Thursday, August 27, 2009

my special ninong gets himself a barong

yesterday afternoon, i accompanied ninong DSK to podium to get his measurements for his barong. we went to kingsmen and chose among the many pina cloth available.

too bad i didn't bring my camera with me. i should have taken photos while the tailor sized him up haha!

you see, this ninong is imported. he's my former boss, and he'll be coming from fiji (where he is assigned) with his wife, ninang SSi.

he's here every few months or so for meetings and what-not. the barong will be ready when he comes back to manila in two weeks (for a training this time).

in the meantime, he has been asking me to draft a TOR (terms of reference) for ninongs. let me work on that. :)

my bedside companions



k and moi's favorite funny film. i wasn't able to catch the mcdo happy meal with these cute madagascar characters in manila but i caught up with them in bali (of all places!)!

i like to move it move it! :)

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

have you been to cocina juan?




"aye!" answered the survivors. :)



we actually came for the dessert:



the sopa borracha is a panamanian dessert. SSi is panamanian. :) too bad she's still in fiji, we miss you ninang!

it's a block of drunken sponge cake, like bread pudding. sprinkled with raisins and a sweet lemon syrup, it is very rich in flavor. the slice of lemon somehow balances it, and the creaminess of the ice cream makes it yummier. *drool*

but we had to eat something else, of course. we started with nachos generously topped with cheese and beef, and with salsa and chili con carne on the side. you can never go wrong with the nachos. :)

we also tried the tomato and cheese quesadillas which i absolutely loved. who ever thought that such a simple combination would leave one speechless?

we also ordered 2 kinds of chicken dishes, one smothered with a cheese sauce, and the other with garlic/lemon (?). the sofrito cream dory con blanco queso was a moist fish fillet steamed inside a foil with cheese and cucumber bits. they were a bit bland for me so i moved on to the enchilada, which was like lasagna but with beans and tortilla sheets. now that was good. :)

DSK enjoyed his beer with lemon ("very refreshing!") and we loved the hot chamomile tea with lemons inside a paul masson wine bottle. oh, and we also tried their vanilla cafe and cafe con kahlua. sorry no photos. :)

i want to go back and try their other selections - burritos, fajitas, pork ribs (belly?), pizzas, and the quesadillas, of course. after i finish my 10-day detox program. :)

Cocina Juan
100 Maginhawa St., Teacher's Village East
Quezon City
09163178935, 09223755400, landline: 4343911

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

the survivors (minus 1) at ninyo (formerly in-yo)

ninyo (formerly in-yo) fusion cuisine (located in loyola heights, at the back of katipunan avenue) is labeled as one of manila's best kept secrets. but not anymore, as the survivors invaded it last night and went home mighty satisfied. :)

we ordered the shitake confit salad and raspberry vinaigrette.



DSK and SM were waiting to dig in...



and so was SCJ and moi!



checking out the fish and chips...



which was covered in nori and wasabi (check out the chips in that martini glass. the greenish ones at the bottom were wasabi-flavored, too!).



next came the main entrees.

pesto cream pasta



beef salpicao



broiled coconut lime chicken



delicioso! we couldn't wait to try them!



and, of course, we always save room for dessert!

heaven & earth (a divine sandwich of moist and chewy date bars filled with walnuts, glazed with apricot). it was soooo good!



macha cream cheese (a rare japanese green tea macha cream cheese with graham crust). i should have eaten this first, as it was not as sweet as the others. it was OK for me, scj says it was good.



strawberry surprise (a delicious layer of meringue, whipped cream, and fresh strawberries with graham cracker crust). so yummy!



this mango pavlova, my friend, was the clear winner. a meringue dessert, it was crispy on the outside but light and fluffy in the inside, topped with vanilla ice cream and fresh mango. it was love at first bite!



we are dessert enthusiasts, can't you tell!? :)



but wait, why the sad faces?! what happened??



aaaahhhh. dessert went missing!!!



oh yes, we ate them all. now these are grumpy (but very happy!) survivors haha!



we had their drip coffee (with special vietnamese ground coffee) to cap the evening. it was good, too. woke us up a little after all that eating. :)

a few photo ops before heading home.










we love ninyo! i look forward to bringing k here sometime. :)



Ninyo Fusion Cuisine, Katipunan
66 E. Abada St., Loyola Heights
Quezon City, Metro Manila
(02) 426-0301

Sunday, August 23, 2009

wedding cakes

what's a wedding reception without the cake??

our caterer has given us 2 choices - a four layer cake, all edible, or 200 cupcakes with a 6-inch slicing cake.

k prefers the four layer, and i do too. but the cupcakes are easier to dispose. i don't want to take home a lot of cake after the reception kasi.

so far, this is my top choice:




other contenders:





but these are gorgeous too:







they take my breath away.





sigh. decisions decisions!

*photos from martha stewart, joy san gabriel, and other wedding sites i forgot to take note of. :)

survivor chickas takes me to dinner

where: cafe juanita
when: one tuesday night
who: the survivor chickas minus 1

thanks to the gurls for this treat! :)

here we are, toasting to good health and long life! two empty seats reserved for datu SK and the lovely SSi. :)



our real seats, good for 4 :)



SG, ordering a kiwi drink in honor of you-know-who.



the best in the house - beef kaldereta.



a feast fit for queens



ready to attack! er, i mean eat! :D



we lucked out on the sticky toffee pudding (flour has been out of stock for weeks) so we settled on these. good, but not as good as our favorite pudding.


we vowed to go back as soon as the flour supply was replenished! soon! :)

haven't been there yet? go. you're missing out on one of the best places in pasig.

what are you waiting for?? :)

Cafe Juanita, Pasig
#2 United St. cor. West Capitol Drive, Barrio Kapitolyo
Pasig City, Metro Manila
(02) 632-0357

my 30++ birthday

this post has been in my drafts for the longest time. k would ask every now and then, "have you written about your birthday yet!?" yes berb, now na. :)

my birthday fell on a weekend (yay!), and plans were all set. breakfast at the salcedo market in the morning, then off to bulacan to look at wedding rings. maybe have lunch there and back to manila for a dampa pig out. sounds good to moi!

that friday, k asked me if we can go out and greet my birthday with friends. i said yes, of course! we hung out at heaven 'n eggs in libis with ian and michelle. food was yummy!


before 12mn, the staff brought out my pancake birthday cake. yummier! ian actually loved it so much he finished it hehe


at 12, they brought out another birthday cake, this time from the sweet couple. awwwwwww.


loved the cake as well! calories, calories. but it's my birthday, so not counted!!!


we went home really late that night, so naturally we woke up late the next day haha! and to very sad news as well. pres. cory aquino had passed away. i cried like a baby ( i dunno, i felt so sad for the family. and i remembered my own mama).

scrapped the day's plans and stayed glued to the live coverage on tv. gma recorded her message from the US, and declared a 10-day national mourning (only to find out days later that she reportedly smiled widely after that recording; they "celebrated" by dining in outrageously expensive restaurants right after hearing about the death, etc.). we were thinking about dropping by la salle greenhills that evening but heard the queue was growing too long.

at about 5pm, k asked me to get ready for dinner. dampa, here we come! :)

but then i received a text message from michelle saying that bacci, their son, has prepared a gift for me and if we can pick it up. of course! k drove to antipolo, and rain suddenly started pouring hard! we got lost for a while until we pulled up to this.



yep, there was no gift from bacci after all. k prepared a surprise dinner for me at vieux chalet, antipolo!

before they served anything, a birthday song suddenly played on air and a staff handed me a bouquet of flowers (from k, of course). i love birthdays! :)


we had home made pate de foie with bread for starters (with a glass of wine).


next came soup, a generous serving of fresh veggies salad, beef tenderloin medallions (or was it fillet mignon?? it was sooo good) and roesti. sorry they were so good we forgot to take photos hahaha!


thes staff then came out to sing me a happy birthday song and brought me a chocolate birthday slice. yum-o!


it was moist, rich, and oozing with dark chocolate sauce. we paired it with some good coffee (from vienna??). just the way i like it!


it was raining all throughout the evening, but the night was perfect. we loved every minute of it.



vieux chalet is ideal for a romantic dinner date, or intimate get-togethers with family and friends. service is very good, the food divine.

Vieux Chalet, Antipolo
Taktak Rd.
Antipolo City, Rizal
(02) 697-0396
http://vieuxchaletphilippines.blogspot.com/

thank you k, for yet another unforgettable milestone. you know i love you. xoxo