BITTER HERB

I was excited to get a breakfast treat from my friend at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. She was bragging to me at how delicious their breakfast was so I was eager to try it even waking up early on my day off. I was still not sure if I will bring my kid with me because he was still sleeping. But I felt guilty because I made a promise the night before that if he behave and sleep early, I will bring him along. My friend still need to finish some work so our breakfast date got delayed for a bit and my kid woke up so I decided to give him a quick bath and bring him along. I was expecting a cool morning weather but it was so hot already for around 9 am. We got to U.P. Ayala Techno Hub and there was not much people there and most restaurants and stores are still closed.  The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has a nice cozy design and we chose an area with 2 couches and a mini couch suited for my kid. I ordered the bagel with chicken sausages and scrambled eggs while my friend chose bread wit...

My sis invited us for dinner to celebrate the birthday of her hubby and when she mentioned Yedang...I got excited because I have read a lot of good reviews about this restaurant and was even planning to eat there for my birthday if I had a bigger budget..but unfortunately I ended up buying vouchers for a Japanese resto to save up. Since I passed by that place before, we decided to go there ahead of my sis because my kid was sleeping. The guard was really nice to help us get out of the cab to the restaurant even assisting us with an umbrella. There was a small bench near the entrance for guests waiting to be assisted for their seats. I requested for a table for us so we can sit comfortably while waiting. The venue was nice even adding a Christmas tree to give that holiday feeling. The table has a nice set-up offering chopsticks and spoon (not ordinary looking spoon so there is still that Korean feel to it). They served us water with a hint of pandan which made it taste more refreshing...

Finding a place to have that perfect birthday dinner is a huge task for almost everyone because there are a lot of factors to consider: the price...the venue...the food...the serving...and the reputation! I love Japanese food and my former colleague who already ate at this place told me that their serving is big and it is delicious so I took her word for it. The price is expensive but having 4 vouchers (P250 each) for P500 worth of food was worth it! It has a convenient venue and easy to find since Annapolis street is not that long. Bistro Miyake is located at unit 101 Intrawest Bldg, 33 Annapolis St. Greenhills. (Plus the huge sign on top makes it easy to see) When we got there around 6:30 pm, the sign says it was closed which made me panic a little but I was glad the waiter told me that it was already open. The girl approached me and I told her that I have been calling their number to make a reservation since yesterday but it cannot be reached and she told me that they had a problem...

It was my birthday and I was stressed out in treating my family and close friends to dinner because I have a tight budget. I was tempted to buy the Barrio Fiesta Voucher offering crispy pata and shanghai rice plus 1.5 litro of coke for only P495.  I thought it was a good deal and my past experience buying a voucher at Barrio Fiesta was satisfying so I clicked paying online for an instant voucher.  When we got there, place was packed but was lucky to get a table for 5. I gave them the voucher and decided to make additional orders because my friend decided to treat me by adding sinigang na hipon and my mom is cutting down on pork so I ordered sizzling sisig na bangus.  The Crispy Pata was good and crunchy but I think for a regular price of almost P500, it is too expensive. There is a small store near our place that sells Crispy Pata with the same size for only P290. As usual, consumers always buys the name and not the food.    The Sinigang na Hipon is not a g...

I have been waiting for this moment...and that is to get some pampering. I bought a voucher at cashcashpinoy months ago for Blue Elements Spa & Wellness Center worth P260 and that includes 1 hour massage (swedish, thai or shiatsu) + foot spa + manicure or pedicure. I think it is a pretty good deal and the location along congressional avenue is very convenient for me.  It was my birthday so that is the perfect time to use that! I texted the two numbers on the ad to set a schedule for that day but got no reply so I just decided to go there. When I got there, no one was at the reception so I waited til someone came out and she told me that the reception did not go to work that day, but still she should reply to customers.  They asked me to come in and I think they were more surprised than me because I saw around 3 masseuse chilling on the couch of the foot spa area but they hurriedly left the room to accommodate me.  The foot spa was relaxing but the place was kinda...

Curiosity killed the cat but HEY! I am still alive. I enjoy observing people and checking out how they act... I got lots of comments and questions that I just keep to myself because that person beside me might think I am crazy if I start talking to myself... although there at times I just can't stop myself from airing out my opinion and talk to the person beside me.  I have noticed a lot of PINOY HABITS and find them very amusing because it was never taught to every filipino...it just comes out naturally. Here are some of the things I noticed: 1. Pagpaging the upuan - each time a person goes down of the jeep, the person hits the chair hard two or three times (maybe to take away the dirt) before sliding to that sitting area.  2. Katokin the bubong - instead of saying "Para", the person knocks on the hood of the jeep and some even do it at the same time (para - katok combi) 3. Slowmo tawid - people here cross the street pretending that they are crossing fast ...

If there was a battle between Jap and Cereals/Crepes which I tasted last Saturday, then definitely the winner is JAP! My mom was craving for Japanese food during her birthday but I already bought a voucher so she had to settle for Filipino food...I was glad she did like it! So she had another celebration the next day which was my sister's treat! She finally had her cravings satisfied at SUMO SAM. This restaurant is located on the 2nd floor of Shangri-La Mall, Mandaluyong cor EDSA.  While waiting, they served hot green tea and I really like the ambiance and design of the resto because it really does look Japanese with mini waterfalls and bamboos.  The Victory Float was first served which has a nice presentation. It is a selection of sushi and sashimi. Sooo love it! Really fresh and authentic...no fake jap rice and yucky raw fish.   My mom ordered tempura and it also tastes good. More prawns and less batter unlike those sold in fast food restos. The sushi rolls ...