We were supposed to go see a movie but since none of the movie screening schedule was viable at the time, we decided to cancel the movie date and hang out with some friends.

I walked around Megamall for a good one hour until I finally decided to troop to Starbucks, get my caffeine fix and rest my tired feet. The boyfriend, Ken and Mhay followed suit. We decided to have dinner at the restaurant right beside Starbucks–Abbondanza. We were encouraged to try this restaurant when we walked by and saw a waiter carrying a yummy-looking pizza pan. And so, we ordered one as well.

The pizza was fine. Not exceptional at all but good. The pasta was another story. Thinking that portions were small, three of us ordered “regular” plates except for Mhay who opted for the smaller plates. I forgot what they call these plates, kinds like merienda-sized meals. Or whatever. Hehe. The pasta wasn’t anything I expected. It was swimming in sauce–ugh.

It’s a not-so known but affordable pasta place that holds back on taste. Too bad because although the place looked plain, the booth seats were comfortable. Heh

I don’t remember when I last saw my best friend so when she texted me one random Monday afternoon, I gladly accepted her invite to meet up later that night. I originally wanted to just hang out and have coffee. But as she is always hungry (haha!), we had to have dinner. She was craving for Conti’s and you never want to mess with a hungry flight attendant so Conti’s it was.

Salmone Pomodoro Pasta (Php175)

I had the Salmone Pomodoro Pasta, priced at Php175. I loved the saltiness the dish had to offer. It looked light but it was actually quite filling. Of course, if you have an appetite similar to a grown man’s, you can gobble this up in practically two minutes.

Royale Mango Salad (Php160)

Siz had the Royale Mango Salad. I’m not a fan of ripe mangoes on salads. She’s a fan of this salad so I guess for yellow mango lovers, this is a winning salad.

After weeks of deliberation, I finally tried out Lay Bare Waxing Salon. But no, I didn’t go for a Brazilian Wax. I simply availed of Underarm waxing and Upper Lip threading.

I went to the Lay Bare branch in Mall of Asia with no reservations. I’ve actually dropped by their Glorietta branch many times already but the long queue always turned me off. So out of impulsiveness, I traveled from Makati to Pasay and found their MOA branch less-packed and thus, more inviting.

There was another girl ahead of me but I only had to wait for like 10 minutes. They have five technicians working at the same time so service was pretty quick. I was expecting to hear minor screams or muffled cries while I was waiting for my turn but thankfully, the customers “getting their wax on” were quiet.

When it was my turn, my attendant, Trisha, brought me to the tiny room and asked me to undress. I removed my shirt since I was only having my underarm waxed. It was quick! Like, really. Trisha was very professional. She wasn’t chatty and snoopy–I like.

I wanted to get my eyebrows threaded to but said mine was still fine. The wax looked like a blob of honey. It smelled like one, too. It was sweet and totally painless.

The upper lip threading was a bit uncomfortable for me. It was my first time and the sound of the threads sent “bzzt.. bzzt” to my brain. Haha. Funny, I know.

I was done in less than 30 minutes. So quick, right? Well, I like my underarm waxing so I’ll be back in a couple of weeks.

On a team lunch-out, I had one of my favorite pasta dishes in TOSH. Yum!

Chocolate Fire has long been on my list of must-try restaurants in Manila as soon as I stumbled upon Anton Diaz’s review of the said restaurant. After months of planning, I finally got together with one of my best girl friends (the ‘kada’s resident skinny girl with the big appetite for yummy eats), Justine. My dearest Pia joined us for dinner as well. We were missing Mica though, who is basking in American snow.

The packed menu

Chocolate Fire offers a very cozy ambiance. I love their red-and-white color theme. We wanted to stay upstairs but was informed by one of the waiters that the area was for reserved groups only. Oh well. The main dining area was nice anyway. Though I wished there were more couches and less plastic chairs. Ambiance was good, with the pipe music not distracting the whole feel. This is a self-service restaurant but the waiters will provide you with a menu so you don’t hold up the line as you order. The food selection was pretty normal. Aussie sandwiches, pasta, breakfast plates and whatnot.

Bolognese Panini (Php280)

I ordered Bolognese Sandwich (Php280) and Vanilla Milkshake (Php150). The toasted sandwich is pretty thick. I knew when it arrived that I couldn’t fit that into my mouth so I had to slice my way throughout the whole sandwich. I liked my sandwich albeit it was too crunchy (too toasted). It’s literally spreading bolognese sauce on a sandwich. Justine said it was “okay”. I like the Vanilla Milkshake! Tasted like melted vanilla ice cream!

Pia’s Pasta

Pia had Pesto Pasta (though I think it’s another version of such) that was served with bread. She opted for Vanilla Milkshake as well. Oh, you get to choose between spaghetti, penne or fettucine for your pasta, by the way. We were a little puzzled that it didn’t look like pesto at all. It wasn’t green at all. The pasta serving was a bit small too. I forgot how the pasta’s price though I’m sure it’s less than Php300.

Italian Panini

Meanwhile, Justine opted for another sandwich meal–Italian. She wasn’t happy about this at all. Haha. She opened up her sandwich and saw the slice of tomato that had been given to her was the tomato end–we couldn’t tell if it was the stem or flower end though. Justine had Dark Chocolate and it was super good!

Lovely ladies

After letting our tummies breathe for some 15 minutes, we began scouring the display for what would be the highlight of our food adventure. The chocolates were neatly organized–exotics, bars, truffles, ganaches and whatnot. We were overwhelmed by the selection! You can’t really take pictures of the display so you have to see it for yourself. We didn’t know what to order or how many we should have. We kept walking around, admiring them at the same time. I saw the chocolate-covered strawberries and was instantly attracted to it. But as Justine said, you can have chocolate on strawberries anytime–so easy to do at home. But mind you, the strawberries were big.

Our chocolate platter (Php621.50)

We ended up with seven varieties (20 pieces in all). It wasn’t that bad of a price since we were sharing. On our plate were: Milk and Dark Chocolate Dipped Coffee Beans (Php5 per piece), Super Volcano (Php65 per piece), Peppermint Ganache (Php55 per piece), Solid Floral Circle (Php50 per piece), Nutboat Pecans (Php65 each), Solid Mini Lip (Php15 per piece + Php5 for white chocolate). A cute service quirk: while they can easily just hand you over the platter over the counter, they won’t. Why? Because they cutely arrange the pieces chocolates first!

Super Volcano!

We consumed the chocolates slowly, savoring the taste of each. For a night, we felt like a chocolate tasting trio. We first munched on the tiny Dipped Coffee Bean pieces. They were really tiny and tasted okay. Nothing special here though I like the crunch. The beans were roasted.

See the chili?

We proceeded to eat the ‘big one’, which is the Super Volcano. As seen in the picture, these have chili flakes. Honestly, it was good. Although you could really feel the “kick” as you bite through the chocolate. Especially when your tongue comes into contact with the chili flakes in the middle.

Peppermint Ganache

I liked the Peppermint Ganache a lot because it reminded me of this chocolate my aunt from Japan used to send us–individually-wrapped little square chocolates. I don’t remember the name but I vividly remember the taste and how it looks like. Justine knew the chocolate I was referring to as well. (Hah! Just sayin’ to prove that such chocolate from Japan exists! Haha!) The only downside we saw in the ganache is the peppermint filling inside. We wished it was more creamy. The rest were okay.

See the floral details?

The presentation is really what gets to you. The Solid Floral Circle, for example, was too cute. I like the gold floral patterns on top. This creamy and very sweet milk chocolate will probably earn the approval of milk chocolate lovers. I also imagine girly-girls swooning at the sight of this.

Overall, Chocolate Fire is a nice after-office hangout place. Prices are fairly reasonable although don’t expect to be wowed by their meals–they are a chocolate place, after all. I might swing by randomly one day and bring home a box of two of these babies. By the way, if you’re not too keen on buying per piece, you can buy them per gram too.

—
Chocolate Fire
PDCP Building, Corner of Leviste Street & Rufino Street,
Salcedo Village, Makati City

After our very late lunch in Boracay, the other girls in the group insisted that we went to Jonah’s Fruit Shakes. Being the Boracay newbie that I was, I wondered why we were walking from Station 2 to Station 1 just to buy a “Choco Banana Peanut” shake. Forgive me if I get the name wrong, by the way.

The sun has already set when we found the humble eatery. It was nothing fancy at all. It looked like your average carinderia sans the food display. It’s tucked behind the big restaurants by the beach, right behind Guilly’s Island and just beside Cocomanga’s. Sort of like a hidden gem in the sea of commercialized establishments.

The majority ordered “Choco Banana Peanut” shake while I had the one with vanilla. The menu was so darn confusing because they were pretty much made of the same ingredients, with only one ingredient setting it apart from the others. They had like five or more variations of the choco banana shake. On average, the shakes are priced Php90.

I was intrigued by their array of shakes that had a shot or two of rum. Babe ordered it. Presentation is really basic, as you can see in the picture above. My vanilla-shake something tasted fine but the real winner of that night was Babe’s Mocha Rum. It was so darn good and I’m not over-reacting.

You wouldn’t know that it had rum in it because it didn’t overpower the mocha taste. Then again, the taste is still there. In fact, one of the boys we were with mistakenly thought he was chugging (or sipping) down a choco banana peanut shake when really it was Mocha Rum.

Now I know why Jonah’s is known to serve the best fruit shakes in the island.

My trip to Boracay last Friday was the first time I’ve been to the tropical escape that is Boracay. I know I’m such a loser for that fact alone but what the hell. At least now I’m no longer a Boracay ignoramus.

Instagram photo from Babe (Paolo Ramos)

We flew from Manila to Kalibo (yes, not Caticlan) via Cebu Pacific. Our round-trip tickets cost us almost Php4,000 each. Our flight was delayed for about one hour, which sucked because our shuttle van to Caticlan was waiting for us in the airport. We finally arrived in Boracay at around 1:30PM. The van ride was long as it took us over an hour (and that’s without traffic na!). The ride was relaxing because it was a steady drive to the port with no traffic at all.

Upon arriving in Caticlan, we were whisked away to the payment counters for the ticket, environmental fee and another that I forgot what for. The boat ride was short (that’s why ticket is only Php25). Once we were in Boracay, we boarded a tricycle that could carry an average of five passengers. We paid Php20 each from the port to D’Mall.

D’Mall

As we were heaving our bags off the tricycle, I first noticed how commercialized Boracay has become. All I could see were concrete buildings. When you look farther, more buildings were being built. It was fairly dusty because of all the construction work happening. As we were navigating our way through D’Mall, I wondered if the ground we were walking on used to be powdery white sand.

There are two Andok’s in Boracay. This one’s in D’Mall.

It really has become a tourist hotspot because of all the common Manila establishments here. They have Pancake House, Andok’s, Starbucks, All Flip-Flops, Shakey’s, Gerry’s Grill etc. A multitude of posh restaurants sit by the beach as well, which I assume, caters to the foreign visitors (and local celebrities, perhaps).

The breathtaking beach

When we finally reached the beach, I couldn’t help but let out a little smile at the sight. The beach, remains the same. The crystal clear waters, fine white sand, soft waves and sunny blue skies are all a far contrast to what’s happening in D’Mall–beyond the shore. Boracay is slowly becoming an irony. One thing that I appreciate about the local government here is that they have banned smoking on the beach. Hurray for that!

A clean beach thanks to the local gov’t!

Numerous banners and signs were in plain sight to inform tourists of the ordinance so no one can pull of that “I didn’t know” excuse. Sadly though, I saw several people walking in the beach with lighted cigarettes. Even more frustratingly sad is that they were foreigners. Babe mentioned that the local officials probably didn’t have the guts to reprimand the foreigners because, well, they were foreigners.

Crowded beach? Nu-uh!

Our trip was super short though memorable. I truly want to come back and bask in all the gloriousness that this island has to offer. There’s so much to do here that three days and two nights is impossibly too quick a travel experience.

Boracay sunset

Find out where we stayed, how much we paid, and where we ate in upcoming posts.

One breezy night in Boracay, we walked from Station 3 to Station 1 and back to Station 2, looking for a nice restaurant. Our group decided to just pick the restaurant that had the nicest ambiance and we found Bom Bom Bar. I know how the name doesn’t sound very charming, relaxing and beach-y at all. It’s actually like a reggae bar with comfortable seats and couches albeit the table was too low for folks having a nice dinner (like us). Right beside us was a small stage where performers played soothing acoustic–sometimes reggae–music.

Seafood in coco cream (Php220)

How was the food? Yummy! I ordered Seafood in Coco Cream with rice. It arrived sizzling hot. It smelled absolutely delicious as well! While I liked it very much, Babe thought the ginger took over the sauce. I beg to differ, though.

Fillet Mignon (Php270)

As for Babe, he ordered Fillet Mignon. He opted for fries instead of rice. Although the picture says otherwise, I saw how Babe slightly struggled to finish this meal. He was so full after chowing down this dish. He said it was very filling, very sulit.

What’s great about Bom Bom Bar is their wide choices. They have chicken meals, beef, pork, mixed seafood, prawns, shrimp, steak and whatnot. They also conveniently categorized their menu for customers. The food was good as well as the ambiance.

But if there was one thing that would make Bom Bom Bar even better is if they ditch their chairs and tables for something more comfortable, dining-wise. If we were just wasting our night away with beers on hand, it would have been perfect. Either way, Bom Bom Bar is a nice dinnertime stopover.

A good friend of mine has been to this small but charming coffee place in Tagaytay City a number of times already. And with her every visit, my envy grows. Hihi. Finally, after an amazing night with former orgmates, I finally got to visit this one-of-a-kind caffeine shop.

Cool!

For its ambiance alone, I would give Java Jazz three thumbs up! Designwise, it’s not your typical coffee shop. You won’t see huge comfy couches and bean bags here. Instead, they have all sorts of dark wood furniture that give the room the country home feel. I like that they have this Japanese table-ish setting on the floor and cute corners for couples.

For big groups who don’t want to sit on the floor, they also have this (see photo above). Java Jazz is very quaint, with friendly personnel. A no-fuss coffee shop, drinks and meals are very affordable! Their selection of coffee and chocolate drinks is pretty wide, taking their coffee shop’s size into consideration. Being a hazelnut “nut”, I had to have their Hazelnut Mocha.

Tall Hazelnut Mocha (Php95)

The cup was charming even though the heart pattern wasn’t that recognizable. For brunch, I ordered Ham and Bacon Pancake, which was super filling! Well, for me, that is. I like their pancake. It wasn’t that big but it was enough for a girl like me. For only Php99, that meal is a steal.

My Pancakes!

We were the only customer in Java Jazz, by the way. It was nice having the place all to ourselves because we were a pretty big group. Visiting Java Jazz without having to share the space with strangers is definitely the best way to experience this place.

Paintings are for sale, by the way

Now I know why so many people rave about this place. It’s not just the drinks or the food they serve that’s memorable but the complete “feeling” that you get when you’re there. Don’t forget to sign their guestbook when you visit!

For Php30 per person, one can experience the simplicity that Fort San Pedro humbly offers. When we were there, I was constantly thinking of Fort Santiago the whole time because I was wondering if this was how Fort Santiago looked like. You see, I’m not really the type to go visit historic places and all that stuff.

A little history lesson

Before you enter the actual Fort San Pedro area, there are two walls filled with photos and clippings about how Fort San Pedro came about. There weren’t that many pictures to see though. Adding more photos would be tons better. (Hello, Fort San Pedro people!)

Back in the past

It was clean, with several cool (and beautiful) areas to have your photos taken. It was midday when we arrived so while we thought the place was nice, we were burning under the midday sun. There are loads of areas though where you can take cover. Also, there are signs telling you where to go that I found really nice.

Tadda!

It sucked though that “CLOSED” signs were posted on the majority of interesting-looking doors we encountered. In the photo above, I’m guessing that door is the entrance to a museum. Unfortunately, that bloody annoying closed sign barred us from entering.

Trying to be funny. LOL.

There was a simple wishing well tucked beside the building right by the entrance. Don’t expect a pretty wishing well because it was just a genuinely old well that had ample water in it.

Photo taken by Manong Guide

They also have this tiny butterly area when you climb up the “ramp”. And when I say tiny, I mean really tiny. When we arrived, there were no butterflies. One of the guides (or perhaps a Fort San Pedro caretaker) offer to take pictures of us, by the way. He was really nice, encouraging us to pose some more so we could take photos. He was even directing us to pose by this-and-that area.

My favorite area in Fort San Pedro!

If you’re not so much into history and all that stuff, Fort San Pedro may be too boring for your taste. Then again, you can always spike up your experience by loading your camera with crazy and wacky pictures in Fort San Pedro, right? That picture above was taken from my favorite section in Fort San Pedro. It’s this long path of cobblestones that make for pretty pictures. I think this was a look-out platform or something.

Breathtaking!

Besides, don’t you want to catch a sight of this glorious view? By the way, that is so not a phallic symbol. Haha! Every soul in Cebu knows where Fort San Pedro is so don’t fear getting lost should you want to visit this place.

—-
Photos were tweaked by my ever-so-amazing Graphic Artist boyfriend.