Adventures of the Happy Tummy

Every other Saturday = workday = mall = work + shop = tired feet  = comfort food to the rescue! Thank God for merienda breaks, WiFi & a cozy place to get lost in. the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf never fails to surround me with the much needed cozy ambiance. Other cafes are in the vicinity but I usually go for the alternative choice - where it's not that commercialized - yet! This afternoon I got: Apple Pie Latte in a mug & a hot piece of Sardine - Feta Cheese Pandesal = merienda heaven! By the way, since I find myself usually in a CBTL branch, I went ahead & got myself a SWIRLCARD . You should go get one too! And while you're at it, they also have a tie-up with U! Foundation , for 8 good causes this 2011!

Typhoon week, I must dub this to be. What with typhoon Falcon + the emotional stress at work, the week had been a tiring wave of walks & rides wading through puddles & floods. Wishing we were all students with the announcements of class suspensions; one thing we learn from college from being exempted from these "no classes" is that LIFE MUST GO ON even if there's a storm. Stranded like hundred of others in the reclaimed area called Bay City, we took refuge in the mall and allowed ourselves a hearty dinner at Burgoo - good American restaurant always with generous promos from different credit card companies: Citibank offers free pasta & HSBC offers a seafood jambalaya. We chose the latter. I needed to fill the hungry tummies of my dad & brother who drove through the flooded & traffic-jammed stretch from Makati to Pasay. ONION SOUP topped with a square of BAGUETTE & grated PARMESAN savory LAMBCHOPS with POTATO WEDGES & CORN ON THE COB + the...

By now you would have heard about ensogo.com or other discount coupon websites that has been making waves in the metro lately. I tried my 1st purchase on a nearby restaurant - Syd's. I brought my family to dinner, it's just along Banawe St. in QC across the big red motel.  Parking has always been a challenge in this part of town, but you can always park along the side street just around the corner, just make sure you ain't blocking a driveway! Space-wise, Syd's is quite cramped; but the very attentive service make it up. We were 1st served Crunchy Chicharap  reminiscent of lauriat treats for straters & the vinegar that came with it was so yummy I could have drank it all up. No pictures to boast since we all chomped it up immediately after it hit the table. Salted Fish Fried Rice - saltiness is just right! Broccoli w/ Mushrooms - uhmm, we kinda ate half already before we remembered to take this shot =) We got: Pepper Salted Pork Ribs - a fave! S...

Fiesta ! That's the first word that hit me when we saw buddy's . We passed the place a few times already and wondered what the super mega lighted place is. It was featured in Jessica Soho's tv program that was why it confirmed our guesses that it IS a restaurant worth visiting. This is the perfect place to bring your balikbayan aunts & cousins. Once you catch sight of the establishment, you'll be transported to Lucban, Quezon in all its Pahiyas glory.  It was always in my checklist to visit their fiesta but this as close that I can get for now. And it's also in Quezon... city, hehe, not the province. At least it's near my place & I get to taste the food. And they come cheap! At p150/head, your wallet will be very happy too!   Decors are aplenty - the rice paper lantern goes all the way UP & all the way DOWN! Notice the last picture? You'll get to sneak a peek of the counter - the place looks like a fastfood with everyone coming & goin...

Night out with the family is always delectable. It does not necessarily mean expensive nor cheap, but we try to aim for the mid-class establishments so my parents won't feel intimidated & scold us for spending too much. The other night we found found ourselves in the open-air floor of TriNoMa mall  in QC & were so mesmerized with the lighted trees we just had to stay for dinner. So off we picked from the rows of promising establishments & voted for the one whose menu serves more meat. Plus, it has an interesting welcome: a life-sized COW.  My sibs & I were excited to order. My brother was asking the waiter if he could have the eat-all-you-can grilled-in-front-of-you beef inside. Unfortunately, we had to try that some other time for you have to stay outdoors for the grill... nevermind. We started with the   French Style Onion Soup.  Really gooey & cheesy soup infused with a heady dose of wine. I find it aromatically div...

Yes, baby, it's MNL ! My writer, photography enthusiast, food writer friend, Anson Yu , had his very first photo exhibit last October 2010 at La Regalade entitled: "MNL". It featured his best works on the stories that make up Manila: from Divisoria to Intramuros and back to Binondo. I missed the opening night because we were assigned to Iloilo (there's another story there) but thankfully, they extended the run way until November. So I invited some pals & grabbed the chance to show off that I "know" someone whose creativity is being featured & celebrated at an upscale French bistro. La Regalade means "succulent treat" and we have heard good reviews on the place.  It's also French, meaning, we were right to expect it to be on the pricey side. My pals and I were on a tight budget due to the upcoming gift-giving season, so we opted to have dinner at a mall nearby & hop over to the chi-chi establishment for some classy sweet...

Sad way to end the day, I thought. Coming home on a weekday way into the night when everyone in the family are all sound asleep. Aching body from all that physical activity during Fashion Week. I raided our makeshift pantry & found instant noodles calling out to me: "Cook me, cook me, quick!" And so my eyes, not satisfied with just noodles, dunked a few frozen crab sticks into the hot hot water together with the noodle pack.  The result is a satisfying late-night meal of hot (instant) seafood broth, (instant) noodles & defrosted crabsticks... & my tummy was happy =)