A Day in the Life: food

Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

Patrick's advanced birthday celebration at Buffalo's Wings N' Things

09 February 2016

Ready to Eat!

Last Christmas, I gave Patrick 2 Gift Vouchers worth P500 each for a restaurant we haven't tried - Buffalo's Wings N' Things. We used these coupons to celebrate his birthday and it was timely that today, Dana's school had a scheduled field trip which she didn't attend so she was able to celebrate with us. The GC's were restricted for Monday to Thursday visits only so we couldn't use it on his actual birth date and Patrick will be in Clark during the 11th and 12th so today's timing was perfect.

2015 Christmas Day

25 December 2015

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The day started bright and early despite the late night we had. I was first to be up and about since my biological clock unfailingly wakes me up at 630AM every day. I sorted out the gifts we received last night on the bed so that when the kids wake up, they'll be ready to be unwrapped :)

First time dining at Chopstop SM City Sta. Mesa

16 December 2015

Today, there was a declaration of "No Classes" because of Typhoon Nona. Though Metro Manila experienced some heavy rain, it was manageable because it wasn't continuous. Mostly, it was just really dark and windy. It was kind of fortuitous for Dana and I because we needed to go to the mall to buy her exchange gift and other stuff for her class Christmas party. So off we went to SM City Sta. Mesa because it was the closest mall and if it rained really hard, it would still be easier to get home from.

Trying out the Lucky House Lumpia and Fried Chicken restaurant along A. H. Lacson Street

02 November 2015

Today was not a holiday even though the country was commemorating All Souls' Day. Dana's school though made it a holiday so she didn't have to return to school until tomorrow. It was a regular day spent doing household chores. I should have gone to the cemetery to visit my Mom but as she is buried in the US, I couldn't and just thought about her during the day, as I always do.

But time really flies when you're doing something and then it was evening and we didn't have anything to eat. Patrick suggested we try out the Lucky House Lumpia and Fried Chicken restaurant along our street. We passed it before on our way home one time and we were intrigued because it was new.

Food: Revisiting the newly renovated Taco Bell in Cubao

In my previous post, we were already in Cubao and we needed to eat fast if we didn't want to be late for the 3PM showing of Rak of Aegis. So we decided to eat at Taco Bell since we passed it on the way from the Gateway Parking to the Fukuda Outlet Center.

Food: Papa John's 2 Family Pizzas All-In for P495 treat

Last August 19, the kids and I decided to order pizza for dinner. We settled on Papa John's Pizza because they were offering this Duo Saver - 2 Family Pizzas for P495. Now, considering that most pizzas cost P400 each for a Family-sized pizza, this deal is a bargain. But, you do have a certain selection of flavors to choose from: Italiano, Cheese Trio, John's Special, Cheesy Margherita and Bacon Cheeseburger. We chose Cheese Trio (the kids love cheese) and Bacon Cheeseburger (because it was a new flavor).

DIY: Bake your own Banana Bread

14 July 2015

We usually have bananas in the house but the problem is that if you don't eat them quickly, they can turn rotten so easily. So rather than let them go to waste, I thought I'd try my hand at making banana bread out of them. :) Naturally, I scoured Google for an easy-to-follow recipe and I found one here.

This recipe was very simple. I don't have a blender or a masher so everything I've done is by hand. If you have the equipment then feel free to use them :)

Ingredients:

4-5 medium-sized bananas (you can add more if you want)
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

Procedure:

Step 1: Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl then set aside

Step 2: Mix the butter, sugar and eggs in another bowl. Set aside.

Step 3: Peel the bananas then mash them.

Step 4: Mix the mashed bananas with the butter/sugar/eggs mixture. After that, put that mixture with the flour/baking soda/salt and just blend them together. Put it in a loaf pan (in my case a baking pan since I don't have a loaf pan). Oh and don't forget to spread some butter on the surface of the pan to prevent the bread from sticking.

Step 5: Put the pan in the oven (preheated at 350 degrees F). In the video I looked at, the baking time was 60-65 minutes. With the pan that I used, it only took 30-35 minutes. You can check if the bread is done if you stick a toothpick in the middle and when you pull it out, nothing sticks to it. That tells you that it's done.

We let it cool out of the oven when it was done. Here are my assistants enjoying our success :)

Received a Christmas Package from Del Monte Kitchenomics

February 11, 2015

Last December, I got an email from Del Monte Kitchenomics (I am subscribed to their newsletter) saying I have a chance to get a gift from them if I call the number in the email. Well, of course, I'm not one to pass up an opportunity to get a freebie so I did call as soon as I read the email. It took a while but I did get through.

They got my personal information and that was that. I forgot about it afterward. Then I got a call last week verifying the information I gave last Christmas. This time, they said I was one of the lucky participants and I will be receiving something via courier! I was excited to hear that and I couldn't wait to hear the doorbell ring!

First time at CaliBurger Timog

February 02, 2015

We ended up eating at CaliBurger Timog when our earlier trip to St. Peter's Crematorium went bust. Patrick's Uncle Rolly died and was cremated at around 7PM but we were only able to leave the house at 7PM due to Stanley's color coding. By the time we got there, everyone was gone.

We decided to have dinner before going home and Patrick drove us to CaliBurger Timog.

Food: Marikina Burrito Brothers and Crepeman

January 19, 2015

When I blogged about eating at Tamagoya's here, Patrick shared it on Facebook and my friend, Lily, saw it. It was the trigger which caused us to set a date to meet up in Marikina when we come to get Stanley back from his parking in Stevie's house. Lily mentioned so many food choices through text messages as we were trying to figure out where to meet. She also told me to Google "Marikina Food Tour/Trip" to get an idea of what I want to eat. The results were enough to make me drool hahha Finally, we limited our choices to Lilac street since we're already familiar with the location of Tamagoya. Lilac Street is where you'll end up if you follow the B. Soliven Avenue where Tamagoya is. Well, the date came and we first met up at Burrito Brothers at #69 Lilac Street, Marikina.

I didn't know what to expect so I was pleasantly surprised when we got to the location because the place seemed cozy. Patrick was a bit worried because there was really no parking space in front of the location though. Anyway, we got inside and saw Mother (we call her that because of a movie producer called Mother Lily) and it was like we just saw each other yesterday and not years ago. It was a great feeling!!

We moved to a bigger table and we browsed the menu while chatting and catching up. There were a number of choices of Mexican fare: Steak/Chicken burritos, Chicken Flautas, Tacos and Taco salads, Nachos, Chicken Fajitas, Quesadillas and more. Patrick, Dana and Mother ordered steak burritos, I ordered the chicken flautas, Dylan had the Quesadillas and we ordered Nachos and Grilled Chicken Fajitas to share. While we were waiting for our order, Patrick got up, took the poncho and hat from the hanger on the mall and put them on. It was hilarious. Since I wasn't sure if it was allowed, we asked the gyuys at the corner if we can fiddle with the costume and they said it was okay. :) Patrick took the smaller set and put it on Dylan. What do you think? hahaha

Mother and I have been friends for more than 20+ years and this was such a heartwarming reunion. It was perfect timing that it was the holiday because of Pope Francis' visit otherwise we probably wouldn't have the time. We picked a great spot to eat too because the food was great, it was reasonably priced, the place was clean and airy, and at that time there weren't too many people around yet.

Our next stop was at Crepeman because the kids wanted something sweet for dessert. Since Mother already told me about it, I said "Why not?" since we're already in the vicinity. So we drove down to Crepeman which was about 5 minutes away on the left side of Lilac street (if you're coming from Burrito Brothers). We were the only people at the store probably because it was still off-peak hours. The kids watched Kuya make and assemble the crepe. They were quite excited about it.

If I remember correctly, the kids ordered the Ferrero which was crepe with Nutella and Nuts (P90). Patrick ordered Mango which was crepe with sliced mango, chocolate spread, whipped cream and kisses (P90). I ordered Peaches which was crepe with peaches, choco spread, whipped cream and kisses (P90). Lily only had coffee.

Here are the pictures of their menu:

Peaches

I really liked the crepes because they're crispy ! Of course when you have something like peaches or mangoes, they will naturally soften the crepe so you have to eat it fast. But the texture of the crepe complements well with the sweetness of the chocolate and the tangy taste of the peaches. It was big enough to satisfy sugar cravings too :) I liked the setup because it was small but practical and they have a clean bathroom too :)

I don't think this will be the last time we'll visit Marikina for a Marikina Food trip. I think the trick is to go on the off-hours to appreciate the food without worrying about parking. AND, you have to be hungry when you start out :D

Another tasty trip to Tamagoya

January 14, 2015

Some of you may know that Pope Francis is due to visit the Philippines from January 15-19. As part of his itinerary, he will be visiting the University of Santo Tomas. The reason why I'm mentioning it is because I learned today that we had to move Stanley, who is currently parked on the sidewalk because we have a test unit parked in the garage, to a different parking area for security reasons. The Pope and his entourage will be passing by the street in front of our house and no car should be on the sidewalk when they pass on their way to UST. So, we had to find Stanley a new parking slot for the duration of the holiday.

We then ended up bringing Stanley to Stevie's house in Marikina so he can be safely parked in their garage and we didn't have to pay for parking fees. I think overnight parking fees near our area cost P300 for overnight parking. Anyway, that's why Patrick and I ended up visiting Tamagoya once again. We first visited Tamagoya last year. We liked the food so much that, because now we were in the vicinity again, we couldn't pass up the chance. This time, I was able to take pictures too hahaha

I ordered the Miso Ramen and Patrick ordered the Tamagoya ramen. My miso ramen came with togue (monggo sprouts), a bit of nori, a slice of pork, an egg and corn kernels. It was a good combination of salty (miso) and sweet (corn). It was delish! :) Patrick's Tamagoya ramen included bamboo shoots, pork and nori. We shared an order of pan-fried gyoza too.

Miso Ramen = P158

Tamagoya Ramen - P198

Pan-Fried Gyoza = P98

The last time we ate at Tamagoya, we were offered Choux Creme for dessert. It was what we know as Creme Puff, a light crusty pastry with a creme filling. I'm a sucker for creme puffs and that time we ordered the regular one and one with a strawberry filling. This time, Patrick and I ordered the regular Choux Creme each. It's the perfect way to clear your taste buds of the oil of the ramen :) It was really good and there was a lot of filling! Sometimes, creme puffs can be disappointing because it's more bread than filling. Glad it wasn't the case here :D

Choux Creme (Creme Puff) = P48

Choux Creme (inside)

Before leaving, naturally, I had to visit the restroom and I took a photo of it too hahaha It's quite small but clean. This was the downstairs bathroom. There's also another one on the 2nd floor. There was good running water, tissue, soap and a trash can.

Female Bathroom (downstairs)

So, here's our receipt.

Our Receipt

If you want to visit Tamagoya Noodle House, they are open Tuesdays - Sundays (Monday-Closed) 11AM - 2PM and 5PM - 9PM only. They are often full so expect a bit of waiting time. Here is their address: 2 VV Soliven Avenue, Barangay Mayamot, Antipolo City. Phone 861-86-31.

What's interesting about Tamagoya is that they also don't accept tips because as they say, "It is their pleasure serving you".

Last Gimmick for the Year at Greenhills

December 30, 2013

Well, it's almost the last day of the year and we're spending it in Greenhills :) We were only supposed to buy some groceries for the New Year but Patrick decided to visit Greenhills so we did.

Trip to UST Museum

June 28, 2013

The trip to the UST Museum was initiated from a simple FB post made by my High School friend Maita who wrote about playing Chinese Garter in the College of Science. Since I was from the College of Science, I immediately thought of the egg sandwiches that I used to have for lunch and snacks there. I asked Maita if they still had them and they did!! That prompted me to meet up with her and combine a trip to the UST Museum since that's where she works.

Just for fun, here is the FB post where we were discussing the food at the UST Varsity Canteen :) The truth was, we've been planning to meet up for so long but we never quite managed to make the schedules work. But in this instance, fate was with us and we were finally given the chance to see each other!

By the time that Dylan and I arrived, it was already snack time so we trooped first to the 4th Floor of the Main Building and had our snacks there. Naturally, I had egg sandwiches and they were still the best. Sure brought back memories!! Dylan loved them too and it was an eye-opening experience for him to be eating at the top of a building hahahaha

After our merienda, we went back down to the UST Museum and Dylan and I were given a guided tour by Maita. There was a new wing to the UST Museum called the Hall of Philippine Religious Images that wasn't there when I was a student (okay so it was a long time since I've been back). This consisted of religious artifacts brought by our Spanish colonizers and some which were locally-made in celebration of the Catholic faith.

From the UST Museum website

Dylan was especially fascinated by the Natural History collection. Who wouldn't? Even I was particularly interested in these specimens of Philippine fauna.

We were also fortunate that at the time we were there, students from the Conservatory of Music were holding their recital and we were treated to really good classical, symphonic music. The acoustics in the Museum were exceptional.

Maita, Dylan and I

If you want to visit the UST Museum, they're open from Tuesday to Saturday, 830AM to 430PM but are closed during Public and University holidays. Thomasians may enter free of charge upon presentation of UST I. D. or Alumni Card. Non-Thomasian Professionals will be charged PHP50.00 each while Non-Thomasian Students will be charged PHP30.00.

Kids: Dylan's Graduation Celebration

March 21, 2013

After the Graduation Ceremony at San Beda College, we all trooped to Mall of Asia for Dylan's celebration. We first had lunch at Masuki, one of our favorite noodle houses. We had our usual orders of Chicken Mami, Beef Wanton Mami and Siopao. They have hefty servings so you end up really full! Just look at the size of the siopao and it's not just air :)