BANANA LEAF

BANANA LEAF CURRY has always been one of our usual choices when we want to indulge in delicious Asian food that is not heavy in our pockets. What was not to love about it? The servings were good for sharing while the food was cooked to suit our simple but ALWAYS hungry taste. So when we went out with friends to celebrate the Chinese Adonis' birthday for his usual week long celebration, it was no wonder that the leading contender  for our meet up was our "usual" BANANA LEAF CURRY!

And as USUAL, it was a night for us and our tummies to remember!

BANANA LEAF!

When I meet with my "Pretty Mommies" group, we always have it in PODIUM since it closes late (10:00pm) even during on weekdays. 

HOTEL HOPPING TO WELCOME 2014

When it was almost time to greet the New Year we looked forward to doing our usual tradition of (tan tan tanan!) HOTEL HOPPING! Except this TEAM YAP trip will not be on the actual eve of New Year's because we will be somewhere else during that night.

It was a welcome change because unlike before, we were not at the mercy of the maitre d' and wrestle with all the reservations for the New Year's eve hullabalooo. Everything was just easy breezy and it was like how we always had it. The only thing missing was the trumpets and noisemakers offered by Hotel restaurants. But never fear, the kids had so much fun and enjoyed running around that they were the ones who gave the Hotels a blast for that early New Year's celebration!

The streets of Makati were empty.... 

As we made way to our first stop.... 

NEW WORLD HOTEL!

WEE NAM KEE

Sometime last year (try to guess when based on the length of my broomstick hair) my 2 gorgeous friends met up with little ol' me for a night of gabbin' and grubbin. My kumareng Gail and I, both very "practical" (read: stingy/"kuripot") wanted to eat somewhere where the food was good but prices cheap.

So I suggested in my alluring bedroom voice "Why not WEE NAM KEE?"

She agreed wholeheartedly (not because of my "alluring bedroom voice" which actually sounded more like Minnie Mouse's squeak) but she has read and heard about the delicious legend of WEE NAM KEE and was raring to try it. So there we went on a beautiful Friday night and we're so happy to have an awesome time helping ourselves to scrumptious Singaporean food with non-stop laughter on the side.

DUH and it's not because of my voice!

WEE NAM KEE!

HOTEL KIMBERLY (TAGAYTAY TRIP DAY 2)

It was TEAM YAP's second day at HOTEL KIMBERLY in Tagaytay along with the Campos, the Quitorianos, and the Virreys (see our first day HERE) and even if we turned in late last night from our "midnight chat", our family woke up extra early for breakfast so we could have a part 2 of the vacation that is worthy for the books!

HOTEL KIMBERLY Tagaytay!

The Campos, the Quitorianos, and TEAM YAP had an early breakfast at HOTEL KIMBERLY's cafe (blog post soon to follow!). I love that they made a special set up for our big group so we could all be in one table chatting and eating to our heart's content.

Yup! One family is missing! LATE!

HOTEL KIMBERLY (TAGAYTAY DAY 1)

My husband and I are now very addicted in taking our little boys out for weekend getaways since we feel that we only got a few years left before they turn into GUYS and would be embarrassed to be seen with their Mommy and Daddy. So now we are relishing every moment with them and, like how my parents did, we would make it a point to take them somewhere special for a Yap bonding experience rather than the usual "mall tours". But of course, being the practical parents that we are, we were still very careful not to break bank.  So every chance we see a special deal online, we check it out and see if it is ERICJAZ FOODIES worthy!

My friends share the same sentiment as TEAM YAP that for one weekend, we planned another getaway for all 4 families. We agreed to make our venue for the mini-vacation to be HOTEL KIMBERLY since there was a deal online that got the approval from all the "practical" (read: sorta stingy) mommies. At first we were a bit hesitant that we may be holed up somewhere that would prove to be a burden to our enjoyment. But after our 2 day bonding trip, we were all declaring that HOTEL KIMBERLY may be the best hotel for your family. Once you're there, you wouldn't want to go anywhere!

Except to see the volcano of course! Ha ha ha!

It was a rainy weekend last October 12, 2013 and it was such a wet travel going up to Tagaytay. We thought that we were not going to make it but fortunately the storm scare made everybody stay at home so it was a fuss free drive for us.

And since it was very cold and we were hungry, we decided to warm ourselves up in the rainy weather with a big piping hot of bulalo!!!

Could you guess from what restaurant this delicious bubbling soup is from? 

Yup! It's from LESLIE's! Blog post soon to follow!

On our way to our destination, we thought that probably one drawback to HOTEL KIMBERLY was that it was not in the "central tourist district" in Tagaytay and you have to do a 20 minute drive down from the city. 

It was very foggy that morning and visibility was almost zero. We just took extra care in driving and turned on our head lights. 

And finally we're here!!!! HOTEL KIMBERLY!

CAFE 1771

Most recently, I am so proud to have merged a lovely group of ladies whom I will now call PRETTY MOMMIES.

If you do not agree with our name, sorry! It's my blog and we'll even call ourselves the MISSUS UNIVERSE OF PRETTY PLANETS BANANAHAMOCKS if we want to :) Ha ha ha! Kidding!

You may know one of my favorite food mates Mareng Gail from Uncle Moes (See HERE!! ), Joey's Pepperoni (again,  HERE!!!), and, Rub (yup still HERE!!!). Also my College bud Mareng Ann in Sambokojin (See HERE!!!), Yabu (soon), and Starbucks (post coming soon).

I introduced them in Brasas (post coming soon) where we planned to dress up and eat someplace swanky like Restaurant Verbena (it's HERE!!!) to celebrate their new found friendship.

Coincidentally, I met Chel, Ann's close friend from way back and we really hit it off. We would also chat up in Cinnabon while waiting for our kids finish their lessons in Trumpets and Ann will join us. Chel and I instantly clicked because we share the same love for our family, views on how to raise our children, AND, taking lots of pictures! It was always a gabfest and "kodak" event whenever we meet up!

We decided that for Ann's early birthday celebration in CAFE 1771, we will have a girls-only dinner out and introduce Gail and Chel.  Ann and I knew that the two will just click and we will be forming once more new friendships. We wanted a special venue to hold that momentous event (well for us anyway) and CAFE 1771 was the place for us. 

And such a night it was! We had so much fun talking about anything and everything (HUSBANDS! Kidding) while eating all that glorious food. The servers at CAFE 1771 were warm, hospitable and were very "understanding" in taking our silly pictures (oh you'll see below).

We truly enjoyed our stay at CAFE 1771 that even if  our husbands were only with us (in spirit and in topic -- ha ha ha!) we felt we were with family, not just with girl power family, but with the delicious meal and smiling servers.

Don't pity our hubs too much... We gave them our leftovers and made it up to them when we all got home. Ha ha ha ha!

The CAFE 1771 meynuh...

The CAFE 1771 meynuh too!

The girls (minus Chel) were already at CAFE 1771 and are deciding what to order. There were a lot of choices that tempted our taste buds and it took us a while to decide...

Of course, meticulous me would ask about a certain dish first before CONSIDERING it to be our order for the night. The waiter at CAFE 1771 was very patient and knowledgeable with the food!

Good for him! Because... hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn... with food!!!

Kidding! :)

We were impressed with how they decorated CAFE 1771 as they certainly had the word "COZY" in mind. It is like you walked in the living room of Martha Stewart and she gallantly laid out chairs for us.  

Though we do not really have a problem with sharing and chatting up, CAFE 1771 just made us feel more at home to do so. 

And by golly we did!!!

Honestly, there was a couple who was at the next table and even though we tried our bestest not to be obnoxiously noisy for them, they requested to be transferred to the next room. 

THIS was the next room in CAFE 1771 by the entrance...

Sorry disturbed couple!

We particularly ogled at this book shelf because it was laden with interesting books and what have yous. While waiting for our orders and taking a break from our gabbing, we spent a significant time looking at this.

Some of the books and decors were not glued to to the shelves and the servers at CAFE 1771, let us play with them... You'll see later :)

See Yub! You were not forgotten at CAFE 1771!!! See you later when you pick me up... he he he!

While waiting for our orders at CAFE 1771, the kindly servers gave us a free popcorn appetizer. It was just a simple pick me up but could be very addicting. In no time, the mini basket was empty!

... so CAFE 1771 instantly gave us a refill! Yey! Thanks!

Wohoo! Mareng Chel is here and this is her first meeting with Mareng Gail! Such an earth shattering event! (Ha ha ha! Well at least for us, since we have scheduled to introduce these girls about 2 times before and it did not push through!)

With the arrival of Mareng Chel, CAFE 1771 also served their glorious dishes one by one.... 

First up is CAFE 1771's Caesar's Salad (P290.00). This type of greens has always been my default favorite and it is the most safest to order in a restaurant. If CAFE 1771 gets this basic dish right then we know that we are in for a treat later on.

And based on Mareng Ann's facial expression here, CAFE 1771 you got yourselves a winner!!!

I especially loved how the CAFE 1771 salad was served chilled with a creamy anchovy dressing. It perfectly complemented the other goodies we ordered :)

For our main dish, we had CAFE 1771's Organic Chicken with Potato Crust (P560.00).

This was SO good at first bite but as we continued eating the juicy bird, we found it a bit salty (considering I love soy and fish sauce on everything). 

Maybe it would be perfect if we had rice with it or requested the servers to put a notch down on the salt level. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed this CAFE 1771 roast chicken and it was perfect for a group of 4!!

We ordered something for that would be great leftovers for our hubs (ha ha!) so we had the CAFE 1771 Salbacho Pizza (P450.00) which had wonderful meats of chorizo, salami, and bacon! 

Crust was crunchy while they had the right amount of cheese in the pizza. We kept on munching at this CAFE 1771 order and just exerted a lot of effort to control ourselves so we will be able to take home something for the boys.

I wished there were more basil leaves though... I like the extra bite of freshness with it!

Since it was Mareng Ann's birthday, we ordered CAFE 1771 Pasta Chorizo (P420.00) for her long life.

This was the perfect accompaniment to our other orders because, save for the chorizo, the CAFE 1771 pasta was light and very flavorful. I loved the extra crunch that the chopped croutons gave. The serving was just right for us 4 ladies who were TRYING to diet.

Take note of the all caps in the word TRYING.

Let's EAT!

Happy Birthday Mareng Ann! We love you!!!

Take note of the camera and iphones on the table... Mine was hidden behind the water goblet while Ann held on to hers. That's your clue as to how many pictures we took for the night.  

Our food at CAFE 1771!

ATTACK!!!!

Me and Mareng Chel!!! Between chewing and gulping down the glorious food, we exchanged funny stories about our kids.

Come to think of it, everyone did!!! We shared what was indeed special for us... Our family and children!

My plate!!! My wonderful plate!!!!

The CAFE 1771 chicken may be a tad salty but look how juicy and perfectly roasted it was. 

Maybe we should have ordered some garlic rice. But like I said, we were TRYING to diet.

Boo!

I guess I loved the garlic bread siding of CAFE 1771's pasta that's why I took a picture of it. I think I used the crunchy and chewy bread to  mop up the extra dressing from the Caesar's salad! YUM!

AND while eating, there will CERTAINLY be a lot of gabbin!!!!

Since we were celebrating Mareng Ann's birthday, Mareng Gail requested if CAFE 1771 could come up with something for the celebrant. And they kindly did!!!

Ain't it pretty? Tasted delicious too!

Here's to more beautiful birthdays, starbucks chika sessions, and fambam meet ups with you!!!

========== 

And now, I have to apologize for sharing this and for probably causing the probability of you blocking my blog on the net, but I just wanted to show how we were having such a great time and CAFE 1771 was very cool with it. Heck, the same servers were the ones who took our pictures!!!

I call this the "4 Shades of a Woman's Cycle"! Ha ha ha ha!

This one may be La Familia Le Femme!

OR we could have these captions...

Chel -- Looking out into the vast future of opportunities...

Gail -- Wondering which direction in life willnbe appropriate for a family lady like her...

Ann -- Checking if she has load...

Me -- Why did I have to be obsessed with Justin Bieber????

We only left CAFE 1771 because we were there way past their closing time but we felt that we had some more topics to talk about so we had coffee and more fun at Podium!

We had such a great night and I'm sure you agree with me that it truly shows! Not only did CAFE 1771 had such delicious food, but they were very kind in going along with our over all "silliness". Thanks CAFE 1771!!! Kudos to your service for  gamely accommodating this group of crazy gals!!!!!

We can't wait to see each other again!  

LET'S EAT!!!

Cafe 1771

El Pueblo

El Pueblo Real de Manila, Dona Julia Vargas Ave

Ugong, Pasig

(02) 631-7340