CELEBRATING DADDY'S BIRTHDAY AT AKIRA

Last June, my beloved Daddyowzers would have celebrated his 82nd birthday. I didn't expect it (thinking that the waterworks would flow during his death anniversary) but I got so emotional that day that I couldn't stop tearing up even at the office.

INANGKUPUSHNESS, I think I'm choking up while typing this intro.

OHAYO MAKI X SUSHI

I think it's no secret already how much the Yub and I love Ramen because many times you'll hear (or read) our raves on our usual favorites like RAMEN NAGI, IPPUDO, MENDOKORO RAMENBA, ICHIRAN, etc. etc.

As in paulit ulit!!!! OMAYGASH!!!!!!!!!!!

One stormy night however, the Yub and I got stuck extra late at my office because it got flooded real bad (I'll share at the end what it looked like). With that, we were naturally craving for something piping hot to get in our tummies to warm us up real fast.

Good thing while I was scrolling my Instagram account, I came upon the post of my favorite MASARAP BA where she shared this Ramen stall she discovered in Quezon City which served quality Japanese food at very cheap prices.

So of course, when the Yub heard "noodles" and "cheap" in one sentence, his ugly face went DING! DING! DING!!! "ABA AY! PUMUNTA AGAD TAYO DON!!!!"  He said.

And so we did.

The great thing too was that when we got there, the rains stopped and we had a parking spot right in front of the humble ramen stall. So it was REALLY meant to be!

And THAT was the start of a beautiful friendship....

Or FOODship for that matter.

:P

The Yub and I are in OHAYO MAKI AND RAMEN BAR!!!!!!

MASARAP BA was not kidding when she said this was a simple stall because what we got was a "carinderia-like" kiosk by the road.

SIZZLING PLATE AGAIN (BAGUIO 2018)

In BAGUIO CITY, we have encountered favorites that we know we'll go back to again and again. And one of them is SIZZLING PLATE.

In our 2018 trip to BAGUIO, we returned once more to SIZZLING PLATE but tried their other more spacious branch which was reminiscent of what (I remember) a steakhouse should be -- an open air homey restaurant with that log cabin design. There were no loud music or singing bands (or waiters?? He he he he); whatever noise pollution was drowned out by the appetizing sizzling sounds of gravy being poured over the big slabs of steak.

We strongly recommended SIZZLING PLATE to our friends Team Campo that when we were deciding where to have our late lunch, it was the only choice. And, as expected, they loved it. They had the same satiated but happy smiles like we had the first time we ate there.

I know that there are other affordable steaks in the Metro, and that there are other more popular restaurants in BAGUIO. But in SIZZLING PLATE, you get quality cuts of tender beef smothered in savory gravy at at a very affordable price. Your meal becomes more enjoyable too because you have the mountain breeze and pine trees as your "side dishes."

Yup! SIZZLING PLATE will ALWAYS be part of our BAGUIO itinerary. It will always be where we'll go to in the City of Pines for our meat cravings that's affordable at the same time.

YAY!

SIZZLING PLATE!!!!!!

This SIZZLING PLATE branch was bigger compared to the one in Session Road. What's great too is that it had ample parking spaces.

O MAI KHAN AGAIN (BAGUIO 2018)

The YAPPY BUNCH are back in one of our happy places in the colder side of the Philippines....

BAGUIO CITEEEEEH....!!!!!!!

The Yub and I love BAGUIO because of the green surroundings in the eternally cold weather. We're happy that the kids are also appreciating BAGUIO as much as we do and don't mind going back again and again. I guess it's because, since we find joy in their happiness, we left them in charge of our itinerary:

Andrei schedules our activities such as horseback riding and go-karting.

As for Mati, he decides on where we will be eating.

Even before we left for BAGUIO Master Mati already declared that we should eat in O MAI KHAN again. He really savored the bowls of Mongolian fried rice before and was very excited to have several rounds of the "make-your-own" goodness again.

And since the menu is not just delicious but very affordable, we're SO game to go back too!

ONE MORE REASON WHY WE LOVE BAGUIO! He he he he he he!

We're in O MAI KHAN!!! YAY!

Unlike last time, we went to O MAI KHAN earlier (at about 7:00pm) because we wanted to have more time to enjoy their Mongolian buffet (which ends at 9:00pm). 

CHALET BAGUIO HOTEL BREAKFAST (2018)

THE YAPPY BUNCH had an impromptu vacation in the City of Pines and was able to book a holiday weekend in CHALET BAGUIO HOTEL. What appealed to us in this simple lodge-like place was that it was affordable, ghost-free, and most importantly, available for our late booking. As we were checking their website we discovered that our accommodations also included free dinners AND breakfast for 2 pax.

HUWAW! Isn't that cool???

Breakfast is already my favorite meal of the day but to have it free and in buffet form? It will definitely make any kind of vacation more special. He he he he he he!

I know I'm OA but yeah breakfast does that to me. It's the meal I swear I could NEVER get full from. If it had the premise of not getting me fat and full of cholesterol, I would have breakfast for HOURS.

Check out the enjoyable 2-day breakfast that we had in CHALET BAGUIO HOTEL! It was certainly enough to make us happy and energized for the whole day!

Let's have brekky in CHALET BAGUIO HOTEL!!!!

Their buffet breakfast was served at San Marcelino Hall.

CHALET BAGUIO HOTEL DINNER (2018)

THE YAPPY BUNCH were in BAGUIO staying in CHALET HOTEL and we were enjoying every minute of it. Of course, the hotel is not the 5-star type that some of you are used to, but it was clean, had friendly staff, affordable, AND was one of the few hotels available at a short notice for the 3 day weekend. So really, it suited us perfectly for our impromptu BAGUIO vacation. He he he he!

One of the great things too during our stay in CHALET BAGUIO HOTEL was that besides breakfast, they also have complimentary dinner for 2 pax for our 2 nights! Woah! That's a very good deal!!!! It would certainly be a big help to our pockets.

Of course, the question here next is "How did the food fare up?"

Oh you'll see. YOU'LL ALL SEE....

He he he he he....

Yay! It's a free dinner in CHALET BAGUIO HOTEL!!!

ALTA BY RELIK AGAIN AND AGAIN

My Ate Jojit recently celebrated her 65th birthday (bwa ha ha ha ha!) and she asked where she could treat the family. My Mommy remembered how much she enjoyed our MOTHER'S DAY LUNCH and recommended ALTA BY RELIK to my senile ate (tee hee). Now that was SO fine with THE YAPPY BUNCH because we always have a delicious meal in ALTA BY RELIK everytime!

The great thing too is that my family and the VERY OLD birthday celebrant loved the food! So YAY!!!

PS. Ate Jojit, THIS is for not reading my silly little blog. Ha ha ha!

:P

We're in ALTA BY RELIK!

A CHALET HOTEL BAGUIO WEEKEND (2018)

Summer vacation was about to end and THE YAPPY BUNCH was not yet prepared to bid the little lords back to school. Of course we value the purpose of private education but we were having so much fun with the boys at home and going out whenever we can for foodtrips or meet-ups that we'll really be sad once the grueling schoolyear starts again.

With that, we originally planned to go to a beach in La Union with some friends and we have already booked the resort ahead of time. However, when that didn't push through so close to our planned dates, my friend suggested to go to BAGUIO instead.

HALA! Could we still get a hotel when we only got a week left before our planned trip??? To think that we were planning to go on a long holiday weekend???

We checked online and found out that our favorite BAGUIO hotels were already fully booked. Upon more searching, the ones available had rotten reviews and looked like accommodations for moomoo!!!  But we were not ready to give up! Our minds were all so set to have one last getaway with the kiddies this year before school starts.

Still studying our options online, we came upon CHALET HOTEL BAGUIO. It was a simple hotel that was priced affordably and still had a few rooms available. We checked the reviews and saw that it was safe for families, the rooms were said to be clean, and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, there were no claims of moomoo. It was great too that besides breakfast, dinner for 2pax per day was also included.

YUP! SOLD!!! Now hopefully we'll still have an enjoyable stay in BAGUIO even if it was not our first choice.

And you know what? We certainly did!!!!!!!!!!!

BAGUIO TRIP PART TWO (2018)

THE YAPPY BUNCH are in an impromptu summer weekend in BAGUIO, and though we were doing and eating the same thing as our last trip, we were all having loads of fun.

To think that it was raining pa ah!!!!!!

We were supposed to go to a resort in La Union with Team Campo but since that didn't push through and we already had a beach trip in Anvaya Cove, it was suggested that we go for BAGUIO instead.

Hmmmm... Have a family trip in BAGUIO, our new favorite vacation spot? We're super game to that! ALWAYS!

With that, we immediately booked the hotel and made an itinerary of our places to go. Now even if we planned to go to other popular spots, we stayed too long in our favorites that we didn't have time for our original plans anymore.

OH WELL!!!! More reasons to come back then! He he he he he!

But as they say, time flies when you're having fun. And as long as we see our little lords happy, then this impromptu vacation doing the same things is more sulit than ever.

Check out PART TWO of our (rainy) summer trip to BAGUIO!!!!

For our late lunch that Saturday we went to our favorite SIZZLING STEAKHOUSE!!!

GLENN 50's DINER AGAIN (BAGUIO 2018)

THE YAPPY BUNCH just arrived in BAGUIO CITY and we were all excited to officially start our vacation.

Of course, when we say "officially" it means it's time to eat ASAP in our favorite BAGUIO restaurants.

And first on our list is the fun, cheap, yet delicious GLENN 50'S DINER!!!! 

We love diners and diners love us!!!!!!




After a 4 hour drive, THE YAPPY BUNCH met up with Team Campo!

BAGUIO TRIP PART ONE (2018)

These days I'm not that enthusiastic with planning international trips for THE YAPPY BUNCH because not only is it very costly and tiring but the hassles of booking and airport delays gets me so lazy agad!!!! Auughhh! (I'm getting exhausted just thinking about it!!!!)

It's okay though, because the family has discovered something that already gives us so much happiness here.

BAGUIO! YAY!!!

I'm sure many will object how Baguio is incomparable to Disneyland in the US, to the Coleseo in Rome, to the Temples in Thailand, to the Inari in Japan, (all of which we've been to already. #humblebrag HA!), etc, you may be right but still, there is something to being happy and contented with what you have  that you don't feel the need to leave.

Besides, one of the strong reasons why I personally love BAGUIO is the childhood family memories that I have of it. And now, I feel a different kind of joy that I'm sharing it with the boys.

So really, when people ask me when our next trip abroad is I would always answer "We're already having so much fun with Baguio now that I'm not planning anything else." He he he he! Of course, I'm not entirely blocking out an international family trip soon but that will happen when I'm not lazy to plan na.

Till then, we're so fine with what the City of Pines give us.

Yahooo!!!! 

Wohooo!!! We're in BAGUIO again!!!!!!!!

A TASTE OF ISTANBUL IN MARCO POLO ORTIGAS

ERICJAZ FOODIES was recently invited by MARCO POLO ORTIGAS to try out their latest featured cuisine, A TASTE OF ISTANBUL.

To be honest, the Yub and I were not really familiar with the dishes from Turkey. We were fans of Shawarma and I loved Indian food but we're not so sure how those fared up to what we will be having later on. I was extra worried too that the Yub was a bit picky with his food (he's got a very sensitive taste AND tummy... he he he he he). But of course, we were still curious with what MARCO POLO ORTIGAS has cooked up for us.

One thing we were sure of however was that since A TASTE OF ISTANBUL will be in the award winning CUCINA restaurant and cooked by a master chef flown in from Turkey just for this event, we know that we will be savoring every morsel and bite of this exotic cuisine. So we didn't hesitate to give our confirmation "A" to the "S-A-P"... ASAP!

Check out our wonderful dinner at CUCINA in MARCO POLO ORTIGAS where we savored the delicious delicacies from Istanbul!

The Chinese Dimpol and I will enjoy Istanbul tonight!!!!!

It was a Thursday and the Yub and were happy that we're right on time!!!!

PAWIKAN BEACH BAR AND GRILL - ANVAYA COVE

Our staycation in ANVAYA COVE was coming to an end and even though THE YAPPY BUNCH would like to stay longer, we feel that we were able to make the most out of our family weekend in the resort.

Still, we cannot leave without one last "hurrah" with the gang. With that, we had our late lunch together with our BP (Bawal Panget) family in ANVAYA COVE!

PAWIKAN BEACH BAR AND GRILL!

There was a bit of a walk going to the PAWIKAN BEACH BAR AND GRILL. But our little ones didn't mind because it gave them more chance to play with their fellow kiddies!

BAMBOO CAFE BREAKFAST - ANVAYA COVE

THE YAPPY BUNCH are in ANVAYA COVE and after a great Saturday full of swimming, we woke up the next day happy and excited!

Syempre for more swimming! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

HOWEVER, we have to fuel ourselves in order to have the energy to fully to enjoy what ANVAYA COVE had to offer. With that, we all knew that we should get up and get our day going.

Breakfast IS after all the most important  agenda at mornings.

NEXT is swimming. He he he he he.... 

That morning, we decided to walk going to the clubhouse. We could actually call for a golf cart to fetch us but we decided to go on foot since it was a lovely and sunny day.

See what I mean?

OF DIN TAI FUNG AND JURASSIC WORLD

It was Saturday and THE YAPPY BUNCH were out and about for our usual family movie night. We were going to watch the last full show of JURASSIC WORLD, a request made specially by the boys, and we were all excited.

BUT, before anything else, we GOTTA EAT!

I guess that's why we chose the last full show -- so that we'd have plenty of time to chat and enjoy our food. For that particular night though, we were craving to try out something else besides our usual go-to restaurants in Powerplant Mall.

We decided to go to the new wing and saw a lot of people lining up for DIN TAI FUNG. The Yub and I had already tried the SM Megamall Branch while the family got to have lunch in their Hong Kong store a year before.

How does Powerplant Mall branch fare up?

We'll find out soon! Dan... Dan... DAAAAAAAAN! 

DIN TAI FUNG!!!!

Like I said, there were a lot of people that night dining in DIN TAI FUNG. 

E you know us, we treat crowds as a challenge not a hindrance! Ha ha ha ha ha!

Kala nyo maiisahan nyo kami??? 

Kidding!