Happy Birthday Rins!

By | Celebrations, Foodie | No Comments

We are so happy to be able to spend Rina’s 40th birthday with her!   I am fortunate to have her as one of my best friends!  Happy Birthday Rins!!!

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We celebrated in Hai Shin Lou.  

Suharto ordered so many dishes….. 

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My favorite dish that evening, Olive fried rice.  I do not know the exact name but I have never had olive fried rice before and this was really tasty and YUMMY! 

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The proud waiter showing off the FRESH Lapu Lapu 

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Already cooked and served 

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All the seafoods were FRESH and really good! Must always order the “pitik pitik” or sea mantis

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Previous Entry:  Hai Shin Lou May 16, 2008  

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New Year’s Countdown Spread

By | Celebrations, Foodie | 5 Comments

After dinner, we all congregated in the hotel room of Dad and Mom and continued our New Year’s countdown…. This was our food spread which we put on the coffeetable. Mom brought all the gourmet stuff which she bought in the food hall of Mitsukoshi and we brought all the junk food 🙂

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Wow!! Yummy strawberries from Japan- they look so perfect!! and taste really good!! Mom buys the condensed milk that comes in a tube and we sometimes add it to the strawberries, but usually it does not need it anymore 

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Sparkling juice for the kids since they can’t drink champagne 🙂 

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Hmmm….so why is Javier sipping some champagne…nevermind just a little for New Years! 

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Yum yum!! 

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Almond leaf cookie – really good!! You need to try this when you go to Japan!! I wish someone here in the Philippines can make this! 

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French Cheese which everyone loved! 

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And wow!! Japanese MUSK Melon!! YUMMY!!!! The most expensive melon in the world!! So only on special occassions!  I think one slice costs 2,000 + yen each.  And one whole melon can cost from 10,000 yen to 20,000 yen ( US$ 200 plus )

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New Years Countdown on TV and Dad checking if his I-Phone is synchronized. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! 

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Kiryu New Year’s Dinner

By | Foodie, Travel | 2 Comments

For New Year’s Eve, we wanted to celebrate in a good restaurant in Osaka…It is quite difficult since some close early and some are not even opened 

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Aside from that, is hard to find a restaurant that will allow you to bring your wines, so James searched all over for a restaurant that would allow and at the same time have good food… so we were lucky to have found this TEPPANYAKI restaurant which was in an Italian hotel by the train station. WOW! What a great Teppanyaki experience!!

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They even had a Sommelier! 

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Yum Yum! Crispy fried garlic 

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 Lobster Sashimi

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All the raw ingredients prepared for cooking 

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Since we were the only ones in the restaurant, We had 4 chefs cooking for us.  I think it was more because they wanted us to eat fast so they could go home and celebrate with their families 🙂 But I think it was just right because they had to cook many different dishes for everyone so it was an efficient way to do it

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In Japan, they take everything seriously!!  Every detail is always thought out so well.   

These prawns were still alive and so fresh  

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 This is the head and the legs which they still cook and make it so well that it tastes so good!

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The steaks!  Paul had asked the chef what kind of beef, and the chef said a name which I cannot remember, but apparently it is even better than Kobe.  It was really good!! 

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Freshly grated wasabi!!  Each one had their own

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Take note of the set up for the steak 

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My order, foie gras teppanyaki!! This is really just a side order, but this was already my main

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And this Japanese fried rice was so unique!!!! First time for me to see this way of cooking.  That is the “tutong”.  

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This version – they purposely make the tutong..they get part of the rice and they flatten it and make it fried till it is brown and crispy…

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they even put some kind of sauce on it 

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After which they cut it into pieces and put it as topping for the fried rice 

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Nothing goes to waste…Lobster Miso made out of the parts that were removed from the Teppanyaki Lobster

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And this dessert!! Wow! It came with Mom’s set dinner! 

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Golden Spoon, Japan

By | Travel, Yummy! | 2 Comments

Two years ago, our friends, Howard and Lynn, took us to Golden Spoon in Palm Springs.  We all loved it, especially the kids

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So when we found out they opened in Japan, we made sure we stopped by to get some! YUMMY!!!  The nice thing about Golden Spoon which is different from the other frozen yogurt shops is that:

1.)  they have plenty flavors to choose from – they don’t carry all at once but they rotate the flavors

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2.)  It is CREAMY and tastes like PREMIUM ICE CREAM. You can’t believe it is yogurt! One reason maybe the kids really love it

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yet it is still HEALTHY! 

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We hope we can have this in the Philippines!!!!  Who knows ? 

Golden Spoon Tokyo – this branch was situated beside a skating rink in a mall.  It was a small one and had only 3 flavors to choose from

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The whole family loves it!! 

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Golden Spoon, Universal City Walk, Osaka – this branch was a much bigger one!  They had maybe 15 to 20 flavors to choose from

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Yakiniku Den

By | Foodie, Travel | No Comments

In Universal City Walk, We like eating in Yakiniku Den. We remember eating here two years ago and we wanted to go back so we made sure we looked for it.   Yakiniku is really a good choice when in a big group, you get to order many kinds and share it.  We highly recommend this place

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Of course, we love looking at the menu in MOCK UP form 🙂 

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They have plenty variety to choose from and all kinds of price points  

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All kinds of sauces, sweet, spicy, regular, good thing our brother Paul was there to translate for us…. 

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lettuce to those who like to wrap their beef 

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Tongue  

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Which comes with this garlic sauce- YUMMY! Basically tongue does not have much taste so they give a sesame oil sauce with salt in it and chopped garlic

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Prime Rib Eye – YUMMY! Look at the marbling of the beef

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Previous Entry:  Universal City Walk, Osaka January 27, 2009 

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Universal City Walk, Osaka

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As soon as you get out of the MTR station, you are already in Universal City Walk.  There are no cars in this area.  Universal City Walk leads to Universal Studios and in it are restaurants and shops

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This store always seems to attract me!  🙂 

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There are many restaurants and some shops- we go for the restaurants 🙂 Normally we eat inside Universal Studios to save on time- but dinner we eat here before going home. Universal City Walk at night… dsc_8620.JPG

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Jaime has to have his RAMEN! 

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 And Quito bought Takoyaki

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For more information, please visit the website ( you can translate it to English ):  Universal City Walk, Osaka 

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Previous Entry:  Universal Studios Japan Jan. 26, 2009

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Universal Studios Japan

By | Entertainment, Travel | 2 Comments

After Tokyo, we took the bullet train which took two hours to get to Osaka.  We enjoyed Universal Studios two years ago, so we wanted to go back again 🙂    

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Taken from their website:  Universal Studios Japan 

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Since it is holiday for the Japanese as well, it is worth it to buy the FAST PASS tickets so that you don’t wait too long in the lines or else you won’t finish all the rides in one day

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One of the BEST! You feel like you are in the comic book itself! 

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Dad was eyeing this Spiderman thing in the shop!  OH NO! 

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Guaranteed to get wet if you sit in front! 

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Waterworld…a stunt show!  I wish Kevin Costner was actually there 🙂 

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We go crazy with all the kinds of hats they have there!!! And it really keeps you warm- not only as decoration for your head!  🙂 

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 There are rides and shows for all ages 

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YUMMY CHURROS AND HOTDOGS!!! 

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The latest ride is their roller coaster  

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 Some pages taken from their website, for more information, please visit:  Universal Studios Japan

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The Terrace at 5th

By | Events and Launches, Foodie | No Comments

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A brand new dining destination at Greenbelt 5, The Terrace at 5th is an exciting pristine restaurant that sits unobtrusively over-looking a lush garden and the restaurant row of Greenbelt 2. the-terrace-5th22.jpg 

The cuisine is an eclectic mix from a delectable menu of the treasured family recipes of its owners – headed by its executive chef Cecille Ysmael with her six good friends and food connoisseurs Ching Cruz, Maricris Zobel, Menchu Soriano, Carol Garcia,  and interior designers Ivy and Cynthia Almario (who is behind the simple yet beautifully designed interiors). 

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This is a sure dining destination for any meal in the day.

 

The Terrace at 5th is the new restaurant of Chef Cecille Ysmael who first shared with us her passion for Thai cuisine with her highly esteemed restaurant Thai at Silk in Serendra.  It projects an idyllic charm with simple yet distinctly appealing interior design that provides a relaxing dining ambiance.  Floral murals, bird cage ceiling lamps, French windows with gooseberry accents, warm shades of green and white exude comfort and class. 

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Enjoy such succulent starters as Cynthia’s Amazing Artichoke Dip whose flavor just bursts in the mouth or the Calamares Fritos which is scrumptious with every bite. Warm up with a mouth-watering Tomato Al L’uovo, a tomato egg-drop soup with fresh coriander. A must-try is the Terrace Salad which is the restaurant’s signature salad of fresh garden greens with crunchy almond chips. Indulge on the rich and bold Crabmeat Pasta with Tarragon or the Laing Pasta a la Cristina with taro leaves and white shrimp simmered to perfection in coconut milk.

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Satisfy your palate with the Cote d’Azur Seafood platter, grilled or chilled, served with garlic alioli and cocktail mignonette sauce.

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Slowly roasted for 12 hours and reduced in rich balsamic sauce, the Homestyle Confit of Pork Belly is another dish to behold. Steak-lovers will enjoy every luxurious bite into The Terrace at 5th’s char-grilled or pan-grilled USDA Prime angus steak like 1,000 grams Porterhouse, Rib Eye or Fillet Mignon.

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Finish with a Gateau de Crepe, a Mango Jubilee or a Chocolate Fondue to complete an already exquisite meal.

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And of course, what’s a terrific meal without the company of fine wine? Try their extensive selection which offers everything from red wines such as Cape Mentelle Margaret River/Cabernet Merlot, Terrazas Reserva Malbec/Mendoza, and the Green Point Pinot Noir/Yarra Valley Victoria, and white wines such as Casa Lapostelle Sauvignon Blanc/Maipo, Green Point Chardonnay/Yarra Valley Victoria, and Terrazas de los Andes Chardonnay/Mendoza. Offered at a special prize of Php 2,950.00 until the end of February is the Moet et Chandon Brut Imperial.

Chef Cecille will even lovingly prepare a dish in a different way if you call in advance.  The Dungenese crab has been cooked in many different ways for many of Chef Cecille’s more discerning clients who have an adventurous palate.

Food lovers will, without a doubt, take note of the amazing new dining experience that The Terrace at 5th will provide. 

 

For reservations call 729-0860, 729-6860, text 0917-827-6860 or e-mail terraceat5th@yahoo.com. 

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