Lady’s Choice is Lighting Up the Christmas with #ThankUTogether Project

We celebrate Christmas every year by decorating our Christmas trees, hanging bright ornaments, and lining our houses with colorful and shining lights. But it turns out, Christmas is not as bright and vivid in far-flung areas in the Philippines where there are communities still living without electricity. Ladyâ€™s Choice has devoted to light up the holidays of our fellow Filipinos who have grown accustomed to living in darkness.

Lady’s Choice #ThankUTogether For A Cause

Sitio Naubo, a small town in the outskirts of Dumaguete, has lived without electricity for years, but despite this, they have maintained a positive outlook on life that is truly inspiring. Their small community always celebrates their togetherness with an annual Christmas feast. Little do they know that Ladyâ€™s Choice has prepared a special surprise that will make their Christmas unforgettable.

Find out how Lady’s Choice made Christmas at Sitio Naubo more special by watching the video below.

This year, Ladyâ€™s Choice has set their eyes on lighting up the holiday season for the residents of Sitio Casili of Brgy San Antonio in Antipolo, Rizal.

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Experience Madrid Fusion Manila at SM Supermalls with Fusion Flavors

Last year, the Philippines successfully hosted the first ever Madrid Fusion exhibition to be staged outside of Spain. Madrid Fusion Manila is back for its second year, and with theÂ supportÂ of SM Supermalls, this gastronomic event has now transformed into a nationwide celebration of Filipino and Spanish flavors.

Madrid Fusion Manila 2016

Madrid Fusion Manila is back this year to celebrate the shared 300-year history between Spain and the Philippines with the theme, â€œThe Manila Galleon: East Meets Westâ€ from April 7-9, 2016 at the SMX Convention Center in SM Mall of Asia. The 3-day culinary event will bring together renowned chefs from Europe and Asia to showcase their cooking prowess in a Gastronomy Congress. A simultaneous exhibition of fine food, gourmet products, new ingredients and cooking technology will also happen at the Madrid Fusion Manila Trade Expo, so you can expect that itâ€™s going to be a fun and food-filled weekend for your family and friends.

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Nadai Fujisoba: No Ramen Here, Just Soba and Udon

Last month, I took my Nanay out to see a movie. We still had an hour to waste before the screening, so we decided to have dinner first. We headed down to the ground floor of SM North EDSA The Block because I remembered a number of restaurants are scheduled to open in February. When we got there, we saw two new Japanese restaurants standing adjacent to each other. It was a tough choice to make, but we ended up choosing Nadai Fujisoba since my Nanay wanted to eat some ramen (or so we thought).

When we were handed the menu, I asked the server what their bestselling flavor of ramen is. She was quick to inform us that they donâ€™t serve ramen and that they only use udon and soba for their noodles. At that point, I still had no idea what she was talking about. It turns out, udon is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, while soba is thin and made using buckwheat. Well, I was extremely glad I learned something new about Japanese cuisine that day.

Nadai Fujisoba is a popular restaurant chain in Japan, which was established in 1966. The Philippines is only the second country they have entered after Taiwan. Now they have five branches in Metro Manila: Bonifacio High Street, Lucky Chinatown Mall, SM Aura Premier, SM Mall of Asia, and SM North EDSA The Block.

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Polo Bistro Restaurant of Marco Polo Davao Hotel for USPB Potato Safari 3

I was invited December of 2015 to participate in the US Potato Board’s (USPB) Potato Safari 3 in Davao City. Their aim was to promote the high-quality frozen potatoes from the U.S., showcasing how they can be best used in a hotel or professional kitchen setting without compromising the quality and flavor of the dishes.Â One of the popular food establishments they have partnered with was the Polo Bistro Lounge ofÂ Marco Polo Davao Hotel in Davao City.

Standing on a carpet of city lights and embracing the cool winds while serving signature inter-continental Ala Carte, the glistening Polo Bistro Pool Lounge leaves customers coming back for more. Its menus change with the seasons as the restaurant is committed to using only the best and freshest ingredients.

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Chicken Curry with Carnation Evap : A Creamy New Tradition

Since I moved out of our home in Malabon and started living alone, I always look forward to the days when I pack up my things and go back home to spend long weekends or the holidays with my nanay and bro. It’s not only because I miss spending time with them, but also because I long for my nanay’s cooking. In the past year, I actually found a way to satisfy my craving for her cooking â€” recreating her dishes in my own little kitchen. One of my all-time favorites is her Chicken Curry, which is one of the dishes she usually serves for Noche Buena.

My nanay uses fresh coconut milk to prepare her Chicken Curry. When I tried cooking this dish (with Ken’s help), I found out that Carnation Evap actually works well too! It gives my version of nanay’s Chicken Curry a rich yet unique taste and flavor, and I also noticed that Carnation Evap made the dish even creamier. I’m sharing the recipe below for you to try it yourself and taste the difference. My nanay already had a taste of this dish (she let me cook it this year for Noche Buena!), and she gave me a thumbs up. 🙂

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Noche Buena Ideas with Alaska Crema from the Merry Cremas Festival 2015

When December comes and we all start feeling the cool breeze, I can’t help but get all giddy with excitement for Christmas. Ken and I always look forward to Noche Buena because that’s when our nanay prepares extra special dishes for the whole family to enjoy. In the past few years, nanay and Ken have made it a habit to prepare something new every Noche Buena. This is why we always look forward to the annual Alaska Merry Cremas Festival where we get to see what new dishes we can add to our Christmas feast.

This year’s Merry Cremas Festival was held at the Trinoma Activity Center. As expected, there was quite a delicious lineup of sweet and savory dishes made using Alaska Crema All-Purpose Cream. We weren’t able to taste everything, but it’s fun to see how creative you can be and how one ingredient – Alaska Crema – can be incorporated in a variety of dishes to give them that extra creamy goodness. Let’s start off with our top favorites from the 2015 Alaska Merry Cremas Festival.

KISS’ Mille Crepe Cakes

During our first round of food sampling, KISS wasn’t open yet. Good thing we came back because we would’ve missed their creamy tower of mille crepe cakes. From the endless stream of people crowding their booth, I can say that their cakes were on the top of the best-sellers at the Merry Cremas Festival. We bought a slice of their Salted Caramel Cake. They used Alaska Crema in their buttercream, so it was oh-so velvety! Since I don’t have an oven now in my condo, this is one dessert I can’t wait to recreate! 🙂

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Master Garden: Authentic Filipino Food in Malabon City

In the 8 years that weâ€™ve been living here inÂ Malabon City, we witnessed it transform into one of the hottest foodie spots in Metro Manila. What this city lacked, however, was a casual dining restaurant that we can proudly call an original Malabon food concept, until Mr. Ernesto Chan, the genius behind the Master Siomai dynasty, has decided to establish Master Garden Filipino Specialty Restaurant, with the ultimate goal of putting our humble city on the Philippine culinary map.

Last week, we were invited by the Master Garden team to visit their restaurant and try their sumptuous dishes. Of course, I said yes! We only live 15 minutes away, so I would be crazy to turn down that offer!

Their spacious dining area blends natural furniture and design pieces with modern architecture, creating an inviting and cozy place to enjoy authentic Filipino food. The similar design concept can be observed at Master Gardenâ€™s second branch, which has recently opened last October 9th in Tomas Morato.

We began our lunch with a plate of their PinakbetÂ (Php 175) with a generous mix of vegetables sautÃ©ed in their homemade bagoong and crispy pieces of lechon kawali, making it the perfect dish to jumpstart anyoneâ€™s appetite.

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Kuya J Restaurant Names Jericho Rosales as Their New Celebrity Endorser

Kuya J Restaurant, formerly known as â€˜Ang Kan-anan ni Kuya J,â€™ has started as a modest family business in Cebu, which quickly blossomed to becoming the Cebuanoâ€™s favorite restaurant. And now theyâ€™re finally taking over Metro Manila with the help of the new â€˜Blockbuster Bida ni Kuya J,â€™ Mr. Jericho Rosales!

Blockbuster Bida ni Kuya J

When I arrived at Kuya J Restaurant in SM Megamall for their event and saw a standee of Jericho Rosales outside, I initially thought the restaurant was owned by Echo. That assumption was put to rest when our host, Sam Oh, called in Mr. Winglip K. Chang, the President of Kuya J Restaurant, and Chef Sheena Koseki, their Executive Chef, to present us Kuya J Restaurantâ€™s newest celebrity endorser.

Jericho Rosales, Chef Sheena Koseki, and Winglip K. Chang

Putting a face on Kuya J has two main criteria: one, his first name should start with the letter J (obviously hehe); and two, he must be someone people can consider as the â€œkuya ng bayanâ€ for his good track record and his irresistible charm. With those two things in mind, Jericho Rosales was definitely the perfect choice!

Kuya J Restaurant proves that they know the recipe for the next viral TV commercial by putting Jericho Rosales together with some pretty girls, catchy music, and Kuya Jâ€™s mouth-watering dishes! By the time youâ€™re reading this, you might have already seen their new TVC, but if you havenâ€™t, well, you can watch it below:

Kuya J Restaurant

Kuya J Restaurant is definitely one of the fastest rising Filipino restaurants in the country that offers delicious and authentic Filipino food in a simple yet relaxing locale that will surely make you feel right at home!

Their SM Megamall branch has just recently opened in June. And as if their 18 branches in operation are not testament enough on how successful the Kuya J Restaurant is, they surprise us by announcing that they are opening 50 additional stores nationwide before 2015 ends!

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Sushi Master: Authentic Japanese Food in Malabon City

Whenever Mhel and I are badly craving for some quality Japanese food, Malabon City has never been the first place that comes to our minds. But all that has changed when we’ve finally discovered the newly opened Sushi Master right at our hometown.

Sushi Master, which opened June of 2015, stands along what I call the “foodie avenue” of Malabon City, where big-name food businesses like Nanay’s Pancit Malabon and Dolor’s Kakanin are also strategically located. The restaurant is jointly owned by the foodie couple Nolenz Evanglista and Emily Panganiban. Nolenz has worked in Japan for a few years, so he has first-hand knowledge of the flair and flavor of authentic Japanese cuisine.

They have been inviting us to visit their restaurant even before they have first opened their doors. One long weekend in August, we finally gave in to their request, and now we’ll tell you how our dining experience went.

For our drinks, we ordered a glass each of their Iced Tea, Pink Lemonade, and Mango Shake. Their Pink LemonadeÂ (Php 50) has the right balance of sour and sweet that I particularly loved, while the Iced Tea (Php 30) was not too sweet or bland. It was a cold day but it didn’t stop our Nanay from enjoying their perfectly refreshing Mango Shake (Php 75).

I’ve heard only good things about Sushi Master’s GyozaÂ (Php 95) when my friends visited a few weeks earlier, so I was really curious to get a taste of it. The wrapper was a little thicker than most gyozas from other Japanese restaurants, but the filling was one of the most flavorful we’ve had.

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Our #ClaraOlePotluck Fiesta, Boodle Fight Style!

We’re from Malabon, and if you know anyone from there or you’ve attended at least one fiesta or party hosted by someone who lives in our hometown, you know how festive ourÂ celebrations could be. And if you’ve been to one of our parties at home, you’ve seen how lavish we are when it comes to preparing food for our guests. We did just that when we hosted our own Clara Ole Potluck Fiesta party a couple of weeks ago.

The party took almost a month to prepare. The Clara Ole team gave us one task – to prepare a menu showcasing the wide variety of dishes you can make using their products, and how convenient and easy it is for anyone to serve delicious dishes, whatever level your cooking skills are and however small your kitchen is. We personally use Clara Ole products in my little kitchen in my Makati condo, and I tell you, everything I cook with their products come out perfect. 🙂 My favorites would be their pasta sauces and marinades.

Going back to our party, Ken and I thought of hosting a boodle fight, and we all agreed on the Pinoy Fiesta theme for our friends. Since it’ll be a boodle fight, Ken knew serving a couple of dishes won’t be enough. So, he came up with a menu composed of 14 dishes + the punch, which serves as my only contribution. 😀 All of the dishes were made using Clara Ole products, as listed below.

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