Attention Zara Lovers!

ZARA, now in Cebu and Megamall! 

The new store will also show the latest brand image based on its four principles: beauty, clarity, functionality and sustainability. The store’s design will primarily emphasize simplicity as part of its on-going mission to facilitate direct contact with customers making shopping simple. New concepts of materials and colour combination will lighten up the new interior, distilling the brand’s latest image, and highlighting the importance of customer’s direct contact with Zara’s products in an interference-free and beautiful environment.

Maria Luisa's Garden

The bread is so delicious. 

I have never had mussels this good before. Even months after I dined here, I can still remember how I nearly licked the bowl clean. It's that good!

Another dish that I loved, but then again, I love anything with prosciutto ham. 

The steak was wonderful. Cooked perfectly.

And of course, chocolate cake for dessert. Happiness. 

Thank you Christine for this yummy treat!

Maria Luisa's Garden Room 

The Makati Garden Club Recoletos St. corner Ayala Ave.

Brgy Urdaneta, Makati City 

Telephone: +632 552-7051, 552-7045

Save the Dolphins.

I am guity. I have been to SeaWorld three times in my lifetime and once in Subic. 

Now that I know, I will never go to a dolphin/whale show ever again. Neither will my kids...and their kids. NEVER.

Lea and Rachel, Movie in My Mind.

I think it was an AWESOME treat to have watched the original Kim of Miss Saigon, Lea Salonga sing Movie in My Mind with the new Gigi, Rachel Ann Go in the concert Playlist. 

Since recording or taking photos in the concert was not prohibited, I was able to capture the whole song. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Mandarin Oriental Celebrates the Year of the Horse!

Mandarin Oriental, Manila ushers in the opportune Year of the Wooden Horse with festivities that herald bounty and harmony, with its iconic Chinese New Year countdown on January 30, Thursday at 9:30pm as the highlight. The Lunar New Year celebration includes a festive room package to allow enjoyment for the late night revelry, sumptuous Prosperity menus and homemade tikoy at Tin Hau.

In true Oriental style, Mandarin Oriental, Manila’s Grand Midnight Countdown on the eve of Chinese New Year, has become an annual tradition followed by many. The event, which is held with the support of UnionPay International, Hennessy, Enchanted Kingdom, Dragonair, and Mandarin Oriental, Macau, is touted as the country’s most festive lunar New Year celebration outside of Binondo.

Now on its 18th year, the festivities will begin at the MO Lounge, with cocktails and energising rituals by international geomancer Master Joseph Chau to augur luck and bring good chi. Unlike in recent years, the celebration this year will be exclusive to ticket holders, and the rituals will all be held inside the hotel for a more intimate affair. A majestic dragon and lion dance follows at the hotel’s main driveway, leading up to a thrilling countdown to midnight and a dazzling fireworks display.

Capping off the evening is “the first lucky meal of the year”, an eight-course midnight Lauriat dinner at the Mandarin Ballroom with elegant entertainment and an enjoyable interaction with Master Chau in a Q and A segment on his 2014 forecast.

Ticketholders will receive a complimentary copy of the much sought-after “2014 Year of the Wooden Horse Forecast” authored by Joseph Chau, which will make its debut that night. 

 Ticketholders also get a chance to win an exciting holiday trip for two to Macau via Hong Kong with a three-day/two-night stay at Mandarin Oriental, Macau, inclusive of roundtrip tickets from Dragonair. 

Other prizes from the hotel are also up for grabs during the evening’s raffle draw. Tickets are priced at Php3,288 net for adults and Php1,688 net for children, and are now available for sale at the Chinese New Year booth in Tin Hau.

Tikoy prepared by Tin Hau’s master chefs make for ideal gifts this festive season. The prices of the homemade delicacies start at PHP688net, and are available in Small, Medium and Large sizes. Executive Chinese Chef Hann Furn Chen also lays out three Prosperity set menus to choose from, available for dinner on 30 January and lunch and dinner on 31 January.

To complete the experience, guests can relax in comfort and ring in the Year of the Wooden Horse with a festive room package designed to bring good luck and happiness. The “Feasts and Fortunes” package starts at PHP 7,888 per night for single occupancy or PHP 11,888 per night for double occupancy in a Deluxe Room and includes: International buffet breakfast, entrance to the Grand Midnight Countdown on 30 January 2014 along with the exclusive feng shui forecast book, and a box of three pieces homemade tikoy. The Feasts and Fortunes package.

Call Mandarin Oriental for more information: 7508888

Ramen Nagi in the Philippines!

RAMEN NAGI opens its first Philippine branch at SM Aura Premier this month, upping the ante in the Japanese noodle market in the country. 

Born out of the vision of Ramen Master Satoshi Ikuta in Tokyo, the Ramen Nagi chain today finds itself in five countries – Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Having spent fourteen years of his life perfecting his noodle making craft, Fukuoka native Chef Ikuta creates bowls of the rich noodle soup that have gained accolades in international travel and culinary media. In Tokyo, the chain has been awarded the top spot in the national Ramen of the Year competitions for the last two years (2011 and 2012.) 

As with its predecessors in other countries, where in Hong Kong Filipino travellers would know the chain as Butao and line up there for hours, Ramen Nagi offers the four basic menu items: Butao, Red King, Green King, and Black King. Of course, the heart and soul of every bowl of ramen is the soup base. Ramen Nagi’s is a full-bodied creamy soup unlike any other. The rich base is made from a flavorful broth created by slow boiling pork bones for over a day, and infused with a secret blend of seasonings imported from Japan. 

BUTAO is the luscious signature tonkotsu pork broth prepared in the traditional method, mouth-wateringly rich, fresh, and aromatic. RED KING (Akao) is the ultimate in savory spiciness emanating from a striking blend of garlic, chili oil, and cayenne pepper in a velvety broth and topped with a tempting ball of miso-infused minced pork and select Nagi cayenne. GREEN KING (Midorio) speaks of Japanese-Italian fusion, combining olive oil, pesto, and cheese. Finally, BLACK KING (Kuroo) introduces a local favorite, squid ink, and fragrant blackened garlic into the broth, giving the much loved pork broth a daring twist. 

Using the Omotenashi sheet provided to every customer, diners can customize their ramen for the following attributes and ingredients: richness of taste, sauce, spiciness, garlic, pork cut, vegetables, noodle firmness, egg, and seaweed. Indeed, every visit to Ramen Nagi offers a unique ramen experience. 

The noodles are the perfect complement to the rich soup base, with special noodle making machines utilized to produce the millimeter-thin strands that hail from Japan’s Hakata region.

Chef Ikuta is present to make sure that your ramen is perfect every single time. 

There's no way to get your order wrong because you encircle everything you want in your ramen yourself.

Here's my favorite, Butao King.


I have been back twice and I know that I will be visiting again soon to have my ramen fill.

Congratulations to the owners of Ramen Nagi, Philippines!!!

“I first tried Chef Ikuta’s ramen at Butao in Hong Kong, and I felt that Filipinos should have a taste of this kind of authentic yet innovative noodle soup, and inspired us to put up Ramen Nagi in Manila,” says Roxanne Farillas, one of the owners of the Philippine franchise of Ramen Nagi.

Ramen Nagi is located at the 5th floor of SM Aura Premier. 

Amazing Capri!

It's one of the most beautiful island in the world. 

I.WANT.TO.GO.BACK. 

As soon as we got off the boat, we got tickets for another boat ride which will take us to the Blue Grotto and around the island. 

From the big boat, we transffered to a banka. 

Our banka was maneuvered to another floating cash register where each person must pay 11euro to get in the grotto. 

There was also a line from land. 

Into a tiny whole we went. So tiny that passengers and boat man must all lie down as to not hit your head on the rocks. 

Once you get it, the boatmen start to sing Italian love songs.

See the video here. 

After 3-4 minutes of floating around, we headed back out.

We boarded the bigger boat and around the island we went. 

The lighthouse seemed like a phallic symbol to me. 

Imagine owning a home here. 

We passed by the Green Grotto. 

Lovers Arc. Yes, our boat passed through that tiny hole in the middle of the massive rock. 

When under, you are supposed to kiss your lover. 

Family is love. 

Daddy-O, Curt and Galo. 

I will return. I promise.