Celebrating my unemployment

I don't really know how to write this post but I just have to say last week was one of the most memorable weeks of my life as I spent my last day at the firm "partying" with my officemates and spending the rest of the week in Baguio (our favorite place) to rest, mostly eat, in celebration of my unemployment haha.

Here's my Weekly Monotony!

✱ Last daaaayyy

August 23, 2022! Booked the lifestyle room and enjoyed the whole night just eating, singing, and occassionally attending to issues hahaha last day na nga eh may humahabol pa. I have the sweetest teammates, they really took note of my favorite foods and endeavored to have them available for our small salu-salo! I had planned to order Frankie's for everyone but the weather was so bad that day and most of the stores closed early. Even BPI closed early and I was supposed to run an errand with them argh. In the end I got wings from Buffalo Wild Wings haha sarap naman!

Anyway. Sobrang natouch ako. My friends got me cheesecake, Mama Lou's pizza, Amber's spaghetti and palabok, and mooore! Huhu sobrang daming food. Red and Henry gifted me a new phone case too huhu! And Camille got me SAMOSAS kami lang mahilig sa Indian food HAHAHA it was so good I hope more people would appreciate Indian food it's THE BEST!!!

White & Case will always have a special place in my heart. It's the first time I felt this comfortable in a company. Like I said, I could retire here. I really appreciate this day a lot, the effort it took for my friends to come in despite the stormy weather! The fooooood and the overall thoughfulness. I will never forget you guuuysss huhu. We're not complete in this pic but you're all in my heaaart hihi ♥

It was a delight having to experience our lifestyle room din! The Grand Videoke HD is the bomb! The sound system is perfect, we have mic stands, a big ass TV, there's even a PS5 but we just really want to sing hahahaha I love it! ♥

But all things must come to an end. After surrendering my stuff napaisip ako kung tama ba tong desisyon ko hahaha oh well, too late! HAHAHA

✱ Baguiooooooo

We love Baguio so much we keep coming back. The last time we went there we stayed a week at an AirBnb and tried to live "locally" as in not like a tourist. We bought groceries, I cooked every day, and worked like usual. In the afternoon before my shift starts we go out and explore, one spot a day, then come home right before it rains. Okay we did touristy stuff din pala haha. But everything worked within our schedule so it was perfect.

✱ Giraffe Boutique Hotel

This time is different. We booked at a hotel and just planned to eat all day everyday lol. At least I did. Jeckie went to an MMA gym haha. We've been eyeing The Manor at CJH but it just never went within our budget haha maybe next time. We stayed at Giraffe Boutique Hotel through a friend's reco and we loved it! I'll give it an 8/10.

We got a Superior Room that's 3.5k per night so not bad! It's beautiful, spacious, I love the colors. Just look at this ♥

I specifically requested for a room with a lot of windows but I didn't realize it meant getting the corner room that's right beside the road and the outdoor garden. You know what that means. Noise! Our first night was terrible because it was very noisy outside, if it's not the dogs barking, it's cats literally fucking around. And very early in the morning as the restaurant kitchen bustles I could've cried at the painful sound of cutleries clanking and of people talking and going about. We also had a cockroach incident. Could've soundproofed the room better but I don't really know what that entails. 

Besides the noise, privacy was also an issue. I requested for windows because I wanted better lighting and ventilation but I didn't realize we were facing a very busy part of the hotel and people kept walking past haha. In the end we had to keep the curtains down the entire time. So much for the view right.

But that's just on the first night. The succeeding nights were better, it's not always noisy and even when the curtains are drawn it's always cold hehe. So yeah, despite the noise and privacy issues, overall we stll had a great stay. Will write in detail on a separate blog post. :)

✱ Mangiamo Ristorante Baguio

I think the best part of the hotel is their restaurant, Mangiamo. It means "let's eat" in Italian ♥ 

If you are to stay in Baguio, you must try dining at Mangiamo. They serve delicious authentic Italian food that is so much worth every penny. Probably the best Italian we've tried. The chef is Italian too. I think we ate here two or three times. I recommend the following: 

• Mangiamo pizza - so freaking good, has truffle and ham, best pizza ever!!!
• Tagliatelle w/ truffle cream sauce - if you love truffle, this is a must!!! It's not on the menu but is usually on the board
• Mushroom soup - okay we love mushrooms. This is so legit, filled with wild mushrooms, not salty, not too creamy just pure mushroom soup goodness. 
• Caesar salad - if you love a garlicky caesar dressing this is lovely 
• Tiramisu - argh just typing it down makes me crave for it
• Apple pie ala mode - just the right serving! Perfect to cap off your meal 
• Prosciutto crudo e melone (parma ham and melon) - my goodness this is delicious! We loved prosciutto wraped mango when we we first tried one in Bora, but wow I love this melon one more! ♥

Now that I've started with the restaurant roll call, next up!

✱ Visco's

Everybody loves Visco's strawberry shortcake but have you tried their restaurant offerings? It's delicious!!! Especially their fried chicken. Reasonably priced too. 

I got the original fried chicken and Jeckie got the honey mustard one. We both enjoyed it. The chicken actually reminds me of Ellen's fried chicken in UPLB. And the gravy is buttery. Love it! ALSO, the ceasar salad on the side is delicious. Must try!

✱ Overtones Ito Sushi Bar & Japanese Restaurant 

Aaahh Jeckie's friend recommended this to us. Like Vizco's, you can find this along Session Rd., between Sizzling Plate and Pizza Volante. There's a small entrance there that's easy to miss because it's just a narrow entrance that leads to a flight of stairs. So don't miss it! 

I ordered Chirashidon, a favorite, and it's delicious! There's salmon, mackerel, octopus, UNI, tamago, crabsticks, etc., and lots of rice I couldn't finish. Besides the uni I also loved the squid wrapped nori. Super delicious! Jeckie got the wagyu sirloin. The cut was pretty thin so for medium rare it quickly turned to well done. So maybe next time get it rare? Teriyaki sauce is delicious! My iced mocha too!

There weren't a lot of people dining in so I'd say this one's a bit underrated. It's also a bit pricey for something along Session Rd. hehe

✱ Grumpy Joe

We though we're being careful with our restaurant choices so we went with one that's highly recommended by the internet. There was a line when we got there. We were 9th. We looked at the menu and everything looked promising...

... until my first order came. The corn chowder soup. It doesn't look too bad but the mound of grated cheese on top made me wonder, they use this type of cheese? I mean for a restaurant of this level I was hoping they'd opt for something more refined. Did we just fall into the hype?

Uhh yeah. Cos everything that was served after was underwhelming. The ony thing overwhelming is the serving size.

• Corn chowder soup - it was okay for 85 pesos but the mound of quickmelt was a bad precedent of what's to come
• Spicy buffalo wings - not spicy, not buffalo. Had we ordered barbecue glazed chicken wings we would've enjoyed this, but we didn't so it turned out disappointing. 
• Grumpy Joe special burger - oh this one will make you grumpy. So here's a burger, with a thin and dry patty, a pineapple slice that's thicker than said patty, ultra thin pickles, some cucumber slices, and caramelized onions siting right in the middle of the pineapple slice. There's also lettuce and a slice of fake cheese. Sauce? Maybe, I couldn't sense any. Did Joe make this when he's mad? Cos it shows. It's an abhorrent attempt at an aloha burger. Jollibee is laughing its ass out. The fries on the side however, tastes great! 
• Greek salad was so so, I don't get why this is marked a best seller
• Five cheese pizza - this was supposed to be a bestseller but the moment I tasted quickmelt cheesefood (apparently they use Eden) in there, I was defeated. I mean it tastes okay. But it's not 5 cheese delicious. Eden cheese isn't even real cheese. Yellowcab's 4 Cheese is much better. 

So much for the hype. I think this is okay for big families with kids in tow. Jeckie says it's elevated school canteen food. Harsh but totally apt. I think kids would love the food here. But foodies? Beware. 

✱ Oh My Gulay

Hmm. Located along Session Road at La Azotea Building, you have to climb 6 flights of stairs in order to get into the restaurant. It's on the 5th floor but there's another flight when you get to the restaurant entrance so yeah, siguradong gutom na gutom ka na pagdating mo sa taas haha. Obviously this is not for the physically challenged. The place is a visual feast. A museum slash nature sanctuary. It's like a mini Tam-awan Village! They serve vegetarian food so I know not to expect too much. 

We both got sisig. Which I regret. Jeckie seemed to love it. But to me it's just tastes like scrambled eggs. The sliders were disappointing too. Patty too dry. Remind us to stick to originally vegetarian dishes next time like eggplant lasagna, vegetables samosas, salads, humus, etc, and not converted meat dishes because I swear, they never come out as good.

I ordered pumpkin soup but it took too long to come out so I just cancelled it. I also ordered mango crepe but they gave out peach crepe so I had it remade. They must've rushed my order because the crepe was still hot when they served it. Consequently the mangoes got warm so it's not a good experience. They probably thought to compensate by drizzling extra chocolate syrup but heck they went overboard haha.

I'm not happy with this experience but I'm willing to try again, definitely with a different dish. 

✱ Lemon & Olives Greek Taverna

Finally got to try this! I'll tell you right now, this one's worth the hype unlike Grumpy Joe haha.

We ordered special lamb chops for two which came with L&O Salad, Poikilia, and lemon pilaf rice. Ordered hummus, plain yogurt drinks, and I got me some Turkish coffee (which I realized isn't my cup of tea lol).

Just looking at the photos already makes me wanna come back! 

• L&O Salad - absolutely delicious. Everything was balanced. I loved the peaches. It reminded me of Go Salad's Sweet Caroline except they use honey lemon vinagraitte instead of honey balsamic. It's sweet and tangy and my goodness I could eat this all day.
• Lamb chops - lamb is an acquired taste. I had to eat a lot of lamb dishes to realize how delicious it it. And this one is great.
• Hummus - simple, savory, creamy, garlicky, tangy. It's so balanced I love it.
• Poikilia - an appetizer plate. There's pita bites, sausages, and cheese sticks. I love this spread. Everything tastes good, specially the cheeese!!!

Aaaand that's it for my Baguio food diaries! I already wanna go back cos there's still so much we wanna try! Despite Grumpy Joe haha, I think this is still one of my favorite vacations! 

I'll be starting with my new job on Thursday so wish me luck! ♥

Is Food Medicine?

Nutrition science is an incredibly young discipline. The idea that we could tackle some of our most dangerous modern diseases, like heart disease, stroke, and cancer, only really began to gain traction in the 1970s, and even then, people didn’t take the idea particularly seriously. Sure, eating right was good for overall health, but it couldn’t make THAT much of a difference. As the years wore on and the science developed, a clear pattern emerged. The more people ate a certain kind of diet high in nutrients and low in junk, the longer and healthier they lived. What’s more, they had an uncanny knack to avoid the diseases of aging - conditions that the modern medical establishment still can’t really do much about.

Photo from Pixabay

Food is a kind of medicine if you use it right. There are all kinds of cancer-fighting foods that research reveals helps to improve symptoms in vivo and in vitro. In some cases, the effect of lifestyle change is so profound that it can REVERSE conditions like prostate cancer. Researcher Dean Ornish, for instance, found that when he fed men with prostate cancer a diet high in fruits and vegetables, their tumors actually shrank over the twelve months of the study. Some patients went into full remission. 

The Long-Term Effects Of Food

The medical community is fighting back against Hippocrates’ notion that food is a kind of medicine. The common retort is “food is just food,” and anyone who says that you can heal our biggest killers is a quack. 

Photo from Pixabay

The problem with this view is that we now have a mountain of evidence from a large number of researchers that food really can heal the body over the long-term.

What’s more, the epidemiological studies from the places where people live the longest all seem to point to a healthy diet as a significant contributing factor. None of these areas eat a diet high in animal products. Most live on simple plant foods grown in local soil. When you eat lots of beans, greens, fruits, and seeds over the long term, it appears to change the body in fundamental ways, making it more resistant to the ravages of aging over time.

Don’t Rely On Food For All Ailments

There are situations, however, when food is not enough to protect you against illness, and you need medical intervention.

Antibiotics are a good example. While what you eat will help make you more robust against bacterial infection, it can’t protect you entirely. Occasionally, some nasty pathogens will overwhelm your defenses, giving you no choice but to go along to the doctors.

The same applies to autoimmune conditions. While changing your diet can help, the only proven effective intervention are conventional pharmaceutical drugs.

Food has its limits, but it has also been neglected terribly. There are now numerous studies that show that changing your overall dietary pattern to eat more whole plant foods can help enormously in reducing the chances that you’ll fall seriously ill. Use food as a powerful intervention and concentrate on eating the healthiest varieties out there.

Looking around EaTogether Food Hall by Vikings at Capitol Commons

Chanced upon this newly opened food court one weekend while doing the laundry hehe

Disclaimer, I just looked around and didn't buy anything cos Jeckie and I already decided we'd eat at Coco Ichibanya that day. Here's what to see at the newly opened EaTogether Food Hall at Capitol Commons.

Super nice and well designed interiors, lots of dining space, and also an outdoor area for smoking.

Based from what I read from other bloggers (who were lucky to be invited to a press opening lol), transactions here are CASHLESS. You either pay through debit or credit card, or use the reloadable Vikings Rewards Card. Hmm... for now I can't say if that's a good feature or not.

There's a variety for you to choose from. There's Shabu-shabu, Chinese, Japanese, and Italian...

There's chicken and steak...

And a drinks station with cocktails, beer, juices, and bottled products.

There's even a small nook for live performances. Cool!

Will definitely try this place out next time! What do you think about this place and how do feel about the cashless transaction?

ETA after a week: We did come back to this place to eat but upon circling the place twice nothing seems to catch our attention. Not to be nega about the food hall but there's seems to be not a lot of food offerings. There's only around 10 stalls inside. Food is generic and price tag is a bit hefty. You'd have to spend 250/head for a single meal in here. The stalls have a Mercato feel to them, alam mo yun, unfamiliar but interesting. But the price tag would shoo you away talaga haha.

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EaTogether Food Hall is located at the 2nd floor of Unimart Capitol Commons

Operating hours: 11am-3pm and 5pm-11pm (is Unimart even open until 11pm?)

How To Mix and Match Pizza With Sides

Image by Igor Ovsyannykov from Pixabay

You probably know exactly what pizza you want to order when you ask your friends, “Where are pizza locations near me we can order from?” A tasty pizza can turn a good night into a great one. However, depending on the size of your party, you may need more than pizza to keep everyone happy. After saving money on the cheapest pizza specials available, you can end up with more money in your pocket to spend on the perfect size.

For the Health-Conscious

Pizza naturally comes with a lot of calories. If you want a healthy side to even things out, then you should order a chicken Caesar salad with your meal. It comes with crisp Romaine lettuce along with all-white meat chicken. It comes topped with a creamy Caesar dressing and shredded cheese, making this one salad you will have no problem getting down.

For the Game Day

Pizza and buffalo wings are a tradition as old as the Super Bowl. Bone-in wings are covered in a delectable buffalo sauce and baked to perfection. They pair incredibly well with a Philly Cheesesteak pizza. You can search online for “philly cheesesteak pizza near me” to find a local restaurant that will give you the perfect meal for the perfect game.

For the Party Animals

When a party is in full swing, you need food people can grab and take with them easily around the room when they want to mingle. Garlic knots fit the bill perfectly. People can grab a plate and get a slice of pizza and a couple of tasty garlic knots. They are made out of fresh dough and covered in a delicious garlic parmesan seasoning. It is the perfect way to take your party to the next level.

Everyone’s taste is different. You can mix and match to your liking to find the perfect combination you will want to order time and time again. Give it a whirl by ordering pizza with a side today.

Cucina Breakfast Buffet at Marco Polo Hotel Ortigas

Is it worth it to include breakfast in your booking at Marco Polo Hotel Ortigas? Read on to find out!

Here's a pic spam of what to expect at Cucina's breakfast buffet. The restaurant is located at the 24th floor, same as the lobby, and breakfast is served everyday from 6am to 10:30am. During peak days they display an info board of customer density based on the time, to help you manage your expectations. A similar board is provided for pool density as well. Great touch! Now let's look around to see what they offer.

Bread, cheese, and cold cuts

Pancakes and donuts. Plus a toaster for heating sliced bread

Filipino station with daing na bangus, tocino, and adobo. There's also congee, arroz caldo, and champorado (which is yummy!)

Indian station with vegetarian dishes

Classic breakfast options - corned beef, beaked beans, and sausages

Egg station if you want to customize your scrambled eggs

Bacon in 2 consistencies (crispy and medium //more like medium 1 and medium 2 hehe), potato wedges, grilled tomatoes

Chinese noodle station

Juice station - they have guava juice, apple infused water, and orange juice. There are healthier cold pressed options to like mango papaya, beetroot pineapple, and apple cucumber celery. Yum (note sarcasm). If you're looking for coffee and tea, you can request from the servers.

A selection of fruits, yogurts, and salads are also available

There's a cute maki station too and miso soup!

Cereals -- check

An assortment of pastries

And hey, there's taho!

The ambiance of Cucina is very elegant. The servers are attentive, they refill emptying trays fast, and they clear out your plates immediately. The space actually reminds me of Seda Vertis North's Misto.

You'll definitely get your fill dining at Cucina in the morning, but if you're not a breakfast person (like me), go ahead and exclude it in your booking to save money. I know I will in my next stay hehe.

Perfect Party Snacks

Photo from Pixabay

Preparing food for a party has never been easier. Thanks to the hundreds of recipes online and the catering options in your local supermarket your options are incredibly broad. So what options are there for making your own party food to give your event a little bit of a personal twist. Here we are going to take a look at some of the ways you can develop your party food to have your own touch.

Dips

Now, one of the things that has happened over the past few years with an improved selection of dips in supermarkets is that it has become easier to get lazy with our dips. A collection of store bought selections can sit on the table, but there is nothing special about any of them. However, you can make a dip relatively easily and it will give your guests a little talking point around one of the supplementary foods on the table. A popular choice for a party dip is Nomad's Marketplace recipe for hummus because it is straightforward to make and can also be served with pitta bread for an authentic feel. Hummus has become very popular in the past decade or so and will go down great with your guests when they learn that you have handmade it.

Photo from Pixabay

Sausage Rolls

Once again there is a tendency to rely on the supermarket when it comes to sausage rolls. That might mean the frozen cocktail variety or some from the butcher. The difference between making your own sausage rolls and relying on the store is night and day for this staple of the party food genre. The options that open up in front of you when you decide to make your own sausage rolls means that you can add all sorts of different flavors to make them extra special. Try making these sausage, bacon and cheese pastries from Nigella Lawson and give your guests the gift of flavor. You can even make vegetarian rolls as well to make sure you cater to everyone’s needs.

Party Food

The most important thing when you are arranging party food is to make sure there is a broad selection so that all of your guests are satisfied. That doesn’t mean you have to make everything on the table, that might not be entirely practical. But you can explore the options that are out there for you to get making your own food and making it part of the fun of a party. You will be surprised at the warm response you get to some of the savoury items that you make when you are hosting. And you should always be prepared to bake cakes and cookies when you have guests coming over, there is nothing better than homemade desserts.

Just make sure you prepare well in advance and make enough time to create your party food masterpieces. After all, you deserve to let your hair down and have a good time as well.

[Review] Ahmad Brothers Cafe at Labsan/Yandoc St., Baguio City

Ahmad Brothers Cafe is one of the restaurants my husband and I tried on our short vacation at Baguio.

We had a hard time looking for this place, but it was well worth it. From our place at Megatower Residences, we decided to walk all the way to their location at Legarda road, after all Google Maps said it's just a 20min walk. But wth, we got lost and pissed off at the throng of people flocked over at Session Rd. (read: Panagbenga Festival). Eventually we just hailed a cab and got dropped off around Giligan's. According to Google Maps, it should be at the same building, if not beside it.

It wasn't there. 

Imbyerna. We asked around, and finally one of the guards said Ahmad has moved to a new location. He told us it was walking distance. So we walked. But not before calling the establishment to confirm their existence. Thank God for Google (the same Google who led us to a wrong location), I was connected to one of their staff who texted us about their actual location. It's only 450m away from their old spot. Great!

And so we walked. As of writing, their current address is at Labsan St. cor Yandoc St, Baguio City. You can always confirm at their mobile number 0908-740-7284 or their landline number (074)-244-7292.

We found Ahmad Brothers Cafe tucked at the lower levels of Hotel Caterina. At this point in my Indian food loving life, I learned not to care about restaurant interiors. As you can see, nothing fancy here, but it's a big enough eatery offering Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine. 

We saw a couple of Arab looking kids ordering a plate of what looked like chicken tandoori with rice. And you know the drill, if you see foreign people eating their local food in a foreign country, the place must be legit.

And so we ordered the usual.

Vegetable samosa - ₱65

I super love this! It's a different kind of samosa, the wrap is made of something like lumpia wrapper, and the dip isn't the usual tamarind and mint-chutney. It's garlic sauce haha.

Chili Pakora - ₱80

Another great item from their menu. The chilis look super payat but I assure you they taste perfect, specially with their cheese dip. Jusko and ₱80 lang syaaaa. (for comparison, Chili Pakoras at Naan cost ₱150).

Chicken Masala - ₱240

Aaand our main dish. I know it looks like Adobo, the sauce is brown and there are large potato chunks too. It looks so far from the Masala we know. But the taste? AMAZING. Walang kwenta tong food blog na to, basta masarap - amazing yan. Try nyo na lang. The sauce isn't that thick but the flavors are all there. The spices really get to you. I love it.

We also ordered Sweet Lassi (₱70) and it was, again, amazing. I can't believe we're drinking super cheap Lassi that's also super good. Huhuhu. Goes to show that food in the metro is ridiculously overpriced. And their beef shawarma? ₱70 lang diiiin!

We tried to order Naan bread but didn't have any, they served us with pita bread instead, the one they use for shawarma. Okay lang naman hahaha.

Our bill went just a little over ₱600. Not baaaaad for two Indian food gluttons!

Location and contact

Address: #1, Yandoc st. corner Naguilian rd. Baguio City, Philippines (basement of Hotel Caterina, just beside Justice Hall)

If you're navigating via maps/waze, use the one pinned at Labsan st.

Operating hours: 9am to 9pm (Mon - Sat) and 11am to 9pm (Sun)

Contact number: (074)-244-7292

Facebook: Ahmad Brothers Cafe

[Review] 50's Diner at Session Rd., Baguio City

50's Diner serves your favorite comfort foods at very affordable prices. Chicken, steak, spaghetti, shakes, ice cream, name it, their menu is filled with satisfying platters that won't break your wallet! This certain branch is located at the 4th floor of Porta Vaga Mall, Session Rd. It's walking distance from SM Baguio and Megatower Residences (where we were booked) too. During the time we visited, the place was packed with people because it's Panagbenga Festival, but we didn't have a hard time getting a seat because they have lots haha.

The ambiance is very casual, and the restaurant stayed true to its theme. Neon tube lights give the place a retro glow, and the checkered floor just adds more to the 50s vibe. Don't forget the vintage movie posters!

Now onto the food! It didn't take long for us to get served, I got myself a mocha shake, mushroom soup, and one of their fully loaded meals - Guys on the Hood.

50's Mocha (₱ 100)

Guys on the hood - a combination of pork chop, chicken, spaghetti and homemade bread pizza. Served with rice and buttered vegetables. (₱ 165)

My plate was overflowing! Jeckie, on the other hand, ordered steak. Of course.

Fillet Mignon - served with soup, salad, ice cream, and iced tea. (₱ 320)

Don't get your hopes up with the steak though. Jeckie requested for his steak to be cooked rare, and had to repeat it three times because the waiter kept on repeating his order as either well-done or medium rare haha. But alas, his steak came out well-done. Well-done koya in taking our orders! It wasn't such as deal breaker though, their steak still tasted delicious, and for its price we just had to let our rare order go hehe.

And our final bill -- ONLY ₱ 650! The menu prices are all VAT inclusive and they have NO SERVICE CHARGE. It was soooo sulit. If you see yourself dining here don't forget to give them a good tip! <3 Definitely eating here again!

Check out their menu