Mystery Solved: Mystery Manila's Haunted Hunt

Okay, I think I am now addicted with Mystery Manila. I have tried four mysteries in total and I still do not have my MYSTERY SOLVED shirt! (Sooo frustrating!)

I was thrilled when I found out that Mystery Manila developed two new games just for Halloween. It was priced lower at PHP300 instead of the usual PHP500 but the time was shorter as well (from one hour to 45 minutes). I didn’t mind the shorter time though as I was feeling confident (just like the last three times) that I will finally make it to the leader board.

I booked the Haunted Hunt since it sounded more interesting and I’m not much of a fan of Harry Potter anyway to try the Alchemist’s Apprentice.

When we arrived, I had no idea that the event will take place in an open space! In short, mall goers will see us go crazy solving the mystery. But… there’s a bigger surprise.

The ghosts and the Mystery Manila crew (Photo from Mystery Manila)

Basically, Haunted Hunt is like a scavenger hunt with a bit of Halloween elements to it. We have to find the “ghosts” located somewhere in Glorietta (not just G5 but the WHOLE GLORIETTA).

We have clues though to help us out. Can you guess the locations? We had a hard time with the last one.

Ti Amo: Lombardi's

People come and go. Those who stay are just one of the three—family, friends, or the one. Anyway, I won’t be mushy today as I’m referring to the second one. I’m so glad that I have friends to talk with when I have problems or bug when I’m in the mood to eat. It has been over a month since I last saw my MScM friends and so many things happened for the past weeks. We needed a catch up session.

I was looking forward to the 24^th of October as my friends and I were planning another staycation. But we were not able to book a room. *boo*

 

We decided to have dinner instead at Shangri-La. K and F picked Lombardi’s as they haven’t tried the food there yet.

When I arrived, they already ordered Spaghetti Ai Fruitti Di Mare (PHP440) and Quattro Formaggi (PHP475). I ordered Crèma di Spinaci (PHP175) and Chicken Cacciatore (PHP590). I skipped ordering dessert as I was craving for tea.

 

My cream of spinach soup was served first and it was quite salty. Actually, it was really salty. But I was hungry so I finished my bowl of soup. It made me look forward to the main course though.

Restaurant Love: Spätzle Euro Market Café

I was so scared that the Halloween traffic might be crazy given that some people will be going to their provinces but I was surprised that there were only a few cars on the road come 6 p.m.. However, my friends were late and I was already “hangry”.

After several exchanges on where to eat, I finally decided that I’ll stay in Spätzle. No more moving. I was tired, hungry, and grumpy. Yes, I have reached the bratty foodie stage.

K and E were game to eat there though as they have never visited Spätzle Euro Market Café.

After a few minutes, K finally arrived and we hurriedly ordered the following: Paprika Potato Chips (PHP145), Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Roesti (PHP320), The Spätz Burger (PHP355), Frozen Brazo de Mercedes (PHP230) and Watermelon Slush (PHP105).

My drink arrived first and it was refreshing. I loooove watermelon!

The potatochips were delightful as well. It was slightly zesty making it different from the usual chips. It helped keep us sane while waiting for our mains.

Best Crispy Pata in Town: Livestock PH

There are times when I have intense cravings to the point that I find it hard to sleep as I just have to sink my teeth into whatever I’m craving. Two weekends ago, I had a sudden craving for crispy pata at 12:15 a.m.. Luckily, W was game to try Livestock PH as he heard that it’s one of the restaurants that serve the best crispy pata in Manila and he personally knows the owner. (No, we didn’t get discount.)

It took us over an hour just to get to Livestock PH and we were both hungry. We were fortunate though that we easily got a parking space.

Hello, Livestock PH!

When we arrived, there was no table in the no-smoking area that could accommodate us so we agreed to stay at the al fresco area while waiting for a table inside. Again, it was a lucky night as no one was smoking then.

We decided to order the following: Melts-in-your-mouth Crispy Pata (PHP590), Not-an-Ordinary Kare-Kare (PHP396), Vegetable and Seafood Pot (PHP255), Salted Egg Rice (PHP98). I also ordered a Red Cucumber Slushie (PHP105).

It took them over 45 minutes to serve our food and W and I already ran out of topics to talk about.

Finally, the highlight of the night was served.

I enjoyed watching the server chopping the crispy pata with a popsicle stick. Too bad W was in the washroom while the food was served.

Restaurant Discovery: Frankie’s New York Buffalo Wings

As a hardcore The Walking Dead fan, my Mondays are blocked for my 1 hour bonding with Rick, Glenn, Terry, Carol, Maggie, Michonne, and of course, Daryl. However, I can get lured by restaurants I have never tried before in an instant. I blame my tummy. >.<

K suddenly wanted to eat out and since he lives a few minutes from my office, we decided to have dinner somewhere in Ortigas. He recommended wings and honestly, I’m not fond of wings. I always think that you end up paying for the bones and not the meat. Anyway, I gave in as I’m not really craving for anything in particular and I had to be home by 9 p.m. so we had to decide fast.

Soon, we’re at Frankie’s New York Buffalo Wings, a wings place at City Golf.

Frankie’s has an industrial/basement chill vibe and I noticed that the diners are students and yuppies. Well, with the affordable prices, it’s not hard to attract the young market.

We decided to order the following: a basket of fries, three types of wings—Cheesy Bacon (PHP173), Nagoya Tebasaki (PHP173) and Caribbean Jerk (PHP173). We also ordered a slice of New York Cheesecake (PHP120) and a few bottles of Tanduay Ice to start the week right. :)

First served was the basket of fries and just like what they said, they use real potatoes. Yey! Nothing fancy about it though.

Revisited: Recipes by Café Metro

Simple comfort dishes are still the best for me. No unpronounceable ingredients, uncomplicated tastes and happy tummy. I think that is a great way to describe a great meal.

I was sick for a week last month and I was off work for almost the whole week as well as I had to visit a couple of doctors. It was just a simple case of cough that got out of hand that made me look like a zombie for two weeks. (Imagine waking up at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. because of your insanely itchy throat.) 

Anway, my mom and I decided to pass by Shangri-La to buy my third set of medicines and since it was already past 4 p.m. then and I haven’t had lunch yet, we decided to grab a quick meal before heading home. I recommended my all time favorite Recipes by Café Metro.

It has been quite a while since I last visited Recipes by Café Metro and it is still the same simple restaurant that I love.

My mom ordered Chicken Sotanghon Soup (PHP120, small | PHP220, regular) and Lumpiang Toge (PHP100) while I went with the Lechon Kawali with Kangkong (PHP225) and Gising Gising (PHP185).

The Chicken Sotanghon Soup was rather bland yet the warm soup was a great appetizer during that rainy Thursday afternoon.

 

The Lumpiang Toge was your usual wrapped toge. Serving was pretty generous for the price of PHP100 though.

Restaurant Love: Olive Tree Kitchen & Bar

It has been quite a while since I last saw A and we just have to catch up for a girls day out. (Sorry, I have a curfew so it can’t be a night out.) We decided to go for a mini spa date but ended up having an early dinner with drinks at Olive Tree Kitchen & Bar and arcade afterwards. So much for a girly day.

Hello, Olive Tree Kitchen & Bar!

It has been 8 months since I last visited this restaurant and I could say that I loved the dishes I tasted. It was slightly on the expensive side given we only ordered two appetizers and iced tea but our bill was over PHP800. However, we didn’t really mind since the food was great.

This time around, we ordered Prawns and Chorizo Pasta (PHP599), Salmon Benedict Salad (PHP395) and Pumpkin and Pea Soup (PHP239). We also got Almond Cream Pie (PHP150) for A and Ginger-Lychee Mojito (PHP150) for me.

Halloween Photoshoot 101

It’s almost Halloween again. Halloween lovers must be busy looking for a last-minute costumes and accessories for the party/ies they will be attending. Well, as a person who hardly attends parties, I prefer to celebrate Halloween with a mini photo shoot.

 It has been a tradition for me and my sister to have a mini Halloween photo shoot to celebrate the eerie day. We’d wear our creepiest outfits and posed in the most horrific way. And after a few edits here and there, off it goes to social media.

But how do we come up with Halloween-themed photos?

It all depends on the filters, outfit and location. :)

Japanese Love: Green Tea Mochi

I have pretty much established in my previous blog entries years back that I just love anything Japanese. I fell in love with the Japanese culture during the Akazukin Chacha days and I’ve been hooked ever since. From Card Captor Sakura to Rurouni Kenshin, Slam Dunk to Grave of the Fireflies, and even The Ring, I just can’t get it out of my system. I then fell in love with its cuisine—tempura, sushi, sashimi, teppan, ramen, okonomiyaki, mochi and a lot more! I still remember the first time I had a bite of real Japanese mochi. It was heaven and there was no turning back. I need more of that. I have to go back… even if it’s just Narita Airport.

Back when planking was the coolest thing to do. (2011)

I’m lucky that I know a handful of people who travel a lot. I then get to satisfy my craving for food that I could not get here in Manila. Last month, I had an intense craving for beef jerky and ended up bugging 6 people to buy me packs of the yummy Bee Cheng Hiang beef jerky.

 

Earlier this month, I had an intense craving for Japanese mochi. But every time I buy locally, I end up being disappointed as I have not found any that comes close to the one I bought from Narita. So when my boss mentioned that she’ll visit Japan, it gave me hope.

Restaurant Discovery: Moku Japanese Cuisine

I have been planning to visit the Japanese restaurant on the second floor of the Korean restaurant Lee Hak but the pull of the other restaurants in Kapitolyo was just too strong. But I finally had the chance to visit Moku Japanese Cuisine a few Fridays back when the crazy traffic made us stay in Pioneer.

I was famished. Crazy famished. In short, I was in my HANGRY state. It took us a while to realize that the only way to get inside Moku is through Lee Hak. The guard told us we have to ride an elevator and there ARE NO ELEVATORS in Pioneer Center. I know. I’m a Pioneer Center girl. Anyway, we circled around the area for 10 minutes or so before we realize that we have to get inside the Korean restaurant to get in the Japanese restaurant. There is definitely a lack of signages. Grr.

Hello, Moku. I had a hard time finding you.

I was delighted though with the set up. It was prettier than I thought it would be. There were three (or was it four) teppan tables in the middle and several tables with comfy couches on the side.

I quickly ordered the following: Teppan/Maki/Sushi (PHP1180), Salmon Sashimi (PHP290), Cold Soba (PHP250). My sister ordered Oyakodon (PHP220) as she’s not too keen with teppanyaki. We also ordered house iced tea.

The iced tea arrived first and it was… bland. Oh well. At least it won’t make us thirsty.

The teppan master (I’m not really sure how they are called) asked us if we want a “performance” and we said yes. Hey, take advantage of it! Teppan meals are not cheap. (Well, he failed a few times but it was still entertaining.)

 

We enjoyed watching him throw stuff in the air while we munch on our crisp salad. I liked it so much that I also ate my sister’s share.

 

The miso soup was your usual miso soup.

They then served some Korean side dishes. I got slightly confused there. But hey, free food!

The salmon sashimi arrived next and it was thick and fresh. I enjoyed it a lot! It was bliss. <3 However, they seem to have some intense hatred with wasabi. They placed too much on my dip.

The bean sprouts and the beef teppan went well together. The beef was juicy and was cooked well. It doesn’t even need to be dipped in the sauce.

Restaurant Love: Leona's Art Restaurant

I was so excited for the Quezon City Food Fest as it sounded so promising. Imagine, gathering all the best finds in Quezon City in one area. It was a foodie’s dream come true. But I wasn’t expecting (1) that it’ll rain pretty much the whole afternoon and (2) that there wasn’t anything special about the whole event. There were no special dishes or offering and every single restaurant was packed! In short, I ended up being a sticky and wet hungry girl.

After an upsetting trip to this new Japanese restaurant I shall not mention, M recommended that we visit his favorite pizza place instead. And since I was famished and the two sorbetes cones I bought were about to disappear, I agreed.

Hello, Leona’s Art Restaurant!

The place is pretty small and we had to wait for a bit for a table to clear up. Luckily, the wait wasn’t that long.

Since the place was packed, it took the servers a while to clear our table and to get our orders. But since the owner was apologetic, I was more forgiving this time. (Plus, the sorbetes helped calm me.)

We opted to get the Take Three Pizza Promo for only PHP499 (for 10 inches). For the flavors, Three Cheese and Pepperoni are fixed. We could only choose one more and we got the Garlic and Mushroom. I also ordered the Tomato Espresso (PHP80) and Soft Taco (PHP90). I also got a rootbeer float as drink/dessert.