Shots of Life

I booked this flight early last year via Air Philippines. We only got the departing tickets on sale while the returning ones weren’t but we only paid around Php 2000 per head. It was already a good deal for us. We landed at Laoag International Airport before 6 in the evening and the weather was still a bit gloomy.
Our contact was Kuya Lenzer (you'll see how great this guy was!) and he took care of us during our entire trip. He was extremely super nice and sweet. I can still remember that he called me up to ask if we are OK since there was a typhoon in the province as well as here in Manila days before our trip. He even gave me details of the situation in Ilocos where the center of the typhoon was. Super textmates din kami! All deals and information were exchange through text. He sent me the itinerary, rates and inclusions promptly. While waiting for our baggage, I called to tell him that we arrived.
We went outside the airport and just after a few minutes, he arrived. Kuya Lenzer (0906-8185735) was really nice (paulit - ulit? super nice kasi talaga siya) and friendly. He is not just a driver who will bring us to places, he also knows the information about the tourist spots and shared it with us. Sometimes, we have asked too much questions (minsan corny na) but surprisingly, he has answers.

From Laoag, we traveled two more hours going to Vigan since I wanted to see Calle Crisologo at night. Glad I have an intelligent friend (jerellt) who suggested to start our adventure in Vigan then Laoag and end it in Pagudpud.
We checked-in at Vigan Plaza Hotel past 8 in the evening and the receptionist already knew our names because we were the last guests expected to arrive.  Haha.. ang late na kasi talaga namin.

Vigan Plaza Hotel is one of the best – rated and expensive hotels in Vigan. Wait ha, di ako nagyayabang.  The rate was too expensive for and overnight stay (Php 4200) but I can say it was worth it. The place was so cool. It feels like we traveled back to the ancient time. :p The wooden furniture may look simple but it makes the setting so perfect - "old-fashioned style pero sosyal".

Our air-conditioned bedroom has 

I love the bed. It really gave me a good night sleep. Ako pa unang natulog sa kanila. Hahaha.. The pillows were soft and the sheets were clean and nicely scented.

The bathroom was just okay. It wasn't as big as I'm expecting but at least it was clean. It has towels and basic toiletries available for use. It also has a pail and dipper! Oha, yan ang hanap ng lahat :p

We had our breakfast at Cafe Bigaa. There were still no guests when we arrived so almost all the servers were just staring at us and very prompt whenever we have requests.
Our reservation includes a set breakfast for 4. Since I’m in Vigan, I tried their Vigan Longganisa (Longsilog) while Boyps opted to try Tocino (Tosilog). Both meals have 2 eggs, a cup of rice, a side dish (achara ata) and a drink.
I ordered coffee while Boyps preferred a glass of juice.
We were also given a plate of fruit slices to share. Our meal was good to jump start our day.

Before we check-out, I took some pictures of the reception area.
We are one hour late from our call time but Kuya Lenzer wasn’t mad at us. :p hahahaha. We had to check out the next day since we will be travelling to Laoag and Pagudpod. It was a quick stay but I could say that I really enjoyed it. Nice staff, lovely ambiance, good food,  what else can I ask for? So if you want to experience all this and you want to be near Calle Crisologo, then you must stay at Vigan Plaza Hotel.

Vigan Plaza Hotel
Mena Crisologo St. Brgy 2
Vigan City, Ilocos Sur
http://www.viganplazahotel.com/

Hi friends! It’s been almost a month since I last created a post on this blog. I have lots of pending travel and food posts but as always, I'm too lazy to blog about it. :p

I’ve been so blessed this April to close two birthday deals to two of my friends. Both were really challenging and time consuming. But who cares? I love what I'm doing and I'm happy stressing myself when baking. Every time I have orders, I always have sleepless nights since I have a regular office work. But after seeing my work, all the hardships are worth it – definitely priceless!

Without further ado, I’m presenting to you my latest creation - Hello Kitty - themed cupcakes.

Cherrie likes it. She said it’s cute and asked me how was I able to do it. Thanks to the hello kitty cutters that made my work easier. The cutter created holes for the eyes, nose and whiskers. I just put some black and yellow fondant on those holes. 

By the way, Boyps volunteered to help me in this project. Hihi basta fondant, maasahan siya. :p 

If you want to see / know more about my products, please visit my facebook fan page and multiply site. Please don't forget to like may page too. :)

My friend has been craving for Yang chow fried rice so every time we eat out, that's her only preference. One time, we were supposed to have a lunch out but unfortunately, the third member of our group was on sick leave. We both have no idea what restaurant (Hap Chan excluded from our list) serves single-serving Yang chow fried rice and since I don’t want to eat at Hap Chan, I suggested we go dine at Mann Hann. I’m not a frequent customer of this place but I know they serve delicious spareribs and yang chow. So obviously, you already know what we had for lunch.

Manne wanted some fried rice so even if the serving is good for 3-4, we ordered a plate of Yang Chow fried rice (P250). As always, it was flavorful. There were generous cuts of meat and scrambled egg.

We ordered two viands to share – Fried Tofu (P125) and Spicy Spareribs (P250). I love the spareribs so much. The meat was soft and tender with some crunchiness on the outside. It is best eaten when dip in their yummy sweet-sour-spicy vinegar. 

The tofu was exactly the opposite of the spareribs. Though it was cooked so well, the taste was so bland that even the sauce didn’t help at all.

Manne and I dated and spent more than an hour conversing about politics (serious huh?) while eating everything on the table. I just notice that Manne was distracting me by talking too much, sharing her opinions while I kept on scooping for rice and ulam. Bwaha. Dinaan ako sa kwento e! But we super enjoyed it and ended up strolling around the mall for almost an hour – busog much!

**Prices taken from munchpunch.

Mann Hann

G/F SM Mall of Asia

North Wing Seaside Blvd

Pasay City

My friends are very much supportive of my craft. If not for them, I won’t have any clients. Haha. Most of them are my previous officemates, and since I don’t have much friends in my current office, the count did not grow much. Hehe I still haven’t received any orders from someone I don’t know and I’m wishing that someday I will have one. Hihi

One time, my seatmate / officemate / friend asked me if I can make Thomas themed cupcakes for his son’s 5^th birthday. Even if I’m not 100% sure, I said yes! Bwaha. I know I have Boyps to help me that’s why I took the risk. I’m not fond of using fondant because I find it tedious to work on while Boyps loves it so much. He has his own fondant tools and cutters while I end up borrowing it from him. I haven’t mastered fondant modeling yet but sure I’m having a lot of fun. Bonding na namin ni Boyps yun, free pa ang labor niya. Hihi

So presenting to you guys another labor of love. Thanks to Google again for giving us an idea of how usually a Thomas cupcake would look like.
By the way, you might want to check out my first attempt of Thomas using fondant.

The place was not packed even if it’s Friday night. The variety of food they offer grew from the first time I visited them. Even if they have Katsu rice meals as new dishes, I still opted to try their burgers. I got their Jalapeno burger while Boyps ordered their BBB Value Meal.

Jalapeno burger (Php 152)has a single patty with sliced jalapeno and lettuce topped with cheese. Boyps’ BBB Value meal (Php 140) included a quarter pounder burger patties with lettuce and tomato, french fries and soda. The burger variant I chose has no value meal so I had to order a glass of Iced Tea (Php 28).

Both burgers have the same patty. It was super juicy, it wasn’t oily, has a very light smoky flavor and really flavorful. The juice comes out every single bite. The spiciness of jalapeno in my burger was tolerable. Actually, I would like it even more if it’s spicier. I really enjoyed our burgers that night and I really wanted to go back! The photos may not look appetizing but trust me, super sarap talaga sila!

The fries were thicker than usual and salted just right. You may want to dip it in tomato catsup then add a bit of spicy sauce or mustard.

I ordered a serving of Potato wedges (Php 65) and we enjoyed this too. It was thick and soft with thin crispy coating. Yummy.

If you are craving for some delicious burger, go and try Big Better Burgers! 

Big Better Burgers
2/F University Mall,
Taft Avenue
Manila