Family dinner at home

A typical weekend dinner spread with my family. Good for five adults and two children.







Every thing was cooked at home except the makis. We had them delivered from Ayu Sushi Restaurant.





And yes, there are typically no vegetables during such gatherings because they always lay uneaten in the buffet table. Bwa ha ha ha! :-)

Midnight Snacking at Ayu Sushi Bar in BF

Hubby and I were beat from last Saturday's errands and biking activities. When we took a "nap", we woke up past 9:00 p.m. already! Where to eat at such a late hour without driving too far?

Hubby's been meaning to try out that hole in the wall Ayu Sushi/Japanese Restaurant located near Southville International School along Tropical Avenue, which he passes by everyday on his way home. It's less than five minutes' drive from our place anyway so we gave Ayu Sushi a go.



The place certainly is quite hodge podge in terms of decor. There's even a Karaoke room tucked in a corner somewhere. Ayu Sushi also offers grilled items, which you can grill on your own, right at your table, in a separate area of the restaurant. I wasn't in the mood for grilling so we opted to just have sushi.



There's even a small Koi pond found at the entrance of the restaurant. Which is kinda cute and the Kois are very healthy.



Ayu Sushi was a great find! Hubby was very very happy with what we ordered. In fact, he raved about it in his Facebook page, he he he :-)

The uni in particular was very fresh (not frozen as insisted by the waitress). It's presented quite differently too, in plastic lemon cups. I thought from afar they were real lemons.



It would be nicer though if they cut the salmon and tuna sushi a bit thicker. Nevertheless, they were very fresh, which is very important when eating raw fish.



The Tamago was a bit bland though, I didn't like that one.



The Futomaki was a huge hit with hubby as well because there is less rice and more of the good stuff inside.



The owner and head chef of the restaurant is Japanese, that's why the taste is quite good. I haven't been to Japan yet, so I can't compare it to the real stuff.

Overall, I think hubby will be making midnight runs at Ayu Sushi quite often :-)

Biking with Hubby

Oh my hubby. He used to love biking before he met me. Well, when I came along, he loved me instead. Ha ha ha.

Anyway, per doctor's orders hubby has to lose weight (HAS TO being the operative word here). For me, I don't know what's wrong but my BMI is within normal level. Not sure why though because I ain't gonna win any super model contest.

One thing hubby and I hate together is dieting. Ugh, specially the kind that you have to eat one kind of food for a certain day and our most hated of all diets is the starvation diet. We know that we cannot stick to any of those things because frankly, they're a bunch of baloney. I think a balanced diet and a reasonable exercise activity per day is more achievable. Yeah, right! Look who's dispensing advice here :-)

I know hubby loves biking. Life just got in the way... work...my cooking...work....more work. So when he told me that he wants to go biking again and wanted me to join him. I cringed, but agreed anyway. I prefer doing the treadmill while watching my favorite shows on TV. But I don't have the space for a treadmill at home. (Well, actually I do, but it will ruin the aesthetics of the living room. Nope don't wanna do that!)



Hubby was so excited today, because we'll be biking together again, out of town, not just in the neighborhood. We went to Nuvali earlier and biked. We loved it! My legs were screaming for mercy but we enjoyed it nonetheless.

It takes forever to load the bikes in the car, but well worth it.



Anyhoo, this story is too long. Thanks for reading :-)

Chelsea Market, NYC

The Chelsea Market is a famous indoor market in New York City. located in the heart of Chelsea (obviously) it houses a variety of fresh produce, grocery stores, restaurants and bakeries.



It's very interesting there, so many products to purchase and bring home. I would probably do some of my groceries there in case hubby and I stay longer in NYC. It's a great place for specialty foods too.





I was given a sample by the Jacques Torres kiosk of Marzipan coated with chocolate. It was a burst of heaven in my mouth! OMG, I for that one little morsel, it costs $3.00! Literally the morsel is just ever so slightly bigger than my thumbnail, no kidding! I wanted to buy an entire box, but the bean counter in me prevented me from splurging, which I absolutely regret now. Haaay.





This store intrigued me also, since I bake myself. It's called the Fat Witch and was voted as the best Brownie by Oprah Winfrey.





I bought two kinds, the Caramel, which is their best seller and the Brownie with Walnuts, which the lady gave me just as it was cooling on the rack. The Brownie with Walnuts wins by a mile! It wasn't too dense, but very moist and not too sweet.



Chelsea Market is a haven for foodies. I meant to come back and try the restaurants with hubby but for some reason, we never found the time. Well, maybe next time :-)

My Favorite Place in NYC Downtown

I have so much stuff that I've written and drafted but have not posted yet. In the meantime, I'd like to tell you about my favorite place in New York City.



I love walking around, specially when traveling abroad, for it allows me to discover little interesting streets and eats. When we arrived in New York City last year, it was the best time for walking due to the Autumn season. Autumn is my favorite season, since I've experienced it both in Australia and New York, I find that I love having cool breezes blowing on my face as I walk. Most all, I absolutely love the spectacular colors that I see. Since we spent a month in New York City, we witnessed the changing of leaves from evergreen, to reds, to oranges and right before we left, those lovely colorful leaves have started to shed off to make way for winter. Sadly, the snow came three days after we left!



My favorite place by far in NYC is right across the street from our apartment, I am not sure what it's called but I am calling it the Downtown Boardwalk. The boardwalk sits on the edge of downtown, by the Hudson River overlooking Jersey City. The view is just spectacular specially during sunset.







I wish I could bring the cool breezes and the lovely views with me to Manila :-)

Yakimix

Filipinos simply love to eat… a lot. It is evidenced by the many world class restaurants sprouting all over the place. There is a new buffet place in the metropolis that’s quickly gaining a lot of patrons. Me, being a self proclaimed “foodie” has unfortunately been dining out less and less lately due to hubby’s crazy schedule.

Anyway, Yakimix, is becoming very popular nowadays. There’s a branch in Greenbelt which becomes quite full right before 7pm, so I suggest you come early if you want to try it.



There is certainly a wide variety of dishes to choose from. From sushi, makis, salads, cooked Japanese dishes and ice cream.
Yakimix’ appeal stems from it’s smokeless grill located right on your table. A wide selection of fresh meats are available for everyone to enjoy.









Now, I am not much of a fan of buffet meals because the food is mass-produced. Hence, the quality of the food and ingredients is sacrificed.

However, if you are entertaining a few friends or family members, the buffet route would be wise and less of a hassle.

Yakimix resonates so well with the Filipino consumer, due to the variety of food available, the upscale ambiance and the reasonable price that it offers.

Taste wise, I liked the fresh salmon sushi and the marinated beef that hubby grilled at our table.

Still, despite its Yakimix' lackluster dishes, the patrons seem happy when dining there and I everyone ALWYAS ALWAYS says "I ate too much!" Me included. Ha ha ha.

My lunch date with Hubby at Omakase

I've given such a bad review of Omakase Alabang. Very bad experience there and hasn't been to any Omakase restaurant since then. My last experience at Omakase was so awful, I wanted to barf.

However, a few weeks back, a few co-workers and I had lunch at Omakase at Ayala Triangle. Needless to say, my trust in Omakase was renewed. I did not encounter any fishy taste in their food. Fortunately, everything was fresh. So I felt that I could probably give it one more chance.

Last weekend, hubby and I decided to try Omakase once again in Greenhills. We tried the Seaweed Salad, which was quite nice, a little sweet, a little tangy and oh so good.



Hubby ordered the Mixed Sushi Platter. I love the uni, it was so fresh. The uni is that awful looking wet heap at the lower right of the photo. I know, it looks unpleasant but it was good. He he he.



The Sukiyaki needs more broth though and probably could use a little bit more vegetables.



The Omakase Roll has fresh salmon, crabstick and cucumbers, very refreshing.



I love Omakase's stylish open Sushi kitchen too.

Mr. Froggie

I'm not very fond of frogs, their slimy feet kinda scare me. I found this guy pasted on my glass door and he's not too scary, he even stayed put until I've taken a few pictures.

Mr. Froggie here, lives in my garden.

I wish ......

I can't believe 2010 is over. So many things happened last year. Too many blessings to count and some disappointments too. For our life will never be complete without the delicate balance of the good and the evil. Triumphs will be more meaningful if we experience failure. Happiness is more appreciated if we've known sadness. Love ever more precious if we felt rejection.

Despite my rants with whatever happened last year, I am so forever thankful for so many things and for the people who love me.

There are days that I don't feel loved or appreciated, days that I feel exhaustion, regret, disappointment and frustration but when everything has quieted down, and I kneel in prayer, I realize that my life is truly blessed and I am truly thankful.



If I may make a wish, and a greedy one at that, I wish that 2011 will continue to be filled with love, good health, more success for hubby and travels in faraway exciting countries. Most of all, I wish the best of love for my family.

Happy New Year

I wonder what they were laughing about? :-)



Hubby and my niece Ashley loving the lusis!



Happy 1-1-11 everyone!

Wishing you lots of laughs this 2011!