AWEFULL

When you’re famished and you’re in a big mall with lots of restaurants to choose from, you’d get overwhelmed that will only make things worse for you. It would be confusing on where to eat, plus most of them are either fastfood chains or jampacked.

That’s what happened to me yesterday after a day of shopping with my “sister-out-law” so I suggested that we try the “unusual”. Those restaurants that both of us aren’t fond of dining at (and those with less customers)

I saw Kaya (Korean Restaurant) so we just decided to eat there.

I don’t eat kimchi. I eat Korean BBQ. I eat Bibimbap. But there’s this one meal that caught my attention.

Talangkanin (Aligue Bibimbap)

If you’re familiar with “Only You” on ABS-CBN starring Angel Locsin and Sam Milby (that Pinoy version of a Korean series of the same title) this meal was “invented” there. It’s like the usual Bibimbap with a twist coz they put shrimps, squid and some other seafood that I didn’t bother to check. The rice is mixed with aligue (taba ng talangka).

I enjoyed this coz I love seafood (though I’m allergic to it), it’s tasty and not that spicy (coz I’m allergic as well to spicy food). If you want to spice up your bibimbap, try putting condiment.

Just a warning though, they served it so hot that I was already starving to death before I was able to eat it. 30 minutes and the food was still hot. My tongue almost gave up. Hahaha!

—————
Kaya Korean Restaurant
GF Megamall Bldg A
Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City

Radio’s fine, it helps me forget for a while… blah blah blah..

Nah, that song is just too cynical for me. I ain’t bursting my emotions like that anymore. Like it will never be the same without him?

I must admit, during the first few weeks after the break up I was looking forward to a whole new world, a world full of angst and days of loneliness. But as days passed by, I realized it could be otherwise.

I am now relishing the wonders of being free.

One form of liberty that I take pleasure in at the moment is the freedom from anger. In fact, until now I still couldn’t believe that I will learn to forgive someday. And that someday is now.

Yes, I have already forgiven those people who inflicted pain on me, including Dr. Doom and that girl (who, our friends said, resembles my physical features). In fact, I saw them together again last week. I didn’t expect them to come coz it was already late, but they showed up.

It was funny coz when it was time to party and everybody gone wild (including myself.. haha!) I saw myself dancing the night away and chatting with the doctors from St. Luke’s (yes, they are their friends who became my friends too when Dr. Doom and I were together). They asked if they can still invite me out to gimmicks and parties and I said I don’t know, I’m fine with that. I just don’t know if they have issues on it. Perhaps I could do it, ONLY if we are in the same bar (like those bars that we all frequent) but not really going to their “territories“. I know the word RESPECT, mind you. We were laughing and they kept on teasing me about how creative and cheesy I was in giving DD presents. They were even telling me how DD looked stupid everytime he shared “kilig” stuff. Hahaha! Too much information, I guess. Anyway, what’s even funny is that the girl was dancing with my friends! Richie and GB (my guy friends) were “robot dancing” when the girl joined them and started “robot dancing”, too! The next day, when I tried to refresh my memory on what happened that night, I was laughing while telling my superfriends that “parang nagkapalit kame ng barkada. Pumarty ako sa barkada nila, sya naman nakisayaw sa friends ko” Hahaha! I still couldn’t believe it could happen. It wasn’t a surprise to Amae, though.. coz she knows that being civil (up to the point of being friends) with the girls who broke my heart is one talent that I couldn’t explain. In fact, the day after that, my Facebook status says:

.. to which my bestfriend reacted, “ang kulit talaga ng love stories mo, laging may drama and twists”

I know they are happy being together. I can see it. I saw it. And who am I to mess up their happiness? I just let it be. I know pretty soon I’ll be happy, too. Oh well, I am happy now.. it’s just that I know I can be HAPPIER.

Anyway, you know you’re ready when you already let go of hatred, right? When you learn how to forgive. I have already forgiven them, thus, I know I’m ready. To be with someone again. To love again. To be loved again.

**But being ready doesn’t mean I’m already falling for someone else ha? I’m ready but I haven’t met someone who would sweep me off my feet again and make me feel like a queen.

You already know her, right? She’s one of the constant contents of this blog — Amae. She just celebrated her 27th birthday last Wednesday, 28th of July.

It’s been tiring coz parties and celebrations are endless these days (Noelle’s and my birthday, too). I miss sleeping. Hahaha!

Oh well, let me just give you an overview of how we celebrated Amae’s birthday. Actually, we let her choose the place. Being the glam loving and posh that she is, she opted to dine out with us in the newly opened (and renovated) Chateau 1771 in Ortigas, particularly at Cafe 1771’s Winebar located at the old spot of Sidebar.

Okay, I think it’s a bit confusing so let me explain it to you.. Chateau 177 Group of Companies is composed of: Cafe 1771, which has the coffee shop at the first floor and the Winebar upstairs (that’s where we had dinner); Sidebar; and 1771 Sentro.

I came first to the restaurant coz she attended the mass first before coming to our dinner. When I came in, I was amazed coz I can no longer remember how it looked like when it was just Sidebar. The decors and furniture were truly fantastic.

Then Noelle & the birthday girl came next..

And the rest of Gogolosh (minus Nheng, Sugar & Dane)

As for the food, we got..

Salbacho Pizza

The Real Thing (seriously, it's called that way.. but its Alfredo)

Salmon Lasagna

Lemon Chicken

Sandwich na ubos na

I highly recommend the Salmon Lasagna. It was really good. You won’t even realize that it’s fish pasta coz it doesn’t have “malansa” (foul smell) aroma. The Real Thing is also good, I guess you can never go wrong with “the real thing” hahaha! I didn’t get to taste the sandwich while the Lemon Chicken is too sweet for my taste buds. As for the pizza, if you’re familiar with Sidebar’s Salbacho Pizza, that’s it.

After eating, instead of the usual beer or cocktails (and since it’s a Winebar), we opted to drink wine. A sparkling bottle of white wine.

Though the place may look sosyal and all, it’s not really that pricey compared with other restaurants of the same atmosphere. I didn’t get to see the price per item but we paid for like almost PHP3,000 including that bottle of wine. Not bad, isn’t it?

Happy birthday, Amae! Cheers!

Sorry guys, I can’t get enough of food these days. Probably because of these negative vibes in me the past few weeks. Sabi nga ni Alessandra de Rossi sa kanyang Twitter account, “Thank God for food. May nagagawa ka pag depressed. Eh pano nalang kung walang food? It will be a disaster!!!!” Hahaha!

Since I’m at home today (believe it or not) and all I had was a homecooked meal (I cooked pork sinigang), I cannot share with you yet a “fresh” foodie review. So I’ll just share an old food experience.

My last trip to Singapore (May 2010) was spent foodtripping with my friends (apart from visiting the newly opened Universal Studios there). Ironic coz I never really liked Singaporean food (I know, Crickette will oppose coz she loves Singaporean cuisine) so how did I go about “foodtrippin in SG”?

Simple. I let my friends satisfy their cravings for Indian/Singaporean cuisine then we also tried restaurants that offer Western/European/other Asian cuisine. One of which is Marche.

Marche is a Swiss Market Restaurant located at Vivo City in Singapore.

I love its facade. I love the decor. I love how “dramatic” the lights are, hence, we had a “photoshoot” before coming inside.

At the reception area, we were told by one of the staff that picture taking isn’t allowed inside. However, being the stubborn that I am, I took pictures inconspicuously coz there was a lot of new (in my eyes) and interesting stuff inside that I wanted to take shots of.

The restaurant’s dining concept is pretty much different from what we have here in the Philippines. Upon entry, we were given a guest card. This card served as our “credit card” for the night. Everytime we would order something, we would give it to the cook then they will charge our orders to that card. Then we paid at the cashier located near the exit of the restaurant.

There was a variety of food to choose from. There were several food areas such as salad, meat (chicken/pork/beef), there was an area for pasta, seafood, vegetables, dessert and drinks. I felt like I was a kid who wanted to order everything. Haha! I was eyeing for sweet crepes coz they looked yummy (wasn’t able to take pictures, though). However, didn’t get to eat anymore coz I had too much meals and my tummy won’t accept dessert anymore.

salad area

salad and apples

veggies

rosti

fish

they looked really fresh!

drinks

love this

Here’s our table after having a hard time choosing food to order.

I won’t be able to give you much comments about the food coz I was starving to death at that time and my mantra has always been, “walang hindi masarap sa taong gutom” But I heard my friends enjoyed the food. Lalo na at libre.

see??? hahaha!

Kidding aside, I liked the paella.

What made this restaurant awesome for me?

(1) The food is cooked right in front of you, you are assured that it is not reheated (aside from what I said earlier that ingredients looked really fresh).

(2) The employees were courteous and cheerful, most especially the Pinoys (there’s a lot of Filipino working there).

(3) The atmosphere is homey; the decors are nice.

I will definitely go back there soon.

Like I said in my previous entry, I’ve been trying out new stuff lately — and one of which is FOOD.

After my Legally Blonde, the Musical date with Che at the Meralco Theater, we (this time with Amae) proceeded to Eastwood Mall to pig out and later on, to be intoxicated by alcohol.

Since Amae has been working for the advertising industry (or online publishing — I don’t know how to classify her job, all I know is that she’s used to rubbing elbows with the stars as well as starlets and some other showbiz thingy), part of her job is trying out/doing reviews of food, she knows a lot when it comes to restaurants.

We arrived at Eastwood with no idea on where we were going to eat. Then she remembered Cyma, a Greek restaurant at the veranda of  Eastwood Mall. We all agreed, after all I wanted something new.

Pictorial muna while finalizing our orders (namiss ko magpicture ng ordinary days lang eh..)

Amae & Che

Che & AC (muka akong bagong gising)

After a few minutes, our appetizer arrived…

Spinach and Artichoke Fondue (with the blend of melting cheese, sliced sun-dried tomatoes and Feta. Served with warm pita triangles and grilled garlic bread)

Spinach Artichoke Fondue - PHP350

Masarap sya, in fairview.. pati si Che na di kumakain ng gulay ay napakain nito kahit may spinach

Then our pasta…

Pastisado – Greek Osso Bucco ( Beef shank braised in Greek tomato sauce, served over spaghetti)

Pastisado (to share) - PHP500

my plate -- look at the chunk of beef!!!

If you’re gonna order this, be sure to put lemon coz it’s a bit nakakaumay. But it’s good. I liked it. The serving was really huuuuuuge (the waiter told us that “to share” is good for 2-3 persons only, but when we saw it parang pang-5 pax e)

After an hour or 2, Gay followed us. We gave her the leftover pasta then she ordered Salad.

Familiy Style Greek Salad (mixed greens, red cabbage, tomatoes, capers, cucumber, Feta cheese, pine nuts, bow-tie pasta and black olives, served with your choice of Cyma’s Summer Herb or Traditional Greek Vinaigrette)

Solo lang daw yan (PHP350) pero ang dami pramis!

We were not able to finish the salad coz we were already full. Gay just brought it home.

Dining at Cyma is a good experience for me coz (1) it’s not that pricey; (2) very very generous servings; (3) staff/waiters are accommodating and funny; (4) food is great — wag lang sosobrahan dahil mauumay ka talaga!

PS: Another thing that I love about this resto is the location… City lights! I looove!

Like most women, I do pig out everytime I’m sad. I heart FOOD. I feel like it’s the only cure for having a really bad time.

However, I don’t like eating food that doesn’t smell good (something with vinegar, mayonnaise, etc.) I hate too much spices. I hate Mexican, Indian, Persian cuisine. I am allergic to spicy food (as well as seafood — which is one of my favorites ) like Thai, Bicolano, etc. I hardly eat Korean and Vietnamese food. (BTW, all of these cuisines are my bestfriend’s favorite) My favorites are: American, Japanese, Filipino & Chinese — which, my bestfriend doesn’t like. Talk about “unlike poles”. I also enjoy Italian food (but not all)

See, I am a Bon Vivant.. yet PICKY EATER. Weird noh?

But at this point in my life, I declared that this is going to be a “Something New” season for me. I’ve been sulking for quite sometime now so I’ve been doing new things to make me happy these days (even how superficial that happiness is, I’d go for it.. just to keep me sane)

My first step in doing something new is to eat food that I hate.. to try those cuisines that I never even imagined getting a glimpse of.

So my bestfriends made me eat the food that they love (but I hate). The first in the list was Mexican. We went to one of the most unfussy (something that I can bear) in the metro — Mexicali (Robinsons Galleria). Ohhhh, the smell of Mexican food really makes me sick. I hate super strong spices.

I ordered the most simple (and less annoying aroma)

Grilled Chicken Plate -- PHP189

I don’t like salsa, but I ate it all. Swear.

My friend got Burrito (I think it’s beef-filled) with Tortilla Chips and Salsa

I ate the chips without dipping

I think its around PHP145 or so..

I had a hard time finishing my food (coz of the “aromatic” rice) but since I was starving at the time, I did it! To be fair with Mexicali, it satisfied my tummy naman. I think I’ll go back there and try the other food.

——————-

More foodie entries in a bit!

To change the mood of this blog (coz I know most of you are dying to read something positive/good in this blog.. sorry, didn’t mean to make you “cry” in my recent posts), I’ve decided to write something about my last trip which is Ilocos.

I love traveling. I love the Philippines coz this is a beautiful country. One of my ultimate dreams is to visit all the beautiful places here in the country. However, being a Novo Ecijano that I am (meaning: born and grew up in Nueva Ecija), Northern Luzon was never included in my list of dream destinations  coz I have been to several provinces there especially when I was young.

Everytime my friends and I would go out of town, we go to the southern part of the country coz of the beautiful beaches there (coz I think I was a mermaid in my past life). So far, the one that amazed me the most is Malcapuya Island in Palawan).

Anyhoo, since my bestfriend and I had a long weekend last June, we decided to go somewhere. Visayas and Mindanao were never an option coz we kinda planned impulsively. Had we decided to go there, the airfare would eat up all our budget (wasn’t able to avail the airline promo), hence, we opted to go to the north.

Ilocos is one perfect place if you decide to go bitchin’, este swimming/beach bumming pala coz they have Pagudpud (Ilocos Norte), one of the beautiful beaches in Northern Luzon. Pictures below were taken in Blue Lagoon.

ganda noh? (yung view, hindi ako.. LOL)

kaya ko pa tumalon.. bleh

ligaw na bulaklak

emo

Other must-see places/wonders in Ilocos Norte include:

Baluarte (kung mahilig kayo sa animals.. pero ako di na pumasok jan, sawa na ko sa hayop e. )

Patapat Viaduct

Bangui Windmills

Paoay Church

Another reason why I love Ilocos is because it’s picturesque, especially Vigan. Too bad I wasn’t in the mood to take beautiful pictures then, I just wanted to travel. And pose for the camera. That’s it.

chubby cheeks!

watchuwant?

Che & the horsey

cute nya noh?

horsey horsey

The Heritage at her back

im tired....

..and cute... nyahahaha!

The stuff there are really nice, especially the crafts and food. I bought some bags and basi (wine) for my alcoholic friend (oo, hindi ako ang alcoholic.. yung friend ko.. haha! ) We tried their famous empanada (longaniza yung nasa loob). I also brought home longaniza, chichacorn, bagnet (a bit pricey, though.. kuripot ako e.. nyahaha!), etc.

Oh, and before I forget.. we stayed here in Java Hotel (Laoag)

facade

the bar & resto

beds

bathroom

view from our balcony

Okay na okay yung balcony (coz I am a smoker, I admit ). Another thing that’s awesome about this hotel are the facilities. They have a tennis court (or badminton yata, di ko masyado sure haha!) at the back as well as a small swimming pool. Not bad for a provincial hotel, right?