THE ULTIMATE TASTE TEST (2014)

Every year, there is that on event which the Chinese Adonis and I are very excited about that we prepare for it as early as the start of the year: The ULTIMATE TASTE TEST!

I'm sorry.... were you thinking about our Wedding Annivesary? I know I should be too if I could only remember when it is. Tee Hee!

Seriously though, the ULTIMATE TASTE TEST in ROCKWELL TENT has become a tradition for us every year even before I started this silly little foodie blog.  Like it says so in their "battle cry", this is the ULTIMATE event where you become a food critic for a day and try out over 50+ home based food vendors plus participating restaurants from Powerplant Mall all day from 11:00am to 9:00pm!

All this for only P600.00??? You bet!

And THAT is why I would choose this AWESOME foodie celebration over our wedding anniversary anytime!

Oh. I'm. Kidding!

Or am I? Ha ha ha ha!

THE ULTIMATE TASTE TEST!!! 

CRISP ON 28TH

It may not look like it (since I could come off as a gremlin) but I love helping out in anyway that I can. And at the risk of sounding like a boisterous cutie pie (there you go), I make sure that when I "be of assistance", I would do more than what is expected of me and say a lot of "If you wants". If it sounds like I'm tooting my own horn, I apologize. But I'm really going for asking other people to do the same with their neighbors... He he he he! Wouldn't that be a lovely world to live in if we just do what we can for each other and not ask for anything in return?

Unless of course, the person asking a favor is Benedict Cumberbatch, with that all bets are off because I may be asking for a kiss or two in return! Har de har har!

Oooh... Yeah... the game is ON....

Anywho, I really had our Saturday planned out for quite some time as we have the ULTIMATE TASTE TEST (blog coming soon) in the morning and a night out with the Chinese Adonis' friends later on. But then, Kathi of Mucking Around Manila wanted to invite mareng Gail and her husband for brunch at CRISP that I got so hyper! I was so happy that my good friend was invited to her first official blog event and that she'll get to experience the fun I've always had with my KTG blogger friends! With that, the Chinese Adonis and I fixed our itinerary for the day (aka "not having siesta anymore") in support of Team Campo.

And wow! Once we saw all that CRISP ON 28TH food, I have forgotten why we were really there. I know we were supposed to support and help out Mareng Gail with her new blog called GLOG but one bite out of that fresh salad made me forget all about our friendship!

I think I was so tempted to get it all for myself even before she could take a picture of it! Ha ha ha ha! Kidding!

Seriously though, the Chinese Adonis and I were so happy that our intention to be supportive led to a very enjoyable gastronomic lunch! We now have a new venue to recommend to our friends and family!  So I guess, no good deed goes unrewarded! 

And what a delicious prize that was!

CRISP ON 28TH!

AN UNFORGETTABLE ANTIPOLO BARBECUE

Even if my boys Mati and Andrei are quite big already, I still have separation anxiety from them. Let's just say  I cannot bear having the little lords sleepover at another place! Once, Mati had a week long vacation at my brother's house and I thought to myself "never again!" It's not that I didn't trust the people he's with. In fact, Mati was very well taken cared for by my brother's family and they seriously fattened him up! Ha ha ha ha!

Oh well! Maybe that's just me being me. I remember that up to Grade School I would have trouble staying at my aunt's place that one time, I asked my Mom to pick me up in the middle of the night because I got so homesick. I guess all my attachment at being together stems from my strong belief that "Home is Where the Heart Is". I'm at my happiest when I'm with my family: my parents, my brothers and sister who bully me, and now the Chinese Adonis, and the little lords. So with that, it's no wonder why it's quite unbearable for me if somebody from my new family is away since it's like a part of my heart is incomplete. Seriously.

Before our trip to the US, my brother Kuya Jay planned a sleepover in his house in Antipolo with the little lords and my Ate Jojit.  I really did not want to let them but the boys and sister were persistent. So fine. I packed their bags and gave a checklist on what they should use and where they'll find it.

I haven't even finished with their other bags (I packed about 3 including a bag filled with snacks) when they rushed to our vehicle going to Antipolo. You might even say that they didn't want to risk saying good bye to me since I might change my mind. So I went out and said my farewell to them while they gave me these forced smiles. Ha ha ha ha!

Let us go already!!!

Well if the little lords think that they have already escaped from their "ultra lovable" Mommy (tee hee), they thought wrong! Kuya Jay and his wife Karen invited us for a barbecue underneath the stars. Normally the Chinese Adonis and I would turn down invites on Saturdays since it's our date night and all. But the words BARBECUE and LITTLE LORDS sprang to mind so we cancelled any other plans.

We were invading Antipolo and the boys TONIGHT.

Yub and his shaken, not stirred, martini... :P

And it's all thanks to our ANTIPOLO BARBECUE!!!!

KONBINI STORE (TOKYO MARKET)

I was looking through my old photos and saw that on Christmas day after buying last minute gifts and ingredients for our noche buena, we were able to squeeze in a visit at KONBINI STORE TOKYO MARKET in Connecticut Greenhills. I know I should be ignoring this since it was an old entry and all but I remember that the reason why we ate there was because I had a craving so bad for some Japanese noodles. To think that this was about 3 years ago and popular Ramen hubs such as Ramen Nagi, Ippudo, Ikkoryu Fukuoka, Tampopo, Wrong Ramen, Mitsuyado Sei Men, etc, etc,  have not yet reached our shores. I would have loved to go to the popular Ukokkei Ramen Ron and Yushoken but they were just too far from our "mad rush" before Christmas.  So in the end, we would all have to settle for what they were brewing in KONBINI STORE.

You know what? From that first sip of KONBINI RAMEN I was already very happy with its uncomplicated flavors. Remember it was during a time when lining up for an hour just to get a hot bowl of Ramen was not yet in existence. Sometimes, in our crazy hankering to get a taste of what's popular or sought after by other foodies, we tend to forget that there are other "little-stores-that-could".

And believe me, that store in Connecticut Greenhills could whip up a delicious piping hot bowl of Ramen!!! 

KONBINI STORE TOKYO MARKET!

Wow! This was also during a time when THAT dress still fit!

RUSTIC MORNINGS BY ISABELO (AGAIN)

I normally do not make plans during Sundays with friends because we always spend our weekend lunch with family. But then Jojie, our NFFAF friend (that's New Found Fogi and Fretty for you), was celebrating his birthday and invited to treat the whole group for brunch. Everyone was available only on a Sunday so that meant I had to send my regrets to my loving family and promised we will just join them next Sunday.

My Mom (with celebratory howls and party music in the background) : Oh that's too bad... But if you're not available next Sunday it's okay too.....

What the...???

Just kidding! He he he he!

So after mass we headed straight to RUSTIC MORNINGS BY ISABELO which seemed like a thousand miles from where we lived. Good thing I remember that the food is something worth travelling far for from my last brunch there with my high school friend so I was not fretting too much.

And again it was another great time with my BP Group made extra special by the delicious food and of course the celebration for birthday boy Jojie! As usual we did not have enough time taking pictures and sharing stories that we were already thinking of another day to meet up.

Check out another crazy meet up with my friends our families this time at RUSTIC MORNINGS BY ISABELO!

Oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY dear JOJIE!

!!!

KRAZY GARLIK

On one particular Fridate, the Chinese Adonis did his usual routine of picking me up from work and doing that habitual question which he has asked more than "Will you marry me..."

Because for us, it's always "Where do you want to eat?"

Usually every Friday the regular contenders were Causeway Seafood and Restaurant, Yabu, and now since I'm very addicted to noodles, we would always go for Ramen Nagi.  But for that Friday, I was stumped. I don't know. Blame it on old age or me discovering that I just gained another 6lbs because I suddenly lost all the will to decide where to go for dinner.

Now looking closely at the Chinese Adonis, he suddenly got all excited. You would THINK that he'll get worried seeing his wife not having the appetite to eat. But NOOOOH. He was so ecstatic that finally we're not going to have another dinner at Ramen Nagi that immediately he blurted out what he has been craving for in a loooong time.

KRAZY GARLIK.

Now don't get me wrong, I am a bit curious of KRAZY GARLIK but we haven't eaten there yet because, well, they don't have Ramen (tee hee)! So this time my sudden lack of interest in choosing where to eat was my husband's gain. And I'm glad Yub got his way tonight because KRAZY GARLIK was mighty good.

PLUS, it cured me from my mood swings that Friday because garlic does that to "special beings" right? Tee hee!

KRAZY GARLIK!

KRAZY GARLIK is located at the second floor of the new wing of Promenade in Greenhills. 

TONG YANG SHABU SHABU AND BARBECUE RESTAURANT

One Friday night, the Chinese Adonis and I met up with NFFAFF (New Found Fogi And Fretty Friends) Gem and Jojie to celebrate the latter's birthday. They were also treating our BP Group (won't tell what it means... ha ha ha ha!) on another weekend so I thought that as thanks, the Yub and I would have an earlier birthday treat to this generous couple.

The choice of Gem that night was TONG YANG SHABU SHABU AND BARBECUE RESTAURANT in Promenade, Greenhills and since I haven't tried their buffet yet, I happily agreed! The Chinese Adonis and I absolutely love Shabu Shabu and for the option to eat THAT all-we-can is enough to make us feel birthday celebrants as well!

Yup! Food does that to us! It's ALWAYS our ticket to cloud 9!

Besides the other thing of course. That is, if we have any!

Bwa ha ha ha!

TONG YANG SHABU SHABU AND BARBECUE RESTAURANT!

It's in the new wing of Promenade in Greenhills!

LEAVING LAS VEGAS!!!!!

And FINALLY.

After about 4 months of non-stop posting about our US trip last May, it has finally come to this.... 

Our last blog entry about our US vacation to celebrate Andrei's 7th birthday!!!!

I know you may already be sick and tired of this but sorry to say, the Chinese Adonis and I ARE NOT. He he he he! Besides, we did ERICJAZ FOODIES to serve as our online diary/photo album and since we enjoyed our family vacation in the US so much, we want to remember every single minute of it!

So with this, I bring to you our last day in Las Vegas.... hopefully, for now. Tee hee!

Anywho, the day of our flight, I woke up extra early for THIS.

OW EM.... to the highest maximum gulay! It's the day of our flight and I haven't even started with packing all our boxes and bags!! Even if the Chinese Adonis was willing to help, I have my own proven technique in doing it (taught by the great Ate Shiela) that saves space and cushions even the most fragile of objects. 

But since I was too hungry (AND lazy) to function, I went to the kitchen to have some breakfast first!

Garlic rice with lots of ham!

Crispy Bacon!