we CRAVE burgers

Been eating A LOT lately. Haha. I never thought that my blog will always be about foodies. For sure, i won't be summer ready with what I'm doing. Here goes another of my burger cravings...

Since I really wanted to try some new burgers, I asked my friends to come stroll with me around Burgos Circle to look for a new burger place, and then we came into CRAVE Burger. It's been a long time since i wanted to try their burgers. It's just that everyones on a diet and no one wants to go with me... Even if I told them that it's goin to be my treat. Haha.

We loved the ambiance of the resto. It's ORANGE! Yey, well, it's one of my fave colors that's a plus. Haha. With the lighting and all, it gave the foodie an additional yummy factor and good for food photo ops. Hehe

We tried their best sellers (of course, haha)

The Crave Ultimate Burger... We were a bit disappointed when this came into our table, it looks different from what we saw on their website (false advertising huh?!). The patties were small, i mean really small! Or is it just that the bread is tooo big for the burger?! Haha.

 

But hey, looks can be deceiving ayt!? The burgers tastes really gooooood! I really liked the Juicy patty plus the cheese, though the bacon was a lil bit dry. I can rank it as 3 out of 5. We'll probably give the place another chance on our next visit. Hoping for bigger patties. Haha

For more info or for the complete menu, visit their website: CRAVE burger.

The YABU experience

It's been a while since I posted my last blog, I've been sooooo busy during the past days, but here goes another of my foodie trips. :)

Have you been to "YABU: The House of Katsu" or are you a fan of "Katsu"?  This is definitely one of the MUST TRY places right now. I've been eyeing to go to MOA just to try and get the YABU feel. And alas, despite the veerrry busy schedule I got my mim and dad to go and dine with me there. Very typical for us pinoys, since it is something new, people are really lining up just to try this new craze. Went there around 6-ish on a Saturday, waited for almost an hour aggg. But hey, I'm telling you, it's worth the wait. :)

For first timers, here's a lil intro with the Katsu sauce, it's a bit DIY from the grinding of the seeds, to pouring and mixing everything all together. It's where you will start to get the YABU feel that i was saying earlier. Haha

Foodie talk! Me and mom got ourselves one of the most talked about on the YABU menu... The Menchi with Cheese Katsu.

The dish is very Cordon Bleu-ish in a way, made with minced pork and beef and cheese. What I loved about this Katsu is the perfectly melted creamy-cheesy center. I could definitely recommend this to you cheese lovers, hehe.

Dad got himself a Rosu Katsu Curry, you have a choice on how hoooot/spicy you want your curry to be served... Well, dad chose to have it extra spicy. :)). Ooooh, btw, i'm sorry I wasn't to take some photos, we were really hungry when the food was served. :/

This is how a Katsu set looks like, Miso soup, rice, fruits, veggies and your Katsu ❤. You can always ask for some extra rice, veggies or soup. :)

The over-all experience was really good, from the ambiance, to the food and most especially to the pips of Yabu. They were really accommodating and they have this fun approach to customer's needs, ooh, plus the statement shirts that they are wearing... I find it really cute and it's for sale, hehe.

Price wise: for a dish ranging from 300++ and up, it's worth it. And you'll definitely come back to try their other katsus. :)

For updates:

Follow them on twitter: @yabuPH

And like the Official YABU Facebook Page for promos. :)

Oh My Zark's!

Have you been to Zark's Burgers? They have 2 branches now, one is in Taft and the other one is in BF. I was so curious about the place so I really have to try it out.

Zark's Menu

I asked mom and dad to go with me, I really had NO idea where Zark's is. I tried google-ing it, but its only showing us one address which is President's Ave., BF, no numbers or no building names given. We really exerted sooooo much effort asking bystanders and peeps if they know the place. Some of them are'nt even familiar of the place, aggg. So for everyone who's interested in going there, here are some landmarks: Zark's is on the 2nd Floor, beside a barber shop. Lol. I forgot to get the exact address, hope that helps. Haha

Now, the good part. Eating time!

Jawbreaker, dad got one for himself. It's one huge burger! Triple cheeseburger + spam + bacon and loooots of cheese. They have a 5-minute challenge for everyone who orders it. Uhmmmm. For a burger this big, it would take me 30 minutes to consume it, haha.

Zark's Burger, this is what mom tried. A quarter pound cheesy TLC burger with mushrooms and bacon. Yum!

Black Mamba, my lil brother tried this, the special thing about this burger is Zark's very own mix of Barbecue Rum Sauce...Which actually tastes like A1 sauce or is it just A1 bbq sauce. Haha.

Blue Cheese Burger, I love cheese, but I love blue cheese more. Haha, I'm really fond of burgers with some sort of twists. Well, I loved what I had. Blue cheese plus mushrooms, two of my favorites! Heaven.

Zark's Burger is so affordable, from the Minor Leagues cheapest Php 99 burger to the Major Leagues Php 500 worth Tombstone burger (2 pounds cheeseburger overflowing with cheese sauce, tempting ayt?). For 4 huge burgers + hand cut potato fries and large Iced teas, we only spent Php 715.

Any suggestions for new foodie places down south? :)

Tea Farm

South peeps! We’ve been really (really) addicted to Milk tea, and there are really no tea places within our area (Parañaque). As we know ChaTime, Gong Cha and Serenitea’s (my fave!) nearest location from our place would be in the Fort, Ayala or Alabang, imagine the hassle of going out when we are craving? haha. Plus they won’t be delivering to our place. :(

Good thing a friend introduced me to Tea Farm Café. They’ve got 3 branches, 2 in Ayala Makati both at KPMG Building and the third one is located along Doña Soledad Ave. fronting Paranaque Doctor’s Hospital (PDH), Better Living, Parañaque. I’m not really adventurous on trying out foodies and drinks which is new to me. I’m the type that checks reviews and blogs about a new place before going there and tryin out their stuff. Since only a few of my friends knows the place, Me and Carlo went there and treated ourselves with of course, milk tea. Haha

We tried their Wintermelon and Thai Milk Tea, and in all fairness, their products are delish. Comparable to its competitors, I can give it 5 stars.

Follow them on twitter: @TeaFarmPhils
And check out their Facebook page

Share your experience and reviews :)

Sex, love and everything in between

After obssesing on Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele's sex-love relationship, I've found 2 new books worth reading. I am still on the first few chapters, I must say, I'm loving the story. I'ts a bit 50 Shades-ish on the sex- love and billionaire part, and oooh, the guys are really irresistable. What can you say, damn lucky gals, getting top notched guys, haha. But hey, let's give Eva and Gideon Cross a chance. Both with f*cked up pasts, they will find a way to move on and have a better future for both of them.

Any thoughts on Sylvia Day's Bared to You and Reflected in You?

The Higher Taste

I borrowed the book from my friend joyce, it was just so ironic that we were having steak while reading this, hehe.

It was just really wierd, according to the book "animals cry when we eat them", the author is Indian, so he wrote about the LAWS of KARMA and how reincarnation are related to vegetarianism. The author also pointed out that meat-eating and killer diseases are connected. And vegetarianism would be an advantage to us, especially in the economic aspect. Well, he really has a point, with our economy today, we could really save a lot of money once we switch from eating meat to vegetables only (i think i can't :)) ).

The book really pointed out that healthy eating would be Karma-free eating.

try reading this book :)

In human society, if one kills a man he has to be hanged [or punished]. That is the law of the state. Because of ignorance people do not perceive that there is a complete state controlled by the Supreme Lord. Every living creature is the son of the Supreme Lord, and He does not tolerate even and ant's being killed. One has to pay for it.

- Srila Prabhupada

Hong Kong - Macau

For first timer friends, here's a suggested 3days/2nights guide if you wanna travel to Hong Kong and Macau. Especially when you on a tight budget and still want to maximize your stay. 

I took the time to update all the prices so that you'll know how much pocket money to bring and I also added instructions on how you will get to the certain place.

 Hong Kong's  transport system is really crazy. every station is connected to another station, you might get lost. :))



MTR line

 

Sorry guys, I'm a bit to O.C. haha, i am very specific with time so i included it here. just don't mind the striked out words, you might (I'm sure you will) laugh at me. haha. :))

Day 1:

0540: ETD NAIA 3

0740: ETA Hong  Kong International Airport (HKIA) 1

0740-0830: Immigration clearance & buy MTR/Octopus card   

0830-0930: Go to Hotel, leave luggage   

0930-1000: Take MTR to Tung Chung

 

1000-1230: stroll and shopping, sightseeing ng chinito, Lunchie

* was really hungry, I forgot the name, though its delish, baked seafood with lots of cheese on top. yum!

1230-onwards: Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car Tour, Tian Tan Buddha

     

*prices for the cable car varies. It depends if you wanna try the glass floor (which is a bit expensive than the regular one), i guess it was a diff of around HKD 50.

2000-2100: Dinner

 
2100 onwards: gimik, night market, booking. Lol

* HK at night is really uhmmm, but it's so much fun to walk in the crowded streets, plus there are lots of street entertainers with crazy acts. haha

Day 2:

0740-0830: Prep time, breakfast 

* I did not include breakfast to our Hotel booking, which is so much wrong. haha, we paid an additional HKD 50 for our buffet breakfast. We we're so tired from last night plus really lazy to go out and eat. haha

0830-1200: go to Central, Shopping  

1200-1300: lunch

1330-1400: MTR to Disneyland 

(Tung Chung MTR line to Sunny Bay MTR Station and switch to Disneyland Resort)

1400-2000: Disneyland

* A Disneyland trip won't really be complete unless you've got the epic picture with Mickey and Minnie mouse

2000-onwards: night market (Mongkok)

Day 3: MACAU DAY

 

0500-0700: Prep time for check-out and MFM
 

0715-0830: Turbojet to MFM (HKD 153)
 

0830-0900: Immigration Clearance
 

0900-0930: Take Venetian Macau free shuttle 

(located across the road from Macau Ferry Terminal (take underpass)). 

Leave luggage at the Venetian.
 

 

 * We really wanted to ride the Gondola, but there's a reaaaalllyyy loooong line waiting when we came. aggg.

 

1000-1130: free time, roam around The Venetian Macau and Casino time.

Early lunch.

1130-onwards: Macau Heritage walk. (Take Venetian Macau free shuttle to Macau Ferry Terminal. Ride Bus 10A to (Rua do) Almeida Ribeiro), Senate Square Sightseeing, Na Tcha Temple, St. Paul Cathedral ruins, Fortress Hill and Camoes Garden, Grand Lisboa, Wynn (Tree of Prosperity, Dragon Show, Performance Lake)

2200: Check-in at Macau International Airport, dinner

2215: ETD MIA

0015: ETA NAIA3

\

MUST TRY:

Cafe de Coral

Ooops, before I forget, this is one of my favorite places to eat in HK, it's like Jollibee, it's all over the city. It won't too hard to find. Cafe de Coral is in every building and every corner of the city (exagge, haha). There are lots of choices to choose from, the food is really delish.

Budget; HK$ 60 -HK$ 125

We really had fun in our very short stay. Every one had US$ 500 as pocket money which we mostly spent on food and H&M. haha. 

Here's the fun part: BUDGET!

Php 1620 PH travel tax

Php 500 terminal fee

----------------------

Php 2,120 

 

* i used HK$ 1 = Php 5.6 for the conversion.

Php 1226.37 / HK$ 220 Octopus Card (re-loadable): for MTR and 711

Php 2224.18 / HK$ 399 Disneyland (all-day access)

Php 1560 / HK$ 208 Ocean park

Php 908 / HK$ 163 turbo jet HK-MFM

 ----------------------

Php 5,918.55 / HK$ 990

* to save more moolah with Disneyland and Ocean park, i suggest that you buy tickets at the airport or at your hotel. Hotel travel services will offer you discounted ticket prices and free transport to Disneyland and back.

The Philippines in 2 minutes

After watching The Department of Tourism's promotional video, I realized that I've been missing A LOT. I've been in and out of the country and almost forgot that we have these places and attractions to see around.

This vid inspired me to explore more and more places within the country.

Is it really "More Fun in the Philippines"?

Disney boy.

i know that this has been overdue, was a bit busy with a lot of work stuff.

Me and my girlfriends went to Hongkong recently, it was my job to tour them around the city. as host/tour guide, I decided to bring them to "the Happiest Place on Earth".

Will be posting photos later. ciao.

Asia's Next Top Model... Soon

Good luck Stephanie Retuya! Can't wait to watch the new season, soon on Star World! 😊