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Showing posts from 2023

Premium Cafe Retro 525 : Korean-style Cafe in Angeles City

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One thing that I love about k-dramas is when I get to have a glimpse of the food trends and scene in Korea. From local coffee shops to famous restaurants in and around Seoul, I can't help but wish that I can visit South Korea soon to fully experience the k-vibe and eat to my heart's delight. * Can I just teleport myself in just a snap of a finger? * Thanks to my cousin-in-law B, who has always been my main source for food stops in Pampanga, as he recommended Premium Cafe Retro 525  which is just located along Friendship Highway. We went there for lunch with my university friends after we took our little ones to Dinosaur Island. Feeling famish and in the mood of anything cold as the weather was so warm, we were greeted by the beautiful and spacious interiors of Retro 525 . I tell you, I don't think we have cafes this big here in Metro Manila. It has a center section with a wide array of breads on display. There's an ample amount of tables available at the ground floor b

All-Day Dining at Breezes in Nüwa at City of Dreams

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If there's one distinct trait that the #AngTwins took after us, it would be our love for staycations. They really get so excited whenever we'd tell them that we're staying a night or two at a hotel. Well, I totally can understand why. Sometimes, it is just good to take a break and to have a change in environment, right?  A few months back, Paul's aunt L called us to ask us if we're willing to stay the weekend at  Nüwa and of course, we told her YES! Even if we have no definitely plans lined up and would probably just stay in the hotel or go to the malls nearby, I know that the #AngTwins would be with this. We also love  Nüwa because there's just a lot of food options available and parking is free. It's part of the entire City of Dreams compound too so it's connected to two other hotels namely -- Nobu Hotel and Hyatt Regency Manila.  For families staying in any of these hotels, I highly recommend that you check out Dreamplay . We took the twins there d

Noriter Chicken and Beer, Ortigas Center

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The past 3 years were filled with lots of life-changing experiences. From experiencing the first ever (and hopefully the last) pandemic in my life to being on lockdown for a really long time, to learning to accept the change and adapting to it and to finding new hobbies and interests while confined within the four walls of our home.  It was in 2020 when I discovered the Kdrama Crash Landing on You  and luckily, I had my dongsaeng (lilttle sister) J at work who shares the same interest for kdrama (or in her case, all things Korean) with me. I'm not new to watching kdrama, in fact, I have watched the likes of Full House and Winter Sonata many years back. Life just got so busy that I never got around to watching more plus it was harder back then as you had to either patiently download it on the internet or buy a DVD to watch it. Thankfully, we have Netflix now taking all our kdrama watching to a whole new level.  The show Crash Landing on You  (CLOY) took the entire nation by storm,

DIY Mommy : Narwhals and Mermaid -- the #AngTwins turned FIVE

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Time flies super fast! As I was going through my old blog posts where I documented the birthday parties of my twins, I realized that I have yet to share about their 5th birthday celebration and here we are, just half a year away from them celebrating their 6th! Ackkk..teka lang! As you know, we have been resorting to full DIY house celebrations since 2020 since we can't go out and meet our families to physically celebrate with them. We're blessed to have such supportive relatives though who were all game enough to always join us as we do a virtual candle blowing for the past 2 years. Last year, as they celebrated their 5th birthday and as restrictions were starting to ease up, we were lucky to be able to go on a trip to make it extra special for them.  Since I was in between career shifts, we took the opportunity of me being on a one-month work break to fly to our favorite city in the world -- SINGAPORE! Make sense, right? The place where we will always feel right at home, whe

Farmer's Table in Nurture Wellness Village, Tagaytay

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Whenever I think of visiting Tagaytay , this place immediately equates to relaxation, comfort and good food. I guess, my parents feel the same way that's why we have been frequenting Tagaytay so much since I was in high school and every long breaks would be spent here. A lot of changes have took place since those days as Tagaytay is now filled with rows after rows of establishments thus giving every visitor endless options on where to stay to where to eat. Unlike before where we would quickly pack our bags and head up to Tagaytay during a long break, this time, we would try to avoid heading there on a holiday unless we plan to spend most of our time on the road.  However, this has never stopped us from having Tagaytay as one of our top destinations whenever we just want a quick and relaxing family break. During one of our weekend trips in Tagaytay, we decided to check out Farmer's Table  which is part of the Raintree Group of Restaurants . Others may not know this nor would th

Back at Cibo : Trying Something "New"

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Happy Easter!  I hope that you were all able to have a good and peaceful Holy Week. After all, it was the perfect time to reflect, to repent and to have hope for He has risen again. As for me, I spent it with my family and gave my kids my undivided attention.  Given that the past week was all about family, let me share with you one of my family's favorite restaurants. With all our varying tastes, it honestly is difficult to agree on a restaurant because what may be good for me, may not be something my parents would be keen on trying or returning to and so on. Cibo is a place where we're all happy to dine in and it's simply for these 3 reasons:  #1 Quality is always top notch. We can always expect their pasta noodles to be al dente and tasty, their pizza perfected baked and they have a good selection of hot and cold beverages too.  #2 Service is always consistent. No matter which Cibo branch we go to, we are always well taken cared of by their staff.  #3 They have a wide

Chillin like a boss with Bebang Halo Halo

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As we welcomed 2023 with close to unbelievably cool weather, the summer heat is truly here and it's making itself felt for sure. We've been hydrating ourselves round the clock and the thought of enjoying some icy cold desserts is one that we look forward to on a daily basis.  When Paul told me about this new brand of halo halo that went viral on TikTok last year, we searched for it and discovered Bebang Halo Halo  along Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City. Luckily, Mandaluyong is not that far away and one can just place their orders online anytime. Rumor has it that the waiting time in their restaurant can go for hours so it’s best to have your halo halo delivered straight to your doorstep while you go about your busy day. We got 6 flavors and wow, I don’t even know which one to try first! Before I talk about each flavor in detail, one thing that we noticed with Bebang Halo Halo is that you get a thick slice of leche flan in every cup of halo halo. Unlike others where the le

Hello Again, Singapore!

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Last October 2022 was a memorable month. Apart from the fact that it's the birth month of my adorable twins, it was also the month when I bid my close-to-four-year-long stint at theAsianparent goodbye and took a 3 week long break to recharge before I joined my current company -- Profriends. I embraced this break with glee as this doesn't come often. Not wanting to waste time, Paul and I decided to take the twins on their first out of the country trip since 2020. They've travelled to Taiwan and to Singapore before but since the pandemic, they've been stuck at home for 3 whole years. We didn't want to tire ourselves out as well with planning and navigating around an unfamiliar land so Singapore just made perfect sense as it's our second home. We went there with the most flexible itinerary that I've ever created. Basically, our objectives were simple: Meet our friends/family, EAT, check out the theme parks in JB and in Sentosa, EAT, relax and revisit our favor