The Secret of Uncle Moe (Shawarma Hub)

Our big day is just a year and two months away! I know I seriously have to shape up and look my best as I walk down the aisle towards Paul in my beautiful white gown.

I promise that I will start by May...so, I have six days to enjoy and indulge!

Kidding aside, I've been wanting to start living healthy by going back to the gym, eating more veggies and fruits and learning to totally shun away all things evil or at least those that will eventually end up on my hips, thighs and arms.

It's easily said than done, believe me. For lunch today, we drove a couple of blocks down from our office to a cozy casual place called Uncle Moe's Shawarma Hub. My first encounter with Uncle Moe was last year when Paul and I had dinner at the City Golf complex in Ortigas.

I love kebabs and most especially I love the special Mediterranean salsa that is served together with my order. Since we were all starving, we got the Hummus (Php. 50) and Moutabal (Php. 50) with Pita breads. The Hummus (pureed garbanzo dip) is very fragrant while the Moutabal (pureed eggplant dip) has that smokey flavor that I liked very much.

For my main order, I got the Beef Kebab with Buttered Rice (Php. 130). That's indulgence #1 for you! One thing I fear most about beef kebabs is when the chef would grill it way too much leaving it charred and dry. Luckily, Uncle Moe's Beef Kebab was very juicy and tender. The butter rice was also delicious! I love long grain rice and I would always mix this with garlic sauce. Yum!

What's the secret?

After our meal, a colleague shared that the name Uncle Moe was actually derived from the owner's dog that's named Moe and that most of the recipes were just taken from a worldwide accessible source. Looks like he's one lucky dog! :)

Uncle Moe's Shawarma Hub is located along United street, Barrio Kapitolyo, Pasig City. They also have a branch at the City Golf complex along Julia Vargas ave., Pasig City.

A new found favorite at Red Mango

Just a month ago, I posted an entry announcing that Red Mango has finally landed. Since then, I would make it a point to grab a cup of yogurt everytime I find myself in Eastwood City. My favorite combination consists of regular yogurt with scoops of mangoes, kiwis and strawberries.

This has been my default order wherever I go....

...well, not anymore!! :)

Tonight, I wanted to try something new. So I took a couple of minutes staring at Red Mango's selection of toppings and finally gave the server my order:

A generous serving of regular yogurt with blueberries, crushed graham and almonds!
My colleague Dens took my lead and we were both happy and satisfied with our choice of toppings. This tastes very much like a slice of blueberry cheesecake minus the guilt and with less calories! Woohoo! What a great deal! :)

make ONE cup matter at Starbucks

I can't believe a year has passed since the day when my friend Zee and I went around different Starbucks stores to check if customers actually brought their own tumblers to avail of the P40 discount during our Earth Day celebration!

Last year's promotion was a HUGE success...and so....they're doing it AGAIN! :)

On Earth Day, April 22 up until the following day, Starbucks Coffee Philippines would like to invite you to bring in your tumbler (any tumbler will do, not necessarily a Starbucks-branded one) to avail of a P40 discount on your drink!

This year is also special for all photoholics out there! Only available at select Starbucks outlet in Metro Manila (Bonifacio Highstreet, Robinsons Manila, Metrowalk and a lot more, there will be a photo backdrop where you can pose and have your photo taken with your eco-friendly tumbler!

See you all at Starbucks! ;)

Leave of Absence

I can't believe that it has been close to two weeks since my last entry. Sadly, my poor computer was hit by a mean virus that corrupted ALL of our valuable files and in the process ruined our hard disk as well. So, with a heavy heart, we had to bid all the photos, mp3s and documents, that were carefully stored in our computer for more than five years, good bye.

Our computer is finally up and running and here we are starting anew. Gone are the photos taken from my latest food trips that I've been meaning to share with all of you. *sigh*

On the brighter note though, I finally got my spanking new passport and visa (thanks to my hardworking travel agency)! Soon, I will be out for a trip to immerse myself in a country that will teach me a lot about my roots. Of course, food will definitely play a major part of the trip so watch out for my upcoming entries come May!

Till then,
Fran :)

Cooling Down with Cocktales

It has been a very hot Summer! Don't you wish you can just hide inside a giant freezer all day long? Had it not been for the fear of getting tonsillitis, I would probably drown myself in liters and liters of ice cold water and gallons of ice cream and yogurts every single day! Thus, an invite to try a new dessert place inside the fully air conditioned SM Megamall was warmly welcomed by my colleagues and yours truly.

Cocktales is the newest dessert restaurant by the Fruitas group. The main objective of the owners is to create a hang-out spot for dessert lovers who wants something light and healthy after a heavy meal. To see how serious they are about desserts, take a peek at their menu and you'll see their wide array of ice-cold desserts from fruit bowls to shakes and even to mocktails!

The photographs in the menu are so beautiful and mouth-watering that it made it harder for us to choose! Finally, I got the Strawberry Fizz while two of my colleagues got the non-alcoholic Vanilla Lychee Martini.

My Strawberry Fizz was served on a tall glass with a yummy scoop of Strawberry Ice Cream and a piece of fresh strawberry as the finishing touch. Taking a sip of my cool refreshing drink, it somehow reminded me of the Manila Peninsula's strawberry sherbet.

While enjoying my drink, Knelle and Sel's drinks were also served. Ohhh it looks good! Served on a martini glass, their Vanilla Lychee Martini has a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on a bed of iced lychee sherbet. This is definitely one cool delicious drink!

There are still a lot of dessert choices to enjoy! On my next visit, I'll probably try their halo halo or the Mango Bananarama which looks yummy and cool!

Cocktales is located at the 5th level of SM Megamall's Atrium. They will also open another branch at the Trinoma soon.

Wear a White Hat this Summer!

It was a hot summer day when Paul and I took a short drive to the Mall of Asia after checking out the Martha Stewart Bridal Fair at the World Trade Center.

After grabbing a quick lunch, we strolled around the largest mall in the country since we rarely get to visit this mall. While Paul was busy checking out the sporting goods stores, I wandered around in search dessert. I was about to give up after passing by half a dozen more retail stores when I saw this store that sells my favorite dessert as of the moment -- Frozen Yogurt!

What made it extra special was the fact that I've been hearing a lot of raves about this particular store and after multiple attempts to drive all the way to Mall of Asia to try this, finally, this was it!

Being a certified Yogurt-fanatic, it took me less than three minutes to place my order. I played safe and got myself a regular yogurt (Php. 85) with slices of kiwi and mango (Php. 35)! For a warm day like this, a cup of yogurt and fresh fruits makes it truly refreshing.

White Hat's yogurt is delicious! It has a well-balanced flavor, not being overly sour or sweet. It doesn't have that overpowering milky aftertaste and best of all, it perfectly complemented the two fresh fruit toppings that I chose to go with it.

It was definitely worth the drive and I hope that they will soon open a branch closer to home.

Now, I'm really having a hard time choosing which frozen yogurt is best....

My Frozen Yogurt line-up:
Fresh Fruits on my Yoh-gurt
Oh Lulu Belle!
Red Mango has finally landed...
Weekend Discovery: the Cold Spoon story

The White Hat is located at the 2nd floor, Entertainment Mall of the Mall of Asia. They also have a branch at the new SM North EDSA Annex.

Congrats Van Ang!

A couple of months back, I received an email from my dear friend Camie asking us to send our good luck wishes to our high school batchmate and friend Van Ang as she will be competing in a designer's competition here in Manila.

Fast forward three months later, I just received another email via our school's egroup informing us that Van Ang has won the grand prize in the Mega Young Designers Competition.

Hooray!! Congrats Van!

Such a talented, sweet lady, I'm sure you'll make it big in the fashion industry! I look forward to the day when people ask what I'm wearing and I will proudly say "I'm wearing a Vanessa Ang" Ü

Related links:
The unveiling of Vanessa Ang
Vanessa Ang: First Woman MEGA Young Designer