A friend of ours, Dindin, has recenty started a website to showcase all her photos. Dindin told me that her favorite subjects are horses and flowers.
I like most especially reading about the person behind the camera……..
My favorites are of course FOOD! Dindin, next time let’s eat and you take the photos for my website okay? 🙂
AND FLOWERS!
Website: Din Din Lagdameo Photography[email_link]
My friend has been bed ridden the past few months due to a delicate pregnancy. Her husband who is so sweet and so caring had a great idea! He set up a dining table in their bedroom so she could still see and eat with her family and friends.
So one evening, we actually had dinner in their bedroom! We organized a potluck and everyone brought a dish for dinner so we could cheer up our friend and keep her company………and it was so much fun!
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This is my parent’s dining table. It is here that we have many family meals, celebrate many special occassions and where my parents host their friends. I have been part of many of those meals and up to this day, I look forward to every meal we have here – aside from the great food that Mom serves and prepares, it is the overall experience that is most memorable and most important is dining with many personalities and friends of my parents.
They particularly chose a round dining table as a very good friend of theirs, Tito Robbie Delgado, influenced them in choosing round as the shape of their table. A round table is the best shape because you get to see and talk to everyone in the table. Our dining table at home is also round and it is perfect.
Another wonderful evening with another of Dad and Mom’s barkada….
Tito Danny is so easy to get along with… such a nice guy! I noticed that he keeps watching me taking photos. Tita Ising was James’ seatmate and he told me later on that he enjoyed taking care of her that evening. She strikes me as a quiet person, soft spoken and I admire her for her simplicity and for being very low profile. Andy pointed out to me that she is the only person who drinks her red wine with ice.
and of course I documented it 🙂
The ever so pretty and lovely Tita Baby. Ever since I met her, she has never aged and she is as beautiful as ever. Tito Cesar on the other hand has always been a good family friend and by the way, if you are looking to buy a Mercedez Benz… do contact him 🙂
My seatmate, Andy, is the “BIG BOSS” of Shangri-la. I enjoyed chatting with him. He is a super smart lawyer, a funny guy and is “taken”! 🙂 Tisha is the lucky wife and is the daughter of Tita Baby. Now we know where she gets her charm and good looks. I see Tisha in Mother’s Club and she helps her Mom run Franck Provost and CAS. ( previous Entry: Beauty 101 April 29, 2008 )
And my other seatmate, Patrick, friend of Tito Cesar and a Swiss banker based in Hong Kong. Also a nice guy…but “spoken for” as well 🙂
I enjoy eating kobe beef with this group- they fry their beef fat and eat it. Everyone in the table did it. They really know how to enjoy eating!!
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We hosted a dinner in honor of Gil and Christine because we wanted to get to know Christine better. We remember our friendship with Gil through all these years…And it is funny that among all the girlfriends of Gil, Christine was the only one we did not get to know so well and she ends up being THE ONE! We are so happy that Gil has finally found his future partner in life. We hope to continue to be part of your life as a married couple and we only wish you the best!
One of Manila’s most eligible bachelor………not anymore 🙂
We welcome Christine into our family…. I say OUR FAMILY because we feel very much a part of their family as we love them all! We are fortunate to know and be friends with a great family!
I see a little of myself in Christine as I remember documenting everything – from dates, pictures, souvenirs etc..
With their permission, Heart2Heart is happy to share their wedding website which Christine created. And here are some of the pages which is taken from that beautiful website
Wedding Website: Gil and Christine Wedding
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It was nice to see Derek and Lally during their short visit to the Philippines. Lally was a batchmate in Assumption highschool and Ateneo for college. She migrated to Canada and is now married to Derek with two daughters. Lally was one of the people who believed in me and suggested that I put up Heart2Heart. Thanks Lals for the encouragement and for all your advice.
I am also so happy to meet Derek. He is a Radiologist and is the second guy I know, next to Tito Serge, that likes Gardening. Derek does boxed gardening since he said in Toronto, they do not have much space in their homes for big gardens, so they put their gardens by their windows. We get along because he also likes desserts!! One of his favorites is also my favorite, brazo de mercedez.
I gave Lally a short list of restos to choose from where we could meet up and I am glad she chose Le Gourmet at Rustan’s. Good answer! Good answer! 🙂
I chose a basic french dish – Croque Monsieur which I truly enjoyed!
Lally’s order- Pasta Marinara
Dereks’ order – Legumes Farcis ( Stuffed Vegetable Plate )
And of course Derek and I split two desserts!
Mousse Au Chocolat
Tiramisu
It was a nice lunch to catch up a bit on Lally. Hope to see you guys again soon…hopefully in Toronto!
Previous Entry: Le Gourmet at Rustan’s March 10, 2008
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Thanks to Sammy and Emily for bringing us to this place! This is Heart2Heart’s favorite restaurant this trip. I particularly like businesses with personal touches, where the owners are the ones hands on and running the place, businesses with stories behind them, those that start from scratch and take the risk to bring their concept and ideas to life….. It is really admirable!
They will be opening also in the Ayala Mall as their second location. I can’t wait till they come to Manila. According to Chef Robert, they are looking for locations in Makati and are open to franchising. PLEASE HURRY!
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The Gustavian celebrates the decadence and glamour brought to Sweden in the 1750’s by Crown Prince Gustav III. Gustav, who studied in France, was crowned King of Sweden and proceeded to rapidly change the whole country in to a Cultural movement that included fine cuisine.
Sweden has since become one of the most delightful aspects of the French cuisine family tree.
Scandinavian cuisine is a melting pot of the Haute Cuisine of the Baltic, Russian, Polish, Finish and of course Swedish/French fine dining heritage over the past 300 years.
We hope you will enjoy our own version of preparing dishes created by great chefs from the past, and with our own updated twist in presentation!
‘The Gustavian’ Country Farmer’s Delicatessen
….is fresh from the Old World era, serving homemade European sausages and artisan breads in the heart of Cebu City in the Philippines. The Gustavian is the inspiration of Chef Robert Lilja a renowned master Chef and Saucier who was previously named as the No 1 in customer satisfaction for the Marriott Hotel chain and was one of their star chefs. Chef Robert has risen through the ranks at some of the finest restaurants in Europe. In addition, master chef Dietmar Dietrich has recently joined the Gustavian. He comes with a wealth of experience and has tended to the stoves of many of the finest establishments in Europe. This great combination ensures that the Gustavian is truly world class and the best continental restaurant in the Philippines.
The warm roasting smell of freshly baked bread greets customers as they enter into the broad veranda.
The Gustavian makes sausages, pickles, smoked meats and sea foods along with its artisan breads. Authentic rustic breads, pugliese, potato walnut bread, pumpernickel rye, and Tuscane are offered daily from the Gustavian’s state of the art ovens. Crusty baguettes emerge steaming from the oven, inviting a spread of shrimp paste and dill cream cheese, fresh from the Deli’s creamery.
Chef’s Robert & Dietmar excel at the character and quality of the Old World, but slyly surprises one with their delicate and delicious touches such as sweet Visayan mango slice in the tart prawn’s Caesar salad; crunchy-salty caviar sprinkled on uni (sea urchin sushi) on fresh-cracked oysters; walnut and potato in soft yeasty whole wheat bread with herbed butter spreads.
The Gustavian offers restaurant service for breakfast, lunch and dinner to showcase its home-made offerings from the Deli. In addition, an ever changing menu offers delicacies such as the kitchen specialty, fillet of beef with the trademark pepper, morel and gorgonzola sauce, arguably the best in the Philippines. Omaha Angus seared to perfection, presented with asparagus and green salad, crusted potato rissole that melts in the mouth, and the smoked salmon Caesar dressing combine perfectly for an unforgettable meal.
Chef’s Robert & Dietmar combine the traditional herbs and spices of European sausages into their home-made products. The fresh sun dried tomato sausage features basil and pine nuts for a Mediterranean flair, another has fennel seed and coriander, while thyme & rosemary flavors one of the best fresh sausages one has ever tasted. These are but a few examples of the starters in a line that will feature many standards as well as a changing palette of flavors and affinities, with no doubt occasional zestful surprises from the chef’s broad repertoire.
Healthful, organic, and robustly gourmet are the complementary themes of the Gustavian Country Farmers Market Delicatessen. During the morning you may breakfast on eggs and home-cured bacon with walnut bread and sausage. Sautéed oyster mushrooms, Italian tomato slices, and a sprig of thyme enhance the delicate flavors of the Da Vinci sausage and raise the meal from mere breakfast to memorable.
You may satisfy your appetite and your palate by dining in the restaurant, or shop for take-out meals, sausages, breads and bagels, spices and herbs, European and home-made cheeses and spreads, or packaged hard-to-find items like polenta, couscous, risotto, olives, or Parma ham and Genoa salami.
The décor and the settings resonate with Old World flair. Fleur-de-lis and artichoke motif chandeliers accent the high ceiling with its boxed Swedish Cross that forms the core of the dining area. The rustic Tuscany tile floor, pine-top tables, and elegant rattan chairs complement the hearty gourmet offerings from the kitchen.
Restrooms on both ends of the resto
Country cooking from the Old World makes its home in Cebu in the hearty, rustic gourmet kitchens of the Gustavian. Add to that a dash of Chef Robert’s and Chef Dietmar’s flair from their endless repertory of culinary knowledge, and the ingredients are transformed into a world class dining experience.
Paradise Baked Artichokes/Raclette/House Cream cheese dip with French bread- of course this was my order- YUMMY! Everything they had with cheese was DELICIOUS! 
Macaroni Cheese and Prawns – YUMMY!!!
Pan Fried Salmon Steak
Ostrich Madagascar
US Angus Rib Eye steak
Another unique feature of the place is the BREAD BUFFET. I love dips and spreads!! And here you can choose whatever bread and whatever dips you want to go with your bread. It is part of the meal if you are eating there.
James chose one dessert from the pastry showcase- CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE- YUMMY!!!!!!
Chocolate souffle with Raspberry Sorbet
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In Cebu, there is a Pasalubong store right before you reach the airport. So if you have time, try to buy all your pasalubongs either in that Pasalubong center ( you will not miss it – yellow building ) or in supermarkets in the city. Because just like anything else, the stuff in the airport are always more expensive.
The original and the best dried mango brand
SHAMROCK brand is supposedly the best brand but it was not available at the time I was shopping…or maybe I just did not see it
and now they have other varieties of Otap…with cinnamon
Of course, there is CHICHARON many many brands all over but of course we try to be healthy and so we buy this which actually is a far cry from the ones with fat
This Peanut browas I discovered from my sister. It is like lenguas de gato but has peanut flavor. Lola Pureza is a good brand
and Lola Pureza also has mini mamon which is a popular product as well. It is small mamons that are toasted
Dad and Mom never fails to buy their danggit..again trying to be healthy, we get the UNSALTED one. It is still salty though. Fry it ( in olive oil ) and then serve with scrambled egg and garlic rice! yummy!
and Palad Flakes
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SM Cebu, SM Mall, G/F Fiesta Strip, Tel. 032-231-6455
Cebu Ayala, Ayala Center Mall, Cebu City Tels. 032-231-8460/032-231-8456
Ayala Center Annex, Ayala Center, Annex Business Park, Tel. 032-4151911
Crown Regency, G/F Crown Regency, Hotel & Towers, Osmeña Blvd. Tel. 032-238-6851 
SM Cebu Northwing, Upper Ground Floor, SM Cebu City Tel. 032-2363161
No photo since we were not able to visit this store:
Paseo Arcenas Cebu, G/F Paseo Center, Arcenas Estate, Duterte Street, Banawa, Tel. 032-261-4709
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Another Cebu favorite. This place was introduced to us by Tita Elizabeth and ever since then Dad and Mom always come back. Dad always looks for seafood restaurants since he tries to avoid meat. So he has Victoria’s City Seafood in HK, Oriental Garden in NY, Hai Shin Lou in Manila, and Ching Palace in Cebu.
What is interesting also in the restaurant is the owner’s collection of Koi and parrots. It is displayed on the walls of the restaurant.
Good chinese food and fresh seafood! The crab and the eel was very good. They did not have the fresh lobster sushi which dad and mom always order. You need to request for it since it is not in the menu.
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