KTG CHRISTMAS PARTY (2014)

This holiday season, ERICJAZ FOODIES have been so blessed to be invited at what we feel is THE foodie Christmas event of the year.

The KTG Christmas party 2014!!!

Now this calls for one big "Ala Homer" WOHOO!!!!

You may remember our first KTG Christmas party where we were only about 20 gluttons and we pigged out on truffle lechon, wagyu burgers, etcetera etcetera.  For this year, everything (pwede ding everyone... tee hee) just got BIGGER... CRAZIER....

AND hungrier! Ha ha ha ha ha!

You could just imagine how wild it could get when you pack about 50 food fanatics with overflowing grub and drinks to stay in one big ballroom.

Insanity I'm sure.

But let me assure you, that our Christmas party that night was also about "food insanity" with a purpose.

Yup! And that is the beauty that is KTG!

Happy Holidays!

Homer burp! He he he he he he!

KTG logo by THE PICKIEST EATER

KTG CHRISTMAS PARTY 2014.

For those still wondering what KTG means, behold!

Venue for the night was the Titanium Ballroom in F1 Hotel Manila!

Wow! Not too shabby!

We were supposed to stay in the Canary Lounge at the poolside but because of the unpredictable weather, the party was moved indoors.

ARISTOCRAT (AGAIN)

In the Saturdays that Andrei was having basketball clinic at the ungodly hour of 7:00am in the morning (yup, that's ungodly to me), my only motivation in tearing myself away from my comfy bed is the premise of having a delicious hot breakfast. 

Wait... Of course, ANOTHER reason is to watch Andrei play basketball. Yes that's it. Surely. Tee heee....

One morning, to the delight of everyone, my Mom and Tita Meldy agreed to join us and watch Andrei in training. This made my little "Michael Jordan" more excited because he has been asking for many days when his lola could go with us and today was finally the day. So you could say that it was enough reason to have a mini celebration when the 2 special ladies forgot about their usual brisk walking around Powerplant Mall to join us that Saturday. We were supposed to go to KANTO FREESTYLE BREAKFAST but as expected, it was jampacked with no seats available. My aunt then asked if we could go to ARISTOCRAT since she has been craving for it ever since she came home for the holidays from the US.  We all agreed since ARISTOCRAT never fails to satisfy is with their juicy barbecues and affordable meals.

Yep! And THAT is worth getting out of bed for me too!

Andrei's basketball clinic in school!!

Yub and I also took the opportunity to do some exercise while Andrei was playing. So yes you could say that those beads of sweat at my brow were real. He he he he!

Tita Meldy and Mom joined us and was able to watch Andrei do his thing.

After Andrei's grueling working (I also had a hard time sitting down), we then proceeded to ARISTOCRAT for breakfast.

ARISTOCRAT has been serving the Filipino diners since 1936 and for me it has become somewhat of an grub institution already for us.

SEATTLE'S BEST DREAM JOURNAL GIVAWAY

Call me a fuddy duddy or just plain old but even in the emergence of Iphones, Tablets, or whatever (ran out of examples), I could never get the hang of using the Reminder and Note application. YES! Nothing beats my trusty old pen and paper even if my penmanship is something that Sherlock Holmes could not ever decipher. That is why during the holidays, besides loading up on the delicious hot and cold drinks of the season, I also try my best to collect the stickers that go with it in order to get that prized planner in return! Nothing is more sweeter than getting that drinking the java that my little heart desires and get rewarded with the much needed planner that is very useful in my (zero) social life.

Lately however, I have lost interest in working up an appetite to get those famous planners because honestly, the whole thing became boring for me. Imagine, buying numerous drinks to just get the same pen and paper that I could very well buy in my nearest bookstore.  Major snoozefest at the counter! So I forgot about it and just scheduled a trip to National or told myself to get one from the office. He he he he!

Then, I came upon many rave posts about SEATTLE'S BEST DREAM JOURNAL. Yup! It's not just an ordinary planner. Not by a long shot! The SEATTLE'S BEST DREAM JOURNAL is something that would encourage me to jot down my dreams, goals, and whatever plans I have in my sorry life! The freebies and contents just seem so fun! Plus, it doesn't take a hundred of drinks slash stickers to get it! You only need 18!!!

You want to know what's more cool about it? Getting the drinks slash stickers won't be such an ordeal because SEATTLE'S BEST COFFEE brings back your Christmas box office hits plus more for your total enjoyment.

Yes. Getting a hold of that DREAM JOURNAL never felt this good!

Now THAT is indeed a sweet treat this Christmas!
 

The SEATTLE'S BEST DREAM journal 2015!

And it's here!

SANTA CLAUS AND CINNABON

After another fun staycation at F1 HOTEL MANILA, we headed to Podium to meet with my gorgeous BP Group. You see, my little lord Andrei will soon be having a Mcdonald's birthday party and since Mareng Gem cannot make it as she had a wedding to attend to, she generously promised to treat all of the kiddies for a 1 hour playtime in Kidsville! Wopeee! Even if we're supposedly tired and there was school the next day, everyone in THE YAPPY BUNCH was looking forward to it! Well, Kidsville WAS actually the happiest place on earth (or Ortigas) at the moment for my kiddies and they were so excited to see their friends. So really, there was no discussion there to what would most most likely be, another crazy session.

So after depositing our tiny masters in Kidsville, what to do? We all wanted to just sit down over a cup of hot coffee and chat since it is what we are best at. But then, it seemed like Podium was asking for it by having a Christmas display at the mall events area. We went there and became our usual silly selves that gave our kids ample reason to be embarrassed.

Good thing they were not there! He he he he he he!

We saw Santa Claus sitting all by his lonesome at his red chair so we all went there to cheer him up a little. 

Yub and I had a picture with him first.

Of course, when it's ERICJAZ FOODIES, a wacky shot was ALWAYS in order.

Santa seem to be getting all festive up inside when 5 ladies flocked around him.

F CAFE AGAIN (F1 ALL DAY DINING)

Christmas may be all fun and "Fa la la la la la la la la la" but seriously, it could be one of the cruel holidays there is. Oooh yes! Diet all you want and have several hours running at the treadmill... when the holiday spread presents itself at you, you'll lose all  elements of reason and just surrender to the forces of food.

Yehesss... So cruel. 

That is exactly what happened after weeks and weeks of controlling my wild appetite. I thought I was already doing a great job and promised that I will really eat like a bird during our recent staycation at F1 HOTEL MANILA, when  HELLO! F CAFE was serving the Fiery and Frosty Christmas buffet!!!!

How?
What?
Where?
When????

And just like that Christmas won once more and I was powerless over all the hot and glistening food served at us.

Truly... truly cruel!

But I LOVE it!!!!

BWA HA HA HA HA!

the place of the round and red arches!

F CAFE (F1 ALL DAY DINING)!

Have a FIERY and FROSTY Christmas time by having their buffets during the holidays!

Lunch or Dinner Buffet P1,999.00 net

(December 24, 25, 30, 2014 and January 1, 2015

Dinner Buffet plus New Year Countdown Party at P2,999.00

(December 31, 2014)  

DEAR SPANKY'S BIRTHDAY ( A KTG SURPRISE!)

One of the highlights in the "life" of ERICJAZ FOODIES is being part of the KTG (Kain Tulog Gang) because finally, we met people who love food as much as we do and would also document it any way they can.

"Before somebody reacts, of course, my family and friends still top my list but I cannot tell you how many times I got the "Enough already!" when I take pictures of them! Pero naman when they see themselves in the blog, kilig na kilig! Che! Ha ha ha ha!"

Anyway, the person responsible for forming this "Foodie Family" is Mr. Spanky Enriquez... The Chairman... Our Pitboss...  THE Bossman!

So pogi!

Now many times I'm sure you saw me refer to him as "Dear Spanky". Hold on to your knickers, I'm not about to replace the Chinese Adonis.... yet (Bwa ha ha ah ah!). But at the start (and he doesn't know this), I did so to show respect to a person I regarded so high in social media (I was scared of him honestly at first!!!) that instead of referring to him as SIR Spanky (which he detested, violently!), I tweaked it up a bit and regularly called him DEAR (it's pretty close actually, especially if you have a hard tongue... he he he he he!). So from them on it was Dear Spanky this... Dear Spanky that. If you see my thought bubble, you would THINK I was also doing the "We're not worthy"action. NAKS! But of course, as time went on, I mentally dropped the DEAR as a stand-in for SIR and it really became what it stood for... calling somebody who is very DEAR to us.

I discovered that dear Spanky is REALLY a very cool guy and nothing to be scared about! He is actually the only person who believed in my blog (yes, the Chinese Adonis is NOT included) and would make me feel good about it at times when I doubted its silliness.

And believe me, with the way he is taking care of us in KTG, he deserves all the love that he is getting right now. I'm sure the others will agree that we owe him a lot. With that, it's no wonder why his group of hungry and lazy bloggers came together to surprise him on his special day. It was really the least that we could do to honor our King of the "Rawr" and our GODFATHER.

Dear Sir SPANKY! We love you to the farthest of Milky Way and back. Maybe that's why you'll always be somebody from another galaxy in our eyes!

:)

GREENHILLS "COD" CHRISTMAS SHOW (2014)

When I was a kid, I remember how my Dad would always schedule a night where in we woud cram into our Toyota Corolla or Tamaraw Jeepney then go to COD in Cubao to watch the Christmas show by the mall facade. I was a scrawny little girl of about 10 years old whose idea of a family fun time was to have dinner out at either Jollibee, Ma Mon Luk, Kowloon, or Sun Moon Garden. My Dad always made it a point to take us to many places (Luneta, Manila Bay, this very cheap beach in Cavite, Fresh Air in Lucena City, etc, etc) that were not expensive but still proved to be memorable for us all and THIS was something my siblings and I would wait for every year. We don't care if there was a LOT of people watching the show with us because we were always comforted by the cool Christmas air infused with the aroma of cooking bibingka and puto bumbong. I'm sure many people from the 80's would agree with me how this is one of their most special childhood memories too.

The COD Mall Christmas show was already a family tradition for us and we cannot be more excited than we already are (well at least, I am!). I could still see how the mannequin Cinderella stepped out of her house in that beautiful gown. Wow! Such an unforgettable time for me! Little did I know that it was to be the last show I would see in that mall then.

Fast forward to many years (wait, not too many because I'm not that old), and the show was converted into a Christmas On Display running at Greenhills Shopping Center. A lot of people I know rejoiced (me included) because now we could share this wonderful tradition with our own families. I'm sure if you have children, you'd know that there is nothing more exhilarating than to be able to do the special activities you loved as a kid.

And of course, it's definitely more unforgettable if they would love it right back!

GREENHILLS CHRISTMAS ON DISPLAY SHOW!

ANOTHER FUN F1 HOTEL MANILA STAYCATION

There is nothing like family getaways, and the Yappy Bunch is now addicted to staycations! I'm sure you'd agree with me that it is so fun to go away for the weekend and bond over delicious food, swimming, and 24 hour air conditioning! Of course, there IS no place like home but sometimes there are hotel accommodations that fulfill the premise of a stay close to where your heart is.

And THAT has been our experience with F1 HOTEL MANILA every time!

We were so happy to receive again an invite for a weekend staycation in F1 HOTEL MANILA and we were doubly excited to learn we will be experiencing their FIERY AND FROSTY HOLIDAYS for 2014. Of course I'm so used to having a chilly Christmas but incorporating it with something "hot" is indeed new to me. But, whatever the place, event, or weather (tee hee) we will definitely have fun because THE YAPPY BUNCH will be spending it together.

With that, we packed up and got ready to go. The Chinese Adonis and I must have been very good this year because winter... este.. Christmas is coming! And it's delightfully early with F1 HOTEL MANILA! 

\

Now let's go on to our staycation at the hotel which promises to be "The Home of Happy Experiences!"

F1 HOTEL MANILA!

The weather was really cloudy that morning but we didn't mind. 

KOUIGN AMANN "KA" BY CICOU

Christmas is upon us once again and as much as we want to revel in the beauty of the holidays, there is that incessant need to make a dash for the most suitable gift to give to our loved ones, friends, relatives, office mates, and uh, people you just want to look good to.

Now normally, NORMALLY (I'm stressing ala Chandler Bing here), you would order up on the usual default gifts like ashtrays, T-shirts, mugs (I know I did... Ha ha ha ha ha!), but I think it's high time to up the ante a bit and give something that your recipients will ACTUALLY love.

Oh yes. I'm so confident in declaring that because it was REALLY love at first sight for ERICJAZ FOODIES and these delightful KOUIGN AMANN from CICOU. We didn't expect to like it as much (since we were TRYING to go on a diet) but one bite made our mouths do the "Jingle Bell Rock"!

There will be Christmas gifts and there will be REAL SPECIAL Christmas gifts! Try out these nummy yummy KOUIGN AMANNS (or whatever the plural is) and you will really feel (and taste) the joy of this season!

By the way, if you're hoping to receive some KOUIGN AMANN from me, I'm sorry but the mugs have already been purchased. ALSO, even if I did buy myself boxes of these heavenly pastries, I'm not sharing. Yup. Simple as that.

:P

KOUIGN AMANNS (pronounced as "queen a-mahn") from "KA" BY CICOU!

These lovely KOUIGN AMANNS were created by the genius Chef Cyrille Soenen of BRASSERIE CICOU and he has whipped up new flavors for everyone via "KA" BY CICOU.

TOKYO TOKYO

It was a Sunday and even if THE YAPPY BUNCH was invited by THE BP GROUP to have dinner in the newly opened RESTAURANT VERBENA in Tagaytay, we decided to heed the "pretty pleases" of our little lord to watch something that just had its grand opening...

The Greenhills COD Christmas show!

As we were now going to the very busy Greenhills Shopping Centre, we decided to do our groceries and dinner there as well. When I asked Andrei where he wanted to eat, I was taken aback when he shouted "TOKYO TOKYO! Because it's MY favorite!"

Hmmmm... We were all surprised. Either somebody switched somebody's kid on us or my little bunsoy suddenly forgot his obsession with HEALTHY SHABU SHABU or PEPPER LUNCH altogether! Not once have I heard him claim that TOKYO TOKYO is his favorite. So off we went to the Japanese casual restaurant which gave delicious memories when I was still in college (yup! It has been in the Philippine shores for so long already). It may be very crowded on a Sunday at Greenhills but it's all good with us: besides knowing that we'll soon eating Japanese grub with prices so affordable, we were all happy to discover that our finicky eater Andrei has a new restaurant to add to his favorites...

And that is, TOKYO TOKYO!

TOKYO TOKYO!

It was a very jampacked Sunday in Greenhills shopping centre but we were still very lucky to get a table.

RECIPES

One Saturday, BGP (Best Gal Pal) Marian and Manong Fred invited me and the ultra hot Chinese Adonis (you could tell he did something good today he he hee) to have dinner outin Greenbelt. We were supposed to meet up that Friday but Manong Fred thought we could should just join their families that weekend. 

Our venue for tonight was

RECIPES!

Whenever we're craving for Filipino food in the Metro, it's always RECIPES for me and BGP. We could never go wrong with their delicious selection and affordable prices. 

MATI MAKES HIS MARK

Like any normal child, my little lords are very fond of playing with computer games such as Minecraft and NBA 2000-something. And, like any normal Mom, I want to be a KJ (kill joy) in what I feel is a "unnecessary activity" for them that causes extreme joy.  Bwa ha ha ha ha! So in order to balance out and instill discipline in the boys' PSP and gadget play time, I told them that they could only do so if they write 2 pages in their journal. Of course, this caused a lot of violent reactions from the little lords but I didn't care. If they wanted to use the internet or play computer games then they should write in their journal. If they don't feel like writing, then no dice. Besides, it served a double purpose of practicing their writing skills and lessening the time their faces are buried in front of their PSP.

   

I never noticed though that while Mati would have his "journal time", he would sneak in a few "naughty moves" to either show his rebellion or to just mark his territory. It was actually my sister who noticed it first as she got frustrated with how Mati made small graffiti marks on our walls using his new journal pens. As for me, I somehow found it cute. I'm not sure if I'm being normal or anything but I like that I have something sort of a hidden Mickey going on with my eldest son. While I'm doing something and I suddenly find his "Mati Mark", it actually gives me a smile knowing that his little being was there. Of course, I told him not to do it outside our home and he knows that it is actually a criminal offense to do so.

Being the sentimental schmuck that I always am, I know that these "Mati marks" may get erased in time that's why I already recorded it via this blog.  Of course, I am already daydreaming of the day when the boys are all grown up and I'm this very wrinkly old granny. Then, I'll accidentally find one of his kiddie graffitis in our home and I would just burst into tears. When the grown up Mati sees me doing so, he'll smile and then send me to a nursing home.

KIDDING! As usual I'm getting ahead of myself but really my imagination just goes wild with anything that my little lords' created. For now, I won't dwell on the drama of what will happen when they grow up as I will just value their beingness even with just a few scribbles on our walls.   It may be something small and meaningless to them but as parents I'm sure you would agree that anything that comes from our children is worth taking our mark for.

:)

I never really took notice of it before even when my sister told me about it. But once in a while I would find it around our house. 

As I would go up and down the stairs, I began to notice this small marking on our walls.

MGY! That's his initials as Mati G. Yap!

NEST MODERN TABLE AND BAR

Last Saturday, the Chinese Adonis and I were invited to try out the newest resto bar in Bonifacio Global City. It may mean moving our usual Saturday movie date night to Friday, but it's always fun meeting up with my foodie family so we were excited to go. Plus, it has been almost a month going on for my exercise program so I guess it's high time to reward myself with delicious food! 

NEST MODERN TABLE and BAR!

CALAMANSI CHEESECAKE (INDULGENCE BY IRENE)

Goodness knows that even though I am trying to eat healthy these days (because of my unwanted visitors from the land of the lard), I still CANNOT for the life of me choose fruits over desserts. Sorry I just can't. You gotta love me for what I am and that's a cake loving, chocolate addict, who goes for the gooey and the messy sweets kind of gal.

On the top of my dessert list lately are the HEAVENLY cheesecakes from INDULGENCE BY IRENE. I swear to you that this is the BEST cheesecake I've ever had and that will surely go on for the rest of my life. Sometimes when I'm out and get a taste of other cheesecakes, I would hide a snort while my thought bubble proudly shouts out that INDULGENCE BY IRENE was much better. I think one time I was eating at a restaurant with THE lady herself, Ms. Irene Co, and we were served some cheesecakes. I almost lost some shades of proper decorum as I winced at the lowly contender and still declared my loyalty to her creamy creations.  Yep. Food does that to me. It may be embarrassing I know. That's why the Chinese Adonis deserves that Noble Peace Prize. He he he he he!

Before you judge me and my obsession with INDULGENCE BY IRENE, take note that this soon to be cheesecake supreme has received recognition from SPOT.PH as one of the 10 best things they ate in October, while their ube cheesecake was named as YUMMY Magazine's 50 most favorite desserts!

Grabbed from INDULGENCE BY IRENE facebook page

Of course, we were all so excited to find out that INDULGENCE BY IRENE was included in Philippine Daily Inquirer's top desserts in 2014.  It seems that everyone is now jumping onto our INDULGENT bandwagon and we cannot be more happy for dear Ms. Co! Her cheesecakes truly deserve it!

My favorite has always been their QUEZO DE BOLA CHEESECAKE followed closely by the TABLEA CHEESECAKE. But there may be a new boss on the block inspired by the Philippines' very own type of the lime....

May I present to you, INDULGENCE BY IRENE'S CALAMANSI CHEESECAKE!

INDULGENCE BY IRENE!

I loved the cheesecakes of INDULGENCE BY IRENE but honestly I was quite apprehensive of trying out something that had green rinds mixed into it. 

HEALTHY SHABU SHABU (AGAIN)

When I put the title "HEALTHY SHABU SHABU (AGAIN)" it doesn't mean that it's only our second time in this restaurant. Oh dear me that is so far from it! To say that HEALTHY SHABU SHABU is our favorite place to eat in as a family is surely an understatement. Inangkupo! We must have started eating here when Mati was still a baby and we have been ultra regular customers ever since. There was even a time when we would eat here twice in a week or even every Sunday. Yes! EVERY SUNDAY. In fact,  take me to any HEALTHY SHABU SHABU branch and surely I would know some of the servers there. We are actually regulars in the Podium and Powerplant Mall branch that when the waiters get transferred to another area, we would be "Hello! What are you doing here??" Yes we have somehow come to love them as family because some of them saw my boys growing up! REALLY!

So one Sunday family date, I asked the little lords where they wanted to eat and the instant answer was HEALTHY SHABU SHABU! As much as I wanted to go to another restaurant with them I relented because when we go to this long time favorite, we are assured that both of the boys will be eating with gusto (yup I really meant YOU, Andrei). Plus! We've been such regular customers in the Power Plant Mall branch that the boys feel like they're meeting up with old friends!!

Yes! We love it so much at HEALTHY SHABU SHABU! It's our ultimate favorite YAP family restaurant! We have actually used our discount card there more than we do our credit cards! Ha ha ha ha!

HEALTHY SHABU SHABU!

Could you see Andrei staring at the fountains?

BASKETBALL AND KANTO FREESTYLE BREAKFAST!

I'm sure I have written here many times how my husband and I would usually just sleep till noon on Saturdays because that's how we roll on weekends. So just imagine the expression on our faces when little Andrei runs up while waving this pamphlet about basketball clinic in his school. Of course we were all supportive and enthusiastic but when we saw the time, 7:00am every Saturdays and Sundays....

DAYM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You guys have seen the prosthetics on Jack Nicholson as Batman right? Think of the same smile but more sinister looking while having constipation... Ding! Ding! Ding! That was us!!!

Oh well! So that put an end to our late night Fridays and Saturdays (usually watching dibidis) since we have to wake up early the next day. At times when the Chinese Adonis is feeling so lazy to get up, I would tell him to be thankful that we have a son who is very interested in the sport that my husband used to play. As for me, for the days when it's just SO HARD to even open one eye, I just motivate myself to get up by telling myself that we will have a family breakfast after Andrei's work out. Before you judge me, yeah, yeah, I am there for my son's sport blah blah blah. But of course, that wouldn't register yet when you have a growling tummy. Tee hee....

And believe me. That happens to me almost EVERY TIME.

Seriously though, we are actually very happy that at the age of 7, my little Andrei has shown real passion and eagerness to play basketball. Because he loves Michael Jordan so much, he said he wants to be an NBA player when he grows up. I know it may be difficult but we'll do what we can to make his dream come true. Besides, anything is possible and whatever he puts his heart on we will be there for him.... bench parents forever! 

So with that my husband and I decided that after every game of Andrei, we will always have a family breakfast date. We want to instill in him that every time he sweats it at the court, we are prepared to push him on over a hot breakfast with some laughs on the side. Hopefully he'll feel that he may battle it out during a game but his YAPPY BUNCH will still add fun to it afterwards.

And that is how KANTO FREESTYLE BREAKFAST gained a fan in a future NBA player! :)

Andrei is out and about for his basketball clinic! Now isn't that a very eager and excited smile?

Also! Isn't my boy toy so sexy? GROOOOWLLLL!!!!!

While waiting for his new coach, the Chinese Adonis and Andrei warmed up by shooting some hoops.

When the coach came, he had the boys do some basketball drills.

We have attended many basketball clinics for Andrei and my husband said he liked this coach's drills the best.

Plus, since there were only 6 students on training, he was very focused on Andrei!

Bench parents!!!!!!!!!

Go Andrei!

The coach was impressed with Andrei's shooting and dribbling. Yey!

I loved his form here!

After his first day of basketball clinic, we were all hungry. So we all decided to troop over KANTO FREESTYLE BREAKFAST!!!

KANTO FREESTYLE BREAKFAST is this popular hub in Mandaluyong that's open to serve 24 hours.

HACIENDA INN (LUCENA RESTAURANT)

Last Halloween weekend, THE YAPPY BUNCH went to Yub's hometown in Lucena City. As expected the boys had a blast with their little cousins while me and the hub were more than satisfied just lounging around making ourselves fat...ter. He he he he he he!

So one of the "usual" factors in the addition of lard in our bodies was our default destination in Lucena City -- HACIENDA INN. Again, we have already eaten here MILLIONS of times plus it was one of the Chinese Adonis' childhood favorites, but I haven't gotten around to blogging about it yet. Oh well... Call me lazy or what but me guess is that I get so engrossed with their live band's music that I cannot pry myself out of my hypnotic trance to take pictures. OR, since I am already SO familiar with this old time restaurant, pictures were unnecessary because we don't really have "kodak" moments just by lounging at "home" right?

Tee Hee... Oh yeah. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

So again, on that Halloween weekend when most of the establishments are closed and we didn't feel like travelling far to PALAISDAAN, we all decided to head over to HACIENDA INN since the food there is approved by the little lords. Also, even if it was a popular restaurant, the place would usually have a lot of tables and space available for the kiddies to run around.  Of course, let us not forget, my insatiable craving to hear the HACIENDA INN live music again! He he he he he!

Seriously though, when you're in Lucena City, do drop by HACIENDA INN for a taste of their saucy chami and pretty darn good barbecues. It has been a favorite of my husband then and it already is a favorite of the little lords now. You will never go wrong with a restaurant that had already etched itself in the memories of people who consider HACIENDA INN's chami as a special part of their "home".

And yup, they don't really need live music to remind themselves that.

HACIENDA INN!

HACIENDA INN entrance!

Check out the very still security guard doing it like the British. He he he he he!

PLAZA GRILL (LUCENA CITY RESTAURANT)

When we go to Lucena, we not only look forward to seeing Yub's family, but we are also excited to eat all the cheap and delicious food that keeps us craving when we're at Manila. We already have our usual favorites like PALAISDAAN, CAFE ANTIQUA, PEKING, and BUBBLES CRISPY PATA which we always go back to when we're in the Chinese Adonis' hometown. However we finally decided that enough is enough. We have been stuffing ourselves silly with food from those restaurants for the past 11 years... Maybe it's high time we try some place new.

And that's how we ended up in PLAZA GRILL!

Now please, thou shalt not mistake this for the very popular THE PLAZA catering in Manila. No offense meant to THE PLAZA GRILL but one step inside their simple restaurant and you'd know that they are not in any way affiliated with each other. But it's part of their appeal actually because this long time casual restaurant serves up Filipino food with a charm of old Lucena City.

Which made my husband wonder really out loud: Why haven't we eaten at PLAZA GRILL in the 11 years we've been going food tripping in Lucena?

Well then. Let's see!

PLAZA GRILL!

PLAZA GRILL is located very near to CAFE ANTIQUA and we always pass by it when we're going to buy our favorite dibidis.

THIS IS HOW I PACK IT

This entry is definitely out of the ERICJAZ FOODIES "character" but it is one I surely want to share for all my imaginary readers out there. You see, all my life I have gotten a lot of flak, not for being superkaduper hot (tee hee) but because I always seem to pack an extra bag more than what an ordinary person brings.

With that, you could just imagine the MILLIONS of bags that I would pack for the little lords once I became a Mom.

You see my favorite saying of all when it comes to packing is "I'd rather have one and not need it, than need it and not have one". I got that from the classical movie, "Aliens Vs. Predator" and yes, it does explain in a gist my views on bringing our "stuff". I may pack more than what is needed for a weekend but at least the boys get to pick what they want to wear depending on their mood, OR, they are assured of extra clothes just in case they spill soda on their clothes twice, AND, they have something if we decide to stay an extra day.

For some reason too and many people could attest to this (especially my office mates), that I am such a slob with my things. But when it comes to the little lords, I want everything to be organized as chiclets in a box. Of course, packing for 2 boys could get nerve wracking but I have devised these methods so that I am assured not to forget anything when we go away for a trip. At the same time, I don't find it difficult when it's time to unpack when we go home.

Now I'm sure you have all your own ways and habits of how you pack things because this post certainly is not meant to undermine them. Most definitely, how you do it with your family is the best method that you have come with. This is just me sharing how I could get "carried away" when fixing our stuff for a getaway and maybe you could get a tip or two.

Of course, in the near future I will pass on this packing "knowledge" to the little lords. I know they should be starting to do it themselves next year but the OC in me is not yet ready to let them do that. Well maybe because, boys being sloppy boys, if it were up to them they'll only pack 1 set of clothing and not change into anything at all! You've heard about ac-dc underpants right?  Well I guess it's what they see from the Chinese Adonis that's why! BWA HA HA HA HA!

Anywho, at the end of the day, what matters is that when the little lords ask for something, at least in an instant we are able to give it to them. Nothing is more sweeter than hearing a very sweet "Thank you" after all that packing ordeal. He he he he he he!

And yes, I know you might come up with more severe words after reading this entry. Ha ha ha ha ha!

Ze bags!

To be sure that I won't forget anything, I have my own PACKING list!

I have been using this list since Andrei was a baby and have not bothered editing some items. So if you catch a reminder to bring a "bib" or "Lactum", just ignore it.

Of course, ignore all the wrong grammar as well.

Told you I was too lazy to change anything. Ha ha ha ha ha!