September 24, 2010 Friday
*warning: the next few pictures are of very poor quality. i only relied on my BBerry phone camera since i was too lazy to lug around my big cam and my mom’s point and shoot was left at my uncle’s place. boo. 😦 *
this is going to be a 4-part “what i ate/bought/did in Manila” post since there is basically nothing to do here in the big city except for eating and shopping. hehe 😀 so here goes day 1.
my flight to Manila via CebPac was at 8:20am so i was already up and about as early as 5:00am to shower, get dressed and do some last minute packing. here’s baby Peanut sitting pretty inside my suitcase as if telling me “me wanna go with you!!!”
pea-pea in a suitcase
my aunt drove me to the airport where i checked in quite early. while waiting for my flight i ate the Ham & Cheese sandwich that our helper packed for me. yumm!
sandwich brekky
upon arriving, my mom and uncle met up with me at the airport since their flight was about 2 hours earlier than mine. we all headed to my Uncle’s place in Taft Ave. to settle down and get a quickie rest. my mom’s friend, Tita Rose said she was going to take us out to lunch so we waited for her outside. not so surprisingly, this was the sight that greeted us when we stepped out.
baha much??
scary noh? haha! this part of Taft Ave. gets flooded so easily even if it rains for only a little bit. thank goodness Tita Rose’s car was able to “swim” in the flooded waters. we then headed to the Hyatt Hotel where Tita Rose treated us to an incredibly sumptuous buffet.
all you can EAT!
i knew this was going to be a very big challenge to me seeing as i cannot help myself when i’m in front of delicious food. i had to exercise so much self control so i wouldn’t go overboard with lunch. i tried to stick to the healthier options as much as i could. here’s what i had for my first dish. salad with lettuce, cucumber, cheese, carrots, singkamas, croutons and bacon in balsamic vinegar.
crunchy lettuce leaves!
for my next dish i headed for the Dimsum section. there was just too much GREAT stuff i wanted so much to binge and just give in to temptation. but noooooo. the little voice in my head kept saying “veggies, chicken & seafood ONLY!!!” so here’s what reached my plate and my stomach. broccoli, sweet & sour chicken, roasted duck, siomai and some prawns. mmmmmmmmmm!!!! ka lami doh!!!! i loved the broccoli the most because it was so full of flavor despite it being only a veggie.
dimsum platter
next up, i had my Japanese dish. i had about 2 pieces of shrimp tempura, california maki, unagi maki, salmon sushi and several pieces of salmon sashimi (which didn’t make it to the picture as i was too excited to eat them. haha!)
going' Japanese
as much as i wanted to continue eating i had to tell myself to STOP and just proceed directly to dessert. i wanted to just focus on the fruits but i can’t help it. i had to get myself some creme brulee and a macaron with my melon and mango. the creme brulee was super yummmmmm!
sweet treats
needless to say i was so incredibly BUSOG. haaaaaaiii!!!! i think i semi-succeeded in making that buffet still a “healthy” buffet except for the dessert part of course. :p thank you so much Tita Rose for this wonderful treat!
she then dropped us off at 168 where mom, uncle and i went crazy hunting for cheap but quality finds. i like being there on a friday afternoon where there aren’t too many people. here are what i managed to get myself for a GRAND TOTAL OF P2,000. 3 tops plus 2 bags
my 168 stash
and for a total of P1,400 i got myself these uber cool Michael Jackson memorabilia. i know they’re fake but still, i couldn’t resist these! this set of 5 MJ figures doing his 5 most famous dance poses
hello Michael!
and 2 MJ bobble heads –  Billie Jean Michael and Thriller Michael. weeeeee!!! i’m one hap-hap-hapeeeeeeee MJ fan! 😀
little Michaels
when my wallet started crying out for help because i was running way too low on cash, we decided to go home. it was quite an ordeal having to find a jeep that would take us directly back to Taft Ave. whew! what a tiring shopping spree but it was all worth it. 🙂
for dinner, my cousin (from my dad’s side) Robin, picked me and mom up and headed to Mary Grace at Robinson’s Place. here i had a plate of Mary Grace Classic Ceasar Salad which was way toooooo delish. the best part of this salad would have to be the breaded chicken fingers. they’re so tender and juicy, they made every bite of my salad so heavenly. i paired this with an equally delicious glass of apple cinnamon iced tea.
hooray for my healthy dinner
mom had the 1 thing that Mary Grace is famous for – their ensaymada. no wonder this little kitchen business grew into such a success! their ensaymada is just to die for! this picture doesn’t do justice at all.
Mary Grace ensaymada - lami to the max!
if i weren’t on a diet i probably would have eaten 1 of this for dessert! i think i found a new favorite place to eat in Manila! 🙂 i must come back here for another meal before i go home. anya said their pasta here is also out of this world. plus, i have to bring some Cheese Rolls for the family and friendships (mdm Lau!) at home.
here’s me and my cousin Robin at Mary Grace. i love how mature and responsible this little boy is. sorry, i can’t help but think he’s still little. haha! :p
me and "little" Robin
lastly, for dessert, Robin and i headed to Golden Spoon along Magallanes. this is the yogurt for ice cream lovers because it has all the health benefits of a yogurt with the taste of ice cream. you basically get the best of both worlds in this yogurt treat! on my first time here several months back, i didn’t like what i ordered at all. but since White Hat is already in Cebu and Red Mango will soon open there too, i decided there’s no other special yogurt place to try except here. so i ordered myself a medium cup of the Cake Batter flavor with Cookie Dough as my toppings.
yogurt for ice cream lovers
it really did feel like eating ice cream even if it is not at all THAT fattening! i think i want to have another cup. waaaaah! here’s me and Robin with our Golden Spoon cuppa’ yogurt.
Golden Spoon love
and that’s how my first day in Manila went. i know i’ll have to work extra hard at the gym and level up on my healthy eating when i go back home. but as long as i’m here, i don’t want to deprive myself of all the great food that’s not in Cebu. i just know i’ll have to stick to healthier options and eat in moderation.
tomorrow i’ll see Dich at the hotel where she is billeted together with her school mates. and Jihannee’s arriving too! Anya will be here on Sunday so we are going to have ourselves a little Dormie reunion. whopeeee! excited!
Life With Mickie 