Yesterday, together with our friends wee tried the famous Banapple at Ayala Triangle. I'm not familiar with this restaurant and no idea about the menu, all I know is they offer the best desserts such as freshly baked pies and cheesecakes which is handmade and baked fresh everyday using the finest ingredients. Before the said dinner, I search at the net about this bakery cafe and found out that Banapple is invented by combining the names of their two signature desserts - Banoffee Pie and Apple Caramel Crumble. Whoa! Great Idea! This store offers wonderful savory food and coffee as well.


Since it's already past 7 when we arrived at Ayala Triangle, expect the long line waiting to be seated since the place was still full. Thank God, after several minutes of waiting, finally we settled inside the store. The place is really small; I think there are only 5 small tables inside the cafe but good thing it is well-organized and the staffs are very attentive. Seeing the place I instantly fell in love- the small tables that has a colorful marbles, the walls were painted with white color that makes it a homey style house. They have a variety of cakes on their display. you can order a slice of cake or order a whole. They have a huge servings per slice of the cakes which can be shared by two.



We're still full from dinner so I asked Ian to decide for our desserts; he wants to try the famous Banoffee Pie since according to him, visiting Banapple cafe wouldn't complete without trying their best sellers. The Banoffee pie is a combination of graham crust, layer of fresh bananas topped with a generous layer of whipped cream and scattered with a curls of chocolates and chocolate syrup. The bananas are sweetened while the curls of chocolate are slightly sweet balances out the sweetness of banana. Well, the price is very reasonably since they are too considerable in putting ingredients. I was surprised seeing that every table in the store has a plate of  Banoffee pie. Amazing!

 Banoffe Pie Php 85.00 / slice ; Php 650.00 / whole 

Ian also ordered for Blueberry Cheese cake. The crust is same with the Banoffee pie, regular graham crust topped with cheesecake and blueberry on top and chocolate syrup around the pie.

 Blueberry Cheese cake Php 90.00 / slice

For drinks, as usual Ian order for their homemade Iced Tea which is according to him same as Wendy's.


Iced Tea Php 55.00

We had so much fun at Banapple and promise myself to try other desserts some other time.

CJ, Sha, Yen and Biboy

 Mitch, Mitch (BF), Jim, RN and Ian


Banapple 
Ayala Triangle Gradens
Ayala Avenue, Makati City

I love celebrating Christmas Day with my family and love ones. In fact, I make sure that I'm with them on December 24 and 25. Every 25, my relatives from Tondo visits us in our house for lunch same as Ian. So after taking our lunch, Ian and I decided to stroll around the mall, we chose Mall of Asia since we are both excited to watch the fireworks. We arrived late in the afternoon but still we enjoy the beauty of the scenery by taking lots of pictures in the Christmas tree.




We chose not to watch movie because of a long queue of people in the cinema and ticket booth. On the other hand, we go for merienda instead. We already knew that there are heaps of people having their merienda in a common restaurant that's why we pick out to try the unusual restaurant which is located at the Kids Universe. There are only few people who notice this place because it was placed at the rear part of SM Mall of Asia.


Ian go for The Creamery Resto and Bar for our merienda. It is one of the newest restaurants located at Kids Universe. We were lucky to be seated at the lovely counter where we can enjoy taking photos of the place. The Creamery Resto is a perfect place for all especially for the kids. The room is spacious, orderly and serene, I love the place; it really caught my attention especially the kitchen in the middle of the area.





Upon seeing the menu, I thought they only serves desserts such as tasty ice cream and cheese cakes but I get amazed when I found out that they also serve meals like pasta. Ian ordered for Beef Stroganoff, a combination of fettuccine sliced beef, mushroom, cream, Parmesan cheese and buttered toast. It's a little bit salty according to him.

 Beef Stroganoff Php 145.00

While I chose the Classic Spaghetti - spaghetti with sweet meat sauce, cheese serve with buttered toast. There is no special thing about the pasta except for its too sweet for me. I guess they put some creams as a sauce to make it yummier.

Classic Spaghetti Php 125.00

For drink, Ian order for Creamy Iced Tea. I love their version of iced tea, they put some sweet creamy milk that causes this drinks a little bit sweetie.

 Creamy Iced Tea Php 40.00

We don't usually order for a dessert but since the photos on the menu is tempting us to order, in result we order for Ferrero crunch supreme which is according to them this is the most talked about marble slab creation getting raves from the owner's as well as certified choco lovers! A classic vanilla ice cream mixed with crunchy bits and their very own concoction ferrero filing. Definitely a must try for those who enjoy a truly amazing chocolaty experience.



 Ferrero crunch supreme Php 170.00

Overall, this place is perfect to bond with your love ones and little ones. The ice cream really melts in your mouth and of course not that expensive.


The Creamery Resto and Ice Cream Bar
Ground Floor, Selecta Kids Universe
SM Mall of Asia

My close friends in FDC planned to meet before Christmas time and give each other a simple gift, so last Wednesday we had a fun and memorable dinner at Big Budha.


Big Budha is one of my favorite restaurant in Greenbelt; they serve Chinese cuisine with Western-inspired ambiance, servings are very generous and the ambiance is quiet good. The servers are very accommodating and of course, I love bottomless kropek! Hehe.


Complimentary Kropek

Mercy, Steph and I are in-charge in choosing  our meal while waiting for Gen and May to arrive. Since prices ranges are reasonable and each meal serves 3-4 persons which is suitable for a small group like us we opted to order for Yang Chow Fried Rice which is very common in Chinese restaurant. It's a combination of fried rice with pork asado, egg, mixed seafood and vegetable.

 Yang Chow Fried Rice Php 260.00

We also added Seafood Crispy Noodles, mixture of crispy fried egg noodles with assorted seafood and mixed vegetables.
Seafood Crispy Noodles Php 280.00

I chose Sweet and Sour pork, a breaded pork with pineapple, onion and bell peppers in sweet and sour sauce.

Sweet and sour pork Php 230.00

While Steph order for Fish filler and hong siu tofu in fookien sauce. Blend of fish fillet and bean curd with shitake mushroom and kalian vegetables in fookien sauce.

Fish fillet and hong siu tofu in fookien sauce Php 250.00

Guess what, Mercy and I paid Php 204.00 only while Steph, May and Gen pay about Php 300.00 since they ordered drinks. After we had our dinner, we do our favorite part- Exchange gifts and picture galore. I really love this group since with them I can be totally being myself. I can share with them my personal problems without judging me and in return hear their priceless advises.

 My gifts ^_^
 


meet my girlfriends ^_^




Thank you Steph, Mercy, Gen and May for the gifts. I really like it so much!


Big Buddha Restaurant
2nf Floor, Greenbelt 3
Ayala Center, Makati City

As all of you know, Ian and I are together for almost 53 months or should I say 4 years and 5 months. We encountered lots of problems and difficulties in life, but still remain together stronger than before. Yesterday, I received a very special gift from him, I didn't expect anything since we've been together almost every day (24/7) and he has no time to buy gift for me. Haha. Unfortunately, I'm wrong! I remember that there are days that we're not able to see each other, during his practice for Christmas party presentation and our Christmas party last December 10. Gggrr...

During Christmas Eve, after hearing mass and having our noche buena with family we open our gifts together. I received lots of gifts from my friends, relatives and officemates but one thing that caught my attention is Ian's gift. He told me to hold it tightly since it's fragile. So I make sure that my last gift that I will open will be his gift.



I was surprised when I saw this Nokia Box, Whoa! What a special gift from a very special person,  Nokia C3! I love C3 phone since its very user-friendly with a QWERTY keyboard. It is designed for socializing, it has built-in social networking services (Twitter, Facebook etc.) as well as the presence of Ovi Chat and the availability of Wi-Fi connectivity which makes communication more accessible. Wow! I love it so much!


 my new phone.. ^_^

I remember one time when we are strolling around at Glorietta, he keep on asking me what is the best color for me, pink? gray or bright white. Then, I immediately answered "White" not knowing that he is asking for my taste because he already plan to give this phone as his Christmas gift. Haha. Slow minded RN!

Anyway, thank you honey for such a wonderful gift. I really like it and promise to take care of it. Iloveyou!

When I was kid, Christmas is not complete without receiving any gifts from my parents. I remember during my elementary days, I'm so excited whenever my teacher announce our upcoming Christmas party and at the same time exchange of gifts. During our party, I always receive many gifts from my classmates and teachers which I immediately open whenever I get it. So when I got home my mom was surprised about the things that I collect from our school and because of that she honors me as "Most Friendly" in our class! Whoa! Thanks Mommy!

Now that I'm working and earning my own money to spend my luxury, every Christmas I make sure to provide gifts for my love ones and for the street children in return of all the blessings that I received for the whole year. For me, the happiness that you bring to every people especially in need is priceless and really worth it.

I'm proud to say that I'm a friendly person, a loyal friend and trusted person. I don't judge people easily and even I don't need to please everybody, I make sure as much as possible not to make any trouble with them. I guess this is one of the reasons why I receive many gifts from officemates, former officemates, suppliers, friends and even those people that I don't expect to give me some stuffs.

1st batch

2nd batch


Thank you all for the gifts; I really appreciate how much you value me and our friendship.

Advance Merry Merry Christmas!

December is one the busiest months for me, and one of the things that make me busy is attending lots of Christmas party. After my Christmas party with college friends last Friday, I was able to meet my former colleague from WTS last Saturday for our Christmas dinner. We already know our baby since we had picked up the names the last time we had our dinner.

After our Christmas party with F21 Manila together with kids at Jollibee PRC, Ian and I had our window shopping at Greenbelt and Park square to look for his new baby, (Canon 60D) and at the same time try to look for the best place to have our dinner. Since we are fed up with pork and chicken, we chose to try some fish dish for feast. As we passed by Greenbelt 5, Ian noticed Fish out of Water; we first tried this restaurant in 2008. Ever since, I sometimes go back there to try out something different.



Fish out of Water offers aquarium/oceanic type of ambiance. I love the interiors, the spacious, table settings and well-lighted restaurant which gives the customer the sophisticated vibe. The interior is designed to catch interest of the people who dine-in, very relaxing and it is absolutely nice place to mingle with family or group of friends. In this restaurant you can see the window peering over the kitchen for you to have a glimpse on how the chef prepares your food.


 

I also amazed about their menu book, on front you can read some stories with artworks about the restaurant and on the other side you can see the menu list.
 

While waiting for Aloi to arrive, we decided to order for appetizer. I chose Crispy shrimp and crablets, small shrimps and crablets served with onion-sukang pinakurat. I love the crispy crablets, you can eat the shells since it was not too salty. After a while, we ate everything not knowing that we're still waiting for Aloi. Haha.


Crispy shrimp and crablets Php 195.00

When Aloi arrived, we placed our main dish. I order Klasik Kare-Kare, mixture of oxtail and tripe peanut stew with steamed vegetables and sweet chili shrimp paste.

 Klasik Kare-Kare Php 285.00

Ian is carving for some fish dish, so he opted to try Crisp Changi Butterfield Tilapia, a crispy fried open tilapia with coconut pepper sauce.

 Crisp Changi Butterfield Tilapia Php 298.00

Aloi added twice cooked pork belly, a combination of slow braised pork belly with sweet dark asado sauce, soft tofu, roasted garlic peanuts and soft boiled quail egg.

Twice cooked pork belly Php 395.00

One of the reasons why I come back to any restaurant is because of their service and since Fish out of Water is good and efficient, I promise to try this place again. The food is awesome which carries Filipino dishes and each servings is big enough for sharing. Well, I have nothing to say about the staffs, they were all friendly and accommodating.
 
 Aloi, RN and Rhon

  couple ♥



It was another night of fun as we exchange our gifts and enjoy the photo session with Ian.

showing our gifts.. ^_^


Fish out of Water
Level 3, Greenbelt 5
Ayala Center, Makati City

December is a month for party where most of the people celebrate reunions and Christmas party. My college friends and I planned to have our yearly Christmas party last Friday at California Pizza Kitchen (CPK). Ever since Ian and I stroll around Greenbelt 5, I always wanted to try their pizza and pasta since according to some of my friends they offer the best pizza and pasta in town.




It's my first time to try California Pizza Kitchen and honestly it's so difficult to chose our orders. They have lots of various appetizers, soups, salads, pasta, pizza and beverages. The restaurant is clean, spacious and soundless. The place is suitable for a family dine-in or even group of friends like us; it brings you a level of prestige and a feeling of a little bit fine dining. The setting is warm and cozy. About the staff, they were all very nice and friendly, they always wear their killer smiles whenever we asked for something.


 Warm and cozy ambiance.

We were seated and decided on sharing some items for dinner. Cha ordered for Milan Pizza, a combination of grilled Italian sausage and sweet Italian sausage with sautéed wild mushrooms, caramelized onion, Fontina, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese topped with fresh herbs. The taste of this pizza is overwhelming. You can taste the sweetness of Italian sausage sauce just right to the taste while retaining the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese keeping the nature of a good pizza.

 Milan Pizza

For pasta, she chose Pesto Cream Penne; a perfect match of basil pine nut pesto cream sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, shrimp and Parmesan cheese. We ordered this Pesto Cream Penne because of its one ingredient, the sun-dried tomatoes. I haven't tried sun-dried tomatoes before but now I loved the taste of it. The sauce was tasteless but it compliments with the salty taste of the sun-dried tomatoes.

Pesto Cream Penne

Since all of us are not satisfied with our orders, we added Shrimp Scampi Pizza, a mixture of sautéed shrimp, mild onions, roasted garlic, Mozzarella cheese, fresh oregano and Italian parsley with a white wine lemon garlic butter sauce. I love the crunchy roasted garlic and the good smell of fresh oregano with every taste.

 Shrimp Scampi Pizza

We also order Spaghetti Carbonara. Spaghetti with sautéed apple wood smoked bacon, petite peas and Italian parsley in a Romano cheese cream sauce. The serving size is just enough for its price. A good recommendation for cream based pasta lovers. However, the cream is a bit lighter than the typical carbonara.

Spaghetti Carbonara

After our tasty dinner, we decided to have our exchange gifts! Yippee!

 gifts.. ^_^

 Amy, Charis, RN and Cha

Meet my college friends.. ^_^

Over all, CPK is serving a good scrumptious pizza and pasta. I feel that they are pretty consistent with their standard of food. The foods are really yummy, but please take note that the foods here are quiet pricey compare to other pizza restaurant.

Note: Sorry we left our receipt in the restaurant since all of us are excited to go home.. Haha.

California Pizza Kitchen
Unit 77 & 78, Level 2
Greenbelt 5, Ayala Avenue
Makati City