Filipino Favorites at Wooden Spoon, Power Plant Mall Rockwell Makati

Power Plant Mall in Makati has been our favorite haunt these past few days. It's mainly because MIL & FIL has been bitten by the Wooden Spoon bug.

Wooden Spoon, Power Plant Mall Makati

Yes, it's the restaurant that doesn't accept reservations & has a cash-only payment. FS Advice? Come early. Waiting time to be seated takes 20-30 minutes.

Pastry Time at Eric Kayser, Marketplace Power Plant Mall Makati

Sunday was Family Day. 

After our Wooden Spoon dinner, we went walking around Rockwell. We were nearing Marketplace when something orange caught our eye.

Eric Kayser, Marketplace Power Plant Mall

Relatively new (still in its soft opening stage), some of their display trays were already empty yet no refill was in sight. Also, pastry variety was a bit limited but they promised to bring in more in the days to come.

Here are some of the pastries they had to offer...

Holiday Dinner 2013 at Tipsy Pig, Capitol Commons

We've been eating out for dinner three times in a row. From Golden Bay Seafood to Gilligan's and now at Tipsy Pig, 'tis the season to be jolly indeed! :)

Tipsy Pig Gastropub, Capitol Commons

'Coz it's not enough to just eat like one, you also have to drink like one! :9 
Just like this guy right here.. mouth agape, waiting for the bubblies ;p

Oinky's having a blast!

Piggy aside (yup, pun intended), we were excited to see what Tipsy Pig had to offer. While waiting for the others to arrive, Kate, Krystle, Hubby and me ordered appetizers.

By Invitation: Private Food Tasting at Golden Bay Fresh Seafood Restaurant, Diosdado Macapagal Blvd Pasay City

We were invited to a taste testing last Saturday, December 21 2013. This was in preparation for the December 25 dinner at Golden Bay Fresh Seafood Restaurant.

Here's the dishes for approval...

Holiday Tea Treat from Serenitea

Get your JUMBO on!

Yup, it's that time of year again.. It's Serenitea's thank you for it's drinkers!

Choose from their Top 10 Drinks list & your large gets a free upsize.

Here's our large JUMBO drink for the night!

Food-Stars Event: Shoes & Bags Sale / The Christmas Warehouse Sale at SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia

Not done with your Christmas shopping yet?
Well, head on down to the Shoes & Bags Sale  happening now at SMX Convention Center.

Shoes & Bags Sale @ SMX

We did just that and here's what we saw...

By Invitation: Go Nuts Donuts 10th Year Anniversary, Top Shelf Fully Booked BGC

We received an invite to Go Nuts Donuts 10th Year Anniversary. It was going to be held on November 11 at Fully Booked Top Shelf, High Street BGC. Hmm... my favorite book place serving sugary treats? Perfect combination! ;P

It was literally donut heaven! Rows and rows of baked goodies in all colors & flavors.  Buckle up, it's gonna be a sweet ride! ;9

Food-Stars Goes to Tagaytay: Magallanes Square Hotel

This was where we bunked for our 2D/1N Tagaytay stay. Our hotel accommodations & itinerary was handled by Paylite Travel & Tour. Yup, even for an out-of-town road trip, we had a travel agency handle our affairs. 'Coz that's how we roll! ;p

Magallanes Square Hotel

Welcome to Magallanes Square Hotel. 
First impression? Nothing spectacular really. Hmmm... maybe it's more of a low-key type of hotel. At least it had ample parking space.

As you enter the lobby, you'll see this quaint breakfast dining area. So far so good.

Scattered all over the hotel was this tarpaulin which listed the services they offered. Let's see if they make good on their promise.

Drum roll please...

Food-Stars Goes to Tagaytay: Bag of Beans

 After our Paradiso Zoo adventure, we had to rest our heels. At 3 in the afternoon, it was a perfect time for a coffee break & a little snack. I think you can guess where we went next.

Bag of Beans

The place was actually divided into two parts. The wooden doors opens to their souvenir shop where you can buy coffee beans & trinkets.

Bag of Beans Coffee Mug

For the dining area, there are two entrances; you can either go in thru their souvenir shop or thru the double doors outside.

Dining Area

Table View

Bag of Beans is all about al fresco dining, the cool Tagaytay air was enough ventilation.

Swing Set

After giving our orders, we walked around to explore. This swing set caught my eye; a perfect photo op for the trigger-happy me ;)

Food-Stars Goes to Tagaytay: Buon Giorno Caffe and Bistro

For dinner, we wanted something different from the Filipino lunch we had. Good thing that just beside our hotel was this Italian place. It looks like it's going to be a pizza and pasta kind of night! 

Love the signpost & greenery.

This little man was waiting for us by the door. Cute right? It doesn't get any more Italian than this! ;P

The menu looked good enough to eat. 

Inside

The interiors looked warm & pretty much Italian. With photos of their best selling dishes all around the restaurant, it seemed like we were in for a Good Eat. 

Food-Stars is now LTE Powered! ;p

Who knew that a small white paper bag was enough to send jitters down our spine? ;)

We're happy to announce that Food-Stars is now LTE powered! ;)

Yes Food-Stars Fans, we have taken the plunge.

 

Couldn't wait to break off the seal. 

Nestled in this white box was this palm-sized black device printed with crisscrossing lines of red, blue, yellow & white.

What's inside...

Food-Stars Goes to Tagaytay: Tootsie's Home-cooked Specialties

Needing a break from the hustle & bustle of Manila, we decided to go on a road trip. With a tank full of gas & snacks for the road, we piled in & headed down the road. 

With hours & miles tucked under our belts, we rolled down our windows for a whiff of the cool fresh air.

Sigh... A view like this was enough for us to forget our troubles. We could feel our stress rolling right off our shoulders ;)

Tootsie's Home-Cooked Specialties, J. Abad Santos cor. Aguinaldo Hi-Way  Tagaytay City

J suggested this place for lunch. Our taste buds were ready for the renown Filipino cuisine they had to offer. 

Rainy Day Ribs at Rue Bourbon, Salcedo Makati City

This was a night of ribs & beer. 

Rue Bourbon, Salcedo Village Makati

Hiding inside the streets of Makati was this quaint bar restaurant. Smaller than expected, the ground floor was a bit cramped for my liking. The evening crowd was of people who just got off from work & just wanted to relax, unwind before going home.

Bar area

Arrived at around 8pm and people were starting to trickle in. Soon enough, the place was packed to the rafters. With the music playing in the background & chatter from the other tables, we were ready to order.

Bubblies!

Drink for the night was beer. Hubby couldn't choose & requested samplers of each. The left one was apple, which left a bad taste in his mouth. Same goes with the Caramel. Both drink did smell as advertised but didn't have any flavor whatsoever. The winner of the night was cucumber.  Yes, they serve Cucumber Beer here and it got a thumbs up from him. ;P

Non-Crazy Day at Krazy Garlik, Greenbelt 5, Makati

Been seeing people posting about this restaurant in my FB feed for weeks now. After doing errands at Greenbelt. we decided to try & see for ourselves what the buzz was all about.

Krazy Garlik, Greenbelt Makati

The name was a bit intimidating for us non-garlic lovers. But after browsing through their menu, Krazy Garlik offered other dishes that weren't garlic heavy. Game on!

Interiors

Hmmm.. with the blue tables, brown chairs, tiled walls and colorful mural; there didn't seem to be an ongoing theme whatsoever. 

Aussie Themed Dinner at Outback Steakhouse, Glorietta 4 Makati

We've been bitten by the steak bug! It was 9:30 in the evening and Outback Steakhouse in Glorietta seemed to be a safe bet. Open 'til the wee hours of 2am, we decided to get our beef fix here.

Outback Steakhouse, Glorietta 4

We went upstairs to their non-smoking area. Not much of a crowd. Our server suggested a dish to try out from their new menu.  Feeling adventurous, we decided to go with her recommendation. 

Complimentary Bread & Butter

While waiting for our dishes to arrive, we busied ourselves with their bread. I've always been a fan of their "brown mini loaf" so no complaints here ;). They serve this hot with a knife stuck in the middle.

Never Again at Solace Wine & Dine, Arnaiz Street Makati

It's been months since we dined in this restaurant, 3 months to be exact. But even after all our other food stops; sometimes there's just that one restaurant that's quite unforgettable.

I bring you, Solace Wine & Dine at Arnaiz Street Makati.

I'll be honest with you, eating here was enough to make me never buy vouchers from unknown restaurants ever again. Yup, even with a promo, Solace sucked big time! From the food to the service, I was wishing for the nightmare to end quickly & quietly. But alas, that was not to be.

I was hoping for a quiet & romantic dinner with Hubby. Already saw the facade of the place beforehand. It looked classy & fancy so silly me, I bought 2 vouchers. But I won't even bother making another post of the 2nd visit since the experience came from being bad to worst; no improvements whatsoever. So I'm combining all the food of both visit in this post.

Solace Wine & Dine, Arnaiz Street Makatii

Restaurant Entrance

Don't let the place fool you, the elegance ends at the door.

Revisited Review: Harvest Gastro Pub, The Fort Taguig

Since the last time we went here was when the sun was down; it was just proper that we try it again when the sun was up! ;)

For this late lunch, we wanted to try Harvest's other dishes.

Butter Parmesan Chicken Tenders (Php 195)

First Impression? Seemed like the butter-parmesan sauce was almost nonexistent. Taste-wise? A bit ordinary. Next please!

Fish Parmigiana (Php 245)

This was breaded dory pomodoro 3-cheese melt with pesto rice & roasted veggies. You had us at 3-cheese melt. ;) FS Verdict? The dory was cooked just right, crunchy & flaky. Sadly, the cheesy part was not enough to redeem the dish. :(

Nailed It at St. Nails Spa, Petron Dasmariñas Makati

My first non-food post!

With a HS friend's wedding coming up, having my nails done was perfect timing. Was no longer happy with my former nails place so I was itching to try a new one. Ever-supportive Hubby was happy to go with me to a new place, especially when it's just a few steps away from the house. ;P

Loved that they offer their services up 'til the wee hours of 11pm. ;)

St. Nails, Petron Dasmariñas Makati

With a name like this, I was really hoping for "heavenly" service. 

Violet Velvet

You get to choose to sit either on their single Lazyboy-type chairs or on the couch. Preferred the single seating. Each chair came with its own matching foot stool. Notice the thin table? This added touch was such a great idea. Now I had a place to put my phone & tablet while getting my nails done. Also, having this convenient flat surface made it easier for my nail technician to work on my hands. 

Cup of Tea

They also serve cold water & hot tea upon request. Managed to take a picture when it was all gone. :) Another thing I liked was the hot compress for your neck. I was beginning to feel pampered.