Ending the year on a positive note

I took my family to Manila Peninsula for dinner because I had a discount voucher for a meal for four at Old Manila. I took my family here before, about a year ago, and we enjoyed our dining experience here so I thought it would be good to bring them here again during the holidays.

Holiday lights at the Manila Pen lobby

I forgot to take a photo of our menu so I don't know exactly what our dishes were. But to start our evening, we were served a tasty amuse bouche.

Amuse bouche at Old Manila

For my appetizer, I think I had a ravioli with scallops. It looked really nice and it was really good too.

Beautiful ravioli with scallops

A couple of us had a fish dish for our main course...

Fish main course

...while the others got the lamb dish.

Lamb main course (my nephew wanted it medium rare)

We then all had a chocolate dessert served with sorbet.

Dessert

Before our evening ended, we were served a few petit fours.

Elegantly plated petit fours

Of course, we were served their amazing olive tapenade bread. It is still really good.

An Old Manila favorite: olive tapenade bread

I also had a chance to spend quality time with more family and friends in this last week of the year. I got to have a lovely dinner with my high school friends whom I have now known for the better part of my life.

Christmas feast with my high school friends

We also had a family reunion a couple of days after Christmas. It was made even better by the fact that Tita Susan was home. A couple of other memorable  moments: I won a game where you had to name the TV show or the movie from a song that is played (and I took home P500 because of it haha) and my brother won an air fryer during the raffle. I think that might have been the first time we had a family Christmas party raffle, or at least the first time that we had fancy prizes.

What better way to close out a year than by spending time with the most important people in your life? I'm truly lucky and thankful that I am able to experience such wonderful moments in my life.

Ruth's Chris Steak House

I finally got to try Ruth's Chris Steak House.

Ruth's Chris Steak House

A good friend of mine celebrated a milestone birthday so he gathered our friends for lunch at Ruth's Chris. I had been hearing a lot of good things about this place from friends who had been there before so I was excited to try it. When we got there, we ordered several items, including a couple of steaks for sharing. We got the two largest ones, which are the 40-ounce Tomahawk Ribeye...

Tomahawk Ribeye

...and the 40-ounce Porterhouse for Two.

Porterhouse for Two

A couple of my friends had been here before and they really liked Ruth's Chop Salad (P580) so we ordered a couple of them. It has julienned iceberg lettuce, baby spinach, and radicchio with red onions, mushrooms, green olives, bacon, eggs, croutons, bleu cheese, lemon basil dressing and topped with crispy onions. It's on the expensive side given that it's only a small serving but it is good.

Ruth's Chop Salad

We all ordered a side to go with the steak. Each side is around P500. Considering that they are relatively small servings, the sides are extremely expensive. I got the Au Gratin (P480) but our group ordered many of the other options, including steak fries (P480) and creamed spinach (P490). Too bad I forgot to take pics of any of them. But they did go quite well with the steak.

Tomahawk

There was a display of all the different desserts next to our table. I think that is a really good marketing strategy because it makes guests want to order dessert, which is what we did. We ordered a few items, including the Cheesecake (P500)...

Cheesecake

... and the Chocolate Molten Cake (P500).

Chocolate Molten Cake

Everything that we ordered was good, especially the steaks which were excellent, and the service was also really good. Not surprisingly, Ruth's Chris is on the expensive side, especially considering the portion size of the sides and salad are pretty small. Thankfully, my friend who was celebrating his milestone birthday treated us. From a personal preference standpoint, I do like Raging Bull better. Would I eat here again, even if I had to pay? I would say that if it's for a special occasion, I surely would.

Ruth's Chris Steak House
https://www.instagram.com/ruthschrisph
Located in: ORE Central
Address: 2nd Floor, ORE Central, 31st Street, Taguig, 1630 Metro Manila
Phone: 0995 631 6346

Rest in Peace, Auntie Isabel

It's a sad day for my family. Auntie Isabel, the wife of my grandfather's brother, passed away.

Her immediate family decided to lay her to rest shortly after Christmas. I was already on leave for the holidays so I was able to join the funeral mass in the early afternoon. After the mass, everyone in her immediate family shared some of their final thoughts, stories, and memories about Auntie Isabel.

Her husband and my grandfather's brother, Uncle Albert, told me after the mass that he would like to sing later that afternoon. As it turned out, what he meant was that he wanted me to sing during the interment. I had never sung at an interment before so I had no song in my back pocket for this kind of situation. However, something the priest said during the mass struck me. It was about smiling. I can't recall if it was smiling in the face of death or smiling when we finally meet our Creator. So I thought of 'Smile' (composed by Charlie Chaplin and David Raksin, with Nat King Cole recording the first version with lyrics) and decided to sing it.

Lyrically, t turned out to be a good choice. Here are the first two verses of this beautiful song:

Smile, though your heart is achin'
Smile, even though it's breakin'
When there are are clouds in the sky
You'll get by...

If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shinin' through,
For you...

The other people who were present soon started singing with me and when the song was done, Uncle Albert asked me to sing it again. I guess people there connected to the song and its lyrics. "You'll find that life is still worth while if you just smile."

We love you and we miss you, Auntie Isabel. May you rest in peace.

Joy to the World!

Happy holidays! The Christmas season - which officially starts in September in the Philippines haha - has been tremendously busy, but in a good way.

I've gotten to meet up with so many of my friends for the holidays. Some of my ex-colleagues decided to organize our Christmas dinner at the new Opus Mall in Pasig. For our venue, we picked Tomatito. We ordered a lot of food, including this porchetta dish. It was sliced into five large pieces and there were five of us so we all got a slab each but they were really hefty. Some of us couldn't even eat their whole piece!

Tomatito in Opus Mall

We picked the first seating at Tomatito which was at 6pm so we were done with dinner by 8pm which meant it was now coffee and dessert time! We decided to try ST. ALi which was a restaurant/cafe that none of us had been to before. So in one night, I got to visit a new mall and have coffee and dessert at a new place. Cool!

ST. ALi Coffee in Opus Mall

I also got to spend an evening with some of my ex-teammates at Podium Mall. We had dinner at Burnt Bean - we had all been there before - but while this restaurant is pretty good and they do have dessert options, we thought of trying some other place. We found ourselves at Opulence Cafe. This place was quite posh! I can't recall what cake I ordered but it was quite good. And the cup and the saucers were all really fancy!

Opulence Cafe in Podium

Speaking of, Grace Park also has some pretty nice cups and saucers. I had dinner here with my college friends when two of us - Val and Louie, who have been based abroad for a really long time now - spent some time in Manila for a short while.

Dinner at Grace Park

I got to revisit one of my favorite restaurants in Metro Manila that I hadn't been to in a while: Duck & Buvette in Shangri-La Mall. I had lunch here with more ex-colleagues for our Christmas reunion. This restaurant has been around for a long time now but no one else in our group had eaten there before, making it a new experience for all of them. Cool! I ordered the pork belly...

Pork Belly at Duck & Buvette

...and for dessert, I had their French macaron ice cream (with coffee, of course).

Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich at Duck & Buvette

I also attended my second Jollibee party in a year. My inaanak Pio celebrated his 1st birthday and his family decided to have the party at the nearby Jollibee.

Jollibee birthday party

My sources of joy went beyond catching up with people. For instance, I got a new light fixture. This was because my previous one was no longer working. I initially thought the bulbs were just burned out or busted but I soon realized that it was the actual light fixture that had a problem. I decided to get a new one, and I picked this light - Sigma 4 Ceiling Lamp - from Decor Manila. With four bright bulbs and a mirror base to reflect the light, my apartment has never been brighter. I was so surprised at how happy my new light made me haha.

New light fixture from Decor Manila

Another thing that made me really happy was getting a few Peanuts and Snoopy shirts from SM Department Store. While doing some errands in SM, I passed by a Peanuts clothing display to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Peanuts. (As it turns out, Peanuts' official anniversary was in 1950, meaning this anniversary display was a year early but maybe they were kicking off a year-long anniversary celebration.) I initially planned on getting a shirt for myself but I ended up getting a couple more shirts to give as Christmas gifts.

Peanuts celebrates its 75th anniversary

I also donated some e-waste again at The E-Waste Project.

My e-waste donation

I used to wait for their collection week before I could donate but thankfully, they have now set up round-the-clock e-waste drop boxes in UP Diliman. This means that anyone can donate e-waste pretty much at any time. That is super convenient! Thank you, The E-Waste Project! (Don't forget to check out their Facebook page.)

E-waste drop box of The E-Waste Project in UP Diliman

And finally, I got my Spotify Wrapped results and they were quite unexpected. Then again, given how eclectic I am, I guess that unexpected results are my norm haha. My top song was Shivers by Ed Sheeran...

...while my top artist was Florence + The Machine.

But while I do tend to listen to a lot of more mainstream music, I did listen to other genres too. In fact, May was my Victorian Instrumental Classical phase, during which time I listened to music from composers like Bach, Offenbach, and Rosseau. Wow!

The holiday season isn't over just yet so I look forward to more reunions, get-togethers, and quality time with the people I love.

Secret Recipe

Because of my BFF card, I found out that Secret Recipe is now in the Philippines. I remember this restaurant from my very first business trip to Singapore. I ate there at least a few times back then because I loved the fact that they serve Southeast Asian cuisine - including dishes from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand - while also offering a wide variety of cakes. Now that I knew it was in Manila, I decided to pay it a visit.

Secret Recipe in Metro Manila

I love the design of their restaurants here in the Philippines. The interiors are very bright and vibrant, making guests feel welcome.

Bright and vibrant interiors

On my first visit, I decided to go with the Singapore Laksa (P495). It was in Secret Recipe in Singapore that I got to first try laksa and I loved it so it was a no-brainer for me to order it. I wanted to try another item on the menu so I also got the 5-piece Deep Fried Wontons (P195).

Singapore Laksa and 5-piece Deep Fried Wonton

Naturally, I had to order dessert after. I had the Chocolate Cheese Berries Cake (P195). I love how they serve the cake slice on a plate that is decorated with a message that makes you smile.

Chocolate Cheese Berries Cake

I enjoyed my dinner here that soon after that, I visited Secret Recipe again. On my next visit, I had the Special Seafood Mee Mamak (P465).

Special Seafood Mee Mamak

For dessert, I selected the Chocolate Odyssey (P195). Seeing "Think Happy, Be Happy" written on my dish really did make me happy haha.

Chocolate Odyssey

Once again, it didn't take too long for me to visit Secret Recipe after that. There are so many menu items that I wanted to try a couple more. For my starter, I ordered the Mushroom Soup (P195).

Mushroom soup

For my main course, I had the Halibut (P295).

Halibut

For dessert, I decided to try their ice cream (I can't recall which flavor I got). I also ordered a Kitkat Cookie. The fact that the ice cream dish was served in a dish shaped like an an ice cream cone was super cool!

Ice Cream and Kitcat Cookie

This place was fast becoming a favorite for me. While doing errands in the Glorietta area, I found myself craving laksa so I decided to have dinner here again.

Singapore Laksa for the second time

I chose another cake this time: the Boston Chocolate Cake (P175).

Boston Chocolate Cake

On my fifth visit, I decided to go with a mix of Asian flavors and continental cuisine. I started with the Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken (P375)...

Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken

...and for my main course, I had the Grilled Mushroom Chicken Chop 1pc (P345).

Grilled Mushroom Chicken Chop

They have such a wide selection of cakes that on each of my trips so far, I had gotten to try a different choice. This trend continued during this visit, when I had the Chocolate Indulgence (P225) for dessert. I love what they wrote on my plate (in case you can't read it in the next photo, it says "All I want for Christmas is Cake" haha).

Chocolate Indulgence

With five trips to this restaurants in just a few months, it isn't a surprise that Secret Recipe has become a personal favorite. They have so many items on their menu that I want to try. What really keeps me coming back is the benefit I get with my BFF card - I get a free cup of coffee and 20% off of my bill (30% on Mondays). As such, it's almost like I just order a main course (and appetizer or soup) and my 20% discount covers most if not all of the cost of the cake or the dessert and I get complimentary coffee. That is such a fantastic deal!

If you enjoy Southeast Asian dishes and cakes, Secret Recipe is the place for you. Their service is really friendly and professional, the ambiance is great, and the little touches they add, such as the messages they write on your cake plate, just make the dining experience really good. If you have a BFF card, it becomes a no-brainer. There are two branches in Metro Manila you can visit: (1) One Ayala and (2) Shangri-la Mall.

Secret Recipe
https://www.secretrecipeph.com

Secret Recipe One Ayala
Level 2, Alfresco, One Ayala Mall, Makati City
Landline Number: 86622523
Mobile number: 0917-524-5058
Store Hours:
Mon - Thurs: 10am-9:00pm
Friday - Sun: 10:00am- 10:00pm

Secret Recipe Shangri-La Plaza
Level 4, East Wing, Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City
Landline Number: 86622523
Mobile number: 0917-524-5058
Store Hours:
Mon - Sunday - 10am - 9pm

Congrats UP MBT! UAAP S87 Champions!

 Congratulations to the UP for winning the UAAP Season 87 Mens' Basketball Tournament!

UAAP SEASON 87 CHAMPIONS 🏆

The crown has finally returned to Diliman.

After two years of hearbreak, the UP Fighting Maroons are your UAAP Season 87 champions.#UPFight #nowheretogobutUP #StrongerBetterTogether #UAAPSeason87 pic.twitter.com/ElutPeAIkB

— UP Fighting Maroons (@upmbt) December 15, 2024

I was worried that UP wouldn't take home the trophy, even after winning game 1 of the finals. After all, in the previous two seasons, UP won the opening game both times, only to lose the next two and miss out on the championship. Thankfully, it didn't happen this time.

I still remember the days when UP would go winless in an entire season. Now, that all seems like a faded memory, with UP becoming a really strong contender in recent years. (Thanks to all the sponsors who provide much-needed funding for the team!) They made it to the the finals four seasons in a row - five times in the last six seasons that were played - and they won twice. It's amazing to think that it took 36 years for UP to win again after 1986 and now, we only had to wait two more years to be UAAP Men's Basketball championship again. Woohoo!

Congratulations UP Men's Basketball Team!

Samba at Shangri-La The Fort

One of my dearest friends Mitch celebrated her birthday and her husband Ferg decided to throw a surprise dinner party for her and her close friends at Samba, a Peruvian restaurant in Shangri-La The Fort.

Samba at Shangri-La The Fort

I had been here once before, when I met with my friend Dave who was in town many years ago and staying at this hotel, but we only had drinks because we met up after dinner. I have heard good things about this restaurant and I love Peruvian food so it was great that we were going to celebrate Mitch's birthday here.

There were about a dozen of us in our intimate group but we ordered a lot of food, including the Chuleton De Res, which is a sous vide and chargrilled 800g prime rib with pepper sauce and roasted veggies.

Chuleton De Res

Peru is known for its ceviche so we ordered the Piqueo Tres Ceviches, which includes a Scallops and shrimp ceviche with ají amarillo cream, Mixed seafood with classic leche de tigre, and Grouper ceviche with rocoto leche de tigre.

Piqueo Tres Ceviches

We also had Empanadas De Lomo which had a braised US beef tenderloin filling.

Empanadas De Lomo

We enjoyed a few other dishes, but because Ferg ordered for everyone, I wasn't sure which menu items they were. Still, I took photos to document and because they looked good haha. This fish dish had an interesting presentation.

We also had another ceviche dish.

I can't recall what dish this was - I am guessing it must have been an appetizer - but it looked really nice too.

We had lots of food and by the end of dinner, we were really full. Still, we had enough room for some dessert. The staff knew we were celebrating Mitch's birthday so they brought out a birthday cake and sang a birthday song.

The food here is fantastic. Everything we ordered was delicious and I have to mention that the ceviche dishes we had were all very high quality. They reminded me of the ones I had in Peru when I went there back in 2018. As I mentioned, I had heard from people that this restaurant is really good and thankfully, it lived up to, if not exceeded, my already very high expectations. It was a perfect venue to celebrate the birthday of one of my dearest friends.

Samba
https://www.shangri-la.com/manila/shangrilaatthefort/dining/restaurants/samba-poolside/
Located in: Shangri-La The Fort, Manila
Address: Shangri-La Corner, 8F, 30th Street, 5th Ave, Manila, Taguig, 1634 Metro Manila
Phone: (02) 8820 0888