Yummy Ramblings!

Monday, July 16, 2012

My Precious

It was my baby's 2nd birthday last June 28.

I bought him a mini sansrival cake from Figaro and some spiral candles from NBC for him to blow.

Moxie is staring at his cake.

Pacute shot =P

This is his picture when I first got him at 3 months old...so precious!

Adapting in his new home after several weeks.

At four months old... his nose is now turning to color black.

He's getting bigger day by day.

His first haircut

His 1st birthday last year, munching on some mango cake from Red Ribbon.

His first Christmas with the family. I had him wear a Santa costume given by his Ninang Kats

Love love love Moxie...always be a good boy :)

Saturday, July 14, 2012

I'm addicted to tea...Gong Cha's winter melon tea and Serenitea's Hokkaido and Okinawa tea are among my favorites and of course bottomless Nestea ice tea tsalap! Haha. Milk tea houses are so popular nowadays sprouting like mushrooms everywhere, may it be in the mall, near schools and offices, etc.

Another milk tea house joins the craze and it's Dakasi.

Image grabbed from web

Dakasi means Big Cast (famous movie star) in Chinese. A Mr. Luo, Dakasi founder, put up the business in Taiwan 20 years ago. It started from one shop in Taiwan to a franchise business. Currently, it's headquarter is located in China.

All drinks at Dakasi are made with fresh ingredients with no artificial flavoring and little to no additives. They have their own recipes for cooking tea, pearls and syrup, guaranteeing a taste that cannot be find anywhere else.

A Dakasi store opened very near our office so on their first day of opening we lined up for some milk tea fixing.

Image grabbed from openrice.com

I ordered their house special, which is Dakasi Bubble Milk Tea and I instantly became a fan. I also tried their Passion fruit yoghurt drink but forgot to take a picture of it.

They offer a wide range of drinks from milk tea, matcha tea, ice tea, fruity yoghurt drinks, smoothies, yakult tea, and fresh tea.

It's worth giving a try. I personally recommend the Bubble milk tea.

DAKASI
U.N. Avenue cor. Maria Orosa, Manila
(02) 917-7077

Sunday, July 8, 2012

I smell DELICIOUS!

July is one of the busiest and most chaotic month of the year for me. Birthdays here and there, wedding, anniversary, and of course the end-year sale! I often find myself the poorest in this month, with just the right amount of money to spend for transpo and baon for work. So please IRISH stop texting me these year-end sale happenings in malls. I'm poorita na! Hahaha!

I was malling (window shopping lang) with my mama mia looking for gifts to send out to the birthday celebrants and I found this YUMMY body wash in Etude House.

The products are called Milk Talk Body Wash.

Image grabbed from web

Etude House Milk Talk Body Wash comes in five different scents. There's strawberry, banana, apple, steam milk, and choco. It has milk protein as it's main ingredient that moisturizes, nourishes, and hydrates the skin making it clean and soft. Another big plus for these is that they smell delicious too! To use, dispense product on wet bath sponge, lather, and massage all over the body. They can also be used as bubble bath.

I couldn't resist it. It smells so Y-U-M-M-Y! I bought two for my two best friends.

Milk Talk Choco scent

Milk Talk Apple scent

My problem now is who gets what. Bato bato pick nalang sila hahaha!

ETUDE HOUSE
2nd Floor, SM Manila branch

Friday, May 25, 2012

Mr. and Ms. Saigon

The yumyum monsters gathered one Saturday afternoon for a much needed stress buster...foodtrip! Some go shopping, some go to salon and spa, some watch movies to unwind but yumyum monsters happiness is eating! Yes matatakaw sila! We are also very glad to be joined by the newest members of our group, Ms. Joy of Joyride and the newly appointed president of the club, the cutie Bea. Also joining us is the youngest member of the club, Raymund.

We all agreed to try Ba Noi at Perea street in Makati.

Found this tabletop with instructions on how to fully enjoy Vietnamese food.

On the table

Goi Cuon

Pork, shrimp, and vermicelli rolled in rice paper served with peanut sauce.

This appetizer tastes so fresh, a great way to start the meal.

Cha Gio

Ground pork, shrimp, taro, and black fungus wrapped and deep fried and served with fresh greens and nuoc mam dipping sauce.

I can't deny I like this better than the fresh one. The fried spring rolls are bursting with flavors.

Pho Ba (Beef noodle soup)

Beef noodle soup served with fresh herbs and spices.

Hallelujah! I love Ba Noi version of Pho Ba. I added the basil and bean sprouts, squeeze the lime, and sprinkle some fresh chillies on the noodles. The soup had the perfect beefy, citrusy, minty with a hint of spiciness flavor. Also worthy to mention is the very tender beef in it.

Pho Hai San (Seafood noodle soup)

Shrimp and squid noodle soup with fresh herbs and spices.

Ga Nuong

Grilled chicken in lemongrass marinade.

Bun Thit Bo Xao

Grilled beef in rice noodles.

Ga Kho Kari Xa

Braised chicken slowly cooked in lemongrass and curry powder, infused with fresh chillies, shallots and spring onions.

Banh Dan Long

Pandan cake filled with mung bean, drizzled with coconut cream and toasted sesame seeds.

Overall, I had a good experience in Ba Noi. Although I find the prices a little costly considering serving portions are small. Nonetheless, I recommend this resto for a quick fix of Vietnamese fare.

BA NOI
G/F Greenbelt Mansions, Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City

(02) 893-7359

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Knuckle Knockout

One busy busy day, fiance and I found ourselves in gateway mall around lunchtime. I told him I would take him on a lunch date to one of my must try resto in Manila. I took him to Cafe Adriatico for some savory dishes.

Cafe Adriatico is a part of the LJC restaurant group. It serves a full menu of Spanish-Mediterranean and Filipino dishes and a variety of light options such as salads, sandwiches, omelettes, and fondues.

On the table

Prawn crackers

Deliciously hot and crispy shrimp crackers

Knockout pork knuckle

aka crispy pata, a whole leg of pork deep-fried in garlic and chilies.

I was eyeing on ordering Lola Ising’s pork adobo as I read it is one of their best sellers. I wonder if it will surpass my own lola Ising’s adobo! Yes, lola’s nickname is also Ising. Looking at their extensive menu, fiance couldn’t choose what he wanted to eat. He suggested we order crispy pata but told me he couldn’t finish it on his own. He kept insisting we just order the crispy pata and order whatever dessert I want . Hesitant but then I gave in...masunurin naman ako at giving lol!

I could give him a thousand kisses for insisting that we order crispy pata, as it is the BEST CRISPY PATA I tasted my whole life! Huge serving, super crunchy skin, soft and tasty meat with a hint of spicyness. I have nothing but praises for this new found love.

Suman sa Lihiya with Salabat

Sweet sticky rice with coconut jam. I like the softness and sweetness of it.

The ginger tea is very soothing and is very suitable after such a heavy meal.

My foodtrip buddy of the day munching on some prawn crackers.

I would definitely brave Cubao traffic again to get a taste of Cafe Adriatico’s Crispy Pata!

CAFE ADRIATICO
Ground floor of Gateway Mall, Araneta Center, Quezon City

(02) 913-8736

Snow White in 6 little balls

Papa brought home this YUMMY dessert one evening just when I was about to go to sleep. How can I say no?

The much awaited snow lady from Golden Bay Seafood Restaurant that I've been bugging him for months.

Snow lady is like mochi ball except it use whipped cream instead of ice cream. It is a small round ball consisting of a soft pounded sticky rice cake on the outside and whipped cream with mango bits on the inside. The mangoes are so sweet. The rice cake has a soft and chewy texture.