A&D Eats: Quick Afternoon Date at Tamayaki

From time to time or at least once a week, I try to have a mom-daughter time with Y. Even justg going to the grocery or to the bank, I take her with me. Sometimes I also get to bring her to events.  Sort of exposing her na din because she not used to being surrounded by strangers or unfamiliar with certain place and people. I get to teach and show her different things she sees. She's at the stage where she asks a lot of questions.

It was the birthday of BOS and we were in the San Juan area. I was bugging BOS to get a massage for months na and since it was his birthday, I'll treat him na nga! So after dropping off the hubby, Y and I killed time in Tamayaki!

 

The ambience makes you feel like you're in a spaceship. Hihi.. It's because of the black interior I guess.

The first time I went there it was "Pay as you order" but the last time we went back, we can order then pay later when we're finished eating or before you leave. Since it was only me and Y, I ordered 2 kinds of takoyaki. Seasoned Octopus and Mozarella. And a large order of Tamayaki Milk Tea with brown rice crisp.

Milk Tea and Takoyaki - my kind of merienda

My date - who only ate the filling but not the crust. I had to eat the crust!

Their takoyaki balls are good but I wish the "crust" is soft just like the real takoyaki and not crunchy like the way they cook it.

I've gone back after my first visit. I still like their Takoyaki because the variety of fillings they offer. I just wish their crust is more tender. :)

Tamayaki Philippines

453 P.Guevarra St., Addition Hills, San Juan City

A&D Eats: Lugang Cafe, Mall of Asia

After watching Hi-5 last Saturday, we had dinner at Lugang Cafe. This wasn't our first time to eat at Lugang, so we already knew what to order! Ito nanaman kami, takaw tingin but we finished everything we ordered hahaha!

But first, here's something about Lugang:

Lugang Café, the latest incarnation brought to you by the famed Bellagio Group of Restaurants, Shanghai & Beijing, is the epitome of elegance and style. Being the first branch outside China, Lugang Café is already taking the culinary world by storm, having already garnered nationwide recognition such as the highly prestigious Philippine Tatler's 100 Best Restaurant Awards.
Eight, world-class, Chinese chefs, all aimed to provide an outstanding dining experience, prepare our sumptuous array of the very best dishes that Taiwan has to offer. Breaking free from the conventional look of a Chinese restaurant, Lugang Café sets itself apart from the rest with its modern interiors, and aesthetic design.
Our mission is to provide our guests with an exceptional dining experience by offering authentic Taiwanese cuisine from the freshest ingredients, served to you by our professional, well-developed staff. We guarantee only the best for our customers.
Our aim is to be the pioneer contemporary Taiwanese cuisine in the Philippines, and to open a chain of restaurants so that we may provide continuous employment and economic growth-the vision that we are in the forefronts of achieving.
Lugang Café is what every contemporary restaurants aim to be, chic and stylish with great service and food to die for, it's definitely a must try destination!

One of the things that I love about Lugang that it's a kid-friendly restaurant! It may look like a soshal and chic place but when they see you with kids, they immediately give the kids their own place mat, plate, bowl, cup and utensils! All from IKEA hehe.  Here's Y hamming it up!

Here's what we ordered:

Garlic Pork Roll

Steamed Pork Xiao Long Bao

Chicken Topped with Scallion Ginger Oil (My fave!)

Hainanese Rice to go with the chicken

String Beans with Salted Egg

For Y: Wonton Soup and Noodles

For dessert: Steamed Taro Xiao Long Bao (which I ate 7 of 8 hehe)

For drinks I had the Tapioca Bubble Milk Tea. Hubby had the Mango with Sago and Coconut Cream (no photo)

Shoti!

We had a very filling and satisfying dinner. Though their price is a bit steep, their food is really worth a try. With the variety of food they offer, we had a hard time choosing! I think the table beside us was shocked by the amount of food we ordered haha!

You can view the rest of their menu here.

To contact them:
Email Address: lugangcafe88@yahoo.com
Fax Number: 570-9011
Office Telefax Number: 570-9011

Northeast Greenhills
115 Connecticut St., Northeast Greenhills, San Juan
Reservation: 542-0196 / 09176992254

Mall Of Asia
G/F 136-137 Main Mall South Wing,
1174-1176 SM Mall Of Asia, Pasay City
Reservation: 555-0219 / 0916-2140822

A&D Loves: Nestea Thai Iced Tea

I love milk tea! I wrote about it here. Sometimes I want to quit drinking those bubble teas because I want to diet na! But I don't think I can just yet. Heehee... I love milk tea!

I discovered Thai Iced Tea or cha-yen (as what they call it in Thailand) from my trip to Bangkok many years ago. From the minute I took a sip, I loved it! I was so happy when I saw Nestea produces powdered Thai Iced Tea at their grocery so I made pakyaw!

In Manila, you can drink Thai Iced Tea only when you dine in Thai restos. There's no powdered variant available in the market so when my achi asked what I wanted as pasalubong from Bangkok, I said Thai Milk Tea!!!

It comes in sticks likes this!

So last weekend, I got to taste it once again and shared the experience with the BOS! I cooked something Asian to pair with the drink. (Parang wine lang ang peg!)

Kung Pao!

I took out my brand new mason glass jars to use for this special drink haha!

If you have friends, relatives, officemates, or sino man yan who's going to Thailand, ask for this as pasalubong! Promise if you like milk teas and bubble teas, you'll definitely like this too! Pahinge ng pasalubong mo ha? :) Hehe...

Hong Kong Sojourn Part 1

I came back last Sunday from my 4-day sojourn in Hong Kong with my mom and achi. I'm still tired from the trip, I seriously need a massage. My feet and back are aching from all the walking and lugging around shopping bags and my breast pump everywhere we go.

I didn't take much photos, well, mostly food! Hehe! We pretty much went and ate almost at the same places like my trip last year. You can read about my Hong Kong trip last year here! What's new was leaving my two kids for the first time for four days. It was hard but it was also a bit liberating at the same time. Both me and my achi are pumping so we're still somehow attached to our kids. Hehe...

Me, pumping at the airport. Brought my cooler too!

We left Thursday early morning. Our flight was 8AM. We flew PAL and I was so happy we got to ride on a new plane, a Boeing 777 I think. Each seat at the Economy has a screen where I got to watch some Glee episodes! The plane wasn't full, I guess more people flew via budget airlines nowadays. If I weren't coming with my mom and achi, I would have flown via a budget airline too. 

We were in Hong Kong by 10AM, immigration was a breeze, waited a bit longer for the luggage. I loved that Hong Kong's internet is so fast, we got to Skype with the kids while waiting! I also got to tweet with my college barkada who's also there for a food trip TRIP! :)

Hi Shoti! Miss you mwah!

We rode the Airport Express to the city. We would have rode the bus if we weren't bringing heavy luggage (pasalubong for relatives).

Rode the Airport Express

Got to the hotel at 1230PM but check-in is at 2PM so we left our luggage at the hotel and had our first meal at Xia Mian Guan in Windsor House just beside our hotel. Food was ok. We finished our food and went back to the hotel, checked in, pumped, rested for awhile then out and about we go! We first went to North Point to bring the pasalubong to a family friend.

We were supposed to go to see a doctor but sa sobrang in demand niya, ang hirap pumila. We ended up not going and just bought the bilins from my amma and aunt. Then we had afternoon snacks at Sun Chiu Kee (新釗記)! This is the tea cafe/restaurant (or as my mom would say cha chaan teng) we always go to since we were kids in Causeway Bay that closed down, it opened another branch in North Point! So yay!


We all had Wonton Noodles! Yumyum! And my Hong Kong staple, iced milk tea!!!

For me!

Iced Horlicks for Achi

We got back to the hotel almost 7PM already. We rested for awhile and pumped then went out again for dinner! 

My pumping area at the hotel

Yes, kain lang ng kain.  We ate at a noodle and congee place, very old and a bit dirty looking resto but the congee is GOOD! Nothing like it talaga.

Sarap ng Sprite nila!

Last stop for the night was Wellcome! Every time we go abroad (that's Hong Kong most of the time), I love going to Wellcome and check out their grocery items and try things we don't have here. This grocery is open 24/7!

Not so good...

Our shopping cart

I always buy Kowloon Dairy milk when I go to Hong Kong! I had this every morning! Also bought several coffee beans for the BOS.

We love coffee!

This pretty much what we did on the first day. :) Stay tuned for more Hong Kong posts!