Rockin' Ribs

I've never been a super fan of ribs so when I was initially invited by a friend to a food tasting of Rockin' Ribs, I had my reservations. After all, once you had a bite of ribs, its just the same everywhere right?

Wrong.

Rockin' Ribs is the baby of Miki. Frances Garcia-Ayalin, or 'Miki' to close friends, gave up a promising career in the culinary world to become a full-time mother to two very young children. This, fortunately, did not quell her passion for cooking as she continued honing her skills by trying out foreign dishes as well as tweaking time-honored local recipes to provide good home-cooked meals for her family.  She kept both her knives and her discriminating taste very sharp.  As time passed, everything was generally good.  Soon enough, infants became toddlers, toddlers became kids, and time became more available.  Armed with a knack for developing new and exciting dishes and now possessed with an entrepreneurial spirit, our artist embarks on a venture to bring authentic 
Southern-style barbecuing to Filipino homes. 

I found the ribs a little overwhelming but my friend E who is from the US loved it. He loved it so much that he actually ate 5 pieces and 3 chickens. Yes, apparently it was that good. Maybe I really am just not a big fan but I did manage to eat 2 ribs and 1 chicken so I would have to say that once you get over the initial aroma and get over the whiff, its actually pretty good.

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TENYA

This place recently opened on the fourth level of Megamall Building A. I like that you can easily spot the sign. I hate it when you have to struggle to look for the place you want to eat at.

Once you stepped inside, you are welcomed with comforting colors such as wood and the color blue. I like the combination of these two since it reminds me of a country inn. I don't know. It's just how it is to me.

Tenya specializes in tempura and so most of their choices were centered on it. Since we had free reign on what we wanted to have, I chose the tempura platter and ordered a separate tempura set since I love shrimp.

I loved that it was very tasty and they used tiger prawns. I did not feel cheated in any way. I don't know about you but I have had my fair share of tempura in the past where I take a bite and I am met with air and flour because the prawn is tiny. Yes, tiny.

I plan to bring my son here soon because I know that he will enjoy the tempura since he's pretty addicted to the stuff. Yes, my 10 year old son loves tempura. He's kind of a foodie that way. :)

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the hypocrite

So sometime last year, I met this guy and we went out once. Yes, ONCE.

We had dinner at Solaire and then afterwards, we hanged out and had coffee. It was actually a pretty good date. I found him interesting and he was good looking. Unfortunately, he forgot to inform me at the beginning and middle of the date one significant detail.

He had a girlfriend. Yep, it seems that my misfortune with men was still an ongoing thing. To sum it up, I never saw him again after that night.

Fast forward to a couple of months ago and this guy happens to find me on Facebook. He added me as a friend and I figured, there really is no harm if I also added him back and so I did. Two months later he messages me and asks me out. I asked about the girlfriend and he tells me they have broken up and he thought long and hard and he realized that he wanted to pursue me.

I'd have to be lying if I don't admit that I felt good about the idea of having him pursue me but I wanted to take it slow with this person. Besides, I have learned to keep my options open and so I was going out with other guys since I wasn't in any kind of commitment with anyone.

And so it happened ... we text, we Vibered, he would call and we'd talk. One day he asked me if I was dating other guys and I said yes. Take note that he and I, we've never gone out on an actual date at this point of the conversation. He then asked me why I was dating other guys and so I said that I was single and I could technically date anyone I wanted.

He replies, "so you're a slut!"

W.T.F.

He then goes on to rant about what kind of a woman I was and how it would look because he wanted me to be the mother of his child. FOR REAL? I was so shocked because this is all coming from a guy who cheated on his girlfriend and tricked me as well into going out with him.

The nerve of this guy!

Suffice to say that we no longer speak to each other. It's just annoying how some guys are so double standard on things. He can cheat and be a good person and I simply go out on dates with different guys and I'm a bad woman. Sheesh. Men like him, they need to be tied to a tree naked with soldier ants crawling all over him.

Now that would be awesome.

Tony Moly's Kiss Lover Lip Click in Burgundy

When I first got a hold of this, I felt confused because I didn't understand how it would work. I couldn't twist it and I couldn't pull on it to make the lipstick pop. When I was looking at it to try and understand, that's when I saw the CLICK part and I realized that you actually push on it the same way you would a mechanical pencil.

How cute is that? When newly worn, the Tony Moly Lip Click in Burgundy looks very distinct but after a few hours, it looks more muted. What I like about it is that even when I've eaten and had coffee, it doesn't easily fade. It also glides on smoothly and I don't need to put an additional layer. One swipe is enough.

newly put on

after a few hours 

Definitely, this Lip Click is going to be a staple in my bag.

Sky Garden Steak House

Ace Water Spa it seems has a hidden gem on its 8th Floor. I have been there several times but never knew that the SkyGarden Steak House was located on the 8th Floor of the building and that it is actually a perfect date place because it is designed to have a romantic yet vibrant atmosphere. Open from Tuesday to Sundays between 6pm to 10pm, this is the perfect spot for anyone who would like to take their lady friends out for a romantic evening or simply to unwind and relax.

This is what would greet you upon entering. The centerpiece alone already hints of romance and the use of colors, even more so. Even the glass piece evoke of a certain flirty feel.

I had shrimp and curry for appetizers. I loved the presentation and how fresh the shrimp was. The only thing I didn't like was that there were only 3. I wanted at least 30. Har har.

Next on the things they served was Seafood Consomme. It seems that consomme is clear liquid broth. Thankfully it was tasty and the mushrooms saved the day. I believe that the soup was made of seafood and the mushrooms were just there to add flavor. I did have moments where I wanted to ask if it was mushroom soup they were serving me.

Finally, the star of the night came. I asked for my OMAHA USDA Prime Striploin to be cooked medium well and bless the chef, it was actually medium well. HALLELUJAH!

This was served with mashed potato, corn, and vegetables. It was so good that I finished the entire thing. Yikes. It was so tasty I couldn't stop myself. Diet be damned.

Bon appetit! For table reservations and inquiries, please call 628-1888 or visit their website www.acehotelsuites.com. You may also follow them on  FB and IG @skygardensteakhouse.

the story of Y who will never be an X

I met Y back in February. We were introduced by a common friend and we decided to have coffee. In a way it was meant to be because the day we met, I completely forgot that I said yes to his invitation from the week before. When he reminded me at 2pm that we were meeting at 4pm, I was in my super lazy mode and I had absolutely no plans of going out to meet some guy.

I asked him if we could meet at a cafe that was 5mins away from my house and much to my surprise, he said yes. When I saw him, there were no sparks. An hour later however, it was a different thing.

He was so confident and engaging. He was witty and smart too. He seemed to me like a guy who knew who he was and was very secure in himself which sadly is a rare trait in men now. He wasn't intimidated with me (huge plus points) and he could go head to head on jokes and sarcasm.

At this point, I was starting to become interested.

He then received a call and he asked to stepped out. When he came back, he had this goofy smile on his face and he confessed that it was actually a safety call for him. He had asked a friend to call him at the one hour mark so that if I had turned out to be a bore, he could easily step away. Sneaky move I say. Apparently, our coffee date was going pretty well because it was another two hours before we left. I had to cut it short because I still had a lot of things that I needed to do.

Did I wanna cut it short? Oh heck no. I was enjoying and he was a lot of fun to be with. This was the start of the story of Y and why he will never be an X, I will tell you at the latter part of this.

Since then he and I have been going out and it has been a lot o f fun. Getting to know him and his quirks made him more interesting. The few fights we've had have been a real eye opener and instead of it making me not like him, I liked him even more because he's shown me that he can stand up for himself, fight for what he believes in, hold his ground, and yet bend down when he has to. This was a man that I was dating, not a boy.

This was a man who made ways to see me and spend time with me. Sometimes, he would end up just driving me around just so he could spend the day with me. He never complained and he would always just smile and tell me to do my thing.

From the sound of everything, it seems we have the perfect formula for a relationship that would work. We both liked each other and we both want to make this work. We make time in spite of our crazy schedules and we are able to overcome the few fights we've had with minimal damage. It should work right?

Unfortunately, we met two years too late. Sometime this June he will be leaving the Philippines for good and there is nothing I can do about it. Truth be told, I wouldn't dare dream of stopping him because this is something that he has wanted to do for himself and isn't it that when someone matters to you, you want nothing but what is best for them and if being away from you is whats best for them, you support them wholeheartedly? You may shed a few tears (okay a lot of tears) but you still give them what you can with a sad smile on your face. Sad because they can't be with you and with a smile because they are getting something that they have always wanted.

So right now, I'm just enjoying the few moments we have because I know that soon, I will have to say goodbye and I will have to do it with arms wide open.

Sometimes I wonder why I met him? Why did our paths cross when it seems that we were never meant to be? I realized that on my end, I met him because he is the one person outside my family who seems to just have complete faith on me. He would always tell me that I can do things and he would push me to be better. Constantly. All the time. When I have an achievement, he's more excited for me and you can see how proud he is of me. When I'm with him, I feel like I can do anything and be anything. I just hope that I do the same for him.

I wish I could stop time the few moments we are together. In an ideal world, he and I, we'd be together. Unfortunately, that world does not exist. I don't think it ever will. 

Once more I fell and once more, I will break. I am ready. I know that I will break when he leaves but I will not be broken. He wouldn't want that for me and I need to honor my feelings for him by showing him that I will be everything he believes I can be.

So this is the story of Y ... he will never be an X because he was never mine to begin with.

Stella's Wood Fired Creations

Yesterday, I found myself heading over to BGC with a lot of giddiness in my heart. You see, I was headed over to Stella and the few times that I have been there in the past, it has always been such an awesome time that I knew that I was in for a treat once more.

I was seated at the "seafood" table which made me really happy because I am a seafood love. I see food and I eat it and I just heart seafood. The first thing we had was the Crispy Honey Walnut Beef and Arugula Salad (Php350.) Chef Kalel Chan of Raintree Restaurant explained that he vacuumed the pear on this salad which was why the pear was very transparent and the taste, super sweet. This had nashi pear, gongonzola bits, sweet and spicy gochujang dresing and toasted sesame. It was very tasty but I would have to say it wasn't for me. 

The next item on the list was the Black Pepper Crab Cream Pasta (Php295) which I really loved. I actually finished this so that would mean I ate half of it. Oh no. The calories! However it was just so good. The malagos pecorino and the fresh lemon on top just added more flavor to this dish. It was heaven in every bite.

This Cured Bacon Pizza (Php350) I initially had doubts because it had bacon and as with anyone who has read my blog, you know that I am not a fan of bacon. GASP. Yes, I know its such a shocker to most but bacon and I, we were never good together. On this pizza though, and perhaps because its a double smoked bacon that was maple cured or maybe it was the carbonara cream and eggs but it worked. I actually didn't mind eating a slice of this.

The Piri Piri Chilean Mussels (Php550) that was served with salsa verde dip, garlic, fresh lemon, and white wine was another wonderful concotion by Chef Kalel. I don't know what made him come up with this dish but it was something crazy and awesome. It all worked out together and I know for sure that B would definitely love this.

Now we get to the one that made me go "OMG, you gotta try this! Seriously try this or I will finish the entire plate by myself" to my friend. I have always been a fan of chicken but this Roasted Spicy Sesame Chicken (Php495) was just over the top. It literally exploded with flavors and every meaty part of it tasted of the wakame which was used to stuff it, the gochujang sauce, the spring onions, and the toasted sesame. It was insane.

Now this was one of life's little surprises. Who knew that cutting cauliflower into tiny pieces and combining it with peas could actually make a good substitute for rice? This Cauliflower Rice with Peas and Roasted Cashews (Php120) was just so good. I could munch non this for hours and not get tired of it. I'd probably stop when my gout kicks in but until then, I'd happily chew on this.

I super love the mug for the Stella Sip. I wanted to ask them if I could buy it or pretend to break it and just pay for it. Hahaha. It was too cute! The drink inside was very good too as it was the signature iced tea of Stella with their secret thing in it that I could never fathom but it makes it so much better than your regular iced tea.

Thank you Chef Kalel for these wonderful creations. As always, you know the way to a woman's heart or at least this woman. Haha. It was so good that I walked away from Stella with a smile on my face.

 

Stella 

Ground Floor Level, Bonifacio High Street Central, Bonifacio Global City
Taguig, Metro Manila
(02) 621 3111

munimuni # 85

Since may started, it has been one event after the other or one work thing right on top of each other. To say that I was exhausted would be an understatement. I remember telling E one time that I was so tired that I just wanted to sit in a corner and cry.

Yes, I was THAT tired.

Thankfully, the past weekend I was finally able to just spend time at home and do almost nothing. Instead of working or covering an event, I stayed at home with my family. We only went out to shop for some shoes and bags then watched Pitch Perfect. It was purely family time for me.

I was also able to have breakfast by myself. I listened to some music, read a book, and had my coffee in complete silence. It was heaven.

It was such a good feeling to be disconnected and just enjoy the little things like how we used to before back when android phones weren't a thing. For a social media person like me, it was a relief to have been able to do this.

I was also able to get my mood board and simply looking at it makes me happy. I know that soon enough it will be brimming with ideas and photos. I'm looking forward to seeing happy photos. A lot of it.

I am very grateful for all the opportunities that have come my way and I know that soon I will be able to give back to those who have helped me. However, I also realized that I am not superwoman and that I need to take a break every now and then so I am very happy that I was able to do it this weekend. Now, I'm more than ready to take on the week.

7 Flavors Buffet, Cafe, and Bakery

I had the chance to go and visit Greenhills last weekend and I found myself at this place. It's a newly opened restaurant in the nook of 196 A. Mabini Street, Addition Hills, San Juan del Monte. Now for most people who know me, they know that I rarely go to this area so there has to be a really good reason for me to stray here. This is the good reason.

the buffet

the cafe 

the bakery

Now lets start with the buffet. There was nothing outstanding or super impressive about the menu because it doesn't aim to impress. What 7 Flavors has to offer is pure comfort food. They are the kind of food you have while chatting with friends and not wanting to worry if you used the right fork or if you mess up your clothes a little bit.

It's the kind of place you go to when you simply want good food and a very relaxed ambiance. Priced at Php399.95 on weekdays and Php599.95 on weekends, this is already a steal since there are more than 30 dishes to choose from.

The Cafe 

I was only able to try the coffee and cheesecake at their cafe because we really went there for the buffet but I can say that the cafe is enough reason for me to go back.

Peppermint Mocha

The Peppermint Mocha had enough hint of the peppermint to satisfy my taste. It was a tad sweet but I didn't really mind it. I do know a lot of my friends would probably shudder so just make sure you tell them to tone it down a bit if you don't have a sweet tooth like me.

This is the 7 Flavors Cheesecake. Its a calamansi-infused cheesecake, on a coconut and graham crust, topped with ube and langka mixture and fresh durian, froasted with coffee cream and dusted with chocnut crumble. 

The 7 Flavors Ensaymada from the bakery comes with butter, leche flan, ube, pandan, cheese and macapuno and bacon. It's simply a collaboration of all kinds of flavors in just one bite. For only Php50, I was tempted to get at least 10 of them to take home with me. 

Thank you to my wonderful friends for discovering this place with me. It was indeed a fun Sunday.

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Linden Suites Spa Service

When something like this greets you upon getting off the elevator to the SPA floor, you know that the hotel definitely knows what they are doing. The mood is automatically set and I could feel myself relaxing soon as I saw this.

The staff were very polite and accomodating which I really loved. There were also comfy chairs where one can sit down and relax while waiting to be taken into the room.

The men and the women have separate rooms and they also have separate showers. I love that the shower area is pretty big. I've seen some spa where the shower felt like it was just forced on the place.

They do not have a couple's room unfortunately. However, the room is spacious and the masseuse can freely move around the room. I hate it when the masseuse bumps into you because the room is so narrow.

I love that the masseuse was very insightful. She would go hard when I have a lot of stress that built up on a side of my body and not too hard when there's none. She also took her time and never did I feel rushed. I was very well taken cared of, kneaded, and stretched until all the stress in my body was completely gone. In fact, I slept like a baby that night.

At Php800 for a regular spa and Php1200 for a premium one, I'd definitely say its worth your money. I can see myself going back again and again for their massage when I need one. Kudos to The Linden Suites for letting me know what dough feels like after being kneaded thoroughly.

It felt so good.