Promo Alert: Churros All You Can at Boqueria

I love churros. I remember that it is one of my must have dishes whenever I visit Dulcinea. The rich chocolate and the crunchy churros are just perfect as an afternoon snack (or dessert). I even went gaga when they had a kiosk at the ground floor of SM Megamall where they focused on eclairs, cream puffs and churros. However, Boqueria, a new player in the market, captured the churros loving crowd with its decadent hot chocolate and churros and now, they are offering something foodies would absolutely love...

Unlimited churros? Why not?

 Yes, you read it right! Boqueria is offering CHURROS ALL YOU CAN!

But of course, there's a catch. It is only available from Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.. So if you work near SM Megamall and you have a flexible lunch break, then lucky you! Promo runs until September 15, 2014. So schedule it now!

I do hope that they consider having this as a weekend promo. (And an option to have plain churros. Sugar coated churros dipped in their rich chocolate is just too much for me.)

Boqueria is located at 3rd Floor, SM Megamall Fashion Hall, Mandaluyong City.

Lugang Café's Feast All You Can

For some reason, “eat-all-you-can” lures me like a bug to light. It never fails to make me drool like some hungry toddler. I went crazy when I saw the ad for Lugang’s feast-all-you-can as I failed to try it last year with my former colleagues due to conflict of schedules.

My food loving friends and I agreed to meet at Lugang Café around 7 p.m. at the SM Megamall branch and that the first person to arrive reserve a table for us. A was the early bird that day and she made sure that I remember it for weeks with her nonstop messages and calls. (I still love you though.)

I arrived soon after and I was surprised that there were only very few people. I guess Monday's not really a popular day to feast. 

L arrived a few minutes later and we decided to order our first plates.

I also ordered Blended Mango and Sago with Coconut Milk as my beverage (and dessert in one).

Steamed Pork Xiao Long Bao is of course one of our first orders followed by… well, a lot more.

Presenting... our feast.

Vietnam Egg Rolls (It was served warm and crunchy and it sure made our grumpy tummies happy.)

Steamed Vegetarian Dumplings with Truffle Oil (I find this one to be too oily and had the umay factor. One or two of this is enough for me.)

Kiddie Adventure: Ark Avilon Zoo

I just love doing unique activities. As a person who is no longer fond of going to the malls as I find it so mundane, going to Binondo for a kalesa ride or to La Mesa Eco Park to play paint ball are a few things I wouldn’t mind doing every weekend. Imagine how happy I was when my favorite Dragon lady said yes to change our Children’s Day plans to visit a zoo instead. I was ecstatic!

We decided to pay Ark Avilon Zoo a visit as it was the nearest zoo our area (or at least mine).

It was slightly hard to find the place as it was at the very back of Fun Ranch. And there were very few people to ask so T and I ended up circling around all sweaty in our kiddie outfits. (Cue: Eww.)

After a few minutes, we found someone to ask and he told us that the zoo is indeed at the far back. So we went back to the fish pond and saw a walkway to the zoo’s entrance.

The place was pretty empty when we arrived. Well, it must be because we were the only brave ones to face the crazy heat. We quickly paid the entrance fee of PHP350 and went inside.

First thing we saw was the birds’ area. There were several parrots and other birds of different shapes and sizes. (Can you sense I have no interest in them?)

 

Then we saw…  a Siberian Tiger! We were mesmerized by the size of the tiger. It seemed restless though walking back and forth across its very small cage. It took us 10 minutes or so before we could move on. We can’t help but stare at the wonderful creature. It was simply beautiful.

When we finally decided to move on, we saw…

A BEAR!!!

A LION!!!

A CHEETAH!!!

A CASSOWARY!!!

PENGUINS!!!

Some mammals who experienced "The Hangover" and Last Friday Night combined.

The scary big birds

Why hello there cutie pie!

Watermelon loving tortoise

I want to pet you!!!

We had a glimpse of an Ark Avilon scandal...

SPAM 101: How to Deal with Spammers

There are just too many spammers out there. Sadly, some are too gullible to know the difference between a friend and a fiend. Unlike others though who just delete the messages, I turn things around. I actually love getting spam messages. And the series of messages below will explain why.

But before that, let me give you some tips on how to make the most out of your spammer experience:

Tip #1: Give your spammer a name. While you're at it, think of a tone. Are you a sibling, a lover, a friend?

Tip#2: Make the spammer feel that you are updated with what’s happening to him/her. Make the situation as funny as possible.

 Tip #3: Throw in a few characters. Make the person feel that he/she is part of the la familia.

 Tip#4: Add drama.

 

 

Tip#5: Wait for your next victim. 

-Gluttonshopper a.k.a. the girl who should never be bored

Restaurant Discovery: Lucca Bakery

I love Saturdays. It’s my I-will-eat-whatever-I-feel-like-eating day. It’s also the day I get to meet my friends and explore new restaurants. At times though, I go on dates with my sister. And when we do, we make sure we have lots of fun doing the most mundane things.

I was my sister’s mom one Saturday as I had to bring her to school, wait for her class to end and bring her home. But since I’m a “cool” mom, we decided to have lunch somewhere before heading home.

Hello, Lucca Bakery!

I’ve passed by this restaurant a few times and I got curious with their dishes. However, I always get lured by other restaurants hence it took me a while to pay this place a visit.

 

The restaurant is pretty homey and casual. Quite a great place to hang out with friends. The server was quick to clear the table for us and handed us the menu. But it took them a while to get back to us for our orders (due to the lack of staff).

M went with the Monte Cristo (PHP275) sandwich while I went for the Salmon Benedict (PHP275) simply because it’s salmon. (There’s not much thought process when I see salmon.) We also ordered a glass of Coffee Caramel Smoothie (PHP145).

Love At First Bite: Paul

I find it really amusing how I get to reconnect with people this year. With food. Food truly brings (hungry) people together.

K bought some vouchers to this Chinese restaurant a few months back and realized that it will be expiring soon. Knowing that E and I are gluttons, K invited us to have lunch with him so that he could finally use the will-expire-in-two-weeks vouchers.

The lunch was filling but it did not satisfy us. So we decided to have coffee at Paul. (And I was so excited as I wanted to visit this place for months but the place is always packed!) That Sunday was not an exception as we had to wait for roughly 20 minutes to get a table.

Hello, Paul. *giddily smiles at the menu*

I forgot that I was full when I started to browse. I wanted to buy some savory dishes but K and E were focused on desserts so I pretended I was just looking at the sweets as well. I still got all hyper though with all the tarts, eclairs, cakes and macarons! Was I in heaven?

K and E settled for the Café surprise (PHP280) and I ordered the same but I also ordered Eclair aux fraises (PHP170) and Tartelette Chocolat (PHP210).

 

First to arrive was my eclair and it sure looked mouthwatering. I needed high EQ just so I could avoid attacking it right away. But I did get a bit of the cream while waiting for E and K's orders.

Restaurant Love: Detalle

It all started with a random invite from my favorite Dragon lady and heck, I wasn’t even one of the first people she thought of. *hurt* But since the invite involves a Comedy Improv, I was game. Who wouldn’t want a night of laughter anyway?! But the sweet surprise was… the restaurant where the Improv was held serves amazing dishes.

Hello, Detalle.

It was slightly hard to find the restaurant as it was in a rather sinister looking place. The landmark C gave me was that it’s at the other side of the Caltex along Meralco Avenue. But the best direction I got was that Detalle’s the restaurant right below the huge Century Tuna billboard. Now, that’s very specific.

When I arrived, C and F were sitting pretty (yet hungry) while waiting for the others to arrive. However, I was really hungry too so as soon as I sat down, I briefly said hi and went straight to the menu. I spotted salmon so I immediately decided on my main course. But I was not so sure with my appetizer and dessert. Notice “my”? Yes, I didn’t share. I was in my Joey-doesn’t-share-food mode. It was weird though as C, F and T (she arrived a few minutes after) ordered for sharing. I felt out of place.

Anyway, I went with the following: Squash Soup (PHP195), Grilled Salmon (PHP400) and Chocolate Revelry Ala Mode (PHP210). They, on the other hand, ordered Basque Fried Chicken (PHP280), Quattro Formaggi (PHP390), D Burger (PHP380) and Summer Pasta (PHP280).

First served was my warm squash soup. It wasn’t superb as it wasn’t the creamy squash soup that I’m used to (and love) but it was flavorful enough. It was lighter too which made it a good appetizer.

The grilled salmon was to die for! I was raving for it for weeks! I even had dreams about it! The salmon was grilled really well as it was still juicy when it was served. I loved the flavorful risotto. It had a tangy taste which delighted me BIG TIME. I guess my thing for sour food makes anything sour an instant hit! I also loved the caper cream sauce drizzled over the salmon. Yum!

Love at First Bite: Gostoso Piri Piri Chicken

We decided to walk to Smile Elephant Thai Restaurant from Ace Water Spa and Hotel in order for us to burn some calories. But since most of the restaurants in Kapitolyo are near each other, we were not able to burn so many calories. But the foodie gods were against our adventure as Smile Elephant Restaurant was closed! Well, at least until 5 p.m.. Anyway, we were quick to adjust our plans and decided to go to Gostoso instead. And I failed to realize that it was rather far from the other restaurants. So after a few minutes and slightly disheveled hair, we made it.

Hello, Gostoso.

The place definitely caught my interest with the “Pork Here” sign near the restaurant’s door. But I went crazier inside. I just love how quirky the whole place was designed. There was a cute thermometer drawing painted on the floor leading you to the counter, a “Break Glass In Case It Gets Too Hot” sign on the wall, and light fixtures with chili cutouts. It was such a lovely sight.

N wanted to just try the Piri Piri Chicken but I thought that it would be boring to just try one. (Plus we walked so far!) So after 10 seconds of convincing, we ordered two. We got the Quarter chicken with rice and one side dish (PHP230 versus PHP200 of just the chicken) and Porco Gostoso (PHP315). I also ordered Gosto De Tea (PHP80) which they claim to be a house blend tea.

Service was quite quick or perhaps it felt that way since N ad I were still stuffed from the first (second for me) stop.

Love at First Bite: Ace Coffee Lounge

Kapitolyo is definitely a foodie destination with so many restaurants popping out here and there. I was surprised to know that there are around 8 new restaurants that my foodie radar did not sense since my last trip which was just a few weeks ago. And since I would not forgive myself if I let more months pass, I asked my good friend N to move our Teachers Village food trip to Kapitolyo instead and she gladly agreed.

I just had a rather carbohydrates and protein overload from Grande Torino before the start of the food trip and N was worried that I was already stuffed. But I always have room for more good food. So after a bit of brain(tummy)storming, we decided to pay Ace Water Spa a visit. And not to swim but to eat!

The Ace Coffee Lounge is located at the lobby of the hotel/spa with an overview of the water spa. (After seeing the layout, I’m not too confident if I should go there for a swim since I do not want the diners to lose their appetites when they catch a glimpse of me struggle with my floater.)

After a quick browse of the menu, N and I decided to go for the Spinach and Artichoke dip with toasts (I forgot to take note of the price but I think it is around PHP200 as I recall it was really affordable), Hot Fruit Tea (PHP150), and a slice of Strawberry Shortcake (PHP100). 

Love at First Bite: Duck & Buvette

I spy something new and I will visit it as soon as it opens! True enough, I paid Duck & Buvette a visit last Friday and it was still on its soft opening. I love my oh-gosh-that’s-new-so-I-must-eat-there-NOW mind (and tummy).

Hello, Duck & Buvette!

The place was not so packed when we arrived. Roughly around 5 to 6 tables were occupied so we still managed to score a couch seat. Oh yeah~

Some of the items I wanted to try like the Twice Fried Duck Fat Potatoes, Grilled Octopus Salad and Crispy Squid & Kale Chips were not available when we visited. (I now have the perfect excuse to visit again!) So we settled with the following instead: Crispy Potato Pavè and Salty Duck Egg (PHP175), Maple Candied Bacon & Lemon (PHP175), Angus Meatballs (PHP 240), 8 Hour Angus Brisket (PHP370), and Grilled Chicken Provencal (PHP320).

First served were our drinks. I just ordered a glass of Iced Tea and it sure was sweet! I had to wait for the ice to melt. You may opt to ask for water and just dilute it.