On Goodbyes in Manila

All the tears began to well up inside. It's a mix of gratitude and of a strong desire to see them again soon. At some point, you think of how great it is to have them greet you with a smile every morning and the unusual bountiful feast you have every day at every meal. The confusion that goes into choosing to be with something that will end soon over a few hours of work, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity where everyone you care about are there for example, can leave you in limbo for a few weeks too. Somewhere in Manila tonight, there were hugs, kisses, pictures, conversations, songs and dances of goodbyes. 

Kashmir Indian Food in Makati

J surprised me one day and said we were going Indian for the night. I had my first taste of Indian food when an Indian elder brought us to this Indian restaurant in Shanghai and I've loved it ever since especially the sweet, sweet dessert called Gulabjamun. My picks gradually extended to Mango Lassi in Beijing and finally, Masala and Palak Paneer here in Manila back when New Bombay Restaurant first opened in Wilson Street in Greenhills (J got his first taste from this one). Time for Kashmir Indian Restaurant in Makati! They serve Indian, Malaysian and Middle Eastern Cuisine.

Thanksgiving Dinner in Manila, by US Potato Board and USDA

This was my first ever Thanksgiving Dinner and Turkey bird experience. It was made special by the invitation from the USDA Potato Board and the US Department of Agriculture. It was also held at the Restaurant 9501 in Quezon City and the dishes were specially whipped up and prepared for us by Chef Myrna Segismundo.

Papa John's Jr. Papa's Meal in Manila

I grew up with Pizza Hut, Shakey's, Sbarro, Greenwich and Domino's when it comes to pizza cravings in Manila. Over the years, players like Yellow Cab, California Pizza Kitchen, Brooklyn Pizza, Don Henrico's Pizza, Sicilian Pizza, Sandy's Pizza, Calda Pizza had slowly introduced me to even more variety of specialty pizzas in all shapes and sizes. I was already having a hard time choosing among all of them. Now, there's one more contender vying for my attention. I hear of Papa John's coming to Manila for the first time almost a year ago.

Nomama Tomas Morato

I did a post a while back on the significance of having noodles in my life. Naturally, I said yes to my friends when I heard there's a new ramen shop in town. Nomama was located a street away (parallel) from Tomas Morato across Max's Fried Chicken.

Pizza Hut Manila Tuscani Pizza!

Meatlovers, please! This is how I remember our family Pizza Hut ordering days when everybody was at home during summers or weekends. It didn't matter if the crust was thick or if it was oily or if there was only hot sauce and no chili flakes yet at that time. What mattered was - even my mom was game to give us money to order that pizza and we would always look forward to those afternoon pizza snack with the family together. We're all grown up now, with our different sets of lifestyles, eating habits, healthy options and soon-to-be separate lives. 911-1111 was a thing of the past for me until J and I had a Pizza Hut Bistro dinner in Megamall. This shot was taken via Blackberry so pardon the quality.

Chocolate 101 at Heavenly Chocolates

I got a tall Honeydew Bubble Tea to curb my cravings before we headed to the Heavenly Chocolates. Better be prepared or succumb to the temptations of chocolate from the Heavenly Chocolates Nama Chocolate collection. 

Pearl Milk Tea in Wilson Greenhills Manila

I've had this drink two times in a row this past long weekend. The whole house is just craving for pearl milk teas, it seems. Chew loudly, Sip Mightily. Order a big one (at P100) and Say Ahhh...

KFC Zinger Double Down is in Manila!

My three all-time favorite things to eat in KFC are the Zinger, the Macaroni Salad and the Chicken Strips Meal. Let me tell you why. It's a given that almost everything in KFC tastes good. How I came up with the two chicken favorites is simple really, there are no bones to bite into and I used to eat them in college for a quick and non-messy lunch or dinner. Sadly, the third is no longer in the menu.. Along comes the KFC Double Down craze a few months back and I said no thank you. Then came the KFC Zinger Double Down in my kitchen counter just recently thanks to J. Zinger was the magic word that keeps me coming back to KFC.

Flapjacks Power Breakfast

I'm not fond of eating breakfast. It usually means "store up because you'll need it for what you're about to do before lunch" like hiking or sports activities or travel time on a bus or studying or working or too much brain activity. I almost always hear my stomach already growling before 11 a.m. if I wake up early and eat breakfast. I tell you, it gets really annoying. But how can I refuse when J asked me out for a Flapjacks breakfast the night before?

Balikbayan in Manila

You know there's a Balikbayan from the States in Manila when the you see these (at least in my case)...

On Reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

I was first introduced to Les Miserables through a cartoon show that I chanced upon as a kid of ten in Hong Kong. I didn't know what it was all about, it was dubbed into Cantonese. All I remember was a scene of an old man holding the hand of a little girl with a pretty doll on her other arm. That was it and I had concluded that it was a good film to watch. Les Miserables was stuck with me ever since. Whenever I heard of it, I would say, "Someday, I would watch the Broadway Show or maybe find that cartoon or read the book and I would finally know the story of this childhood favorite." In time, I managed to buy a copy of the book that I would finally discover in my stash just a few months ago, still untouched and unread. I was resolved to read it when I had the time. I grew concerned that I never seemed to have enough (time) and although I was excited to read about the next few pages, I would find myself putting the book down due to something like sleep, exhaustion or work time.

Sol Gelato: Goodbye 290 Days of Being Cocoa-Free

I made sure I didn't eat chocolate for 290 days. It took me the whole year of constantly giving the temptation up. I was fine that I wasn't gonna taste 12 towering scoops of Sol Gelato. I made a request to separate one non-chocolate flavor for me. I was fine with Mascarpone gelato.