Outfit of the Week: Shimmer Party

LOL.  Contrary to the title, I did not wear this to a party.  Just the opposite, I wore this to a day spent in Sta. Rosa where Hubby and I shopped, ate, and had a massage.  In short, a day of rest and relaxation.  And no, I had no idea why I wore such a sparkly outfit for a chill out day.  Haha!  Guess I woke up and just felt the need to dress up, so voila!  Added the necklace to break the monochromatic color of the outfit.  I chanced upon this Forever 21 pearl necklace on sale, and you know what they say (or at least, that's what my best friend JC and I say)... When it's on sale, you're supposed to grab and go!

Dress:  Topshop
Shoes:  Call It Spring
Bag:  Celine
Necklace:  Forever 21

Draft Gastropub

A few weeks ago, I had my usual haircut at the Basement Salon in Rockwell.  So when lunch time rolled around, food was on the brain.  But unlike the times that we just go and hang out at the usual favorites, this time, I had something else in mind.  You see, Draft has just opened a few months ago and I wanted to try it.    And Hubby, being the very nice guy that he is, let's me have my way when it comes to choosing restaurants.  Yay!  

Here's what we had:

Barbecue Beef Rib Fingers

This reminded me of the BBQ beef rib fingers that I always order at the Republiq Cafe in Resortsworld.  Curiosity got the better of me and I asked the server if the owners are the same, to which he replied "yes, one of the part-owners".  Aha! 

1 Lb. Fried Sweet Chili Wings

This would have been oh so good if only they made the batter thinner.  The batter was so thick that it made biting into the wings quite a chore.  

Sticky Date and Toffee Pudding

Now this, is the winner of the meal.  Also reminded me of the sticky toffee pudding in Cafe Juanita.  Soft and moist, an explosion of sweetness in your mouth.  A must try!

Overall I'd give Draft a 4 out of 5.  We had a light lunch that day because we weren't feeling very hungry.  But I spy a lot more goodies to try (hello, red velvet pancakes!) so we'll definitely be back.

Draft is at Level 2, Powerplant Mall, Estrella St. Poblacion, Makati City.

Outfit of the Week: Baroque

Sometimes, when lost for an outfit to wear, all you need is skinny jeans and a cute top.  In this case, I paired a cute top with a cute pair of pants!  The secret is in the details:  it might look simple from afar, but upon closer inspection, you'll notice the pearl collar and the baroque print on my pants!  Have always been a believer in plain top + printed bottoms and vice versa, but since the print-on-print is on trend now, hey, maybe I'll give it a try next time!  

Top:  Forever 21
Pants:  Loft by Ann Taylor
Bag:  Givenchy
Shoes:  Forever 21

Yuujin

Irasshaimase!  How often have you heard this greeting?  Judging from the number of Japanese restaurant here in our country, my guess is a lot!  Though finding one is easy, finding one which serves good quality food may serve as a challenge.  Enter Yuujin.  For those of you who do not frequent the Greenhills/Wilson area, this restaurant might be unfamiliar to you.  Guess I'm pretty lucky that we just live nearby.  My family have actually been regulars here before.  But due to the number of new restaurants popping up, we haven't been there for quite some time.  It was only when one day, I was craving for Japanese and wanted someplace near that I remembered Yuujin.  Admittedly, I was quite hesitant.  Wasn't sure if the quality has changed.  After all, I haven't dined there for close to two years.  Two long years!  I guess its high time we pay them a visit.

So off to Yuujin we went!  We actually had a hard time choosing what to order, but in the end, these were what we came up with:

Crazy Maki

Salmon Sashimi

Tamago Sashimi

Shrimp Tempura

Gah!  I forgot the name of this one!  It has unagi on top :)

Chicken Teriyaki

Sukiyaki

Everything was soooo good!  Sushis and sashimis were very fresh.  There's no doubt about it that they're of great quality.  Even better than other more expensive Japanese restaurants!  One tip:  if you are to dine in Yuujin, never pass up the chance to order the crazy maki and anything with unagi.  Those two are my ultimate favorites, and once you've tasted it, you'll know why.  Overall I'd give Yuujin a 4.8 out of 5 stars.  Can't wait to go back again!

Yuujin is at 221 Wilson St. Greenhills, San Juan.

Lotus Biscoff Spread

My Lotus Biscoff Spread is finally here!  Remember how I was stressing that my orders won't be arriving till April?  Well, as luck would have it, the parents went on a short trip to the States and being me, I just HAD to ask them to get me the Biscoff Spread!  Huuuuge thank you to my dear parents who spoil me because they came home with not one, but two jars of Biscoff Spread!  Tastebuds say yay! :)

It took all my self-control not to open the jar straight up and lick my way into the jar.  LOL!  So as soon as we got home, I took these pictures and unleashed the inner cookie butter monster in me!  

And the moment I (and those of you who are curious) am waiting for...  How does it compare to Trader Joe's Speculoos?  *drumroll please*....  It's better!  Just to be sure, I also took out the jar of Speculoos and tasted both, for fair comparison.  And yes, I can 100% say that the Biscoff Spread won over the Speculoos.  Why?  Because of the flavor.  The Biscoff is much more flavorful than the Speculoos.  Every spoonful gives off that distinct cookie butter taste.  Although both are good, I think there's a clear winner here.  I like the crunchy bits better though, so next time I'll be getting that when my jar runs out.

You can order both Trader Joe's and Lotus from LorenaAndLoreta for just Php350.

Smoper Chicken

One fine weekday, Hubby and I found ourselves in Fort.  And what do you know, it was lunchtime too!  To save us the trouble of looking for a restaurant to eat, I suggested we go to Smoper Chicken.  I've heard about this chicken place once or twice, and have been tempted to eat there ever since when I passed by a few weeks ago.  Another reason is that I still have an unused voucher from Deal Grocer, hehe!  

Two years ago, Korean chicken invasion happened in our country.  These twice-fried uber-crispy glazed chicken drove us nuts.  First it was Chicken Charlie.  Then came the ever famous Bonchon.  Four Fingers also opened.  And who here does not know our very own Manang's Chicken?  Yes, I'm a chicken freak.  Sue me.  Kidding!  From those I mentioned, I've tried three out of four.  So naturally, when Deal Grocer came up with the Smoper Chicken deal, I had to get it.

Now back to our lunch, it was 12:30PM when we arrived, right smack in the middle of the busy office lunch hour.  And yes, there was a looooong line and nowhere to sit.  Luckily, a group just finished their meal and I asked Hubby to secure the table while I queue at the counter.  When it was finally my turn, I handed the cashier my voucher only to be told that the voucher is only redeemable starting 2PM.  She pointed at the fine print.  BOO!  That's what happens when you don't read the fine print.  But we were there anyway and there's no way I'm going to another restaurant after the long queue.  

Tick tock, tick tock... We were served around 10 minutes after I ordered.  Plus points for the fast service!

My 2-piece chicken in Soy Garlic.  What I noticed right away is the size of their chicken parts.  It's bigger than what the other chicken places are serving.  The skin is also thinner (less batter) and oh so crunchy.  Feels like I'm eating chicharon.  Crrrruuunch!  

Hubby's 2-piece chicken in Original.  Original is spicy-sweet.  Hubby said it was ok, but he liked mine better.  

Overall, I give Smoper Chicken a 4.5 out of 5.  I like it better than the other chicken places.  Guess I have to try the last and final one, then I can declare a winner.  But so far, Smoper is on top of the list.  Will definitely be back.  I still have a voucher to redeem!

Smoper Chicken is at One McKinley Place, 26th St cor 4th Ave. Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.

Bershka - Now Open in Glorietta!

Bershka, a well loved brand and a part of the Inditex group (think Zara, Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius), is now here in the Manila!  Well, Makati to be exact.  If you think the brand's familiar and you've seen it somewhere here, then you're right.  The brand has actually established itself in Manila some 2 years ago, but is only seen in bazaars, a stall in Greenhills and a small shop in Greenmeadows.  It is only now that they've decided to open shop in a mall, and what better place than the newly renovated Glorietta 2, right? 

A few months ago, when the new Glorietta 2 opened, I was surprised to see a boarded up soon-to-open sign for Bershka.  It was quite exciting because this is one of the never-miss shops whenever I go to Hong Kong.  Fast forward to last week, my best friend JC sent me a message that Bershka was to open on March 17.  Sunday??  Yup.  I wish they'd open on a Saturday, because that's my free day and shopping day, but what the heck, I know I won't miss opening day even if they open mid-week.  So yesterday, after lunch with the family, I trooped over Glorietta 2 to check it out.  Will stop talking now and let the pictures do its job :)

The storefront

What greets you when you enter the store

Shoes and bags wall

Guys' section

Paparazzi pic of the store in chaos.  Hehe!

Accessoriesssssssssssss

And now I present you... my Bershka picks:

Glitter flats

Embossed white skinny jeans

Embroidered shorts

Soooooo nice!  Agree?  And if you're curious if I got something, well... sadly, no.  I literally had 10 minutes to browse the store since my whole family was waiting in the car (addict much? haha!) so I didn't have the time to pick, try and fall in line to buy.  But no worries.  Bershka, I will be back.

Bershka is in Glorietta 2, Ayala Center, Makati City.

Outfit of the Week: Cold Shoulder

Summer is here!  And somehow cutout tops/dresses are starting to sprout.  Could it be because it's sooooo hot?  If you're like me who is afraid of the heat, then these cutouts are for you!  Think of it as an air conditioning for your shoulders.  Believe me, with this kind of heat, we need all the air we can get!  Agree?  Plus points:  it's comfy, breezy, and fashionable too!  And what girl doesn't like that, right?

Dress:  Red Herring from Debenhams

Belt:  H&M

Bag:  Celine

Shoes:  Call It Spring

Spectrum at the Fairmont Makati

After sometime, a new hotel has finally opened its doors in Makati!  And you know what that means right?  Somebody has got to check out the buffet!  If not for the food blogs that I frequently, I actually didn't know that Fairmont Makati has already started their operations.  So on a random weekday, Hubby and I decided to check out Fairmont Makati's Spectrum.

Cozy interiors

Our table number. LOL.

Check out the buffet spread!

Salad bar

Bread Station

Dimsum 

Pizzas

Cold Seafood

The Main Courses

Say cheeeeeese!

Carvings

Crepes!  My favorite!

The Mango Dessert Station

Some more of the desserts

Gelato and Sorbets

...and more desserts!

The Famous Honey Station

So... what to do?  Start eating, of course!  And we start with... dessert!  Yes, This girl got too caught up with the eyecatching desserts that she couldn't resist!  And they did not disappoint!  Hats off to the huge macaron at the bottom.  It's REALLY GOOD. 

My second plate:  a little bit of sushi and dimsum.

Third plate:  Bring out the carnivores!!!

Fourth Plate:  The mains.

Fifth and the most awaited plate:  My crepe with a gazillion gelato

Sixth and final plate:  Desserts galore!

Props to Spectrum for coming up with a great variety of food.  While the selection is not as extensive as the other hotel buffets, the quality is pretty good.  I'd give them 4 out of 5 stars.

Spectrum is at the Fairmont Makati, 1 Raffles Drive, Makati Avenue, Makati City

Yabu: House of Katsu

Who doesn't know Yabu?  Yabu needs no introduction.  Ever since it opened last 2011, crowds have flocked to this Japanese restaurant to savor the katsu goodness.  Can you blame them?  Yabu is the first to serve authentic tonkatsu here in the Philippines.  Fans of Tonkichi, Saboten and Ginza Bairin from abroad will know what I'm talking about when I say that katsu, when cooked the right way, will haunt your dreams every single night after you try it.  And judging from the people who line up every single day in Yabu, I guess they agree with me.  Once you've tasted their katsu, you'll never go back to the old ones or your taste buds will hate you.  Trust me.

Those who order their tonkatsu will receive this.  We always joke that they make us work before they let us eat!  The black and white powdery stuff are sesame seeds, which you grind with the pestle.  Once crushed, you pour in the sauce and voila!  Tonkatsu sauce!

Wakame.  Seaweed salad topped with ebiko.

Sooo good.  At least for me.  If you're not a fan of anything slimy, then I suggest you skip this.  But I urge you to give it a try, you might like it.  It's healthy too!

Hire Pork Tenderloin Tonkatsu

There are two kinds of Tonkatsu.  The Rosu and the Hire.  Rosu gives you a bit of fat while the Hire has no fat.  I'd suggest Hire for everyone because after all, tonkatsu IS fried.  You won't want the additional oil, cholesterol or calories.

Menchi Curry Katsu

One of the new offerings in Yabu.  Minced meat with cheese filling in curry sauce.  This is one of my favorites.  Also one of the softest.  Best for people with no teeth.  I'm kidding!

Soft Shell Crab Katsu

I love softshell crab.  But in a tonkatsu restaurant, I like to stick to the classics = pork.

Hire Original Katsudon

For those who are afraid of oil, you might want to consider the katsudon.  Yes, it is still fried, but the addition of the katsudon sauce negates the oiliness of the pork so that you won't get that woozy feeling after.  Another one of my favorites in Yabu.

My Hire Katsudon Set

This is how the whole set looks like.  I like the fact that they serve unlimited rice and cabbage.  Well, actually, I don't really care much about the rice (but I know lots of people do!).  What I'm in love with is their unlimited servings of cabbage that you can drizzle with their signature sesame mayo dressing.  I swear I ate so much that day, I almost felt like a goat! Baaaaaaa!

Yabu:  House of Katsu is at SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia and Robinson's Magnolia.