Outfit of the Week: Peasant

Do I look like a peasant here?  Haha!  The peasant reference is actually because of the skirt.  I don't even know when I actually bought it and just accidentally found it when I was looking for something else in my closet.  Now that's what I call a good find!  And since the print of the skirt is already busy enough, I figured that a plain black top and a multi-strand necklace would do the trick.  To complete the peasant look, I brought out my ever-trusted humongous Marc Jacobs bag.  And there you have it!

Top:  Giordano
Skirt:  Forever 21
Bag:  Marc Jacobs
Shoes (hidden): Tkees
Necklace:  Forever 21

Lemuria

Lemuria, one of the under-the-radar perfect date spots celebrates their 7th year this month.  And as a "thank you" to their guests, they are offering a special set menu for just one month.  Those who are familiar with Lemuria would surely know that the restaurant, with their nice ambiance and all, comes with an expensive price tag to match.  So when I read through the menu and saw the price, I jumped on the chance.  I dragged Mom and Hubby along for the experience :)

Set Menu

...and here we go!

White and Red Wine

Complimentary Bread

Get the walnut (brown) one if you can.  We couldn't stop at just 1!

Amuse Bouche

Salmon paste on top.  I don't normally eat raw salmon but this one was not bad.

Mushroom and Gruyere Soup

A bit on the salty side.  I did enjoy that strip of gruyere though.

La Tomate et Citron

The ricotta cheese was really salty, but the balsamic vinaigrette nicely complements it.

Seabass with Mushroom Risotto

Soft, fork-tender sea bass on a bed of mushroom risotto.  How can you go wrong?  Delicious!

Sorbet

Didn't like this.  Too sweet.

Roasted Duck Breast with Potato Lyonnaise

This was mine and Hubby's order.  The duck was perfectly done.

Kurobota Pork Belly

Mom's meat dish.  Would have been good except there was too much fat and too little meat.

Mushroom Gnocchi (not included in the set menu)

We wanted to get something else aside from the set menu and we decided on the gnocchi.  Tasted ok but the portion was so small, you'd think it was part of the sampler menu.

Guava Basil Glacee

Now we're talking.   Everybody loved this.  The ice cream was good and the pulled sugar on top was a nice twist.

And the verdict?  Pretty good!  Make your reservation now!  Though I have to clarify that these are tasting portions only, so do not expect to get full (or is it because my appetite is bigger that most people?  IDK.  LOL).  But for the price, I'd say it's worth it.  Plus, you can request for more bread as "fillers" if you don't feel full by the end of the meal (guess you know what we did there, haha!).  4 out of 5 stars!

Lemuria is at 5 Julieta Circle Horseshoe, Quezon City

Pssst! More Sale Happening This Week!

So it's official.  The whole world is on sale.  Kidding.  Well, sort of.  Why? Because the sale season is finally on full blast.  Remember my post here and here?  Well now you can add these brands because they're also on sale!

What's on sale starting tomorrow:

What's on sale starting Friday:

Excited?  So am I!  So be sure to check your credit card limit because it's surely going to get maxed out!  Happy shopping!

Outfit of the Week: Gimme Some Spots

Sharing with you guys what I wore to a casual shopping day.  Ever New is one of my favorite brands.  They have amazing stuff that fit perfectly, and they have everything for every occasion too!  I still remember late last year, I was in a bind to find a dress for a formal wedding.  I searched high and low, entering almost all RTW shops inside and outside the malls but to no avail.  Last minute I decided to check out Ever New.  Lo and behold, I found my dress!  Since then, I never fail to drop by Ever New whenever I need something, be it casual or formal.  So happy that they finally decided to open here in our country! 

Top:  Cotton On
Shorts:  Ever New
Bag:  Louis Vuitton
Shoes:  Melissa
Bracelet:  Ever New

Mango Spring/Summer Sale 2013!

One of my most awaited (and I'm pretty sure half the population agrees with me) sale is the Mango sale.  And guess what?  Starting today, June 20, Mango is now on sale!  I'm hearing a silent cheer for all girls right now.  Guys, don't worry because HE by Mango is also on sale!  Accessories lovers, Mango Touch is on sale too!  Hello sale season, we've been waiting for you!

So yes, drop whatever you're doing right now and go to your nearest Mango store now before stocks run out!  Happy shopping!

*Psst!  Before I forget, Debenhams sale starts tomorrow too!

Lugang Cafe

My love affair with Xiao Long Bao (steamed soup dumplings) started a decade ago on a trip to Singapore.  People were raving about Din Tai Fung's amazing Xiao Long Bao and I just had to try them out for myself.  Let me tell you, the moment I put that entire soupy dumpling in my mouth and the entire contents burst inside, I knew.  I will be eating this forever.  Over the years, I've tried numerous versions of Xiao Long Bao in different restaurants here and abroad, but nothing compared to my first encounter.  As they say, you'll always remember your first. *wink* 

If it's your first time trying out the Xiao Long Bao, let me share to you the secrets of what makes a good Xiao Long Bao.  First, let's start with the wrapper.  The wrapper must be extremely thin, but not so thin as to puncture the dumpling.  Then, the number of folds must be equal in size.  After that, there must always be soup inside when you bit into the dumpling.  I've tried bad ones that had no soup and I tell you, it makes a huge difference.

Ok done with the short 411 on what makes a good Xiao Long Bao.  Now let's move on.  There's good news and bad news, and I'll start with the bad.  The bad news is that Din Tai Fung is only available in our neighboring Asian countries (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc).  But the good news is, there's a pretty good alternative to Din Tai Fung here in our country!  Any guesses?  If you say Lugang Cafe, then you're wrong.  Kidding!  Of course it's Lugang Cafe!  And as good as good news goes, I have another one:  for this month of June, they're having their "Feast All You Can" promo!  Yes, you've read that right!  Not only can you savor the goodness of authentic Xiao Long Bao, you can also consume as much as you can!  They actually had this promo last May, and I'm so glad they decided to extend the promo this June!

List of promo items

Rules!

Ok ok, enough with the blabbing, here's what we had:

Steamed Angled Loofah with Shrimp Xiao Long Bao

Pork Wontons in Spicy Chili Oil

Steamed Vegetable and Pork Dumplings

Steamed Vegetarian Dumplings with Truffle Oil

Steamed Chicken Xiao Long Bao

Steamed Kimchi Xiao Long Bao

Steamed Pork Xiao Long Bao

Steamed Crab Roe and Pork Xiao Long Bao

And since the promo allows one order of house specialty for each person, and there's three of us, here's what we had:

Hainan Boneless Chicken

Wasabi Mayonnaise Prawns

Sate Beef with Spinach

Nom nom nom... so good!  Another great thing is that they don't scrimp on their ingredients even if it's a promo.  You get the exact same great tasting Xiao Long Baos that you'd normally order ala carte.  Must have eaten something like 2 dozen pieces of those during the meal (oops!).  But trust me when I say they're really delicious!  Service was a bit slow though, and sometimes they mix up our orders but who cares right?  4.5 out of 5 stars!

Hungry yet?  No problem!  Go book yourself, your family and your friends a table at Lugang Cafe and start popping those mini pieces of heaven in your mouth!  Remember, promo is only good for this month of June.  So if I were you, I'd go there now.  Yes, NOW.  Stop reading! GO!!!

Lugang Cafe is at 116 Connecticut St. Greenhills, San Juan

Outfit of the Week: Sugar and Spice

Sugar: Floral Top.  Spice:  Leatherette Skirt.  Still dreaming about this ensemble that I put together during Independence Day.  I've had this skirt since April but just couldn't figure out what to pair it with.  I'm such a sucker for anything and everything leather, so when I saw this in the racks, I knew I just had to have it.  It was marked down at 60% off too!  What a great steal!  Monki is such a great brand.  It's not your typical clothing store.  Notice their clothing is quite eccentric, something out of the norm but just as awesome.  See my other Monki outfit posts here and here.  Oh how I wish Monki would open a store here soon so that I don't have to fly out every time I get a Monki craving!

Top:  Regatta
Skirt:  Monki
Bag:  Bottega Veneta
Shoes:  Jeffrey Campbell

Romulo Cafe

Last weekend, the family had a visitor from China.  We wanted to let her try Filipino dishes, but wanted something not so casual either.  My mom remembered having a good meal at Romulo Cafe some years before, so we decided to have our lunch there.  It's been quite some time (read: years) since we ate in Romulo Cafe, hence, we forgot about all the dishes that were good there.  So whatever we read or saw that looked appetizing, we ordered it!  LOL.  

Here's what we had:

Boneless Crispy Pata

The skin was crispy but the meat was a bit tough.

Prawns in Aligue Sauce

No aligue taste at all.  And the prawns tasted like the frozen kind.

Flying Tilapia with 3 sauces

Quite tender, and I loved the presentation!

Seafood Kare-Kare

Not bad, but nothing special either.  It could use a bit more peanut.

Bagoong Rice

Again, could use a bit more bagoong.

Stuffed Crab Shell with Coconut Meat

The dish itself was interesting enough, but it was salty. Really salty.

Tinolang Manok

Also on the salty side.

Pancit Puti

Didn't like this one at all.  It was dry and although I know it's meant to have no sauce at all, it feels like something is lacking. (yes, the sauce!)

Suman Latik

Quite good; crunchy outer layer with soft, chewy insides.  Mixing it with the coco jam is pure genius.

Pineapple Turon

The pineapple was juicy, but since I'm old school, I prefer banana turon over the pineapple ones.

Buko Pandan

Meh.  This was bad.  My friend could make better buko pandan than Romulo's version, and free too!  So why pay for bad ones?  Do NOT try it.  

Again, it's been some years since we ate in Romulo Cafe and we didn't expect that things have gone downhill since then.  There was not one memorable dish.  Everything is just so-so or really salty.  1 out of 5 stars.  One more thing, I remembered them having an awesome chocolate dessert before, but when I asked for it, the server said that they already took it off the list.  Why oh why?!

Romulo Cafe is at 32 Sct. Tuason St. (cor. Sct. Lazcano St.) Quezon City

Summer 2013 End of Season Sale is here!

...and just like that, it's already half of 2013.  But before we start complaining about how time flies and where did the first part of 2013 go, here's something to cheer us all up.  Our four most favorite letters: SALE.  Yes, it's that time of the year again, ladies and gentlemen.  Time to whip out your credit cards and troop over to the malls!  While not all brands are on sale yet, here are a few to get you started:

Crossings is at Glorietta, TriNoma, Quezon Ave and Shangri-La Mall

It's the End-Of-Season Sale at Rustan's!

June 12 to June 28, 2013 at all Rustan's Department Stores

PLUS PRIVILEGED PERKS AND OFFERS FOR
CITIBANK CREDIT CARD AND FSP2 CARDHOLDERS

JUNE 12
Independence Day, 8am-10am
EARLY BIRD PREVIEW
Present your Citibank or FSP2 Cards at the door and gain
exclusive access before opening to the public.

JUNE 12-JUNE 16
5-DAY SALE MARATHONEnjoy 10% discount on regular non-sale items and
5% discount on X non-sale items.

Rustan's is at Ayala Center Ayala Avenue Makati City  
Shangri-la Plaza Mall EDSA corner Shaw Boulevard Mandaluyong City
Alabang Town Center Alabang Muntinlupa City
Gateway Mall Araneta Center Cubao, Quezon City
Ayala Center, Bohol Avenue Cebu City

Adora is at 2/F Greenbelt 5 Ayala Center, Makati City

I'm still waiting for a few more brands to go on sale two or three weeks from now.  But for now, I'm sure these brands are enough to get you started :)  Happy shopping!