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

Grapevine Manila

I got to try a new restaurant: Grapevine Manila along Katipunan Avenue.

Grapevine Manila

Earlier this year, some of my friends met up at Grapevine. I couldn't join them due to a conflict but when I saw their photos, I thought that this place looked really nice and I wanted to go there myself. So when another set of friends started planning a get-together in the QC area, I suggested Grapevine and everyone agreed.

Lush and cozy interior

They have a pretty good selection of all-day breakfast items but as soon as I saw Potato Roesti Bacon with Swiss Cheese on their menu, my decision was made. It's not often that I see roesti in a menu so when I do, I almost always order it. At P389, it's a pretty good price given that the only two other roestis I've had in Metro Manila are a bit, if not a lot, more expensive than this. It was also really good. I was really happy with this choice.

Potato Roesti Bacon with Swiss Cheese

My friends and I stayed there for a few hours because we hadn't seen each other in ages so there was a lot to catch up on so after a while, I decided to order Cannolis (P140) for dessert. I'm not a cannoli expert but what I had was pretty good.

Cannolis

I enjoyed my meal and the ambiance of Grapevine so much that when I had another opportunity to visit, I did. While I really wanted to have the potato roesti again, I decided to try something else on the menu. This time, I ordered the Buttermilk Waffle & Crispy Fried Chicken (P499). I had been craving chicken and waffles recently and it was definitely satisfied by this meal.

Buttermilk Waffle and Crispy Fried Chicken

I really do like Grapevine Manila. Probably the best thing about it for me is the ambiance. It just looks really lush and cozy inside and I can imagine myself spending a lot of time here catching up with friends or just chilling.

Grapevine lets a lot of natural light in

Even their restroom looks pretty chic and snazzy (I took this photo when there was no one else inside).

Men's room at Grapevine

While I have stuck to their breakfast menu items when ordering food here, they do have lots of other dishes on the menu. I also love the fact that their Americano is only P98, which is a lot cheaper if I compare it to coffee in most other restaurants. They also have a good selection of cakes and pastries (though so far, the only dessert I've had is their cannoli).

Display of cakes and pastries

Hopefully I get to visit Grapevine Manila again soon. Among the new restaurants I've gotten to try, this is now one of my favorites.

Grapevine Manila
https://www.instagram.com/grapevinemanila
Address: Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Phone: 0960 834 2470