Madeca

It was dinner time already when we finished dressing up ourselves after using the swimming pool of Richmonde Hotel. We wanted to eat at the hotel’s restaurant but everyone looked so formal (I’m wearing shorts) so we decided to just eat out. We were supposed to just buy a Subway sandwich at Podium but the adjacent fast food caught my attention.
Madeca is serving Filipino and Mexican food like burritos, tacos, burgers, Sisig and Lechon kawali rice meals and more.
After ordering at the counter, we were given this cute and unique queue number. After we got our seats, drinks were served as well.
I tried their Salpicao Burrito (Php255) and Boyps got to try their Burger with Chips, Salsa and sour cream sauce. I love my burrito so much. Aside from the fact that it was bigger than Army Navy’s, it has more meat filling too. The combination of flavors coming from the rice, the sauce and meat were so good. It tastes even better when drizzled with Salsa. 
Boyps Burger (Php245) tastes good too. It was juicy and not too oily. There’s only one thing that Boyps noticed while he was eating, the meat are falling apart after each bite. I don’t know what it means and why it was like that but the terms he used “parang sumasabog lang ung patty”. But even if it’s like that, I believe Boyps enjoyed his burger. 
Both meals was served with chips (a bit salty) that's best eaten when dip in their Sour cream sauce.
After eating, we still bought a sandwich from Subway. Haha. We just really wanted to eat a sandwich that day but since we are full, we just ate it the next day. ;)

Madeca
5th Level, The Podium
Mandaluyong City
Game Night with Girlfriends at Solaire



My friends and I have been so busy this week. Work schedules, hectic deadlines, working hour extensions and the likes. So our usual stress buster is eating and walking away from our office. Either we do window shopping at Mall of Asia or drink milk teas. But lately, we level up a bit. We are having lunch at SnR (level up na to sakin :p) and just recently, lunch at Solaire. We were supposed to go to SnR because it is on sale but the queue to the entrance is too long. Sorry pero di kami pipila dian. So what we did is to just have lunch at Solaire. But of course, we just ate at the casino’s food court. Haha
Rotisserie Chicken (P230) with two scoops of mashed potato and bread. 
It's the mashed potato that I love :)
After eating, we tried playing on one of those slot machines. Super daming slot machines dun, di ka mauubusan. Even though I’ve been to Macau already, this is my first time to play in a casino and try slot machine. First times are really memorable and quite funny. We are trying to insert P20 bill but the machine is not accepting. Here’s our conversation:
Blooper #1:
Me: Tara try natin, may P20 pesos ako (habang shino-shoot sa machine). Hala ayaw tanggapin. baka dahil bago ung pera
Lareina: Teka may luma akong P20, eto try mo
Me: (shoot uli) ayaw talaga e
Mel: Pa-assist na tau. Mag tanong na tayo
Solaire Girl: Ma’am, the machine only accepts P100, P500 and P1000 bills. (not sure kung kasama P200 di ko maalala)
Bwaha. Tawa na lang kaming lahat =))

I spent P100 and won P80 but we didn’t cash it out but instead played until it’s gone. Bwaha. It was fun playing but it’s really a game of luck (well lahat naman ng sugal) Pero kasi di namin alam na panalo kami unless mag blink ung monitor. Haha. Daming combinations na pwede e. basta nadadagdagan pera namin, pwede na :)

The next day, we decided to go back in SnR and check if we will be successful this time. And yes we are! Shopping shopping din pag may time. But I just bought my ever favorite Friday’s Potato skins. Hihi. Enough of our SnR experience and let’s go back to Solaire. Just after SnR, we went back to the office to get our stuffs and off we go again to Solaire. Bwaha (di kami addicted, we are just having fun :)

We had dinner first at McDonalds (all of us got P50 meal, saving for casino :p) then went straight to Solaire. Solaire’s lobby is so grand. Actually, the entire place is so grand. From chandeliers to lightings to carpets and elevators. Hahaha. Lahat grand
Lobby

Food Court ceiling
Cocktail Drinks Bar
So before we start with our agenda, we applied for a membership card. It’s free. I just brought a government issued ID, filled up a form and submit. If you have a friend that is already a member, present his/her card so he/she can get a P200 food and drinks voucher as a referral reward. Note: The owner of the card should be present too and has been a member for at least 24 hours. 

After roaming around and checking the place, we learned a few things on how to play games. There are tables with bankers and the game is called Baccarat. For me it’s the sosyal version of Lucky 9. Banker vs. Player. Whoever has the higher number wins. But the game is, the player will bet to whom he thinks will win – is it the player or the banker? Minimum bet ranges from P500 – P2000. Dun sa 1 table na tinayuan namin, wagas makapusta. P5000 agad agad. Bwahaha. Di ko maintindihan naramadaman ko nun. Maiyak iyak na ewan. Bwaha. I work so hard to earn money and I just can’t let go of it that easy. Haha. But of course, it’s not their fault to be rich and to have huge money (I assume extra money) to gamble.

I brought P500 that I will be using to play so in short, I was not able to try Baccarat because I can’t afford to lose it in just one game. Gusto ko naman mag enjoy kahit papano. Bwaha. So Lareina brought me to where she played the last time she went there.  I don’t know the name but it’s a dice game. The gamer will roll (may machine na taga alog.. sosyal much) 3 dices, and the players can guess if it’s even or odd, small (sum 1-10) or big (11-18), dice combination, sum of 3 dices, any triple and more. Haha. Inside bets cost P50 and the big/small costs P300. Dun ako palagi sa big/small.
Tip: P300 is big right? So if you want to bet on big/small, wait for someone to place P300 and put your bet on top. Honest naman yung mga players, ibibigay nila sayo ung bet + winnings mo. Dito sa game na to, ang P50 pede maging P6000. Hahaha
Blooper #2: Unang bet ko sa big/small P100. Hindi ko alam na pedeng magpatong sa bet ng iba :p

It was such a fun experience. I told myself to spend P500 only and once it is doubled or gone, I’ll stop. Inferness, achieved ko doubled. Hahaha Lucky on my first game night. ;) I don’t have any plans to turn this “playtime” into a habit. Mahal na bisyo ito. Hahaha

Before heading home, we decided to spend all the food vouchers we got from referrals. We have P800 coupon value to use at the food court and this is what we got. 

 Cheezy Fries - generous cheese sauce! yummy!
 Chili 'n Nachos - cheese, tomatoes, onions, jalapeno and ground meat! 
- super yummy too!

 Pizza - Four cheese and Pepperoni - not so yummy. Hihi

Good food + elite friends + funny conversation = AMAZING AND HILARIOUS NIGHT. 

Let’s do this again girls (mag pramis ka Manne na sasama ka na next time) ;)

Solaire Resort and Casino Hotel
#1 Asean Ave.
Entertainment City
Tambo, Paranaque City

Richmonde Hotel Ortigas
[Another super late post :D]
Jerellt and I are planning to have a staycation as a replacement to our usual travel adventures. We are both paying for something that’s why we are really trying to save some money. Hihi. Anyways, our initial date was set on the first week of May (bwaha super late talaga) but unfortunately, Je and Boyet can’t make it so I asked Boyps if we can still pursue with the plan even if it’s just the two of us. Gladly, he obliged. I really wanted this staycation so bad. So many things happened that really made me feel stressed and the same time pissed. Plus, I knew that I will be having my period on the new planned date.

I’ve been wanting to try Richmonde Hotel ever since I saw it in Ortigas. It was so near to The Linden Suites where we stayed for my sister’s wedding. Just 3 days before our vacation, I booked one De Luxe room via Agoda. It costs us around Php 4800, tax already included.

We arrived at around 3 in the afternoon, an hour late from the check-in time (Kitams Je, late ako pag staycation :p) I delivered some cupcakes that day too so I was really tired but at the same time excited for this much awaited R&R with Boyps.

Checking in was quick and easy. I just presented the voucher, fill up some form, present my credit card and off we head to our room. The receptionist was nice and pretty and she gave us a free room upgrade. Pero naisip ko, baka dahil mahal ung booking ko at may on-going silang promo na P4,000/night. Hihi. The entrance and reception area already look so elegant and that made me more excited to see our room.
 Welcome drinks (ubos na nung nag picture ako :p) 
Our room has 2 single beds, both with tables and lamps on the sides,   
a couch,
working table and chair / dresser, 
cable television,
telephone, lights and aircon controller
refrigerator with two complimentary bottled water 
and other drinks that are for sale, snack bar,  
water heater, spoon, fork, cups and saucers
and complimentary tea and coffee
cabinets with hangers and drawers, 
safety deposit box,
huge mirror,
restroom dresser
hand towel, toilet, 
basic toiletries and face towels 
and bath tub.
view from our room
What I enjoyed the most is the bed. The sheets, pillows and comforter were cottony soft and smell so good. I stayed here most of our time. Even Boyps had to pull me before I get up. Bwaha. Eto na yung may pinaka masarap na kama na na - try ko ever! Our bathroom has bath tub that we used (separately) for a night shower. Body towels were also provided. It also has shower with hot and cold water. It wasn't big but spacious enough for humans to move. Hihi. It was very clean too.
After taking pictures of our room and bonding with the bed, we change our clothes and check the pool area. The swimming pool is located at 2F inside the Health Club. 
Upon entrance, we were welcome by another staff that asked us to write our names and room number. We wanted to use the gym but we don’t have clothes for that so we went straight to the pool area. The swimming pool was not big but not as small as the one in One Tagaytay Place. The depth ranges from 4.5 ft. to 5 ft. Surprisingly, the pool water is hot. As in parang hot spring. Haha. But it didn’t stop us from enjoying the water.  We swim, chat and swim again until the area became crowded. Haha. 
The Health Club also has lockers, shower area and sauna rooms.
After swimming, we had dinner at Podium and went back to our hotel for a sound sleep. The next day, we had breakfast at Richmonde Café. Buffet breakfast is already included in our booking. The buffet table offers a lot of choices. From breads, waffles, spreads and cheeses, salad and egg omelette, cereals and juices, savory dishes like fish fillet, sweet ham, crispy bacon, garlic and potatoes and more, taho, congee, fruits and desserts. For me, the breakfast was superb. You may find me exaggerating but I really enjoyed the breakfast especially the bread station, sweet ham and fish fillet. I forgot the name of the cheese that I used and I super love it.
My first plate (eto lang may picture :p)
Just a tip – Richmonde CafĂ© is quite strict with dress code so better change your pajamas before heading there. But shorts were allowed for girls and boys but boys can’t wear sando. And please, no bedroom slippers! J
It was an easy check out because they need not to check the room before they can let us leave. Any damage / consumption will be charge to the presented credit card. Yun pala purpose nun. Haha
It was such a short but fun-filled staycation with Boyps. The staffs were all nice and wear a smile on their faces all the time. Thanks so much Richmonde Hotel and I would really love to go back again and reunite with the buffet table and bed. J



Richmonde Hotel
21 San Miguel Ave.
Ortigas Center
Pasig City

Ebun
I gained a new friend – Juber, and he had been joining us every lunch out Fridays. But unfortunately, he has already transferred to a new company and if I’m not mistaken, this is one of his “last lunches” with us.  Being with him means that we only have to spend up to P150 for our food and another P100 for our Chatime / Happy Lemon moments. Tipid sa food pero hindi sa Milk Tea. Haha.
While I was browsing for some deal sites, I saw Ebun and Mangan offering good deals. We only paid P600 for P1000 worth of food purchase. And since we are a group of four, the cost is within our budget. I placed the reservation and availed the voucher the day after.
There were not much guests when we arrived so we were immediately seated and assisted. We quickly placed our orders and continue chatting while waiting. Ebun is serving complimenraty peanuts and chips and I liked it because it's not too salty.
So here’s what we had for lunch. J
Pork Sisig (Php 250) is one of the restaurant’s specialties. It’s a combination of both pig’s belly and ears. The meat was crunchy and not too oily. I guess it’s only Lareina who did not like it because she doesn’t really eat Sisig (sorry girl K). In-unfriend niya ako dahil pinilit ko siyang kumain. :p
Laing (Php 200) is a dish made of taro leaves cooked in coconut milk. I was expecting this to be a hit but it wasn’t. We’re all disappointed because it tasted so weird. I thought it was “panis” but Manne said that it might be the coconut milk that gave the dish that weird taste.
Roasted Pork Humba (Php 280) is a sweet version of adobo. Everyone enjoyed this simply because of the taste plus the meat was really soft and tender.
We still have P100+left so we ordered deseerts. We ordered Leche Flan and Ginataang Monggo. The first one was just so-so while the latter was good and not too sweet. Nakakamiss itong merienda na ‘to.

Ebun
G/F Entertainment Mall
SM Mall of Asia
Pasay




Abe
[Another late post]
It was another Friday for my girlfriends and me so we’re off for another lunch out. Manne was sick during that time so she preferred to eat in a place that serves any soupy dishes. One rule that we stick on to is that, we can’t eat in a fancy restaurant if it’s not payday yet (fancy na pag gagastos ng P300+). We are running out of affordable restaurants in mind until I suggested Abe. Manne and I were both first-timers and Lareina keeps on telling us that we should try the Lamb Adobo. Upon checking the menu, I knew that we will be breaking the rule. Bwaha. Since we wanted to have soup, we skipped the adobo and ordered Sinigang na Boneless Bangus Fillet with ripe guava (P399) instead. 
Guava used in Sinigang is not new to me. But I was really surprised when it was served and after taking my first sip. The sauce was really thick and it tastes sweeter than sour. The guava flavor was really evident. But I just find it too sweet. Actually, parang wala ng asim. Haha. It has generous large cuts of fish fillet too. It was good. I liked it. But I guess the thickness of the soup and the flavor were not proper for a sick person. We both agreed that it was like a hot guava shake. :p Lareina and I were expecting Manne to consume almost all of it but we’re wrong. Di niya type! Eh siya ang dahilan kaya may sinigang. :p <peace Manne>
We also ordered Bicol Express (P265). When this was served, we were all looking for the meat but there’s none. So we requested for the menu to check the description and found out that it was a vegetable Bicol Express. Haha. It was another healthy dish on the table. Combination of string beans, ampalaya, squash and eggplant cooked with coconut milk. I enjoyed it even if there’s no meat though it was not as spicy as I’m expecting it.
Here’s the funny part of the experience. We thought that it will be cheaper to order fried rice than 3 cups of plain rice. So when we saw Crispy Shrimp Binondo (P195) on the rice section of the menu, we included in our order list. Parang kanin pa lang ulam na ang peg. So when it was served, the rice was placed inside a bamboo while the shrimps were on a separate plate. We were really enjoying the rice because it was so delicious.  As in sobrang nasarapan kaming tatlo! The salted shrimps were crispy too. We keep on dipping it to their house vinegar and mix it with the rice and it was perfect.
Not until we ask for the bill. We were surprise to see another dish on the list and it was the rice (limot ko na name). We were all laughing out loud because what we enjoyed the most was actually not part of our ordered dishes. Haha. In short, iba ung kanin at ung shrimp. Bwaha. And the most surprising part is that we have to pay P1000+ for everything that was served on our table plus the service charge. Haha.

Nevertheless, it was such a funny experience. Their slogan is right – “Abe is the place where good friends dine”. Haha. I would still want to go back and try their Lamb Adobo. J


Abe
2/F Entertainment Mall
SM Mall of Asia
Pasay