A&D Antipolo Eats: Vieux Chalet Swiss Restaurant

The main agenda for our trip to Antipolo was to eat at Vieux Chalet Swiss Restaurant. BOS has been wanting to eat here for the longest time. Funny story though..  when I told him that I wanted to try Vieux Chalet, he said "Tagal na kaya kita niyaya dyan!". Haha! Mommy brain, sorry naman! After our brunch at Eggs for Breakfast, we went to Pinto Museum to kill time before going to Vieux Chalet for an early dinner.

I am so glad that there's Waze nowadays, it was easier to navigate to anywhere. But it was still challenge to get there because there was some road works and we need to pass another way going there, but we still arrived just in time for sunset. I also called them on our way, making sure that we'll have a table when we arrive.

Loved the quirky yet homey and cozy vibe.

If you are looking to try a new restaurant and want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, Vieux Chalet should be in your list.

Vieux Chalet is a one of Antipolo's best kept secret. Vieux Chalet is owned by the Hassig Family and it first opened in 1984. It is our first time to try Swiss food so I was very excited. I've also checked blogs for review and recommendation but I've noticed the menu is different. I just asked the Restaurant Manager Rico, who was our server for recommendations. Rico was so nice and accommodating, he made us feel at home.

For starters, we had the Swiss Raclette. I'm new to the whole cheese game. It was my first time to try raclette. I love everything except for the pickled onions.

The kids had the 5-Cheese Grilled Pizza. Generous amounts of cheese, just the way we like it. I love it!!! The kids removed the arugula and alfalfa when they ate it though.

BOS and I are meat lovers! I ordered the Pork Fillet Mignon. It was tender and juicy. I finished everything in my plate! Hindi ako gutom pero naubos ko haha!

BOS had the Beef Tenderloin, cooked medium rare. BOS gives it a thumbs up!

I wish I had room for dessert, that Ricotta Cheesecake on the menu sounds yummy! We went home with happy tummies. I hope we'll have another chance to visit Vieux Chalet again in the future. Too many restaurants to try, so little time! Thank you BOS for always letting me know which restaurants to try even when I'm not always listening haha!

Vieux Chalet Swiss Restaurant

456 Taktak Road, Sitio Sampaguita, Brgy. Sta. Cruz

Antipolo City, 1870

Weekend with the Girls: Ate Our Way Through Hong Kong!

Last March, I traveled with my high school barkada for the very first time. First time in our 20+ years of friendship! It's one of the those spontaneous moments and the next thing we know, we're all booked and ready to go! I almost didn't make it to this trip because I didn't realize that my passport was already expired until about a week before our trip!!! Epic fail talaga! Mind you, our flight was booked last January pa! One night, maybe around first week of March,  I was taking a bath, shampooing my hair when I thought to ask BOS to check my passport if it's still valid. EXPIRED NA! Expired for 6 months na. OMG talaga! Parang lahat ng dugo ko pumunta sa ulo ko! I told my barkada about it and I was apologizing na baka hindi ako makasama!!!  I really wasn't expecting my passport to come out on time, I didn't pack pa because I didn't want to be disappointed.  Hay grabe, that was such a stressful week! Thank God for a friend who helped me get an appointment ASAP and I got my passport two days before our trip. Thank you talaga!!!

One of my barkada, Clarissa, is getting married on September and this was sort of a very early send-off/bachelorette party. Our goal was to eat, bond, eat, drink, sleep. Repeat for 3 days! No kids, no boyfriends, no husbands for 3 days. Woohoo!

It was my first time to stay in TST. I've been staying in Causeway Bay for as long as I can remember. It was a good change because I was looking into staying here too for our family trip on October and I need to know where are the good restaurants are, the MTR stations, bus stops, etc.

We stayed in Marco Polo Prince. Big room and beds!

We ate where our feet led us to. We followed Cindy's lead because she's the one who knows where the good food are in TST. We pooled money for our food so we don't have to split our bill every time we ate.

Chinese Kitchen Taiwan Beef Noodle

I thought they are serving Taiwanese cuisine based on the restaurant's name but they're not! They roast duck is really good! Everything was yummy or baka gutom lang kami haha!

Mak's Noodle

I was the one who wanted to try Mak's Noodle but I was disappointed. It's 42 HKD for a small bowl of Wanton Noodles. Inhaled it in 10 minutes. Not sulit!

After walking around Harbor City, we had a night cap at Aqua Spirit. We had three bottles of wine... we ordered the cheapest one on their menu. It was 699 HKD. Kaloka!!! Hahaha! Takip mata na lang kami, we were there to enjoy ourselves naman. 

Of course we have to take photos for IG purposes hihi! A for effort lang!

It has been a really long time since I had a drink with these girls and I don't have to worry about driving home because we just walked back to the hotel!

On our second day, we went to Central. Window shopping lang and had high tea at Cova. I had one of the best Tiramisu I've ever tasted. They have a high tea buffet but the selection was not as good as the one in Harbor City so we just had their set and ordered Tiramisu and Lobster Sandwich.

Street Food

After Cova, we went back to TST and Jacq wanted to check out Etude House. Hindi ko na alam which area we were in TST. Maybe Granville? Haha! After shopping, we had our street food fix on in an alley beside Cotton On.

YUM!!!

Ka Ka Lok Fastfood Shop

And as if we weren't full from all the street food we ate, we had a late night run to Ka Ka Lok for some fried chicken and sausages and 7-11 for some beer! Fried chicken with beer, so bad yet so good! It's all take away so we ate it in the hotel.

Le Cafe de Joel Robuchon

Our 3D2N trip went by so fast! The most memorable and yummy (and most expensive haha!) food we had was at the Le Cafe de Joel Robuchon. Lahat masarap! Sorry not a food blogger talaga, I just enjoy food! Basta masarap siya for me.

So good that we finished everything! Worth every Hong Kong cent! Heehe!

This trip was one for the books! Thank you girls for the wonderful weekend! I hope there will be a repeat... but I can't promise it to be yearly hahaha! I'm sure BOS was relieved when I came home na!

#BetterMe Lee Kum Kee Recipe Swap + A&D's Kid Approved Fish Recipe!

I have to admit there are days when I am too lazy to cook and for lazy days, a quick recipe with a pantry-available ingredient would always come in handy. Lee Kum Kee has always been on of my pantry staples for quick, easy and yummy meals! I'm sure Lee Kum Kee is always a part of your grocery list as well as your pantry too!

 Just a few of Lee Kum Kee's best-selling products. Hoisin sauce is my favorite dimsum partner. Kaye have me a bottle of Lee Kum Kee's Premium Soy Sauce and I used it on my adobo and it made it so much yummier and it's because Lee Kum Kee only uses the finest beans for its premium soy sauce.

Lee Kum Kee has been around since 1888, they are known as the world's first oyster sauce brand. Lee Kum Kee is a Hong Kong-based food company that specializes in manufacturing oyster-flavored sauce and a whole range of Asian and Chinese sauces. Today, Lee Kum Kee has over 200 sauces and condiments available worldwide. Its sauces are used in the best gourmet restaurants to modest family kitchens.

Lee Kum Kee held a recipe swap and cooking demo with four awesome moms sharing their tried and tested recipes at home. With Lee Kum Kee Panda Oyster Sauce as one of their main ingredient, no doubt it's deliciuous and effortlessly brought out the best in their dishes, enhancing the flavors and highlighting the premium goodness of the ingredients!

The mommas and Shiao Chew Chan (in the middle), Southeast Asia Regional Category Manager for Soy. I never knew that recipe swaps could be this so much fun! Now I have more dishes to serve my family!

Suzi Entrata-Abrera, TV personality and mother of three, shared her very own Thai Omelette recipe.

Michelle Aventajado, aspiring yogini and mother of four, shared her Grilled Salmon recipe.

Michelle Lim, newbie homeschooler and mother of two, shared her Tofu Saute recipe.

Eliza Santiago, make-up artist and mom of one, shared her Zenmeyang Shucai (Sauteed Asparagus) recipe.

And here's my own recipe which was a happy accident because I was experimenting on a new fish recipe. It's a happy accident because my kids loved it and I have made three times since the first time I made it.

A&D's Kid-Approved Fish Recipe

Ingredients:

2 pcs Cream Dory Fillets (or any white fish)

2 tbsp Lee Kum Kee Panda Oyster Sauce

4 tbsp Lee Kum Kee Hoisin Sauce

1 tbsp Lee Kum Kee Pure Sesame Oil

Procedure:

1. Mix all Lee Kum Kee sauces in one bowl. You can add water or add more sauces to adjust to your taste.

2. I've cooked this two ways. Steamed and cooked it in the oven toaster. Lay the fish fillets on a plate (for steaming) or aluminum foil (for oven toaster) and glaze the fish with the Lee Kum Kee mixed sauce.

3. Steam or cook it in the oven toaster for 15 minutes.

4. Serve with rice

This is one quick and easy recipe and the one of the easiest to teach your cook or helpers at home! Plus the kids love it! It's a win-win for me! The first time I cooked it, I didn't put any Lee Kum Kee Pure Sesame Oil but I did the second time and it made a lot of difference. If you love the smell of sesame oil, then you know what I mean. And Lee Kum Kee has the best quality of sesame oil until the last drop! 

Karen Mejia, owner of Terrace 45 restaurant also shared her expertise with some tips and tricks to make meal preparation even more fun and hassle-free.

Lee Kum Kee is committed to only delivering quality products and with its variety of products, we are sure of its authenticity as well. A special team monitors every step in the production process. Oysters are carefully selected and harvested from their own oyster farm and processed on the day of harvest  to retain its freshness and purest taste.

Only the best oyster sauce in my kitchen, Lee Kum Kee Panda Oyster Sauce!

Do you have an original recipe using Lee Kum Kee products? Lee Kum Kee hopes to inspire Filipino moms to whip up more dishes to be enjoyed by the entire family. And to encourage moms to experiment in the kitchen more often, Lee Kum Kee is running a Facebook promo for the most creative photo of their very own dish prepared with Lee Kum Kee. P25,000 worth of kitchenware vouchers await the winners. Promo runs from May 27 to June 26, 2015.

1st prize Php7,000

2nd prize Php5,000

3rd prize Php3,000

10 Bonus Prizes Php1,000

How to join: 

1. Cook a dish using ANY Lee Kum Kee product. 

2. Take a picture of the dish and the Lee Kum Kee product used. Name the recipe then upload. 

3. Use the hashtags #LKKRecipesByMe #(LKKProduct) (Example: #PandaOysterSauce)

*Winners will not be determined by the number of likes.

*Winners will be picked at the end of the promo period. 

Terms and conditions apply. http://on.fb.me/1J4QP8h

Lee Kum Kee products are available at major supermarkets nationwide. To know more about Lee Kum Kee, log on to www.lkk.com or check out Lee Kum Kee Philippines Facebook Page