the "trips" & "falls" of a divine viva

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Trellis Loyalist

Trellis along Kalayaan Ave. used to be our favorite Thursday hang-out place when my husband and I were still single. Now, that we have a family, it has evolved to be our family's favorite restaurant to eat sisig. Yes, our daughters love Trellis' sisig. This is where our kids learned to eat and appreciate sisig.

This is still the same sisig we have come to love. I've tasted a lot of sisigs in my lifetime but Trellis has that distinct taste that they can call their own. You can line up the sisig from Dencio's, Gerry's Grill, Sisig Hooray Trellis, etc. and I would know which one is from Trellis. My husband and I are in agreement that their sisig is way up there in our list of best sisigs in town. As a matter of fact, their sisig has been their ticket to fame.

Everytime we visit Trellis, the smell of sizzling sisig fills the air and every table has a sizzling plate of sisig on it. But aside from their famous sisig, what we usually order here are Spiced Spareribs with its thick flavorful sauce or marinade, Lechon Kawali (served with kangkong in oyster sauce) and Crackling Liempo (with tomatoes, onions and bagoong Balayan).

What I like about Trellis is that they have maintained the original taste of their food. Their Spiced Spareribs still had that combined taste of sweetness and "mysterious" spicyness. Though the spicyness part would just start to kick in a few minutes after having a spoonful of this. It's like the spicy kick would hit you slowly, but surely, without you noticing it. That's why I call it mysterious. But this dish is delicious, nonetheless.

Spiced Spareribs

The Lechon Kawali never fails to satisfy our fried pork cravings.

Lechon Kawali

A plate of Crispy Tenga is a perfect appetizer, paired with a glass of cold San Mig Light (for my husband).

Crispy Tenga

I know, there are a lot of restaurants out there that serve good sisig. But I'm one Trellis'-sisig loyalist and I will probably die still a Trellis'-sisig loyalist. We can check out the ratings given to Trellis by others through OpenSnap.

OpenSnap is an app designed by a hungry team, utilizing the full OpenRice content from one million restaurants across Asia. The combination of passion for food and knowledge in this industry is the perfect recipe for the ideal photo dining guide.

For more restaurants and food finds, download OpenSnap app from App Store or Google Play.

Beeffalo Rocks!

Remember Hot Rocks? That steakhouse, which looked like a big cargo crate located along Libis before? They transferred to another location and changed its name to Beeffalo. Beeffalo is located along Mayor Gil Fernando Avenue in Marikina.

Not only has their name and location been changed but also the look and feel of their restaurant. Imagine a house with a big backyard where you can invite friends and relatives for a barbecue party. That's Beeffalo's ambiance.

They also added more on their menu and have given it a more sophisticated touch.

Their locally-sourced steaks (“Angas” beef for Batangas beef), which will not cost you an arm and a leg, dominate this resto and rightfully so. Their steaks range from about half an inch to an inch thick. It’s tasty and will definitely fill you. They still offer their own versions of steak sauces. I suggest they consider including the cream of mushroom gravy type for their steaks.

They also offer pizza, pastas, salads and desserts.

For our hungry family of 5, we ordered one Porterhouse Steak and requested for that particular beef with lots of fats, hehehe. We also had Chicken Barbecue, Baby Back Ribs, Pork Barbecue and their Barbecue Platter. For appetizers, we tried their Nachos and Three-Cheese Biscuit Pizza.

The porterhouse steak is served with mashed potatoes and side salad. It's big and about half an inch thick for their regular size.

The chicken barbecue, pork barbecue and baby back ribs are served with java rice and atchara.

The Barbecue Platter consisted of 3 sticks each of Pork Isaw, Tenga, Bulaklak. This is the glamorized version of those we're fond of buying along the streets. But here, you are assured that you're eating something clean.

I recommend this place for steak and and barbecue lovers like us. Well, who doesn't like steaks? The place is great for family simple celebrations or just a simple night out with your friends or after-office one-for-the road.

We, not only enjoyed their food but also their homey ambiance. And we'll surely be back!

Beeffalo is just one of the many restaurants that is worthy to visit in Marikina. There's really plenty more and they are too many to mention. But there's no need to fret and panic because there's one application that can help us find these other restos in Marikina -- OpenSnap.

For more restaurants and food finds, download OpenSnap app from App Store or Google Play.

Vanilla Cupcake is Love

“Sugar and spice and everything nice”- it’s what best describes Vanilla Cupcake Bakery. The goodies and treats are fit for little girls and pretty, young ones and “young-once” like me who sometimes refuse to grow up. The first time I checked out the place by myself, I couldn’t help but feel like a little girl again. I thought about our girls and how they would love it here. After I got a taste of one of their cupcakes, I immediately decided to bring my daughters here. But it was many months after that I was able to finally bring them.

I thought my husband would feel a bit "out-of-place". But to my surprise, he was at home. In fact, very much at home.

We came here after having our lunch and it was such a treat to visit the place after having a full meal at a nearby resto. There were a lot of seats to choose from and there were different types, too. There are seats that are fit for princesses and there are seats good for a tete-a-tete. We chose the seats in the corner where we can see the outside world, the one with a swing seat.

All those cupcakes with icings in pastel colors were just too pretty to eat. It was hard to decide which ones to try because they were too many and we wanted to try them all. A cupcake costs around Php80-Php140. The price may be steep for a piece but it’s the same thing with eating a slice of cake in your favorite coffee shop, it can cost you around that same amount or even more. And besides, there's this "cuteness" factor in every bite.

Finishing just one whole cupcake will leave you a pound heavier. Because these are not the light and fluffy kind. Each Vanilla Cupcake cupcake is packed with real ingredients and not just air. I also love how their icings are super-thick. I think, it comprises 1/3 of the whole cupcake itself. Just look at the one below!

What we ordered:

Vanilla Pink – Topped with a decadent swirl buttercream frosting, this cupcake had a muffin-like texture. I think this is the most basic cupcake of all their cupcakes available. It had just the right amount of sweetness to it. I found the pink icing so cute.

Salted Caramel - Moist and tasty. The caramel icing with that hint of "saltiness" on top was my favorite. The first time I tasted the icing, I knew I found the ONE.

Cookies & Cream - A bit crumbly as expected, because of the cookie pieces on top. This was our eldest daughter's favorite.

Eating a Vanilla Cupcake cupcake, wasn't really mind-blowing, mind you. But we enjoyed eating the cupcakes just the same. What makes the eating experience different is that you're like being "tickled in pink" while eating it because of the overall ambiance and atmosphere of the shop.

Imagine being transported to the '50s era... ladies donning pretty balloon dresses and little girls, all prim and proper, with pink ribbons on their hair, etc.

Even their comfort room is reminiscent of the '50s. Our little girls couldn't get enough of it (going to the washroom), haha! So, you see, there's more to this cupcake shop than its cupcakes.

A Vanilla Cupcake cupcake is a cute gift for any sweet occasion. They are also nice to have as party give-aways. Surprising a loved one with a dozen of these cupcakes in a dainty, pretty package will burn a hole in your pocket but will definitely leave a good impression on the recipient.

It’s a comfort dessert. I wouldn’t mind receiving a box of these on my birthday or Mother's Day. This time, I don't mind at all... to have my cupcake and eating it, too.

The Vanilla Cupcake Bakery featured here is their branch in Bonifacio Global City. If BGC is far from you, VCB has other branches and you can check where their other branches are located through OpenSnap.

For more restaurants and food finds, download OpenSnap app from App Store or Google Play.

Friday, September 4, 2015

Hail to my Caesar at Uncle Cheffy

When I heard of Uncle Cheffy Brick-Oven, my initial reaction was like, “Brick oven? I like that, let’s try it.” Brick oven reminds me of those famous and best pizza restos I used to watch in a lifesyle show. My family loves pizza, so this resto appeals to us quite instantly.

Wood and brick walls predominantly line the interior of this restaurant. It has this rustic, log cabin appeal to it. Their menu offers a fusion of Italian, Spanish, Filipino and American cuisine.

When you look at their menu and see their rates, you would think that they’re a bit pricey. But when we were informed that their servings “are good enough for sharing”, it became reasonable.

Their house specialty is their brick-oven panizza served on a tray made of wood, so much like our traditional wooden chopping board. We tried their All-Meat Barbecued Panizza, Uncle Cheffy Salad and Baked Oysters.

The Baked Oysters were good. Though the cheese on top did not fully cover the entire shell. Each order has 12 oyster shells (or even more, I guess), with 2 oysters served in each shell. They were fresh and juicy.

We were most excited about the panizza that when it arrived on our table and saw how cheesy it was, we couldn’t wait to take a sample. We also immediately noticed how thin it was. My hubby said that it looked like a rectangular pita bread with lots of melted cheese on top. I couldn’t agree more. The wooden board where it was served on included 2 bowls of “sidedishes” -- tomato salsa and arugulas. You can opt to roll the paper- thin pizza and stuff it with those side dishes and eat it like you would any taco-roll. The cheeses on our panizza were so filling. We were happy with it!

The Uncle Cheffy Salad I ordered was the best! I fell in love with it rightaway. I didn’t want to share it when I first tasted it because I wanted everything for myself. It was that good! It had big chunks of crispy pork belly, asparagus, sliced potatoes and dijonaise dressing. Nothing was overpowering. The saltiness that comes from the pork belly, the mustardy taste from the dressing, the smoky-bacon flavor from the potato just perfectly blended. It was a well-executed dish. Their solo serving was good enough for sharing.

Next time, I’ll have this again. I highly recommend this to anyone. In fact, my husband kept on asking me for my pork bellies. No way, Jose! If you happen to crave for something healthy and sinful at the same time...this one's for you.

Uncle Cheffy serves high-quality dishes. Their serving is generous. I just wish they would consider serving free appetizers or breadbasket while the customers are waiting for orders just like in other restos. How about a complimentary plate of baked oysters???

I highly recommend this place located in Eastwood Mall. There are a lot of restaurants which is worth a try here in Eastwood.

This is where OpenSnap can help, because nowadays with the myriads of restaurants, "looking for the best place to eat can take forever, but now you can browse the FASTEST way with OpenSnap!"

For more restaurants and food finds, download OpenSnap app from App Store or Google Play.

Monday, August 31, 2015

My Dream Homes

I'm a dreamer at heart. I love to imagine and picture things on my mind. As far as as I can remember, I was so young, maybe around 12 years old, when I would imagine what my dream house looks like. Until now, I still have on my mind the picture of that dream house -- it's predominantly white, modern but has a very homey ambiance, very airy and spacious with lots of windows where I can see the garden surrounding a medium-sized pool.

The look of my dream house has not really changed over time. I still like it with lots of windows. It's just that now, I get a lot more inspiration from various magazines, TV shows featuring great houses and locations and most especially from the online world.

One such website that can help us find our perfect home is Property24.com.ph. Having a portal like this is a big help to people who are looking for their dream home. I checked it out and came up with my top 7 list of properties which would pass as my dream properties.

I am suppose to list down 5 only but four on my list of "Most-coveted Properties in Property 24" are situated in 1 location --Tagaytay. Why Tagaytay? It is where my papa and mama would always bring us when my siblings and I were still young. It was our favorite outing destination. This place brings back a lot of memories during my childhood. So, forgive me, if I have come up with not 5 but 7 dream homes. I got carried away browsing at the vast property listings in Property 24.

1) Land and farm in Aspenhills, Tagaytay

Take a peek of what my log cabin might look like:

This property is love. It is where I would build my dream log cabin "overlooking the verdant mountains of Batangas and Laguna, the Canlubang Valley and Laguna de Bay".

Aspenhills is perfect for my family. It is both luxurious and rustic. This is such a great place to experience and savor God's gift of nature -- one of the things I wish our children would enjoy and value.

2) A house and lot in Brgy. Kaybagal Amadeo Road, Tagaytay

House Model: CandiceLot Area: 256sqm.; Floor Area: 120sqm.; 5BR 3TB

House and Lot for sale in Tagaytay ( Tagaytay Highlands )

It has a lot area of 449 sqm. and a floor area of 215 sqm. with the following features: 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a car garage and garden.

Having this vacation house is like having your own ol' American classic country home here in the Philippines, where hedges are used in lieu of fences and walls and gates. With its very charming vibe, this house exudes the American dream. What adds to its being the perfect retreat home is where it is situated -- "The sweeping community is rich with pine trees, fragrant flowers, and herbs that bring fresh and earthy scents inside each home". I can imagine myself sitting all afternoon on our wooden porch swing just having my quiet time or having idle talks with my husband or just chilling out there with our kids.

4) A house and lot with a majestic view of Taal Volcano

The view of Taal Volcano is what makes this property an ultimate winner in my list! It's perfect for a vacation home. There's no way that I will not invite friends and relatives in this house for a sleep-over. I would gladly share my "view" with them.

5) A house and lot in Antipolo

This is a bungalow type house with a lot area of 386 sqm. and a floor area of 176 sqm. It has the following features: 3 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms, Maid's Room 1 plus 1 bathroom

Antipolo is just a few minutes away from Metro Manila yet one can already breathe a different kind of air when you're in Antipolo-- yes, fresh air! How's that for a change?

What makes this house so appealing to me is its location in Antipolo. It is located where the sun rises and adjacent to it is a protected rain forest for fresh and cool air. Who wouldn't want to wake up to a beautiful sunrise?

6) A 4 bedroom house and lot in Baguio City

Who wouldn't fall in love with this?? This log home, surrounded with pine trees with an overlooking city view of Baguio is an ultimate dream home! With a lot area of 5,616.sqm., it has 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a lot more.

Looking at something like this is like watching the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (but still on a more modest scale). What is not to love here? It's not only situated in one of the top beach destinations in the world which boasts of its baby powdery, white sands, but what is even more amazing here is that I have my own beach! Not to mention that my beach is just 0.43 km. away from Boracay's Boat Station 1 and the Grotto.

Read Property 24's description of the property and tell me if you don't wish to be in the shoes of Willie Revillame or Manny Pacquiao. I bet they can easily pay for this in cold cash....

Selling Price: Php 65,000,000

Those are my 7 dream properties and you can find yours, too, by visiting Property24.com.ph

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Cadbury Sweet Endings & My #TeamFrenchVanilla Barkada

"Is your barkada #TeamFrenchVanilla or #TeamChocolateMousse? And why?"

First of all, my barkada when it comes to having a sweet-ending day, consists of not my girlfriends or my officemates, but my two sophisticated daughters who ascribe to the ideology of Parisian chic fashion. I see this sense of delight on their faces when I tag them along for frappucinos and pastries to any place that has that French vibe to it. And there we enjoy our tete-a-tete.

While we have not been to Paris yet, we do get to enjoy and relish a lot of things French here -- lattes, frappucinos, croissants (our favorite), crepes, baguettes, pain au chocolats, creme brulee, their wine and chocolates. Oh, my kids love Madeline and her accent, too. And did I ever mention that their names are French-inspired?? -- Nina Simone, Noelle Andriana, Nala Margarithe.

So you see, it's pretty obvious that our barkada is Cadbury #TeamFrenchVanilla. Not that we don't like #TeamChocolateMousse, but I will always prefer French Vanilla anytime over everything else. If this were my husband's blog, he would be Cadbury TeamChocolateMousse. But this is my blog, period.

My #TeamFrenchVanilla Barkada

I have always loved vanilla. I love the irony of its taste -- simple yet sophisticated, basic yet exquisite. I love the pure, unadulterated taste of it. For chocolates, I have always been a Cadbury baby. No kidding! That's why Cadbury's new flavor -- French Vanilla is just perfect for me. It's the perfect thing to take during my downtime, may it be alone or with my two young barkadas, or with my entire family or friends. It's a perfect thing to take if you want to cap your day with a smile on your face. Who doesn't want to have their very own sweet ending??? I sure would love to have it every single day.

That's it! Merci.