When in Manila...Eat! (Most Loved Filipino Dishes)

This gastronomical experience happened during our 2011 vacation in the Philippines. 

After four years of not coming home, we spent about four weeks in the Philippines in April 2011. Part of the plan was to enjoy the food we love from childhood to present. As we savour each bite of our all-time favourite Filipino dishes, it gave us such happiness to have a taste of home.

Via Mare (Manila, Philippines)

AWCL visited Via Mare in April 2011.

There were so many things that I wanted to share when the Husband and I vacationed in the Philippines in 2011. We're about to go back to Manila again in a few weeks and I have this nagging feeling inside me to blog a few food and travel experiences we had then. So today, I went back to our 2011 photos and started resizing them. My fingers are aching from all the photos I processed. This week, I will be sharing snippets of our 2011 vacation.

I'll start with some of my favourites from Via Mare. Our family loves eating at Via Mare, specifically the one inside Landmark (Makati City). I can stay at Via Mare for hours and I wouldn't mind. Before we left Manila in 2011, we spent about 4 hours at Via Mare on our last weekend.  We started from lunch until meryenda. That's how comfortable we are eating at Via Mare and that's how much we loved their food.

I always order fresh Buko Juice upon arrival.

The Husband enjoys their Arroz ala Cubana which comes with a lot of banana slices.

My favourite rice dish is the one with Vigan Longganisa which always has a crunchiness.

We also enjoy their Adobo Flakes.

One of the best Arroz Caldo I've tasted. Whenever I'm feeling under the weather, I always order this.

We always partner the Arroz Caldo with a bowl of Tokwa't Baboy (fried tofu and pork). 

For dessert or afternoon tea, we enjoy their Puto Bumbong and Bibingka.

More food adventures in the Philippines in the coming days.

It's Never Too Late To Watch The Sunset

It's never too late...

TO WATCH THE SUNSET

It's one of nature's greatest wonders.

No artist can truly capture its aura.

No film can reproduce its splendour.

Watch it alone or with a loved one.

Drink it in.

Feel humble but feel alive.

Be inspired by its magnificence. 

From the book "it's never too late" by Patrick Lindsay

This sunset photo was captured two weeks ago. We arrived home in time for the sun to set. It was a comforting sight after a long day at work.

This one was captured yesterday. We had a very rainy Saturday and then yesterday, the Sun decided to come out. But then it rained very hard again in the late afternoon. The sun shone amidst the rain and the sky was captivating. Yesterday also marked the last weekend of Summer in Sydney so I decided to capture what the sky looked like as another Summer season is about to end.

Style Musings: Mr and Mrs Camera Shirts

Chanced upon a camera shirt at a Korean clothing store named SPAO in April 2011. SPAO is a global clothing brand shop offering various items from casual wear to men's suits, women's suits, children's clothing, underwear, sportswear, and accessories.  We were on our way back to our hotel when we passed by their store. It was here that the Husband found a good winter jacket and this camera shirt that I liked the moment I saw it.

November 2012, we were grateful to receive gifts from our friends from SG which included a UNIQLO camera shirt for the Husband. I realized that it matches my shirt from SPAO! 

Aren't they cute??? The amusing thing was it was a pleasant surprise that my camera shirt has found a match after almost two years. It was kind of serendipitous too that both of us are into photography.

Karaoke Lunch & CNY Celebrations in Sydney

We had a fun day last Saturday with friends as we had karaoke lunch at Mizuya (yup, third time in just three weeks!). We booked a private room for two hours but we enjoyed the food and singing too much that we extended for another hour. Time is never enough when you're having fun and catching up with good friends.

A few highlights:

The karaoke lunch was organized by one of our friends in honour of  those who celebrated their birthday in January and February. We especially cheered for two of our friends who celebrated their 35th and 40th this month.

We had the yummiest red velvet Darth Vader and Storm Trooper cupcakes during the event. 

We had to play and sing "Oppa Gangnam Style" twice for the kids.  I swear, there's something about that song that makes the kids get on their feet and dance. And they can get enough of it! Nakakaloka!  After playing it the second time, they even requested "Do it again" and the adults all went, "Nooooo". Haha. 

My BFF and I have this song that we always sing whenever we go karaoke. I consider this song one of "our" songs. Now that we're at a different phase of our lives, we shared our song to her daughter/my goddaughter. It was an "awwww moment" when I saw a photo of us three. How time flies.  Never did we imagine we'd be singing our song with a little one in tow. 

Karaoke lunches are super fun! Our group enjoyed Mizuya's affordable lunch meals and we're able to sing and be loud in the privacy of a room. I'm so glad we tried doing something like this.

After our party with friends, the Husband and I went to Chinatown to do a few souvenir shopping.

While we were at Chinatown, Tony Abbott (leader of Opposition) arrived to celebrate Chinese New Year. 

Our Saturday day-out ended late in the afternoon. A great day spent with good friends and the Hubby.

Last Week's Dining Adventures

As much as we like dining at home, there are weeks that we'd eat out more often than planned. Last week was one  of those weeks. Due to errands we had to do, the choice to eat out was the most practical thing to do. 

Attended mass last week in celebration of Ash Wednesday so the Husband and I met up in the city. Hunger pangs struck us so we head to the nearest Pepper Lunch for some Hamburger Steak (for the Husband) and Salmon Teriyaki (for me).

I had shopping errands on Thursday so I went to the shops after work. After I was through, the Husband suggested we meet up near his workplace and have dinner before go home. We took that chance to have some Korean cuisine that night. Husband had a colourful Chicken Bibimbap while I had a Tofu and Pork Stew at Kaizen BBQ. 

 I love the little bowls they use for their Banchan. 

The following day was one big errand day for us. We both took a day off and woke up very early (para din kaming pumasok sa office) and had our car check-up and service. Sans breakfast, we appreciated that our car's service centre had a comfortable lounge (complete with TV and wi-fi) and served pastries and good coffee. 

That day consisted of one errand after another. Our last stop on Friday was at IKEA. We had a heavy afternoon snack before we left home then went out. After walking around the second floor of IKEA in Homebush, we stopped by their food court to rest and have a light snack of Vegetarian Spring Roll, Mashed Potato and Chocolate Cupcake. We just shared these between the two of us as we're still a bit full from our meal at home.

In our books, this was indulgence. So this week, we're going to take it easy with after work errands and give ourselves a break from dining out.

Dinner at Mizuya (again!)

A week after having dinner with friends on my birthday week, the Husband and I went back to Mizuya the following week because I craved for their Spicy Karaage. It was that good!

I was early so I had time to take photos of the restaurant. They have a bar-type dining for patrons.

And a cubicle-type of dining area which gives patrons privacy while they eat.

Our dinner.

Takoyaki Balls (deep-friend octopus and potato dumplings).

The Spicy Karaage that satisfied. I could have this everyday.

The highlight of our dinner was getting a small plate of Crispy Chicken Skin. Soooo good! Thin crispy chicken skin served to us fresh from the deep fryer. This is a great partner to beer or rice (coz I'm Pinoy like that! Pwedeng ulam! Haha). This is definitely not healthy but a once-in-a-while indulgence won't be too bad. And be sure to share! 

That was one fun and delicious dinner. Since it's still Summer here in Sydney, we went out and it was still light. I shared this photo in my IG account but I'm sharing it again here because the sky was just too blue and beautiful that day. 

Mizuya Japanese Restaurant and Karaoke

Basement, 614 George Street

Sydney NSW 

Phone: 02 9266 0866

Food Find: Meltykiss by Meiji

Discovered a good alternative to Royce Nama Chocolate in the guise of Meiji Meltykiss. It comes in small bite sizes packaged individually and stored in a box. I found four flavours at the Thai Kee IGA X-press supermarket but I only bought two, milk chocolate and white chocolate. It has a creamy centre and cocoa dusting on the outside. I love the milk chocolate better as it tastes very chocolatey. 

Grateful Thoughts & a Short Film by Disney on Vday

This morning, I spent a few moments reflecting on how grateful I am to love and be loved by family and friends. Every Valentines Day, my thoughts are not just for my significant other but also for the special people who fill my life with love and joy. Wherever they are, I send positive and grateful thoughts out to them, not just today but everyday.

Here's my Hearts Day gift to you dear readers. A short film by Disney entitled "Paperman" which takes only six minutes of your time but will give you a smile that could last the whole day.  

This video made me remember how love can find you in the most unexpected times and how the universe makes a way for things to fall into place because some people are meant for each other. Ahhh Love, the most wonderful thing!

Have a fun Hearts Day! Live, love and be grateful! :) 

Sources: Wikipedia Youtube

Foodie Love In A Bottle of Gourmet Tuyo

Lent Season starts today, Ash Wednesday and as Catholics, we try to observe not eating meat on Ash Wednesday and every Friday for the next six weeks. While there are a lot of probable non-meat meals I can serve at home, the challenge is preparing them as I'm usually not up to cooking on Friday nights. While it is always easy to just eat out, I prefer that we minimize this during Lent Season as part of our sacrifice. 

My usual choices for meatless meals are a combination of seafood and vegetables. I also take this chance to sometimes cook Tuyo (dried salty fish), a kind of fish I grew up eating in the Philippines. The problem with cooking Tuyo is that it leaves a strong smell at home. We don't really mind the smell as we're used to it. However, we're careful to cause inconvenience in the building we live in. One can smell it in the corridors and the smell stays at home for a while even if you light scented candles and incense or spray air freshener. It is a hassle but it's all worth it especially you eat it with steamed rice and tomatoes or pair it up with Champorado (Chocolate Rice Porridge). Ohhh yum! It's one of my comfort food.

It seemed like an answered prayer when I chanced upon a bottle of Gourmet Tuyo at G&L Supermarket. I've read about bottled gourmet tuyos in the Philippines and I was hoping one day it would reach the shores of Sydney. And it finally did!  

Connie's Kitchen Gourmet Tuyo is heaven sent! Salty dried herring in olive oil all ready for eating. It has the right amount of saltiness and has no preservatives. It had a few pieces of red chili which added more flavour to the fish but it's surprisingly not spicy.

I prepared three side dishes to go with our Gourmet Tuyo when we had them for dinner few nights ago: Kimchi, Green Mango Salad and Spinach Salad and it was the perfect partner to all three.

My "first Tuyo love" will always be the fried Tuyo but this will do on days when I'm craving for Tuyo and wouldn't want to face the hassles of cooking it.

I hope G&L Supermarket will constantly have bottled Gourmet Tuyo available. This is a great alternative to cooking Tuyo at home as you just need to open that bottle and voila! You've got delicious Tuyo to enjoy with steamed rice or Champorado. 

Note: I discovered Connie's Gourmet Tuyo at G&L Supermarket located at 17-21 First Avenue, Blacktown NSW.

"Sweeten Thy Soul" (Dinner & Desserts with Girlfriends)

Ended the month of January on a happy note as the Husband and I met up with good friends Meds and Charyn for dinner. 

The plan was to try out this family restaurant in Westmead but it turned out that they were closed for the evening due to an event (oh well, maybe next time). So we trooped down to Parramatta to have dinner there instead. Thanks to Charyn's suggestion, we got to try mouthwatering pizzas, a comforting risotto and a decadent sticky date pudding at Restaurant 317.

I started off with a refreshing glass of Mojitos with lots of fresh lime wedges. It was so hot that day and this made it all better. 

Got ourselves a Cheese and Olive Starter Pizza made of Provolone Cheese and Olive Tapenade.

For our mains, we had the Margherita Pizza and Italian Sausage Pizza.

All of us enjoyed the Chicken Risotto in creamy sauce, mushroom and shallots. I loved this.

The pizzas and risotto were very filling but we can resist but order their Sticky Date Pudding. It's too sweet for my liking but since there were four of us that shared this, it wasn't overwhelming. It had a lovely butterscotch sauce and delicious vanilla gelato which made the sticky date pudding more enjoyable.

 A few steps away from Restaurant 317 is Chocolateria San Churro, one of my favourite dessert places in Australia. We came here to have a hot Spanish chocolates and some churros. Our Spanish chocolates that night: the original and thick Classic Spanish chocolate, the Madrid Mocha which had a shot of espresso (I recommend this to coffee lovers) and the nutty Avellana which has a hazelnut flavour.

"Sweeten thy Soul" is what you see in every cup at Chocolateria San Churro. Very fitting phrase to describe why it's important to me to be with loved ones. As good food nourishes the body, it is the people we love who feed our soul. :)


Restaurant 317
317 Church Street, Parramatta
Phone: 1300 317 317

Chocolateria San Churro
287 Church Street, Parramatta
Phone: 02 9633 1566

Style Musings: Finding a Fascinator

One of my fashion dreams came true last month as I found a simple and classy fascinator that went well with my black lace dress. 

A fascinator is a headpiece, a style of millinery. The word originally referred to a fine, lacy head covering akin to a shawl and made from woolor lace, but mostly feathers. In the modern usage, it refers to a woman's alternative to hat for formal attire; it is usually a large hair decoration on a band or clip with elaborate trimmings and decoration like a formal hat and it can incorporate a base to make it a miniature hat. (source)

I found this fascinator at French Connection during the end of year sales. I tried it on due to curiosity and when the Husband saw me, he complimented, "That looks good on you." I checked the price and it had a very huge discount so I took that as a sign and bought it.

Other reasons why I love my fascinator:

• Other than being simple and classy, it's very dainty. 
• It wasn't loud and too conspicuous. 
• It's something my petite frame can easily get away.
• It's a headband fascinator so it's very easy to wear.

A few tips:

• If you're buying a headband fascinator, make sure that it fits your head perfectly.
• If you want a fascinator that you can wear to more than one occasion, choose neutral colours such as black, white, beige, etc.
• In Australia, the best time to buy a fascinator is usually after Melbourne Cup season (or any horse race event), end of year sales or Boxing Day.

Food Find: Nutella Yogurt

And I thought nothing can top finding Salted Caramel Yogurt but I was wrong. Last week, I passed by Yogurt World and they offer new flavours which included Nutella! Yup, the delicious and nutty goodness of Nutella transformed into yogurt. 

I had no plans of snacking while at the mall last week but my curiosity pushed me to grab a small cup and fill half of it with Nutella yogurt and the other half with Salted Caramel. I just had to taste it.

And I loved it! Their Nutella yogurt tasted similarly to the real Nutella spread. It's sweet, nutty and had a very faint sour flavour of yogurt. It's like eating frozen Nutella ice cream.

Here's another reason to love Sydney...we have Nutella yogurt! I say it's a must try if you're visiting this lovely city.

Yogurt World

Level 5, Westfield Sydney

Pitt Street, Sydney NSW

Birthday Dinner at Mizuya

One of our group of friends organized a birthday dinner for me (awww thank you dear Hanes!) and it was held at a Japanese restaurant and karaoke bar. It was my Husband and I's first time at Mizuya. We always pass by this establishment on George Street but thought it was just a karaoke bar. We discovered that it was also a good place to catch up with friends while enjoying great Japanese food.

We went there solely for dinner so there was no need to book a private karaoke room (maybe next time?), however, eating at their dining area felt exclusive as each table looked like little rooms/cubicles. I should have taken a photo so you can see what I'm talking about but never worry as Hubby and I will be coming back there soon to eat again so I'll take photos then.

Each cubicle has a touch-screen monitor where we get to order what we like. The monitor showed the name, amount and photo of each of their dish. This is so convenient and non-fussed. Once we tapped on the dishes we liked, the orders came arriving at our table. 

We had a feast that night as the food just kept on coming...and vanishing into our tummies LOL. 

Garlic and Chili Edamame

Silverfish with Seawood Salt

Seaweed Salad

Soft Shell Crab

Tonkatsu

BBQ Salmon Steak served with bean sprouts and broccoli.

Spicy Karaage (my favourite!)

Spider Roll made of cucumber, avocado, crab stick, egg omelette, soft shell crab and topped with chili powder.

And of course we had noodles!!! 

Mizuya offers great desserts too. 

The Mizuya Dessert Trio: Japanese Cheesecake, Green Tea Brulee and Champagne Jelly.

The Shiramata Sundae made up of Green Tea sundae and Sweet Red Bean.

Everything was soooo good! The seafood and sushi tasted fresh and the meat dishes were perfectly cooked. Every dish was tasty and flavourful. The desserts gave us that sweet finale which we all loved.

Mizuya Japanese Restaurant and Karaoke

Basement, 614 George Street

Sydney NSW 

Phone: 02 9266 0866