Family Day and Other Random Stuff

My family and I spent a day out recently to do some shopping and errands together. We found ourselves in Powerplant Mall in the late morning so we decided to have lunch there. I suggested CDP Global Table because my family hadn't eaten there yet and it's been a while since I last had a meal there. We all ordered separate dishes but I also got some steak for all of us to share. Everyone seemed to enjoy their food and the steak was really good!

Steak at CDP Global Table

My mom and my nephew also ended up going home with some new stuff. My mom purchased a bag and I got my nephew jogger pants and socks at Uniqlo. On our way home, we passed by Tomas Morato and I decided to have a coffee break at Halfsaints, mainly because I told myself I wanted to return there and also because I wanted my family to try the Flower Tartlet Trio. It was still as good as I remember and my mom ended up liking the Quezo De Bola tart which also happens to be my favorite.

While we're on the subject of quality time with family, I visited Tita Florence at her home recently to join in her birthday celebration. The last time two times we saw each other were during sad moments - my cousin Maricel's funeral and the wake of my grandmother - so I wanted to be present for her party. It was wonderfully unique, with her family preparing lots of food included a few items that aren't your traditional birthday party fare, such as nilagang baka and banana cue. The nilagang baka was especially nostalgic because it was a staple dish of my other grandmother (Tita Florence's mom) and we would also have it for dinner back in the day. Naturally, I made sure to have some. Her son Rainier also prepared his famed ribs which continue to be really good. I brought a red velvet cake and I'm glad I did because one of her grandchildren apparently doesn't really eat cake except red velvet. Cool! I'm really happy that I got to spend time with Tita Florence under much better circumstances and I wish she has many more birthdays to come.

Happy birthday, Tita Florence!

I also got to spend some time with friends. Suzanne and Nenen visited the Philippines for the first time in five years so the gang joined them for lunch at Mary Grace in BGC. Steph, who is based in Singapore, also happened to be in Manila at the same time so she was able to join us. A lot has happened since they were here the last time so there was a whole lot of catching up. We spent several hours together and even then it didn't seem that it was enough. 

French Toast at Mary Grace

I also met up with my college friends for dinner. There were two reasons why we were meeting up. One was because it was Letlet's birthday. The other reason was because Hes was taking on an expat assignment abroad and would be leaving soon. She didn't have a lot of time left in Manila so we made sure to catch up before she leaves. As is always the case with this group, we spent several hours wining and dining and talking and laughing. Things won't be the same without Hes in town but this is a great opportunity for her so I wish her all the best.

Oh and I also got to try out the limited edition Barbie donuts from Krispy Kreme. A couple of designs were available when I was at their store so I ordered them both, along with several other donuts. I ended up trying the pink Barbie donut and I thought it was pretty good.

Krispy Kreme Barbie Donuts