Happy 2nd Birthday, Althea Korea + My Skincare Routine!

Ok, let's talk about skincare. If you ask me to pick between make-up and skincare, I would always go for skincare. While I do put on make-up, I am lazy when it comes to removing it especially eye make-up so it's really skincare for me. When I hit puberty, my skin became oily and I had cystic acne. It was really bad. I went to the derma religiously but I eventually stopped then I started using skincare when I was in college. I've tried brands like Murad and Lancome but what really cleared my acne was ProActiv then I stopped using any skincare. I only started again when I was working and my mom gave me a pot of moisturizer. My routine was just cleanser + moisturizer, that's it. Then I eventually started applying anti-aging eye cream because I noticed I had fine lines around the eyes and I wasn't even 30 at that time! Then motherhood happened, I was tired all the time and me just thinking about putting all those creams on my face was making me lazier and I'd rather sleep! Who can relate?! But ever since discovering Althea Korea, I've a newfound love for Korean skincare!

Althea turns 2 this July!

I have to thank Althea Korea for making K-Beauty so accessible! I'm slowly shifting from Japanese brands to Korean brands because they're more affordable, they use natural/holistic ingredient and they're also very effective. My skin has never been this good! What made me became more addicted to K-Beauty: Goblin, Weightlifting Fairy, and Joan Kim, a famous Korean beauty vlogger. How are Koreans poreless?! The more I watch them the more I got curious about Korean skincare, the more I wanted to learn more about 10-step Korean skincare and the more I was excited to shop at Althea Korea.

Almost everything in this photo I got it from Althea! Some of the products here at not opened yet and not everything I have are in the photo. Haha! I also use local brands like VMV and Zenutrients mostly for my sweat acne problem.

This July, Althea Korea is celebrating its 2nd Birthday and they are celebrating it with daily giveaways plus you get a chance to win a trip for two to Korea! I want to WIN!!! Joining is really easy, all you have to do is to shop at Althea from July 3 - 30, 2017 and that earns you a chance to win their awesome prizes!

You can read the details here: http://ph.althea.kr/althea-shop-and-win-terms-conditions

I've been trying (operating word: TRYING) to follow the 10-step skincare as much as I can everyday, There are lazy days, I skip a step or two. If you want to know more about the 10-step skincare, you check this link: https://sokoglam.com/pages/the-korean-skin-care-routine. When I shopped two weeks ago at Althea, I only bought what I don't have to complete the 10-steps. After watching maybe 10 episodes of Joan's vlog, I had a long list of NEEDS. But I narrowed it down to these products: 

Missha Time Revolution Essence, Klairs Toner, Klairs Vitamin C Serum and Klairs Sheet Mask. I've heard good reviews about these so I'm so excited to use them na! Winner talaga because they're not expensive and my skin is great. My friends have been complimenting my skin lately so that means my skincare is really working!

I just want to share this photo. I went to Hong Kong a couple of weeks ago with my mom and sisters. The only shop I was looking forward to shop in was Innisfree and they shopped more than I did! So happy they're Innisfree and Korean skincare converts too! It was what we've been talking about in our Whatsapp group.

The little bottle in the middle is Sulwhasoo which is a cult favorite. My mom bought the anti-aging line and got samples and she gave them to me because she knows I've been wanting to try it too but they're more expensive. So let's see if it's really the best.

GOAL: TO BE PORELESS! Haha!

Happy Birthday again Althea! Thank you for making my shopping life easier, I wish you many more years of success and may you continue to bring joy to K-Beauty fanatics like me out there!

Shop at Althea Korea today! I got so many freebies and samples from this year's birthday box! Get Php200 off on your first purchase, just click this link https://www.talkable.com/x/I0K5dk! Happy Shopping!

Fine Korean Dining at Kiwa Korean Grill, Solaire Resort & Casino

Anyeong Haseyo! I've been having a Korean fever for the past few weeks, watching Boys Over Flowers on iFlix, shopping at a new K-Beauty online shopping site then now, Kiwa, a fine Korean dining barbecue restaurant, the only one in South East Asia, has opened in Solaire.

Welcome to Kiwa!  See that couple of cute bears? They welcomes you as you enter Kiwa. Are you wondering what Kiwa means? Kiwa means traditional roof tile, the ones used for Korean homes and just like the one at the entrance of Kiwa (see photo above!).

Side story: It was actually my first time to be in Solaire and I got lost trying to find parking. Haha! I had to call Mish pa so I just went around and just had my car valet parked na lang (their valet parking rate is reasonably priced at Php75 for the first three hours). Ok back to Kiwa!

Korean population in the Philippines, not only in Manila has been rapidly increasing through the years. I'm sure you've also noticed there's Korean restaurants everywhere but because there was no Korean fine dining barbecue set-up in the country, that need was filled Kiwa. Kiwa is owned by Dr. David Shim and his associates. He is the CEO of Solaire Korea and Kiwa is under the supervision of Solaire Korea.

Meet (L-R) Noel Corpus (CFO), Eddie Park (COO), and Ed Reyes (CEO) of Kiwa Korean Grill.

Kiwa's head chef, Gi Won Park.

More than the great food I'm going to tell you all about, Kiwa also has great interiors which was designed by a Korean firm. It's traditional yet modern and chic, sophisticated but still cozy, a place where you can take your family or your husband/boyfriend/partner on your date night or lunch (to dine with a view)!

Everything from the chairs, tables, lights and even the stones are all from Korea! You can't get more authentic than that!

Love the big lanterns and Cidori-inspired wooden trusses (according to BOS heehee)! 

And this is why you must lunch at Kiwa! A view of Manila Bay while you enjoy your lovely Korean meal!

Kiwa has a seating capacity of 184. They have 8 private rooms which can expand into one big private room that can accommodate up to 48 persons. The smallest private room can hold 8 persons.

Kiwa aims to provide only the best of everything. All of their ingredients are fresh and uses only grade A+ Japanese Wagyu and USDA beef. They can't serve Korean beef because they cannot be exported. Everything in their menu is a collaboration among their chefs headed by Gi Won Park and all of their recipes are kept authentic. You can also be assured of their top notch service standard as they follow strict 5-star sanitation rules and regulations.

Now let's go on with the food! My lunch and table mate for that day was Kaye, we were both latecomers! Heehee! We had one of their sample lunch sets. A full course menu is around Php3,000, lunch sets start at Php1,500 and rice sets go from Php800 up.

We started with this lovely Pumpkin Salad. This was one of my favorites! Mashed pumpkin mixed with assorted nuts with assorted seasonal vegetables with sesame seed dressing.

Next was the Haemul Pajeon. Pancake mixed with seafood, spring onion and assorted vegetable with spicy soy sauce with sesame oil on the side.

Japchae, seasoned soy sauce based pan friend glass noodles with beef and fried assorted vegetables.

What's a Korean meal without kimchi? One of best kimchis I ever had. Honestly, I am not fan of anything spicy. I am scared of it but I truly enjoyed this kimchi!

Gobachi, a platter of (clockwise) scallop sashimi, steamed octopus, salmon sashimi, marinated tomato, steamed shrimp, and green mangoes with cheese.

Then we were served with a bowl of cold raddish soup and porridge. That porridge was delicious! I actually wanted to ask for another bowl or two. Heehee!

Next on our menu was Grilled Samgyeopsal and Yang Nyeom Gal Bi, both are grilled in front of you by the servers of Kiwa. Diba at other Korean barbecue restaurants, after eating you'd smell like what you ate? You won't have to worry about that in Kiwa. Kiwa prides itself for their state-of-the-art exhaust system under the restaurant so all the smoke goes under. It is the best technology in Korea so when you dine at Kiwa, you will not smell like smoke and barbecue.

Pork belly ready to be grilled.

Grilled Samgyeopsal. Pork belly grilled to perfection! You can see the quality of meat they serve in this picture!

Ready for wrapping!

Choose your choice of wrap: Korean sesame/perilla leaves, red or green lettuce.

And this is how I eat Samgyeopsal... with kanin! Heehee! Ang Pinoy lang! It was my first time to try sesame leaves!

Photo caught by the official photographer.. heehee! My chubby cheeks and my third wrap of samgyeopsal!

Yang Nyeom Gal Bi, one of Kiwa's specialties. Marinated beef with Kiwa's special sauce.

Tender, sweet and juicy beef that goes so well with rice!

We were also served with this piping hot Kimchi Jjigae which I really liked. If you are a soup person like me, you will like this!

We ended our Korean meal with a sweet note. We had a bowl of Patbingsu, shaved ice with red beans.

And this sweet plum tea which says to aid digestion.

We were the last ones to leave! Thank you for the chika heehee!

I love everything we had! 고맙습니다 Kiwa Korean Grill for the lovely lunch! I'm treating BOS to Kiwa on my birthday next month. :) Yay!

Ladies who lunch: Kaye, me, Jackie, Neva, Tin, Tiff and Mish!

Solaire Resort & Casino, 1 Aseana Avenue, Paranaque City

Operating Hours:

Sunday to Thursday - 9AM to 12MN

Friday to Saturday - 9AM to 2AM

Phone Number: +632 888 8888

www.kiwa.com.ph

Facebook: Kiwa Korean Grill

Twitter: @kiwakoreangrill

Instagram: @kiwakoreangrill

A&D Eats: O'Rice Korean Stylish Pan Fried Rice, Forum BGC

Our family always frequents Chinese or Japanese restaurant whenever we're out, it's the only cuisine my kids like and are familiar with. But now I think we can Korean to add to their list!

Last month, after having our staycation at F1 Hotel (read about our staycation here and join my giveaway na din!), we checked out and proceeded to Forum in BGC where we had lunch at O'Rice with the the invitation of the fabulous Jane Go of Sugar and Spice and her friend Aencille Santos. 

Vibrant and welcoming interiors,  warm and happy servers. Casual dining restaurant that can be your next family lunch destination.

Started our meal with refreshments: O'Rice's Brewed Iced Tea for me and Fresh Mango Shake for my kiddos! The iced tea is a must try. It's a mix of Lipton tea, mango puree, apple juice & sugar syrup.

First dish served was the Army Base Stew or 부대찌개 (Budae Jjigae). It's a mix of Sausages, Ham, Ground Pork, Macaroni, Beans, Tofu and Ramen with Vegetables. This dish is good for a group of 5, it may be a little bit spicy for your kids and for someone like me who has a low tolerance for (Korean) spicyness.

The Army Base Stew takes a while to cook, better order appetizers or other dishes so you won't get hungry while waiting. Heehee!

Almost...

And tada! It's cooked and ready to be served. R bravely ate this because of the noodles then said "Hanghang!" after. Lolz

Here's a trivia for you: Army Base Stew or 부대찌개 (Budae Jjigae) is made popular during the Korean War when people had little to eat. People made this dish with leftover Spam and hotdogs from the U.S. Army facilities combined with whatever there was available and water and boiled them in one large pot.

Here's one dish a meatlover must try, their Sausage Bacon Fried Rice especially if you like bacon! Who doesn't like bacon right?

Sausage and bacon on a bed of Kimchi Rice with honey mustard and teriyaki sauce. Sweet, salty and spicy. So much flavor in one dish!

Then came the Andong Chicken Stew, one of the dishes Y liked because the of broth and potatoes. This is made with chicken, potatoes, and glass noodles boiled in a special broth.

Next is their Pan Bibimbap, another one of my favorites from O'Rice. I rarely order Bibimbap when we dine in Korean restaurants but this one was a winner! A heavenly mixture of Vegetables and Beef, served with Kochujang and topped with Fried Egg.

Look at that colorful dish. This is actually the first time I saw avocados on a Bibimbap! It surprisingly goes well with everything! Yummy!

The server mixed it for us for our convenience.

And last but certainly not the least of the O'Rice Fried Rice is the the Beef Bulgogi Fried Rice.

Marinated beef in a special mixture of grated pears and onions with a little soy sauce and honey. This was also a hit with my kids and also with me!

Kimbap is one of my favorite Korean food. It's easy to eat and everything in it: meat, veggies, rice - all in one na! I remember I would buy Kimbap at Korean groceries and bringing it as lunch when I was still working so I was excited to try O'Rice's Kimbap and we got try two kinds!

Tuna Kimbap (L) and Spicy Pork BBQ Kimbap (R) - Both wrapped in steamed rice and seaweed with fresh vegetables. Look how generous the fillings are! Parang wala ng rice! It's as big as a Futomaki. I like the Tuna one better than the Pork (only because the pork is spicy hehe)

Another favorite of my kids (and me also hihi) was the Chicken Popcorn. We requested to not include the spicy sauce that it supposed to be drizzled on top!

Crispy Chicken Thighs!

And as if all those food wasn't enough, we also had Korean dessert: Korean Ice Cream! Seriously, nagkagulo kaming lahat! Kids and adults went crazy. Ang hirap pumili!

Si Kuya game na game magpose! They have a great selection of ice cream, just go to the chest freezer near the front counter.

My kids certainly loved this part of the meal! 

We truly enjoyed our lunch at O'Rice. Food is superb and great for sharing for families and friends who wants to try different kinds of Korean Fried Rice at reasonable prices! Please open a branch in the North so I won't have to travel far to BGC hihi!

 Good food, good company is surely a great combination! Thank you Aencille and Jane for arranging this super fun lunch!

For more information on O'Rice Korean Stylish Pan Fried Rice, follow and like their social media accounts!

Facebook: O'Rice Korean Stylish Pan Fried Rice

Instagram: @oricefriedrice