Dinner at Six Thirty: September 2011

Friday, September 30, 2011

Chicken Taco @ Burrito Bar, BTC Cebu

I told you I'd come back for the Chicken Tacos at Burrito Bar and I finally did! ☺ So, do I really love it or was is really just a fluke?

Yummy Magazines (September 2011) - Fishtek Tagalog

One of my guilty pleasures in life is buying my monthly stack of magazines. I started this when I was a teenager. Then I would buy magazines teenage girls like to read such as Candy. Years later, I graduated to women magazines, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire. When I got married, I started my love for food-related magazines (Yummy, Food, and Appetite). And when I became a mother, I started buying Good Housekeeping and Smart Parenting. Nowadays, I don't buy the beauty/women magazines anymore, but I continue to religiously buy my food and parenting magazines. I try to grab the new issues when I'm out grocery shopping and nothing gives me more pleasures than going home, lie comfortably on my bed, and go through my new read page after page. There is always something new, a recipe or food-find, that catches my curiosity.

I made fish for dinner tonight, a recipe I got off one of my monthly magazine buys. Dad doesn't eat much fish (he's a picky eater) so I decided to make a vegetable dish as well. Eggplant is a safe choice as everyone in the family likes it. Then add the eggs and it's definite everyone will eat it!

Vanille Cafe and Patisserie @ Ayala Center Cebu

When my friend LI sent me a personal message in facebook to meet and talk about the entrepreneurship training program she just joined, I said yes. She gave me 3 options for our meet-up. I'm super busy these days, but thankfully I was free on one of the slots. So we made plans to meet-up at Vanille Cafe and Patisserie in Ayala Center Cebu.

Bratwurst

I was recently talking to someone I just met and we reached the topic of his upcoming trip to Germany timed perfectly for Octoberfest. As I listened to him talking about his trip, I couldn’t help picturing all the sausages and beer he’ll be having once he is there. I could tell from his voice how excited he was and through his stories I got pretty excited as well. Imagine 3 weeks of Germany, eating German food, drinking German beer, breathing German air. I doubt he’ll be having a boring 3-week vacation especially at the time he’s going!

Beef Ginaling

My husband has been extra good lately so I was thinking of making something extra special for him. Beef Ginaling is one of his favorite Pinoy/Filipino dishes because he grew up eating this. It's extra special for him because I hardly ever make it at home. I don't know why though as I really like it too. My husband is the most down to earth person I know and obviously one of my favorite person in the whole world. When he eats out, he likes to frequent small carenderias and he's been complaining how the Ginaling is usually more wet or saucier than to his liking. I decided to make it the way he likes it. A favorite dish for my favorite person.

Pick-Up: Classic Savory at Robinson Cybergate, Cebu

MR was out for work this morning when he called me close to noon time and told me to drop my kitchen knives because he's bringing us lunch at home. I wandered around the house for 45 minutes wondering what he was gonna bring me. And when he finally got here and dropped the bag on the kitchen counter I said, "Yay, Classic Savory! I couldn't have done it better" and gave him a great big kiss! I always love these kind of surprises! ♥

Hawaii Lawyer Personal Injury

I ran into my friend just recently and she apologized that she didn’t make it to my little girl’s birthday party last August. She had an accident and had to be hospitalized for 2 days. She was crossing the street when out of nowhere a motorcycle hit her on the side. She was walking through the pedestrian lane so obviously she wasn’t at fault! On that day, she was working on her legal papers and was on her way to her attorney’s office. I wished her good luck as we separated ways.

Snacks at the Lobby of Waterfront Hotel and Casino, Cebu

The Mickey's event started at 1PM and I wanted to be at least 1 hour before showtime so we had a super light lunch. The popcorn we ate at the event was very salty that we only ate about half of the box only so we were kinda hungry. When the show was done, my husband and I agreed we would grab a quick snack at the lobby of the hotel.

Mickey Mouse, accompanied by his friends, is in town and we just met him! Think about 3 ear-to-ear smiles and that's us. The first time I heard about this event being held in Cebu, I did not hesitant to get tickets. That was three months ago and I just knew we had to go. Since then, we've been very excited for this and it's been my bargaining chip with SM. ☺

Banana Pancakes

I don't usually eat or cook breakfast, but this morning I woke up wanting to cook and eat pancakes. My husband was all for it, happy that I would take breakfast duty for once. And even more excited than myself to eat good pancakes after the other day's Pancake House's pancake disappointment.

Writing Skills

Sometimes when I’m on my “alone time”, which is usually very early morning in the morning or very late at night, I think about how fast time is passing by. My friends and I are celebrating our mid to late twenties and it just couldn’t seem further than from our high school and college days. Arghhhh! The days of carrying heavy books, fast deadlines, essays, thesis, homework, extra-curricular activities, and the pressure to have a social life! I can’t believe I was managed to juggle everything with only two hands. But I definitely did.

Vienna Kaffeehaus - Helping Jao Island through Coffee.

There's an island in northern Bohol named Jao Island. From Tubigon, Bohol, you take a 4 hour van ride and then a 45 minutes pump boat ride to find yourself at this Jao Island, which proudly has the Danajon Bank, a rare double barrier reef. So rare in fact that it is only one of the 6 documented double barrier reefs in the world. Honestly, I had to ask where Jao Island was and as I listened to Sir Jun Ferreros, I couldn't help but say to myself, "wow, wow, wow".

I'm not a fan of soap bars. Especially when washing my hands in the comfort room or when I'm cooking in the kitchen. When I buy soap bars it's for my husband and he only likes homemade soap bars. I'm always on the look out for a good liquid handwash and I finally found something I am 100% comfortable with. Do you know Safeguard soap bars? Well, they've decided to make them in an antibacterial liquid handwash. It removes 99% of germs. It's scented, but it's a neutral scent and perfect for my sensitive nose. I've only seen this in the Robinson's Supermarket at Banilad Town Centre, but I imagine it's also available at other supermarkets.

Persian Palate, Ayala Center Cebu

Thursdate c/o Ensogo coupons I bought online (www.ensogo.com) at Persian Palate (For P150, we ate for P300). A little reminder to coupon buyers out there, always make sure to read the terms and conditions that come with the coupons. Each establishment is different. With Ding Qua Qua, it was reservations at least 3 days before, Flame-It was walk-in, and at Persian Palate, it was preferable to make reservations one day before. Thankfully, I gave them a call yesterday, they asked for the order ID and voucher number, and when we got there for dinner everything went smoothly.

Pancake House, BTC Cebu

This morning was reserved to go to the SnR sale but as soon as we got there we realized that it would be impossible to go in anytime this morning and I really really did not feel like lining up all morning long in the sun and rain. We looked up my dad's friends there. Apparently they had reserved a cart for us, but suddenly the sale did not appeal that much to me. We thanked them and told them we'd be coming back later that day. They were thankful for the extra cart.

Salmon and Potato Cakes

We had salmon leftovers from last night and tonight I asked myself, should I make a soup or a sandwich with it? So after a long debate with myself, I ended up making patty cakes. Actually the final debate was patty cakes or croquettes. These came from pure experiment. It's my first time to make these and I'm already working on some changes here and there, but I was already pretty happy with these.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta

So I needed something to make with the Asian Grilled Salmon. I needed something quick to make, something I could cook while I was marinating the fish. Preferably something with no meat as I was making salmon already. There were many options that came to mind but ultimately I went with pasta and mushrooms. It was quite fitting as I had all ingredients on hand and because mushrooms don't have a strong flavor it wouldn't counteract the salmon, which is in my opinion is a very fishy fish.

One of my favorite celebrity chefs is Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa. When I was pregnant, I craved Ina Garten and her cooking. Every day for 5 months her show was my source of comfort. I remembered her show aired during our dinner time and whenever her show's intro music would start playing the baby would kick hard. I guess it was her source of comfort too!

Website Makeover

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Shopaholic's Corner : Buy 3 Get 1 Free Shoes @ Payless Cebu

On our last Thursdate, I noticed that there was an ongoing sale at Payless in Ayala. Buy 3 pair of shoes and get 1 free. I figured since we are 4, with this promo we could get one pair of shoes each. I made sure though to ask if all shoes were part of the promo (kid's, women's, men's) and was told all were included as long as they were regularly priced.

Mapo Tofu @ Choi City Restaurant, BTC Cebu

I realized this afternoon that I still had a P100 certificate from Choi City and needed to use it as soon as possible. So before it was too late to do anything, I decided to order for take-out. I asked MR what dish he wanted from Choi City and I swear there was a twinkle in his eyes when he said, "Mapo Tofu".

Bed Bath and Beyond

I am very particular about my home, most especially the bed and bathroom area. So naturally, one of my favorites store is Bed Bath and Beyond. It is my favorite because they have everything I look for. It’s hard not to come out of the store without buying something useful to our home. I’ve even signed up to their mailing list to always be up to date with what’s new at Bed Bath and Beyond.

Pino! Filipino Cuisine, Cebu

Today marks the 30th birthday of my Brother-in-Law. So along my Parents-In-Law, Sister-in-Law, and my Brother-in-Law's family we had dinner at Pino! for the occasion.We arrived at Pino! at 6:00PM, which is the time they open their buffet. There are several branches of Pino! in Cebu, but we went to the original branch which is in Lahug. We were the firsts to arrive from our group and we had plenty of time to take pictures of the place and food.

Mattito's Tex-Mex

One thing that I wish was more available in Cebu is Tex-Mex cuisine. One of my Sister-in-Law and my husband’s aunt live in Texas and they are lucky to have Mattito’s to fill their Tex-Mex cravings. Mattito’s is a 2 branch Dallas Mexican restaurant as well as 1 other branch of Mexican food Frisco Texas location. They’ve also ventured into opening a Burger place in Frisco, Texas.

Mattito’s is opened for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. It is perfect for groups and families, especially families with children as they also have a kid’s menu. The kid’s menu has PBJ Sandwich, Corn Dog, and Grilled Cheese. There are also other choices for big kids like Enchiladas, Tacos, and Quesadillas. Kid’s meals include drinks and ice cream as well! Adults can breakfast on Breakfast Tacos, Chilaquiles, and Huevos Rancheros. Lunch specials include Fajitas, Enchiladas, Tacos, just to name a few. Dinner sounds just as wonderful and has Nachos, Quesadillas, Tamales, and many more. There is even a Botanas Platter, which has a variety of dishes and is good for 4-6 people. Doesn’t that all sound so good? By the way, the Sunday brunch is buffet! But the best part of it all is how reasonably-priced it is!

If you’re looking for a party caterer Dallas area, you can also look into Mattito’s Catering Service. Their tag line is, “With one call we can do it all”. They have party and menu packages available, but you can always call them or contact them through email if you have specific preferences.

And if you want the catering services but don’t have the place, you can always use one of Mattito’s banquet rooms for a Private Fiesta. Both the Dallas and Frisco branch have great banquet rooms outdoors and indoors for your convenience. It can fit from 20 to over 200 guests! Imagine that! Again, there is a banquet package with pricing and all, but I suggest you contact them at their contact number or through email if you have any changes and additions.

So if you’re looking to try the place, check out their website and contact them. And if you’re looking for a perfect gift to give to friends and families, try getting Mattito’s Gift Cards. Having friends who are celebrating an anniversary or a family having a birthday? This is a great gift!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Flame It! The Burger Cafe, Ayala Center Cebu

Whoever thought of these food coupons is a genius. What started in Manila is now in Cebu and nobody could be happier than me. Not only is it a big help for my blog (great half-off prices for food!), but it's also been great for MR and me personally. Especially since recently we've officially reinstated the Thursday night dinner dates or Thursdates for short. ♥

The French Baker, SM City Cebu

It's been a long time since we've eaten at French Baker. More or less 5 years ago, I think. I don't know how it happened, but we've become strictly Northwing restaurant-eaters when we're in SM City Cebu. So when Dad asked me where I wanted to eat after my shopping spree, I suggested, "Why not French Baker for a change?"

Ask any Cebuano where the best place for cakes is in Cebu and I guarantee that Leona's is in the top 5 list. Some are long-time lovers, others have discovered it when they finally opened a mall outlet, and the rest have just discovered its goodness. I don't believe I've ever heard someone I know mutter anything bad about this place.

Shopping Bag: Tao Kae Noi - Japanese Crispy Seaweed

I love Nori. Nori is Japanese edible seaweed which is commonly used to wrap maki and onigiri. It can also be used as a garnish in soups. When I was younger, I also liked to eat it as is for my snack. So when I saw this Tao Kae Noi in the supermarket, I was intrigued. Was this gonna be my new favorite snack?

We order for delivery or take-out at least once a week (we take turns choosing). It gives me a break from cooking and washing the dishes. I haven't been cooking (or washing dishes) much lately, but we still had food delivered tonight. It's hard to break a habit sometimes. Tonight's choice was SM's and she wanted Jollibee. We wanted to make her happy. But who am I kidding anyways, we love Jollibee too! ♥

Straight Talk

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk. All opinions are 100% mine.

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The Restaurant / Bar Dream

I was talking to a friend late last night and made plans to go out this Saturday. Our little trio of friends usually has a monthly dinner get-together. My friend suggested how about going to a bar for a change and get cocktails. Something new and different from our usual dinners. I suggested that we go to this bar that is owned by two of my other friends. It’s a new place and has a nice crowd and ambiance, I told her. Not to mention good food, which I still have try out first-hand.

In between talks for our Saturday plans, my friend mentioned how cool it would be if we had a place like that. A restaurant of our own. That got me thinking. If I had my own restaurant, what kind of food would I serve? Would I serve French cuisine? Or would I go the Asian route? And then I started thinking about the restaurant supplies. Where would I get them? What would be my essential kitchen needs? So much thinking and head-scratching and I don’t even own a restaurant yet! Only imagine if I did. But wouldn’t that be really great?

And if the pressure and stress of opening a restaurant is too hard to handle, my friend and I talked about maybe just a bar at first. Sure, we’d need to find bar equipment too and learn bartending skills. And also be able to serve a couple of dishes that go great with drinks. I would love experimenting with the drink list and the many cocktails we can work on. That would be a very enjoyable job!

But these are just talks and daydreams. For now, I’d rather go out to bars and restaurants in town anyways. Just by talking about it with my friend really got me thinking about how much effort and time it takes to start and maintain a successful business! I’ll be better off as a consumer for now, but who knows what will happen down the road.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Snacks @ Goombah Restaurant and Barcade, Banilad Town Centre

Goombahrotti Peperoni

SM and I were back at Banilad Town Center today to pick up the photos of her last studio photoshoot. On our way out, we passed by Goombah and SM asked me if we could go inside. It was snack time and she's been wanting to play games at their arcade too.

Christmas Season at the English Tea Store

The moment the first month that ends with –BER (September) starts, all I can think about is Christmas. I think I’m not the only one that thinks that way because just the other day, Christmas songs started playing while I was shopping at a mall. I’ve also seen online pictures of friends and their Christmas trees at home. People might ask, “What am I talking about?” But don’t you ever get the feeling of how fast the months pass by especially on the third quarter of the year?

Buffet-Style: French Bistro Buffet at Garden Cafe, Marriott Hotel Cebu

I didn't forget about Grandparent's Day, I just really had no idea that it was today. We've been celebrating this special day for Dad for the past 3 years, but since it's a new "special day", it's still not yet engraved in our minds. Early this morning, Dad came in for breakfast and reminded us of "this day" and I thought to myself, "Uh-oh, it's today?" Before I could say anything, Dad cut my thoughts and playfully suggested we should go somewhere special tonight. And we did. To Garden Cafe at Marriott Hotel Cebu for the current French Bistro Buffet.

Burrito Bar / Postrio Cakes and Pastries @ Banilad Town Centre, Cebu

A couple of days ago, I scheduled SM for a studio photoshoot. We have an annual membership which includes free photo sessions so as much as possible we try to have a photo session a couple of times a month. Anways, we are in Banilad Town Centre every week so it's easy to squeeze in the photo sessions. Naturally we had lunch afterwards.

Pasta Puttanesca

After several days of eating out, it was nice to finally cook something at home.For tonight's dinner, I decided I would make the family some Pasta Puttanesca. It doesn't require a lot of ingredients, but it has a powerful taste because the ingredients used are strong (olives, capers, and anchovies!). Pasta Puttanesca literally means "whore's style spaghetti". Why it's called that way I'm not sure why. I did read once that this was the spaghetti cooked for whores after a day for work, but I'm not sure. I'm gonna have to look into that. There are no whores in the family, but they sure enjoyed this dish! ☺

Golden Cowrie, Robinson Cybergate Cebu

Today was SM's turn to visit the doctor. SM and my Mother-in-Law. SM was having her annual check-up and booster. My Mother-in-Law came with us so she could have her flu vaccine done too. I swear by the flu vaccine. I get mine every year too and I get sick less than 5 times a year and when I am sick, it usually lasts for just one day. Same thing with my daughter.

I noticed Auntie Anne's on our way across Northwing to go to the parking lot yesterday. I know it's been there for a while now, but it's never crossed my mind to try it. But as we were walking out of the mall, we took a little time to find out what's good about Auntie Anne's.

Oakley Polarized and Womens

When you live in a country like the Philippines, it is a reality that sunglasses are very useful. We have two seasons, the rainy season and the sunny season. But when it is sunny here, it really is sunny. Most women take care of protecting other parts of their body, face and body and ignore the eyes. But in my personal opinion, taking care of your fragile and sensitive eyes is just as important. Protect them. Have you looked up at the sky, squinted hard, and being temporarily blind? That’s not good!

Mandarin Tea Garden, SM City Cebu

At 6:30PM, Number 28 (Me!) was done with her check-up and exams. Everything looked great, no problems and worries. Phew! We picked up our daughter from Dave's Fun House and she reluctantly agreed to come with us. It was almost 7:00PM already and we were still in SM, so MR suggested we have dinner before going home. We walked around, still a little full of disappointment and regrets from today's lunch. And then we saw Mandarin Tea Garden.

I hate going to my OB-GYNE. Not that it is her fault; my doctor is charming, intelligent, and very caring. And she helped me a great deal with my difficult pregnancy and my even more difficult delivery! But I hate going to her office for 2 main reasons. First because it is the only time I have to face the weighing scale and snap out of my denial, and second because of the long wait! She is a very reputable OB-GYNE in Cebu so her patient list is usually long. To avoid that I usually make my routine check-up schedule a couple of months before in order to be number 1 or 2 in the list, but this time I made my appointment a week before. I have been avoiding going to her this year, but I have this thing going on that I can't ignore anymore and finally mustered enough courage to make an appointment. Making the appointment a week before guaranteed me number 28. Hahay. Today is Wednesday so I had to go to her SM Cebu office, which conveniently has an ultrasound machine / treatment room, so I would be doing the consultation and exams on the same day. A silver lining.

Food in the Streets: Kwek Kwek and Fish Tempura

After our afternoon nap, it's snacks time! ☺ When SM and I woke up from our nap, MR was at home and told us that he'll take care of our snack this afternoon. We waited patiently while he went out. It took him a while, but it was totally worth the wait when we saw that he brought back Kwek Kwek and Fish Tempura.

Food Stall: Cinnabon

We didn't go to my in-laws' house last weekend because my Mother-in-Law, along with her sisters and my Sister-in-Law, went to Manila for a weekend getaway. They got back late last night and brought some goodies from Manila for us. I'm not usually a big cinnamon lover but I love Cinnabon! ♥

Shopping Bag: Oishi Marty's Baconette Strips

Growing up there was this snack that I really loved. It was bacon flavored chips that looked like cut bacon strips. I wasn't allowed to have too much junk food when I was younger so I would only be able to buy it at the school cafeteria or when I was shopping with my mom. But somewhere between my elementary and high school days, that specific flavored chips was phased out and no where to be seen. Sad! :(

Braised Short Ribs with Carrots and Spinach

I found these beautiful beef short ribs at SnR and I knew right away that I wanted to make a stew of sorts. I've made this dish a couple of times and always made a variation of it (I always have good red wine on hand). I've made it with carrots and potatoes, different kinds of mushrooms, pearl onions, and green peas. I picked up a pack of frozen spinach at SnR so I decided to add it in my dish today. I don't usually like frozen vegetables but these frozen spinach are really good and hassle-free.

Pick-Up: Casa Verde, IT Park Cebu

Another one of those lazy days when I don't feel like cooking. So instead of slaving away in the kitchen, I asked MR to pick up dinner for us. We've picked up dinner at Casa Verde a dozen of times now and it's always been a smooth transaction so naturally we ordered from them again tonight. I don't need to be tired and cranky too!

Recently, one of my oldest childhood friend, SA, came back home for a weekend. She is currently based in Manila and doesn't come home as often as we would like her to! So when she came last weekend, we went out to Goombah and saw each other again two days later (it was the long weekend) and I brought along SM with me so Ninang (Godmother) could see her.

Honey-Orange Vinaigrette

I love green salads: lettuce, romaine, endives, arugula (fave!), frisee and more. I also love vinaigrettes because a good vinaigrette can turn an otherwise bland salad into a meal of its own. But I have to admit that I am sick of the usual red wine vinegar/balsamic vinegar and olive/sunflower oil combination. I started making dressings, but those are usually with cream, yogurt, and mayonnaise and that's packed with calories! Maybe a few new touches would help with my vinaigrette boredom.

My favorite kind of salad is Arugula. I love the peppery, buttery, and slightly bitter taste of the Arugula. And I was lucky to find really great Arugula at The Pantry the other night. I hope this is available to buy regularly. Arugula is also known as Rocket Salad and is high in Vitamin A and C. If you are planning on buying this for the first time, I have to warn you that this isn't like most salads that are bland, this is quite aromatic.