A Birthday Celebration at Mr. Kurosawa Resorts World

I was telling you guys in my other blog entry that last Friday I was all over the Metro (Makati to QC and back again to Makati). It was okay, but the thing was I had just entrusted my trusty baby Huey to my casa in Pasong Tamo. So....hagardo versoza ang peg last Friday.

After our short but sweet tour of the GMA studios, I ended that day with Mom's birthday dinner. Thank you to Cash Cash Pinoy's kick ass promos, I was able to buy Mr. Kurosawa vouchers (Php500 for Php1000 worth of food!). CashCashPinoy has been making food tripping really affordable hoozaah!! :D

But before I met up with my Mom I passed by Cara Mia at the Ayala Triangle Gardens to buy her favorite cake TENTAZIONE! Got to taste that sinfully delightful cake during sa friend's birthday, and Mom got totally hooked. So I decided to surprise her, since she already knew about my dinner treat for her.

Parking was a bitch at the Resorts World, as usual. We parked at the steel parking, and that's where I decided to give Mom her cake. Had to tell her to turn her back so I can light the candle. It was funny to make her blow her birthday candle at the steel parking, but I couldn't wait til the end of the dinner for her to do it haha!

We then headed off to Mr. Kurosawa to have our dinner. It was yet another Japanese dinner after our Sumo Sam experience. Anyway, here's what we had:

Chicken Teriyaki. I had no idea chicken teriyaki would be perfect with Japanese mayonnaise with a hint of wasabi. It was delish! Can't stop dipping that tender chicken meat in that mayonnaise!

Since it was Mom's birthday and it has been a tradition to eat noodles (for long life), we ordered Unagi Soba. Since the fish was smoked, the smoked flavor seeped in to the noodles which it gave it a different twist. We had fun picking on this with our chopsticks!

Lastly, Tuna Sashimi. This, by far, was the FRESHEST Tuna Sashimi I ever had! The tuna was still red and soft. Super good!

Oh, and yes, Mom ordered Miso Soup. Didn't take a pic of it anymore since all miso soups look the same haha!

After that huge meal, Mom and I walked around the Newport Mall. Didn't know it was THAT small. It looked so huge outside. Oh well optical illusion. Since there was really nothing to see, we bought coffee at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, walked to the parking (instead of talking the shuttle from the mall to the steel parking and vice versa) to have our cake! :)

I'm so happy I made my Mom happy on her birthday! I love you, Mom! :)

Cara Mia Gelateria
Ayala Triangle Gardens
Ayala Avenue, Makati City
Tel. No. 621-6111
Operating Hours: 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM, Mon-Sun

Mr. Kurosawa
2nd Floor, Newport Mall, Andrews Avenue, Pasay City
Tel No: 659 8363
Operating Hours:Mon, Tues, Thurs and Sun: 11 a.m. - 12:00 mn | Wed, Fri and Sat: 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.

Someone Turned a Year Older

The original plan for Gladys’ 25th birthday was to have dinner at Lorenzo’s Way and then party it up at Izakaya, all in Greenbelt. But then sudden changes in the plan lead to just having drinks at the latter. But it was all a little too late for me and the BFFs as Lorezo’s Way intrigued us. It was on to another foodie trippin’.

Although it didn’t exactly start out alright, Amanda called up the restaurant and reserved a table for us at 7PM. She sent me an instant message saying that it was a go. But then as the day wore on, it was going to be obvious that some people were going to be late, so I had to have the reservation moved at 7.30PM.

So I called and pretended to be Amanda, the girl on the other end of the line told me it was okay for me to have the reservation moved at 7.30PM because we didn’t really HAVE A TABLE RESERVED. We were FIRST ON THE WAITING LIST, and that was just whacked! So I told Amanda this problem and she called up again, knowing very well she was going to bitch! Good thing they were able to fix this or else we would have all thrown a fit! Don’t ever tell a customer that she has been reserved a table and THEN put her on the wait list. Number one that’s annoying and number two that’s really just plain dishonesty. Oh! And number three really bad PR!

I got there first, and then I find out that Lorenzo’s Way is like the hodge podge restaurant of everything from the LJC Group of Companies which own Abe, Fely J’s, Café Havana, among others. The popular face of Larry Cruz, the writer slash many other things who loved food, once again appeared. I remember having a good time at Abe and Fely J’s so I felt that they would have really good food.


When Amanda arrived, we started ordering. This dish we ordered because we saw the group of girls beside our table order this – Lechon Kawali with Kangkong in Oyster Sauce.

Although this was really good, the only thing I could say was that lechon kawali is supposed to be served crispy. But since it was served as toppings for the kangkong, it slowly started absorbing the oyster sauce making it soggy. But hey it was really good!

Up next was something we all loved over at Abe, Binukadkad na Pla-Pla.

The fish was really meaty. Trency the late-comer still had an entire side to finish. It was a good, healthy dish.

Amanda ordered this Callos.

Although I would have to say that their callos is WAY better than Dulcinea’s, at least this was the real deal callos. But I wasn’t sold on this, I swear my Lola’s callos is still the winner! At least this one had a generous serving of twalya (ox tripe), beef, and chorizo.

But the motherload would have to be the Lengua!

Oh my goodness! I can still distinctly remember how tender the meat was and how tasty this dish was! One of the best lengua’s I’ve had! Totally recommended! Plus it comes with a cup of rice already, so sulit na!

Although we knew we were drinking at Gladys’ party over at Izakaya, we decided to start getting sloshed. Lorenzo’s Way does serve really good drinks, and these two drinks attest to that! I had two right away – Lychee Coco Martini and a Frozen Margarita! Yum!

So after Lorenzo’s Way it was now time to go to Izakaya. Funny because the birthday celebrant was late! But it was just so fun to be with the HS barkada. We haven’t partied in a long time, so it made the night extra fun! Booze, booze, booze all over the place, maybe it shots of Jose Cuervo to Izakaya’s stupid sake cocktails. Remember these girls are hardcore drinkers, no ladies’ drinks for us please!!

So anyway here are pictures from the night of partying and sloshing!






Gladys! Happy, happy birthday! I love you so, so, so much. And even though you give us a bitch of a time when we invite you to go out of town or simply to have dinner, we will always, always be here for you! Love you bruha!


Lorenzo’s Way
G/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center
Makati City, Metro Manila
Phone: (02) 729-0047 / 729-0013
Business hours: Monday – Sunday / 11:00 AM – 12:00 MN
Website: http://ljcrestaurants.com.ph/lorenzos-way/

Izakaya
G/F Greenbelt 2 Ayala Center
Makati City
Tel. No. 757-4813
Business Hours: 5:30 p.m. - 12 midnight

Paying It Forward

“Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.” ~~Anthony Robbins

The youngest in our college barkada just turned 24 last February 27. At 24, Par has had the most success in terms of getting a job with a really decent pay (Par, wag kang mag-reklamo). She’s been into traveling lately – joining Travel Factor trips almost every week and had just come back from a trip to Batanes – and has also been totally against boring weekends.

Being the lucky girl that she is, on the eve of her birthday, she decided to pay it forward. She and her BFF Steph looked for a not-so-popular home for the aged to give donations to. After months and weeks of searching, the lucky recipient of the kind deed was Bahay Kanlungan ni Maria Domenica in Antipolo, Rizal.

We were all but for it, since I’ve had the privilege to help the less fortunate last Christmas Eve. The feeling is just really unparalleled and there are no words to describe how good you’ll feel afterwards.

Mariko and I arrived late so when we got there everyone had their own lola (grandmother or just a word to describe an elderly woman in Tagalog) to entertain. We saw them talking and laughing with them. Even if I wanted to talk to them, depression kicked in. I was looking at all those old, helpless women, and I knew that if they start talking to me I might end up inside my car bawling. So I told Par I’d rather take pictures instead.

Par’s group from her current work also prepared a program. They had games like Hep Hep Hooray (a popular game in a now defunct noontime variety show here), a sing-off and a dance-off thanks to the Magic Sing, and also ask the young ones what they learned from their lolas. Everyone had so much fun and it was nice to see the smiles on the lolas faces. We made them happy even for just a while. Even Steph’s boyfriend, Cyrian, serenaded the ladies with a Rey Valera song.






Besides the program, we were also asked by Par to bring donations for the home for the aged. Mariko and I bought toiletries (alcohol, soap, rolls of tissue, and shampoo). The rest donated used clothes, towels, and blankets.

During the program, I interviewed a nurse. She told me that there were 23 patients in the facility – 3 of them were cerebral palsy patients (although she said they don’t accept patients with cerebral palsy anymore). The rest were all indigent patients who were either left by their families or were just staying in the facility due to lack of space in their families’ homes.

Since it started its operations in September 15, 1998, Bahay Kanlungan has served as a home for these elderly patients. They are very hands-on with these patients, and we saw how close the nurses and doctors are to the patients. Even though they are old and frail, they all look healthy, an obvious sign of how well they are taken care of in Bahay Kanlungan.

As the Blessed Maria Domenica Brun Barbantini, founder of the Camillian Sisters, said, “Every sick, suffering or dying person is a living image of the suffering Christ who has to be attended to, listened to, and cared for, as a mother would for her only son who is sick.” I believe all the volunteers and the staff of Bahay Kanlungan keep this in mind and in heart.


Bahay Kanlungan is very much open to donations. You could be a monthly, quarterly, or yearly benefactor to an abandoned Lola or one of the handicapped patients staying there. Of course donations in kind are also welcome.

Par, happy, happy birthday! Thanks for letting us in on your “pay it forward” act. Even though, we were late and didn’t do much, we had so much fun!



Here’s the address and contact details of Bahay Kanlungan ni Maria Domenica:
#10 Sampaguita St., Lourdes Subdivision
Mambugan, Antipolo, Rizal
Tel. Nos. 682-6189 and 645-4198
E-mail: bahaykanlungan@gmail.com

The Beauty of Home-Cooked Meals and Being Together For Christmas

I LOVE home-cooked meals! It's a staple in our family get-togethers. Home-cooked meals are more delicious than food in restaurants - we can put in more flavors, more meat, more vegetables. It's practically unlimited everything. It's just sad I keep updating you guys on commercial food. I swear my family can make the BEST home-cooked meals, thanks to my Lola who made sure she passed down the recipe to the kids.

May it be a small family gathering, to a special occasion like our house blessing last month, home-cooked meals are the stars of the show. Same thing during my Uncle's birthday last Dec. 23, we had home-cooked meals, a reunion, and our traditional Christmas exchange gift.

My Aunt had prepared a special buffet-style meal for everyone.

First, we have the shrimp dish.

I wasn't able to eat this because I concentrated on another seafood dish. But Mom said it was really good!

This I had: CRABS!!

It was fatty, in Filipino we call it ALIGUE. Super yummy fatty goodness, great when eating it with your bare hands! :)

This came from us, and this has been one of my Lola's specialty dish: PAELLA

It had tahong (mussels), prawns, boiled eggs, chorizo, and rice that was colored red. Everybody loved this! And it made us miss our grandmother!

Also a Filipino staple in every celebration is the PANCIT.

This was a special type of pancit because it mixed the noodles of pancit bihon (the thin ones) and pancit canton (fat ones). Funny, because this was a take-out from AMBER, a restaurant known for really good barbecues and different types of pancit.

Another take-out, this time from Jollibee and one for the kids present, is FRIED CHICKEN a.k.a CHICKEN JOY!

I may not be a kid, but I had this! Great with GRAVY! YUMMY!!

It was set in a long table where any can just get freely.


And of course, all birthdays have the cake-blowing ceremony. This is my Uncle, surrounded by his grandkids.


This was a special day for us in the family, not only because it was my Uncle's birthday, but also because we finally met the latest addition to our ever growing brood. Please welcome, Tristan Jay Vasquez Dumana.

This was his first Christmas, and we were glad he was able to spend it with us! For New Year, he goes back to Cebu with his Mommy.


You may have met the bunch at my birthday/Halloween blog. And since Christmas is really something for the kids, here they are minus the blood (hehehe!)


This has become a family tradition. We gather around my Aunt's living room where the Christmas tree is and wait for our names to be called out. One of my cousins get to be the one to call out everybody.


It gets to be happier and rowdier every year with the number of kids increasing. But it's so cute to see them grab the gifts so they could be the ones to give it to the respective owner.

From us, the DUMANA FAMILY we wish you guys a Merry Christmas! For our relatives abroad, we miss you guys! We really hope that one day, we get to have Christmas altogether! The family's getting bigger by the second, and we really wish you could come see us! We love and miss you all!! :)