Med.Chef Brownies

While waiting to be allowed in the ABS-CBN compound one time I was collecting a cheque, my husband was intrigued by this bakeshop offering cakes with a twist. Since he hasn't heard of MedChef before, he only bought these chocolate brownies (P100/box) that had a cream cheese topping.





For its price, it was good. Not too sweet and I loved the cream cheese topping. However, it felt more like chocolate cake than brownie becase it was so soft.

For orders or an idea of where MedChef (or Med.Chef, I don't know how important that dot is) will be (because they also sell at Sunday markets or food expos), just visit their site http://medchefhomemadecakes.multiply.com/

Nexcare Reusable Hot and Cold Pack

3M's Nexcare Reusable Hot and Cold Pack is probably the best item charged to us at the hospital because I can still use it at home, use it well, and really benefit from it.

It relieved my aching back from having to lie down for so long. It also helped ease my gas pains after my CS delivery. Then, when our neighbors in the OB ward were getting excited over the air-conditioning, it warmed my newborn to sleep. Now, I am using it to prep my breasts for breastfeeding and pumping.

Granted, we've only ever used Nexcare's Reusable Hot and Cold Pack as a hot pack but I really love it, really recommend it, and will certainly buy another one again. Perfect for when you strain muscles from using pull up bars or cooling down a feverish tot. It's really a better alternative to ice bags and hot water bottles.

Black Forest Gummy Bears

Nope, I do not know a thing about diet pills with ephedra. And am also not really an expert when it comes to candy treats. I am not even a fan of gummy bears for that matter. Which is why Black Forest Gummy Bears are really good because they got me hooked!

I especially love the red color ones. Unfortunately, our house is being raided by ants so we had to repackage our gummies and I already threw away the wrapper so I can't tell what particular flavors there are.

I also can't say just how much calories these pack.

I'd still recommend them as a better alternative to hard candy, which is more acidic and thus more damaging to the teeth.

One last thing, maybe it's because my son doesn't chew it well or maybe because it's really made from real gelatin... but I have also noticed that my son will skip a bowel movement after eating some. He doesn't get constipated exactly because he does manage to poop the following day. But i'd still go easy with this on toddlers like him.

And definitely, it is a choking hazard to anyone younger than 1.5 years, I think.

Farmer & Friends Play Dough Kit

The Farmer & Friends Play Dough Kit by Art Academy is a good find indeed. It's a play dough set with plastic accessories for animal eyes, nose, ears, feet, etc. and a farmer Mr. Potato Head with a rake. It costs P400+ at Toys R' Us and also comes with three tubs of clay.

My only complaint is the clay, which was a little chalky. I had to soften it with water and knead it repeatedly before we can use it. But it does smell good and I guess it can't be as soft as Play Doh because it has to somehow keep its form when you plug the face parts to it.

But what really got me to buy it was the face parts. They're really small so this isn't really for toddlers or for kids with younger siblings. And you can't let a child play with it unattended. Anyway, the face parts are so much fun and does encourage creativity and imagination. Oh, one other complaint is that the eyes in the box come in different expressions but the actual toys were the same. But it's really still super fun and people of all ages can really have so much fun with this kit.











Mr. Potato Head actually has a hat but I haven't gotten around to opeming the bag where its stored, along with the fence parts.

Really highly recommended as a gift idea if you want to make an impression on a birthday boy or girl :)

Human Heart Nature

I discovered Human Heart Nature products at the Expo Mom. Of all the booths selling organic and natural body care products, I only bought from them.

I loved the smell of their Cocoa Body Butter (with Goat's Milk and Mango). It smells like mango and is very spreadable but non-greasy. You won't smell ripe after though, just really delicious.

I also bought Kids Nature Shampoo and Body Wash (aloe vera and banana). It's a no-tears shampoo made of the mildest ingredients. It sort of smells like jackfruit when you lather it on, but in a good way!

Human Heart Nature charges P50 for delivery in Metro Manila and you can expect to receive your orders in 1-2 days. It also boasts of 100% natural and Philippine products so I think it would be fantastic that more people patronize their products. Perfect as giveaways or gift ideas.

Gotti's Torante

Tucked in the corner of that new wing in SM Mega Mall, where Superbowl and Tia Maria's are located, is a restaurant called Gotti's. They said their original branch was in SM Bicutan and they might be opening another in Antipolo or Cubao (I forget).

Anyway, I only had my camera phone again and the pictures I took didn't and cannot do their food justice. The food was simply superb!!!

We ordered the Mussels Marinara (?), Smoked Chicken and Pesto Pasta (not sure of the names, but this was one of their bestsellers, regular), Dirty Fingers (chicken fingers) and a bottomless iced tea and paid P541 for that.

The marinara sauce was simply, truly divine. And I am not exactly into tomato sauces and dips. But I just really, really loved it and we had to ask for more bread so we can scoop it up.

And the pasta was also very wonderful. I also used bread to absorb all the olive oil and pesto in the pasta. Much better than the pesto pasta Conti's and Italianni's offers (for me at least). And their regular-sized pasta platter is good for two already (or three, if you're sharing the otehr dishes). The Dirty Fingers was good, but not exceptional. But really, I sincerely had a better time eating there than eating at Zamboanga Restaurant. And we spent only a quarter of what we spent there!

The service and friendliness of the staff was also note-worthy. The ambience, however, is not as fine dining (more like Pancake House) as Italianni's.

I'd gladly go back there again and try their thin crust pizzas!

Spice Up Your Tocino

Spice up your tocino by literally putting spice into it.

We love the Pampanga's Best brand, because it's sweet without being irritating. Plus, it has a healthy amount of fatty portions which I love. We just add water to it and let it boil till there's only that thick sauce left (to put on our rice).

Sometimes though, when i'm feeling more industrious, I cut it up in smaller pieces. Bite size pieces. When cooked this way, they even become more tender. Then I add about half a teaspoon of chili powder. It adds a kick to the tocino without being too overpowering.

Sometimes, we also add sweet chili sauce (2-3 tbsp) to it.

The downside? You end up eating more rice with this one. And it's better when served with steamed rice over fried rice.

Tramway Garden Buffet

Located at 65 Timog Avenue Corner Mother Ignancia St., Brgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City, Tramway Garden Buffet is a great venue for birthdays, baptisms and everything else involving food.

For one, the rates are cheap. It's Chinese-Japanese buffet for less than P200 on weekdays and less than P400 on weekends. And the food is really good. I was just not able to take much pictures because I was minding my son. But the dimsums were delicious, and the sweet and sour pork was sublime. No wonder it's getting raves in a lot of message boards.



Call them at 415-2005 for inquiries.

Zest Air - Marinduque Flight

Zest Air (former Asian Spirit) is known for bad reviews. But despite that January fiasco at the Caticlan runway, we still booked flights with Zest Air last February for Holy Week since it's the only airline going to Marinduque and we didn't want to compete with the ferry crowd at the Lucena Port.


We didn't expect much for the P1k fares but were surprised (and happy) that it wasn't that bad too.

Of course, contacting their Reservations Hotline can be quite a task. Yes, you may wonder if they only had one phone line to service all incoming calls. And yes, nobody responds to e-mail inquiries from their end. Still, if you call the Reservations Office around 8 AM< you're more likely to get connected to an agent.

Calling to reconfirm flights is very important. The flight schedule for Marinduque supposedly leaves at 6 AM from Manila but after reconfirming, it has been moved to 8 AM. We were asked to board the plane at around 8:20 AM (so yeah, the general airport practice of checking-in two hours before departure time sucks, especially for planes that are as small). I miss the one-hour grace period of old (for domestic flights, that is).

Zest Air was handing out free flavored water at the airport, and I liked the Apple one.

Anyway, the trip takes around 30 minutes only. The plane used to fly us can accommodate 30 passengers. No snacks were served (unless maybe for those holding P3k tickets? because I did see the stewardess with a tray carrying three juice packs?). The seating is a little cramped but for a short flight, it's negligible inconvenience. The air conditioning was working, I didn't hear of complaints about dripping water, and any of the others i've been warned about.

The runway in Marinduque is short and non-smooth so we really felt it when our pilot landed the plane. But it wasn't so bad and i've seriously had worse jeep and cab rides.

The crew were friendly and accommodating. They were the ones that offered my son a chance to meet the pilots, and the pilots were more than happy to have him sit in the cockpit (son didn't want to let go of Mommy though).


Terminal Fee at the old domestic airport is P200. It's just P20 at the Marinduque airport but you also pay a service fee of P50 per passenger for the Zest Air agents there.

The return trip was just as uneventful. And we're planning on flying to Marinduque again in May... and Boracay in July. So shall I recommend the airline to others? Absolutely, if they can afford to be realistic with their expectations and really want to cut on travelling costs.

Signing Time Videos

Granted, they're the only signing videos I really watched. But the videos are really just amazing! Not only were they engaging, but you can tell they're also well thought out. Aside from the signs themselves, one also leaves away ideas about hygiene, eating healthy, keeping safe, playing nice and having fun. The values are just there. The use of inter-racial kids and kids with special needs also teach about tolerance and awareness.

I just love the videos. My family loves the videos. The songs are also really catchy. My son loves the videos and nothing else. We don't get tired of the videos. Really, words cannot describe how brilliant these videos are. nd how helpful!







Go to Signingtime.com to see how you can purchase the CDs/DVDs.

Ma Mon Luk - Quiapo

Ma Mon Luk at Quiapo is the original branch. And now I think they're down to two branches (the other one is in QC).

Ma Mon Luk was a poor Chinese who went to the Philippines to earn money and save so he can marry the woman he loves. He made a twist to the original bami being sold in Quiapo and practically reinvented Chinese cooking to suit Filipino palates. And thus, Ma Mon Luk has become an institution.

Ma Mon Luk in Quiapo is sorely lacking in ambience. People who have not been introduced to its offerings would probably grimace at the drab surroundings. Plus, it doesn't help that it's located in Quiapo and there isn't any parking space available for its patrons. But despite this, one will still see a lot of nice cars trying to squeeze into parking spaces in adjoining busy streets. Around meal times, the place still gets packed. And where take-outs are concerned, the place does make a killing. Sometimes, they even run out of siopao as early as 5 PM.




Ma Mon Luk is actually not for the poor. A regular siopao costs P40 (special costs P55, I think) already and a regular order of chicken mami costs P85 (special is P95, beef is P100). And though they have other offerings (such as short order noodles and dimsums), these two are really their bestsellers.

And seriously, I have yet to taste a yummier siopao! I actually don't know why their mami costs so much, but it is very delicious as well (but the siopao is the incomparable one).

So if you want to eat something authentic Fil-Chi, or give your expat/foreigner friends a treat, try Ma Mon Luk. If you're scared of Quiapo, try their QC branch.

Spa Theater Experience

My blog post, "Family Reminiscing at a Spa Theater" won techfilipino.com's Bloggers contest so I got to join other bloggers last February 18 at Blue Water Day Spa for some foot reflexology and back massage, while watching Kung Fu Panda.

The following post is as objective as could be.

My only true complaint about the experience is getting a little lost. See, I didn't print out the map provided in the website but I did save the address. And the main landmark is a Caltex station so I shared what I have with the cab driver and trusted he'd bring me where I intended to go.

Blue Water's map should show that there are TWO Caltex stations near Greenhills Shopping center. I was dropped at the one in front when I should have been delivered at the one near the Club Filipino Road/Razon's. I kept calling the receptionist at the spa and asked for other landmarks. Being told that BDO is in front of them didn't help because there was also a BDO near the Caltex station where I was. Being told that I should be seeing the McKinley Drive sign also didn't help because I was also able to see that where I was.

It took about three calls to them and me volunteering the possibility that there could be another Caltex station along Ortigas Avenue before we were able to establish that I was at the wrong Caltex station.

The experience gave me blisters on my feet but it was a small price to pay for the lovely time we had.

The foot reflexology and back massage I got was absolutely wonderful. Had it not been free (our prize for winning the contest), it would have cost me P550 which would have been money well spent. You could say they really trained their staff well and even researched the techniques.

(and just for the record, I have pretty high standards where massage is concerned)

Blue Water Day Spa really invested in their Spa Theater, where all things foot (reflexology, foot spa, etc) happen. If not the latest Blue Ray movies, they show cable TV shows while their patrons get pampered. People can also rent the theater for P7,000 for private screenings (for events, for about 3-4 hours) and pay P21,000 if they want spa services during the screening.


it seats 28, all seats are too plush and wide
not to be inviting


they have four couples' massage/treatment rooms


the sauna in the men's and women's locker rooms
can accommodate up to 8


the best seats are the middle ones, at the center

The staff are friendly, and dressed like they're flight stewardesses.

And yes, I can't wait to go back and try their other services! And yes, I am raving because not all spas are created equal. Some focus more on the ambience without doing the massage right.

Blue Water Day Spa is probably becoming a trusted brand indeed. Some other services they offer include Tibetan Meridian Fire Therapy, Body Massage Therapies and Special Touches, Body Scrubs, facial Treatments, face and Body machine Treatments, hair Removal, Skin Rejuvenation, Spider Vein Treatments, Foot Treatments, and Hand Treatments. They also offer Spa Packages and Membership Packages.

There are branches in Greenhills, Alabang, Makati and Mother Ignacia. I think they're also building one in Tagaytay. But only Greenhills has a spa theater, I think.

*~*

Thanks to Mr. Francis Simisim for the great hospitality. I really wish his business well.

Goldilocks Bakeshp is currently offering Bailey's Cake. At P530 (I think) for the big one, you get the taste of Bailey's on the chocolate icing at the side of the cake (completely covered by the chocolate wedges in this picture) and lots of Chantilly cream.

The sponge cake itself isn't anything special but overall, the cake is at least not too sweet.

Is it worth the price? Maybe, since I don't know how much liqueur costs. But there are better-tasting cakes out there. Just add a little more to the cost and you can already order a cake by Alex Franco, one that would be filled with mangoes and mousse aside from cake and cream.

Nestle All Purpose Cream - Strawberry Flavor

Maybe in anticipation of the Christmas Season, Nestle is now selling limited edition Strawberry and Buko Pandan flavored all purpose cream.

We've only tried the Strawberry flavored one. It's a thicker cream than the usual and already tastes sweet. I used it for my Cathedral Windows recipe and my strawberry-loving loved ones loved it. However, you might want to lessen the condensed milk in the recipe as the cream already tastes sweet.