Say Banapple!

Banapple was one of my target restaurants but it was too far from home.Good thing we went at St. Claire which was few meters away from the restaurant so I got the chance to pay a visit.I wanted to go here not for myself but for Mimi cos she likes to try everything sweet..There were no vacant seats inside that time so we managed to wait a bit. There's also al fresco seats on the second floor but its more for smokers and hey! we're in the city so "al fresco" here isn't appropriate.

The place was cute and LOVEly, still holding on till the month of love ends. The simple chandelier was decorated with hearts and valentine cards (I wonder how many times have I looked at it).

Though their highlight was on pies and cheesecakes, Banapple also ensures that you would go back not just for the pies or cheeseakes butalso for their signature dishes. The photos on their one - page menu are not as satisfying as when it got served. For a minimum of P165, you already have banapple's best at big servings.

Herbed Chicken rolls with basil cream sauce (P175) - One of their bestsellers.Winner talaga yung basil sauce!I finished this quickly!I wasn't aware na continuous na yung pagsubo ko.P.G. =p



Baked Creamy cheese Penne (P175) - this was just ok,I was about to order the lasagna rolls and don't know why I had this instead.



Banoffee Pie (P85) - this looks yummy but we just had this for take - out. Full already.



My cherry pink crush (P100) - a valentine's special pie. The simple sweet taste was awesome!



Our bill was only 500++ considering the great food, ambiance and service. This is way way better than that of red ribbon and the likes that are too much commercialized.
For a visit from someone far from this place, I think your visit will be worthwhile. There were lots of people dropping by just for their cakes so maybe, that's one good point to keep.



Banapple: Pies and cheesecakes
206 Katipunan Ave. Blue Ridge A, Quezon City
Tel no: 438-26-75

Angge meets chinatown!

Blogging about fancy restaurants and cool stuffs are so00o "nakakaumay na", why not let's make it a bit rugged but rich in culture sometimes? Dawn and I went to china town for an adventure and surely that's what we got. With a little background of the place, we walked straight, literally..never turning left or right cos we might get lost (that's a really cool idea from dawn).This place has ways of separating itself from the real "Maynila".The place seems old but organized, I feel no worries walking on the streets except being lost. We were amazed because everything was so new to us. Hooray for the newbies at chinatown!



First Stop: Sincerity Cafe and Restaurant
Is this the place everyone was talking about?All was just okay not until we had their fried chicken..Dawn and I was convinced there was magic in it!crazy ha? It was ordinary for my eyes but not for my tastebuds..It's so juicy and I was searching for the hard parts but there was none!The chicken was soft and addictive!For this experience, P150 would really mean cheap for you.





We also had their lumpiang sariwa (P40) which was also great..but if I have known that another restaurant makes it their specialty, I wouldn't order at Sincerity na..



Sincerity for Dawn and Angge: SWAK!

Second Stop: Dong Bei Dumplings
The place was small and not as welcoming as we expect but let's just laugh it out! Dumplings here would cost you P80 for 10pcs and P100 for 14pcs.





My eyes got stucked on how they made their dumplings and it's a lot of work and time and my partner and I would just swipe the 10pcs in a matter of seconds..=)





The Wong Lo Kat Herbal drink was our favorite!Look at Dawn's Face..So happy!



The bad side here is about the Dong Bei's hygiene practices..If I were so concerned about cleanliness, I'd mind skipping this because the place was a little disaster and the one whom i gave our payment didn't bother washing her hands before going back in the making of dumplings when she had already collected money from the customers..that's an eew!

Considering the food at dong bei, this will still be: SWAK!

Third Stop: Chinese - Labelled Popsicles (P25)
Just flavorful but nothing special.We're just amazed of the chinese wrapper!



For something new: SWAK!

Fourth Stop: Wai Ying Fastfood
There were a lot of people eating inside when we got there..The roasted duck display was appealing enough to attract customers. Another blog - buzzed at chinatown..We asked about their best - seller and one of it was the chicken mushroom (P110). We were excited about it and when it came..it's in a metal bowl like that of a dog's with 3 pieces of pale chicken meat and 2 small mushrooms..wtf.If I could just show the expression of being dismayed and dissapointed.





My Favorite: Century Egg (P20)



The staff we're accommodating but for the food we had, this is:LIGWAK!

Btw, restaurants would give you a welcome tea.


Fifth Stop: Sugarcane Juice(P35)
Dawn bought me this and I loved it!lalo na pag sobrang cold!thanks dawn!


Refreshing!: SWAK!

Sixth Stop: Fried Siopao (P16)
During our walk, I noticed this store selling Fried Siopao but ignored it, we went back on our way home, gave our full attention but too bad ubos na!
Aww.. we missed it, anyway, they said it's masarap so I'll set my mind the way it should be.

Seventh Stop: Eng Bee Tin
This is redundant! everywhere I look, there's Eng Bee tin..As a token of appreciation, Dawn bought me an Ube Hopia.Sarap!



I was really happy this day because I had visited 2 churches because for a very long time now, I've not visited any. Plus, I explored China town with Dawn AND while we are being crazy on the street, the result of the board exam was out
and thank God we've made it!I'm now a registered Nurse!Yipee!

Thank you so much friend!Saya no?

Tia Maria's Fajitas!

I already had my pre - valentine's celebration but this friend of mine who never had a ___________ keep on insisting me to date her and so I did!=) I hope she had fun and may this day be always remembered because she left me with empty pockets again.



We decided to go for Tia Maria's with their promo Fajitas Grande Fiesta. It was quite expensive for the servings but the overall taste was good. We were the only customers by that time so we grabbed the chance to laugh ourselves till we drop.



Fajitas Grande Fiesta (P555 + service charge) - Their ad says it's good for 4 persons but I think the serving would be exactly for 3 persons only. It consists of a pan full of Angus beef and chicken strips, lettuce, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, cheese and salsa plus 6 tortillas. Btw, what's fun here is that you'll be the one to make your own fajitas.







Having a hard time rolling mine..I wanted it too stuffed kasi..=)



It also comes with a pithcer of your choice (iced tea or orange juice) and this awesome Orange Creme Brulee which surprised us because I never knew that a restaurant
like this would make a great tasting creme brulee.


Sorry for the pictures, guys. I'll switch to Nikon next week..I'm so excited!

Here's my lovely friend begging me to buy her orange roses but I bought her the alternative balloon roses instead of the real ones..Not that she's not worth it but I just don't have the money.=P



Our photo together.eew.wtf, we're both in red.haha!



Tia Maria's
Ground Floor
Entertainment Hall
Mall of Asia

Cafe Breton's Delicious French Crepes!

I had known Cafe Breton from a famous blogger during his stay at Tagaytay and surprisingly they opened a branch at Mall of Asia. The French Crepes are highly priced but it goes with the saying that “you get what you pay for”. The place was small but quaint, a bit dark for me though.



I haven't tried any but Mimi did. The prices of the Crepes ranges from P200 to 300++ . If I knew that they made delicious crepes, I should have bought one for myself..

Deja vu (P220) – a simple creation yet so scrumptious! I love this! Far more better than those crepes filled with toppings..



We just tried one of their crepes and Cafe Breton didn't fail us..Next time, we won't be afraid to order from their menu because we know that everything listed there is yummy!

Almon Marina: Classic Sandwiches at affordable prices

Almon Marina is one of the restaurants wherein the scenario will always be like: you'll stop at the moment you saw their mouth-watering menu, then will think twice if you'll come in or pass and will just decide to try it next time because you'd think it's too much for you. Well, we just ate there and I'ma tell you that they have competitive prices for their above average food and service.



Mimi and I had a great time here because the place was simple but well - themed, choice of music was excellent which made this small place graceful and the service was fast and accommodating. This is our pre - valentine's celebration with no preparation at all because we just came from my sister's 18th birthday but in spite of it, we're together again this day and i think that's more than enough, eh?



Sandwiches are their specialty so we decided to go for it and I'm surprised that Mimi chose the same version as my sandwich, only that mine was roasted angus beef and hers was roasted chicken. The only thing that is not convenient here is that they follow the policy "Pay as you order", when it's more suitable and favorable that the menu will be given as customers took their seats. They have a variety of dishes and if you're new to it,that will take you so much time standing at the counter thinking of what you'll pick.It's a bit awkward for me..



Here's our picks for valentine's:

1. Open Faced Black Angus Beef (P200) - this came with vegetables and mashed potatoes on the side. The generous serving of angus beef made me smile at every bite. The sauce compliments the angus beef well. =)



2. Open Faced Roasted Chicken (P165) - this was Mimi's but I tried it. Same with mine..Chicken meat was tasty but not that tender



3. Chef's Salad (P145) - I asked the store manager and he said that this was their bestseller among the salads.. How I loved this especially the vinaigrette that comes with it!



All in, I loved Almon Marina and we would definitely come back if given a chance, Imagine paying only P500 for he both of us..Another good thing is that it has no service charge so the bill is as is.



Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!Be sure to have fun today!

Four 4 Valentine's

I know that everyone can smell valentine's already. And as much as I want to help you figuring out the perfect place, well..I can only recommend those places that I've been before.. Here are my Picks for this year!

1. An Intimate Dinner at some Blog buzzed restaurants.

Laya,(Antipolo) - If you are not afraid of a late night adventure then this could be your place!Great Food at a Great Price. 700++ per person



Ninyo,(Katipunan) - Impress your girl with Chef Ninyo's Set Creations for 700++ per person!



2. Hot Air Balloon Festival, (Pampanga)

Early Birds gets the worth of their travel because balloons are set to fly at 7:30 am. Entrance fee is only P150 pesos but if you were ambitious enough to hop in the hot air balloon, I guess you have to pay a lot more than the entrance.

3. Live, Love and Relax at some best-kept resorts

Valentino Resort and Spa
For P1750 pesos (deluxe room), this might be one of the best deals you'll ever have!



Casa San Pablo, Laguna

Feel homey at Casa San Pablo, enjoy the serenity with your loved ones for only P1900 pesos per person with full meals for the day and use of all their amenities



4. Travel for love.

Anawangin, Zambales - A five - hour drive from Manila is all worth it for the superb nature setting in zambales.Crystal clear water, white Sand, limited population. This place is totally virgin!



That's all I have..This blog is still a baby, I know. Keep readin' cos I still have more for you.

Angge