Yoree in Molito, Alabang

Yoree opened its 2nd branch in Molito, Alabang which serves as great news to people in the South. After all, there isn't really that many Korean Barbeque restaurants in the Alabang area so this is definitely a welcome sight for the South people.

When we entered the place, each table was already set up with fresh towels and appetizers. It was definitely a sight for sore eyes especially for someone who was very hungry.  The way everything was placed made it all so appetizing.

fresh towels

coal where meat is cooked

We were initially served rice porridge which comes with the appetizers. It was small enough that it won't fill you up but hot enough to really open your appetite.

Next thing we had was the Haemul Pajeon (Php198) which is a Traditional Korean pancake made with rice and wheat flour with clams, octopus, shrimp, and green onion. I actually liked this even though it was a little bit on the heavy side. I had 3 small slices then I stopped myself from gorging on more.

The Japchae (Php198) was super good. I could have finished the entire thing all by myself but luckily, I had to split this with 3 other people on the table so I didn't eat all the calories. It would have been totally worth it though. This sauteed beef and vegetables with sweet potato noodle thing rocks.

This Gyeranjjim (Php148) is a light and fluffy steamed egg in hot stone was sinfully good. All you have to do is look at it and you'll understand why.

The  Jeyuk Bokkeum (Php298) is a premium pork chuck marinated in Yoree's signature hot and spicy sauce but when paired with these green, leafy things, you actually won't taste the spiciness that much. I had 4 of these. I don't feel bad at all though because it was healthy.

Next to Jeyuk Bokkeum, the Galbitang (Php398) is my favorite. The soup which is made of hearty beef soup with US choice short rib with ginseng, jujube, and sweet potato noodles is super tasty. The soup alone is YUMMY! This is normally served with rice and 7 side dishes. On a rainy day, this would definitely be perfect.

The Yangnyeom Galbi (Php895) is marinated USDA prime short rib with prawn and octopus.

This gets grilled and you get to cook it however you want it.

Lastly, we had dessert and this was definitely something different. The Sikhye is a Korean traditional rice punch. It was sweet but in a different way. I can't even begin to describe it but its definitely unique in a good way.

Yoree was definitely worth the trip and I cannot wait to bring my family to this place to enjoy some good ol' Korean Barbeque. After all, even THE Lea Salongas approves of the place.

Recovery Food

I finally had the chance to try out Recovery Food in Molito, Alabang even though it has been months since I first saw it. I've always been curious about what kind of food they served and why they are open 24/7/. Today, I finally had the chance to find out myself.

The place is very stark. Itis minimalist at its finest but I actually found it comforting. It sends off the vibe that the place is there to help you recover but afterwards, it sends you off just like what any good friend would do. No mollycoddling here which during my time of visit was just fine with me.

I loved the simple design of the place, even the condiments and bottles they used to serve warm water.

The napkin dispenser is also very personalized.

I ordered the regular Tapa de Morning (Php180) which is composed of home made tapa, scrambled egg, ensalada, and brown Talangka rice. It was very comforting and pretty good. I was just kind of worried about the fats that I was ingesting but its definitely something that you can devour when you are feeling blue and out of sorts. If you are on a diet though, it would be better if you split this with a friend.

For dessert, I had the Turondots with Dulce Gatas (Php150) which are small turon dipped in condensed milk. It was very sweet and very, very good. This was my favorite among the two dishes that I had. YUMMY! Trust me when I say you wouldn't want to share this with someone.

Sometimes, a girl just has to be by herself and reflect on things and on life on her own with good good to comfort her and possibly, help her recover from the many crazy things that life throws at her. Recovery Food is the one place you can go to, lose yourself for a few minutes, then pick yourself up again and go on with life. I did just that.

Cervical What?

I have a 9 year old son but till today, I can still remember how hard it was when I was pregnant with him. Though people said that having big hips would ensure an easy delivery, this was not the case on my end. I had a high risk pregnancy which had me on bed rest from the time I was 3 months pregnant until I gave birth. To say that it was quite a challenge would be an understatement. Still, I am lucky because conceiving was not a problem for me as it is with most women. 

Cervical mucus is one of the ways to pinpoint ovulation. Cervical mucus is a fluid secreted by the cervix; the production is stimulated by hormone estrogen. The best way to be able to know the difference in your cervical mucus is by observing it every day. Check your cervical mucus by first washing your hands and using either your index or middle finger to get to your cervix. If you are into checking your cervical mucus, you will notice that the color and type of the cervical mucus varies from time to time. When you are about to ovulate, you will notice that your cervical mucus increases in quantity and moistness. According to http://diaperchamp.com, what we are looking for is a clear, stretchy and egg white type of cervical mucus. Insufficient production of cervical mucus or absence of the egg white cervical mucus may be caused by stress and hormonal imbalance. 

Hopefully the other women would be able to check into this and find out if this is the cause of why its hard for them to conceive. 

Dance in the Rain - Tunnel Vision (Justin Timberlake)

I'm currently promoting a friend of mine who dances and it would be really awesome if you could watch this video of him dancing in the rain and let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment. Please feel free to share this on your SNS as well. :)

dear prince charming ...

It's been quite a while. I've wished for you time and again and have met men that I thought were you but turned out were just frogs that I kissed to turn them into Prince Charming for someone else. Yes, for someone else.

I made a list before of the qualities I wanted you to have and I met someone that had almost all of the qualities that I listed but he wasn't strong enough to be with me. It hurt but I realize now that he was taken away by God because he is not God's best for me.

I deserve someone who won't be scared to be with me. I deserve someone who can hold my hand and lead me to God so that I can become a better person. I deserve someone who will stick with me through thick and thin, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, till I breathe my last breath.

So to my prince, this is what I pray for now. I pray for your good health and well being. I pray that you will have a sound mind, unwavering faith, a loving heart, a forgiving soul, and lastly, I pray that you will be God's best for me. I know that if you are God's best for me, you will be what I need in a partner, and you will be what I deserve in a partner.

Till then, I will work to be God's best for you so that when we meet, things will fall into place just as God planned it.

a lesson from Pope Francis and Tacloban

Pope Francis is in the country today. Honestly, I was never one to follow news about religion or anything related to it. Reading about how people have been moved to tears because they saw him baffled me, that is until this morning.

This morning, I was watching his mass at Tacloban and for some reason, I found myself in tears. I was humbled by how the people of Tacloban showed faith in spite and despite the many hardships they have endured for the last 2 years. They have gone through typhoon after typhoon and yet, there they were, smiling and waving and keeping their faith. I was humbled by what the Pope said to them as well. I felt that in a way, he was speaking to me as well and reminding me that though things are not okay, it will be okay. Have faith.

My problems are so tiny compared to theirs and they managed to have faith still. Who am I to not have faith? Who am I to question and feel frustrated with my problem when I have a roof over my head, food to share, clothing, and I am safe.

Yes, I may not be in good health but that's the only thing that is on my list of things to worry about. Aside from that, I have been so blessed time and again.

Thank you Pope Francis and the people of Tacloban for making me realize that I need to have faith. If they can hold on to their faith, then I need to learn to hold on to it as well.

lunch date at Black Canyon Coffee

It has been such a long time since I have been out on a date where I went home with a smile on my face and looking forward to seeing the guy again pretty soon. Today, this happened.

We met at Starbucks and ended up eating at Black Canyon Coffee. He's Indian and so I had to ask him if he had any food preferences. Perhaps he was being a gentleman for he said that he will eat just about anything. Since I was craving salmon, I decided to go here.

It was my first time to go out with someone who had no Filipino or Chinese blood. It was nerve wracking because I did not know how an Indian was on a date. I think I got lucky because he was very nice.

He was able to put me at ease without trying too hard.

We talked about his country, culture and he shared information about himself. He was also very understanding with my sometimes crazy questions (like how women are 2nd class citizens in his country) and he answered it all patiently.

He had barbecue chicken and I had Tom Kha Ghai and Salmon. The Tom Kha Ghai was not as good as the one in Just Thai but the Salmon was pretty darn good. I actually wished that it was a bit bigger.

I'm just really happy that this lunch date went pretty well. I'm actually looking forward to the next one, granted that he actually would ask me out.

Salmon Overload

I recently got into eating salmon and since then, I have made it a point to order salmon at every single restaurant that I have been to. Since some people see this as a food blog, I decided to do a recap of places where the best salmon are. Hope this helps.

The Urban Farm offers salmon with vegetables on the side that are grilled so its healthy. However, the cream they put on top of the salmon was a little bit too much. It kind of ruined the salmon which was sad because the salmon was really, really good.

Mona Lisa Ristorante offers salmon pizza and this was the healthiest thing they had on the menu. The crust is made of wheat and it comes with asparagus. It was super good.

Krazy Garlik's salmon was quite big and filling. It came with buttered veggies and was cooked just right. I'd say that this is one of my favorite. I can definitely see myself coming back for more of this.

My favorite though is the salmon from Museum Cafe. It was very fresh and fleshy. It could use less of the sauce but I think everything else was just right.

The good thing about salmon is that its very healthy food and at the same time tasty. I'm glad that I finally learned to appreciate salmon. Next feature I make will be home cooked salmon. I'm hoping to discover more ways of cooking salmon and making it delicious so that this whole getting fit thing wouldn't be too hard.

Cavinti Church

The Philippines play host to a multitude of old churches and Cavinti Church is not an exception. Build in 1621, Cavinti Church belonged to Lumbang until 1619. The present church was partially damaged in the earthquake of 1824 but was rebuilt by 1851.

 There is just something about old churches that draws me in. It is filled with stories and has laid witness to many things that we only read about. I'm sure if the walls could talk, it would tell many stories of love, hope, betrayal, heartache, and pain.

The church also had its own belfry and we were lucky to have been allowed up. This is my favorite spot. 

If you are visiting Cavinti, do not forget to drop by Cavinti Church. Even if you are not Catholic, it is definitely a sight to see.

Herald C. Bebis

www.facebook.com/heraldbebis

09055174371

#CavEAT: Cavinti Eco-Adventure Tour

www.facebook.com/cavintiecoadventuretour

www.cavintilaguna.com

Cavinti Water Sports Olympics 2015

www.facebook.com/www.facebook.com/cavintiwatersportsolympics

Municipality of Cavinti

www.cavinti.gov.ph

Caliraya Lake Mountain Resort

http://mountainlakeadventure.com/

Mayor Milbert Oliveros

www.facebook.com/pages/Mayor-Milbert-L-Oliveros/308985439266529

Camarin Resort

http://www.napocor.gov.ph/NPCResorts/camarin.php

Lago Fishing Village

https://www.facebook.com/pages/LAGO-Fishing-Village/239858609498045

Digital Filipino

http://digitalfilipino.com/

Pelikula Padayon

http://pelikula-padayon.blogspot.com/

The #CavEAT: Cavinti Eco-Adventure Tour is a Tourism Advocacy Campaign to help generate online buzz for the upcoming Cavinti Water Sports Olympics: 1^st International Competition happening on February 8-14, 2015.

The #CavEAT: Cavinti Eco-Adventure Tour is organized by Herald C. Bebis for the Municipality of Cavinti headed by Hon. Mayor Milbert Oliveros. The event is fully supported by the Municipal Tourism Office, DigitalFilipino, Pelikula Padayon, Caliraya Lake Mountain Resort, Camarin Resort and Lago Fishing Village

Caliraya Mountain Lake Resort

I had the chance to explore the beauty of Caliraya on a tour of Cavinti, Laguna. Pristine and quiet would be thew words I'd used to describe the place. When you are surrounded with so much greenery, fresh air, and peace, you learn to respect it and bow down to its beauty.

 

There are many things you can do in Caliraya Mountain Lake Resort. You can go fishing, golfing, zipline, and other team building activities to create a stronger bond between co-workers and friends.

To know more and if you're interested in having a tour or holding your teambuilding activities:

Herald C. Bebis

www.facebook.com/heraldbebis

09055174371

#CavEAT: Cavinti Eco-Adventure Tour

www.facebook.com/cavintiecoadventuretour

www.cavintilaguna.com

Cavinti Water Sports Olympics 2015

www.facebook.com/www.facebook.com/cavintiwatersportsolympics

Municipality of Cavinti

www.cavinti.gov.ph

Caliraya Lake Mountain Resort

http://mountainlakeadventure.com/

Mayor Milbert Oliveros

www.facebook.com/pages/Mayor-Milbert-L-Oliveros/308985439266529

Camarin Resort

http://www.napocor.gov.ph/NPCResorts/camarin.php

Lago Fishing Village

https://www.facebook.com/pages/LAGO-Fishing-Village/239858609498045

Digital Filipino

http://digitalfilipino.com/

Pelikula Padayon

http://pelikula-padayon.blogspot.com/

The #CavEAT: Cavinti Eco-Adventure Tour is a Tourism Advocacy Campaign to help generate online buzz for the upcoming Cavinti Water Sports Olympics: 1^st International Competition happening on February 8-14, 2015.

The #CavEAT: Cavinti Eco-Adventure Tour is organized by Herald C. Bebis for the Municipality of Cavinti headed by Hon. Mayor Milbert Oliveros. The event is fully supported by the Municipal Tourism Office, DigitalFilipino, Pelikula Padayon, Caliraya Lake Mountain Resort, Camarin Resort and Lago Fishing Village

Crystal Jade Dining In at BGC

Crystal Jade has always been on the top of our list for Chinese restaurants. Growing up, I would always hear it as one of those highly recommended by family and friends. Since we were all Chinese, I knew that Crystal Jade must be very good then to have been able to meet the standards of my peers.

Earlier this week, my friends and I trooped over to Crystal Jade Dining in at Bonifacio Global City at my urging. I wanted them to try it for themselves so they can understand what I was talking about since I have told them nonstop about the place and in a way, built up the expectations that it was really, really good.

We started off with the Yu Sheng which is a dish served for the Chinese New Year and is something very popular with Chinese businessmen. Yu Sheng means tossing up a good fortune and with this dish, that is exactly what is required of you. You get to have fun with the dish because you need to toss up the ingredients together. If you don't join in the tossing, the prosperity will not be with you so of course my friends and I joined in the tossing frenzy. It was actually quite fun. You also need to say "Lo Hei" 7x while tossing.

Yu Sheng is a dish of fish and vegetables that is a staple among Chinese communities in Singapore and Malaysia every Chinese New Year.  It is a dish that ushers in prosperity and wealth, as it is a homonym for Yúshēng (余升) which means an increase in abundance. It is a perfect way to welcome the coming year of the ram.

Yu-Sheng before photo

the tossing

the aftermath ... still very pretty

I liked how this tasted. It was sweet, tasty, a hint of sour, nuts, and overall, it was just a mixture of all kinds of taste but it was very good. I actually had 3 servings of this and I didn't feel too bad because it was a Chinese version of a salad.

We also had the Xiao Long Bao and this time around, I just didn't care about the calories. I had 4 or 5 of this. Thankfully, my friends were very understanding and didn't throw me out for hogging it. It was very good. You need to try it out yourself so that you can believe me.

Now the roasted peking duck was another thing. I normally am not a fan of duck but with Crystal Jade, the way they cook it just makes it appetizing. My friend EV who is from Vegas and is on a diet forever ended up having 5 of the duck wrap. It was that good. Unfortunately for him, it filled him up fast because the duck is quite heavy.

Fortunately for us because there was more to come.

The Golden Sesame Balls Stuffed with Fresh Mushrooms was very heavy on the tummy so be careful how many you consume. It may look small but it takes it space on the tummy. The mushrooms inside have a salty taste to it which was a little strong but still good.

The Steamed Live Garoupa with olives was definitely something. Lovers of fish would not want to miss out on this dish. It's healthy yet tasty.

The Sauteed Assorted Vegetable with Preserved Vegetable is another healthy option for those who are conscious about their diet and body. I loved the mushroom here as well as the asparagus. It blended very well. I could have finished the plate all by myself but I think if I did that, my friends would have thrown me out for sure.

The Braised Noodles with Shredded Duck Meat & Mushroom did not look too appetizing but the taste was very appetizing. My friend Joy said the exact same thing upon tasting it. Luckily, we didn't really care much for the presentation because after all, what really matters is the taste right? The noodles in this dish were divine.

Foodie friends + awesome food = one happy me. :) Now I really understand why my friends kept saying that Crystal Jade is one of the best Chinese food places in town.


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