Happiest Place in Hong Kong

Felt like a kid again when the BFF and I visited Hong Kong Disneyland. I may be almost 40 but, the Disney characters bring out the kid in me.

Teen-age flashback over good Filipino food

The BFF and I met our partner in crime during our elementary and early high school years, Nancy. She's in town for a few weeks to attend to some family matters and we seized the time to meet her and catch up on each other's lives.

As we were having dinner at Fely J's in Greenbelt, we talked about our jobs, Nanyc's life in Vietnam and essentially what happened with each other since the last we met up about four years ago. In between bites of Dilis Rice, Beef Morcon and Sauteed Mushrooms with Broccoli, we shared the joys of our lives and the many blessings that have come our way, the funny moments that we encountered in our travels, OCD tendencies, ideal men, food and every other topic under the sun. I love having moments like these with friends, catching up, gossiping and sharing hearty laughter that often leaves me in tears.







After finishing most of what we ordered, we were clamoring for more conversation and laughter. We headed off to Max Brenner, for some hot chocolate and churros. Max Brenner is quieter and less frequented by people, which provides an ideal atmosphere for reminiscing our elementary and high school days.

The collective memories of our childhood, weaved a tale of three young girls, enjoying life, childish adventures, pranks and the many naughty and funny things who did things together. We all had a childhood filled with laughter and adventure, although fraught with some setbacks and disappointment, we look back at it with fondness and gratitude that made us appreciate our lives even more.




We are only starting, there is more fun to be had, more adventures to try, more places to see. Ahhh, life only gets better and better.

Antonio's Tagaytay

Hubby made reservations for us at Antonio's last Saturday, as an early Valentine's day date. Antonio's is a hidden and exclusive dining experience in Tagaytay. A hidden oasis, if you will. A place for your palate to experience the rich, sinful and decadent dishes that chef Antonio has concocted and personally developed for his loyal patrons to enjoy, savor and remember long after you have left his magical restaurant.

Most of all, your sense of taste will go into overdrive for the lovely and delicious selection from the menu.

Each set meal from Antonio's come with a salad of the day (mixed greens, beets, radish, blue cheese and a raspberry dressing), soup of the day, (which was a molo soup with tomato puree or tomato oil, I can't put my finger on it), your choice of entree, your choice of dessert and coffee or tea.






The Squid Ink Garlic Bread is black as coal but was surprisingly very tender. Be prepared to have black teeth after :-)



If you don't want to order the set menu, Antonio's has a wide selection of appetizers and salads to choose from. I think I will try the bone marrow next time. But I will eat oatmeal for a week after that, he he he.

Hubby and I ordered a nice selection from the appetizer menu. I wanted to try all of them. But alas, I manage to restrain myself.

For starters, hubby and I ordered the Truffle Baked Oyters. This was absolutely divine. They oysters were huge and fresh and the topping of cheese and herbs (and yes bacon) was just enough.



I ordered the Scallops Tasting, scallops cooked two ways. One is poached and the other one is breaded and fried. I liked them both and would prefer to have ten more servings, if I can. I absolutely love the dressing on the scallops, it has some lemon, parsley and cilantro, very refreshing. I reckon that will go with salads as well. Gave me an idea for a new dressing.



Our favorite is the Grilled Portabello Mushrooms with Foie Gras. Oh so heavenly! The sauce is absolutely fantastic and creamy. The portabellos were cooked perfectly, tender and a little bit smoky, and the foi gras, so buttery. Oh my. I get hungry just thinking about it.



For the main course, hubby ordered the Grilled Beef Fillet, Gratinated with Shrimp Bisque on Tagliatelle. A surf and turf kinda deal but taken to a higher level. It took a while for our orders to be delivered but hubby was appeased when he took a bite. Well worth the wait he said. The beef was cooked perfectly. It was very tender and juicy.



I had the Seafood Sampler which consisted of Grilled Pink Peppered Chilean Sea Bass on Boiled Potato, Saffron-Kafir Sauce, Prawn Thermidore and Pan Seared Scallops on Celleriac Mashed, Truffle Cream Sauce. I love all three but my favorite is the Pan Seared Scallops, which was so tender and buttery. I love it.



For dessert, I had the Mixed Berries with Chantilly Cream. This was so beautifully presented. The chantilly cream was just right, no too sweet and very creamy. Just the way I like it.



Hubby ordered the Panna Cotta with Chocolate and Caramel Sauce. If I wasn't there he would have probably eaten the whole thing in one gulp!



Dining at Antonio's is a feast for the senses. Your eyes will feast on the wonderful verdant dining areas and gardens. Your sense of smell is teased by the lovely smells coming from the kitchen and lovely fragrant flowers that adorn its secret passages in the garden. Your sense of touch is highted by the lovely flowers and shrubs and rich textures of the wooden banisters, Antonio's imposing doors and a lovely assortment of plants, shrubs and flowers. Your sense of hearing is also spoiled with the gurgling sound of water fountains, chirping of birds and lovely chatter of your companion.

Antonio's was voted as one of the best restaurants in Asia, and righfully so.

We even met Chef Antonio, he approached us while were taking pictures of his lovely restaurant and talked about the improvements that he is doing on the property. He also talked about a new lamb dish that he will soon introduce on the menu. Let's see if I remember it correctly.. It's lamb rubbed with special herbs and spices, vacuum packed, to seal all the wonderful flavors, poached in warm water (warm because he said you can still dip your finger on it) and then grilled to medium. I don't eat lamb but they way chef Antonio described it, made me a convert.



Chef Antonio was so gracious, he even invited us to check out the rest of the property including his home located at the back. We are really glad that we took that offer. The garden out back is bigger than the restaurant and his home looks really wonderful and homey, reminds me of a resort in some exotic place in Thailand.



Chef Antonio's pug even uproached us to be petted and posed for a picture.



I highly recommend dining at Antonio's...now!

Second Day in Hong Kong - Disneyland!

This is a late upload of our adventures in Hong Kong since December is such a busy month with parties, shopping, reunions and such.

Anyway, I just wanted to post some pictures from our trip to Disneyland in Hong Kong. We all had a great time with the rides, shows and fireworks.

These are my favorite pictures , hubby took them and he sometimes got embarrassed taking them!










More fun pictures:

Our 15th anniversary together

I can't believe it's been fifteen years. But here we are :-)

Hubby and I celebrate two anniversaries a year, the first one of course is our wedding anniversary in April and the second one is the day that we officially became a couple. Yes, that cheesy part when I said "Yes, I love you too!"

Hubby and I met 15 years ago, at my 21st birthay party (the arithmetic says I'm 36 even though I still feel like I'm in my twenties). Anyhoo, long story short, hubby fell madly head over heels in love with me the moment he saw me and never let go. Ha ha ha. Here's a picture of us the day we met on that fateful Saturday afternoon in October 1994.


L-R Nerdy Hubby, my cousin Jopo, hubby's sister Joyce and moi. Jopo and Joyce dating at that time, that's how hubby and I met, by the way :-)

Anyway, back to the present, I wasn't sure how to celebrate such a 15-year milestone. I wanted to plan maybe a grand vacation getaway but we already had that in Hong Kong with family last week :-)

Hubby and I agreed to just have dinner in Greenbelt. Our restaurant of choice was Zuni, a winebar and restaurant. Both of us haven't dined there yet and this will be a new experience for us.

For starters, we shared a salad of Grilled Prawns with Avocado and Apples in a Sesame Dressing. I really liked this salad. It's light yet filling at the same time. The avocados were ripe and sweet, the prawns tender and the dressing just right. Hubby on the other hand kept telling me that I can easily duplicate this at home. (I can and I probably will).



For my main course, I had the Baby Lobster with clams, broccoli, califlower and marbled potatoes. This was very good also, quite rich and creamy, great with bread.



Hubby had Tenderloin Steak with a side of vegetables and salad greens. I had some trepidation because the tenderloin looked burnt. Hubby assured me that it was not and perfectly seared with a bit of blood oozing from the tenderloin.



Hubby also had his Mango Sherbet which he liked as well.



Zuni is a nice intimate restaurant, the food is nice, a bit pricey, the service is good as well.



For even more dessert, we made our way across the Greenbelt park and went to Bizu. Bizu had a wide array of delicious cakes and cookies.



Bizu's desserts are always so elegant and decadent. Their best seller is the Amor Cake, a Valhona orange chocolate mousse in between layers of creme brulee and brownie. Hubby was smitten.



I had the Babylon, a light raspberry mousse between layers of infused almond (paste?, I'm not sure). I liked this cake also but a bit too sweet for just one person.



Hubby also ordered some macaroons, rose, mint and mango. The rose is one of the most popular beacuse I think they make it with rose essense and is quite delicious.



I think I'll go workout now to burn off the calories!

Oh by the way, Advanced Merry Christmas! :-)

The Oriental Thai Cooking School

Our second day in Bangkok was the most fun. This is my fourth time in Bangkok and we wanted to do something different and fun (not that shop ‘till you drop activities were not enjoyable).

An officemate suggested to attend Mandarin Oriental’s cooking class, taught by its master chef, Nahrain Kiattiyotcharoen.

Cooking enthusiasts that we are, we jumped at the chance and pre-booked on Mandarin Oriental’s website prior to our arrival.

Mandarin Oriental, Bankok is one of the swankiest hotels in Bangkok. Just look at this grand flower arrangement at the lobby.



The cooking school is located across the scenic Chao Praya River, at the Oriental Thai Hotel. Our adventure began by riding a traditional boat across the Chao Praya River.



The Oriental Thai Hotel is the oldest hotel in Bangkok and it certainly provide such a welcoming and happy environment for learning Thai cuisine.

Our class starts with Chef Nahrain discussing the plate of desserts served to us prior to the actual cooking. Don’t let these desserts fool you. Each one takes a lot of effort to make and one should really know how they are made for you to appreciate the art and loving touch that go to making each one. For example, the white and green jelly dessert that you see, took all day to make, agar-agar is flavoured with pandan, put in a single layer, allowed to set, steamed and then another layer of coconut flavoured agar-agar is laid on top of it, allowed to set and then steamed again. This goes on for at least nine layers. Amazing!



The yellow mung dessert is cooked like a pudding, placed in a mold, unmolded and smoked using a special candle infused with herbs and spices. It is smoked for three hours. Here's chef Nahrain showing us the candle and explaining how it is used. Another amazing and wonderfully flavoured Thai dessert. I wish I remembered all their names!



Each student is given a copy of all the recipes that you will make plus some backgrounder on Thai herbs and ingredients. They gave us a cool apron too :-)



Our first lesson for the day was dessert, Banana in Coconut Sauce, Gluay Buad Chee made with coconut cream, bananas, and palm sugar. Palm sugar is so much more delicious than brown sugar. Tip when buying palam sugar, always buy the light colored ones because that means they are fresh and not oxidized.



The second dish that we made was Deep fried herbed Corn and Minced Chicken or Khao Phoad Thawd. You will need a mortar and pestle for this. The fresh corn, chicken and cilantro root and other ingredients are pounded together to make the patties. I’ve also learned that the healthiest oil for deep frying is Rice Bran Oil. If you can find it in your grocery store, I suggest you use that. I bought two bottles in Bangkok since I haven’t seen Rice Bran oil in Manila. If you know where to find it, please let me know!



The next dish is the most iconic dish in Thailand, Spicy Prawn Herbed Soup, Tom Yom Goong and the most difficult, I thought. Little did I know that it was so easy to make as long as you have all the authentic ingredients! Chef Nahrain’s version is the best and the most refreshing that I’ve ever tasted.



The next dish is called Stir Fried Pork with Chilis and Holy Basil, Phad Graphrao Moo, this is very simple to make with just some basic ingredients. So yummy! The fried holy basil on top provides a nice crunch to the dish.



We were divided into 3 groups and was given our own kitchen station to prepare, cut slice and cook all the above dishes. Chef Nahrain and a sous chef were on hand in every step of the way, if we had questions, they were very helpful.



Another thing that I love about the Oriental Thai Cooking School is that it is such a sensory experience, each herb and root used in the class were passed around for us to smell, touch, taste, differentiate from the many varieties available in the school's herb garden. For one thing, I realized that galangal is so much different that a ginger! A lemongrass bulb is so much more fragrant than it’s stalk. There are also so many varieties of basil, lemon basil is the most fragrant. Oh, I just want to inhale it all day long!



Each lesson was insightful, fun and full of useful information for any cook, professional or beginners alike. It was such a wonderful and fulfilling experience. I am so happy that I took that class. What a wonderful way to spend my Saturday morning (and lunch)! Yes, we ate everything that we made that day.

The Oriental Thai Cooking School is L-O-V-E!