Yaki Mix

We celebrated Gwammy's 81st birthday with lunch at the Yaki Mix branch at the SM North EDSA complex.  This restaurant gets quite full at any of their branches, and it's a good idea to make reservations, especially if you come in a big group.  Their buffet is pretty neat, P725 per head during weekends; on weekdays, the price goes down to P575 for lunch and P675 during dinnertime (this price already includes a wide array of beverages--sodas, teas and juice drinks).  The food is basically Japanese (they have a good selection of sashimi, sushi, tempura and sukiyaki items to choose from).  Some Cantonese and Korean dishes were also included to give some variety to the spread.  The tables come equipped with a grill, which one can use to cook the raw items on the buffet table--and they have a wide range of squid, beef, pork, chicken, shrimps, and vegetables to choose from.  The cooked dishes were quite appetizing and tasty, and I particularly liked the way the pancit was cooked.  The dessert table was also well-stocked, with fruits, pastries, halo-halo and ice cream.  We had a fun time going back and forth for the Selecta ice lollies (watermelon and green apple).  It was a good birthday celebration, and Gwammy was all smiles as the clan members stretched their belts to the max!

Minor

We opened another of Vicky's Christmas goodies--a box of Minor chocolate pralines!  The chocolates came in pillow packs, and we practically finished the box in a matter of minutes!  The praline had rich, creamy texture and felt smooth when eaten.  Moreover, the chocolate had nougat bits, which provided just the right contrast of gooey zing to the smooth chocolate paste.  This one literally melts like butter in one's mouth, and I'd say this is a great find!

Grill Queen

My cousins Gene & Cliff arrived in Manila from LA for their respective business meetings.  They were tired and busy, but we still found some time to meet up and have dinner at Kongkong's place.  It's great to family to gather together and re-energize from each other's presence.  Gwammy prepared for a fast dinner by ordering some BBQ, grilled liempo, squid and siomai from her favorite neighborhood Grill Queen store.  They have flavorful grilled items for take-out, all at very reasonable prices--I'd say it's possible to have a good sized meal for P100 per head.

Sports Illustrated

While I don't actually purchase copies of Sports Illustrated, it is quite a fun thing to wait up for the next beautiful athlete that will pose for the swimsuit edition of the magazine.  I understand that this time, the lady-in-the-spotlight is Alex Morgan of the US Women's soccer team--she is absolutely gorgeous!  I picked up the picture on the left from Yahoo! Sports and this is quite unique because that's not a swimsuit she's wearing--it's actually body paint!  That could've fooled me; it looks just like fabric!  Fantastic, if you ask me--both the body paint imaging and the beautiful lady featured!

Icebergs

The musical ended well, but we were famished--it was already 5:30pm and we only had a teeny-weeny lunch.  We crossed over to the Harbor Square for a snack at Icebergs that turned out to be dinner--we tasted and sampled practically the complete menu.

The Girls' All-Time Favorite!

We started off with pancit palabok, then went on to bigger things--quite a few orders of fried chicken, lasagna, french fries topped with chili con carne and cheese, buffalo wings, a club sandwich and shrimp spaghetti.

And a visit to Icebergs would not be complete without the cold desserts!  The Callars joined us and we had a great time with the halo-halo, mais con hielo, and the different sundaes that they prepared.  By the time we left at 7:30pm, we were grinning ear to ear because our belts felt tight!  Not bad for an average spend of P450 per head.

Mamma Mia

I grew up with the music of ABBA.  How can I ever forget "Dancing Queen" as the music pulsated all over my body at the Where Else? discotheque of the Intercontinental Hotel?  As it happens, the much-awaited hit musical "Mamma Mia" came to Manila for a month-long engagement, and I just had to take Vicky, Monique and her cousin Angela to see the play.  We went to the afternoon matinee at the Cultural Center of the Philippines last weekend and the place was jam-packed.  It seems that Vicky and Angela have begun to appreciate the music of my era, we were all clapping and swaying at the standing ovation!

It was a very charming day for all of us; we were there quite early, with enough time to lounge around.  As the kids and I viewed the dancing fountain at the CCP grounds, we were fortunate enough to catch a picture of a rainbow that formed as the fountain sprinkled its mist.  Nice experience, both the musical and that moment of colorful serendipity!

Buto't Balat

Going around Iloilo was a pleasant surprise for me--I was simply amazed at all the beautiful old houses, and the wealth of history that the city delivers!  During my last trip to the area in 2009, I had to set out for the town of Guimbal, which was about an hour away, so I didn't have much time to see the city sights.  My first trip there was almost two decades ago, so the beauty of the city sights were but a blur in my head.  This trip was an eye-opener--the architecture of both government buildings and private ancestral homes brought in images of elegance and Filipino heritage at its finest.

Lunch at Buto't Balat restaurant was a special treat for me--we had our fill of fresh oysters!  We also ordered baked oysters topped with cheese, crunchy eggplant, beef sinigang, grilled fish and fresh buko juice, which made us quite full at about P250 per head.  I understand this restaurant has a few branches around town, and the fresh wind and the rustic ambiance just made me want to linger with a cold bottle of beer in my hand!  I wondered why the restaurant name was Buto't Balat (literally "skin & bones," a term attached to malnourished children), and I was made to understand that because the fish is cooked is so well, the only things left on your plate would be the skin & bones of the fish!