In My Closet

Been having fun dressing up lately. These are my two favorite pieces. F21 nude blouse and my nautical t-shirt dress from Cotton On. Can't afford the high end stuff yet, but having fun with these affordable pieces nonetheless :-)

I would love to buy this someday, without feeling guilty after purchasing it.

Yabu, best Katsu in Manila?

Finally, Yabu! I've been wanting to dine at Yabu for the longest time. I have heard so many good reviews about it. Hubby, me, Jayjay and Ashley braved the C5 traffic to drive to Megamall to finally try Yabu. (When did Megamall have a building C?!)

We were not disappointed. It is by far, the best katsu I've had (well, I haven't been to Japan, so there's really no comparison). Much better than Hong Kong airport's Saboten, in my opinion. Although, many would probably disagree with me.

We love to grind our own sesame seeds for the sauce. It really makes a huge difference in taste and texture.

The katsu that we ordered were crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and fried perfectly, not oily at all. All meals are served with unlimited cabbage salad and rice. How perfect for the Pinoy diner.

Yabu is so worth the wait, the drive and money spent. Will definitely go back to Yabu. I hope they open a branch in Makati or Alabang soon. **hint** **hint**

Tapella in Greenbelt

Another date night with Hubby! Our date nights come few and far between because of our opposing work schedules. I really cherish the times that we do manage to go out, eat and have a date.

We tried Tapella at Greenbelt 5. Tapella is a Spanish restaurant that serves tapas, various Spanish cuisine and they have an al fresco bar beside one of the gardens in Greenbelt. I often see expats dining there. We chose to eat at Tapella because it was quiet, intimate and I heard the food was good.

Hubby and I tried the Flauta Cammembert, Cammembert cheese with caramelized onions inside a warm crusty baguette. I was surprised with the bread because it was crusty outside but soft inside, obviously freshly baked.

Hubby ordered Flauta de Anchoa. Anchovies and tomatoes inside a crusty baguette. Simple, yet surprisingly delicious.

We also had the Mediterranean Salad with green and black olives, feta cheese, anchovies and various greens in a simple vinaigrette of olive oil and lemon (I think).

For our main course, although I was already very full, we had the Paella Manchego. Typical paella, cooked with broccoli, asparagus, shrimps, chicken and topped with grated Manchego cheese. The paella was a bit light, not too over powering, Hubby loved it.

Date night. I should insist having one at least weekly, 'no?

Nautical Theme

I was browsing through Pinterest earlier, and saw the picture on the left and realized I'm kinda wearing the same outfit. Ha ha ha.

Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe in MOA

Finally, some shopping time for me. Oh, blessed three hours of self indulgence! I managed to coerce Hubby to drive me to Mall of Asia (MOA) last Saturday to shop for some wardrobe basics. I normally don't like to go to Mall of Asia, since that mall is SO crowded and chaotic but, it's the only mall (currently) that houses all my favorite clothing stores in one roof. I unleashed Hubby so that he can have his own selfish indulgences while I shop in peace. Nothing deflates my shopping spirit than  an irritable husband following me around while trying out clothes and shoes.

Anyway, after a fruitful three hours of shopping and trying on clothes, Hubby  and I finally had dinner, just the two of us, at Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe. The restaurant is situated right beside the IMAX theater, so it's quite easy to find.

The menu consists of some typical Hong Kong hawker fares like noodles, dim sum, Hong Kong style spaghetti, curries and such. The menu really reminded us of our various food adventures in Hong Kong.

I ordered the Prawn and Egg Horfun, which was smoky, with thick flat noodles, prawns cooked perfectly and a sauce that was quite nice, not too salty.  I am surprised that Xin Wang actually captured the taste of Hong Kong!

Hubby had the Braised Udon Soup. He liked everything about it, except the kind of noodle used, he preferred to have the thin noodles. The broth has anise in it, which is quite typical of noodles soups in Hong Kong.

Hubby also had two kinds of dimsum - Hargao (or Hakaw, shrimp dumplings) and the Steamed Pork Spare Ribs. Both were good and better than King Bee's. I only managed to eat one each since Hubby ate them all. The broth from the spare ribs were quite nice and would be good as a sauce for rice. How typical Pinoy, 'no? :-)

Hubby Loves them ice drinks and desserts. He ordered the Mango Snow Ice and Lychee Ice Blended Drink. He loves them both because they're sweet, cold and quite refreshing. The Lychee Ice Blended drink was served in a carafe, yes, for one serving, which I think was quite generous, although Hubby managed to down it by himself. I only managed to try the Mango Snow Ice made with  shaved ice, with milk, mango syrup, mango bits topped with a scoop of ice cream because I think, even with Hubby's huge appetite, the serving was more than enough for two people.

When we arrived at Xin Wang Cafe, there was a waiting line and the place was packed, so be sure to come early if you want to eat there on a weekend. The food is good and authentic. We suspect that the chef might be a Hong Kee or trained by a Hong Kong chef. The price of the food is very very reasonable and worth every centavo, in my own opinion. Would you believe we spent under a P1,000 for all of that food? Tip included!  Our waiter was nice too, and very attentive. 

 Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe is worth coming back to.