream Fun

School's over in Manila so we are officially welcoming in the Summer Season and what better way to celebrate the "hot" season by having some halo-halo and other cold creations.

Topping my list of "cool" favorites is Mitre's halo halo. I love the homemade ube ice cream on top and the leche flan and how the other ingredients seem to balance the sweetness.


Wee Nam Kee

Because we don't often go to Makati, it took us more than a year before we can have a bite of Wee Nam Kee's chicken that some friends have been raving about. The branch where we visited was in Promenade although there's also another one in Shangri-La Plaza's East Wing.


PROMO: Weekday Buffet at the Market Cafe

This buffet promo is for the whole month of March. Please see photo for details.


Amo Colazione Italianni Di

"I Love Breakfast at Italianni's"

We, Filipinos take pride in being breakfast eaters for we were all raised by our parents with the saying- "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." So it is kinda mandatory for us to chew on our breakfast as soon as we wake up every morning before we go to school or the office or even during weekends with the family.

So rise and shine to a brand new day because Italianni's has a lot of breakfast choices for all of us.

Banana Walnut Pancake. I love the combination of bananas and walnut- soft with a crunch! It would be nice if paired with chocolate syrup though. But I think one can request for it.


Exploring Foodgasm 2014

Last March 8, I along with several food bloggers were invited to join Foodgasm IV as a blogger judge. I was tickled pink with the invite because ... well, I love food and I know that its going to be a great experience not only for me and the other food bloggers but most especially for the food "inventors" themselves.

Excited was the right word to describe myself and another food blogger companion that night. I mean, we arrived at the Mercato Centrale (venue) in BGC quite early. The participants and even the event organizer (UP Eco-Soc) were still setting up the area. So we had our coffee somewhere nearby and went back after an hour.

Hunger Buster. They're serving these cute burgers called "Dying Burger." Just look at how much TLC goes into one burger. ;) The burger's quite good actually and we were told that they're opening a store soon somewhere in ADMU soon.


Pinoy Breakfast Favorites at IHOP Beginning March 17

After a year's successful run, IHOP introduces on its menu five Filipino breakfast favorites and this will be available throughout the day in all of IHOP's branches here in Metro Manila (BGC, UP Town Center and SM MOA).

The new Filipino menu breakfast are exclusively for the Philippines only and will run for a limited time. IHOP Restaurant's pancakes, omelettes, stuffed French toasts, crepes, and other American breakfast have become instant hits since IHOP opened a year ago.

Savory Pork Longganisa, P375. I love any variant of longganisa so this is a sure winner for me. It also comes with a dipping sauce of vinegar with garlic bits. Yum!


PROMO: Dimsum Buffet At Gloria Maris

From March 2 to 28, 2014 Gloria Maris invites everyone to their Dimsum All-You-Can every Monday to Friday from 11am to 1pm. This is for only P488/adult and P388/child.


You can also visit Gloria Maris FB for more details.

Spanish Dishes Takes Center Stage at The Maya Kitchen

Chef Jose Luis Gonzales, the force behind the famous restaurant VASK will demonstrate his culinary prowess by presenting Regional cuisines from the Basque Country and the North of Spain on March 15, Saturday, 9am-1pm at The Maya Kitchen.

Born and bred in Santander, Spain, Chef Chele, as he is fondly called, started his passion in the kitchen at a young age. He finished his degree at Artxanda, Bilbao and because of his exceptional culinary talent, he began working at the restaurant of Juan Mari Arzak, know as the Father of Modern Spanish Cuisine. He also worked in the world's respected restaurants such as El Bulli, El Celler de Can Roca, Mugaritz and Nerua-Guggenheim.


Yoshinoya's 4th Gyudon Eating Challenge

On its 4th year now, Yoshinoya brings once again its famous Yoshinoya Gyudon Challenge. This famous dish originated way back around 1800 in Japan. Gyu stands for beef while don is the short form of donburi which refers to food on top of rice and serve in a bowl.



This delicious dish if made from juicy beef strips in a mild sweet sauce made from fish and seaweed stock and rice wine. Cooked in a pan with onions and then placed on top of steaming hot rice. Itadakimasu!


Mr. Timothy James Yang, President of Century Pacific Group welcomes the bloggers to the qualifying round of the Gyudon Eating Challenge, Bloggers Edition. Winner from the bloggers group will compete with winners from print and TV media groups, upon which a winner will be declared.

***The Yoshinoya Gyudon eating contest  is open to all male and female who are 18 years old and above. Qualifying rounds will be held daily from Monday to Friday beginning April 21 to May 30. At stake are cash prizes worth P225K including trip to Japan. For more details, you may get in touch with the nearest Yoshinoya branch near you.


Blogger's Elimination Round- We were all given two bowls each of gyudon. Bowls of gyudon were replenished as soon as one finishes a bowl.


Mr. Timothy Yan happily cheers us to eat fast, eat fast!


That's me trying to "daintily" wolf down my gyudon. Hahaha. I mean, I'm such a slow eater that winning an eating contest is surreal. But I did try my best to finish my food although I wasn't able to touch my second bowl.


My, my... look at that empty bowls!


And here's the winner for the blogger edition- Mr. Ruel Umali. Wishing you more power in eating bowlfuls of gyudon during the face-off with the winner from TV and print media. Aja! ;)



*** all photos were taken using Kata i3

Foodgasm IV

This much-awaited event is happening on March 8, 2014, from 6-11pm. For other details, you may visit the Foodgasm FB Page.


A Foodtrip Birthday Celebration

Daughter celebrated her birthday recently and I think I gained 10 lbs from the week-long foodtrip ... lol

That's her, with the puffy cheeks while attempting to extinguish the flame from the birthday candle.


Actually, her wish was already granted prior to making her wish ... I think ...

My CPK Story

Years ago, California Pizza Kitchen Shangri-La Plaza (CPK) used to be at the second level of the mall and it has the best location (imho), complete with a separate entrance just in case one happens to crave pizza after 9pm. Most notable was the "bridge" going to the restaurant itself. CPK was not really a part of the original mall layout but was just built later on. I also remember that one can really see the cars passing by if you happen to get a table beside the window. Oh, this was really years and years ago.

My family and friends also spent many numerous meals there (sadly, I don't own a digicam that time) including celebratory moments and special occasions. Then it was daughter's turn at CPK during her toddler and nursery years. Her school happens to be inside the mall so we really get to dine there a lot (she loves pizza, I wonder why?) and even attended some birthday parties there as well as her school's Create-Your-Own-Pizza Day wherein the kids get to don toques and played with pizza toppings.

There was also a time when daughter and I had a playdate with a friend and her two kids plus her tweener. I don't know what went wrong with the kids that day but they all got cranky and cried, including the tweener. We were really surprised (and amused). It was really memorable, the kids are all quite grown up now and I wonder if they still remember that incident. The tweener, by the way, is a popular heartthrob now. ;)

Looking back, I've always treasured those CPK memories and it always brings a smile whenever I think about those times. Hoping to create new ones again. So, what's your CPK story? :)

Spinach Artichoke Dip. This one's my fave except that I prefer it with more artichoke like it used to be years ago. Nonetheless, the colored tortilla chips is still the best!


TGIFriday's Crazy Tex-Mex Dishes

TGIFriday's says Hola Mexico! by introducing Tex-Mex dishes on its menu. Be ready with a cold glass of mojito or a bottle of Corona as you bite into some fiery enchiladas, nachos, quesadillas and tacos.

And the best part is- TGIFriday's has a buy one take one offer on Corona Extra when you order any of the Tex-Mex dishes. This promo is valid until the April 2014.