the lucky one ...

I was lamenting one time to FM that we haven't really had a real date since we became an item. When I say real date, it means he'd pick me up, we'd have dinner, a movie, and milk tea ... you know, that kind of a date where its just the two of us spending time.

It was a passing comment that I made ... apparently, he took notice for one day last week, he took me out on a date. :)

We had an early dinner at Kitchen where I've dined before with friends. This time, I ordered the pasta and he ordered seafood rice. I also had another round of the caps and rolls which I had before. I really, really liked it.

caps and rolls

sun dried pesto

seafood rice

FM and I at Kitchen

We had a great dinner. We talked and spent time together. It was just the two of us and I really enjoyed my quality time with him. After, he took me to the movies because he promised me that we will watch The Lucky One. After, I surprised him with his favorite chocolates.

inside the moviehouse 

his OA chocolates :) 

Overall, it was a fun night and I really liked how we got to spend some time alone. :)  I guess I'm the lucky one ...

Chicco di Cafe

FM and I were roaming around one day at Robinsons Galleria when we chanced upon this place. I needed a cup of coffee and instead of heading to Starbucks per my normal dose of caffeine, I decided to try out this new place.

I ordered the hot chocolate mint and FM ordered the Cafe Mocha.

hot mocha

hot chocolate mint

Both coffee were pretty good. It was nothing special but it served its purpose. It was hot, minty, and had a kick to it. I liked it but I don't see myself craving for this again. Still, I had a nice time with FM and we were able to sit down and relax over a cuppa.

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meeting the besties ...

It was an ordinary day. I was supposed to go straight home and FM and I were not supposed to meet up. We weren't supposed to. What happened was I met with my best friend and he met up with his best friend. With a text from him, we all ended up together at TGIF.

Thus, the meeting of the besties happened.

with his best friend

with my best friend

US

It was a very casual meet up but I'm glad to have met his best girl friend and I'm glad he met my boy best friend. Hopefully, this won't be the last meet up between us all.

Le Ching Too

One day, FM decided to take me to Greenhills. I haven't been there in years and so it was pretty nice going to familiar grounds. After roaming around, FM and I decided to have lunch and he took me to one of his favorite Chinese resto that he used to frequent when he was still studying in La Salle Greenhills.

It was my first time at Le Ching and I was a bit wary because it was Chinese food and Chinese food is my turf. Still, I trusted FM and so I went ahead and ordered the Beef Wanton Mami. He ordered the spare ribs.

spareribs

beef wanton mami

I found the container of the spare ribs cute and not ordinary. I just think it makes it harder to eat it. The taste however was delicioso. It was really something. As for my beef wanton mami, it was good but not extraordinary. What was extraordinary was the way it was set.

The saefood roll was the best thing we ordered in my opinion. It was tasty, fresh, and big in servings. The hakao, I won't even bother anymore because it was just really bad.

seafood roll

hakao - super dry :(

Overall, I was still okay with the place. It's a good thing I was with FM or else this would have been a total disaster.

O'Railey's Grand Opening

Finally, it happened.

It took a couple of months but on a Monday evening in April 2012, O'Raileys Dine and Coffee officially opened its door to the public by having an official launch. Yours truly was invited and of course, FM was my plus one. R and V also tagged along.

Rochelle and Eric greeted us soon as we got there but unfortunately, we weren't able to chat because they were extremely busy which was a good indication since it was their opening night. 

with the owners

They had a MAC set up for the night wherein if customers would visit their page and like it, they get a free mini cupcake. If they tweet about it on the spot, they would also get a cupcake.

R liking O'Railey's page

We finally got around to ordering after taking photos of the place and admiring how cozy it was. We ordered sandwiches, rice meals, pasta, buffalo wings, and milk teas.

Caramel, Hazelnut, Wintermelon Milk Tea

The milk tea concoction used by O'Raileys is not something that is store bought. These are actual concoctions of Rochelle. She formulated these milk teas and for someone who knows her milk tea, I can definitely tell you that their milk tea is one of the best that I have ever tasted.

I already had high expectations since I down milk teas on a daily basis but when I tried their milk tea, I simply fell in love.

creamy carbonara

To say that this was creamy would be an understatement. The pasta was al dente, the creaminess of the sauce just right, and the combination of everything simply indulgent. For less than Php200, this is worth the money spent.  

buffalo wings

The spice hits you first ... more than anything it is the spiciness of the chicken. After, its the smooth taste and you realize that what hits you at first simply wakes you up to a more indulgent taste. The inside of the chicken is cooked just right and not spicy at all. There could be hints but overall, the chicken was as it should be ... TASTY.

sisig

The sisig was another one of the owners own special recipe. It wasn't dry but had a bit of sauce in it and it wasn't as crispy as the usual sisig but it was actually really very good. V finished 2 cups of rice and 3/4 of the sisig. It was THAT good.

chicken panini

This was one of the best surprise of the night. The chicken panini was crunchy, not too oily, and the combination of this with the blue cheese dressing was AWESOME. It was simply divine. It was the only dish that I wanted to eat by myself and not share with anyone. It was OH SO GOOD. I love chickens in general but this one, I wanted to keep to myself.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend going to O'Raileys Dine and Coffee if you happen to be in Mindanao or Congressional Avenue. It is worth every peso spent and the interiors are very cozy. Truth be told, their Raspberry Mocha is way better than Starbucks and the food selection is wider.

Congratulations to Rochelle and Eric for a successful endeavor in the food business and I hope that you'll have many more branches for this one. It's worth a visit.

Photos taken by Jules Maliuanag.

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* I was invited to review the food. I did not pay for my meal. However, the free meal did not in any way sway my opinion and everything you read here is MY PERSONAL OPINION. 

magnet overload

FM supports my magnet collection. In fact, eventhough we have been together for less than a month, he has already given me 7 magnets.

Now, I have more to my collection and I would like to show off my gorgeous collection.

MY PRECIOUS :)

Casa Roces

I met with my Fil-Chi friends last night at Casa Roces. It has been quite some time since I last saw them and I wanted to see them again. This night was more special though because I brought FM with me for them to meet.

I was pleasantly surprised upon seeing the exterior of the place.

It looked very posh and nice. I instantly felt comfortable. Below is a shot of the menu. I loved how they used an old man wearing a hat as their "logo/mascot." 

My friends and I eventually got around to ordering. All 3 of them ordered Mushroom Pasta with Blue Cheese. I, on the other hand, was a bit more adventurous in what I ordered for the night.

trio mushroom with truffle oil P195

This one was hands down a winner. The 3 kinds of mushroom that they all mixed together blended really well with the truffle oil. It was smooth yet creamy. It was DELISH!

caesar salad with lengua croutons

I was kind of expecting the lengua croutons to be actual dried and squared lengua turned into croutons. However, what I got was lengua cut into crouton bar sized and served with croutons and fresh greens. This was actually pretty good as well.

Mushroom Pasta with Blue Cheese P189

I was only able to take a bite of this even though all my other companions ordered this.  However, the one bite that I had was more than enough to convince me that it seems everything on their menu was a hit.

Lamb Kaldereta with Risotto P525

This is my main dish, the lamb kaldereta with risotto rice. It was heavy, it was soft and chewy, and it was REALLY REALLY good. The lamb was cooked just right and the potato and risotto were just perfect for me.

Finally, I had the tsokolate EH!. I wanted to try tsokolate AH! as well but I had to stop myself for I have indulged much too much.

The tsokolate EH! tasted like chocnut that was turned into liquid. It was nutty, it was chocolatey, and it was definitely something that I have never tried before. 

Tsokolate EH! P85

Overall, my friends and I had a fun night and I'm very happy that FM was able to converse with them and that we were able to have a relaxing, chill night.

As for Casa Roces, I am definitely recommending this place to everyone for the cozy interiors and ambience, EXCELLENT SERVICE that the staff provides and the wonderful food that the kitchen staff was able to whip. There was not a single dish that disappointed.

In fact, the only downfall was that I was not able to try the souffle because I was already too full. :(

Love from India ...

FM and family went to India last week. Even from India, he managed to convey his love to me. :)

Taj Mahal snow globe! :)

his pasalubong as well as R's pasalubong :)

As they say, when there's a will, there's a way. Thanks FM and R. :)

me wearing the pashmina he got me from India

in your eyes ... I failed

You and I are not on good terms right now. I said words, so did you.

I know that I do not live up to your standards. I don't think anyone will. You are ... superwoman. I can even barely lift myself. You are what every woman needs to be ... I barely fit what a girl should be. You are this and that ... I am .... just me.

I look up to you ... so much. This is why it hurts when you tell me I am a failure as a Mom. I know that I am. I lack in so many things ... and I barely measure up to you.

But know that I do what I can ... I try to do what I can.

I just wish you'd see that.

Maybe you do ... maybe you don't ... but I try. It's hard but I try. I TRY.

This thing that happened ... I will take it as an opportunity to be better. I don't know how ... I don't know what I need to do but I will be better.

I just wish that when it happens ... you'd see that.

I wish.

Mr Ube Noodle House

I've always wanted to try this place ever since I've heard about it. I have always been a fan of Eng Bee Tin and I support Mr. Ube News via text. It was a sight to see when my sister and I saw this after about 4 hours of roaming Divisoria.

I ordered Mr Ube Specialty Noodles and K ordered Stir Fried Beef Stew. We were hungry.

The beef was tender and tasty ... the noodle was really, really big. It was such a big serving I could not finish it eventhough I was really hungry.

Overall, I'd definitely eat there again.

Zen Tea

I was able to try Zen Tea in Binondo. It was a milk tea place that I haven't tried before and I was curious to try it. I was going to try just the small size but the guy was able to convince me to get the XL size. Good decision because it was actually pretty good. I like that the wintermelon was not overpowering. The pearls were pretty good as well.

Overall, I'd definitely get a cup when I pass by Zen Tea. It's simple, it's sweet, and the price was really cheap too compared to other milk tea places.

happy me :)