RSS Feed

May, 2010

  1. Chic-Boy: Balamban Cebu liempo goes to Manila

    May 31, 2010 by ajay

    I’ve long been craving for Balamban liempo ever since it’s been written about by some food bloggers, notably marketmanila. Pork belly or LIEMPO is one of my sinful joys and biting into the border where melt-in-your-mouth fat meets tender lean meat gives me one gustatory high!

    Alas, there’s no sign that am going to Cebu anytime soon. Balamban is the place in the Queen City of the South where they sell the becomingly popular tasty liempo which is stuffed with herbs and other condiments in between, then roasted to juicy perfection. Imagine, my relief when we went to this place called Chic-Boy (short for chicken and baboy). They didn’t boast of offering Balamban-style liempo, but it looks like one, all right….. :D

    Chic-Boy
    (more…)

    Category Munchin' | Tags: ,,,,,,,, | 5 Comments

  2. Maitre Chocolatier Boutique Cafe, Makati

    May 31, 2010 by ajay

    P1010298

    We were looking for a dessert place, and was supposed to go to good ol’ Whistlestop when our attention was caught by its classy-looking neighbor, bathed in subdued lights on a balmy evening. The sign said Boutique Cafe, and the image of a mannequin by the entrance dressed in elegant clothes confused me a bit. Surely, there wasn’t any frocks sold in this place, only chocolates of every kind of mouth-watering incarnation.Welcome to Maitre Chocolatier…

    P1010305

    At first glance, it looked like a chocolate wonderland with those baskets of Toblerones and bouquets of Ferreros on the shelves. Not to mention a freezerful of different flavors of ice cream in a corner. Looking at the menu, I had to remind myself that we were there for the dessert. I was like a kid in a sweet shop or a bingo fan who had been given free bingo games. My curiosity was certainly piqued with menu items like fried eggplant in chocolate sauce (for the antipasti) and the beef medallion steak in chocolate mustard sauce (listed as an entree). Okay, how about Garden Fresh Salad with White Chocolate Orange Vinaigrette? :D The place certainly lived and breathed chocolate!
    (more…)

    Category Munchin' | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,, | No Comments

  3. Memorable first quiche: from a YUMMY recipe

    May 29, 2010 by ajay

    Quiche (pronounced keesh) –noun
    a pielike dish consisting of an unsweetened pastry shell filled with a custard and usually containing cheese and other ingredients, as vegetables, seafood, or ham: spinach quiche.

    via dictionary.com

    Making a quiche is high on my list of must-do kitchen projects. Luckily, with the birth of our baby and a loving husband who’s hands on in helping take care of her, my motivation is high to whip up something special. Yes indeed, the advent of a special moment calls for a mini-celebration, like the roasted tomato, caramelized onion and olive quiche which greeted us for breakfast this Friday morning.

    P1010327

    Thanks to Yummy Magazine’s May 2010 issue for the recipe of this lovely quiche. A bit fussy to make but which gave me a satisfying sense of fulfillment to finish. Before this, I was quite content sampling Starbucks’ quiche lorraine with a tall glass of San Pellegrino arranciata. Now I can very well savor this at home, or share with friends at the next potluck party.

    P1010286

    What I like about quiches is that they’re filling, yet healthy. A vegetarian or somebody who wants to lose weight (okay, that’s me) can choose veggies, seafood and herbs for the toppings, pop ‘em in the oven and go. YUMMY’s current issue devotes six pages of pictures and recipes for an assortment of quiches, using delectable ingredients like pumpkin, feta, basil, mushroom, goat cheese, salami and the whole lot of them. I chose Roasted Tomato, Caramelized Onion and Olive because I had the ingredients in our pantry. Besides, didn’t I tell you this was special? ;)
    (more…)

    Category Munchin' | Tags: ,,,,,,, | 2 Comments

  4. Bobs Magallanes: bbq + burgers + desserts & more

    May 26, 2010 by ajay

    Baby Lucy just had her first visit to her pedia, and it’s a happy coincidence that her doctor’s clinic is just beside the fairly new Bob’s Restaurant in Paseo de Magallanes. The resto is a sentimental favorite for my friends from Bacolod, and having been to Cafe Bob’s in the City of Smiles, I don’t have to wonder why. Bob’s serves down-home comfort food, mostly American favorites like barbecue, baby back ribs and burgers.

    The only thing about Bob’s lone branch (so far) in Manila is the location. This pitstop in Paseo de Magallanes is quite secluded. Let’s hope visibility will improve when they open their second outlet in Legaspi Village, Makati soon. Besides, why not in the malls too? Am sure there are lots of people who will like and patronize their food.

    At the Magallanes branch, the walls are filled with printed murals about Bob’s history, the owners Dr. & Mrs. Sicangco as well as the menu way back in the 1940s when burgers cost only three pesos :D

    Bobs Magallanes

    Without hesitation, I ordered their bestseller Sate Babe or pork barbecue with peanut sauce (P145, for two sticks). Mmm, yummy, and the pairing with their perfectly cooked java rice was superb. This one could give Aristocrat a run for their money. It easily assuaged my hunger pangs because I was eating lunch at 4 p.m…. phew!

    Bobs Magallanes
    (more…)

    Category Munchin' | Tags: ,,,,,,, | 6 Comments

  5. Shalani Soledad interview with Kris Aquino on The Buzz: let’s wait and see what happens next

    May 25, 2010 by ajay

    I missed seeing The Buzz last Sunday where Kris Aquino interviewed President-to-be Noynoy Aquino’s girlfriend of almost two years, Shalani Soledad. Thank God for Youtube we were able to see it. The full transcript of the interview is also on the ABS-CBN website and Barrio Siete.

    Their love story has been likened to that of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline (Jackie) Bouvier. Like Noynoy and Shalani, he was also a senator and she was a reporter when they first met. We’re closely watching developments on their story. After all, by becoming President of the Philippines, he now becomes the most eligible bachelor in the country. Will his friendship with Shalani (who is 20 years his junior) end up at the altar, or will he stay single all his life?
    (more…)

    Category 2010 elections, People | Tags: ,,,,,,, | 2 Comments

  6. Sony Philippines first-ever 3-day BIG Sale

    May 20, 2010 by ajay

    Sony Big Sale

    Am putting this on my calendar: Sony Philippines’ first-ever three-day BIG Sale from May 28 to 30, 2010 at the Megatent in Ortigas, Pasig. Opening hours: 10 am to 9 p.m.

    We’ve been warned: discounted items will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. The early bird gets the worm :D

    Sony’s wide array of products and gadgets will be on sale: VAIO laptops, Sony Cybershots, Bravia LCD TVs, Walkmans, Handycams, car stereos, Sony Ericsson phones and a whole lot more!
    (more…)

    Category Life & Living | Tags: ,,,,,, | 4 Comments

  7. Wyeth & Alagang Healthway Card tie-up

    May 20, 2010 by ajay

    Alagang Healthway

    Just as soon as we arrived home from the hospital, my Alagang Healthway card was waiting for me in the mail. Healthway is a one-stop clinic and it’s so convenient because they’re located in the major malls.

    I like what the Healthway card offers: unlimited family medicine consultations; one free pediatric consultation; 15% discount on laboratory, diagnostic, dental and imaging services; 10% discount on vaccines.

    Helpful for a new mom like me!

    It’s now easy for everyone to get this health card for free with the clinic’s tie-up with Wyeth Pre-School Gold. Simply present a valid receipt of purchase of any size of Wyeth Pre-School Gold, dated May 1-July 31, 2010 at any Healthway branch to claim a free Alagang Healthway card.
    (more…)

    Category Health & Beauty | Tags: ,,,,, | No Comments

  8. No sweat! The wonderful world of online baby stores

    May 19, 2010 by ajay

    Shopping (read: retail therapy) was the one thing I sorely missed while pregnant. The heaviness of my belly just made it uncomfortable for me to walk from Point A to Point D of the mall. Thankfully, we got lots of stuff (mostly clothes) from relatives and the office baby shower. Hubby also happily took charge of choosing the crib, car seat and stroller. Chicco was one great store to shop in since they discounted your total bill by 10 per cent if you become a member for just P100. Here’s the Mr. Z in action at the Chicco store :D

    Chicco

    Being the bag hag, I wanted to be serious about choosing my own designer diaper bag, preferably in the line of a Kate Spade or the Hammit Bel Air used by Angelina. In the end, I decided to go local with a utilitarian bag from 2 Oranges, a Multiply seller. Mostly I chose it because it’s got a nice shade of red, the same color as the baby’s Chicco car seat and stroller :D

    Bag by 2oranges
    (more…)

    Category Baby & Pregnancy | Tags: ,,,,,,,, | 1 Comment

  9. Fear not, the Cesarean section….

    May 19, 2010 by ajay

    CP Manahan Pavilion, Makati Med

    Warning: pretending to be medical post ahead.

    A friend of mine said she couldn’t imagine going under the knife to deliver a baby. I also had this fear, prior to having last week’s C-section even though I’ve had it before. I guess it’s just something you’ll have to face head-on. A Cesarean is a major abdominal surgery, all right, but it is also one which gives the biggest bonus since you get to bring home a breathing bundle of joy ;)

    Truth is, I’ve had a normal delivery with my son (where unfortunately labor was induced) and two consecutive C-Sections, ten years apart. Still I can say I preferred my Cesarean than the normal, if only because I recovered easier with the former than the latter. With normal delivery, I found it the hardest dealing with a zipped-up perineum where usual routines like sitting down and answering the call of nature take much effort and require a higher pain threshold. The only downside with a Caesarean is that it’s more expensive and you get to sport a scar in your tummy (although I heard that can even be made invisible now with laser surgery.)

    Lest this be misinterpreted, I will always doff my hat to women who give birth the traditional, natural way and even those who do so at home being aided by hilots and midwives.
    (more…)

    Category Baby & Pregnancy | Tags: ,,, | Comments Off

  10. Welcome to the world baby Lucy!

    May 16, 2010 by ajay

    P1010240

    Hubby and I welcomed the newest (and last!) addition to the family, our daughter Lucia Solenn – a.k.a. Lucy – last May 13. Although I was scheduled to have my C-section on May 17 yet, she chose to arrive on the 13th which was the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima. As I was telling my friends, it’s a nice coincidence that Lucia, the name I thought of before I gave birth, was known as one of the three shepherd children who saw the Virgin Mary’s apparitions in Fatima in 1917. Perhaps it is God’s way of telling me to start my devotion to the Holy Rosary again ;)

    I didn’t really expect to give birth a few days early. But early dawn of the 13th (about 3:30 a.m.), I felt an immense gush of “water” that stained even our bed. I consulted my pregnancy book and my doctor who told me that my amniotic fluid just broke and labor would begin soon. We immediately rushed to my chosen hospital (the Makati Medical Center). I was a bit afraid, yes, because I didn’t really relish the thought of being poked and pricked by instruments again.

    Thank God everything turned out to be smooth and my fears were unfounded. My OB-gynecologist, Dr. Martin Manahan, started the C-Section at 7 a.m. and delivered our baby at 7:06 a.m. Wow! That was fast! It was quite an experience seeing our baby and hearing her cry right there in the operating room. Hello Lucy ~_~!

    P1010233

    Lucy at 2 days old. Burp time!

    (more…)

    Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

    Category Baby & Pregnancy | Tags: ,,,,,,, | 21 Comments

Older Entries