Mark and I were on our way to the Antipolo FX terminal in Cubao one weekend afternoon when we passed by the Araneta Center and saw a pile of tents with different kinds of food.


And so there, we found ourselves checking out the tents in no time. Mark must have missed our food a lot, that even if we just had a feast when he arrived, we again had another food trip the day after.

Our initial plan was to just have a little family dinner out during my birthday since Daddy's still not sure if he'd have to go to work. But because Daddy was allowed to be on leave during my birthday, I got to celebrate the whole day of my birthday with my family! Yay!


After having breakfast at home, we started our celebration with thanksgiving at Monasterio de Sta. Clara in Quezon City.

Jaoey loves basketball so much. Aside from playing basketball in our backyard and in the xbox, you'll catch him glued on the TV as he watches his favorite basketball teams in the NBA and PBA.


So when his birthday month came, I thought that Jaoey would love it if he gets some fan sign from his favorite PBA basketball team, the Ginebra Kings. And since Mark has become Kerby Raymundo's (one of Ginebra's top players) personal trainer and a good friend as well, I knew that we can make Jaoey's wish happen. :)

Went to the Gateway Mall for dinner a few weeks back (oh yes, this is just one of the many backlog posts that I got haha!). Mark was already watching his food intake since he's preparing for a bodybuilding competition and during times like this, he always has the final word on where we should dine.

Since there aren't a lot of healthy food choices at the Gateway Mall, he chose to dine at Pancake House for dinner. The place was already packed when we got there but there were vacant tables outside (along the walkway). I was insisting Mark to just have our names listed in the waiting list and wait for the tables inside to be vacated, but since he was already hungry he insisted to just dine outside the restaurant. I didn't want to argue so I obliged.

Spicy Chicken Fillet with Rice Pilaf

Mark loved his orders at Pancake House in Robinsons Magnolia so he got the same orders at the Gateway branch. Unlike other restaurants wherein their dishes sometimes taste differently at every branch, Pancake House managed to maintain its dishes' tastes across their branches, well at least for their Robinsons Magnolia and Gateway branches.

We woke up early the next morning after our jacuzzi night to catch the buffet breakfast. After breakfast, we freshened up and fixed our things and took a short rest while waiting for our check out time. We checked out from the hotel at 12pm and then headed to the Gateway Mall in Quezon City to have our lunch.

Sumo Sam has just newly opened a branch at the Gateway Mall so Mark and I decided to try it out. The waiting staff greeted us as we entered, ushered us to our seats, and handed us the menu, a huge menu I must say. :p There were a lot of food choices but Mark and I got glued to the ramen section as all of the ramens were labelled as must tries. I think we were still having some hang over from our ramen night, so we decided to have ramen for our lunch. :p

Since we already pigged out the whole weekend we just wanted something light that's why we chose to do away with rice and have ramen instead, but our jaws dropped when our orders were served. We basically got the same orders as what we got during our ramen night, but didn't realize that Sumo Sam's come in huge servings!

Tempura Ramen - Php 388.00

I ordered the Tempura Ramen while Mark got the Buta Kakuni Ramen. I wasn't able to take note of the description in the menu but just like in Ajisen Ramen, Sumo Sam's ramen also have the same ingredients and just differs with the main ingredient that come with it--mine had 2 pieces of Tempura while Mark's had thick pork slices.

Here's one of the series of my late night dinner dates with Mark.  Our late night dinner dates usually happen whenever I work overtime.  My dad would never really allow me to go home late all by myself even if I bring a car and so working overtime is really not an option for me.  So whenever overtime work is needed, Mark would always be there, since his shift ends at 10pm, (or should I say I would always ask Mark) to fetch me up, have some late dinner, and accompany me home. :p

From Makati we went to the Araneta Center and was eying on Mang Inasal but it was already their closing time. Luckily North Park, which is just a few walks away from Mang Inasal, is open for 24 hours.

We were greeted by the waiting staff who also ushered us to our seats. It was almost midnight and there weren't a lot of diners that time so our orders were promptly served.

Our drinks were served first.  Mark got their Pineapple shake and I got their Lychee shake and totally forgot that I have a sore throat. :p I wasn't able to keep the receipt and so prices indicated here were taken from North Park's site. :)

Lychee Shake and Pineapple Shake - Php 100.10 each

Mark was still on a diet that time and wanted to have North Park's China Chicken, which was unfortunately out of stock, so he just settled for dimsums.  There weren't any beef siomai in North Park and Mark didn't want their shrimp dumplings so he opted for the Shark's Fin siomai.  Since he is allowed to eat fish, he got 2 orders. :p

Mark and I, together with his mom and his cousin, celebrated the New Year like little kids. :p Last January 1, 2012, we went to the Smart Araneta Coliseum to watch the Disney on Ice "Let's Celebrate!" show.


And just like in the previous Disney on Ice show, I, again, got so thrilled the moment we entered the coliseum.

I made sure that I capture every scene. :p Here are some of the shots from the show. :)


...and a few highlights. :)

Aside from the Disney characters, what Mark and I were most excited about were the souvenirs. Mark got the Buzz Lightyear headpiece with cotton candy, while I got the Minnie Mouse headband.


Mark's mom also bought a Mickey Mouse headband. :D




And as before, Mark and I both enjoyed the show. It just felt so good to be like kids again! ^_^

More photos HERE :)

When out on another 'Saturdate' with Mark yesterday. :) I was very excited on my way to meet him, as always, but at the same time I was also feeling a little sad knowing that it will be our last 'Saturdate'. Mark already started working and I am really happy for him, even though his work schedule would mean lesser quality times for us and no more Saturday dates.

We decided to make the most out of our last Saturday together, by doing what we both love to do the most...EAT! Well that's if he's not on a diet. :p I was a bit late and so Mark was already hungry when I arrived. He chose to have our lunch at Pizza Hut Bistro.

Mark and I both had a quick glance at the menu before finally placing our orders. We were busy talking about how lovely the waiting staff were so we didn't quite feel that our orders were taking so long. Everyone was just so adorable with their smiles.

We were first served with these complimentary garlic sticks. :p I didn't have my digicam with me so the following photos were taken using my ever reliable camera phone. :D

Complimentary Garlic Sticks

Mark's order was served next. He was supposed to have their cream of chicken soup, unfortunately they didn't have any that day, so Mark just settled for their cream of mushroom soup. I insisted that he get the one with puffed pastry instead of just the croutons.

Cream of Mushroom Soup - Php 49.00

The pastry didn't really look that appetizing as it did in the photo in the menu. It also didn't taste well, it actually tasted like it was dipped/baked/fried in old oil. Good thing the complimentary garlic sticks tasted well with the soup. :p

Cream of Mushroom Soup - Php 49.00

I suddenly missed their Waldorf salad so I got an order of it. This is my favorite among Pizza Hut's salads. The sweet red apples, grapes, glazed walnuts, and crunchy celery on a bed of mixed greens, drizzled with honey cream dressing were a heaven for me. I was raving about how good this salad tastes and I'm glad Mark agreed with me. :)

Waldorf Chopped Salad - Php 139.00

I also got their Fresh Grape Smoothie which was a perfect pair for my salad. :)

Fresh Grape Smoothie - Php 79.00

The lovely waiting staff also got us ordering their Tuscani 4-Cheese Lasagna Pizza. The pizza has 4 cheese in it: Parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar, and cream cheese. Aside from the layer and blobs of cheese, this pizza is actually a lasagna, with flat pasta, meat, tomato sauce, and herbs. Very satisfying for a cheese lover or a lasagna fanatic! A must try I must say! :)

Tuscani 4-Cheese Lasagna Pizza - Php 349.00 (medium: 10"), Php 549.00 (super family: 14")

We both enjoyed our lunch. Apart from our Saturday food trips and movie dates, I know I will surely miss how Saturdays has always become more fun, enjoyable, and memorable when shared and spent with the one I love. :)

PIZZA HUT BISTRO, GATEWAY MALL
Ground Level, Gourmet Tower
Araneta Center, Cubao
Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Phone Number: (+63 2) 912-9601
Delivery: 911-1111

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       @kriskamarie   @kriskamarie

Mark and I went out last Saturday to watch Breaking Dawn. It was around lunch time when we got to the Gateway mall, and so after we got our tickets for the 2:10pm showing, we headed straight to the coliseum grounds to find something to eat.

We were too lazy to walk (or I guess too hungry :p) so we settled for the first restaurant that we saw. We were greeted by the friendly waiting staff when we entered Gloria Maris, who handed us the menu as we were seated. I can't remember having dined at Gloria Maris, so I'm considering this as my first time. :)

Our drinks were served a few minutes after we placed our orders. I wasn't able to bring my digicam, good thing my camera phone come in handy. :)

Watermelon Shake and Fresh Orange Juice - Php 78.00 each

Mark wasn't that hungry so he settled for noodles and some siomai, while I wanted to have rice so I had a rice meal and dumplings. :p Mark's beef brisket with tendon noodle soup was served first. The soup looked appetizing. The soup has a generous amount of beef and some white chunks, which I initially thought were slabs of fat. :p

Beef Brisket with Tendon Noodle Soup - Php 198.00

Mark enjoyed his dish. He said that he can actually taste the beef just by merely sipping the soup. He also loved the tendons. He said that eating tendons are like eating fat without actually having to worry about the those extra bulges.

Beef Brisket with Tendon Noodle Soup - Php 198.00

My roast duck was served next. The duck was served with steamed white rice, some steamed pechay, and slices of century egg. The roast duck was yummy and I thought was a lot tastier than roast chickens. Its skin was crispy and the duck meat was tender and juicy. The sauce, which I also loved, had this distinct Chinese taste which I'm guessing was from star anis. It also came with a sweet and tangy dip which I also enjoyed. :)

Roast Duck with Rice - Php 248.00

We were almost done with our main dishes when we figured that our dimsums were still not served. The waiting staff went straight to the kitchen when we called his attention. And yes, I guessed it right, he actually forgot about the dimsums. I just found it kinda weird how he forgot that dimsums are usually served first. :p

We didn't want the usual pork siomai and hakaw dimsums so we went adventurous that time and tried their Japanese siomai and sharksfin dumpling.

Japanese Siomai - Php 98.00

The Japanese siomai had crab meat, pork, and some tuna wrapped in nori and topped with minced carrots. I would have enjoyed this dish if not for the nori wrapper which made the siomai taste a little fishy. That steamed nori was just not a hit for me. With the gooey feel and fishy taste, I nearly puked on my first bite!

Sharksfin Dumpling - Php 98.00

The sharksfin dumpling wasn't also a show stopper as it was kind of dry. But I preferred it more than the Japanese siomai. :p I was not that satisfied with my dumplings so I only had one and gave the rest to Mark.

GLORIA MARIS, ARANETA CENTER
4th Floor, Gateway Mall, Araneta Center
Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 332-5067

Since we were still early for the movie, I thought of buying some Christmas gifts first. On our way, I thought of checking the movie tickets and was shocked to see that our tickets were for the 12:10pm showing, and it was already past 1pm, oh great! So there, we just decided to buy tickets for a later schedule and just have some desserts to kill time. :)

I insisted that we have our desserts at Starbucks since I was also collecting some stickers for their planner. I got two stickers for these frappes. Yay! :p

Venti Java Chip Frappuccino - Php 175.00 and Venti Dark Mocha Frappuccino - Php 185.00

Mark was still choosing among the tasty treats, while I already knew what I want--the triple decker cheesecake with snickers! *drools* The cheesecake was loaded with chunks of Snickers in a chocolate cookie crust. Each layer has its distinct taste, the bottom layer was the usual cream cheese, the second layer has caramel and cream cheese, and the top layer has chocolate and cream cheese. It was also topped with a chocolate fudge icing and roasted chopped peanuts.

Triple Decker Cheesecake with Snickers - Php 130.00

I know my health condition requires me to cut down on my sweets intake, but this cheesecake just has all the good things which I so love: peanuts, caramel, and chocolate. Really something to die for! :p

Mark still can't decide what to have so I suggested that he try the butterscotch twirl. I've already tried this before and fell in love with it. The pastry was light and flaky and stuffed with cinnamon and creamy vanilla. It was also topped with roasted pecans and drizzles of butterscotch sauce and white chocolate. I know how high Mark's standards are when it comes to pastries and breads, and I'm sure that this will definitely meet his standards. And yes, he also loved it as I did. :p

Pecan Butterscotch Twirl - Php 85.00

STARBUCKS COFFEE, GATEWAY
Upper Ground Floor, Gateway Mall
Araneta Center, Cubao
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 421-1076

The movie ended around early evening and got us all hungry so we decided to have dinner as well. Mark wanted grilled chicken but knew that I was not into World Chicken that time because I just had one the day before, so he suggested that we dine at Reyes Barbecue. :)

Boneless Quarter Chicken Barbecue Meal - 109.00

Mark got their chicken barbecue while I had pork. :p As always, we were again satisfied by Reyes Barbecue meals. Aside from the delicious grilled delicacies, their java rice, atchara, and their famous peanut sauce were also a hit for both of us. :)

2-pc Pork Barbecue Meal - Php 98.00

The service in Gateway's branch was not impeccable though. Yes it's good that they serve their dishes fresh from the grill which roughly takes around 5-10 minutes, but their staff should be more attentive in getting the correct orders and relaying them to the cooks. The server actually gave me the wrong chicken part and still argued that it was what I ordered, even if the receipt says she's wrong. :| Good thing she apologized but I still hate that I had to wait for my food for 15 minutes more.

REYES BARBECUE, GATEWAY
3/F Gateway Mall, Araneta Center
Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 913-1951


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       @kriskamarie   @kriskamarie