TONGYANG SHABU SHABU EXPRESS

Once upon a time before the pandemic...

My little family are such fans of Shabu Shabu that we cannot stay away from it for a long time. Fried Chicken, Pizza, Burgers, etc etc are fine when we're out but there's something deeply comforting about slurping on boiling hot soup, devouring the chewy noodles, and crunchy vegetables, then dipping it all on my spicy and "umami" filled sauce. We just gotta have it at least once a month in our mundane lives!

One night while the Yub and I were doing groceries, we came upon TONGYANG SHABU SHABU EXPRESS. We have already been to their mothership TONGYANG buffet many years before but since we're watching our diets and our wallets, the "express version" would be perfect!

And we were right. TONGYANG SHABU SHABU EXPRESS was just what we needed.  I think we'll be here A HUNDRED TIMES more.

(That's what you think... ha ha ha ha-- Jaz from the future)

TONGYANG SHABU SHABU EXPRESS!!!!!

GANSO SHABUWAY FOR DAD AND THE FAMILY

It's the second year since my Daddyowzers went to heaven, and even it was a very sad day for us, the family got together to honor a very great man and offer our prayers for him.

Hello Daddy! We miss you!!!!

O MAI KHAN MONGOLIAN WITH MOMMY (2018)

I know! I know! I've had a LOT of O MAI KHAN blogs already (2 in fact) and I should be stopping because we are just eating the same things at the same time (dinner).

HOWEVER.....

I have always said that my blogations is more of an online diary where I want to jot every special memory that happens. Eh, for this BAGUIO TRIP, we are with my Mommyowzers, her first time with us and her first BAGUIO TRIP in a looooooooooong time pa, so I really wanted to record EVERYTHING that we do with her.

And of course, one of the goals in our weekend is to have her taste our favorite food in BAGUIO.

Enter O MAI KHAN (again and again.... )

WOHOOO!!!

May isang tao o, beautiful eyes pa!

DONU AFTER A HEART-ACHE

It was a Saturday and THE YAPPY BUNCH were in Master Mati's school because it was their cheering competition for their Intramurals. Every year, each House (Rinaldi, Rua, Caravario, and I forgot the last... ayun Sandor) would come up with a song, dance, and cheer to kick off their week-long sporting event. It could be actually very competitive and it was evident in their colorful and super entertaining cheers. 

The start of the cheer was at 5:00pm but since Master Mati had to be there ng 2:00pm, we stayed and waited for it na lang.

At least we were able to get good seats for the event. Yun lang, our pwits suffered SO MUCH!!! He he he he he he he!

OH YEAH. All for one and one for all kami lagi!

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!!!!

RYU RESTAURANT ( LUCENA CITY )

The YAPPY BUNCH are in Yub's hometown in Lucena City spending time with his family for the Chinese New Year. Normally, we would be in the streets of Binondo stuffing ourselves silly with Chinese food. But this time, he decided to spend it instead with his Yap family.

Tonight though we agreed to try out anything that the family craved because we were still full from our Palaisdaan lunch. It was suggested that we go for this new cafe that also had live music and platters of food....

RYU RESTAURANT!

And no, this is not the Ramen hub that's popular in Quezon City.

RYU had a sleek wooden design that's reminiscent of cafes in the Metro.

MOMMY'S BLUE POSTS BOILING CRAB AND SHRIMPS BIRTHDAY

When my Mom had her birthday, we delayed her celebration because she wanted to wait for my Daddy's sisters when they arrive from Las Vegas. On the day of their flight, we booked a table at one of our current favorites for my aunts to try....

BLUE POSTS BOILING CRAB AND SHRIMPS!

Syempre because when you love something, you also share it with the people you love.

NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKSSSSSSSSS!

PINK SISTERS AND JOSEPHINE RESTAURANT (TAGAYTAY CITY)

My Las Vegas Aunties (Daddy's sisters) recently had a vacation with us and one of their wishes was to go to Pink Sisters and offer prayers for my Daddy.

Since we have Daddy's sisters with us, we also thought of inviting Mom's sisters and make it a fun family outing!

BLUE POSTS BOILING CRABS AND SHRIMPS AGAIN

My family had such a great dinner in BLUE POSTS BOILING CRAB AND SHRIMPS that after about a week...

WE ARE BACK AGAIN!

Yup! It was the end of the little lords' exams for the first quarter and as our tradition, we will fetch them from school (their tests run until Saturdays) and then we'll go out to their restaurant of choice. As our tradition warrants, the boys get to pick where their "end-of-the-exams-celebration" will be. And their choice was where they had an awesome time stuffing their faces with...  

BLUE POSTS BOILING CRABS AND SHRIMPS!

We went during lunch time and we were able to get a table.

BLUE POSTS BOILING CRABS AND SHRIMPS

It was a double celebration for the family so a dinner to mark the momentous events was in order.

First, we were celebrating the birthday of my Ate Jojit's new hubbie Anthony. He wanted to treat the family as his "blow-out".

Second, my lawyer brother was granted a Doctorate for Juridical Science by his college Alma Mater and we were all super proud. So now "The Doctor" also wanted to treat the family.

With that, it was decided to have a joint celebration and since it was indeed a special night, we thought of going to somewhere we've all been meaning to try out for a loooong time....

BLUE POSTS BOILING CRABS AND SHRIMPS!

(Oooh! I was so excited and hungry that they're going be sorry.... este... happy now!!! He he he he he!)

GRINGO (SM MEGAMALL)

Sometime last year, I got a taste of GRINGO'S juicy barbecued Chicken and Ribs when we were sent boxes of their hot meat and sides. THE YAPPY BUNCH loved the food and found ourselves licking the bones and chops after wolfing it all down in seconds. Since then, we have craved for GRINGO but we were not able to drop by the actual restaurant because it was too far from where we lived.

Luckily, GRINGO recently opened in SM Megamall and it was so timely for us because we were having Mati's birthday staycation in MARCO POLO HOTEL. I asked my dear son where he wanted to eat that Saturday night and upon learning that GRINGO was already open there, he heaved a long sigh and said "FINALLY!!!!"

So it's no question where we'll be having our weekend dinner for my dearest's birthday staycation. Possibly the foodie gods arranged it because they knew how much we wanted to eat again at GRINGO but were too lazy to make the trek. And to think that it is something that my birthday boy really, really, as in REALLLY, want to eat in!!!!!

See? Everything was meant to be!   

GRINGO!!!!!

Chicken, Ribs, FRIENDS!!!

Like I said, the restaurant was still in their soft opening so I was not expecting everything to be smooth sailing. The food anyway is the one that's important!

The restaurant was packed but nobody was waiting in line. Me guess is that the staff is doing a fine job at efficiently serving and seating the guests!

CRAVINGS SPECIAL VALENTINE OFFERINGS!!!

Thinking of where to go this Valentines day with your special someone but don't want to break bank? Check out CRAVINGS special offerings for as low as P595.00 per person!!!

Yep it's true! Honestly speaking, the deal is so good that I may even take myself!

From February 10 to 15, 2017, relive the feeling of your favorite romantic movies by getting the love from delicious food at CRAVINGS! For only P595.00 per head, you'll get a hot and delicious plate of Pasta Paella. If you want a more meatier option, go for the Filet Mignon plate at only P750.00 per person.

Don't forget that both meals come with unlimited soup and salad servings from their buffet, and a choice of red or white wine!

Now that's very affordable AND special right? And, since it's CRAVINGS, you'd know that the food will be awesome! 

And yes, the Chinese Dimpol and I were able to enjoy it for ourselves! 

JOEY'S PEPPERONI AGAIN WITH TEAM CAMPO!

I remember that JOEY'S PEPPERONI was a favorite of ERICJAZ FOODIES and Team Campo that we have been regular diners ever since the little lords were, well, really little, and mareng Gail's tisay superstars were just on their way. We loved the pizzas and the pastas because it all tasted so delicious compared to the other popular fast food restaurants out there. In fact, we are such fans of JOEY'S PEPPERONI that we would always include it in our birthday plans or special occasions when we can.

Alas, we ate in JOEY'S PEPPERONI so much before that we suddenly grew tired of it. You might say that like with Rachel and Ross, we "took a break". That break however took so long as our short attention span was grabbed with the sprouting of other restaurants. Good thing that during JOHAN'S SLEEPOVER the week before, the boy was craving pizza and Ding! Ding! Ding! JOEY'S PEPPERONI was the restaurant nearest to us then. The Chinese Dimpol and I enjoyed the food so much that when mareng Gail fancied our JOEY PEPPERONI posts, I immediately invited her to a dinner date there.

And like before, we all had a great time. There may be some changes but we immediately remembered why we craved for JOEY'S PEPPERONI so much when we were not yet so much foodies (read: gluttons) back then.
  

JOEY'S PEPPERONI!

It's couples night for ERICJAZ FOODIES and TEAM CAMPO!

JOEY'S PEPPERONI WITH THE BOYS

Little Johans of Team Virrey stayed with THE YAPPY BUNCH one weekend and we all made sure that he had a great time! Of course since we were foodies, we knew that an important factor in keeping our guest happy is to always get him full with his food cravings. That is why after an afternoon of swimming in FLAIR TOWERS, we headed out to JOEY'S PEPPERONI because not only was it nearby but the little boy Johans was craving for some pizza.

And it's great that Johan's wasn't the only one full AND happy with the food at JOEY PEPPERONI'S. We all enjoyed the cheesy pizzas and scrumptious pastas!!!! Definitely a good choice not just for little Johans but for all of us!!!!

JOEY PEPPERONI PIZZERIA!!!!

It's been awhile since my last meal in JOEY'S PEPPERONI but I feel that not much changed in the interiors.

IMPRESSIONS (RESORT'S WORLD MANILA)

My TAPE INC friends and I had so much fun in our night out at GINZADON last time, that we immediately scheduled another Fridate in RESORTS WORLD MANILA.

And this time, we will start with dinner at IMPRESSIONS!

I'm quite excited actually for our dinner here because I know that IMPRESSIONS has received many awards and recognitions.

The look of the restaurant is something to take note as well -- the white table cloth served as a nice contrast to the black shiny flooring and surrounding. It certainly added more elegance to it.

THE HIGHLANDER STEAKHOUSE (TAGAYTAY HIGHLANDS)

THE YAPPY BUNCH were having the most "awesomest", "bestest", "funnest", and..... GREATEST (oops now that's a real word.. he he he he!) time at my birthday staycation treat in TAGAYTAY HIGHLANDS!

Yes! We had so much fun that redundancy and word invention was in order (well except for "greatest").

So we had an awesome Saturday and we were having uber fun on Sunday. But then we got this GREAT offer by Tita Flory (my officemate who generously gifted us with this birthday staycation) to have lunch in HIGHLANDER STEAKHOUSE, her treat!!!!!

At first I was hesitant because she had given so much already to my family. But she insisted saying how her family had such a delicious dinner the night before. With that we gratefully agreed and happily trooped over to THE HIGHLANDER STEAKHOUSE.

Oh wow! Steak is just "perfectest" every time!!!!!!!

Tee hee!  

THE HIGHLANDER STEAKHOUSE!!!!

Even if we had been going around TAGAYTAY HIGHLANDS the whole morning, we were still pretty full from the buffet breakfast at THE GOLFER'S LOUNGE. Still, we were so curious as to how the much raved about steakhouse in Tagaytay fared that we'll try just a wee bit of its dishes!

TAGAYTAY HIGHLANDS - THE COUNTRY CLUB

When I got word that my officemate, Tita Flory, will be treating us for an overnight staycation in TAGAYTAY HIGHLANDS for my boithday AND for the wedding of her daughter, I knew that major research was in order.

Of course, I should check out the location, the resort facilities, the rooms, and the activities offered in TAGAYTAY HIGHLANDS. But more importantly, I should also study AND investigate the places where  we could eat there.

He he he he he! OF COURSE! Food is ALWAYS of the essence to us!

At first I really thought that TAGAYTAY HIGHLANDS was a resort with one cafe or restaurant by the poolside. In turns out, this popular "membership only" destination in TAGAYTAY was like an exclusive community where there are a LOT of places to eat in and many clubhouses!

Yowza! This is like a staycation jackpot!!!!!

So after surfing online, I tried my best to plot which places to go to when get there. But even after numerous hours, of studying, researching, and investing, there were a LOT of choices that I cannot make up my mind. With that, one question still remained for us when we finally got to TAGAYTAY HIGHLANDS....

Where shall we eat???? 

 

TAGAYTAY HIGHLANDS COUNTRY CLUB!

KAFE BATWAN

Very recently, my friend Albert celebrated his birthday and invited ERICJAZ FOODIES plus the CAMPOS to lunch.

The choice of the birthday boy that day was KAFE BATWAN!

Since I knew that Albert and his wife Suet are always on "military time", I rushed the Chinese Adonis so we would be at the restaurant early.

Let's just say, I got him out of the house even before he had a chance to curl his hair. He he he he he he he! Kidding!

FOUR SEASONS HOTPOT AND BUFFET

There's more reason to rejoice for hotpot lovers out there!

FOUR SEASONS BUFFET AND HOTPOT has opened another branch in Manhattan Parkview, Araneta Center, Cubao!! So that means we could slurp and gobble all that delicious soupy goodness in this side of the metro!

More reasons to celebrate!
More reasons to pig out!
More reasons to break that useless diet!

That's what the Chinese Adonis and I did when we tried out the newly opened FOUR SEASONS BUFFET AND HOTPOT in Quezon City. We were SUPPOSED to watch our food intake during weekdays but when we received the invite to have dinner at a restaurant from the Niu and Vikings family, we were there!

Diet shmiet! I'm sure my 25 inch waistline wouldn't mind indulging a little bit.

Oh and when I get this excited about food, I get delusional too!!!!

:P

FOUR SEASONS BUFFET AND HOTPOT!

The sosy sounding Manhattan Parkview branch of FOUR SEASONS HOTPOT AND BUFFET just opened it's doors last October 3, 2015. It's stamped proudly by VIKINGS, a name synonymous to affordable buffets at a hotel like setting! 

A STEAKHOUSE (ACACIA HOTEL)

The Chinese Adonis and I love holidays because not only do we get to sleep in (hi hi hi) on what is supposed to be a work day, but we get to spend the whole day with our little lords at what we consider a "free pass" for the school year.

Last Monday, it was the same, we celebrated National Heroes Day by the only way we know how -- sleeping in and pigging out together as a family!! Very unheroic I know but still so fun because those two are our simple joys. Of course, we had to get up and break out from enjoying the bed weather so that we could start our day pronto.

We received an invite to have lunch in ACACIA HOTEL and we were excited to drive all the way to Alabang just for it. We had dinner in ACACIA HOTEL before and enjoyed their delicious buffet. But this time, we're going to be with the kiddies so even if we had fun with our friends before, we know that having lunch there with the little lords would be something truly memorable!

As what every  visit to ACACIA HOTEL assures!

ACACIA HOTEL!!!!

THE YAPPY BUNCH is here!