Tides Restaurant in BF

Hubby and I tried this new barbecue joint in BF Homes called Tides, located along Aguirre Avenue. The interior is rustic and pub-like, with wooden tables and chairs, there's a patio over looking the street. The patio is the best area to dine since it's al fresco, the interior of the restaurant is not airconditioned but with plenty of fans to circulate the air. If you don't like to breathe smoke from cigarettes, dine early before the smokers arrive.





The menu consists of bar drinks and an assortment of barbecue, sisig and viands. The barbecue menu is priced reasonably between P18-45 per stick, depending on the type of barbecue that you like. The marinade is very good and the meats are grilled perfectly with slight burnt edges, very typical Pinoy barbecue. We also tried the roti. It was pretty disappointing, it's not authentic roti, they used tortilla instead of an actual roti, the curry dip was not bad. I was hoping to re-capture the same taste that I had in Little India, Singapore. Oh well...





The restaurant shares the building with a pizza joint, you can cross order between the two restaurants since they have the same owner/s. The pizza isn't very good though. I'd stick with the barbecue if I were you.

My Mom's 50 Somethin' Birthday

My mom celebrated her 50 somethin' birthday last Sunday. It was unanimously agreed that the family will converge in OLP, the new family hang out. Her new dining set arrived just in time for her party! Check out her new fabulous digs.











Tita Socky, hubby and I were invited for lunch, a quiet time with just the four of us before the children arrive. For this simple meal, my mom made tilapia fillet steamed with onions, tomatoes and a generous bunch of cilantro. Heavenly! I am definitely duplicating this dish at home. Very easy, healthy and super yummy! She also bought beef steak tagalog and lechon paksiw from the Legaspi Sunday market just a few steps away from her condo.



Just because mom's living in a condo, doesn't mean we can't have a feast! The housekeeper from LP grilled some pork and chicken barbecue for us to bring to OLP, We had Pancit Malabon, Puto Pao (the dough is a cross between a puto and siopao) with salted egg and cheese topping, mom made her famous creamy fruit salad and I baked some brownies with walnuts, almonds and cashew nuts. Decadent!











Here are some of the fun pics at the pool with the kids.







Happy birthday, Ma! We love yah!

One Legaspi Place (OLP), A New Family Hangout

My mom moved to her new digs, located just a hop away from Greenbelt and Glorietta, One Legaspi Place (fondly called OLP) is a great condominium community. My mom fell in love with the place as soon she saw it. My mom's in condo heaven due to it's spacious layout and even more fabulous location. The location is perfect for my mom because she loves to take walks and walking around Makati's malls, parks and weekend markets are always interesting and fun. We also checked out the goods at the Sunday Legaspi Market, just a few steps from her building. After living in the suburbs for 20 plus years, she welcomes this new change of pace.

The family converged in OLP last weekend and had another gab fest. We had some adobo made by the housekeeper in LP and some Chinese food ordered from a restaurant. Despite not having my mom's usual culinary masterpieces, we still enjoyed the food and each other's company. All of us pitched in with the cleanup.

We also talked about, watched home-made movies of our recent Hong Kong trip and reminisced about the fun and adventures we had there. Can't wait to go back! He he he. The kids also had a grand time frolicking in the pool. The pool is always a hit with the kids. My nephew Tim, played his kuya role to the hilt by watching over our little Ashley and kept her safe during their afternoon swim. My mom gave him a reward of chocolates and hot dogs for being such a good boy. There are also an outdoor and indoor play area which Ashley took advantage of. New toys to play with!

Here's a short slideshow/movie of our very first Sunday gathering at OLP:


Watch out for more fun posts about OLP, our new favorite family hang out.

Chicken Inasal

Chicken Inasal is one of the most favorite Filipino dishes of all time. Quintessential Pinoy, if you may. The dish originated in Bacolod, a province located in the Visayan region.

Although recipes vary from family to family, chicken inasal is always marinated and brushed with in achuete oil while grilling. The achuete oil (oil infused with anatto seeds) gives the chicken inasal it's yellow reddish tint. So far, none of the restaurants that we've dined in has given me the complete recipe for the their marinade. I can only discern flavors like vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and ginger. Grilling over hot coals is very essential to it's smoky and distinct flavor.



I've never made this at home since it's very cheap to just dine in Bacolod Chicken House, a quaint little restaurant in BF that has been there for as long as I can remember. It's great that you can order the chicken parts that you like best. I like wings. Chicken inasal is best eaten with a dipping sauce of vinegar, soy sauce, chopped bird's eye chili, calamansi, ginger, garlic and onions.

Chicken Inasal in Bacolod Chicken House. Good Eats.

Third Day in Hong Kong - Ocean Park and Causeway Bay

We had such a full day at Disney, it was unanimously decided that the family needed to sleep in a bit and agreed to converge at the hotel lobby at a more respectable time, 11am.

For breakfast, hubby and I went to McDonald's. If you close your eyes, you would think that you're in Manila! Every Filipino in that area seemed to be having breakfast at McDonald's :-) I wonder, is there an unwritten rule among us Filipinos that we should have breakfast there? Just asking ;-)



We had some delays at the hotel due to some airport transportation concerns. We eventually left around noon. Ocean Park is open from 10:00a.m. to 10:00p.m.

To go to Ocean Park, take the MTR and alight at Admiralty station. There is a bus terminal there where you can purchase bus and park tickets for HK$20 and HK$208, respectively.

We were all very excited particularly because of the cable car experience. It will be a first for all the kids and some of the adults in the group.




When we arrived, Ocean Park was very crowded, and we couldn't enjoy most of the attractions due to long lines and rude Chinese people pushing everyone around. The kids did enjoy some of the attractions though. The mine train was a hit with hubby and Tim, the Raging river was a hit with Nica, the Atoll Reef was a huge hit for most of us despite over crowding. Jay-jay liked the Shark aquarium and the Dolphin show as well.







For hubby and I, we took a leisurely tour of the Aviary since we missed that last year. We were both fascinated with the birds casually perched on trees and some birds bathing in the man-made stream inside the aviary. One particular bird almost pooped on me, I was just inches away when he dropped his bomb! I love the aviary.









The place was so crowded, the escalators broke down....twice. We also didn't get to ride the cable car since the lines were extremely long and the staff urged patrons to take a free bus ride to get to the other side, which we didn't explore anymore.

I wish Ocean Park limits its park patrons on weekends. We were literally packed like sardines! I love Ocean Park and I always go there whenever I'm in Hong Kong. Try to visit the park on a weekday when it's less chaotic and remember to wear extremely comfortable shoes. The terrain is mostly uphill and you will need legs of steel to traverse through Ocean Park's pedestrian lanes.

After a gruelling afternoon at Ocean Park, we travel by bus to Admiralty and took the MTR to Causway Bay. There we browsed through Toys 'r Us and the surrounding shops. Tita Socky met us for dinner at a swanky Shabu-shabu place inside Fashion Walk. Unfortunately, since everyone was very busy cooking their meals, no one bothered to take pictures. The meal was great and the sukiyaki soup that accompanied the shabu-shabu was excellent.

After a heavy and healthy meal, and despite aching feet and short tempers, we still gamely walked the streets of Causway Bay, browsed around the malls, tried things on and walked, walked, walked. Here I am with my mom at Sasa after we've tried almost all their perfumes :-) My head was spinning after spraying and smelling all the perfume. Neither one of us bought one :-) he he he. I was extremely tempted to buy a bottle but resisted the urge. I'm such a good girl :-)

Second Day in Hong Kong-Disneyland and Mongkok

The family started the day bright and early to meet for breakfast. Hubby and I prepped them the night before by telling them explicitly that we have to be in Disneyland before the gates open so that we can have more time to see all the attractions.

Breakfast was at Delifrance located along Peking road, just a few minutes' walk from our hotel. We had typical French breakfast fare of croissants, sausages, eggs and fruit. The kids started having fun by taking turns playing with Jay-jay's toy laptop.



Fortified with a heavy breakfast, we made our way to Disneyland. We opted to take the MTR so that kids can experience the Mickey Mouse train. It took three train transfers to transport all 14 of us. From Tsim Sha Tsui MTR, transfer trains at Lai King (Tung Chung Line), alight at Sunny Bay Station and transfer to the Disneyland Mickey Mouse train. It was a bit nerve wracking for me because we had five children with us and I was constantly counting them to make sure every single one was accounted for.





The kids were pretty excited about the Mickey Mouse MTR and had tons of pictures taken.











We arrived about half an hour earlier to Disneyland. The weather was cloudy, which was perfect for us. Our early arrival gave us time to browse through the Disney Map and plot where we want to go first.



The kids also had a blast playing around the huge fountain. Here I am, "surfing" :-)









Hong Kong Disneyland is not as vast as its American and European counterparts. You will still have a great time there nonetheless. A Disney experience will never be complete without posing with the Disney princesses and the rest of the gang.





Terno si hubby at si Timon, he he he ;-)

Our group decided to explore the park separately. Hubby and I took Tim and Nica with us to ride the Buzz Lighyear attraction and the Autopia. Both were equally fun and interactive. Tim got his Disney license and Nica got a cute sticker from the staff.





We were extremely disappointed that the Space Mountain attraction was closed for maintenance. That attraction is a unanimous favorite for those of us who've been there in the previous year. We were happily telling the kids the day before that they will enjoy that ride and the look on their faces when they realized that the attraction was closed was hearbreaking.

However, there are other attractions that needed to be discovered. The rest of the clan made their way through the rest attractions. If you're in Disneyland, never ever miss The Lion King Show. It's got great special effects and the actors sing the songs live. My nephew Jay-jay and niece Ashley were enthralled with all the special effects, moving stage, huge puppets and the pyrothechnics.



Another favorite is the Philharmagic attraction, a 3D cinema complete with special "water" effects and opera glasses. My niece Daniele enjoyed it so much, she went in twice.




By mid-afternoon, my feet were already killing me. Hubby and I decided to take it easy for a while and I promptly fell asleep leaning on hubby in one of the benches. I only woke up when I heard my godson Tim exclaimed "Ayun sila ninang O!"

After waking up, we were hungry, hubby and I tried the Bakery along Main Street USA and ordered egg tart, cheesecake and black forest cakes. They were all rich and quite good. Hubby liked the black forest better. I liked the cheesecake better (my cheesecake tastes better though, he he he)



The parade was right along the Bakery and we moved closer to get a better view.



One of the highlights of our Disney trip was the fireworks. My mom and Tita Honey already saved a bench near the castle so that we all could get a better view of the fireworks. We all wowed and were all amazed with the show. If you're in Disneyland, never miss the fireworks. Come December, there's even fake snow (made of bubbles) after the fireworks along Main Street USA.



It was a very happy day for everyone. My Mom and Tita Honey, had several bags' worth of shopping in Disneyland.

After Disney, half of the family decided to dine in Spaghetti House again since it's located right at the hotel. The rest, decided to explore Mongkok instead of going back to the hotel to have dinner.

After dinner, my brother Jake and his wife Angel, Hubby and myself made our way to Mongkok for more shopping. Mongkok stores are open until midnight, some extend up to 1a.m. Mongkok is famous for it's Ladies' Market, Street Market and electronic goods. I was too tired to fully explore Mongkok's streets, after hubby bought a spare battery for the camera, we decided to go home. Jake and Angel stayed a few hours more and bought some clothing for them and the kids.

Oh my feet, why did you give up on me?