FOODIE FRIDAY : Blenderbox

Saw this  along Aguinaldo Highway (right after SM Bacoor) on my way home one night:

Was not quite sure what they serve, so one drizzling Saturday afternoon, I together with 3 much younger yuppies, went to the place to check it out. 

Upon entering the place, I was greeted by this fresh sight:

Impressive! and looks expensive too. I must admit I was a bit intimidated and immediately presumed it is going to be a pricey merienda. But I'm glad we did not back out and  decided to see what the place offers. We arrived at the place a little after 4 pm. Luckily it was still empty (they open at 3 pm) so we were able to take some photos and really see every detail without annoying other diners. The place was well ventilated, couches comfy and I really liked the brick accent wall. 

Turns out blenderbox serves Milk tea as their main product, as evident on their menu board. I took a closer look and saw that they also have milkshakes, sandwiches, pasta, salads and rice meals yes rice meals... steak at that! 

Here is what I ordered :

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP : Grilled cheese sandwich , fish and chips and hot nutella

The grilled cheese sandwich (Php 119.00) was what it was, a grilled cheese sandwich. What was special about this piece is the fries. They used parmesan cheese instead of salt to season it so it added a little more flavor. The salad was a nice touch too, but I am not really a huge fan of green leafy things. 

The fish and chips (Php 119.00) was something I loved... specially the way the fish was prepared. Not too salty and crisp just right.  The tartar sauce was nice too. I would have wanted just plain salted potato chips instead of cheese-flavored. Maybe next time I would state my preference. 

Hot Nutella (Php 95.00) Now who does not love Nutella? I was not in the mood for cold drinks so I opted to try this drink. Milk + Nutella = a sweet tooth's delightful drink. You might want to think twice about the sugar packet though, mine got too sweet because I did not taste the drink first before adding the sugar. Oh well I guess I am not one to risk having sugar -related unhappiness. 

I am not a certified food critic,it is either I love it or I don't.  so I will just let you drool at the other items that we ordered:

Carbonara (Php 199.00)

Caesar Salad (Php 129.00)

Blenderclub Sandwich (199.00)

Red Velvet Cake ( I forgot how much we paid for this but this was real, authentic red velvet cake! Cream cheese icing!)

Milk Tea ( Php 90.00 to Php100.00)

and last but definitely not the least. This:

Oreo Milkshake!!! Served in Mason Jars! I love Mason Jars! (php 95.00 to Php 105.00)

If you just want to hang out and enjoy a little lazy afternoon catching up with friends, then this could be a good place. Much like how one would hang out at Starbucks, except this place is not crowded and  over populated with high school students taking selfies with their fraps! 

Oh before I forget, should you want to visit the place, pin a little note on their corkboard, something like this that I saw on their FB page. 

don't you think the penmanship looks awfully familiar?

KITCHEN ADVENTURE : toaster smores

Saw this on my cousin Ken's FB page a few days ago.

SMORES!!! & I decided to make some too, because I am naturally inggitera that's why! And also because I have always considered cooking a stress-buster. Maybe because with cooking I can feel a sense of fulfillment when I hear that what I made can be classified as "above palatable". Don't get fooled by the corporate-career-oriented facade, it may be a surprise to know that I am also domesticated. Just last week I cooked laing, and a few weeks back, fried Oreos.

After a long day, I was lucky enough to be able to hitch a ride with my colleague. So I got home home earlier than usual. Deciding I have done enough excel files for a day, I rushed to a nearby minimart and purchased the stuff I need to make my own version of smores for the first time. 

Smores is supposed to be chocolate bars with toasted marshmallows sandwiched between graham crackers. Chocolate bars is not a staple in our house, so I used chocolate syrup instead. Below are the ingredients I used:

• graham crackers
• marshmallows
• chocolate syrup
• cookie butter

I started with just 4 pieces of graham crackers. The first thing I did was to carefully cut the graham crackers into squares. Laid 6 graham cracker squares on a plate, the remaining squares were set aside. Next, I placed choco syrup on 3 graham squares and cookie butter on the remaining graham squares.

Time for something soft and fluffy.

Now let's see if these darlings are ready to take the heat...

Ours is a regular oven toaster which does not have adjustable temperature settings. Depends on the toaster's settings, I think toasting can be done between 3 to 6 minutes. Take the mallows out too soon and it may not melt, leave it too long inside and it might totally burn. Since this is the first time I am doing this, I made sure I watched the mallows closely. 

now we just place graham squares on top of these beauties.

Ok these may not be as pretty looking  as the ones in Ken's photo but the YUM factor is stupendous!

Made 12 smores in less than 20 minutes and now my sugar level has skyrocketed.  I am not sure  when I can finally shut my eyes and get some much needed sleep. 

Sweet night everyone! :)

FOODIE FRIDAY : When I fall in RUB!

I am seriously thinking of converting this blog into a foodie blog. The last posts are all about my gastronomic adventures,  and this one is no different. 

Me and my cousin Ken  has this urge to completely try every restaurant we see in Kapitolyo, and the fact that we live in Cavite seem to be not a hindrance. What stops us from being there as much as we want is budget constraints. So we save up and delight ourselves one little restaurant at a time. 

One of our latest food-venture is a quick dinner at RUB BBQ and Ribs. 

We went to Kapitolyo after seeing Transformers, an  APMC free movie treat for their employees and I got lucky enough to get free movie passes c/o my cousin Carlo. I love love love Ayala... and Carlo too... but maybe not as much as Ayala! We arrived at RUB and was lucky enough to get the last parking space available. The area in front of their establishment can only accommodate 4 vehicles. 

After we alighted from the vehicle, I was not surprised that we had to wait to be seated and served, after all it was a Saturday. While we were waiting outside, Foursqure alerted us to try RUB's buffalo wings and fried Oreos. Since it was my first time at this establishment, I immediately requested for a menu so I can check on what they offer and see if it is within my budget. 

A single rib meal with rice and a side dish costs PHP 220.00. Not bad. Before we were even able to decide on what to order, we were already ushered to our seat. The place was relatively small. It could probably seat a maximum of 50 comfortably. I love the chalkboard menu and the framed posters. My favorite poster was the one with a Rocky quote that says " Going in one more round when you don't think you can that's what makes all the difference in your life. "

We each ordered a rib meal and decided to try different side dishes. 

I am the bacon addict so I went with bacon and potato salad side

Carlo wanted the  Grilled butter corn  side

and Ken decided to have roasted garlic mashed potato 

Aside from the sides that we ordered, they also have potato fries, garlic spinach and mushroom, texan toast, coleslaw, buttered vegetables and spiced fried rice ( or sprice). All can be ordered at PHP 85.00 each. We decided to try the sprice.

a cup of sprice for PHP 85.00, a bit pricy for extra rice

 As recommended by foursquare, we ordered their buffalo chicken wings. And to complete our meal, we also ordered a pitcher of their house blend iced tea which I really loved. We decided not to order the highly recommended fried oreos, there simply was no more room in our tummies.

A juicy yummy steal at PHP 260.00

Service was surprisingly fast, considering the place was really packed. We got our Ribs in less that 15 minutes after we have ordered it. Downside was it was not as hot as I would have wanted it. Seems they have anticipated a huge crowd and prepared the ribs way ahead of time. 

I was a bit disappointed with my bacon potato salad, it could have been more bacon-y. But hey, we went here for the meat, not for the sides. so yeah, I did  love how the meat fall off the bone with the slightest effort and I loved how the are very very very generous with their sauce. 

Once again, a meat-filled meal made me a happy little carnivore! 

FOODIE FRIDAY : Tim Ho Wan

TIM HO WAN literally means "add good luck" but if you are anything like me and my cousin Ken: equally curious to experience how it is like to eat at presumably the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant, you probably need to "add patience" too, because we had to wait for exactly 2 hours and 19 minutes to be seated and served. 

Tim Ho Wan opened its first branch in the Philippines at the newest wing ( I think it is named Fashion Hall) of SM Megamall. Operations starts at 12:00 noon. Last Sunday, me, Ken and Jem decided to try it before watching a volleyball game.  When we arrived at 10:27 am, there was already a group of people lining up. I was secretly hoping that the long queue would somewhat be a cause for concern for the mall management and that would eventually pressure Tim Ho Wan to accept customers earlier than their posted schedule. I was wrong. 

We were ushered to our table at around 12:46 pm. Too bad we were seated outside, I wanted to check on their interiors. From the outside, I saw that their lighting fixtures were decorated with wooden steamers. Since we already have a copy of their liners that also serves as their menu, ordering came easy. Besides, they only have a few items on their menu to choose from. 

Ordering is pretty straightforward, just write down the quantity next to the item that you would like to have. After submitting your order sheet, a summary of the items ordered will be placed on your table which will later serve as a reference for them to check if they have already served the items you have ordered. As the food items arrive, they will cross it out from the list. 

Service was really fast, considering that there were plenty of people to serve. There was a staff standing by our table named Jen was very pleasing and readily acknowledged our requests. Empty plates and steamers were immediately cleared.  

Top on our list is their Big four heavenly Kings:

1. Baked Buns with BBQ Pork - PHP 145.00 for 3 pieces 

I am not surprised that this is the very first thing listed on their menu. I LOVED IT! This was definitely worth the 2-hour wait. Seriously. I have never tasted anything quite like it before. Buns were soft, I don't know but to me it felt like it melted in my mouth. was it crunchy? No, it felt more like it was crusty with just the right sweetness. The pork inside didn't taste anything like savory BBQ, I think it was more asado-ish. 

2. Pan Fried Carrot Cake - PHP 145.00 for 3 pieces

For me cake = dessert. Much like the raddish cake that I am familiar with, this carrot cake was not in any way a "cake". It tasted like vermicelli with bits of meat which to me seemed like chorizo ( which at first I thought was carrots).  It tasted good though, after I dipped it in soy sauce. I wonder now if this is the proper way of eating it. 

3. Steamed egg cake - PHP 85.00

I honestly thought it is just puto (our local rice cake), but it was different. It was softer and fluffier. It tasted like a reduced-sweetness Kopiroti bun. I liked it too, but not half as much as I liked the baked buns.

4. Vermicelli roll with Pig's liver - PHP 150.00 for 3 pieces

When Ken told me that we were going to order everything categorized as Heavenly King, I wanted to object. Because I did not want to spend on something I know I will not be eating with much gusto, after all I am not really very fond of pig's liver. But I gave in and ended up swallowing huge chunks of this pig's liver roll, followed by a huge gulp of jasmine tea. And Ken did not eat it either. 

We stood for more than 2 hours so we needed more sustenance. Good marketing strategy Tim Ho Wan, you successfully made us order more than what we intentionally wanted to try. We also ordered prawn dumpling, spinach dumpling with shrimp , Glutinous rice with lotus leaf ( i think this is what we call ma tsang), vermicelli roll with beef and rice with beef and fried egg.  Nothing spectacular really. After all it is dim sum. A dash of soy sauce, a dollop of chili oil and everything should be fine.  It took us less than an hour to finish everything.  Add 2 glasses of iced tea and a pot of jasmine tea,we paid a total of PHP 1,786.00.

 

Maybe my tastebuds have not yet fully upgraded, maybe I am not yet ready for Michelin-star standard restaurant food. Because honestly, the only silver lining from the "2-hour-OMG-this-is-the-most-poorly-managed-queue-I-have-ever-endured" was the yummy pork bun. That and nothing else. 

FOODIE FRIDAY : Falling Madly In Love with Mad Mark's

I am carnivorous. I love meat so it goes without saying that a place that serves reasonably priced steak is somewhere I feel most at home. 

My cousin Ken has raved about Mad Mark's so when he got his first salary, the whole family grabbed dinner at their branch in Glorietta 5. The second time I ate at Glorietta was after a so-so gym session at Gold's Gym, and the third time was special... because we ate for free!!!

Ken won GC's from pepper.ph

We were there a little before 11 am, place was pretty isolated save for a couple dining at one corner. We had time to take photos of the place without feeling embarrassed. Place was decorated with framed photos with trivia information on items on their menu and its ingredients. The place was small, could probably seat not more than 40 people comfortably but it was cozy and well-lit.

ohh that huge Nutella jar!

A clipboard holds their menu, the first couple of times we were here, their menu was nothing fancy, black and white on a bond paper. But they have since upgraded. The menu now is colored and laminated. 

 

STEP 1. Choose a dish & serving size

We each ordered a regular steak. 

STEP 2. State your preferred doneness

We both wanted our steak to be medium well

STEP 3. Choose a sauce

We are in love with the Bootstrap steak sauce

STEP 4. Finish it with side dishes

Mine had smashed potato and house salad  while Ken chose rice and bacon potato salad.

Since we still have money to spare, we also ordered a happy camper sandwich, cajun fries and a pitcher of Iced tea.

First to be served was the iced tea. I like their iced tea. I know that it is not just Nestea jazzed up with calamansi. It was a bit too sweet though... but I'm okay with sweet. 

Did we really order food enough for 3 people?
I think they were right to assume. 

Service was relatively fast, but maybe because there was no one else to attend to. Next came our Happy Camper sandwich (it was HUGE!!!) and cajun fries.

this is just my portion of the sandwich.
Ken got the other half.

Figured I can not just stuff this in my mouth.
Enter fork and knife.

salty carbs! complimented our sandwich well. 

I am not sure what their dressing is for the Happy Camper Sandwich, but I did taste a hint of curry. The crunchy roll was generously stuffed with diced chicken pieces and smothered with caramelized onion and slices of bell pepper. The half sandwich that I ate was enough to make me full. I did not eat much of the fries because I know I have to save some tummy room for my steak. 

For the main event... Drum roll please. 

My steak! That thing wrapped in foil is my smashed potato. I have expected my steak a little less done than this, but it was still ok. I did not have to use an awful lot of force to cut it. I requested for additional sauce since they used to give like a quarter of a jigger for free upon request. But now they charge ( i think it was 15 pesos) for half a jigger. I am not one to risk experiencing any sauce-related unhappiness for a minimal amount so I paid for my sauce. 

and this is Ken's steak:

I remember them being more generous with bacon for the potato salad. 

I was not able to finish my smashed potato because I was already feeling nauseous. But Mad Mark's boasts of its home made ice cream and that is something that I will not let pass. 

Double scoop ice cream cost 160 pesos, but you can choose different flavors.  I took Madagascar Vanilla Bean and Strawberries and cream. I think Ken chose the half baked madagascar and another flavor that was not on the menu. I think their Ice cream flavors vary from day to day. So it is best to check the menu board. 

I have forgotten how the ice cream tastes though, I guess it is time to pay them a visit again. But maybe this time, I will drop by their Kapitolyo branch. Because I heard the prices are cheaper there... now that we really need to pay for everything. Except probably when Ken gets to win more vouchers. 

Say Hi Haneda!

I don't normally post work related stuff, but I am making an exception just for today. 

I didn't get to take a seat for approximately 4 hours, walked around the airport terminal wearing 3-inch heels. The heat was terrible and I was wearing a blazer. But I am not complaining, it was an event worth the sore legs and blistered toes. I got to witness All Nippon Airways' inaugural flight to Haneda! 

I arrived at the airport at around 11:20am, just in time to witness the customary welcoming of the passengers before the check-in process starts. It was so nice to see familiar faces and it was heartwarming to know that they noticed that I no longer attend to their flights. Have to admit, I really miss handling flights with this group:

The check-in area used to be my turf, walking around and attending to passengers. But now it was different, I had to register, which is not really a bad thing because I was handed an ANA paper bag. Yey! A loot bag with some stuff to read regarding ANA... its history and its monumental success,a luggage tag and a multi-nation travel adapter inside.

thanks for these treats!

A little corner behind the boarding area was set up. It was where most of the guests stayed and where lunch  was served. The passengers were provided canapés (or cupcakes? not sure here.)  served at the boarding area and a group of dancers performed some cultural dances.

The best part of this event: I got to witness a water salute for the first time! As per Wikipedia, a water salute occurs for ceremonial purposes when a vehicle travels under plumes of water expelled by one or more firefighting vehicles. Just like the one below!

Let me tell you a little secret... They currently have a promo and you can avail of round trip tickets to Haneda from Manila for just USD 200.00 plus taxes! More or less PHP21,000.00 taxes included. They will run this promo until the end of April 2014, perfect timing for cherry blossom viewing. I suggest you visit ANA's website for more information.

japan-guide.com

Too bad this is OOB (out of budget) , I have planned a visit to Japan next year, that is what my travel savings is for. Then 2 years from now is Europe! Then Peru... then the terracotta soldiers... and the list goes on and on and on. 

MONEY MONDAY : Week 12 of the 52-week money challenge

Checked my jar: I now have a total of 1, 950 pesos. In as much as I have been a lazy blogger, I have not missed any "put-that-savings-in-the-jar" duties. And I have also not forgotten to remind my friends to do the same. 

Hate to say it but I almost gave up on this challenge... after I saw my Income Tax Return Documents. Looking at how much of my hard earned money went to taxes made me feel not too good about talking about my savings. If only half of it had gone to my savings. It is just too frustrating because before I saw my income tax documents, I kind of thought, although admittedly with much haste and optimism, that I would like to have at least a million pesos in savings before I reach 40... that is a little over 4 years from now. But now I can honestly say, there is little hope that I can achieve this. After all, the most effective way to save more money is to make more money. 

So how can I make more money?

Maybe I can take on a part-time job? I have always dreamed of being a barista. Just like Lego's Larry the barista.

photo grabbed from lego-minifigures.tumblr.com

 Early on, as I was just starting my airport career, I thought I can manage to get at least 4 hours a day of working in a place where everything smells like freshly ground coffee. But I guess it is too late now. I barely have time to go unlimited chikahan with my friends over a venti frap.

Maybe I can go ask my boss for a raise? Much as I seem feisty and confident that I am a diligent worker, I have never in my entire life as an employee sought an audience with my boss to ask for a raise nor had I bargained that I need to be given more than what they are willing to give me. For one simple reason: I have this firm belief that a good boss sees and recognizes his employees efforts. I am not one to exalt myself, so I wait.

Maybe I can find something to sell? Last December's pastillas gig did get me a few thousand pesos. But it was something seasonal, I am still waiting for a eureka moment... then discover a perfect item to sell that would create an everlasting demand. 

photo grabbed from ideachampions.com

Like a carpet with built-in compass to cater to our muslim brothers? Or a self-cleaning feeding bottle? 

A million pesos, in 4 years, without me selling any of the stuff I currently own or worse, any of my internal organs...hope seem frail.

MONEY MONDAY : Week 7 of the 52-week money challenge

Can you really save on group buying sites?
Let me share with you my love-hate relationship with group buying sites. 

I think it was in 2011 when I started to get interested in Group buying sites, the fact that I do not have a credit card (yes I do not have a credit card) has not discouraged me from purchasing stuff online. I can always  deposit my payment and more recently I have discovered that I can pay for my group buying site purchases at any 7-11 branch. 

I have purchased quite a few vouchers that I did not use :

• a voucher for unlimited wart removal. 
• 5 vouchers for discounted frozen yoghurt. 
• 2 vouchers for spa treatment
• voucher for a  baby back rib meal
• 10 vouchers for underarm IPL treatment

Safe to say I should spend less time online right? But wait, I did get to grab some nice deals:

• vouchers for lipocavitation treatments. Used 4 out of the 5 vouchers.
• tickets to a soleslam event. was able to go to the event and even won a shirt but was too lazy to claim it.
• Elorde Gym vouchers
• Gold's Gym vouchers

I have learned my lesson the hard way. I still Group buying site-hop but before you click that buy now button, let me share some tips:

1. Read the fine print! Some items are only available for pick-up. Some needs additional delivery charges. If it sounds too good to be true, then maybe it is. Travel offers normally say airfare is already included, but see if it also includes taxes and other surcharges that you need to pay to the airline. 
2. Try to look around for similar products. Most often than not, I see the same product at sulit.com for a cheaper price. 
3. Don't be pressured to buying by the "time remaining before the offer expires" if it is just something "nice to have" and not a necessity. Based on experience, they extend offers.
4. For food/ restaurant vouchers, try to do a little research. Read blog reviews, read the ones that was written by someone who had to pay for the meal and not by someone the establishment has invited.  Same goes with travel offers with accommodations. Ever reliable google can surely be of help. 
5. Try to contact the merchant for clarification or more reliable information.  I bought vouchers for 4 boxing sessions at Elorde gym. The first time I used my voucher, I asked the receptionist if they have plans to offer the discount again some time soon because I was interested to buy more.  I was told by the receptionist that they have an ongoing offer at another group buying site. Got me 15 more vouchers.
6. Location location location. A spa package in QC for just 450 pesos seems very tempting. But I am sure I will be stressed all over again with my commute back to Cavite after the my massage. 
7. and lastly keep track of the vouchers' expiry date. Before I purchased vouchers for 15 boxing sessions, I made a mental note on how many times my schedule will permit me to go to the gym before the vouchers expire. 

It's a Monday, I hope you all had time to put your 7th installment in the jar last Friday! My jar now has 700 pesos after I placed my 7th installment. Lucky 7. :)

FOODIE FRIDAY : Daddy's toasted siopao

I know it is a Saturday. But I just want to share this new siopao place not just to rave about their siopao but to also share an annoying little story. I am a huge siopao fan, I prefer the asado type over the bola-bola type. But what I love most about siopao is the slightly sweet and very soft bread that covers the meat. One night on my way home from work, I got curious when I saw this sign along Talaba :

photo grabbed from their facebook page

What got me more interested to try it was the J. Co-ish line outside the store. I asked a nephew to buy me a dozen. It was still hot when my nephew arrived home, he said it was freshly baked. 

that purple ribbon bothers me.

freshly baked.

what's inside (grabbed from their FB page)

I was expecting that the bread was mantou (Chinese steamed bun) as most siopaos I know are made of, but was not. It was not made of pandesal, it was something more similar to what we call putok. The bun was soft and it was generously stuffed with pork asado and a little piece of salted egg. I liked how the asado tasted, not too sweet and a bit salty.  At 8 pesos a piece I think it is priced just right. However, that plain box with sticker and bothersome purple ribbon will cost an additional 15 pesos. So if I were you, I will ask them do away with the box and just have it placed in a brown bag. Sayang din yung 15 pesos, piso na lang 2 pieces of siopao na yun. 

My tito liked the siopao, so we (me, my nephew chi and tito ding) again went to the siopao place the following night. When we arrived there at 10:30 pm, I saw around 3 people waiting to be served and was told that I will have to wait for 15 minutes. I advised the lady that I was willing to wait and placed my order for 2 dozens which costs 222 pesos. And since we are to wait, the girl who took my order asked for my name so I said Ann, then she wrote "Kath - 2 dozen" on a piece of paper. 

 I was asked to hand over my payment to the guy who I presumed to be the cashier. Mr. Cashier looked irritated when I handed him a 500-peso bill. He then asked me if I had something smaller and seeing his not so enthusiastic look about my payment, I did not make any effort to go back to the car and ask my tito for smaller bills. So I said, "wala" and then he asked if I had 2 pesos. I dug into my pocket to check my coins and saw that I have 20 pesos in 5 and 10-peso denominations. I said "5 pesos lang e" to which Mr. Cashier sneeringly replied "2 pesos nga lang e". With matching lip pout!

GRRRRR! Even the 2 girls who were waiting to place their orders got turned off with how he replied. The other girl said "ang panget talaga sa negosyo ng may nakabusangot!" 1st, it is already past 10pm, I would presume they have been trading all day, wala pa ring panukli? and besides even if they just opened and I am their first customer, it is their responsibility to have panukli. 2nd, I don't care if you had a rough day, a customer is a customer... and even if I am buying just 1 or 1000 pieces I do not deserve to be treated shabbily. and lastly, before you treat people like you are so much more superior than them, you might want to.... oh never mind, I might say something so mean I would regret it later. 

I had to wait standing, there were chairs but it was not enough for all of us waiting for our orders. While waiting, you can see the bakers in action... 

no hair net, wearing slippers pa!  at home si Kuya baker!

and this is the grumpiest cashier I have ever encountered: 

Their siopao is probably not something that can win them an award for the tastiest siopao in town but it is nice enough to share with your officemates for a quick merienda. But I will bet my chubby little fingers, this Daddy's Toasted Siopao branch can easily walk away with the Grumpiest Cashier Award any given day.