Posted on: 20th of October 2008 | Under: Palate Pleaser
What’s an anniversary date with no dessert, right? Right. So, after our dinner at Equinox Restaurant, we walked all the way to Esplanade to have our toothsome fix. The 10 minute walk (or was it 15?) did us good, because as full as we were from our belly bulging meal, we were hungry again by the time we reached our destination: Max Brenner.
Ah yes, Max Brenner: The famous dessert haven for chocolate lovers like me. With its tag line “Chocolate by the Bald Man,” I was expecting to see cleanly shaved waiters bustling from one table to another, just like back in Manila. But as soon as we entered, my excitement dwindled down to plain disappointment. What?!? No hunky bald men servers? Boo!!! Instead, the staff was composed of young waiters, in probably their early twenties, and an older guy who looked like the owner. They were all dressed casually, in their own and separate style of jeans and t-shirts, with no hint of uniformity whatsoever. We could only pick out the servers from the customers, because they were the only ones up on their feet. Other than that, it would’ve been impossible to spot them.
Posted on: 19th of October 2008 | Under: Life & Love, Palate Pleaser
We love food, and as a couple we enjoy trying out new places to dine. Every year, on the day of our anniversary (except for our first year, because we were technically not together for two days then — long story), we like to dress up and treat ourselves to a romantic dinner. On our second anniversary, we had a two-day celebration where we had dinner at MyLK, Greenbelt 2, followed by lunch at Conti’s the following day. On our third year, we had dinner at Vivere Skyline in Alabang, which I blogged about here. And on our fourth anniversary last year, we had a scrumptious meal at Le Souffle, at the Fort.
For the past years, we celebrated in different restaurants in Manila, but this year however is the first time we spent it in Singapore, our new home (well technically it’s only new to me, because JR has been here for over a year).
We chose to have our dinner at the Equinox Restaurant, and boy, did we make the right choice! Situated on the 70th floor of Swissôtel The Stamford, the restaurant with its three-storey high windows gave us a spectacular view of the city. When JR reserved our table a couple of days before, we were disappointed when told that all window seating were already full for the night. But when we arrived that evening, we were lucky enough to be able to grab one of the tables for an extra charge of SGD20. Not bad, because it was wonderful being able to sit next to this view:
Posted on: 9th of October 2008 | Under: Palate Pleaser
Fish and chips and vinegar,
Vinegar, vinegar,
Fish and chips and vinegar,
Pepper, pepper, pepper, salt.
I enjoy finding and trying out new places to eat (I should really detox and maybe try out a colon cleanse for all the belly abuse!), and I admit that I’ve done very little of that since I moved to Singapore. Last Saturday was a treat, because JR and I had lunch with two of his band mates after their interview one block away.
Our pit stop: Fishermen’s Wharf along New Bridge Road (right in front of Central Mall/Clarke Quay MRT). I was ecstatic to try it out. I spotted its front sign from across the street just a few hours earlier, and made JR promise that we come back to dine there one day. He had already tried the food there before, and gave a pretty positive feedback, which is why I happily agreed when Alvin (their band’s singer) suggested the place for lunch that very same day.
Posted on: 3rd of October 2008 | Under: Palate Pleaser
Oh yes, this is going to be another food post. I did mention that flying back to Manila meant a lot of food tripping, didn’t I? Get ready to take out your exercise mats (or maybe an alli diet pill?), because following are several photos of our last proper meal in Manila.
Monday, September 29, 2008 (4:00pm): It was JR’s mom’s Birthday, and since our flight back to SIngapore was scheduled later in the evening, we decided to celebrate it over an early dinner at Greenbelt.
We had several restaurants in mind: Bubba Gump, Fish & Co., just to name a few, but we had to rule those out, because Mark, JR’s younger brother, is allergic to seafood. Italian food was also not an option, because they just had pasta over lunch at their house. After checking out the other restaurants in Greenbelt 3 and not finding anything we fancied, Japanese food was finally agreed on. We walked to Greenbelt 5 for a belly-bursting meal at John and Yoko.
Posted on: 2nd of October 2008 | Under: Palate Pleaser
During our Manila trip, JR and I were mostly busy with JR’s father’s wake. I spent most of my time over at their place in Quezon City or on the road running errands, that very little time was spent with my own family. The day after he was buried (well, more like entombed, because he was cremated and his ashes were placed in a columbarium niche), I made sure that my family and I finally spent some quality time together.
After having lunch at home, visiting my paternal grandmother, and walking around the mall to look for memory cards, we had dinner at Cyma. I had been craving for Cyma for the longest time, and since my family loves Cyma anyway, I didn’t have to fight over choosing the restaurant. I was glad JR could join us too.
I love Cyma! The food is so good that no diet can stop anyone from overeating! =P
My mom’s favorite: Pita with Hummous.
Php125
Posted on: 12th of September 2008 | Under: Palate Pleaser
BoNa Coffee, located in BF Parañaque, is one place that a lot of bloggers (including Venice) have been raving about recently. Since I myself am a sucker for good coffee, and because it’s just a quick drive from my house, I vowed to try it out while in Manila.
On my second day back, I found some time to spare, so I headed straight to BoNa to spend some quality time with myself. As soon as I entered the door, I was greeted by a group of extra friendly baristas behind the counter. I’m quite used to baristas greeting customers upon entering, but somehow the ones at BoNa were different. They were sincere with their greetings, speaking softly with genuine smiles on their faces; totally different from the “hello” and “good days” baristas usually just shout out to entering customers in more commercialized coffee shops (eg. Starbucks).
The place itself was slightly different from other coffee shops. It was dimly-lit and was embellished with eclectic furniture pieces and accessories. Contemporary chairs and sofas were paired with antique coffee tables and display cabinets. I loved it’s small and cozy ambiance, and how it made me feel so much at home.
The coffee and food didn’t disappoint me either. My order of skinny latte and chocolate orange muffin were a perfect combination. And they (everything that they serve, actually) were also low in fat and calories! My palate was overwhelmingly pleased for something quite healthy!
Another perk that made me stay longer than planned was their free Wi-Fi! Before leaving for Singapore I was always in a constant search for coffee shops around the metro with free internet services. For a geek like me, nothing gets better than being able to surf while having my cup of coffee. I’ve tried many other coffee shops with free internet, but have always been disappointed with their slow connections. BoNa’s Wi-Fi was F-A-S-T! No Page Timeouts! I was on cyber heaven! My MacBook was just as happy as I was! Maybe next time I should bring a Bluetooth headset, so I can watch one or two videos too. =P
I enjoyed my BoNa experience so much that I’m sure I would probably become a regular there if I still lived in Manila. I should drop by again before we head back to Singapore on Sunday. There are a lot more drinks on their menu that I want to try out. =)
Anna. 25. 
