Category Archives: REVIEWS

NICE, MERALCO!

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It was not so long ago, when i experienced one of the best customer service from a utility company in one of their branch. I just want to commend their good service to their customers so, they deserve a nice review here in my blog.

I was with my eldest daughter, a seven-year old kiddo when i went to Meralco’s Calamba branch to pay for our electricity bill. There were long queues for each counters, so i kinda got irritated because i hate waiting. Much to my surprise, a customer service lady approached me and told us to go to the “express lane” because I am a customer who’s with a child. The personnel told me that the express lane is for customers who has a child with them and also for senior citizens and pregnant women. So, i feel good that i dont have to wait for the long queue to pay for the bill, and in just 2 minutes, I’m done!

I hope that all of Meralco’s customers would be able to experience that convenience when needed and of course if eligible. Other utility companies should follow that practice too. ;)

LOREAL Paris SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER

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Been using this Loreal Paris Total Repair shampoo and conditioner. I noticed that my hair is becoming soft and shinier. It also gives my hair an additional volume and bounce.
Each 180 ml bottle is around 200 bucks, so it’s not that expensive. It also provides a great scent that makes your hair smells good all day.
Try for yourself! :)

MANILA OCEAN PARK VISIT

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Well.. My youngest daughter, Venice turned 2 last Thursday. So as our birthday treat to her, our family decided to go for a kiddie adventure. Our destination? Manila Ocean Park. This was our first time to visit the place, so everyone’s excited even us, parents..

We arrived 15 minutes earlier, just in time for the opening of the theme park. We took some pictures on the entrance and bought their 500 peso per head promo package ticket. It includes 4 attractions to visit, the Oceanarium, Dancing Jelly Fish, Marine Life and The Sea Lion Show.

Before we start the attraction hopping, we had our early lunch at Northpark, had 2 roasted chicken, Canton noodles, Fried shrimp in sweet and sour sauce, java rice and a tower of iced tea. After our delicious brunch, we stroll around the mall inside the Ocean Park to check on some stores and souvenir shops. The kids were able to buy two Dora umbrellas!

Then we headed to The Sea Lion Show, where the two Sea Lions from the US, Vincent and Isabelle showed us their wonderful tricks that really entertained us, especially the kids. Then we proceed after to the Oceanarium, which is my favorite attraction in the Manila Ocean Park. As shown on TV whenever it’s being featured, it has a huge aquarium, where you can see the hundreds of different species of sea creatures. The aquarium tunnel gives us the feeling of being inside a submarine, and under the sea!

We took a lot of pictures and videos almost everywhere we can. But inside the Oceanarium, camera flash is not allowed. Anybody can take pictures, but without using the flash of the camera. Anyway, it’s part of protecting the sea creatures not to get distracted by the sudden flash of light, so it’s for their own good.

Inside the Oceanarium, there is a kiddie library area, where kids can read a lot of books about the different sea creatures. There is also a puppet show area, for students on field trip. We stayed there for a couple of minutes, to take some rest.

My husband and I tried the Fish Spa, wherein small fishes bites your skin, as you dip your feet into the pool. They call those little fishes, Doctor Fish because of its healing power. They eat the dead skin of the area that is near to them and at the same time healing them. We really felt invigorated after, though it’s tickling on the first few minutes. It was a real laugh trip for us, because we where laughing the whole time when those fishes tries to bite the parts of our foot.

Then we visited the Dancing Jelly Fish where the transparent jelly fishes changes its color everytime their aquarium light changes. It’s very relaxing to watch, that relieves stress. There were tubes of aquarium where different types oy jelly fish smimming around to show their beauty. We took some lovely pictures of them everytime the light color changes.

The last attraction that we visited was the Marine Life, where we were able to see the Sea Lion up close. Funny thing that we think they knew that somebody’s watching them, so they showed us some tricks even if their trainor is not around. Synchronize swimming everywhere and even creating some noise.

The Manila Ocean Park adventure was great, and the kids loved it, except not totally, by the birthday girl, because she was afraid of the big fishes inside the Oceanarium. But along the way, she was able to enjoy some of the attractions. Till next family adventure!

RED, a movie review

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This is a late review of the movie, RED.. I watched it last weekend, but had time to review it just now. RED is an hollywood action movie, starring Bruce Willis who plays the role of Frank Moses, a retired CIA hitman during his younger days who later learned about the plans of the CIA to put him down, along with the people on the lists that they discovered.

Sarah Ross ( Marie-Louise Parker ) was a Pensioner Clerk, who became a “phone pal” of Frank because he always asks for his pension updates and eventually got to like her. Unknown to them, they are already under surveillance of the CIA which they became the main target. Frank then, asks for the help of his fellow CIA retirees friends which were, the good-natured, happy-to-lucky Joe (Morgan Freeman), the paranoid Marvin (John Malkovich), and the classy British dame Victoria (Helen Mirren) that are more than happy to lend a hand. and so the action-adventure begins..

It was a fun and exciting action movie, where the “oldies” proved that they are still “goodies” on their “dirty” work kicking butts! RED means, R-etired E-xtremely D-angerous!

You will laugh often while watching it, because of the humor which everybody brought in their new CIA assignment as they seek for the truth on who are the real people behind the lists to exterminate and why.. See for yourself and enjoy! ;)

SM City Calamba Grand Opening

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It was a TGIF, when SM City Calamba had its grand opening located along the busy road of Real. i remember when i blog about it back in December 21, 2009 where it is still on its first month of construction. I am totally impressed about SM’s wikipedia info of its target opening date, which is October of 2010 because they absolutely hit it!

Of course, how can i miss that opening? our house is just 5 minutes away from the mall.. though we were’nt able to get our feet stepped in as early, atleast we managed to. ;) The people were so overwhelming, and a huge foot traffic covers all the floors of the mall. It’s like we’re on a rally or something.. like an Edsa revolution, where we cant barely move as we try to walk around.

Worst thing? It took us ages to get a table to eat, because all of the food places were jampacked! customers should even have to wait for the long queue of the restaurants just to have lunch. it’s like everybody was there!

But then, good thing that we were able to meet and have a photo with the Honorable Laguna Governor Goerge “ER” Estregan Ejercito. He was so nice, friendly and always smiling. And the best thing? He smells sooo good! ;)

There were a lot of kids who’s with their families, students from different schools, flocks of teens who wants to be there. There were super big LCD monitors used for the store presentations that can be found on the front entrance and on the trade hall area. Some establishments are not yet open, but most are ready to serve you! The other building is still under construction, which will be the SM Cinema and Cyberzone area. Heard that it will be a 10-theatre cinema, but it was not yet confirmed. it can be possible because the building is huge only to cover a cinema and a tech hub. That will be a great news for a movie fan like me! and a tech junkie!

What im not impressed about is the SM Calamba’s parking area. As we all know, SM is known for being a great parking space provider. But, they did’nt managed to bring much area enough for the customers with vehicles. That’s the main dilemma of SM Calamba. I just think that, maybe because of these two reasons: First, they did not expect that there will be many customers that owns a car in this place. Or second, their parking space is limited only by the lot that they have acquired. We also dont know, if there will be future plans of extending the parking area, because the building 2 is still under construction. So we’ll just have to wait and see.

Anyway, the whole weekend of SM Calamba’s opening was a BIG BANG! Everyone’s excited, everybody’s happy! Because finally, SM got it all for Calamba! ;) ;) ;)

KNIGHT AND DAY, a review

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Saturdays is my favorite day of the week!!! We get to watch movies everytime.. It was not even planned yesterday, coz we don’t know what movie to watch for, or will it pass our taste.
We checked on it, and glad that the movie “Knight and Day” is already showing. Timely, the movie is about to start in a few minutes when we arrived at the cinema.
Knight and Day is a story about a secret agent, Roy Miller who suspected to be dealing with the “bad guys” in selling a breakthrough small battery that can power up even a big city on it’s own capacity alone. The battery was invented by Sam, a weird nerdie special kid that is being protected by Roy.
June, played by Cameron Diaz, was used intentionally by Roy to transfer the small battery through her luggage without noticing it. Then their adventure started as their plane took off..
A cute love story went on, with the realization on what’s behind all the mysteries of Roy’s life as a secret agent and the things he sacrificed just to be the best asset in his profession..
A fun, romantic, cute, and action adventure movie to watch! Nice one, Tom Cruise!!! ;)

KARATE KID, a review

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When we tried to watch A-Team last week at Festival Mall in Alabang, a long queue for KARATE KID was overwhelming.. There were so many movie goers especially a bunch of kids along with their families.

Last weekend, we were able to watch this Kung Fu movie of the great Jackie Chan, and the cute lil boy, Jaden Smith who is the son of the very proud dad, Will Smith! Who also, happens to be one of the producers of the movie.. Great break they did for their son, which his mother Jada Smith was also a part producer.. :)

This is a story about a young boy, who grew up without a dad due to a demise. But his loveable and caring mom was still able to make it on their own.. Moving to China, where most of the kids knows how to “Kung Fu”, made “DREW”, Jayden’s name on the movie, fearful of the “karate kids” that always try to bully him.

With the help of his mentor, Jackie Chan, who played the role of Mr. Han, made it possible to conquer his fear. With determination and discipline that Mr. Han has taught him, Drew made it to win as the Champion, that made him, THE KARATE KID!

With a great sense of humor all throughout the movie, anyone will really enjoy watching this with your family and loved ones! An inspiring movie for the kiddos! Thumb’s up for Jaden Smith!

A-TEAM, a review

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This movie just opened this weekend, and this is one of the films that we”ve been waiting for.. This is based on the television series, of the same name.

This is about the 4 rangers, who had their mischievous acts then, but remained an honest men from the armed forces of the US. They’re work has been compromised by the CIA, who has an “underground” illegal activities in producing fake US dollar bills. They were betrayed by they’re commader-in-chief, who is , unknown to them, been working with the illegal works of the CIA.

The Alpha Team, also know as A-TEAM, used their character being clever to prove to all that they are innocent from all those crimes, being charged to them by the government.

This is an action-packed movie, with a taste af humor and brains.. A very clever film, and entertaining!

Go ahead and watch, still showing!!!

PRINCE OF PERSIA, a review

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This is a long overdue review on this movie, for it’s been running in the cinemas for 2 weeks already.. Anyway, for those who have’nt watched the Prince of Persia, here’s my quick review..

Just like the ancient kingdom stories, it’s always about greed of power.. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is the first installment of the trilogy of The Sands of Time.. This movie has a lot of drama and intrigue about the mystery of who is behind the assasination of the King of Persia. And also, the power of the sand to turn back time, that became the reason why the throne of the King was compromised.

In this movie, it has been proven that even brothers were not related by blood, they can make a great relationship as strong as real brothers.

This is like an ancient version of time machine.. the sands of time..

Watch it, it’s still showing.. Great story, with moral lessons that will touch your heart..

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, a review

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Yesterday was the pilot opening date of the movie, A Nightmare on Elm Street. It is the remake of its original film back in 1984, which really made a box office hit during those times. The movie made a significant impact on the horror genre, spawning a line of sequels, television series, remake, and various works of imitations. And finally, a 2010 remake was made.

A re-imagining of the horror icon Freddy Krueger, a serial-killer who wields a glove with four blades embedded in the fingers and kills people in their dreams, resulting in their real death in reality.

Because it’s a remake, the story is just the same. We were actually eager to watch it, because we’re basically a fan. I was expecting so much from the movie, that would really frightens me, or even scares me a lot. It was a very long time, since i have watch a horror movie. And as far as i know, this is the first ever horror movie that i’ve watched on the big screen.

In totality, the story was well presented. But when it comes to the “slashing” scenes, it was quite dumb to see, maybe because of the horror movies that we see nowadays with a very graphic cinematography that is more bloody and merciless. I find the movie as a light horror film, which everyone can withstand the “suppose to be” “scary and frightening” scenes. I was expecting for a heart-pounding and breath-taking slashing scenes every time Freddy kills, but i think the scenes were just so light to watch.

I think it is’nt enough for a horror movie. It could be categorize as, and more of a “suspense thriller” movie than a horror one. Not a good comeback for Freddy Krueger, i think his terror is done.

RYUMA Japanese Restaurant

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it was mother’s day, and as what we enjoy doing, we celebrated it with a fantastic dinner, from the new opened Japanese restaurant in Paseo de Sta. Rosa.. RYUMA Restaurant!

it is operating only for a month now, and surprisingly they are doing so well when it comes to “patrons”.. this restaurant caters an authentic Japanese cuisine that will surely attract more and more diners from any race of any kind..

i love the interior design of the whole restaurant, as well as the accommodating greetings coming from their staff, with a Japanese language. as we enter their sensor door, which opens as soon as it “senses” customers, we were stunned by the hip yet eccentric look of their floor layouts, as well as their table settings!

some tables have wooden seats, and others have comfortable couches.. with a black and white theme, their metal framed tables and marbled table top makes it so appealing to dine.. and their lighting is vibrantly bright!

there are two flat screen TV’s mounted on the wall for entertainment but only Japanese programs are being showed. they also have a “gig bar” which i think serves as their additional entertainment for live shows enthusiasts.. the whole place is furnished with Japanese statues, that looks like soldiers wearing an armored attire.

on their table setting, a warm towel is assigned in each person, which comes with a cold tea.. a Japanese eggplant, which tasted like “pinakbet” served as their appetizer, followed by slices of pickles and buttons of onion.

food wise, they are superb in bringing the best about the authentic Japanese dishes, and hard drinks that made us try their SAKE, which i can compare locally to a “GIN”. they are known for their raw foods, such as fishes and sea veggies. their MISO soup is extremely invigorating to drink while it’s hot.

as our main dish, we ordered the TOKUSEI, placed in a “kalesa”-like container. it has the assortment of raw fishes and veggies, and a sticky Japanese rice topped with herb green leaves, cut in strings.

another one is their MIXED NIGIRI, bite-sized rice covered on top by assorted raw fishes and pink salmon altogether. the distinctive flavors lightened up by the slices of lemon, included in the platter. their banana shake is also good that served as our “chaser” while having some shots of SAKE..

it was a fun-filled dining experience which made us appreciate the Japanese cuisine more and more.. and as their compliment on mother’s day, every mom was offered with a Japanese flower as a lovely gesture..

you may try to dine at RYUMA Restaurant, it’s cheaper than you expected.

CONTI’S Pastries and Restaurant

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one of the few restaurants that can be found in Solenad, Nuvali in Sta. Rosa City Laguna is Conti’s Restaurant. it is located beside Italianis Restaurant, but it is more spacious, having a second floor dining area..

Conti’s caters a wide array of culinary dishes, and pastries as well. i had the indulgence to dine there, a dinner date with my husband as we celebrate a significant day to us.

we went there during its dinner peak hours, but gladly we managed to get a cozy seat for the two of us. there were so many customers, mostly in groups such as friends and families enjoying their dinner together.

as our appetizer, we ordered their most favorite Gambas y Champinon al Ajillo, these are spiced shrimps and mushrooms in olive oil.

we enjoy eating seafood and fish so we ended up with their Salmon dishes.. i ordered the Salmon Salpicao, served with buttered corn rice and apple potato salad as a side dish.. it’s like chicken chunks sauteed with butter and garlic, that tasted like fish adobo.. then a big slim glass of mango shake served as my drink..

hub ordered the mouth-watering, the Conti’s Baked Salmon, a Norwegian pink salmon baked with their very own topping, served with buttered vegetables and paella rice. the salmon topping was so cheesy blended with white cream sauce, that tasted like a lasagna.

it was a full and contented dining experience, healthy and flavorful dishes that Conti’s Restaurant have that will surely make their customers keep coming back to them to try all from their menu.

THE FRENCH CORNER, a fine dine experience

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One of the few fine dine restaurants that i have been to is THE FRENCH CORNER. From the name itself, it caters most of the French cuisine that are famous with breads and salads. It is one of the coziest to dine in the Alabang area, which is located inside the posh place of Westgate Center along the Filinvest community.

I was amazed by their accommodations, starting from the parking area, where the staff opens the car door for you as you go out from the car. Then, they escorts the guests to their elegant table, with a very fine setting. The ambiance is totally serene, with warm lights that makes your dinner a lovely one.

The experience has given me such pride of being one of the “elites”, even if im not one of them.. well, that’s just for a night! haha! As their courtesy food, there is a basket of assorted “french breads” in every table, which i find quite hard to bite.. haha.. but even so, i managed to eat the whole piece of it with the help of butter on the side, and a spicy dressing to compliment. Before the dinner started, we toned down with a glass of 2005 white wine, which i did’nt try to find out its brand.. all i know is that, it made me feel relaxed, which left all my tensions set aside.

I ordered the salad panache with grilled prawn, vegetable, pomelo, grapes in creamy balsamic and sesame dressing, which i really enjoyed eating. All of the veggies were crunchy and fresh, and the dressing made the salad tasted at its best. I was’nt able to check the food that my companions have ordered.. but it’s so good to look at.. steak and grilled chicken, but i dont know what’s the actual name for that set.. We were eating while drinking the white wiine, which i think i had 4-5 standard glasses of it, which made me a little bit tipsy as we went home..

The experience was unforgettable and incredible! I did’nt have a chance to see the bill, but i think it’s around P7,000.00 for a group of three persons.. Whew! Glad that i was’nt the “bill payer”! But all in all, that was the most wonderful dinner i have ever had so far.. coz any great food that you ate for free, is the best! :)

IRON MAN 2, a review

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a day after its opening date, i came to the cinema, i saw the movie iron man 2, and i conquered the whole story! hmm.. i was able to incorporate my website’s tag line with the experience i had in watching the sequel of the famous cartoon super hero IRON MAN!

if i remember, i was still pregnant with my youngest child when i saw the first movie of IRON MAN. it was really my most  favorite “superhero movie”. And that was the first time, i got to LIKE Robert Downey Jr. and eventually became my crush.. :)

to get back with the story, IRON MAN 2 made a BIG and AWESOME sequel of its initial release back in 2008. to be fair, the first was as good as the second one, but they have an equal “difference” when it comes to “action” and “presentation”.

this is the continuation of Tony Stark’s story six months after he admitted to be the IRON MAN. there were a lot of twists and secret’s unveiling through the life of Tony Stark, as he came across the unlocking of his father’s inventions and knowledge which was unknown to him.

he was also fighting for his arc reactor “dilemma” that continuously poisoning his body that makes him weaker as the day passes. i would not spoil some of the movie’s “highlights” which you must go out and watch it.

the humor, naughtiness, action, high-tech visual effects are far largely presented in this movie that makes it an AWESOME comeback!

everyone would really enjoy this movie, and will be amazed by the “sexiness” of Scarlett Johansson who played the role as an undercover spy for Tony Stark by being his new assistant.

COME ON, GO OUT AND WATCH IT! :)

AVATAR, movie review

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this is an another late review for the movie AVATAR.. i have been busy during the time that it was shown before christmas, and now, still showing because of its shortened movie play to give way to the MMFF (metro manila film festival). and now, it made a return to catch up with other moviegoers and fans who missed its first week of showing. so, enough of the explanation..

AVATAR , which i think, for me, and many would agree that this is the best movie for the year 2009 and even for this decade. a James Cameron film, that brought out a wonderful scenery of Pandora, a moon of the planet Polyphemus. it is a very touching movie, that exudes an overwhelming courage of the native people of Pandora specifically the residents of the Na’Vi clan.

in the simplest theme of the movie, it shows us the value of nature conservation, and the importance of each living creature in any given place, that everyone, has a life that which is to be respected.

cinematography and acting are superb. a great movie to watch with your family.. five stars for avatar!

PASEO DE STA. ROSA

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paseo de sta. rosa has find their way to expand and build a bigger place to shop, dine, party and have fun in the middle of the suburb area of sta. rosa laguna.

their most active spots are paseo 1, 2 and 3. paseo 4 has just opened recently, with new restaurants for patrons to choose from.. grillas and the old spaghetti house are ready to serve you!

they also have a plaza where visitors can relax sitting on the benches surrounding the area, with a view of some fountain show in the middle.

there’s still more renovations and new buildings for establishments to be build there in the near future, to cater the growing residents of the high class villages rising every phase.. sta. rosa is what they tagged as the makati of the south.. but i think, it will be even more than that. the land area of sta. rosa, where developments has been going on since the early part of 2000 is 10 times bigger than the area of makati. commercial areas and business parks were transferring here. class A villages are being developed in this area, like Pramana, Nuvali, South Forbes, and South Lake, where prices of units were ranging from 5M to 50M pesos. the progress, is here in sta. rosa..

rowena.blanquera@gmail.com

rween09@yahoo.com

THE OLD SPAGHETTI HOUSE

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there are a lot of restaurants that serves italian dishes.. like don henricos and italiannis to name a few. one of them is the old spaghetti house, a proud local brand owned by a filipino couple who loves italian cuisine.
one of its branch just opened at Paseo de Sta. Rosa, a commercial complex in sta. rosa laguna. one of the “hang-out” place of the residents within the wealthy area of Eton City, Belair, and Nuvali.

we ordered 2 plates of pasta, garlic and shrimp in spaghetti noodles, and classic carbonara. both were served with a piece of toasted garlic bread. what i like about their menu is their pizza presentation. we ordered the spare ribs cheesy pizza, which has a mouth watering combination of mozzerella and quick melt cheese and the spare ribs meat on top. it has a very thin and crunchy crust, shaped ovally and sliced horizontally. the pizza is good for 2 to 3 persons so, it’s not that big.

the crust is like the local crunchy biscuits sold in markets that has no brand at all. like what we call cracklets and pasencia. i actually dont remember the type of that biscuit, but i can describe it as a round bite sized crunchy biscuit that looks bloated because of its bulging look.

the tastes? it’s heavenly good! the old spaghetti house has their own distinguished taste for their brand. they can compete to other imported italian restaurants who caters the same dishes. my husband and i went home with a full stomach and a happy satisfied smile..

rowena.blanquera@gmail.com

rween09@yahoo.com

NINJA ASSASIN, a review

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i always do late reviews on movies that i have watched.. kinda lazy girl huh?! well, i just dont feel like creating a new post on my blog.

ninja assasin features the korean star, rain. the one who portrayed the role of justin in a koreanovela entitled, “full house”.

i was impressed by the lean but muscular body of rain.. he really toned down his body in preparation for this movie.

the movie was so graphical, most of the scenes were blood shedding and flesh cutting. great moves for the ninjas here! the cute love story of the main characters added some twists in this movie. the fight scenes were a combination of martial arts and black ninja powers, with all its fast moves that cannot be easily identify where it is coming from.

a great action movie.. really bloody..

FLAVORS OF CHINA RESTAURANT

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flavors of china, is one of the most promising chinese restaurant mostly found in malls, and other food places here. from the name itself, of course its main dishes are chinese foods.
they have a big outlet branch in SM sta. rosa, and i find it intimidating, because they don’t have many customers. because when we went there, it was lunch time and the place was not even half full.


but still we had our lunch there, and ordered the honey glazed baby back ribs with wall nuts on top and sharksfin steamed dumpling as our viand. their appetizer is a bowl of chicharon, which reminds me of chicharap in chowking.



what i love about what we ordered was the buko pandan sherbet, a refreshing buko shake with buko ice cream, in between a dose of pandan jelly. it was so creamy that became my consolation from the not so good taste of their honey glazed baby back ribs which i do not recommend to be eaten with rice. it was like, i was eating donut with my rice, which is not a good combination.
it was very sweet and donut-like aroma and taste.


but anyway, the buko pandan sherbet compensated it all.

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ITALIANNI’S RESTAURANT

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i got this rare opportunity to dine at italianni’s restaurant in nuvali, along tagaytay highway in sta. rosa laguna. it’s a fine dine restaurant, that caters italian cuisine, a well-loved dish of filipinos.
there were a lot of guests dining in, which i think mostly residents from villages nearby the place.


 

nuvali is a quiet and peaceful place to dine with friends and family, if you just want privacy and just enjoy the company of your group.
italianni’s has a very hospitable and friendly crew that will attend to your needs, a romantic table setting, and the food, are really mouth watering.

 

i fell in love with their stuffed mushroom. it is an oven roasted mushroom caps stuffed with sausage, fresh spinach, herbs and three italian cheeses in white sauce. it’s very cheesy and appealing to look at. their seafood risotto, a platter combination of salmon, shrimp, calamari sauteed in white wine combined with arborio rice cooked in their homemade shrimp broth. their fruit shakes are freshly done, with a lot of fruit combinations to choose from.

it’s really fun and full to dine here!