My dad celebrated his golden day last Sunday, October 30, 2011. The night before, we had a pre-birthday family dinner at Hap Chan. Jeff and Mark were also invited over for dinner.

Mommy and Gia took charge of the orders. I just made sure that they get Hap Chan's Shrimp Siomai. :p I also wanted some hakaw, but I just decided to do away with my cravings since the dimsum they ordered were already too much. :)

Dimsum galore!!!

Shrimp Siomai - Php 80.00

We also had chicken feet and Mark also requested for asado siopao. :p

Chicken Feet - Php 75.00

Asado Siopao - Php 75.00

Jaoey took hold of the menu and chose the crispy fried chicken.

Hap Chan Crispy Fried Chicken - Php 240.00

Yang Chow Fried Rice - Php 190.00

We usually frequent Hap Chan because we love their food. I just wasn't able to enjoy the food that time because of my uncooperative stomach.

Nido Sweet Corn Soup - Php 130.00

Sweet Corn with Crab Meat Soup - Php 130.00

Mixed Meat Canton - Php 185.00

Fried Squid with Salt and Pepper - Php 240.00

Plus our appetites went low and our cravings were lessened because of their very slow service.

Fish Fillet with Tofu Hotpot - Php 270.00

Hap Chan Special Hotpot - Php 270.00

But then again, we still had a fun dinner and managed to devour everything on the table! :p


HAP CHAN TEA HOUSE
Circumferential Road, Antipolo City

~~~~~

The big day came and Jaoey and I were up early to hand our gifts to the golden boy. :)


Each of us also helped in the preparations for daddy's birthday feast. Gia and Jeff did all the slicing and preparation of ingredients and I was the one in charged in cooking the spaghetti and frying the chicken and shanghai. But of course as always, it was again my dad who cooked almost everything. :)

The Golden Boy

On the table:

Maki and Sushi

Homemade Pork Siomai

Fresh Lumpia

Homemade Pork Empanada

Fried Chicken

Spaghetti

Garden Fresh Salad

Chicken Feet

Beef Caldereta

Lumpiang Shanghai

Bagnet

Homemade Pork Embutido

Lechon Paksiw

Shrimps

Adobong Pusit

Crabs

Grilled Bangus and Tilapia

Grilled Oysters

Fruit Salad

Leche Flan

Cake from Tita Ching

Cakes from Mark

We started the celebration late in the afternoon with a prayer which was led by Tita Tess.


And then the feast began!!!


Aside from our relatives, Daddy's friends also came and they had some rounds of drinks after dinner.

Daddy's Friends

Photo from Tito Francis

Tito Francis and Daddy

Photo from Tito Francis

Everyone enjoyed the feast. Every food in the table was a hit! And I guess the best part was when the visitors got to take home some of my daddy's specialties. :p

Thank you daddy for all the delicious food!
Happy birthday!!! We love you!!!

More photos HERE :)

Date of visit: September 30, 2011

One of the many things that I missed during Mark's absence is our Friday dinner and movie dates. He would pick me up from the office after work on Fridays and then we'll head to a place for our dinner and movie date. So when he got back, after a week's worth of vacation from work, I was very much looking forward to our first Friday dinner and movie date. :)

We both wanted to dine in a restaurant we haven't tried before so we chose to dine at the Spaghetti Factory. We had a hard time in choosing what to order because their menu was very inviting--the dishes look so delectable and the prices were very affordable. But having pastas as their specialty, Mark and I decided to just do away with rice and the rest of their menu and just have pastas instead.

Mark and I, on our first Friday dinner date after more than a year :)

Mark went on the safe side and ordered their Alfredo Fettuccine, while I was a bit adventurous that time and chose their Homemade Ravioli Ricotta Spinach. We both were frustrated at the sight of our plates when our orders were served. We were expecting something that is but enough to fill our tummies, but we were served with the opposite. Their servings weren't really that generous, not even reasonable for their price.

Alfredo Fettuccine - Php 179.00

We tried to be optimistic and gave their food a chance but we, once again, failed. Mark's Alfredo was just plain tasting. The garlic toast was rock hard and the sauce was not enough to even coat the fettuccine.

My Ravioli Spinach wasn't also a hit. I don't know about the fettuccine, but my raviolis were not al dente and were a bit hard to chew. My dish was overflowing with sauce, though not so tasty. I'm not sure if I was just frustrated with the serving and all, but I didn't really find mine delicious.

Homemade Ravioli Ricotta Spinach - Php 239.00

Their service wasn't also impeccable. Their staff were inattentive. We had a hard time calling their attention just to follow up our orders. :|

With food that is not something to die for and service that is not so good, our first time at Spaghetti Factory will also definitely be our last.

Mark didn't really enjoy our dinner so we decided to take out some food before our movie date. He didn't want to play safe this time, so he had burgers at Taters. :p

Here's Mark eating burger before No Other Woman starts

Our first Friday dinner date was a disaster, good thing our movie date was definitely awesome!

SPAGHETTI FACTORY, Glorietta 5

2/F Glorietta 5, Ayala Center

Makati City, Metro Manila

Philippines

(02) 501-3176

Date of visit: September 29, 2011

Mark paid me a surprise visit at work one Thursday afternoon. We were actually supposed to have lunch but something came up on his side so it didn't push through. I was really feeling sad about it, until I got a text message from Mark around half past 3pm asking me out for some snacks. I initially thought it was just one of his practical jokes when he instructed me to come down to the lobby to meet with him. Though very hesitant, I still went down and when I got to the ground floor, there he was, at the building entrance, smiling sweetly as I approach him. :p

We both wanted to try out some new restaurants and I thought the Ayala Triangle Gardens would be the perfect place. We walked around the area and this Filipino-home-style ambiance caught our attention the most.


It was late in the afternoon and there were only a few people dining in so we had the liberty to choose our seats. We chose the seats at the leftmost side of the restaurant, which gave us an ample view of the whole place.


Mark and I both loved Kanin Club's simple yet homey interior. Everything was just so Pinoy. The colorful stained glasses and the sliding windows and dividers were what I loved the most. The place actually reminded me of the houses and structures in Vigan.


Okay, so much with the restaurant's interior, let's now go to what we really came here for...the food! :D Our drinks were served a few minutes after we placed our orders. I had sago't gulaman while Mark had dalandan juice.

Dalandan Juice (Php 67.00) and Sago't Gulaman (Php 90.00)

We were in a Filipino restaurant so I already knew what Mark would have---his all-time favorite Kare-Kare. Unlike other kare-kare dishes that are just overflowing with veggies, Kanin Club's kare-kare had a generous amount of tender beef tripe and pork leg chunks. The veggies were also cooked just right, not too soggy and just had the right crunch. It's rich peanut sauce was also perfect as is but was made more delectable when paired with bagoong. There's actually no surprise that this was a hit for Mark (even if eaten with sour rice). :p

Kare-Kare - Php 358.00

It actually took me a while to finally decide what to have. I've been hearing raves and been reading a lot of good reviews about Kanin Club's Crispy Dinuguan and Sinangag na Sinigang. I don't eat dinuguan but I was a little curious about how the Crispy Dinuguan was proven to have convinced non-dinuguan eaters to actually love the dish, but I guess I still wasn't adventurous enough so I opted for Sinangag na Sinigang.

Sinangag na Sinigang - Php 224.00

It was actually my first time to see a dry sinigang. I was still trying to contemplate on how this dish would be like, and was amazed on my first spoonful. It really tasted like the sinigang that I grew up with. And that distinct sour taste that I really love was really captured by the dish. To whoever is behind the birth of this dish--the sinigang-inspired fried rice, the pork liempo, and the vegetable tempura--you are such a genius! Some of the veggies were a bit hard though, but there's no denying how innovative this dish is! :D I just wish they were not a little carried away when adding in green chili. :p

By the way, here's another photo of Mark and I. I'm still not convinced that Mark's photo from my previous posts increased my blog traffic, but I'm still posting another photo of him anyway haha! :p

Mark and I in our very late lunch/super early dinner at Kanin Club :p

With a restaurant with an ambiance that is so cozy and relaxing and with food that is perfectly delicious, who would have thought that a very bad service would come with it? Yup, I would love to give them a perfect 10 but because of their unresponsive waiting staff and not so good service, I don't think they deserve such rating. :p

We had to follow up our orders many times. You would also hardly see a waiting staff roaming around to check for customers request because they were all busy stamping those paper place mats, and to think that it wasn't even lunch/dinner time. *sigh*

But then again, I think there are still a lot of good food here that we have yet to try so we'll still be coming back. I just do hope their service would improve on our next visit. :)

KANIN CLUB, Ayala Triangle Gardens
Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati Ave., Bel-Air
Makati City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 621-6109


      sweetnothings.kriskamarie
       @kriskamarie   @kriskamarie

Date of Visit: September 22, 2011

We dined at Burgoo on Mark's 5th day of being back home. After flipping the pages of the menu for a little while, Mark finally knew what he wanted to eat. I guess he still had his Qatari culture in him that's why he ordered Burgoo's Ultimate Fajitas--choice of char-grilled chicken, steak, prawns, or combo with buttered potato wedges, mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers; with tortilla wrappers and sour cream, grated cheese, and salsa.

Ultimate Fajitas - Php 595.00

When the dish was served, I was surprised at how very different it was from the photo in the menu. It actually didn't look that appetizing and with all that oil, oh my! Mark also got surprised that it was served on a sizzling plate.

This dish is usually eaten by having all the meat, veggies, and dressings wrapped in the tortilla; but since Mark is still on a diet, he just decided to do away with the tortilla and dressings. He didn't seem to be liking his dish, mainly because it was swimming in oil. But even so, I still decided to give it a try.

Tortilla Wrappers

I tried eating the fajitas the traditional way. Honestly I didn't like it too. I was expecting a pungent dish, but the dish was just plainly bland. The dressings didn't even help. And the tortilla was a little hard to chew.

Grated Cheddar Cheese, Sour Cream, Salsa

Good thing this mashed potato saved Mark's day. :p I wasn't able to get to taste it because it was gone the moment I finished taking a photo of the rest of the dishes. :p I'll just take Mark's word that their mashed potato is good. :)

Mashed Potato Mexicano - Php 175.00 (Regular), Php 295.00 (Large)

After a quick glance at the menu, I already knew what to have...Chicken Diane!!! I've tried this before and immediately fell in love with it. :) The generous serving of grilled chicken fillet was very tender and juicy. The sautéed onions and tomatoes, and the pool of creamy Diane sauce made the chicken even tastier. The garlic spaghetti and garlic bread were also a hit as they balance out the flavors of the chicken fillets.

Chicken Diane - Php 375.00 (Regular), Php 525.00 (Large)

I sensed a hint of envy from Mark when he saw my dish. :p And since I knew he wasn't loving his dish, I just let him have mine since I was already full.

Aside from the food here in the Philippines, Mark must have missed me a lot that he always wants our picture taken whenever we dine out. :p

Mark and I in one of the many pig out sessions that we have since he came back :p

Okay fine, he just actually wants to have more of his photo posted in my blog because according to him, his photos will make the readers come back for more! Haha!

BURGOO, Gateway Mall
2/F Gateway Mall, Aurora Blvd.
Araneta Center, Cubao
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 913-6112


kriskamarie   sweetnothings.kriskamarie
kriskamarie   kriskamarie

I got some cheap but cute find on a Wednesday a couple of weeks back. It's usually a long day for me during Wednesdays because of the number coding scheme. I went off from work at 5pm and totally forgot that it was a Wednesday. Since I still can't go home and drive, I decided to do some window shopping to kill time.

After window shopping for around an hour with my black pumps on, my feet began to ache. I was already at the SM Department Store in Makati so I decided to buy some flip-flops there. I was looking for a certain brand which unfortunately was not available at the department store. Good thing I came across the Parisian shoe stall. And viola! I got this Parisian Comfy Flats!

Parisian Comfy Flats - Php 299.00

I immediately fell in love with these shoes when I tried them on. Its soft cushion inner sole was heaven for my feet. The same material was also used for the shoe itself. I took a few steps with these comfy pair on and every step really felt good. I love its simple design and that little bow, oh don't they just look so cute?