The Year 2021

I just realized that my last post was in 2020 and wrote about my booking in Korea. Well, I was optimistic but it still got cancelled just like all other trips that we booked for 2020:

* Shanghai (February 2020), Bohol (March 2020), Bangkok (November 2020) and Korea (January 2021)

Did not dare to plan anymore, and we still don't have plans of booking until mid of 2022. Getting a refund was tedious and placing them in travel fund was so easy, but using the travel funds is complicated.

2021 is a year that I wouldn't want to reminisce as this is the year when my Dad passed away. It was so sudden that we only found out that he got cancer in May, been in and out of the hospital until his passing in July. 

One of my best friend's husband also passed away suddenly due to Covid. 

This is also a year when news of death was literally on an every-other-day basis, which was dumbfounding. 

Despite everything that happened, I still found solace with food (and toys and the thoughts of being able to travel again soon) and I am now ready to continue writing about my dining adventures. Well, I actually didn't stop because when you check my FB account, I would always post photos and bits and pieces of the new food that I have or new place to dine. 

As always, I still would like to remain optimistic. This pandemic has proved that:

* Life is short (really short)

* Enjoy the things that make you happy

* Savor the moments you have with your loved ones as tomorrow is always uncertain

Ciao! Till my next entry! :)

Korea Trip 2021

Korea in January 2021 – booked!

It may sound crazy booking a trip in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, with this virus having no signs of slowing down yet.

I would like to stay optimistic.

In my mind, this is just temporary. Despite being caught off-guard, I still believe that the world leaders (not the PH leaders anymore) will find a way to stop it for the sake of the entire population. I know that someone has the solution somewhere, just waiting for the right time to disclose it

.

One of the things that this pandemic has brought me is being a convert of KDrama lovers. Long before I have always been hearing about it, but never really got interested perhaps because I didn’t want the idea of having to read the translations. And oh, this also brought me to be crushing on Lee Seung Gee!

Korean Dramas are breath of fresh air.

I have lost interest with Filipino teleseryes as they tend to have same stories/genre and just changing the actors, commonly with themes of infidelity, revenge and discrimination between rich and poor. I don’t think I need to expound.

And so since I have gotten hook to Korean Dramas, it peaked my interest in visiting Korea.

Getting visas is an exciting activity for me.

It would be my 3^rd time to apply for visa. First was in Taiwan (when they weren’t visa-free yet) and 2^nd was China visa (for a Shanghai trip that got cancelled).

I plan to visit farther countries in Europe and America and these places require visas, which is why I have to build my “travel credentials”.

I hope to capture more photos.

This is in preparation for the AV presentation that I wish to show to guests during Doc M and I’s wedding in April 2021.

Korea has its own food to boast.

As always, I would like to try authentic food of countries that I visit. There may be restaurants in the Philippines that serve 'authentic versions', but I still like to experience having it at the land it originally come from.

Things are uncertain nowadays.

It includes this Korea trip. However, as I mentioned about, I would like to stay optimistic with what’s going to happen in the future not just with traveling, but in all aspects of my life.

25 Seeds at Angeles, Pampanga

Doc M and I attended a Medical Mission at Bataan and we opted to do an overnight sidetrip at Angeles City in Pampanga. 

I read blogs and reviews on where to dine at Angeles and came across the name of 25 Seeds. Given that it's an old house converted to a restaurant, and that it is by Chef Sau del Rosario, I knew that we had to try it.

So after exploring the Nepo area, we started to search for 25 Seeds, which, according to GPS should just be near the Nepo Center. We parked at the mall's parking area, and we just opted to walk and follow the map until we reached this old-style house that made us initially think twice. It's appeared to be a newly-painted old house. 

From the outside, it didn't seem to be a restaurant as a certain portion of it was actually being covered by a small stall in front. There weren't much people in the area as well, perhaps being a Sunday. Good thing they have a signage of "25" outside, which made us decide to cross the street.

The entrance is located at the side of the house. The restaurant is at the second floor.

There was a private event that occupied the entire dining area (the living room part of the house) when we came, and yet we got accommodated. They seated us in a separate room, which seemed like an area for private dinners for smaller groups. We appreciated this gesture. 

It room felt homey, like dining at our own dining area, only with a restaurant setting as we had to choose from the menu and waited for our orders to be served. It was cool actually! 

Their staff are courteous and friendly. Food were served promptly. 

Here are what we ordered:

PORTOBELLO CONFITS WITH ARAGULA
The lettuce is fresh and we enjoyed the crunch!
We are not major salad eaters, but we loved this!

SALTED EGG FRIED CHICKEN
(with Curry Leaves & Chili)
I am just okay with this. The flavor is great, only at the outside portion of the chicken.

SOLO PORK BABY BACK RIBS WITH MEXICAN CORN
I loved this! It was a fall-off-the-bone experience, with the right mixture of the sauce. 
The Mexican corn and fries are great sidings.
Would love to have this again!

CARROT CAKE
This is one of the best carrot cakes that we've tasted! It is moist, and not too sweet. Combination of the cake and the cream cheese topping is perfect. It appeared small, but was enough to satisfy our dessert cravings.

CAPUCCINO
It was a nice was to end our meal.

Dessert Table (Cakes Galore!)
We'd love to be back to try the other cakes.

Dycaico House

Glimpse of their well-organized kitchen.

Overall, we liked our experience at 25 Seeds. For some reason, the thought of converting an old house to a restaurant excites me. Perhaps the fact that the place has it's own history makes it worthy to explore.

We certainly recommend this place. We'd definitely dine here again the next time we are in Angeles.


Dining Date: November 20, 2016

Bibingka Pancakes @ Pancake House Magallanes

I have mentioned from a previous blog that I love bibingka, so when Pancake House offered the Bibingka Pancakes, I knew I had to try it.

But Doc M and I got disappointed.

Offering bibingka is a risky business because of the involvement of the grated coconut. But it won't be called bibingka without it. Now what makes a bibingka special is the freshly-grated version.

Pancake House' version was chilled. Perhaps they set a time when they grate their coconut, then store them in the fridge.

The item that you see in the photo had a stale and cold grated coconut. Not to mention that it was also dry as the effect of being stored in the fridge. The moment Doc M and I tasted the sour coconut, it has ruined our appetite. Although the staff were quick to respond when we told them. They replaced it with a newer one, but still chilled.

So for us, it was just okay. The idea of a bibingka pancake sounds superb, but our experience has definitely tainted our view of this product. The taste of the sour coconut plus the super salty cheese is all I can remember now.

As of this writing, I believe Pancake House has already pulled this out since it wasn't available anymore the last time we dined at their Magallanes branch.

Providore @ SM Aura

Providore is quite new at SM Aura. Doc M and I have decided to try it out, but since we've had our main meal at Moshi Koshi that day, which is located at Market! Market!, we opted to order for dessert.

I personally like the interior of Providore as it exudes a clean and relaxing atmosphere as it is also well-lighted. Although we sat near the bakeshop area.

Now here's what we ordered:

1) FROZEN CUSTARD SUNDAE (with Salted Caramel)

It was an average dessert for me. Their sundae is similar to what Jollibee is offering, which I am not a fan of. The texture is a bit rougher that of McDonald's. The taste is also similar to Jollibee.

The best way to describe it perhaps is like having a Jollibee sundae, only that they added the almond bits, salted caramel, whipped cream and topped with a cherry.

I bet you'll agree that the presentation is really nice.

Frozen Custard Sundae with Salted Caramel

2) WARM BROWNIE SKILLET

Be warned as the skillet is really hot! Although they will let you know about it prior to placing it on your table.

This particular dessert is nice, only if you will share it with 4-5 more persons. Doc M and I were the only ones who consumed and it was more than enough for us. 

It's very sweet actually, the type that will give you sore throat after consuming. However, it will definitely fill your cravings for something sweet. The almond shavings add crunch to the experience and the combination of the cold ice cream plus warm brownie was ecstatic.

Warm Brownie Skillet

Overall, our experience at Providore was nice. The staff were warm and the service was acceptable. We had no issues whatsoever.

We just feel that for that particular day, our order combination wasn't right.

We will surely be coming back to try out other items in their menu because they all seem to be nice.

Till then!


Dining date: January 29, 2017 (Sunday)

Carnivale @ S Maison, Conrad Hotel

It was the Sunday before the birthday of Doc M. We were scheduled to meet our (real estate) agent  at the Mall of Asia but when we got there, we realized that they were having a Sale Event, which meant that the place was extremely crowded. 

Given that I wanted to see S Maison for quite a while now since it opened, I suggested that we just park there instead. I was however lazy to cross with the swarm of people in my mind, we have opted to stay there to instead meet our agent at the Starbucks.

For lunch, we decided to try out Carnivale. There wasn't much restaurants and shops open yet so choices were really limited.

For Carnivale, we were given their soft-opening menu, which was really limited. The waiter said that there are more options to come in the next few days, so it must be something to look out for.

So here's what we ordered:

Wangus Burger with Salted Egg French Fries on the side (P350.00 + P160.00)

The Wangus Burger is what Doc M had ordered. Being a burger fan, he said that this offer from Carnivale is good. He like everything in it. I can't remember having a bit of this burger, but I trust Doc M when he said that it's good and that he liked it. 

As for the Salted Egg French Fries, it was our first time. For the first few bites, we loved it. Something new, perhaps. However, the fries weren't fully coated so some of the pieces tasted like typical fries. I wouldn't go for it next time given the price for a side dish. Having it once is okay, nothing to die for. Besides, salted egg is becoming popular these days.

Gravlax Burger (P370.00)

Gravlax is what I ordered. What I liked about it is the fact that it's composed of salmon, instead of the usual beef patty. As far as I can remember from the menu, the bun has squid ink, which gave it's dark brownish color. It also has fried sweet potato, lettuce and generous spread of cream cheese. 

The bun that they used are soft and slightly chewy, which made it unique from the usual burgers. I am fully satisfied with what I ordered because they placed a generous amount of salmon and cream cheese, and the sweetness of the fried sweet potato balanced the overall taste and the crunch added value to the experience. 

Burgers in reality are complicated. Given that the main character is the patty, everything else matters like the bun, the veggies, etc. So many restaurants boast of their patties, however they pair it with a bun that's dry, which actually affects the entire meal experience.

For Carnivale's burgers, both the Wangus and Gravlax, everything they placed compliments each other. It's a total package. Their burgers should be in your must-try list! 

Monkey Split (P340.00)

For dessert, we tried their Monkey Split. It is an updated rendition of the banana split. This time, they used "turon" (vietnamese spring roll wrap), with just one flavor of ice cream, which is black sesame-flavored. They added grapes and clustered cornflakes and drizzled with (fish) sauce (tasted like caramel).

It is something that can be tried, but for the price of it, you can actually just skip dessert and head somewhere else.

Overall, we enjoyed our dining experience at Carnivale and the burgers we ordered were perfect for our palates. So yes, we will still be dining here soon; but as mentioned, will probably skip dessert by then. But who knows? The waiter said that they will still be adding more items in their menu in the next few days.

*** NO SERVICE CHARGE

Dining Date: September 18, 2016 (Sunday)

Carnivale - Level 2, S Maison, Conrad Manila
Seaside Boulevard cor. Coral Way, Pasay City

Cafroozo @ SM Tarlac

I was with my family when I first saw Cafroozo at SM Tarlac. We went to another restaurant that my parents preferred but told myself that I'd try it out the next time I'd be at the area.

So I did last February 14, 2016. Doc M had an event to attend in Tarlac and booked an overnight stay at Microtel in Luisita. Before we headed back to Manila, we opted to have lunch at SM Tarlac and I suggested to try Cafroozo.

Ambience is more like a cafe, which is relaxing.

Here are what we ordered:

Spaghetti

This is what we ordered for Baby G and she enjoyed it. It's the usual spaghetti that tastes sweet, which is a hit with kids. Their serving is good for 2-3 persons, and can even be shared by 4!

Burrito

Their burrito is large and stuffed with vegetables, which made a healthier twist. It was big enough to be shared. by 2-3 persons. Although since we were full already, I wasn't able to appreciate it fully and we had to had it wrapped for takeaway.

Burger and Fries

This is what Doc M ordered. He said that it's good, but nothing so special about it. No factor to stand out among other burgers, but was enough to fill a burger craving.

Mojos

Baby G requested for it, as it's her favorite whenever we go to Shakey's. However, we'd still go to Shakey's for mojos cravings. This is more like a homemade dish.

Overall, our dining experience was average. Cafroozo is affordable with huge servings. We'd consider dining here again but probably not really soon. We'd pass in order to try another restaurant. Perhaps 3 out of 5 stars.