Friday, July 20, 2012

Quotes to Think About

st. jude quote

“Success is about being courteous, thoughtful, and caring.”

pacific coffee company quotePardon the pixel-y goodness, but this is quite an old photo, seeing that St. Jude already has an LED display instead of this rickety old sign, but I thought the quote was rather fantabulous~

I remember taking photos like this way back when I still had a “Kooh” blog in Anime Illusions. I’ve lost all my posts from that old blog, which I regret, but I’m glad I still found some of the old photos that I used to post there.

The one on the right was taken when I was on a business trip in Hong Kong. I remember I took this after my colleagues and I had to run for cover from the rain! We ended up in the Pacific Coffee Company and according to the time stamp, this was uploaded on 2007!

It reads: “People generally quarrel because they can’t argue.” I love it~ and really, who wouldn’t agree with this?

I’m using the same camera I’ve had since 2007 (or maybe later). Maybe it’s about time I start thinking about buying a proper camera.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Red Mango Frozen Yogurt

After all that delicious, oily foods, let’s go for something a little healthier~

Because my family tends to hang out a lot in Trinoma, this has become one of my “secret bases” throughout the mall. You know, the places where you hang out a lot in when you don’t feel like walking around? Well, in this crazy weather, I’d usually go to Red Mango to scribble up new ideas and kill deadlines.

red mango frozen yogurt with strawberries and sliced almonds

I love Red Mango’s frozen yogurt. It’s not too sweet or too sour, and the topings are always in generous amounts. I get the funny feeling that the servers already know me because on one occasion, the guy said, “Ah, medium with 3 toppings, right? I’m really sorry we don’t have fresh strawberries today. May I suggest some mandarin oranges instead?”

I’m telling you, I don’t eat there often. Really!

Monday, July 16, 2012

鏞記 酒家 Yung Kee Restaurant

yung kee roasted goose

“Yung Kee acquires fame for its gourmet specialty-Roast Goose. After tasting the Roast Goose, tourists buy and carry it home with them by air to share among relatives and friends. For that, Yung Kee's Roast Goose is nicknamed ‘Flying Roast Goose’.”

Source: Open Rice

For someone who doesn’t remember ever trying roasted goose before, I dare say this is one of the best ones I’ve had.

Yung Kee does have very good food, but if you’re after the goose, you might want to reserve a day in advance. Plus, it’s a sit-down restaurant with fancy table cloths and pay-per-each-person’s-cup-of-tea, so it burned more money than I could afford.

yung kee suckling pig

It wouldn’t be healthy eating at this place everyday anyway. I really loved their suckling pig as well as the goose, but I did feel a heart attack coming after my meal, and it wasn’t just because of my share of the bill!

If you’re on a tight budget, I wouldn’t recommend this place at all. You might prefer the one right in front of this restaurant on Central’s Wellington Street, but that’s for another blog post.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Flood, Flood, GO AWAY!

It rained hard just for a little while this yesterday afternoon, and look what happened!

rain in manila 2012.07.14

A mini river was born!

It flooded about 4-5 inches in under an hour of heavy rain! This is because there’s some construction going on at our neighbor’s and they covered the sewer system with their building materials! Argh~! So stupid! Made my mom so stressed out!

But I am very grateful that the inside of our house didn’t get flooded inside like last time. Thank God for that, or else I would have been mopping again all night long!

Did I mention there were hundreds of swimming cockroaches in this river?

Saturday, July 14, 2012

喜喜 燒臘茶餐廳 Hay Hay Restaurant

hay hay roast duck

When my sister went to Hong Kong, Hay Hay Restaurant was the one place she remembered having really good roasted duck from. The food was actually quite satisfying, but the place didn’t really have a good ambiance (then again, this is Hong Kong we’re talking about ). And their food is quite expensive compared to Tim Ho Wan.

I’ve read in Open Rice that someone had food poisoning from the restaurant , but our experience was a pretty good one. I have a weak stomach, but I didn’t get sick from eating there at all. In fact, I enjoyed the cuisine at that little place, and they did serve some pretty good roasted duck.

hay hay milktea

If you want to check it out yourself and make your own conclusions, they’re located at 72-86 Lockhard Road in Wan Chai. I don’t think it’s as bad as some people say they are, but then again, there are a lot of Chinese barbeque places in Hong Kong, so you wouldn’t miss anything if you decide not to go to Hay Hay.

I miss Hong Kong though. A lot.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

添好運: 點心專門店 Tim Ho Wan: the Dim-Sum Specialists

So, you’re going to Hong Kong, but you’re only stopping by for a few hours thanks to your connecting flight. You have enough time to somewhere nearby and leisurely grab a bite to eat before heading back to the airport. Where would you go?

tim ho wan dim-sum

You might want to check out Tim Ho Wan. They’re called the Dim-Sum Specialists for a good reason: they have the best dim-sum in all of Hong Kong. And they’re always jam-packed with people!

Their originally located in Kwong Wa Street, Mong Kok, and recently opened a branch at the Hong Kong Station’s IFC Mall, Podium Level 1. If you have the time to do so, it’s best to go to the original location as it’s received a Michelin Star , but the IFC branch is very good as well.

A little knowledge in Cantonese or Mandarin may help you, because they have so many customers that people sit with total strangers in one table! Not that the locals like talking to strangers anyway. You also order ahead of time by checking whatever you want in their order form, but with their IFC Mall location, I wouldn’t be surprised if they start hiring staff who can speak good English.

tim ho wan - baked barbeque pork bun

If I can only order one item on their menu, it would have to be these Baked Barbeque Pork Bun Pastry. The filling is just the right amount and seasoned to perfection. And the most important thing (for me) is that it’s not too sweet! I don’t like sweet foods, you see. And if that’s out of stock, go for the Hakkao or Steamed Prawn Dumplings, which is also divine~

Overall really good food and really good value for money! I’m definitely going back to that restaurant when I visit Hong Kong again. Gotta have my barbeque pork bun!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Mini Mooncakes!

This is turning into a food blog. I apologize for making anyone hungry!

mini mooncakes from singapore

My sis-in-law's brother brought these home from Singapore during this year’s Moon Cake Festival. They were tiny, beautiful, colorful, tasty little moon cakes in the strangest, most delicious flavors I’ve ever had!

My favorite in the green tea one in the middle of the last row. The green one on the left was pandan, and I’m not too fond of those.

I want- need to visit Singapore someday~