What's Back to Give You the Chills?

...Coney Island Ice Cream is. Yes, it's back! The ice cream we've loved from our childhood is back...but it's now known as GoNuts Ice Cream.

The taste remains the same and the ohhh sooo creaminess of the ice cream is sure to drive you to ice cream heaven ***Yum!*** The ice cream is made with fresh milk and cream thus giving it its premium, oh! so sinful texture and taste.

new york! new york! on a cone (P80.00)

PISTACHIO by the window (P80.00)

The Flavor Roster:

lots n lots of ice cream

Belgian Chocolate

Cool scrumptiousness of rich dark chocolate intensified with gobs of chocolate shavings

French Vanilla

Richest vanilla flavor from real vanilla beans and fresh eggs

Cafe Mocha

Perk up your taste buds with our frozen coffee delight with a hint of chocolate

Pastillas De Leche

A swirl of milky sweetness of the much loved pinoy delicacy

ROCKY ROAD

A luscious swirl of milk chocolate with surprising sprinkles of nuts and marshmallow

BUBBLEGUM

Savor some Tutti Fruti sweetness infused with real juicy bubble gum bits

Choco Hazelnut

The most delightful dark chocolate flavor, drizzled with oh-so-heavenly hazelnut syrup

- a must try for choco addicts!

PISTACHIO

Authentic nutty pistachio essence chilled to perfection

Ito's MACADAMIA

Go macadamia all the way! Macadamia ice cream with a dash of real,nutty macadamia bits

the scoopery

STRAWBERRY

Immerse in full strawberry goodness with fresh fruit slices

OZARK BLACK WALNUT

Walnut bits in extra rich vanilla ice cream-imagine crunchy and creamy all at the same time!

new york! new york!

Delicious buttery taste with that premium pecan flavor

The Prices:

Favorites- Single Scoop P60.00

Double Scoop P100.00

Tub P185.00

Premium- Single Scoop P80.00

Double Scoop P135.00

Tub P215.00

*** GoNuts Ice Cream is available at Go Nuts Donuts SM Mall of Asia, Westgate and SM Makati***

What's the Color of your Fortune?...

...Mine's Golden. Golden Fortune has been a regular after badminton "hangout" for us..a.k.a. this is where we pig out after sweating it out =)...oh! who can resist the calling of good food paired with good company and topped off with affordable price? DEFINITELY not us =P.

Due to it's location, it's been a while since H and I ate here. So we grabbed the chance to visit Golden Fortune again during one of our errand trips to Manila.

The Food Spread:

SEAFOOD HOFAN

As usual this dish didn't disappoint. The serving is ample and the amount of seafood they included in the dish is enough to make one's mouth water. This order is definitely good for more than one person.

FRIED OYSTER CAKE

I was a bit disappointed when I first saw our order. I thought to myself :"it's so small =("..well, it's not really that small but comparing it to other oyster cakes we've tried in the past..this is a bit smaller. BUT! Everything changed when i took my first bite *yum!*. The oysters are so fresh and meaty...you can almost smell the scent of the ocean with every bite =D. Traditionally, oyster cakes are served with hot sauce or ketchup for dipping but for the oyster cake served at Golden Fortune, we didn't bother to use the dipping sauces because we are able to enjoy more of the fresh oyster taste that way.

FRIED RADDISH CAKE

This is one of my favorite dimsums since I was a child. H liked it too when i first had him try it. We like Golden Fortune's version of this dimsum because of the generous amount of Chinese sausage they included in the cake which gives it a smokey aroma.

PORK SIOMAI

*excuse the two missing pieces of siomai in the picture...the smell of the freshly steamed dimsum is just too tempting to resist*...ho!ho!ho!

Going to a Chinese restaurant and not ordering siomai is like going to a Japanese restaurant and not ordering tempura...so we just gotta have it! We found the siomai a bit too oily...i guess they have to put enough pork fat so the meat won't get too dry during steaming. Except for the oiliness, their siomai tastes really good.

Overall, we are very happy with our meal. As with most Chinese cooking the dishes are a bit oily...that's why Chinese people drink tea with their meals to wash away the oiliness of the food. This is one restaurant we will continue going back to as long as they remain open =D. Aside from dimsum they also serve traditional Chinese dishes and shabu-shabu ( Hot Pot ).

They have an ongoing promo in both their branches offering discounts on dimsum and Shabu-Shabu items at certain hours as follows:

BINONDO BRANCH - 2:30pm-5:30pm

T.M. KALAW BRANCH - 9pm onwards

GOLDEN FORTUNE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

Binondo Branch:

G/F Peace Hotel,1283 Soler St., Binondo Manila

Tel. No. +632.244.2777

T.M. Kalaw Branch:

678 T.M. Kalaw St.

Ermita, Manila

Tel. No. +632.522.2288

Snackees: LifeChoice FRESH Veggie and Fruit Sticks

Looking for a healthy snack alternative? Check this out :

the Nutrition Facts & Ingredients

the contents

Iam no expert in health nutrition but comparing the nutrition facts of this snack from other snacks in the market, I can say that this is waaayyyy healthier than you bag of potato chips =)...and it tastes good too! It is reminiscent of Snaku ( another snack that claims to be made from veggies as well ) but less salty and a lot crunchier.

Enjoy snacking!

*LifeChoice FRESH Veggie and Fruit Stick is available in local supermarkets*

[Hu:]'s Going Crazy Over Noodles?

Curious about the concept of a restaurant serving only Chinese and Japanese noodles we decided to give [Hu:] a shot.

Upon entering the quaint little restaurant, you will be welcomed by their friendly staff. Since it is our first time to try this place we didn't have much of an expectation...but we were a bit disappointed to see how limited their menu is :

Yes! That's all they have

free steaming hot Korean green tea

The dishes were in Korean ( which made us think that this is more of a Korean noodle house rather than a Chinese/Japanese place ) but with English descriptions. Unfamiliar with what dishes to order, the friendly staff helped us out to their house specialties.

The Food Spread :

JAENGBAN-JAJANGMYEON P250.00

- stir fried noodles with black soy bean sauce served on a large plate

MIL,SIL and FIL shared this order. Upon seeing how dark the sauce is, we expected the dish to be salty but it actually tasted pretty good...not salty at all! There is a hint of sweetness in the sauce.

JJAMPPONG P230.00

- spicy noodle soup

SORRY NO PIC WAS TAKEN...BOO! H WAS TOO EXCITED TO *SLURP* HIS NOODLE SOUP

H's order which the family also had to share. The broth of this dish is heavenly! You can taste the infusion of different seafood flavors and the spiciness adds just enough kick to awaken ones senses...and clear one's sinuses =P

NANG MEMIL-GUKSU P250.00

- cold buckwheat noodles...( but we had it hot )

We specially liked the lightness of the broth used in this noodle dish. Though this noodle soup didn't come with any meat toppings it is very tasty...i say the secret is in the broth!

MUL-MANDU P150.00

- boiled dumplings

The dumplings tasted okay, we've had better dumplings in other places that serve the same.

Overall, the food is okay but we didn't end the meal feeling satisfied..maybe because we are not accustomed to the kind of food they have. A good sign that this is not a bad restaurant is the number of Koreans who were entering and eating in the restaurant....and boy! do they seem to enjoy their noodles =).

[Hu:] CHINESE & JAPANESE NOODLES RESTAURANT

Address: Located along El Grande Ave. BF Homes Paranaque

Turning Japanese : Hanakazu Japanese Restaurant

Hanakazu is one of the more upscale Japanese restaurants in the BF Paranaque area. To celebrate MIL's birthday, we had dinner here ( as recommended by her friends ).

The Food Spread :

SEAFOOD SALAD Php 360.00

- mixed greens with slices of sashimi served with Japanese vinaigrette dressing ( on the side )

CALIFORNIA MAKI Php ----

- rolled sushi containing cucumber, imitation crab stick and mango

SHRIMP TEMPURA (3pcs.) Php 220.00

- deep fried black tiger prawns

GYOZA ( 6pcs.) Php ---

- pan-fried pork dumplings

CRISPY SEAFOOD NOODLES Php ----

- deep fried egg noodles topped with seafood sauce

KATSUDON Php 230.00?

- rice topped with deep fried pork cutlets, egg and condiments

H and I both think the prices are a bit steep for the quality and taste of the food they serve. Don't get me wrong, Hanakazu isn't a total miss...food is actually good but we expected more for the prices they charge. The taste is similar to more entry-level Japanese restaurants such as Tempura or Teriyaki Boy ( whose prices are half of what Hanakazu charges ). Thank God for senior citizen cards we got a little discount from the total bill...yay! =))

HANAKAZU JAPANESE RESTAURANT

108 Aguirre Ave.

BF Homes, Paranaque City

Tel. Nos. (632) 850.2512 / 622.0536

Mobile No. (0917) 886.7276

Buffalo Wings and Things

From their original branch in Ortigas Home Depot, Buffalo Wings and Things has found another home in BF. Curious about the place, we decided to give it a try even if we see the place empty most of the time.

The food spread:

Basket of fries Php 75.00

There is nothing special about their fries...the best thing about it, is being able to eat the fries hot straight out of the fryer =))...watch your tongue though cuz it can be HOT! HOT! HOT!

1/2 Pound New York Finest Champion Buffalo Wings Php 125.00

There are other sauces to choose from but we opted for this semi-spicy blend. The order came with a pair of wings that's been cut into 4pcs. We found the sauce a bit salty but liked the spiciness. The best thing about this dish is the tenderness and juicyness of the chicken with every bite. Dips can be ordered to complement the wings ( and fries )...we got the Blue Cheese ( Php 35.00 )which was a good match for the wings.

Twin Philly Cheese Steak Php 195.00

We were so happy when we saw our order...uhm!!!! it smelled really good, beef slices overflowing, cheese sauce dripping all over. The taste? Well, it wasn't all bad..let's just say it's one of those dishes that look better than it tastes. It was just ... ok, and it was too small for the price.

I hope that they would use Italian bread or French baguette in making this sandwich ( like how it's traditionally done ) instead of the Pinoy mini hotdog buns that they used because I found the bread too sweet and it tends to overpower the flavors of the cheese steak.

We found the place a bit expensive for the kind of food they serve. Good thing we walked out the place feeling full ( who wouldn't be if you ate everything fried? hehehe!).

Service is impeccable! ( probably because we were the only customers present during that time) all our needs were attended to. Our table was immediately wiped clean each time we finished an

order.

The Menu:

BUFFALO WINGS AND THINGS

Pasig Branch

Food Street, Ortigas Home Depot

Julia Vargas, Pasig City

Tel. No. (623) 994.8887

BF Homes Branch

231 Aguirre, BF Homes

Paranaque City

Tel. No. (632) 703.4867

Snackies: Tostitos w/ Creamy Spinach Dip

Having junk food cravings? Try these out...

Tostitos w/ Hint of Lime...adds another dimension to the usual tortilla chips

Plain is good but we like it paired with Tostitos Creamy Spinach Dip...the dip is also good as a spread on toasted whole wheat baguette ( for a healthier alternative)

The pair we love =)

Tostitos w/ Hint of Lime Php 127.20**

Tostitos Creamy Spinach Dip Php 175.40**

**Prices may vary depending from where you buy it. Prices indicated above are from Landmark supermarket.

LOVE GREAT BARGAINS?

S&R is bringing back its Members' Treat!

When: September 30-October 4,2009

Where: S&R Alabang, Aseana-Baclaran, Congressional, Bonifacio Global City

Time: 8:00AM-9PM

*image taken from www.snrshopping.com

Start your Christmas shopping early!!!

For details: visit www.snrshopping.com

S&R MEMBERSHIP SHOPPING

Alabang

West Gate Development,Filinvest

Corporate City,Alabang-Zapote Rd.

Alabang, Muntinlupa City

Tel. (02) 771.9999

Aseana-Baclaran

Bradco Ave., Aseana Business Park

Boulevard 2000

Baclaran,Paranaque City

Tel. (02) 853.9999

Bonifacio Global City

32nd Street, 5th Ave.

Bonifacio Global City,

Taguig City

Tel. (02) 888.0640

Congressional

30 Congressional Avenue

Ramon Magsaysay,Bago Bantay

Quezon City

Tel. (02) 929.8888

Paying it Forward: Coastal Clean-Up 2009

During the long weekend H and I were invited to join the Coastal Clean-Up in Anilao,Batangas. Being a diver in drought H excitedly said "YESSS!". We were blessed with good weather from the moment we left our house at 5:30am ( can you sense the excitement????) up until H's last dive at around 1pm.

Each resort along the coast of Anilao was assigned a dive site to clean-up...we joined the group billeted at Balai Resort which was assigned to clean-up Bebots...pssst! pssst! Balai Resort is the venue of Judy Ann S.-Ryan A. secret wedding reception...*wink*

The humble welcome tarpaulin:

Briefing the giddy divers:

Ready for the divers:

Group picture before heading out to sea:

***oopsie! sorry for the B/W pic I forgot to change my settings =p

Treasures from the sea...not!

Among the garbage found under water were bottles of alchohol, a badminton racket bag,

plastic bags, and lots of twine. The most collected trash underwater is.....THE DIAPER! Would you believe that almost every diver was able to pick up at least one diaper and the occasional used napkin (eeww), aka white manta..... it just proves that humans are the major contributor of pollutants...so sad! =(

The event lasted the whole weekend but H and I stayed for a day only. We had to head back home to attend to another event.

Joining an event like this is such a good experience. It makes us more aware of the state of our planet. Each of us can do our share in saving the environment. Earth is our only home..let's save it before it's too late..so I say : " Love it, Live it, Litter FREE it "

Revisiting: Som's Noodle House

Som's has been a favorite of H and I...it's love at first bite! With it's affordable prices

it's enough to make us keep coming back =) Hence,we decided to have an early dinner at

this hole in the wall during one of our trips to Makati.

Food Spread:

PORK NOODLE SOUP Php

Slices of barbequed pork with rice noodles

He says:

Now this was my meal. And like always, Som's has not disapointed me. Their pork noodle soup was very tasy with a lotta pork. Sarap talaga this place! (This place is really delicious!) My only complaint is the small serving of noodles which they compensate with togue or bean sprouts. Since it's a place of great food for a price that can't be compared to other Thai restos, I guess that's how they make a decent profit...so i can let that little thing slide. My final verdict with the meal, try it! Much better than SOME but not all higher end Thai restos.

She says:

I like the soup...it reminds me of La Paz Batchoy.

RED CURRY TOFU Php 120.00

Tofu cubes mixed with eggplant and spices cooked in Thai red curry.

This my staple order whenever we'd eat at Som's. I'm a sucker for tofu...it's my health

food. I love, love this dish! I hope though that they will simmer the tofu in the curry

sauce longer so the tofu can absorb more of the curry flavor.

TOM KA GAI Php 120.00?

Thai coconut milk soup with chicken and mushrooms.

It was my first time to order this dish. When the soup was served, I had to stop myself from gagging =P. Thoughts swimming in my mind: " eeewww! what's this???...a bowl of starch???...a bowl of warm milk???...a bowl of breakfast oatmeal???? ( all of which i don't like =p )" I almost couldn't bring myself to touch nor taste the soup but being a tightwad that Iam, I couldn't let any food go to waste...so I took a sip of the milky white broth. I'm glad I did because it changed my initial perception of the dish. I liked it's tanginess and the chicken strips were tender to the bite. I especially liked the soup paired with my Red Tofu Curry ( which i found a little too sweet instead of spicy ) because they complement each other. You can always add chili sauce to add a little spice or a hint of color to this otherwise pale dish.

Som's will always be in our list of to-go-to place for cheap eats. Just be sure you're not the maarte type because it is still street food served and eaten on sidewalk tables. Flies and bugs are about. If you're cool with the above... go for it and you surely will not regret it.

On a side note : While we were waiting for our food to be served, we saw a worker running after a mik-mik ( a.k.a. rat..a big one at that! )...he finally caught it in the bushes where some of the tables are laid out...so be careful cuz you'll never know what's lurking under the tables...scary!

SOM'S NOODLE HOUSE

5921 Alger St. Poblacion

Makati City

(02) 757.80.79

Tomas Morato,

Quezon City

(02) 386.21.48

First Dibs: Good Day! Buon Giorno

When Labuyo decided to shower us with rain, H and I decided to take a spontaneous road trip to Tagaytay. He'll drive and we'll decide what to do when we get there. Road trips love company so we invited the rest of the family to come along. By 3:30 we were on the road to our destination. Surprisingly, traffic was good considering it was a long weekend...oh yeah! maybe twas because of the rain and no one is as crazy as us to travel out of the Metro in the weather =P.

It was near dinner time when we reached Tagaytay ( Our family eats dinner at 6:00pm...that's why H and I always snack before bedtime...cuz we get hungrryyyy!)

The mission : Find a good place to eat.

The venue : The Cliffhouse

Since we've been hearing a lot of good things about Buon Giorno we decided to give it a try. It was everybody's first time to eat here but expectations were pretty high because of the reviews we've heard and read.

The food spread :

BASKET OF FOCACCIA BREAD with BALSAMIC & OLIVE OIL DIP Php FREE (priceless! for cheapos like us )

BUON GIORNO SPECIAL Php 202.00

- "A mix of our best salad ingredients drizzled with our well-revered house dressing."

Sorry, no picture for this dish since the others dug in the moment it was served. Too bad,because for me this has got to be the best order of the entire meal. The greens were fresh,the apple slices and grapes we crunchy to the bite and oh! the dressing is absolutely yummy...it has the right combination of sweetness,saltiness and tanginess.

POLLO E FUNGHI Php 280.00

- " For those who favor chicken, this risotto dish with mushrooms, make for an extra special meal"

H's take on his meal:

I was hungry, the waitress said the meal was good for two but I had it all to myself . Good for two was right, there was so much rice it filled me up almost completely. But if you were having it to share it would be enough for a date. Just make sure you get salad and desert to go with it. Im a glutton which is why i eat so much hehe. Sadly though the chicken could hardly be noticed in the dish except for the few strips that garnished the rice meal. Total lack of flavor. Thank goodness though for the mushrooms. They made the meal worth it. It could be a whole lot better if they had more mushrooms and let the flavor mix into the risotto more to make it more palatable.

GAMBERETTI E FUNGHI RAVIOLI Php 280.00

-"Stuffed pasta with mushroom and shrimp filling, topped with tomato sauce"

I was quite disappointed with this order. The tomato sauce was too salty. The ravioli didn't taste like it was freshly made. The shrimp bits used for the filling was not fresh since it wasn't tender to the bite but i did like the flavors of the filling...the shrimps, mushrooms and cheeses used blended really well.

NEW YORK Php 274.00

-"Assorted meat, bell peppers and cheese topping on a crisp, crusty dough"

The pizza looked wonderful upon serving. It smelled great but tasted only okay.

Overall, our first Buon Giorno dining experience wasn't a total disappointment. We just expected something more. The food was okay but nothing really great. I think the whole appeal of dining here is more of the ambiance

coupled with good stories and food to share with family and friends

while enjoying the climate and laid-back atmosphere of the country.

Buon Giorno Caffe & Bistro

Tagaytay Branch

Unit 4, Cliffhouse Tagaytay

Gen. Emilio Highway

Tagaytay City, 4120

+6346.413.2102

Mandaluyong Branch

G/L Building B, Liberty Center

312 Shaw Boulevard, Pleasanthill Mandaluyong

+632. 710.3515