MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan

Aling Tonya, I Love You!

November 16, 2012 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

We had lunch at Aling Tonya’s Seafood Restaurant at MOA’s By The Bay last September for my sister-in-law’s birthday, and for our first meet-the-family session with her future in-laws.

If you love seafood like I do, you should really plan a visit to this restaurant. In my opinion, Aling Tonya’s serves some of the best seafood paluto (cooked on the spot) in the city. They also have branches along Daang Hari Road, which is the branch closest to where we live, and one along Macapagal Ave.

There are two things that I absolutely must order whenever I eat at this place – Buttered Prawns and Fried Calamari.

Prawns in Butter and Garlic Sauce (Php180.00 per kilo, Php140.00 per half kilo)

Crabs in Chili Garlic Sauce (Php170.00 per kilo, Php130.00 per half kilo)

Shrimp Head Sinigang (Sour Tamarind Soup) (Php170.00 per kilo, Php130.00 per half kilo)

The best calamari ever can be found at Isdaan in Laguna!

We also ordered Calamari (Php180.00 per kilo, Php140.00 per half kilo) and Crispy Kangkong (Water Spinach), and of course mountains of rice, but my hands were already too dirty to take photos by the time they got to our table.

After lunch, we decided to walk off all the rice we consumed, and so we headed towards MOA. The mall was on sale that weekend and there were so many people! I get claustrophibic and anxious whenever I’m in an SM mall during sale season. For some reason, it makes me feel unsafe.

Gloomy sky and dirty water. The view of Manila Bay from the boardwalk.

For more Cuyugan family fun, check out our lunch feast at Don Henrico’s!

Can’t wait til these two add more kids to our growing family!

Aling Tonya’s also has a branch along Daang Hari!

So, this post just gave me an intense seafood craving. Argh. Do you like seafood? What’s your favorite seafood dish?

ALING TONYA SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

San Miguel By The Bay, Mall of Asia Complex

Seaside Boulevard, Manila Bay Reclamation Area

Pasay City

+632 7100260

Dinner On the Beach at Kasbah Boracay

November 13, 2012 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

We had one last chance to catch the Boracay sunset, but unfortunately the rain clouds rolled back in just like they did on our first day on the island. Oh well. That didn’t stop us from taking another walk, shorter this time, and going the opposite direction from our morning walk, towards the far end of Station 1.

After our walk, we decided to have dinner at Kasbah, which was just a few steps away from Sur. We didn’t want to go far since it looked like it was going to be another rainy evening. I went back to the room to freshen up a bit, while Mr C stayed on the beach.

I actually don’t have any good photos of the food at Kasbah. I was already pretty buzzed, and I only realized I’d forgotten to take photos when our plates were clean. All I have is this really bad picture of our appetizer.

Oh well.

We ordered hummus and pita bread, and Mr C and I also split an order of Chicken Brochette (PHP395.00) with long grain rice. Super yummy. I love Moroccan, Indian, Persian and Mediterranean food. The spicier, the better too. The exotic flavors are just divine! Just like with Aria, I’m excited to eat at the Fort branch of Kasbah so I can try their other dishes.

After dinner, we went back to Sur for one last round of drinks. As if I hadn’t already had enough!!

Happy hour at the resort is from 3PM-8PM, and it’s buy one take one on selected cocktails and beers. For our last hurrah, Mr C chose to order Screwdrivers. They were alright, but nothing extraordinary. Sur really isn’t a place for eating and drinking, if you ask me.

All of these are buy one take one during happy hour

Have you guys eaten at Kasbah? I’d love to try your fave dishes next time. And yes, there will be a next time so I can actually take photos!

KASBAH

Station One, White Beach,

Boracay, Aklan (next to Discovery Shores Hotel)

PHONE +6336 2884790

EMAIL kasbahboracay@gmail.com

#/pages/Kasbah-Boracay

www.KasbahBoracay.com

Pizza and Beer at Aria Cucina Italiana Boracay

November 12, 2012 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

As soon as the rain stopped on our first morning in Boracay, Mr C and I went off towards Station 2. The nice thing about our wedding anniversary being in September is it’s off season and so our travel expenses aren’t that deadly. However, we really need to hope for good weather. Luckily, the skies were on our side during this trip.

Still a gloomy morning, but at least there’s no more rain.

Like my pretty dress? I wear this every time I’m in Boracay.

Breakfast Buffet at Sur Boracay

November 11, 2012 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

Both of our Boracay mornings started off with breakfast at Sur Beach Resort, which came with the room we had booked. Since we chose to sleep early instead of party all night while we were there, we woke up early on both days and were one of the first at the restaurant for breakfast. They served the usual Pinoy breakfast on both days, plus there was toast, hotcakes and waffles, a salad station, and an omelette station.

The food was just average, as I’d expected based on our dinner experience on our first night there. One thing I didn’t like though was that on the first morning, the food was cold. And I mean cold. The fried rice was oily, cold and soggy, and I was pretty unhappy about it. Also, there was no bacon on both mornings, which isn’t really an issue for me, but I know a lot of people who believe that no breakfast buffet is complete without bacon, so there. Oh well, breakfast was free, so who am I to complain, right?

Mango Juice and Orange Juice

Bread, Hotcakes and Waffles

Salad and Fruit Station. I don’t know anyone who eats salad for breakfast.

Day 1 Danggit

On the first day, I had fried rice, danggit, chicken tocino, sausage and an omelette with everything. Like I said, everything was cold except for the omelette, which they cook onsite, and the coffee.

My breakfast on day two was much better than the first morning, particularly because the food was actually hot this time. Thank goodness. This time I had longganisa, corned beef, cream dory with cheese sauce, fried rice, assorted sushi, seafood chowder and a ham and cheese omelette.

I would definitely book a stay at Sur again, but I don’t think I’m going to be eating there anymore unless I absolutely have no choice. Our first morning in Boracay was rainy, and so we ended up waiting for the sun to come out while reading and doing the daily crossword at our veranda. I am super glad we chose to pay extra for a beachfront room with a view.

Gloomy morning

There’s Mr C!

And here I am

Free view of the pool at the White House

Glad I decided to bring my Kindle along for the trip

Thankfully, the skies cleared up after a few hours and we got to head out for a long walk on the beach. Our second morning was also wet and gloomy, but the rain eased up early enough to allow us to catch the Sunday mass at the Holy Rosary Parish. We were in for a surprise – the mass was celebrated in Bisaya!

I love mornings in Boracay because they are usually quiet and serene. So forgive me for being a grandma, but I’d choose to sleep early rather than party all night when I’m there. Thank goodness I married someone who feels the exact same way. 🙂

SUR BEACH RESORT

Station 1, Boracay Island

Phone: +63 36 288 6844

Fax: +63 36 288 6843

Mobile: +63 928 781 1233

Email: surboracay@gmail.com

http://www.surboracay.com

Much love and happiness,

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Just Got Back From The Global Pinoy Bazaar

November 10, 2012 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 2 Comments

… and I am a happy little mommy! Mr C got me the loveliest dress to wear to my friend Jonnah’s wedding this December! Yay! I’ll post a photo of myself wearing it when I actually wear it, but just so you see what it looks like, here’s a photo from the Erzullie Multiply Store.

Love, love, love this dress to bits!!!

ERZULLIE
http://erzullie.wix.com/shop
erzullie@yahoo.com
@erzullie on Twitter
Like I said on Twitter, where has this store been all my life??? I was born chunky, and being plus size is not something I see as a negative trait. So I really get excited whenever I find plus size shops that don’t sell clothes that look like they were tailored for your great-aunt or a very old school principal. Erzullie’s pieces are the complete opposite of the drab and often tacky plus size clothes you usually see in the mall. They have pieces that are fierce and fashion forward, and others that are dainty and classic. I just love them right now! (Isn’t it obvious?) And the prices are reasonable too! I’m browsing their online catalog as I write this. I kid you not. And you guys should to if you are a pretty plus-size girlie.

Anyway, moving on…

So my boys and I were at the Global Pinoy Bazaar earlier. I was given three passes by the wonderful people of Yabang Pinoy because I took part in their MayOPM Twitter/Facebook activity with amazing zest and gusto. One great thing about this bazaar is the merchants actually sell their products at special discounted prices. So if you have the cash to spend, go ahead and buy stuff while you’re there. But if you’re like me who is still waiting for her cash to come in, pick up their flyers and business cards for later, because most of them have online stores.

These were my favorite booths (apart from Erzullie, yes I just had to mention them again!):

KAPE MARIA

www.kapemaria.tumblr.com

+63917 8310056

julia.sevilla@gmail.com

@kapemaria on Twitter

We are big coffee drinkers in our family, and recently Mr C and I have shifted to buying locally grown beans instead of our former spoiled Starbucks beans purchases. Our daily brew is usually from 18 Days Coffee. At the bazaar, we got to try Kape Maria’s Calauit branch, and it was really good. The beans are affordable and would make good gifts to coffee fanatics. And it’s always nice when you buy local, giving more business to our farmers in the provinces.

As you see in the photo, this stall gets the Finn Thumbs-Up Seal of Approval from the little guy!

SHOPINAS.COM
www.shopinas.com
support@shopinas.com
This stall sells PBA-issued jerseys of oldschool teams and players. They had Jaworski, Lim, Patrimonio and lots more. The guy Mr C spoke to said that they were even going to come out with Crispa jerseys soon. These are great gifts for Pinoys in the US.

Oldschool San Miguel and Purefoods jersies.

LOTUS BLOOM HANDCRAFTED SOAPS
www.lotusbloomsoaps.weebly.comP
#/lotusbloomsoaps
Because my little boy and I both have sensitive skin, we really choose to use soaps made from natural ingredients. Two things I like about Lotus Bloom Soaps – the bars are bigger than the other handmade soaps you usually see, and they smell so good. They even had dishes of natural lavender and chamomile at their booth next to the soaps of the same scents.

Their soaps are packaged nicely in boxes. These are great gift ideas too!

At the same booth, there were Planet Noah Oasis products on display. I tried their Soothing VoCo cream on my problematic eczema and it really kept the itch away the entire afternoon. Amazing! I did some research and found Planet Noah on Multiply. I’m really interested to find out more about them.

Oasis Baby Oil and Oasis Soothing VoCo Cream

MESSY BESSY
www.messybessy.com
+63917 5607871
messybessyinfo@gmail.com
http://messybessy.multiply.com
This is a brand that I’ve been seeing everywhere – in all the bazaars, weekend markets, Rustan’s Flower Shop, Sesou Nature Source, and in various other shops. I love how Messy Bessy is safe for kids and safe for pets, and how everything just smells so clean and fresh. They have great gift sets for the holidays too. Plus the staff at their booth are so cheerful and accommodating. They’re the first booth you’ll see to your left when you enter the Rockwell Tent. There’s a big chance I’ll be purchasing some stuff from them to give away this Christmas through their online store.

All smiles at the Messy Bessy booth!

FROSTED DESSERTS
+63926 7397377
frosteddesserts.ph@gmail.com
#/frosteddessertsph
@frostedph on Twitter
We sampled the Bibingka Cupcake and everything about it was good. Even the buttery icing. And this is big for me because I don’t really like butter. I don’t even butter my toast or my pancakes. So there. I’m a sucker for cupcakes, and these ones are really good. Too bad they’re so far away, they are based in UP Teacher’s Village in Quezon City. But they said they can deliver to Alabang, so yay!

This one gets the Finn Thumbs Up Seal of Approval too!

YABANG PINOY
www.yabangpinoy.com
sales@yabangpinoy.com
#/yabangpinoy
@yabangpinoy on Twitter
I can think of a number of our relatives in the US who would love to own these shirts. The designs are unique and witty, and unlike the ones you usually see in Greenhills or other bazaars. This group is doing a fabulous job at promoting anything and everything Filipino. Their dedication is amazing, and I’m happy I am able to support them in my own little ways.

Great shirts promoting everything Filipino

I’m glad we made the trip to Rockwell to check out the Global Pinoy Bazaar. I usually just go to the ones in Ayala Alabang since they are closer don’t charge entrance fees. But this bazaar was really worth the effort of crossing the highway for (we’re really south people), and I’m happy we chose to go. Looking forward to the next one, and to the coming Yabang Pinoy projects!

Much love and happiness,

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Starbucks + Christmas = Whipped Cream Overload

November 8, 2012 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

So, the red cups are back at our local Starbucks, and that means all my favorite Christmas drinks have arrived. This is never a good thing for my waistline.

Over the years, I have noticed that the primary cause of holiday weight gain for me is my inability to say no to all the special Christmas drinks and pastries offered at ever imaginable coffee shop in the area. I kid you not. It doesn’t help that I have this annual desire to take home all the nice planners you get “for free” once you complete a booklet of stickers or stamps. One drink = one sticker/stamp. This year, you need 17 stickers from Starbucks to get the 2013 planner. 17 x whipped cream/sugar/chocolate = bad for my (I wish I could stick to it) diet.

But I do it anyway. As of today, I already have 5 stickers (yay!), and I’ve had each of the featured holiday drinks. Two in Frappuccino form, one hot. Maybe a bit of jogging is in order? Or rather, walking, since I don’t actually jog. Yikes!

#1 – Dark Cherry Mocha Frappuccino

#3 – Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino

What’s your favorite holiday treat?

Much love and happiness,

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