Local finds at Family Mart

You know what makes Family Mart different from other stores? It's the fact that they actually support the small moms and pops store by letting these small local stores sell their merchandise in Family Mart.

This here is my haul from Family Mart.

Let's start with Turrones and Mamon Tostado. Turrones is something that you can't just buy easily. You can go to specialty stores but never on a convenience store till now. Most of the time, I only get this when I visit my hometown, Cebu.

The next items are Biscocho, Banana Chips, and Yema. I got the Biscocho and Banana Chips for my Mom. The biscocho was such a joy to find coz my Mom really likes it while the yema is a personal favorite of mine. Truth be told, I finished the yema on the same day that I bought it.

They also have this Crispy Dilis and Crispy Anchovy. My sister did steal the anchovy so I can't vouch for it but the Crispy Suid was pretty good.

Family Mart in Clark, Pampanga is located right where the bus from Trinoma stops so it's an easy walk and you can get all your pasalubong needs without any fuss. This is also another thing I love about Family Mart. It's always accessible to the main commuting routes so it's always convenient.

See what I did there? Haha. :)

DC Superheroes Cafe

When this first opened, I heard really negative reviews from the people who were invited to review it. Of course in their publications they had positive feedback but in private messages, they told me that it wasn't worth a visit which led me to believe that this place really wasn't worth a visit.

Fate intervened though and the husband of my friend managed to bring M and I to this place. Suffice to say that I wasn't really excited about it.

I loved the interiors. It was filled with DC figurines and made M super happy.

This is Batman and his fan haha.

This is a drink with Superman's logo.

They ordered frappes and though it was nothing spectacular, it was pretty good. The fact that you also get swivels in Superman's logo, Batman's logo, and the like makes any DC fan really happy.

My standard coffee shot.

Our little group. I'm so happy they brought M and I here. It's really nice though I'm not a big DC fan.

And of course, a photo with my one and only.

Dohtonbori in SM Megamall

I had dinner with a good friend last month at Dohtonbori. It's a quaint looking Japanese place located on the 2nd floor of SM Mega Fashion Hall. It doesn't look appealing from the outside but once you take a peek, you'd feel like you've been transported to Japan.

This is the frying area where they cook the Okonomiyaki which is their best seller which is what I ordered of course. I loved that they even have a guide on how you can cook the Okonomiyaki by yourself if you're feeling adventurous.

Since my friend and I wanted to focus more on catching up, we decided to let the staff do the cooking for us. This is what the Okonomiyaki looked like before it was cooked.

This is how it looks when it's being cooked. It reminded me of a cross between a pancake and an omelette.

This is my good friend and I while waiting for our food to be cooked.

And this is our okonomiyaki, all dolled up and ready for the taking. If it looks good enough to eat, trust me when I say that it smelled even better and tasted way better than I even thought.

I placed nori on top of my rice. This was a trick I learned from someone back in college and it really makes the rice taste even better.

Here's our little group. I personally enjoyed this place, enough that I would want to eat here again. The Okonomoyaki, paired with rice and nori, was absolutely perfect. The fact that I was with great friends and M just made things even better.

Asian picks from Family Mart

When you have an opportunity to shop, you shop and when you're a Mom, shopping does not necessarily mean clothes and shoes. Sometimes, it means shopping at a convenience store which is what I did with much glee and happiness at the opening of Family Mart.

I've always been the kind of person who looks for something new and when I saw these Asian stuff that are not easy to find, I just had to get it.

I chose these snacks so that my son can enjoy it at school. There's Green Matcha Hello Panda which is not easily available in supermarkets and Pretz which I remember enjoying when I was a kid. The chocolate biscuits are also a good merienda for an added energy boost when they come home from school feeling all tired.

These plain saltines are good for munching mindlessly and hopefully not gaining weight. The Peppero and Lucky strawberry snacks can serve as a good alternative for breakfast when you're rushing.

Now these peanut variants are all for me. I just love peanuts, almonds, and the like. Tong Garden used to be a staple in my childhood (I'm Chinese) but when I grew up, I could hardly find them so I was just really happy to see these inside Family Mart.

Other options that piqued my attention were these muesli cookies and the Honey Sunflower Seeds. Imagine eating sunflower seeds without the tedious task of taking off the skin.

Last pick are these Gummy Choco that I know my son and sister would love. I also had to pick the Mentos Beans because this is the first time I've seen it.

I really love that these goodies are readily available at Family Mart. Sometimes, you just have no time to go to Asian stores and being able to get these at a convenience store just makes everything more convenient.

where to eat in Clark, Pampanga

They said that the culinary capital of the Philippines is Pampanga. As much as this is an unpopular opinion, I really don't like the way they cook their sisig though which was why I used to disagree with this saying before. However, my recent visit to Clark, Pampanga definitely changed my mind.

This place is called Barbecue and Beer. It seems that this is a pretty popular joint because we had to wait 20 minutes before we were seated.

I had the mango banana shake and this was actually good. Next we had were the different barbecue sticks and FAIR WARNING, if you are ordering anything aside from the chicken intestine, get only one stick first.

WHY?

It's huge. The pork intestines were huge. The chicken butt was HUGE. The serving size is really good guys, American size. SULIT!

The grilled salmon belly with lemon sauce was sooo tasty. This would have been perfect already on it's own, paired with plain rice and ice cold softdrinks.

The sinigang soup was actually overflowing but everyone took one whiff and no one waited to take a photo coz we all had to have a sip of the soup and what a sip it was. The soup was really tasty, not bland like other places. You could taste the gabi on this one and the veggies were all half cooked. HEAVEN!

The other place that we tried was Matam-Ih. This place has such a native vibe that when a guy who claims to be a half aeta started singing, we were not even suprised.

This is what we had and I can definitely say that the kare-kare lived up to my Mom's cooking, the binagoongan was perfect paired with the rice and the lechon kawali was crispy where needed and soft where it should be. The pako was also such a delight that I ended up munching on it after this heavy meal.

Rice in banana leaves! What else can you ask for?

Last stop for us was Downtown Cafe. Honestly, I was a bit worried about this one because my expectations were already set quite high with the first two but Downtown Cafe delivered!

This tinapa triangle was definitely a good way to start the meal. So much love for this. Tinapa flakes wrapped in greens then fried ... uhm mmmm.

Now the star of the meal for me was this. Crispy fried duck plaed in wraps with mango salsa, cucumber, and gravy was just too good. I kid you not. I had 4 wraps. FOUR. If I could have had 10, I would have gotten 10.

The gising gising was also cooked right though I would have wanted more meat on this just to balance the tate even more and perhaps, make it a bit more spicy? Hindi ako nagising e but it tasted good.

And this ... the jukebox. It just made the place feel a bit more nostalgic.

BURP!

Family Mart is now in Clark Global City

When you head over to Clark, it can sometimes be a hassle when you realize that you have forgotten something and then need to wait for the malls to open just so you can make your purchase. After all, most of the convenience stores that can be located around the area are pretty limited in what they have to offer.

If you've been to other countries, you'd know that our convenience stores here cannot compare to what other countries have to offer. Sometimes, you find yourself asking, "why can't it be the same for the Philippines?"

Well, fret no longer because finally, Family Mart has opened in Clark Global City.

FamilyMart has opened its first Generation 2 store in the growing development Clark Global City today, August 8, 2018. The Japanese convenience store chain’s first store in the north of the Philippines, as well as the first under the oil company Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc finally opened it's door to the public.

Since buying the operations of the FamilyMart franchise last October 2017, Phoenix has promised to direct its efforts to improving its operations and efficiencies before further expansion. This store, opening in West Aero Park in Clark Global City, is the first Generation 2 store, which gives the public a peek of the reengineered looks and improved customer experience that the brand hopes to roll out in all their current stores soon. FamilyMart’s first store opening in Clark signals the kickoff of more developments to come.

They also offer a Japanese favorite, the Fami Chicky. Now you don't need to head back to Japan just to have a taste of this. Just head on over to Clark Global Cit's Family Mart and you'll feel like you're back in Japan.

We were lucky enough to have been able to interview the General Manager of Family Mart Mr. Roald Yap and I really love the concept that they have for Family Mart and how it aims to help the small moms and pops store in the country.

Some of the offerings from Family Mart that caught my eye are the following. The microwaved meal is definitely one since it's the easiest way to ease hunger. With a lot of options, there will surely be something that fits your palette.

Love that they have a pasalubong center because the location of this Family Mart is where the bus from Trinoma stops. It's a very convenient way to get your pasalubong.

Japanese products!!! They also have a few Korean noodles so the Kdrama fan in you can go and pretend you're in a Kdrama while sipping your cup noodle and staring out the window. Just play some Korean songs from Spotify and you're all set.

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