Tuesday, June 25, 2013

On Yabu: House of Katsu and Sesame Seeds

I've had an aversion to sesame seeds when I was little. I didn't even like burgers just because the bun has sesame seeds. But, recently, I've been getting quite addicted to sesame. Thanks to Yabu: House of Katsu.

I know I'm a bit too late in catching up with the Yabu craze. And I also know that most blogs commend them for their exceptional katsu. I appreciated their katsu too but its their unlimited cabbage with sesame dressing that'll keep me coming back to their restaurant.

I promised myself that I'll try to recreate the side salad. Fortunately, I found this while we were grocery shopping:


Ta-dah! Craving yet? Head to the nearest supermarket and grab your own Roasted Sesame Dressing. Or, go to the nearest branch of Yabu: House of Katsu!

Monday, June 24, 2013

Random Things


I've been meaning to share several recent purchases with you guys but I don't feel like any of it is worth its own post. So I've decided to post it in groups of four.

 I got this from Beauty Bar. This exfoliator, which has extracts of aloe vera, gingko and rosemary, has been a best seller in Japan for years. To know more about it, feel free to visit this site. It promises to only remove the dead skin cells and prevent skin problems. I use this twice a week. So far, my skin is clearer, smoother and brighter. The only down side to this is its price, a bottle costs P1,500. But if it'll help keep your skin healthier then you'll be able to save up on all the other acne creams and treatments you've been spending on.

 Been wanting to try the white nail polish but was too worried that it might look like I used liquid paper/ correction pen. Fortunately, had it done at I Do Nails in Eastwood and decided to get a houndstooth nail art.

 This is a product I cannot live without. I'm prone to insect bites so I always carry a smaller bottle in my bag. I like that it's earth friendly and DEET-free. This was also purchased at Beauty Bar.


I asked an officemate to buy some Salmon Dark Circle Concealer Cream for me from Skin Food in Korea since their products are way, waaaay cheaper there. I think this retails at P900 a pot here. What I like about this is that it conceals and brightens my under eye at the same time.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

How to French Press Coffee

I recently got a pack of ground coffee from a good friend who's in Belgium. Since I was too lazy to set up our coffee maker, I decided to use the French Press instead.

Here's a good instructional video on how to use a French Press.



Saturday, June 22, 2013

Sweet Monsters

Dropped by Krispy Kreme after work and saw the Monsters Inc. themed donuts and I died!!! Why so cute??




I am such a sucker for cute things so this definitely gets two thumbs up from me. The crew at Krispy Kreme are so artistic! The donuts look perfect!


They are too cute! They come in a box of 8 or 16. I got the box of 8 co'z I just wanted to get the entire cast co'z they look so cute as a set! Hahahaha :P

Get these at your nearest Krispy Kreme! This makes an amazing surprise gift to a friend who loves the movie! :)

Friday, June 21, 2013

Rainy weather buddy 2: ILLY

Part 2 of our perfect rainy day buddies post! This time, let me feature my favorite drink of all time-- coffee! And not just coffee, but premium Italian coffee from Illy's!


I've heard so much about how good Italian coffee is, that's why I've always wanted to try Illy. But for some reason, I never had the chance to do so until now and boy do I regret not having tried it sooner!

My friend had a latte (tall glass) while I got myself a cappuccino. Well, there is just one word for it: WOW. Simply wow. The coffee was so smooth and not too strong. The taste was full and creamy and just had that sophisticated feel to it. I like it too that it's not sweetened so you can control how much sugar goes into your system. And the biscotti! Wow, the biscotti! Perfect match!


I so love their packaging! Live HappILLY! How brilliant is that? I am such a sucker for details so you know just how giddy I felt when I picked up a pack of sugar and saw the quote. Such a nice touch Illy!

I would love to have a cup of coffee at Illy's again soon. The rainy weather is just calling for it! It doesn't hurt that the coffee is really good too! Plus, the last time I passed by their branch in Mall of Asia, I spotted a red velvet cake that was just screaming to be eaten! I'd love to pair that with a warm cup of joe. Yum!

Enjoy the rain friends-- and don't forget to live happILLY :)

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Rainy weather buddy 1: Max Brenner

The rainy season is upon us! And you all know what that means-- cuddle weather! If you're like me, who's unfortunate enough to not have anyone to cuddle with these days, then I give you the next best thing: yummy food buddies that will definitely help you forget that you're unattached these rainy days! *wink!

For the first part of this series, let me give you everyone's favorite, chocolate by the bald man, Max Brenner:

Seasalt caramel hot chocolate - Php158.00
Premium hot chocolate on a rainy day? Well that's a no brainer! Even I, a non-chocolate lover, succumb to this come the cold months.

I remember so fondly having my first taste of Max Brenner back in college with Sophia. College was our "rebel years" and we would find ourselves cutting classes we didn't like and going to food establishments all over the Metro. Yes, we were not such "good" students-- but to make it clear, we made sure we still got good grades. In fact, if you let me brag for a bit, we were even dean's listers (or college scholars as we call 'em) back then ;)

Anyway, enough reminiscing, let's go to the good part, the chocolates! I was craving so bad for Max Brenner's Mexican hot chocolate. What is it? It's a spicy hot chocolate drink.

Mexican Spicy Hot chocolate - PhP130.00
Spicy chocolate? Is that even possible, you ask? Well yes it is! In fact, it's a gourmet flavor that is very popular in the food world. Unfortunately for us, there are not a lot of establishments that offer this in the Philippines. So you could only imagine how happy I was while drinking my hot cup of mexican hot chocolate at Max Brenner's! It was spicy and sweet and just really comforting.

I also tried my friend's salted caramel hot choco drink (first photo above) and wow was I blown away! It wasn't very salty as the salt was just in the froth on top. But it still gave it a little more personality than the usual hot chocolate drinks! It was really good. I will be ordering that next time!

Apart from the hot drinks, I couldn't resist getting an 80's milkshake too:
80's milkshake (chocolate) - Php188.00
The shake was pure bliss! It's so rich and chocolately! It even comes in their signature Alice cup, which is inspired by Alice in Wonderland. If you notice Max Brenner's cups are all unique. I like the Alice cup but I'm not very keen on the hug mug. I get how it's nice to cup a a hot chocolate in your hands on a cold day but when you're in the Philippines and the mall's airconditioning is not so cold, holding the cup with your bare hands is quite difficult.

Apart from these drinks, we also got a chocolate lava cake-- err, actually I'm not really sure what this is called. We just saw the lady next to us eating it and wanted one too. This was so good! It had rich gooey chocolate oozing out as you fork your way into it. Yummy!


Apart from those, we also ordered a salted caramel chocolate slice and a strawberry and chocolate crepe. I don't know what happened but I didn't get to photograph those. The crepe was the surprise for me. It was very good! What added to the appeal is that it had corn flakes (?) inside which gave it the surprise crunch. Just thinking about it now makes me drool!

I had so much fun at Max Brenner's. I had so much chocolate that day I got tipsy. Hahaha! Maybe because I don't eat chocolate a lot, that when I do, my body reacts weirdly. lol!

I know there are so many unfortunate things about the rainy season in our country but there also some things that makes it amazing like these chocolates from Max Brenner's. Don't let the gloomy weather dampen your spirits! Have a safe and enjoyable rainy season y'all!

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Sunday McFloating

Sundays are one of my favorite days. These past few years, I've been spending my Sundays out of the house, either at my godsister's or out on a roadtrip. There's just something about Sundays that makes it so laidback and for lack of a better word, pleasant.

For this Sunday, my godsister and I hung out at McDonald's for our weekly tete-a-tete.


McDonald's is one of my "default" hang out places. There are just so many branches and fortunately for me, the ones near our place is not as jampacked as others.

I remember fondly how last year, I even had my birthday "salubong" at McDonald's. We stayed until midnight and instead of a cake, we celebrated with caramel sundaes. Lol!


There's just something so home-y and familiar with McDonald's that makes us frequent it-- well, apart from the fact that they have the BEST french fries. lol! :P 


I had so much fun with my godsister! It actually doesn't matter where we go, we always have the best time! Because you know, as the cliche goes, it's not about where you go, it's always about who you're with :) 


I'm just so blessed to have the best godsister everrr! Just a little trivia: we're both only children. We grew up together and she shared a lot of highlights in my life so she really feels like a true sister to me. Cue song: pap-parap-pap-pap! Love ko 'to! :)


White top - from Bangkok
Black leopard print shorts - Forever21
Brown laceup boots - from Taiwan

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Independence Day Style

Happy Independence Day, Philippines! For this year's Independence Day, allow me to highlight Philippine fashion, with a brief photo timeline of the Filipinianas I have been wearing since three years ago:

Dress borrowed from a colleague
Borrowed from a friend
 This year however, I went the more modern route by wearing a wrap Pina top which is all the rage now.
 



To be honest, I'm not really into wraps. I like wearing the classic two-piece or one-piece Filipinianas but these ones from Tepiña are rather pretty and so easy to wear. It's fuss free which makes it perfect for travelling. You can also dress it up or down, depending on the occasion and your choice of accessories. Very versatile piece indeed!

The one I'm wearing is a piece from Tepiña which retails for Php5,500 pesos, there are other pieces which are less expensive, but expect the price range to be from Php3,000 to Php6,000. Quite hefty for those who are not used to buying Filipinianas but the price is actually quite reasonable considering it's made of pure pineapple fiber and silk.

Well, that wraps up my Independence Day post! Again, happy Independence Day to our beloved country, Philippines! As the song goes, Tungkulin ko'y gagampanan, na lagi kang paglingkuran! Pilipinas kong hirang :)

Visit Tepiña on Facebook! 

Friday, June 7, 2013

Local Flavors at Sebastian's

In honor of the upcoming Philippine Independence Day, allow us to feature Sebastian's true-to-taste local ice cream flavors!
With two freezers full of local flavors, which ones to get?

Clockwise from top: Guyabano, Mangga't Suman, and Sapin Sapin

I got the Mangga't Suman flavor because I've been craving for Thai Mango Sticky Rice for the longest time and this one is the local counterpart. This flavor is also one of their most authentic tasting ice cream flavors so it was a no brainer for me. 

You have to taste the white part, which is supposedly the "suman", because it is really true to taste! Love love love!

The Sapin-sapin flavor is also true to taste and the Guyabano was surprisingly tasty!

Of all the "local" flavors, my top picks would be Champorado and Mangga't Suman. I have yet to taste the other flavors but they say the Kamias is tasty as well! Apart from those, Sebastian's also carries Taho and Mangga't Bagoong flavors. I didn't get that excited about the Mangga't Bagoong because it was too tart for my taste. But then again, to each his own, perhaps others would find the flavor appetizing.

Advance Happy Independence Day, fellow Filipinos! :)

*Sebastian's is available at SM The Block, SM Mall of Asia, SM Quezon Avenue and The Podium

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Parawhores!

...and I am again on addiction mode! Been playing Paramore's newest album nonstop everyday, every chance I get. Paramore, after all this time, I'm still into you!


I am seriously in love with their newest album! They're still the same band I fell in love with but BETTER. They're more mature and with that comes a more mature sound. They even experimented on country-slash-acoustic melodies. So cool! This track is one of my favorites:

I didn't think Hayley's voice could pull off something so "dainty". I love it!

Of course, the alternative rock tunes are still present in the album. Of them, my ULTIMATE favorite would have to be Proof.



It's so bad ass! The lyrics are also spot on! The first line is killer-- "It's really hard. I can't cry in your arms co'z you're not here". I feel you Hayley! Haha, kidding :P Really though, you can sense the emotion her voice!

I culled a couple of lyrics from my favorite tracks because I love them too much to keep to myself (hehe).


Congratulations Paramore for releasing such an awesome album! You guys will always be my favorite band!  ♥♥♥

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Cheese Ramyeon

Ever since I saw my friend post about wanting to eat a Cheese Ramyeon, I've been wanting to try it for myself. What exactly is a cheese ramyeon? To put it plainly, it's Korean noodles with cheese.

 It's simple really. Just cook your favorite Korean noodles, add one egg, and then when it's about to boil, turn it off and put two slices of cheddar cheese on top.

I honestly don't know what to expect. I've never had cheese ramyeon before so I can't compare. But I believe anything with cheese is amazing so I'm really excited to try this.

The soup became really creamy because of the cheese. It also tempered the spiciness of the noodles. 

I love the chunks of egg and cheese on the noodles. It made it so much more interesting! I wonder if using mozzarella cheese would yield better results. Hmmm :)

I'm really satisfied with my first cheese ramyeon! It's so perfect for the gloomy weather we're having. Anything with cheese is super! Two thumbs up for this!

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