Filinvest Alabang

Enjoying My Little Mommy Luxuries at Crimson Hotel Alabang

October 10, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 9 Comments

I’ve been dealing with a lot of domestic drama lately because our helper has been very un-helpful. I won’t get into details because just thinking about her makes me angry. She did something unacceptable again today, and this really made me wish that I could escape to one more staycation this weekend. But alas, we are going to be mostly home over the next couple of days, and so I will write about a past staycation instead to make myself feel better.

I love the look of Crimson Hotel’s reception desk

I love staying at hotels for one simple reason – I get to feel like a donya for 24 hours. I know that it sounds bratty, but it’s true. I have this list of mommy luxuries that I like to indulge in, and an overnight stay at a good hotel automatically gives me at least 5 of those things. Let me explain by showing you which of these indulgences I got to enjoy during our recent staycation at Crimson Hotel in Filinvest, Alabang.

A nice, clean, spacious space all to ourselves

As you know, we live in a really full house. As in, full of people and full of stuff. Our room is bursting at the seams with all of our things, and we even have stuff stored in the living room and outside the house. I get to leave all that clutter behind when we stay at a hotel. I know it doesn’t solve the clutter problem, but at least for a couple of days, we actually have our own space that is clean and quiet.

I especially loved this makeup mirror, and that it was placed in front of the window. Natural light FTW!

Long, uninterrupted (well, mostly) showers

Because the boys and I share a bathroom, we have this unspoken rule that we should leave the door unlocked in case someone needs to do something in there while we’re using it. Fortunately, ours is a big enough bathroom that we can all use it at the same time. One can shower while another uses the toilet, and the third person uses the sink. It works for us, especially on rushed mornings, but oh man do I miss my bathroom privacy. At Crimson, I got to indulge in a couple of long showers and other quiet moments in the super spacious bathroom. Oh what a treat!

This is what the boys look like while I take photos around the room

Drinks. Including alcoholic ones.

Just lounging around and enjoying the sorta view

We were given access to the Executive Lounge at Crimson during our stay. There, the boys and I happily cooled off with glasses of juice and cans of soda. I was hoping to stay there all the way through happy hour, but we were told that they don’t allow children to stay once they start serving alcoholic drinks. We had to forego the beer and cocktail buffet because there was no one who could watch the kiddo for us, and also because MrC and I didn’t feel right about leaving him somewhere so that we could drink. Yes, it was the responsible thing to do. Lol. I had a mojito with dinner instead. And speaking of dinner…

A delicious dinner that I didn’t have to prepare myself, complete with dessert!

Yes, I had all of these (and more) for dinner

And it was a Mexican dinner, too! One of my favorite cuisines! I wrote about our Sabores de Mexico dinner experience a couple of weeks ago, and you can check it out here.

The ultimate cold air conditioning + comfy bed + fluffy pillow + thick blanket combo

If I had my way, my bed would be as lush as a hotel bed. Maybe someday, we can invest in a fluffy bed. (Hint, hint, MrC!)

Funny story, at Crimson the boys decided to have me sleep in the middle. Between the two of them and the blankets, I was sandwiched in warmth! I would wake up every once in a while when it got too hot and wiggle myself out of the blankets. Then when I’d get cold, I’d wake up again and squeeze back in. This went on a few times til morning. I still felt pretty rested, though, thank goodness.

Breakfast and coffee waiting for me when I woke up

Little MrC fixed his own plate, and made a happy face out of his pancakes and French toast

Happiness is waking up to a cup of good coffee and a yummy breakfast. On weekends, MrC sometimes takes care of this for me at home, and for that I am really grateful. That weekend at Crimson, though, was a super treat because their breakfast selections at the hotel are really, really good! I especially loved the cheeses and cold cuts that they served, and their breads too. The cheese ensaymada and the cream filled doughnut were super winners.

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My first (and favorite) plate at any breakfast buffet is filled with bread, cheese and fruit. This was the first of many plates from this morning’s breakfast at Cafe Eight. 7 hours later and I am still burping. The breakfast spread at @crimsonhotel_alabang is officially one of my faves in the south. #SouthEats #CrimsonHotel #FilinvestCityAlabang #BreakfastBuffet #InstaFood

View on Instagram

But wait, there’s more

Aside from my luxury list, there’s still so much more to do at Crimson. They have a really nice gym, which I probably should visit next time, especially after eating all that bread. They also have a really nice pool, which we were sadly unable to try out because it was so windy while we were there. That’s something to come back for next time. That, and happy hour at the Executive Lounge lol. Ah! And I also have to remember to take home some of that ensaymada from the pastry corner next time. So good, promise!

Crimson Hotel's gorgeous pool — Crimson Hotel’s gorgeous pool area

The best part about our Crimson staycation was that the boys and I were there with four of my favorite families – Michelle’s, Jane’s, Joei’s (yes, Joei and Timmy are counted as a family in my book) and Kaye’s. It’s always fun for all of us when they are around, and I love how we are starting to build such fun memories together as a group. Since Little Miss QC was with us that weekend, we were officially ABC+K! Cute, diba?

THANK YOU so very much (again) to our lovely hosts, Twinkle Lacsamana, Karina, and the wonderful staff at Crimson Hotel. The boys and I had the best time and we can’t wait to come back! And super duper thank you, Jane, for arranging this for our little sisterhood. We love you!

CRIMSON HOTEL FILINVEST ALABANG
Entrata Urban Complex,
2609 Civic Drive, Filinvest City,
Alabang 1781 Muntinlupa City
Phone (02) 863 2222
Email info.alabang@crimsonhotel.com
Website http://www.crimsonhotel.com/manila/

Mexican #FoodTrip: Sabores de Mexico at Crimson Hotel

September 23, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 25 Comments

My Instagram feed will tell you that the boys and I spent the weekend at our friendly neighborhood hotel, Crimson Hotel at the Entrata Complex in Filinvest Alabang. One of the highlights of our stay was the Sabores de Mexico Mexican food festival that happened to be running while we were there. Oh the joy! We are Mexican food fanatics, and so this was really a special treat to look forward to.

My dinner dates – Kaye, Jane and Mish, and our gracious host, Crimson Hotel’s Karina Leal
(This photo belongs to Michelle Aventajado)

I started with the starters because, well, that’s where you’re supposed to start. And because they were laid out right behind me and I could smell them! I particularly liked the different salads. I thought they all looked the same, but then they each tasted different. They were cold and quite refreshing to the palate.

A Mexican meal is not complete unless you have nachos. At least for me and MrC. He happily crunched away on chips loaded while cheese while I had my plate of assorted salads and cheese. I love the cheese selections at Crimson. There were several different kinds, and no, sliced sandwich cheese was not a part of the list. Thank goodness.

Nacho bar, cold cuts and assorted starters

Cheese is happiness. Cheese and ice cream.

I was excited to get started on the main dishes. The Mexican Embassy flew in Chef Daniela Romero to infuse authentic Mexican dishes into Cafe Eight’s buffet, after all, and I couldn’t wait to try them. The Mexican Rice (of all things!) was my favorite. So good. I can just imagine stuffing this into burritos and all sorts of tortilla wraps, or eating it topped with carne asada and cheese. Yes, even more cheese. I also really enjoyed the beans. They went so well with the rice!

I also picked up a plate of sushi. It isn’t Mexican food, but I just couldn’t resist. I make sure to always try the Japanese selections at every hotel buffet I try just because I love Sushi and Sashimi a whole lot. Little MrC had a big plate of Sushi that night, too! That and a plate of Carbonara plus a bowl of Tortilla Soup.

See my photo-ready friends, Jane and Kaye? 🙂

Did I mention that I had a Mojito too? Soooo goooooood! And it went really well with the Mexican spread. I didn’t notice what MrC was eating because he was up and about, picking things up and wolfing them down. Hehe, sorry Daddy, nilaglag na kita.

Now, of course I remembered to save room for dessert. Unfortunately, by the time I was ready to hit the sweets they were all out of Churros with Chocolate Sauce! Huhuhu. The kids told me that they were really yummy.

It’s a good thing the Rice Pudding was excellent, otherwise I really would have been disappointed about missing out on the Churros. I got some of my usual dessert faves, too – Chocolate Mousse, Red Velvet and Tres Leches.

All in all, I had three plates (plus sushi, plus a mojito)

THANK YOU so very much to our lovely hosts, Twinkle Lacsamana, Karina, and the wonderful staff at Crimson Hotel. I had an amazing time chatting with my girlfriends, while we stuffed ourselves silly. It was such a fun night with our little group and our caboodle of husbands and kids. The boys really enjoyed dinner, and we can’t wait to come back and indulge in more of Cafe Eight’s yummy dishes. Thank you also to my south sister, Jane for arranging this for ABC+K!

Those of you who wanna check out the Sabores de Mexico Buffet, you still have until September 26, Friday, to drop by and enjoy. Lunch buffet costs PHP1,000 and dinner is PHP1,250 per person. For reservations, call Cafe Eight at 863.2222 loc 1612.

7 Must-Try Breakfast Dishes at Tus’ Clay Pots and Skillets #SundaySeven

September 7, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 27 Comments

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Oh yest it is. So when Jane invited our ABC group to have brunch with her at Tus’ Clay Pots and Skillets in Westgate, I said YES in the most enthusiastic way. I love that Tus’ is open for breakfast from 7AM to 10:30AM. See, MrC and I are always looking for places to eat early in the day. We love going out for breakfast or brunch, and this place is now officially part of our morning restaurant list.

Yes, our outfits are color-coordinated – Mish and Nino in white, Jane and Jeff in black and white, Joei and Timmy in blue, and MrC and I in yellow. No, we did not plan this.

The restaurant is owned by Chef Krsna Algenio (who happens to be the sister of my sister’s friend) and Maricar Sason. Both pretty ladies are also from Alabang, and event went to the same high school that MrC and I went to. TUS has a special meaning there. Joei and Timmy know this coz they’re also from La Salle. We actually asked if they chose this name because of that. The answer is no. The word tus simply means yours in Spanish.

So, when you go to Tus’ for breakfast (yes, I said WHEN and not IF), here are seven dishes that you absolutely positively have to order. As in. It doesn’t have to be all at once, but make sure you come back to try the ones you missed. Ready?

1. Pulled Pork with Coleslaw Breakfast Skillet (PHP 350.00)

Seasoned a slow-cooked pork, pulled apart and served with coleslaw

I cannot get over this dish! The pulled pork was perfectly seasoned. It was nice and toasty, like it had been cooked so long that the sauce dried up. The coleslaw was a perfect complement to the meat. If I had this plate to myself, I would have sopped up the egg yolk and baked beans together using the yummy slice of bread. I would go back just for this.

2. Egg Salad and Asparagus Sandwich with Pan Seared Tomatoes (PHP 245.00)

Homemade egg salad with asparagus and chives served with pan-seared tomatoes and basil

My lola’s go-to dish at our favorite pancake place was their chicken asparagus sandwich. If she were still with us, I’d totally take her to Tus’ to try this egg salad and asparagus sandwich. I’m pretty sure she would love it. I ate a lot of this. It was really good. I loved the potatoes that came with the sandwich, too.

3. Spicy Beef Gozleme (PHP 290.00)

Savory paprika spicy beef cooked with garlic and cheese wrapped in gozleme dough and served with a cucumber salad

A gozleme is a traditional Turkish dish, made by filling a hand-rolled dough with various savory ingredients. The dough pocket is then sealed and cooked. I love exotic flavors, so this really worked for me. The cucumber salad has a very clean taste with a hint of dill. It worked well as a palate cleanser after a bite of the bold-flavored gozleme.

4. Bacon and Eggs Breakfast Skillet (PHP 350.00)

Three big strips of perfectly cooked bacon served with eggs, roasted tomatoes and baked beans

It’s bacon and eggs. Need I say more? Though I have to admit, I enjoy bacon more with rice. The good news is you can choose to have your breakfast skillet with either toast with butter, plain rice, or steak fat fried rice.

5. Breakfast Sausage Skillet (PHP 350.00)

Homemade sausage with south style potatoes

THAT is the steak fat fried rice??? I didn’t get to try it, but I’ve already promised myself that I will soon. The homemade breakfast sausage is juicy and flavorful. It goes so well with the potatoes. This, for me, is the perfect big breakfast.

6. Margherita Pot Pie (PHP 380.00)

Filled with fresh tomatoes, olive oil, basil and cheese

Pizza for breakfast? Yes please! This is like a mini deep-dish pizza, and it is so good. Little MrC would super enjoy this. I have to take him to Tus’ to try this. Maybe when I go back for the fried rice.

7. Half-baked Cookie with Vanilla Ice Cream (PHP 160.00)

Trust me, you should not leave Tus’ without trying this.

There is always room for dessert, even after breakfast. My sister couldn’t stop talking about it for days after she first tried it. To be honest, I’m not a fan of raw cookie dough, but this one was good. I happily ate all the edges with ice cream. It’s a good thing my companions really enjoyed having the gooey center hehe.

These seven are my faves, but there are a few more things that you should also try at Tus’.

Fritatas (PHP 180.00)

There are three kinds – the two pictured below plus a Garden one with tomatoes, basil, asparagus and onions. These are served with toast and butter.

Potatoes, Onions & Cheese and Bacon & Spinach Frittatas

Chicken Ranch Pot Pie (PHP 360.00)

For when you don’t feel like having the Margherita hehe.

This has pan-seared chicken tossed in buffalo sauce inside, topped with cheese and ranch dressing

Hot Chicken Sandwich with Jalapenos (PHP 290.00)

For those who like spicy food. MrC loved this!

Pan seared chicken fillet on romaine lettuce topped with cheese and red onions, served with jalapenos on the side

Pineapple Float (PHP 390.00 for a pitcher)

I don’t drink pineapple juice, so I didn’t try this. Between the adults and kids who were there though, the pitcher ended up empty. So I say go, go, go and try it!

Pineapple juice + vanilla ice cream. Totally matched mine and MrC’s outfits. Next to it is the breakfast sausage with bread instead of rice, just because I felt like posting a photo of it again

BIG THANKS to Chef Krsna and Kai for feeding us and making us super duper happy. I cannot wait to go back there with my kiddo. I already know that he’s gonna love your food! Thank you also to Jane for organizing this yummy brunch. Promise I will not be late next time!

So, are you guys convinced? See you at Tus’?

Tus’ Clay Pots and Skillets
D1 Westgate Center,
Filinvest Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Phone: +632 8283178
www.tusrestaurant.com
#/tusrestaurant
Serves Breakfast 7AM – 10:30AM, Lunch 10:30AM – 2PM, and Dinner 5PM – 10PM

A Day With My BFF

November 6, 2011 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 1 Comment

Last October, we celebrated Pet Month and the Feast of St Francis with A Day With My BFF. This event, in partnership with the Lifeline Foundation and Animal House, brought together dog lovers and their best furry friends in an afternoon of fun and games at Westgate Center Alabang.

This activity made me remember how it was to have dogs around. It’s been years since we had a puppy at home. Our last doggie was Rex the Rottweiler who broke all our hearts when he died of liver failure. Before Rex, we had an assortment of big and small dogs, beginning with our first, Cujo the Toy Poodle, who was delivered by Santa Clause when Boyong and I were little. Our other two dogs, Bow and Buddy weren’t with us for very long, which may be why I can’t remember what breed they were. After we lost Rex, we shifted to cats, and have had our last remaining kitty Sasha since 1997.

Some of the dogs I met at the event were such characters, like the Frech Bulldogs from Ayala Alabang, Spam and Tapa, and the lovable Chewie Chowchow. All of a sudden, I’m tempted to buy a puppy, and would probably have done so already if we had our own place. My mom doesn’t want any new pets in the house while Sasha is still around, coz the last time we tried to introduce new kitties to our household she went on hunger strike. Yes, we have a cranky old kitty on our hands!

Look at all the cute doggies!

More photos from the event!

Registration

MJ and Toni

Goodie Bags!

Ms Chona and Mr Noel of Westgate Operations

Our friends from Healthway

Pet Blessing

Fun walk with your BFF

Dr Contreras of Animal House and our host Dizzy Jojo

Finale – A little poodle doing tricks!

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Westgate Center
Filinvest Corporate City
Alabang, Muntinlupa City
(+632) 8460278 local 5033
inquiry@westgatefilinvest.com
www.westgatefilinvest.com

Lifeline Foundation Support Team Inc. Headquarters
#86 Aguirre St., BF Homes, Parañaque City, Philippines
(+632) 836.2514
info@ineedalifeline.org
http://www.ineedalifeline.org

Animal House
Level 1 Festival Supermall
Alabang, Muntinlupa City
(+632) 842-7485
anihouse@skyinet.net

Comfort Food At Whistlestop

November 1, 2011 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

My Halloween celebration began last October 30 with back to back events at Festival Supermall and Westgate Center. At the end of that day I was simply exhausted and craving for comfort food. The boys and I decided to have dinner at Whistlestop, which opened its doors to Westgate customers just a few weeks ago.

Whistlestop has actually been around since the 70’s. It closed shop sometime in 2005, and just recently reopened in Makati with a new look. Many hold this place close to their hearts like my mom who recalls good times spent at Whistlestop, which was one of the few restaurants open 24/7 back in the day. Meanwhile, I think I had only eaten there once before, and I can’t even remember if I enjoyed the food or not.

The boys went into the restaurant a few minutes before I did, as we were still packing up after the Magical Halloween event. When I arrived they had already placed their orders – Nasi Goreng for Mr C and a Bacon Cheeseburger for the kiddo. They also ordered Mozzarella Sticks as an appetizer. After a quick scan of the menu, I decided on Boneless Buffalo Chicken Wings with Bleu Cheese Dressing. I was surprised that it took quite a while for our food to arrive since there was only one other family dining at the same time as we were. Luckily, the little guy got a prize at the event earlier and that kept him occupied while waiting.

The mozzarella sticks arrived first, and they weren’t exactly what I was expecting. I didn’t read the description of the dish on the menu, so I was thinking they would be breaded and fried. Instead, we were served a stack of cheese spring rolls with what I think might have been cilantro (yes, I know I should have checked the menu). I really loved the marinara sauce that came with the dish. It was tangy and just a little bit spicy, absolutely perfect with the cheese sticks.

The little boy’s burger and Mr C’s Nasi Goreng followed a little after the appetizer. The servings were pretty big, definitely worth the price. I didn’t get to try the burger, but since Tristan was only able to finish half of it, I’m guessing it’s pretty heavy. We actually took home the uneaten half and had my brother eat it. He said it reminded him of a thicker, denser Tropical Hut Hamburger, which means it’s pretty good in a Pinoy burger kind of way.

The hubs seemed to enjoy his Nasi Goreng judging from his clean plate at the end of our meal, and there was quite a lot of it at the start. I took a bite and found that it was pretty good but nothing extraordinary. My last encounter with Nasi Goreng was during our honeymoon staycation at Sofitel last September, and that is still by far the tastiest bagoong rice I have ever had.

While waiting for my meal I decided to order a glass of Iced Tea with Mango Juice, which sounded weird at first but was actually really good and refreshing. Finally my food arrived, and it was a good thing that it was worth the wait. The chicken was tender and really tasty, and the serving was pretty big. The bleu cheese dressing was a perfect match, though at PHP 50.00 it was a pretty pricey add-on.

Boneless Buffalo Wings with extra Bleu Cheese Dressing

There was more than enough food for three people on our table, and as expected we had a lot leftover for takeout. We were all full after such a big meal, but since there’s always room for dessert, I decided to stop by UCC before heading home to grab a piece of my favorite Red Velvet Cake to go.

: No visit to Westgate is complete without UCC’s Red Velvet Cake

There were some other interesting items on the Whistlestop menu, and I am definitely looking forward to coming back to give them all a try.

Whistlestop Restaurant and Bar
Westgate Center, Filinvest City
Alabang, Muntinlupa
(+632) 771-1706

UCC Coffee Café, Westgate
Unit C 801-802 Westgate Center, Filinvest City
Alabang, Muntinlupa
(+632) 771-1550, (+632) 771-1549