One Saturday, we found ourselves driving along Tomas Morato in search of a cozy looking restaurant for our weekly bonding session. My sister, who has been wanting to try something new, pointed Kozui Green Tea out to us and mentioned that she has been hearing a lot of raves about it. Since we all love Green Tea, we gladly went with her suggestion. Entering the brightly lit restaurant, I immediately sense a very happy vibe all over the place. A shelf was adorned with cute, Japanese trinkets while their community board has photos of regular customers obviously loving their choice of drinks. We settled at a table by the door that has a semi-circle lime green couch. It took us a while to finalize our order because everything looks so good!
Finally my mom and sister each got the Iced Genmaicha Lemon Tea (Php. 80) while I chose the Hot Roast Green Tea Latte (Php. 100). To share, we also got the Karaage Chicken Wrap (Php. 158), their famous Takoyaki balls (Php. 98), Cold Green Tea Soba (Php. 158) and a bowl of Mango Anmitsu (Php. 148) for dessert.
Good thing the serving is just good for one or we might have to just skip merienda and call it an early dinner. Our drinks arrived shortly after we placed our order. I pulled my steaming mug of Green Tea Latte close to my nose and loved the strong, sweet smell of the Roasted Genmaicha powder. ohhh..li nioi (smells good)!
After savoring the aroma of my warm drink, I took a small cautious sip. Believe me, it's sooo good! No course texture caused by undissolved green tea powder, no bitter taste at all. It was so smooth and I love the sweet, creamy taste as it hits my taste buds.
Finally, the rest of our orders were served. First, we tried the Kaarage Chicken Wrap. We enjoyed the crunchy chicken strips mixed with chopped cucumber and tomatoes drizzled with their very tasty Black Sesame dressing. This is wrapped in soft pita bread and sealed with a thin strip of nori for that Japanese feel. One problem that we always encounter when eating a pita wrap sandwich is having to deal with soggy pita bread that has quickly absorbed in the sauce which later leads to a very messy dining experience. Thankfully, Kozui's wrap has just the right amount of sauce which the meat and veggies have absorbed in, leaving the pita bread and nori strip dry and firm enough to hold the entire sandwich together. 
Having had tried a dozen Takoyakis outside from small food carts in the mall to the ever famous Samurai stall, Kozui's version somehow fell short of our expectations. One order comprises of five Takoyaki balls which were beautifully arranged on a white platter dotted with Japanese mayonnaise and topped with bonito flakes. As we sliced into our takoyaki balls, we were somewhat looking for a generous amount of seafood bits enclosed in a crispy-on-the-outside-and-soft-on-the-inside ball. Sadly, we got quite a mushy ball with very little seafood bits. *sigh* 
We should have just skipped the Takoyaki and went on with the Cold Green Tea Soba. This dish is a cool delight after burning our tongues with the disappointing Takoyaki balls. The soft, Green Tea soba noodles are served on top of a Japanese sushi mat with ice cubes. It comes with a very flavorful sauce that we were told to dip the noodles into. Mmm...yummy :) It perfectly complements our drinks too!
To cap off our wonderful mother-daughter bonding session, we had a bowl of Mango Anmitsu once again to share. Anmitsu is the Japanese version of our native Halo-Halo. Served on a small black bowl, we enjoyed digging into the two kinds of chewy dango balls, sweet azuki (red) beans, pink taro jam, green tea jelly, mango bits and a generous swirl of green tea ice cream. A very colorful sweet dessert that I will definitely go back to Kozui for. The interior is predominantly in lime green which reminds me of my favorite Sanrio character, Kerokerokeroppi. :) I also noticed a lot of students hanging out as they surf the net with their laptops. Hmm.. it somehow has the feel of Starbucks Coffee minus the smell of roasted coffee beans and the constant whirling sound of the blenders. I truly hope Kozui will soon expand and find its way to the Ortigas area and perhaps down South. For now, we look forward to taking that quick drive to Tomas Morato for our green tea fix.
Kozui Green Tea is located at 258-B Tomas Moato Ave., Quezon City. You may call them at 413-2705.
Fast forward 36 years after in 1 Esplanade and with more than a hundred bloggers present, we celebrated a momentous occasion highlighting the importance of the greatest form of expression possible where one may write freely and pour out his deepest emotions where no one will stop them. 
At exactly 630PM, the program began. I was delighted to watch my blogger friends 
This has been my most recent complain everytime Paul would ask how my day was at work. Thankfully, my boyfriend knows me well enough to immediately get my (billboard size) hint. Not that I do intense manual labor but it's more of my need to take time out and to relax -- physically and mentally.
We were led to the Express Room where 5 single couches were lined up with a curtain that separates each chair. Quite typical but what made it unique was the inclusion of a flat screen TV and a DVD player where customers can choose from their long list of movies available. Of course, Paul was overjoyed! 
Paul, on the other hand, loved his Back and Shoulder Massage. I guess what really brought his experience to a new height was the fact that he was happily watching Sweeney Todd while getting his massage. Much to my dismay as I was really trying hard to get the Zen feel but the sound of murder and blood was just too much. Ugh! How I wish they have installed mini tv screens per couch complete with individual headsets so customers has the option not to watch and to catch some Zzzs instead. 
Just recently, Paul and I were invited by Alveo Land (formerly known as Community Innovations) and its PR counterpart to visit their newest development in Manila called 
Arriving at Celadon Manila, we were directed to park the car by the clubhouse that has a beautiful pool and a colorful playground set where we saw a handful of kids enjoying their early morning swim. 
The model unit was beautifully decorated however Paul and I both agreed that it's a bit too cramp and tiny for our liking. After the brief tour, we were ushered towards the entrance of the village where PICK Manila was located. 
We went on the first Sunday and while the long rectangular covered walkway was lined with a mix of food and dry goods stalls, I can't help but immediately compare this with the ones that I frequently visit such as 
I got to hand it to Albergus! They really know how to create a yummy-looking buffet set-up! We filled our plates with Salmon Cream Penne, Salmon Gravlax with Caesar dressing, a couple of nachos and of course, a slice of Albergus' signature Roast Beef with gravy. 
The Beef Pepper Rice is one of my favorite. Considering that I am more of a chicken or fish person rather than a hard core carnivore, I just couldn't get over how tender the beef was. However, what makes Pepper Lunch different is its fragrant pepper rice that is literally bursting with the right flavors. Paul took his first bite and gave a nod, which was his way of saying "perfect!"
