chuvaness X nbs

This is NOT about food... But I feel like I need to share this with you guys because I'm pretty sure you'll like the stuff you'll see from this latest National Bookstore collaboration...

I got a message from Ms. Cecile Van Straten, also known in the blogging world as Chuvaness; inviting me to attend the launching of her collaboration with NBS, aptly called #chuvanessXnbs... Ofcourse the asnwer is a YES...in a heartbeat...

Just like Chuvaness, I love to travel... I have this rule, if time and budget permit, I need to travel atleast every six months... Traveling relaxes me...and I travel within the budget...However, I do tend to pack more than what I need... So, I'm always on the lookout for things that can make my traveling life simple and hassle free...not to mention, lightweight too...

Chuvaness' line for National Bookstore is god sent to travelers like me... 15 things that are essential for "travel, gift giving, organizing and personal indulgence."

The launch was held at the Mega Fashion Hall at SM Megamall... #Chuvaapproved, we were welcome by super good-looking male "assistants", ready to take pictures and model for you... There was also a dj playing house music, free-flowing drinks, and yummy food await the guests... (sorry, I forgot to take pictures of the food, was busy drooling over the line, trying very hard to control my urge to buy everything)...

I fell in love with these gift wraps... FYI to my friends and family...My birthday's coming soon, please wrap your gifts to me using these...I prefer the brown one...It's so cute... 

There are two sizes for the Chuvaness X NBS tote bags... small and large...The small is too cute..But, I super love the large one coz, you know me...I have my whole house in my bag... 

Disregard the handsome guy holding that red clutch... They have round clutches too... The pouches are nice... You can turn them into make-up kits, wallet, or gadget organizer...

However, I went gaga over the notebooks and notepad... The notebook is so chicka...like seriously, you can turn it into a travel diary... or just your everyday notebook... As an editor, I like to scribble things when inspiration hits me...I prefer writing it in notebooks/notepads instead of the notepad in my cellphone... Call me old school, but I appreciate the smell of newly opened notebooks, and the silkiness when your pen hits the paper...

A shoe bag... Now I dont have to wrap my shoes in towels or put them in plastic bags...

Chuvaness' vision and personality appear in each of the items in her line.  In her blog, she mentioned that she really wanted to do a collaboration with the country's premiere book, school and office supply store... With the help of her friends, graphic designer Yodel Pe and illustrator Keeshia Felipe, her dream is now a reality...

Of family affairs and good food

Denlim's Kitchen

Denlim's Kitchen is the "IT" restaurant in Pampanga since early 2015.  What's neat about this place is that it's not even a real restaurant, just a part of a house wherein they put up a massive chunk of table with Den Lim (owner) cooks in front of his guests.

Reservations here take a while.  So if you plan on having dinner here in December, I suggest you better make a reservation as early as, last May?! 

My sister set up our reservation, i think 3 months in advance.  Her boyfriend was coming in December, and she wants the family to have a formal meal before we send him off to San Francisco again.  (This is my long-overdue post regarding our dinner)

I already mentioned in my previous blogs that I don't easily get amaze by high-priced food...especially if it's Filipino cuisine... Just coz I know how to cook it, therefore I have high expectations about it.  "mahal" doesn't necessarily equate to good food to me.

Our menu for the night:

Bread and Spread

The bread... I think it was ciabatta and cheese pimiento.  Each guest gets one bread, fair enough.
Because I don't think i'll stop eating them and end up spoiling my appetite for the rest of the meal. The spread, argh!!!i'm a sucker for cheese pimiento...Den told us that it's your typical cheese pimiento dip, I'm like in my head "I dont think so!"...

Mussels in white wine and garlic oil

Some people would shy away from eating mussels at night.  However, my family, especially my sister, loves mussels.  These mussels are plump... They tasted fresh, like fresh out of the ocean.  The white wine reduction combined with the garlic oil, just perfect.

Pasta Aglo Olio

I'm a certified chef, if I haven't mentioned that in my previous blogs, well, i'm saying it now.  Some dishes, the less the ingredients are, the more I'm afraid of cooking them.  Take this Aglo Olio pasta, each chef can tell you that they have their own version of this dish.  It's simple to make, with what, around five ingredients only?!...But I tell you, not all have perfected this dish.  It's a matter of a perfect blend of the olive oil and garlic.  This one, one of the best Aglo Olio i've had in recent years.

Oriental Cashew Salad

This is definitely my favorite!!! It's so refreshing.  The picture do not give justice to it.  As they say, in food, your eyes eat first before your mouth.  You get satisfied aesthetically, with all the vibrant colors from the vegetables; then you bite into it and its like you're eating a garden.  The bell peppers, lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, peanuts and cashew...I can just go on and on...

Classic Chicken Roast

If you want your guests to enjoy their meal, always have chicken.  Chicken is like a staple in every meal we have as a family.  Whether it's fried, roasted, b-b-q, that's how much we love our chicken.  So, my sister decided to order the classic roasted chicken.  It tasted sweet.  I had to make a double, triple bite into it because I thought it was BBQed, but it's roasted. I assumed there's some aged balsamic vinegar involved in marinating this dish.

Shrimp Scampi

This I had to order rice. Hehehe!!!We were all trying to control ordering rice because there's just so much food in the table, we thought, skipping rice will lessen the guilt.  But I just couldn't help it.  This dish deserved rice.  Well-cooked shrimps sauteed in garlic, a little bit of butter and olive oil, and a splash of white wine, reduced to perfection.  #ricepamore!!!

Broiled Salmon and asparagus in dill cream

My least favorite dish of the night.  Maybe because I'm already nearing my limit or just because I like my salmon plain.  I couldn't fault the caramelization, but it was too sweet for my liking.  The dill cream was too overpowering.  I couldn't really taste the dill, the cream was just too much.

Pugon Liempo Wrap

OMG!!!This is the bomb!!! The star of the night! The queen of the dessert!!!It was ssssooo good!During my days at the kitchen, I always look forward whenever we use the "pugon" (oven) because food tastes better. The crackling on that liempo was to die for.

The combination of the liempo, with the bitterness of the ampalaya and the buro (fermented rice) was just too heavenly for words.  The ampalaya and buro cuts down the umay factor from the fat of the liempo.  We were all quiet when this was served.  Bring in the rice cooker please!!!

No dessert at Denlim's Kitchen, so you're allowed to bring your own.  The food is pricey, that I can tell you.  However, if you plan on splurging once in awhile, consider Denlim's Kitchen. Don't think of it as putting a premium on what you eat, but it's the experience of having good company over some good food is worth that dent in your wallet.

Weekend shenanigans

Uma Uma

Last Saturday, I was so bored on my day off that I called a friend and asked if she wants to try this new Ramen place in S' Maison.  The S'Maison at the Conrad Hotel is becoming our favorite place to dine and hang out because it's new and not as crowded as Mall of Asia.

We hear alot of good things about Uma Uma so we decided, why not try it out.  

The interior looks modern-japanese.  It's spacious and pictures of ramen, and what the house is all about adorn the walls.  Uma Uma Ramen, originating in Fukuoka, Japan is based on the premise of not needing MSG to flavor their ramen.  

Uma in Japanese means "tasty", so they pride themselves that there is already "umami" in their ramen that it would be enough to satisfy your taste buds.

Relatively priced, we both ordered the Uma-uma ramen.  Dubbed as their best-seller, it has Chasiu, black fungus, egg, spring onions and spicy miso.

Uma uma ramen

Honestly, I wasnt' too impressed with it.  The broth was not too heavy, that I give extra points, but nothing really sticks out from it.  I felt like eating the same noodle soup that my mom cooks, except that my mom doesn't boil her broth for hours and use special ingredients to make it that "authentic-ramen taste."

One-bite Gyoza

These tiny creatures I liked!!! with that garlicky-spicy condiment they put on the side, mixed with the gyoza sauce, argghhh...YUUUMMMYYY!!!

Tamago

They have Tamago and Dashi Tamago.  When we asked the server what was the difference between the two, she was mumbling something to the like of there's like fish and stuff...actually, Dashi Tamago uses dashi (fish broth) while Tamago is just plain eggs.  The technique in cooking this is mastery in itself.   Going back to the Tamago, a ramen place should know how to cook well its Tamago or else they should just close down.  Good thing Uma Uma has good Tamago. Hehehe! You should try it with the japanese mayonnaise and pickled ginger.

We washed it down with bottomless cold green tea.  I don't like carbonated drinks when eating my ramen...so if there is tea or barley water, i prefer those.  It cleanses your palette and lets you enjoy your food without having that sweet taste from the soda or juice you're drinking.

Will I be coming back for more?  I'm not really sure.  Let me put it this way, Uma Uma is number 3 on my list...My first two ramen places are also found around the area, so it will really take me awhile before going back there... Then again, who knows... what if i crave for some bite-size gyozas?!

Healthy eating for a change

The Wholesome Table

It has been awhile since we ate at The Wholesome Table.  We were invited during its soft opening at Estancia Mall in Pasig City.  This was like ages ago.  Hehehe!I just decided to write a review about it now, since I started food blogging.

One thing that I first noticed about this restaurant is the feel of it.  It was so homey, very chic-country.  It's as if the moment you enter the establishment, everything seemed "healthy."

I have no idea what the restaurant was all about.  All they said was that it caters to healthy eating.

We ordered most of its best-sellers.  We're 4 in the table and we ordered food that could feed atleast 8 persons.

We had crispy calamari, carrot-pumpkin soup, greek-salad, Buddha bowl, Gambaretti arrabiatta, Pork chops, Chicken parmegiana, and for dessert, Tiramisu and creme brulee.

Crispy Calamari

I'm a sucker for crispy calamari.  I don't like it when they're saggy or overly coated with flour.  The one they served us at The Wholesome Table were actually piping hot.  I remember vividly because as soon as we're done squeezing some lemon on those tiny little suckers, I almost burned my tongue as a try munching on them.

But because my tongue has high tolerance of stuff like that, that little burnt did not hamper me from enjoying the rest of the calamari.

Carrot-pumpkin soup

When they served this at our table, I had it returned to the kitchen.  It was not hot at all.  If they specified it in the menu that it will be served room-temp, i would've understood, but since it was not, I had to send it back.  The redeeming factor of the soup, was its creaminess.  It looked heavy, but really, it's not.  It was properly seasoned and the carrot and pumpkin mixed perfectly.

Buddha bowl

This is definitely worth going back to The Wholesome Table.  The thai coconut curry sauce was a welcome approach, as it complement the brown rice underneath of the goodness on top of it.  The pea sprouts, peanut brittle (yep, they're crunchy sweet) balances the sweet, savory of the dish. Make sure to squeeze the lime before you mix everything. It makes a load of difference.

Pork chops

My friend was quiet when her dish was served. We thought she was just admiring the glaze of the balsamic vinegar over her chops, turned out the inside of the chops were not properly cooked.  It was still bleeding. (a NO-NO for pork and chicken dishes)  So again, we had to send it back.  Good thing the servers were nice and accommodating.  I guess because it was their soft opening, most things were still "forgivable."

Greek salad

Who doesn't love Feta Cheese?! With fresh greens, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, cucumbers, and grilled chicken is a meal in itself.

Gambearetti Arrabiatta 

I honestly don't remember the taste of this.  All i know was that it wasn't swimming in sauce, which I prefer since it's tomato based.  The pasta was also aldente, as per my friend's description when I asked how her food was.  It looked appetizing and the bacon, oh well, there's bacon involved...it must be good.

OMG!This was something we didn't expect to taste good but hands down, one of our favorites from the food in our table.  I'm not sure if i can actually give justice to the fries with just mere words; but they're really good.  They were served hot too. (plus points)

The Chicken was perfectly cooked.  And the sauce, there was no rice on our table so I couldn't scoop it up and enjoy it to the fullest.

Tiramisu

Don't be fooled or get yucky when they serve this dish to you.  Looks definitely can be deceiving and this one, with the shavings of chocolate and the hint of coffee on the lady fingers---Am I even in a healthy restaurant? Coz I wouldn't mind eating 2 or 3 servings of their Tiramisu.

Creme Brulee

They could do better with this dish.  I had expectations for this dish coz I really thought that since it's healthy eating, they could have done something else...or put a twist to it.  I haven't been back to The Wholesome Table, so maybe the already tweaked some of their dishes, and hopefully they did something with this one.

I wasn't sure why I dont have a picture of my drink...but i remember ordering Be Pure... hehehe!I know it doesn't fit me, but it was refreshing.  I actually liked it. I'm a little bit wary of detox juices coz my friends have serious issues with them, hehehe... but with the drink i ordered, it didn't taste like i was drinking fruits and vegetables.

Working dinner at Pancake House

Me and Ian have been planning to have our "coffee date" for a while now...as we need to discuss work, people, and update each other with our #hanesh in life.  Finally, we had the chance tonight, with Tephie...We chose Pancake House because it's near the office and coz' Starbucks was running out of #napay.

Ian: Pag ba nasa Pancake House kailangan pancake rin kainin? (an indication that we're NOT having any pancakes for tonight.)

Me: Ate, gutom ako... Order ako nung chicken with spaghetti with tacos.

Tephie: Gusto ko yung Cinnamon toast without the raisins and syrup on the side.

House Special Set

I've always have a soft spot for Pancake House's chicken.  It's sooo juicy and buttery.  The skin is crunchy, with the right seasoning.  Aside from the usual fastfood chicken, whenever I dine somewhere and there's chicken on the table, i often ask for additional seasoning.  But with their pan fried chicken, it's perfect already.

The pasta for my spaghetti were a little bit under-cooked.  I know the texture of al dente, and what was served to me tonight, was definitely not.  However, since the serving was in small portion, and have to admit, it's not totally undercooked like you can't eat it, I just didn't complain anymore.

When it came to my Taco, there was no complaining here. It's a MUST whenever you eat at Pancake House. They're very consistent with the taste of their ground beef.

When Tephie's order arrived, the bread looked yummy even though it was only sprinkled with cinnamon sans the syrup.  I would've smeared it with butter and drown it in maple syrup.  That's how inviting the toast was.

Cinnamon Toast

Ian's Tuna sandwich was heavy on the Tuna spread.  Like I can actually see chunks of Tuna popping out of the toasted bread.  Wasn't really interested on how it taste because I'm kinda forgiving when it comes to stuff like that.  Like, i'm pretty sure the tuna came from a local canned tuna.  Maybe those high-end ones, but still, it's from a can.

But it seemed that he liked it because it was gone in a matter of minutes.  I know my friend, and he's one picky eater---so if he finished it, then it must be good.

Tuna sandwich

I just don't really get it why they can't update the movie posters posted on their wall.  I get it, they're into movies but can they atleast have the recent ones, if not those popular independent movies that earned accolades in different film festivals.

Chibo Okonomiyaki in Manila

It was a spur of the moment thing.  My friend Jill found out that the Okonomiyaki joint we went to in Osaka, Japan finally has a branch here in Manila. Chibo Okonomiyaki is very popular in Osaka.  The one we went to was in Dotonburi and we had to wait for an hour before we could get a table.

I told Jill that it's a MUST that we check this Chibo place at S' Maison, at the new Conrad Hotel in Pasay City, immediately.  Let me first say how awestruck we were upon entering S' Maison.  Maybe because there weren't alot of shops open yet, or that we saw billboards of soon to be opening favorite eateries, but seriously, we knew right then that it would be our new place to hang out.

Back to the Okonomiyaki place.  The interior of Chibo is different from the one in Osaka.  It's a little bit on the high-end side.  Though they remained true to the concept of the original Chibo, which is inspired by the great emperor Hideyoshi Totomi, the one at S' Maison looks like a fine-dining restaurant.

Jill wanted to try the Cheese Yaki.  The Cheese Yaki is only served in the Philippines.  I guess because they think Filipinos love their cheese so much, they decided that they'll do a cheese version of their Okonomiyaki.

Each table was equipped with a teppan grill.  The server came in with our Cheese Yaki and placed it at the grill.  We waited for it to start sizzling and then he started doing the usual theatrics, Okonomiyaki-style.

The cheese Yaki was well worth the Php280.  It was packed with the teppan noodles, bean sprouts, pork and lots of cheese.  Imagine the crispness of the bottom of the pancake, mixed with the creaminess of the cheese, and topping it with lots and lost of bonito flakes.

The size of the Okonomiyaki is big enough for two persons.  So, if you decide to eat here, better be hungry coz you need a lot of space in that tummy.

Ofcourse, it wouldn't be Chibo if we will not try their signature Okonomiyaki, the Chibo Okonomiyaki (hindi sila nahirapan pangalanan tong dish na toh!).  It's the same dish we ordered in Osaka and yes, the taste, texture and size were all the same from what we were served here in Manila.

The prawn's head and tail served as decoration but you can still eat them.  The Chibo Okonomiyaki has bits of beef, shrimp, and i'm not sure if that was scallop or squid (sorry naman, na-excite lang masyado).

We noticed that they kept on refilling our glass with barley water.  It really was the perfect combination with our Okonomiyakis.

Too bad we couldn't order more.  We were not prepared that we will be that full after just ordering 2 okonomiyakis.

Craving for some churros

I often times get hit with cravings.  Like I can crave for hotdog and can survive for a week with just that.  So, my family knows when I start craving for something, it usually leads to non-stop badgering, borderline obsession.

I've always had a fascination with choux pastry.  I love cream puffs, eclairs and baignettes; and my current 'thing', the churros.

Churros use choux pastry.  But instead of baking, you deep-fry them. To

My churros obsession led me to this new-craze in town, La Lola Churreria.  I know...i know...There are other places I could get better-tasting churros, but why La Lola?

First, I was curious on what's all the fuzz about it? I sometimes blame social media for my food finds. Glad though that they have a branch at the Mall of Asia. As soon as I saw the truck, and thank god there were no lines, I immediately took my wallet and got me a 6pcs order with dark chocolate dip.

I was then on my way to the province and thought of bringing it as baon.  Buti na lang I did...I was stuck in traffic for almost four hours, and my churros saved me from getting hungry and wrecking havoc at NLEX...(seriously, you dont wanna see me "hangry").

The churros at La Lola are crispy.  They never get saggy or oily, even after hours of buying them.  I even re-heated by left-overs the next day using my ever-reliable over toaster, and they remain crispy sans the unwanted oil.

La Lola Churreria offers not just your classic churros but they also have Matcha, white and dark-covered ones.  They also have stuffed churros (banana nutella, dulce de leche, nutella and speculoos), which I'm sure i'll try one of these days, churros ice cream sandwich and some savory sandwiches.

Just yesterday, I found myself lining up once again at another Lo Lola Churreria, this time at Megamall.  Shared it with some friends, since I kinda told myself that I need to limit my churros intake to two...