The New Old Manila.

Are you ready for the new OLD MANILA? 

It's officially my new favourite fine dining restaurant in the country. 

It's not only delicious food prepared by Chef de Cuisine Ricardo Acquits but it's the wonderful service. 

These are my personal choices. 

Marinated Cherry Tomatoes, fresh basil in black balsamic with Burrata cheese. 

Blue Crab Tortellini Langoustine, seafood cream sauce and olive oil caviar. 

Veal Tenderloin, pesto crust, green asparagus, parmesan cream, beef-balsamic jus. 

Dry Aged CAB Rib Eye. 

This is already split into two because there's no way I can finish one order.

Baileys Semifreddo, coffee cous cos, coffee ice cream. 

My gang for the three times I have eaten in the new OLD MANILA. 

Lucy, yours truly, Mario, Rajo and Richard. 

Ghia, Joie, Steffie, Owee, Chad, Marbee and your bloggerina. 

My Yap and Vecchio Family and my baby girl.

OLD MANILA

The Peninsula Manila

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Pull and Bear in Manila.

The SSI Group, the country’s leading specialty store retailer has once again put hip and street style fashion to the forefront as they bring the young fashion brand, Pull and Bear to Manila. 

Since 1991, Pull and Bear attracts young people who are committed to their personal style. The brand satisfies their desire to dress casually and feel comfortable in their clothes by bringing together international trends, together with street and club fashion influences, and show off their reinterpreted style at affordable prices. It is current and always on the lookout for new technologies, social movements and the latest trends in arts and music. 

From the Inditex Group, which also carries the much loved brands like Zara, Massimo Dutti, Bershka and Stradivarius, Pull and Bear will see to it that Filipino stylephiles will not be disappointed. Inditex is one of the world’s biggest fashion retail groups with over 6,400 stores in 88 markets worldwide. 

Now open in its first ever store in the country at the 2nd level of SM Mega Fashion Hall, the store will be taking the look and concept of a Palm Springs-inspired ambiance. The front stands out as one of the store’s most unique features - traditional glass block or paved block, creating a spotlight that welcomes each customer. Putting out the traditional shop window, the façade will turn the heads of every passerby with projected images inviting them to come and visit the store. 

The store also flaunts its DIY and industrial look such as painted concrete, OSB and pine wood, alongside textured walls and other decorative items that create a rich backdrop of colors, materials and texture. As for lighting, the store accentuates a variety of decorative lamps to create a unique environment. 

The 872 square meter store space will display the brand’s latest and hippest collections from the women’s and men’s lines. Pull and Bear store represents another success within the brand’s expansion strategy in South-East Asia. The fashion commercial expansion of stores is already available at prime locations in Asian countries such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Thank you to my instant models and shopping buddies!

Jacqueline and Fifi

Rose Scented Eyeliner.

Everything you need to know about this eyeliner is on the photo below. I love the fact that it adds moisture to the eyelids and that it is waterproof!

Waffle Plating Contest.

When you have breakfast in the hotel for 3 days, it can get a bit boring. To spice things up, I told the girls that we should have a Waffle Plating Contest. I have done this before with my sisters and it was a lot of fun and it made breakfast a bit more interesting. 

So here they are.... I would appreciate it if you left a comment and tell me which plate you think is prettiest. The winner of this contest will get a year supply of waffle mix. 

A

B

C

D

E

Voting ends on Friday (September 19), 12 noon. 

Apinara Thai Cuisine and Bar.

One night in Bangkok, we were on our way home when we saw Groove. We got curious and instead of heading back, we decided to dine in Apinara. It's a very beautiful restaurant.

Soft shell crab with pad thai. Do not miss this. 

After a few drinks...we get a little crazy. 

Apinara is at the Groove in Central World. 

You can also find other restaurants in the area. 

Check them out here. 

Thiptara!

We had a total of 7 meals while in Bangkok. All 7 meals were nothing but Thai food. It also means 7 pad thai, 7 pomelo salad, 7 morning glory (veggies). By the third pad thai, I was begging for steak....but it didn't happen. It was Thai food for the next 4 meals until it was time to go home. 

Weirdly enough, I am craving for it just about now. 

So one of our dinners was at The Thiptara, the Thai restaurant inside The Peninsula Bangkok. The weather was nice enough for us to dine outdoors. 

The only drink I had regularly was Thai Iced Tea. The others had Monsoon Valley, an award winning local wine. Apparently, it tastes very light and crisp.

And here's what we had. Drool!

Thai food, I miss you already. 

Stay tuned for more....

The Peninsula Bangkok.

Tess, Christine, Steffie and I went to Hong Kong last January and we had an awesome time. We dined, shopped and partied like rockstars! So hard that we went home around 3:30 am, all drunk. 

January 2014 trip

Soon after, we decided to plan on a trip to another Asian country, BANGKOK. This time, we added Jasmin to the gang because who doesn't want a dermatologist on call? Haha. No, it's because if you know Jasmin, you will also say that she is the NICEST person in the world. Like, no exaggeration, she is just really really really a nice person and we love her. 

We had big plans! We would pattern our mini-vacation after the boys in Hangover 2 (which was held in Bangkok). We would do something crazy and wild. That was our plan. 

So thanks to Steffie, we booked our hotel stay at The Peninsula Bangkok. We arrived around noon and first order of business was to check in and scout the area. 

Nothing compares to the lobby of The Peninsula Manila. 

Though the balcony does offer a nice view of the river. 

By the poolside....

I think we need to have little huts by the poolside here at the The Peninsula Manila. 

They're nice to hang-out in even when it's raining. 

Luckily, the sun was out for most of the days that we were there so we had a bit of pool time. 

We made sure to have an afternoon refreshment by the terrace.

The rooms are nice and comfortable. The bathrooms are clean and that's very important, but then again, we ARE in The Peninsula Bangkok. 

The hotel is across the river from where all the shopping area is but the ferry is always efficient so it wasn't really an issue. Soon after we got settled in, we were out the door to eat and shop the day away! 

Part 2 coming soon....stay tuned.