Freshness To-Go

Since I'm trying to eat healthier now, eliminating meat and incorporating fresh veggies (more, at least) in my diet my newest discovery after I did some grocery shopping at Rustan's is the Gourmet-To-Go section, which serves salads, sandwiches, and soup to go. So there's no more excuse for me to wolf down the can of potted meat for the next few days or so. What's not to love with DIY salad for Php 165 that's already good for two? What you do here is to pick a bowl of base greens, choose 5 condiments, and then dressing. Believe me, that's not good for 1. I was already full and I wasn't done yet with my serving.

For those who are lazy to mix, there are pre-made salads for you to choose.

The sandwiches look promising and good too. A bit pricey (One could go for like about Php 22o) though.

Since I'm not much of a sandwich girl, I skipped this for soup. Every week, they change their variety so we're not stuck on a food rut.

The Gourmet-To-Go section is available at Rustan's supermarkets. Do drop by for a fast, fresh, and healthy alternative.

Summer Snacks at a Pop

If mermaids did exist, I probably was one in my past life. My swimming skills probably may not be Olympic-quality but once I see the sun and the sea and the sand, I plop on the sand and bake myself to NC45 level or set my feet on the cool sea water. The ocean and I seem to love each other. Should I blame it on my quest for golden skin? Or should I blame it on my Invertebrate Zoology professor who introduced me to the fossilized corals I used to give taxonomic rundowns to?

My appetite too seemed to dive to the sea. I absolutely love seafood and devour it like there's no tomorrow. Fond memories of summer by the sea would be eating fresh seafood that does not taste fake, preserved, or like it's been in the freezer for so long. A table full of cooked seafood (and the ocassional raw) spells heaven for me.Now if a world-famous chips brand were to have flavors that remind me of my summer staples, the result would be three new Pringles flavors that I'd definitely take on the next trip to the beach or pool. Take a look - seaweed, soft shell crab, and grilled shrimp. Can I spell vacation now? Honestly, I can't think of a favorite as they're all good in their own way and come in cute cans too. Or, if I'm just reminiscing of the ocean trip again, I'll just pop a can as I work on my cover.

Must-Try: Ming's Halo Halo

En route home from Batangas, Mike, Nix, and EJ suggested to stop by this place for halo-halo. Although we were experiencing a bit of drizzle that time, it was still hot and we needed a bit of a cooler to lower the body temperature.

Along the highway to Tagaytay, this open-air restaurant is home to good halo-halo. It uses real carabao's milk so it's richer. To get here, from Sta. Rosa exit, just follow the road that leads to Tagaytay. Look for this sign. There you go.

Aside from carabao's milk and finely-shaven crushed ice (i.e. no tooth-crunching ice bits), this type of halo-halo contains all the goodies we find in halo-halo, minus the beans. Anyone with gout here? This halo-halo is for you. As for me, I've never been a fan of beans or garbanzos. I leave those out. I was lucky that this one is legume-free, so I was able to enjoy it, except for much of the milk part, since I'm lactose intolerant and full cream milk is one of the stuff that I avoid. I was able to consume finished the fillings down to the last piece. Good thing there was EJ to finish off the milk for me.

For less than 200 pesos, you get one serving. One tall glass is already good for 1 person, although some could opt to share, especially if you're not that hungry (but we were heheheh). Anyway, the catch though is this place closes early, especially on weekdays so best go here before 4 p.m., since according to Mike, the first time they went here they were a few minutes late from closing time.

Another must-try is the puto (I think it's around 28 pesos for 4 pieces) which they serve hot, in contrast with the halo-halo. Oh, and before leaving, this place is great for photo-ops as well, with the scenery.

Cheeseburger Straight From The Bottle

That bottle above is what the kids at home look forward to having breakfast each day. Cheez Whiz brings back memories of packed snacks when I was a kid. I always thaw it a bit before spreading it on warm bread. And take note... one of the few things that make me eat bread.

The cheeseburger flavor looks fun, and it gives it a bit of oomph with meat bits that do not taste fake or synthetic. I'm actually thinking... what if I use this to make burger mac and cheese? hmmmmm.... Make sure the bread is really, really, really hot and make the spread melt into it. wait for the bread to cool before biting to it though.

It's great that it also comes in 5g packs, so we could take this with us too on our next outing. That's when we want cheeseburger in a snap (or in this case, in a bottle) without waiting for 30 minutes for delivery.

Bistro Ravioli: Affordable Fine Dining in Manila

Just a few weeks ago, I had dinner with some of my friends at Bistro Ravioli (thanks Arpee for the invite!). I was with Nix since I promised to treat her to pizza and pasta after which, I hopped down to MoA for whaddya know, another pizza and pasta. I was thinking to skip the pizza and go to the ravioli instead. Since Arpee was gonna be there later, I was at MoA first before they did.

Since the mall was humongous, I needed to know how to get there and what route to take so the first stop I had was the concierge. Apparently, since the restaurant was pretty new, it wasn't in the map yet, so I looked for where Oris was, since that was the nearest store to the resto. I found it. It's located at the second floor of the main mall near Asian Eye Institute, on the right side of the mall. When I got there, I saw Kel already there, which means I'm not alone. Yay, (since I'm shy to dine alone in a nice restaurant).

Do not touch the chicken wings before me, do not touch them. If you don't want to get hurt.

When I got the menu, I of course, tried the specialty, the ravioli. I went for the Salmon Ravioli in Saffron Cream Sauce. I just told them to lessen the cream a bit. Why that choice? Well, it was seafood! I love the smoked flavor of the salmon. I also found that my plate was good for two but a person with a big appetite for seafood could wolf it down.

Kel loves his Spinach and Feta Cheese Ravioli in Pesto (cheese is good, right Kel?)

All ravioli dishes cost Php 190.00 . For the "normal" unstuffed pasta though, if you do not get hives or blow up like a balloon upon contact or ingestion with anything aquatic, you have to try the garlic seafood spaghetti, which won me down. By the way, before I forget, all pastas are fresh and hand-pulled, meaning they do not come from the pack or box but it's handmade the traditional Italian way.

Seafood I love you. I love you I love you I love you. Mix you with garlic and pasta and I'm in heaven. Being affordable at Php160.00 I will dine here tomorrow alone. :P

Pizza is also oven-baked in a brick oven. Cheese lovers would love the Quatro Formaggio pizza (Php325.00). Size is 12 inches and the crust is thin, so no bloat (models, if you are reading this, you can have this beofre your go-see).

As time came for dessert, we had our Panna Cottas and tiramisu. Originally, all of us had Panna Cotta and Arpee had a tiramisu but he told us we could share since the slice is quite big. however, one bite and he changed his mind. So Kel and I opted to share one big slice since we were both stuffed and we already had our Strawberry and Kiwi Panna Cotta beforehand. When our tiramisu came though however, it was quite a struggle to obtain property.

It was fight for the slice.

Soft sponge cake + light creamy filling + juxtapositioning of chocolate and coffee liqueur = heaven. Oh and chocolate shavings too. Yes, I had to resist getting stabbed here.

The crowd here is on weekdays, it's usually SM executives. Weekends are for the family and friends (Give the kids Kiddie Spaghetti, if the pastas are still too grownup for them). The prices are also affordable, and roughly around Php500 per person could get you really stuffed. And yes, you must try the tiramisu.

Tutti Frutti: The DIY Frozen Yogurt Treat

Ever since I had frozen yogurt, I hardly ever looked back. I'm a fan, a lover, and a promoter of frozen yogurt I have at least two every week. I love it because it gives me excuse to be healthy while eating something sweet. It fills in my calcium needs without my lactose-intolerant stomach complaining. The tart taste has grown on me, I guess.

The soft opening of Tutti Frutti made me go wild and mad with flavors that didnt cause me to pump them out of my digestive tract. Yes. The heavens have heard me this time. Gluttony without consequences. Going DIY fuses my creativity with my ultimate katakawan.

Tutti Frutti (at least the branch I visited) is located in Glorietta 4 near the food court. This is different from all frozen yogurt stations since not only does it boast more flavors (lychee, green apple, kiwi, peanut butter, taro, banana, chocolate, pineapple, and the original tart flavor), it also gives us the ultimate liberty to choose our own flavor combinations, size, and toppings (as much as we want) until we pay the tab.

So what's the price? This sign tells it all.

The style of this place is DIY and self-serve, meaning the attendants are just there to guide. You pick your yogurt combination and toppings yourself.

First the cup....

Small, medium, or large it's up to you.

Then go pick a flavor or flavors:

Yay! I get to make my own yogurt combination. I chose first a twist of Death By Chocolate (oooohhh deadly) and original tart. Plus I squirted on some peanut butter since I wanted something sweet. I just watched Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs so I wanted something fun and sweet. Besides, I never tasted chocolate yogurt before. EVER.

Onto the toppings bar, there was absence of my favorite topping: mochi balls, so I piled on mangoes, cherries, graham crackers, coffee jelly (I told you I was crazy) and caramel syrup. After that, they weigh your cup and tell you how much it costs. Since it's DIY and by the ounce, allow a bit of allowance from your estimated cost.

So here's my after-movie dessert:

The caramel syrup freezes upon contact with yogurt so it's more of a candy. kinda like the caramel-covered ice cream bars before. Speaking of ice cream bars, my flavor combination is perfect for those who aren't too keen on yogurt's tart taste. It's sweet, I didn't think I was eating yogurt. It's a bit soft though, but the toppings added variety to what I'm eating. The cost for my cup was roughly Php130.00. I'm not actually a fan of chocolate ice cream but chocolate yogurt and I bonded really well.

Do I like this? I sure do. I probably will go back there tomorrow during my break and try a different combination this time.

Anyone try this yet? Do share your combination.

Leveling Up With Greenwich's Ultimate Hawaiian Overload

Okay so it's New Year now right? Time to turn a new leaf, a new chapter, and some use this time to do major improvements, or as we call it, leveling up. For me, leveling up means doing better with my work and to outdo myself last year. Yes. I'm very competitive. :P Me like to get my drive there.

Anyhow, so Greenwich also levels up a very famous pizza.... with twice the toppings.

So ladies and gentlemen, this chic box with a very mod black and white graphic design (designed by Team Manila) holds an upgraded version of an old favorite:So are you ready to see what's inside? Oooookkaaaaaiiii.... tadatadatdadaa......

Well hello to the Greenwich Ultimate Hawaiian Overload! Just when you're bored with an everyday ham-and-pineapple pizza, Greenwich brings to you something that's not your usual pizza. No it's not.
NOOOOOOOO!!!!! Macro settings states it's not.

Here's the thing: this baby has got twice more toppings than a regular pizza. Imagine this, thin crust, (get the Thin & Crispy! Get it!) then you get your slice.... the pizza just drips with melted cheese, ham, pineapple, and bell pepper. I like it thin crust since it's not too heavy on the tummy, so I get to enjoy more slices at a photoshoot (hinting.... hinting...hinting) and not worry about post-pizza bloat. With the price too, it's definitely bang for your burp buck. The thin and crispy Double is about Php225 and the family size is Php379. Party Square is Php455. Rolled edge double is Php265 and family Php419.

While at it, we got to try the Pizza fries, which are pizza-flavored french fries:Php89 for the big size and the dip. However, if you're a fry lover, the big size, which is the sharing size, could be good for just one person.

Arpee documents the pizza fries. :D This is the cheese and garlic flavor he took a picture of.

Anyhow, by the end of the day, I'm officially a happy and stuffed Bambi Duckie.
Nothing like Brazo de Mercedes to cap a good dinner with friends. :)