Sunday, April 20, 2014

Outfit of the Week: Jazz It Up

Just a typical outfit at the mall.  LOL.  I'm kidding.  Well, sort of.  Because I really did wear this to the mall, BUT, I went on to an event afterwards.  If you've read about my past outfit posts on how much I love kimonos, this just goes to show that I'm still not over them.  I love how just throwing a kimono over a casual dress and adding some accessories immediately jazzes up an outfit.  Which reminds me, I have to stock up on accessories!  Gah!  No worries though.. as of writing, I am on foreign land.  So expect another travel post coming up real soon!  Oh and by the way, Happy Easter!


Kimono:  Forever 21
Dress:  Zara TRF
Necklace:  from the bazaar
Bracelet:  from the bazaar
Ring:  from Joyce Hong Kong
Clutch:  Prada
Shoes:  Forever 21

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Todd English Food Hall

A few weeks ago, the whole of Manila went wild with the opening of the latest dining spot:  Todd English Food Hall.  My facebook and instagram feed was churning out pictures upon pictures of the said restaurant, and even the food bloggers and celebrities alike were one in unison about how Todd English Food Hall rocks.  So after a week of seeing rave reviews, I mustered up the courage to brave the crowds of SM Aura and stepped into the halls of the famed Todd English.

Todd English Food Hall is a restaurant with a buffet-like spread.  There are several stations to choose from ranging from pastas and pizzas to meats and seafood.  But make no mistake about it, they are certainly not a buffet restaurant.  All you have to do it order from their menu, and your food will come out from the specific station that makes it.  Simple as that.

Pasta Station

Bar

Desserts

Fried Oyster
The oysters were too small, overcooked and dried up.  You know the 'squirt' that you get when you bite into oysters?  Well they don't have that.


Asada Steak with Pear Salsa Tacos
The combination was great, but the 'taco' wrap was too thick.


Parmesan Fries
Possibly the toughest, hardest fries I ever ate.  No parmesan taste either.


Crabonara with additional shaved fresh truffles

Crabonara ingredients on the side
Originally the crab, bacon and egg was supposed to be mixed into the pasta.  But since we ordered additional shaved fresh truffles to be added, we had the other ingredients on the side.  This one was ok.


US Hanger Steak with Roasted Bone Marrow
You know how the dish says 'with roasted bone marrow'?  Well, the server didn't tell us that they ran out of stock.  We didn't find out till we tried looking for it, couldn't find it, and asked about it.  In place of the marrow, they put in a teeny tiny piece of foie gras which was overcooked to the nth level.


TE Two Way Duck
TE Two Way Duck is comprised of duck breast and duck confit.  Duck breast was not bad, but the confit?  EXTREMELY salty!!!  Not to mention oily too.  Feels like I'm drinking oil.  And since we don't have a death wish, we returned it.


TE Half Chicken
The only good dish of the day.  This was the replacement to the failed TE Two Way Duck.  The chicken meat was very soft and juicy, even the breast!


OMG Dessert
Next to the chicken, this was the next best thing.  If you love chocolate lava and salted ice cream, then you're in for a treat!  Wish they toned down the sugar on the lava though... it was way too sweet.

Other observations:
*exhaust not working; the place is overall stinky, so prepare to smell like food after dining there.
*lots of small flying insects everywhere!


Sigh.  I guess by now I should have learned my lesson when it comes to overhyped restaurants.  But when almost all food reviews and social media posts say it's good, then one cannot help but get their hopes up.  Lesson to be learned:  either don't go to a restaurant while on their soft opening, or don't believe everything you read. 1 out of 5 stars.


Todd English Food Hall is at 5/F SkyPark, SM Aura Premiere, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Now Open: Old Navy in Manila

Late post.  Oops!  But better late than never, right?  Last March 22, Old Navy finally opened its doors in Manila!  I'm actually very excited about this, but sadly couldn't make it on opening day because of conflicting schedules, so I finally set foot in their BGC store a week after they opened.  

First off, a little back story:  Me and Old Navy, we go waaaay back.  (LOL, as if we're great friends!)  I still remember my high school days spent wandering around the huge warehouse-like store in San Francisco, California.  Racks and racks of great basics, comfy jeans and cool stuff, all at affordable prices!  What's not to love, right?  And for the high school me, that's my shopping heaven.  Never stopped going to Old Navy ever since I discovered it, even till today.  That's why I got so excited when I heard they were finally opening in our shores.  Yay!

You guys are probably tired of my babbling, so let me share with you some pictures I took.  Enjoy!

The Old Navy building.  Yup, the ENTIRE thing.

First thing that greets you at the entrance
Love these shopping carts!  Why carry when you can roll along?  LOL.

The women's department on the ground floor

Tees and Pants

Maternity and Lounge Wear

Let's go for a swim!

The wall of flip flops

Active Wear

Real truck at the children's department on the 2nd floor!

Something for the boys
...and for the girls
Baby stuff too!

Need to unwind?  There's a Coffee Bean on the 3rd floor!

Men's department

Shirt, shirts, shirts

Need jeans?  Take your pick

More printed shirts

Button downs and shorts

Active Wear

Just look at that.  THREE floors of awesome Old Navy goodness!
They even have some cool stuff by the counter!




So, what do I think?  I love the fact that the store looks and feels exactly like the ones I go to in the US.  Price points are reasonable too.  The only thing that needs improvement is the service.  From the moment I stepped into the store, till the moment I left, not one staff approached me to ask if I needed help with anything.  No one greets you at the door, and no one is manning the fitting room either. Everyone is basically doing their own thing and ignoring the customers. And it's not just me either.  I noticed that the staff is generally ignoring all the customers, except if you approach them first.  Tsk tsk.  Guess I got too pampered by the friendly faces and accommodating staff in Old Navy US, that's why it puzzled me that the ones here are the exact opposite.  Hoping that these are just birthing pains of the new store and that they'll be able to do something about it in the coming months.


Old Navy is at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, and at Glorietta, Makati.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Outfit of the Week: Fashionable Black and White

The invite said "fashionable black and white".  So this is what I came up with.  My dear friend AC is getting married!  So for her tea party themed bridal shower, the guests were asked to come in the wedding's motif colors:  black and white.  I put together this outfit on a whim, and was pleasantly surprised with the results.  I wasn't too sure if shorts can pass as a not-casual outfit, but this just goes to show that with the right pair, and right match-up, it can actually pass!  Like my outfit?  Tell me what you think!


Top:  Forever 21
Shorts:  Forever 21
Bag:  Celine
Shoes:  Aldo

Friday, April 11, 2014

RSSI Mid-Season Sale Starts Today!

Are you on a mid-season slump?  Well here's a quick pick-me-upper:  RSSI Mid-Season Sale!  In case you're curious, here are the stores on sale:









Excited?  So am I!  See you at the stores!  Happy shopping!