Did you have a date during Valentine’s Day? If you ask me, this is my answer - YES, I had a date.
You’ll find out at the end of this post who my date was!
But OPS!!! Don’t scroll it down yet… Don’t get too excited.
Before you do that, check out the place where we had our date, Dolce Latte, and the dishes we chose for our Valentine’s Dinner.
Citrus Grilled Shrimp Salad (Php 425.00) - Summer in my mouth! The citrus taste of this salad refreshed me. I enjoyed all of the salad toppings - grilled shrimps, arugula, peach slices, cherry tomato, pecan brittle and cranberries. Even the dressing was so refreshing, sweet and tangy peach lemon vinaigrette.
Beef and Cheese Cannoli (Php 195.00) - The flaky crust with beef and oozing cheese filling didn’t seem to be an appetizer. One serving was rich with filling, heavy starter for me. If you are getting pizza, don’t get their cannoli anymore. We made a mistake. Hehe.
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I didn’t know what to react when mom told me she needed to report to work on my special day. I was caught in the middle, no choice left. As long as she promised to go home early, my heart became lighter knowing that she will be there to celebrate with me before my special day ends.
During lunch time, dad told me we would have lunch in Crowne Plaza, without mom. At that time, the feeling of anxiety took over me, wishing mom was there for lunch. When we went inside 7 Corners, my eyes turned wide open. I saw mom sitting with our close family friends! Oh dear, my mom got me there! Best actress goes to my mom, while best actor goes to my dad! What a surprise, AGAIN!!! :)
Tita maris (left) joined us to celebrate my special day. I’m really touched how these people make time just to celebrate with me. Mom (right) really knows how to make me feel down and how to turn that feeling upside down. Haha! I loooove how she surprises me! Never fails!!! :))
Crowne Plaza gave me a birthday cake! Pure chocolate cake for the sweet tooth I’ve got :p
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As promised, it’s time to announce the TOP 3 Winners of Juicy Electronics Earphones Blog Giveaway.
Top 3: Entry by Rachel Canales
Top 2: Entry by Jillian Merle
and…
The ultimate winner with 347 Votes… Vijay Navani!
CONGRATULATIONS winners!!! Thank you for sharing your Juicy pick up lines with us.
I know you will enjoy your Juicy and fragrant earphones! :)
To the winners, don’t forget to tweet and say Thank You to Beyond the Box for these juicy goodies! :)
Also, please e-mail me (jillianbantang@yahoo.com) your contact details so I can send you the package as soon as possible.
Pray, Eat and Love.
Cheers,
The Food Scout
On a Friday evening after a tiring week full of work, the kind of set up I was looking for was this = comfort food + good company + intellectual conversations. My legs were not in the mood to dance in the middle of the dance floor. Is this a sign of aging? Hahaha! But seriously, friday nights are usually spent with friends. Simply to catch up and unwind from the exhausting week.
Going to Cafe 1771 Winebar with my foodie friends last Friday night made me feel that I made the right decision. As soon as I arrived, which was a bit late, they were already starting with some appetizers on the table.
Oyster Rockefeller (Php 550) - The first appetizer served, which attracted me with the oozing melted cheese on top. Grabbed my spoon and after tasting, this line went through my head, “Woah! this tastes so good and expensive!”. When I checked the menu and the price, well I was right. You may think it is overpriced but damn, the cheese and spinach inside would make you forget about the price.
Holy Cow (Php 300) - Holy Cow? Where’s the cow? I mean the meat? The name of this dish confused me. This ultra thin crust pizza is composed of kesong puti, arugula and of course, mozarella cheese. I love that kesong puti flavor stood out. Go pinoy cheese! :)
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Before Valentine’s came, Center for Culinary Arts Manila, or better known as CCA, held a special pre-Valentine’s event in their newest branch - The Podium Mall, Pasig City. The name of the event caught my attention upon receiving the invite from them. It was called Cooking with Seduction. I love how the title can capture anyone’s attention. The initial reaction I had when I read the title, I thought they were “really serious” about giving a class on cooking with seduction. But it was merely a title. Haha!
FYI, I didn’t go because of the title. Haha! When I found out that the class would be conducted by 2 top chefs or “celebrity chefs”, I blocked my schedule just to attend their exclusive class. It was a privilege to learn from the experts, Chef Eugene Raymundo and Chef Melissa Sison.
The theme of the cooking class is cooking as a couple, since it was for Valentine’s. Such a unique course specially made for the month of February, the month of hearts <3.
Let me give you a short and brief background of the 2 chefs.
Chef Melissa Sison is the first Filipina executive chef certified by the American Culinary Federation (ACF). On the other hand, Chef Eugene Raymundo is a top food stylist and chef; he usually styles the dishes you see in famous fast food commercials - Mister Donut, KFC, etc. (He’s the person behind the “delicious-looking” fast food meals) Haha!
The 2 chefs prepared a 6-course meal for us to enjoy.
Oysters Tempura Truffle Mayonnaise (left) and Fresh Oyster with 3 Citrus-Chili Sorbet and Caviar - Bitin na bitin ako! Both oysters were friggin’ good! 2 pieces of oysters weren’t enough for me. If you were there, you’d feel the same way especially when you get to taste the tempura truffle oyster recipe. Even the citrus-chili juice was a distinct shot. Citrus and chili makes a one of a kind combination. I’d really buy that as a drink when I eat out or hang out with friends. The oyster recipes started our dinner with high expectations for the next dishes.
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No need to be a math expert. It’s a simple equation to remember.
[ Beer = Bags ]
Sounds interesting, right?
An exciting event coming up, brought to you by Crumpler Philippines!
It’s a one-of-a-kind event you don’t want to miss!
To know more about Crumpler bags, follow their facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/CrumplerPhilippines
Pray, Eat and Love.
Cheers,
The Food Scout
I never felt disheartened about getting a year older. I don’t understand why people hide their age, even at their 20s. They seem to feel old year after year. Whenever I ask about someone’s age, the common response is being shy about giving their 2-digit age.
For me, each birthday is a wonderful blessing from our Heavenly Father. It must be celebrated! It doesn’t have to be “bongga” or glamorous. The important part here is to celebrate your birthday with the special people in your life.
My birthday is on January 23. This 2012, the date fell on a Monday, simultaneous with Chinese New Year. Last January 22 (Sunday), my family gave me a cute and funny birthweek (our other term for birthday) jumpstart. They blindfolded me in the car and told me it is the start of my birthweek surprise. Daydreams and imaginations ran through my mind while blindfolded. No clue at all on where they would bring me. All I could see was black. Until finally, the car stopped. Slowly stepped down the car since I was blindfolded and was in sky-high heels. Mom held my hand, hugged me tight and guided the way. The noisy background sound came to my surprise because it was not what I had in mind. No, we weren’t in a hotel, which I expected. After walking for about 2 minutes from the car, we arrived the real destination. Blindfold was removed and instantly smiled. The first stop was at theater of Resort’s World to watch Sound of Music, my ultimate childhood favorite!
No pictures of the play since it was not allowed. I was a chicken to attempt because they might confiscate my baby (camera).
*Fact: I’ve seen Sound of Music for more than 100x!
Immediately after the play, they brought me to Marriott Hotel for my birthday countdown.
Deep Fried Brie Cheese (Php 480) - My plate of brie cheese, strawberry jam plus farmer’s bread completed me already. Adding strawberry jam to brie cheese satisfied my taste cravings. Brie cheese as an appetizer is a better choice for me, than mozzarella cheese that is extremely cheese. Marmalade jam can also be an option to replace strawberry jam in case you want to improvise a similar dish on your own.
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