Happy Halloween!
The twins play angel and fairy in Nickelodeon’s “Mischief Madness.” 
How do you Yakiniku? Let us count the ways at the Yurakuen resto
Yakiniku, a form of dining which uses bite-sized pieces of meat for grilling, is actually of Korean origin. It took the Japanese to make this a personalized artful experience. The very idea of having your own vented table where a special charcoal burns means that the diner can also be his own chef and determines how the food is cooked in terms of texture, flavor and doneness.
The best thing about Toast Box is…. the laksa!
I was quite excited when Anton over at Our Awesome Planet made a post about the opening of Singapore chain Toast Box in Trinoma. I love these cozy kopi tiams and so made it a point to head over to faraway QC when the opportunity arose just to taste what they had to offer.
My officemate and I ordered a few items from the menu and I must say the best thing about Toast Box is not the toast but their laksa. Laksa is a popular soup in Malaysia and Singapore made of flat hofan noodles. The creaminess of the coconut milk combines with the spiciness of the chili to make it a delectable dish. Toppings consisted of a couple of shelled prawns, hebi (dried shrimp or hibe to us), tofu and parsley.
Toast Box offers a number of thick toasts with a variety of toppings and I settled for kaya with pork floss. The floss in Bread Talk turned out to be better. The sugar-based kaya in Toast Box
also didn’t turn out to be to my liking because I like the green or pandan-based one. If you want to indulge your kaya fixation at home (like spread it over your toast during breakfast), the best place to buy is at the Pastry Boutique of the Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila where they sell one bottle for close to three hundred pesos. It is the best kaya made in town outside of these commercial places.
So high in Zhuhai, China: a shopping paradise!
One of the best parts of my recent vacation was my side trip to Zhuhai, a Special Economic Zone of the People’s Republic of China which is separated by a mere border gate from Macau.
Going to Zhuhai meant I had to go through two immigration counters again for my entry-exit. But applying for a visa is hassle-free, provided you have no problem with your papers. I just paid HKD $150, which is the same as what you would pay in Shenzhen, another China special economic zone nearer to Hong Kong.
The funny thing about this side trip is that I didn’t even see any greenery, rode a bus or ate in an outside resto. After passing through Zhuhai immigration, I immediately went through a giant basement mall (called Gong Bei Commercial Plaza) where I went crazy with all the cheap shopping, and even cheaper window-shopping.
My Macau friends were telling me that you only go to Zhuhai for three things : the shopping, the cheap and good massage and the eating. I was happy enough to try the first two:)
Food-tripping in Macau..almost
One of the reasons I went to Macau was to indulge in a food trip. But I believe I did more walking and seeing the sights than e-a-t, especially after busting what little budget I had on shopping in Zhuhai. I suppose there is now an exciting food scene in Macau because of the casinos and the arrival of different cultures there. But the old reliables of Portuguese and Macanese cuisine are still there and what you’re bound to see is a country that delights in its food, especially sweets and pastries.
Any visitor to Macau would have to check out the original Lord Stow’s bakery in Coloane, which is a bus ride away from the city center. I entered the garden cafe not knowing that there are two Lord Stow’s stores just a few meters away. In there a family feud or something? They were all offering the world-famous Portuguese egg tarts , known in Macau as pastel (or pasteis) de nata. The Filipino waitstaff told me the real Lord Stow, a Brit, died just this year.
I love egg tarts, especially when they’re hot! Lord Stow’s has made a name for producing a flaky crust and soft to the bite custard that crumbles perfectly in your mouth. It went well with the fruit tea I ordered. Just regretted though ordering two tarts when just one made me full. Can you imagine all the egg yolk they put inside?
Bungee jumping off Macau Tower: for the ultimate adventure
An exciting point of my recent trip to Macau was my visit to Macau Tower, At 338 meters, it is on the world list as one of the highest towers, even taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris (324 m). The Macau Tower is one of the peninsula’s more famous landmarks and has been shown as a background in a number of movies.
Going up Macau Tower cost HK$100. Unlike the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, this one has a scenic elevator and you can see the Macau landscape along the way. Fearful of heights (don’t ask me why I chose to go up anyway), reaching the observation post made me scared because one part of the floor was made of glass (!!) and it felt creepy looking down. Eeeek!
“Thank God for this life!” – National Thank You Day concert pushes through
Before it became a crater, Glorietta 2 holds a lot of memories for everyone. A few of my friends were around the vicinity when the bombing occurred and am just thankful they’re safe and I was several miles away, working at the casino-hotel in faraway Manila. A few years back when the LRT bombing occurred, I was at riding the MRT at the same time, and it always gives me the creeps thinking about how close you can sometimes be to unfortunate events.
Second question is: how would you like to die (I like it quick) and the philosophers among us always philosophize that you cannot evade death no matter how hard you try to avoid it. How true? The only thing that matters now is that we really have to thank the Almighty for every chance we wake up in the morning with hope and light. The second most important thing to do is to always show our loved ones how we care for who knows if we have second chances.
In the aftermath of the Glorietta episode, I was literally star-gazing at the National Thank You Day concert sponsored by Toblerone. (see above photo of pretty ladies Nancy Castiglione, Cindy Kurleto and Bianca Gonzales). Everything seemed to be normal, even though it was held in another public place, the SM Mall of Asia. For a while, I thought there were more security men than people and you can’t blame them. I can just imagine how hard it must have been for the supersonic PR Amor Maclang (”my friendster even before Friendster was born”) to be planning the event in the wake of the Glorietta scare a day before. Still, the initiative was a success in terms of the media exposure it got and the very idea planted on everyone’s mind. We should have more of those Thank You posters in public places like trains, malls, offices and buses.
A big thank you to everyone who commented on my post, even those who are located abroad. I was glad to hear from some readers and to know that some of them are happy with their goodies. I am still wondering why some others are too shy to participate.:P Here’s some more artista photos to cheer you up:
Luis Manzano (Ate Vi’s boy, formerly known as Lucky) with Bianca Gonzales.
Why Macau is the new casino capital of the world
My gosh, why all those casinos and where do all those players get their mooney?!
Here’s a handy listing of all the casinos, hotels and other attractions that are soon to open in Macau:
MGM Grand Macau – Five-star hotel with huge ballroom, spa, nightclub, convention center, 1500-seat theater and a split-level casino with 300 tables and 1,000 slot machines. Target launch date: December 2007
Ponte 16 – Five-star, 420-room Sofitel hotel with 19 “VIP mansions,” spa, conference area, shops and casino. Target launch date: November 2007
Grand Lisboa – 433-room hotel of 47-storeys with casino, restaurants, shops and banquet halls. The first phase opened February 2007 and the whole tower will complete by 2008.
Wynn Diamond Suites – The expansion of Wynn Macau is an integrated resort with a casino, restaurants, theater and high-end retail. To open early 2008
Four Seasons Hotel Macau – Five-star hotel with 400 rooms, 600 serviced apartments, spas, restaurants, a shopping mall connected to The Venetian Grand Canal Shoppes, plus a casino with 50 tables and 300 slot machines. To open Spring 2008
City of Dreams – Composed of two hotels in Cotai Strip to be managed by Hyatt International, “an underwater integrated resort.” Target opening: Mid-2008
Galaxy Mega Resort – First phase to open in end 2008 with 1,500 deluxe rooms, suites, water park, spa, retail shops, restaurants, theater and casino with 450 tables and 1,000 slots.
Macao Studio City- First phase scheduled to open beside The Venetian by 2009, second phase in 2011. A complex of four luxury hotels: 300-room Ritz-Carlton, 1,000-room Marriott, 137-room david Tang boutique hotel and 563-room Wynn Macau. Will also have convention center, shopping mall, studio facilities, casino with 400 tables and a “40,000 square feet Playboy Mansion.”
My first look at The Venetian Macao – faux Venice of the Far East
The Venetian Macao Resort-Hotel was AWESOME. It’s a must-see when you’re in the territory because it’s the latest attraction there. Bigger than its counterpart in Las Vegas and sitting on 97 hectares of reclaimed land on the new Cotai Strip ( Cotai being a combination of Coloane and Taipa). The Venetian Macao is “large enough to hold ninety Boeing 747 jumbo jets” with 3,000 luxurious suites in its hotel, a 15,000-seater arena and 350 high-end stores in its Grand Canal Shoppes.
The Venice atmosphere is all over – from the winding canals to the romantic bridges, the Renaissance designs, the street performers and of course, the singing gondoliers (some of whom are Filipinos).
Last call for entries : Say thank you in the most creative way and win The Choco!
Using your most creative answer, leave me a comment or email me and get a chance to grab any of these :
P1,000.00 in gift certificates and Toblerone Chocolates for EACH of the Top 5 Most Creative Thank You Entries
Two tickets each to the National Thank You Day concert on Oct. 20 at the SM Mall of Asia for the first commenters (either bloggers or readers)
This blog supports the National Thank You Day initiated by chocolate giant Toblerone – your favorite and my favorite too. Join now. Tenchu.
Blogging since 2004 and recently married to Mr Z. I can't live without coffee....and brown sugar.
