Kanin Club @ Ayala Triangle

Today was the second time Sir Lester treated us for lunch because of *tooot*. I can't tell you why since he's keeping it a secret. ;) The first time was at Chili's during their Annual Big Mouth Burger Day. So again, thanks! We hope for more success to come! :))

We ate at Kanin Club (KC), Ayala Triangle. It's a Pinoy-inspired restaurant that serves yummy adobo, sinigang, kare-kare, dinuguan, and more traditional flavors. The choice was perfect since we recently celebrated the Philippine Independence Day. Connect, connect.

Anyway, KC serves delicious Pinoy food with a twist. They have surprised us with...

Sinigang na Sinangag a.k.a. Dry Sinigang (P224)

Where the taste of sinigang explodes in every mouthful even without the soup

 Crispy Dinuguan (P261)

Crispy pork bits (like Chicharon) in Dinuguan sauce (and yes! minus the liver!)

Adobo Combo

Chicken, Pork, and Liver-- all in one dish; plus its consistency is not "watery" which I love, and yet there's not that much oil too

Kare-Kare (P358)

Kare-Kare was overflowing. They have pork, veggies, and yum!-- beef tripe (twalya), cooked in peanut sauce and served with bagoong

Their KC Turon a la mode is also their best seller but we didn't order since we were all so full. After eating, despite the far distance from the office, we decided to walk to hopefully burn what we ate. :)) A must try, especially for groups and especially if you're craving for something Filipino.

Photos by Sandra

Cotton Candy Love

It's been a while since I last drew something. The last time was during college when we were required to submit storyboards. So last night, I pulled out some materials and since my last blog browse was about cotton candies and Maggie's blog, here's what I came up with:

"Fairy Tales and Cotton Candy Dreams" (Soft Pastel on Paper)

It was my first time to use soft pastel (like chalk) and it was difficult to be precise. The colors kept smudging. But after a while, I enjoyed mixing and blending the colors that made a soft overall look to the drawing.

Then here are some of my favorite cotton candy photos from Pinterest:

I was amazed on how people experiment with cotton candy to complement well-known drinks and desserts, like for example:

Cotton Candy Meringue and Cake

Cupcakes, and...

Drinks! Coffee or Martini (with cotton candy), anyone?

I remember as a kid, I would treat myself to a cup of cotton candy ice cream from Baskin-Robbins after school. It was my favorite flavor from BR. I was one of those who mourned when its Katipunan shop closed down. Good-bye to 30+ flavors of ice cream. :( Sadly, we don't have Baskin-Robbins in the country anymore.

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EXTRA THOUGHTS: 

Right now, a warfare is going on in my mind: whether to post drawings here or not.

 Since I want a "food blog", I'm supposed to stick to food/ product reviews and less on the personal side. Plus, my latest blog posts were more about inspiration/ photographs from other blogs, rather than reviews or recipes.

So, I thought of putting up another blog so I could be free to write and upload anything I like. But the thought was immediately rejected since I can't (-slash-I don't like to) maintain two blogs.

*Sigh* The last thing I want for this blog is for it to have an identity crisis. But okay. I really can't make another blog so I just have to do this. =)) Personal stuff will now be categorized under: RANDOM.
Besides, I stick to the blog's motto of good things are meant to be shared-- 
whatever that is.:)

Cupcake Craze

I've been thinking about my FAR future in baking/cooking and I feel that I would most enjoy making desserts particularly cupcakes, pies, and tarts. Then fast forward to that day, I would name my Facebook Fan Page (lol!) something like:

CUPS AND TARTS

 (Yay! It rhymes! :)) Think tea party theme)

Anyway, I'm currently browsing blogs for cupcake flavors and designs and I found FOUR fab blogs that offers them both: (Tongue Twister Alert: Found Four Fab Flavor Blogs -- repeat 10 times)

LOVE AND OLIVE OIL (http://loveandoliveoil.com/)

Chocolate Chip Dough Cupcake

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcake

Peach Bourbon Cupcake

SMITTEN KITCHEN (http://smittenkitchen.com)

Carrot Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Rootbear Float Cupcake

Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcake

CALL ME CUPCAKE (http://call-me-cupcake.blogspot.com/)

S'mores Cupcake

Banana Cupcake with Caramel Frosting

Oreo Cupcake

JOY THE BAKER (http://joythebaker.com/)

Ice-Cream Cupcake

 Carrot Cupcake with Dulce de Leche Frosting

Hot Fudge Sundae Cupcake

It would really be nice if these flavors were available here in the "Philippine cupcake market". 

For now, we can only try to experiment these in our homes and hope that our family and friends would love them. Because if not, then it's a sign for us to stick to salads and sandwiches. Which is sad.

Inspiration by The Food Club

Found a major inspiration for baking + amazing food + photography.

I love the traditional, country bakeshop feel. But the site is not limited to that.

Pic overload-- sorry, I just couldn't choose "some".

All of them looked so good. Now, only if I can understand Danish.

 http://www.thefoodclub.dk/ ♥

Starbucks' Asian Twist

Last June 14 (Tuesday), Starbucks Philippines launched its new set of pastries, drinks, and desserts that aims to infuse Asian flavor into its known niche of Western flavors.

For the pastries, they have:

I'm much excited for this trio since I love Starbucks' line of bread and sandwiches. They're healthy, tasty, and filled with awesome goodness. I haven't tried the new ones yet but I'd taste the Beef and Mushroom Pie first then the Bacon and Cheese second. Not so much of a Parmigiana fan.

Then they also have new drinks: (Ah, now this is Asian)

Hojicha Tea Jelly Frappuccino is inspired by the Japanese Hojicha tea that's different from other teas since this type is roasted instead of steamed, giving off a "toasty" flavor. Then the Red Bean Green Tea that pretty reminds me of the Red Beans we so love in our Halo-Halos!

They have a promo on-going right now to entice the public to try out their new line.We got to hurry! Promo is only from June 12 (Tuesday) to 17 (Sunday). Oh, don't forget to greet your dad a Happy father's day on the 17th!

Then of course, the caaaaakes:

Okay, so here's the story: KC invited me to a "sudden lunch out" when, afterwards, we craved for dessert. We were originally planning to buy ice cream, but we ended up in Starbucks instead. Then we saw the new cakes *wide eyes here*

The Green Tea and Berry Cheesecake is exquisite! It's creamy and light and has the right amount of sweetness to satisfy a dessert craving. Well, the green tea flavor isn't that dominant, but having that tiny hint is perfect. It's a must try! The Purple Yam Cake, meanwhile, is very Filipino and I love how Starbucks now embraces Filipino traditional sweets.

Got this picture from KC. Thanks for the 20-peso treat! HAHA. Sorry, I forgot to pay you! Let's try the other new ones as well next time? :) I heard they're on sale only for a limited time.

For more details, visit the Starbucks Philippines site. They have enticing descriptions for each item if you still need some push to try these out. :)))))

Luyong, Marikina

My family and I ate dinner just recently at Luyong, Marikina. A simple, affordable Chinese restaurant situated a few kilometers away from central town. It's big and spacious with an aura of a canteen-slash-cafeteria, but makes use of yellow light which makes it more classy.

I don't have much to write. I had no time to concentrate on "blogging matters" especially if it's my family I'm with. These are rare occasions that we're complete, so I didn't want to ruin the whole thing. ♥

My dad loves Luyong. Every time he wants to treat us out, it would be here. I bet he grew up loving it. Luyong is one of the oldest, most popular, and most respected local restaurants in the city. Everyone in Marikina knows it, especially the older ones. :)

They have great pancit (canton and lomi), soup, and lechon kawali! All their food is affordable and worth the money. *Menu plus their prices here*

They serve BIG and best when shared-- they're used to families and groups coming in to dine. They don't even have tables good for 2! So it's always best to come here with others-- that way you get to maximize the budget and you get to taste more viands too.

We were 5 that time, and I think we only paid around PhP 650-700. No service charge. And oh, here's my mom in case you haven't met her yet. ♥ I used her phone to take the pictures. :))

Thanks, Ma! ♥

P.S. I have been frustrated for the last 15 minutes trying to find out what year Luyong was first established! There's just no data! I hope the management knows the next time I eat there.

Announcement: Microwarehouse Sale and "Shoe In Love" Sale

Ack. This month of June has really been quiet for me. I am on a deliberate/intentional mission to save up for July because I'm treating my family to Puerto Princesa, Palawan to see one of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO's) World Heritage Sites in the country:

The Underground River! (Photo taken from: Inside My Backpack since I don't have my own pictures yet *winks stupidly*) Lovely, isn't it? So I have to turn down "eating dates" for this lovely thing.


I'm even excited for the food! Seafood in Palawan, they say, is great. Fresh stingray and eels. And I heard they have maggots. I have yet to explore. 


Anyway, since I don't have anything else to say, here are some big events this coming weeks:

I'm not a techie, but my friends say that they sell relatively cheap gadgets here. I was browsing through blogs regarding last year's Microwarehouse Sale and it had a lot of negative reviews mostly because the prices are still the same and they sell a lot of old models (which, I suppose, techies hate since they always want to be updated). 

Theeeen, there's also a mega shoe saaaale: (Entrance Fee at P50)

THIS I am excited about. :)) But I won't be going to any of this since, as I said, I have the Operation Palawan thing. P.S. This weekend I'll be going to Clark, Pampanga. Excited to post about it next week! Have a happy weekend everyone! :)

New Cookie Banner

I only have 24 blog entries as of today but I've changed my blog banner a gazillion times already.

Right now, my addiction to cookies has pushed me to make this banner yesterday. I looked for the perfect cookie picture that would go with the text and I was able to find it at:
http://unbelievablygoodcookies.com/index.html -- An online cookie store from Lincoln, Massachusetts.

So I had to ask permission from the owner if I could use the picture and the very kind Sir said that it was fine with him. I was so fond about the "cookie bite history" so I had to post his reply here:

:) Thanks again! I wish you all the best for your cookie shop! Also, I really feel that I'm keeping this banner up for a long time.

Sam :)