Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Buca di Beppo PH

Everyone I know is always on the lookout for an authentic Italian place. Sadly, there are only a few in Manila so when I was invited by a good friend of mine to try out Buca di Beppo which just recently opened in BGC Corporate Center in Taguig, I was more than ready to give it a go.


First impressions of the place was that it really gave its best effort to make you feel like you were in Italy. The decor, wall photos, and posters on the ceiling were all reminiscent of old Italy.




I love that you can have the 2nd floor closed for functions and you can have your Italian party at an all time high without disturbing the people downstairs. There is also a Pope's table where you can feel like you're dining with the Pope.

Now on to the food. I personally loved the Marinara. Seriously. I would have eaten the entire plate by myself because it was just so darn good. The carbonara for me had too much cheese which did not sit well with me coz I prefer my pasta with just the right amount of cheese and the lemon chicken was tangy.




I'd definitely come back to this place if only to eat the Marinara which was just really perfect. Seriously. Buca di Beppo has the best marinara in the city in my opinion.


What made this experience really great though was being able to spend time with these ladies. As always, good food + great company = awesome meal.


Come dine with me? See you at Buca di Beppo located at BGC Corporate Center 30th Street.

Monday, November 27, 2017

Singapore Coffee Series

I was in Singapore for roughly 4.5 days. In such a short time, I was able to go around and have coffee in different places, thanks to people who indulged my caffeine addiction coz I was able to visit a coffee shop every single day, sometimes even 2 to 3 cafes.

Let's start from the beginning which is of course Starbucks.  I know that there is a Starbucks here in the Philippines but every Starbucks in every country has something a little different which is why it is almost always the first coffee shop I visit. As you can see, they have the Samsui women on their walls and it tells the story of these strong women and how they helped made Singapore the way it is now. They also have an open space where you can readily pose and pretend to be a barista.



Next on my list is The Coffee Academics and their famous Coffee in a Cone.


Initially, I worried about taking a photos with such a fragile looking coffee holder but much to my surprise, it was actually pretty sturdy. I think it's because of the thick chocolate coating found inside the cone. This Cafe Latte was actually pretty good and the rich chocolate coating around the cone added more flavor to it. I would definitely recommend giving this a try if you are in Singapore.


Other choices are the Black Cinnamon Latte and the Cafe Mocha. 



The third coffee shop I was able to visit is called Lady M. It seems Lady M has brances all over Singapore and they are all very distinct coz it looks fancy AF. I totally fell in love with the place coz it just looked so nice.


I tried the Peppermint Mocha as well as two of their best selling cakes, specifically Black Forest which was amazingly good and the Mille Crepe which was layered to perfection.


I was also able to try out Rasapura Masters which is a fancy food court inside Marina Bay Sands. Their coffee though is just standard for me. It was nothing bad but nothing impressive at the same time.


Another coffee place for those who may be on a budget is IKEA. Yes, you read that right. IKEA serves coffee for only 0.50SGD and best thing is it is refillable! The chocolate cake is also a must since it's crunchy and really taste well.


Awfully Chocolate is also a must visit if ony for the cute container of their chocolate drink. Its really good and for them, this is their version of chocolate.


I was also able to try out Wanna Cuppa. The reason I even tried it out was because the exterior was just so pretty!


As you can see, the place makes you feel like you just stepped inside a really chic cafe in Paris. I tried out the Chai Coffee Latte and it was definitely unique.


2nd to the last coffee shop was Olivia and Co. where I tried out the Cafe Mocha. This one is a little on the dark side so if you like your coffee strong, you would love this.



And the last coffee shop that I was able to try is Paris Baguette which is located inside the airport. I loved that their Cafe Latte costs only 4SGD. Most of the coffee I tried costs around 7 - 12SGD.



Overall, I tried out 9 coffee shops and I have not even made a single dent in the coffee industry of Singapore. They have so many third wave coffee shop that I would need to live in Singapore for a month to be able to try out 50% of their cafes.

All I can say is, the coffee lover in me is very happy.


Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Instagram Friendly Singapore

I finally got the chance to visit my brothers in Singapore and it all happened because of work. I was sent on a business trip to cover the ONE CHAMPIONSHIP bout happening on November 24, 2017 at the National Stadium and luckily, my brothers happen to live in Singapore so off I went right after my Iloilo trip.

We landed at the Changi Airport Terminal 4 which has just opened last month. Even my brothers have not been to this side of the airport but I have to say that it's big and impressive.


Soon as I got to the hotel, I saw 2 big guys standing outside and there they were, my brothers! I immediately forgot about the other people I was with and went straight to hug my brothers! I missed these cretins so much!


Soon as I checked in, I changed and got ready to explore what I could of Singapore at night. This is what I wore which I know is a very "Asian Drama" outfit but I think I carried it well.


One thing I noticed about Singapore is that it is very instagram friendly. You could just easily pose anywhere and bam! IG worthy photos. If you don't believe me, have a look at these.






If you are into structures, they also have these.





Do you see what I mean? Almost every nook and cranny is instagrammable. You can even just literally pause in the middle of crossing and the background would still look amazing.



Of course, I had to try out Singaporean food and so my brothers indulged and brought me to Makansutra where we had these delicious food.



And as tradition would have it, always, on the first night in any country that I go to, I visit Starbucks.



Tomorrow I plan to visit a local coffee shop and perhaps vlog? Let's go ahead and see what Singapore will bring but for now I have to say, thank you Singapore for welcoming me with open arms. Liddat can lah!

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Iloilo Coffee Series

As you all know, I am addicted to coffee so one of the things that I set out to do is visit different coffee shops here in Iloilo. Thankfully, I was able to visit not just one but FOUR coffee shops in a span of one day. Yes, I do not have blood in my system. I have coffee instead.

First stop was Tricky's Coffee and Treats located at F&B #4, Qualimed Building, Donato Pison Ave, Barangay. San Rafael, Mandurriao, Iloilo City, 5000 Iloilo. It is very modern but I liked this one nook where it states eat, drink, be merry. I had the Iced Cafe Latte.

Coffee wasn't anything special but it wasn't bad either. For less than 100, this was a good deal for me already.




Next stop for me was San Jose Cafe which was right beside the first coffee shop. I had the Mint Pistacchio Frappe this time and I gotta say that for Php120, this one was the bomb.



Third stop was at Madge Cafe which has been around since 1940. This means that this place has been existing for 77 years. OMIGOD. It's pretty long for a coffee shop.

The first thing you would notice is the chandelier made of coffee cups. They also have a wall made of coffee mugs with names of the regular. It seems that if you are a regular customer, they give you a mug with your name on it to use when you get your coffee fix. Awesome right?


I had the media kape which is mild coffee. What makes Madge Cafe stand out is the way they brew their coffee the natural way. I don't know what that means but I would have to say that the coffee has a distinctly different taste.


Last coffee shop for the day was the one beneath our hotel called Coffee Break. I had the Caramel Macchiato and I gotta say that this one was spot on. It only costs Php80 too.


Of course, coffee is best spent with friends. Thank you so much Patty of www.pattyvillegas.com for being with me on this trip.


Thank you so much Iloilo for being so wonderful. I hope to visit you again.

PS. All shots are RAW and taken using the Zenfone 3 Zoom and Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro.