Lunch at Florabel's Podium

For our regular weekly lunch date, I met up again with Lenz at the Podium. We chose to have lunch at Florabel's. She has been here with her siblings and she wanted me to try their food.

Florabel's is owned by chef  Florabel Co Yatco. The casual dining restaurant is located at the side of the Podium. Being a Monday, there weren't much people dining in.  When I arrived, Lenz was already there. The wait staff were courteous and accomodating when I asked if it's okay if I can take photos. 

 

 

The ambience is cozy and has that bright,clean, sophisticated look with high ceiling, floor to ceiling glass windows in front, black furniture and minimal table decors. 

The menu is a listing of Asian Continental and Filipino dishes . I had a heavy snack mid morning and wasn't craving for anything special. I preferred something light, less carbo. For those on a diet and into healthy eating, would be glad to know that Florabel’s has South Beach dishes to chose from. 

 

Complimentary bread comes with a dipping sauce made of olive oil, peppers, garlic and herbs.

 

For starters, we had soups. Lenz chose the Vegetable Barley Soup with Fresh Herbs (P160), which Lenz seemed to enjoy.

While I got the Tomato Soup topped with Ricotta Cheese and Baby Arugula (P200).  I find my soup a bit on the salty side and the baby arugula (what I was looking forward to) is missing. I would have loved it so much had they toned down on the salt. the ricotta cheese gave a creamy taste to complement the acidity of tomatoes. 

For the main course, we settled for the JT Wagyu burger (P475), listed on their ultimate burgers selection.  Wagyu beef patty  on sesame bun with mushrooms and bacon. We requested to cut it in half. The burger came in two separate plates. The staff was so generous to give each plate a bowl of salad greens with parmesan cheese shavings, and potato chips, making it almost two servings instead of one.  We requested the burger to be cooked medium well.  We should have asked for medium rare. Wagyu meat when cooked well done, tends to go dry and our Wagyu burgers were a bit dry and bland.  

Lenz ordered a glass of red wine to go with our meal.  It was too early for me to have wine and opted for the cantaloupe juice, which is sweet and refreshing. 

We didn’t try their desserts.  A sweet excuse to come back and try their Pinoy fare and bring home the Yema filled Chocolate Cake, the signature dessert of Chef Florabel.   

Next on my list would be a visit to Felix in Greenbelt 5, another one of Chef Florabel’s numerous restaurants, soon. 

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao

While doing errands in Greenhills with my daughter Pipay, we happened to pass by Crystal Jade.  I have been wanting to try Xiao Long Bao for the longest time. But Pipay isn’t fond of Chinese cuisine and she wanted Jollibee. I told her, "Pipay, Mama is so hungry, I can eat a monkey, anything you like, except for Jollibee and Mcdo."  Indeed, I was starving, having forgotten to eat lunch and it's already 3PM. As a compromise, I let her pick where to eat (except Jollibee or Mcdo).  We had pasta and pizza at Pasto instead.  

 

On the way home, I couldn’t keep my mind off the Xiao Long Bao.  As we passed by Crystal Jade again, I told her, I’m going to buy one order to take home.  So I went inside the restaurant and placed my order.  I asked for any tips how to reheat. I was told to steam it. I thought that would be a major effort to steam 5 small dumplings.  I was thinking of reheating it via microwave which could burst the delicate dumplings. So I decided to dine in instead. 

One order of Xiao Long Bao has 5 dumplings (P158).  It came with a dark dipping sauce, black vinegar and  ginger.  The dumpling skin is thin enough to hold the flavorful  soup inside. 

 

The way to eat them is to carefully pick one with a chopstick, place it on a spoon for support, bite into the top skin and sip the soup then eat the minced meat like you would a siomai.  Or if one can handle an entire dumpling, you can take it in one bite and feel the soup burst its flavor inside the mouth (just be careful of the hot soup though). 

I really enjoyed Crystal Jade’s Xiao Long Bao, I will definitely be coming back for more.  Based on other food blogs I read, Crystal Jade has the best Xiao Long Bao in town.  I guess this will be my benchmark in rating the other restaurant's Xiao Long Bao.  

Can’t wait to try Café Lugang’s  and Choi Palace’s  versions. 

It's all in the details

Like what I said in my very first post, tablescapes isn’t just about food.  It is also about table set ups, brought about  by or connected with my work as wedding/party planner/photographer .  

My work as events photographer opened new avenues and new opportunities to meet and work with fellow event suppliers. People close to me knew that still life,  shooting wedding/event details, food, basically anything that doesn’t move or requires posing directions are my turf. 

So, for this entry, let me share with you the work of a colleague in the wedding industry.

I first met Ernest Pascual, wedding planner/coordinator of Events! Events!  in one of my kiddie party shoots.  That was in April this year. He was the party planner for the event.   Prior to this, I’ve been hearing and reading stories of how into details he is. I was in awe at how he turned a simple party in Shakey’s into a fabulous, fun,  outer space themed kiddie party. As they say, it’s all in the details. 

Last week, I got the chance to work with him again, this time for a baptismal party.  I got a peek at what would surprise me at the reception later when the baby’s parents handed me the baptismal candles.  

Powder blue tapered candles tied with white flimsy organza ribbon, adorned with blue crystal encrusted mini brooch. It was the most elegant baptismal candle I ever saw.  Whenever I have details like that, I go shutter crazy. 

When we arrived at the reception, I was blown away.  The decor was simple, ala Martha Stewart. And you know that a lot of hardwork & creativity was put out to come up with such merry and pretty decors.  Colors are in subdued pastel tones of yellow, blue and green.  

I’m gonna let these photos show you what I mean.  

 

The cake table, the focal point of the room.  Organza ribbons cascade down the backdrop.  Several small cakes with matching letters to spell out the celebrant's name, flanked by three glass jars filled with sweets.

Pastel blue eyelet design paper lanterns hovering over the cake table.

Buffet Table Centerpieces - A cluster of small floral arrangements in pastel colored claypots

A closer view of the small floral arrangements.

A ceramic cross bearing the celebrant's name

Buffet table swag details, paper pom pom balls with touches of feather and a paper cut out swag.

 

The guest table centerpiece.  A low, square arrangement of green button mums, white roses, yellow mums, blue hyrangeas, with a small paper lantern and a stem of white orchids.

A small vase of letter shaped sugar cookies spelling out the celebrant's name.

 A bow shaped cookie placed on guests' tables.

Small triangle paper banner in pastel color and various prints festooned at the back of the guests' chairs.

The custom made invitation.

Message card echoes the invitation's design.

Now you know why I had fun shooting. :)

Event Planning & Styling by Ernest Pascual 
Flowers by:  Badang Rueda

Venue:  Microtel MOA

Sweets at Bar Dolci

Ever since my first visit to Forbestown in Burgos Circle, I have been meaning to visit and try the desserts in Bar Dolci.  Pipay, who is now into playing with her scooter, keeps asking me when am I going to run again.   Coincidentally, M has an on-going project in the area.

Yesterday, Pipay and I spent the afternoon in Burgos circle. She brought along her scooter. We went inside Bar Dolci not knowing what kind of desserts they serve.  But their tag line, life is sweet, gives a glimpse of what's in store for us. 

There was a chiller/freezer of gelato.

 

Another chiller for pastries - beignets (a french rectangle shaped donuts) with chocolate espresso dip P130, Gruyere Puffs with marinara dip P150, and a selection of scones (basil olive, bacon & cheddar, caramelized onions) P65/pc

And on the other side, French macarons!  

Of course, Pipay went for the Bubble Gum flavored gelato.  While me, I can’t make up my mind.  I was torn between the gruyere puffs and the basil olive scones. 

Being so hungry, I chose the latter.  I asked for Mochaccino to go with it, plus two French macarons in salted caramel and raspberry flavors.

The scone came with a small bowl of cream, which Pipay gobbled up in no time. The scone's exterior was crunchy but soft inside.  The flavors of basil and olive jived so well.

The macarons, what can I say?  I love the raspberry flavor.  But the salted caramel, I find that tinge of saltiness lacking, but nevertheless I like it for the caramel.

 

From our vantage point on the second floor, I could see Serenitea and other dining establishments, Uncle Cheffy for one.

I could have stayed longer but there was no wifi.  And Pipay was getting antsy after finishing her gelato, dying to go play with her scooter.  After finishing my mochaccino, we crossed over to Serenitea for a wintermelon fix, while my little girl whizzed back and forth with her scooter.

I was a bit bitin with the macarons.  Two was not enough.  And Pipay liked the salted caramel macaron.  Today, I asked M to pick up some more. 

He came home bearing a Bar Dolci bag.  

 

Inside was a box of 10 macarons in pistachio, salted caramel, walnut chocolate and vanilla flavors. He told me, those were too expensive!  At P50 apiece, it was indeed pricy.  But if you buy 4 pieces, you’ll get one free. 

Life is sweet!  :)

Bar Dolci

F133 Forbeswood Heights cor Burgos Circle

www.bardolci.com

Lunch at Chelsea Podium

For our regular lunch meet ups, Lenz and I decided to have lunch at Chelsea's in Podium.  This time we were joined by another good friend Ruben, who works nearby. 

The lunch crowd was well under way when I arrived. We wanted to have salad but the waitress said they ran out of fresh greens. 

So we opted for the usual combination of pasta and pizza.  For the pasta, we went for the  Truffled Three Mushroom Cream Fettuccini, a cream based pasta with smoked bacon lardons, mushrooms, basil and parmesan cheese.   

And for the pizza,  we chose the Roasted Prawns & Prosciutto pizza.  After we placed our order, the waitress came back and told us that they already have salad greens.  And I thought…hmmmm… they must have sent someone to the nearby SM grocery to buy the greens.  We politely declined though. 

While waiting for our orders, we were served foccaccia bread and roasted whole garlic on a wooden board.  The roasted garlic was so creamy, sans the pungent flavor of raw or slightly cooked garlic.  I remembered my cooking days when I would include several whole garlic bulbs in the pan when roasting beef or chicken. Squeeze out and smear the soft, almost paste like garlic meat over toasted crusty bread would bring you up to food heaven.

For drinks, I had the strawberry iced tea.

Lenz, the lemon iced tea shake, and Ruben’s choice I forgot the name but it was a lemon and lime drink.

I haven't seen Ruben for a long time (almost 3 years) so you could just imagine the chatter we had that I wasn't focused on what we were eating.

But from what I can remember, I like the thinness of the pizza crust, snappingly crunchy as I took a bite. Just the way I like my pizza crust to be. (I'm not really a fan of those thick crust or deep dish pizzas.)

The pasta, I can't say much as I wasn't really focused on my food. I should take down notes... Really. (which prompted me to splurge on something impulsively)

Chelsea is a bit pricy though.  But at the time we had our lunch, they have an ongoing promo for four course meal for P750.  Not bad. But we were not keen on having a heavy lunch.  I enjoyed more the company of my friends that I forgot about the food.  Ruben lingered a little bit more before going back to work. 

Teatap Cafe

If you are a cat lover like my kids, you will surely enjoy hanging out at Teatap Cafe in Greenhills. Teatap cafe is located in P Guevarra St. in San Juan, the café occupies a portion of what used to be Barrio Fiesta Restaurant.

A cat figurine welcomes customers near the door.  Pipay love this so much. 

It is a spacious japanese design cafe, filled with cat and japanese anime inspired  knick knacks and minimalist furnishings.







My daughter was totally enamored by the the tip bin. You place a coin on top of the fish bone design and wait for the cat's paw sneakily take the coin. 






I brought all three kids with me. I ordered lemon yakult tea for jelo, wintermelon milk tea for gabby, mango flavored green tea for pipay and the hokkaido milk tea for me. 


The top covers have witty ways to drink your milk tea.

They also serve two kinds of pasta dish.  As usual, Pipay asked for the pasta carbonara (P180).  They also serve Buffalo wings and Takoyaki balls. Out of curiosity, I tried the takoyaki balls (P100). Grilled Balls filled with  octopus, spring onions, red ginger, cabbage, topped with mayonnaise, a dark sauce and bonito flakes.  It’s good, but not the kind I would hanker for.

From among the four milk tea flavors, Gabby's wintermelon milk tea tops my list. I'm not fond of yakult so I passed up tasting Jelo's drink.  The mango fruit  tea is essentially a green tea with mango fruit juice.  The pearls are of the right texture, just the way I like them - chewy.  And just like the other milk tea drinks sprouting all over the metro, you can adjust the level of sweetness upon order.  Aside from pearls, there are other sinkers to choose from – egg pudding, grass jelly, red beans, nata de coco and perilla.  Prices range from P70-105

Teatap Cafe is located at

P Guevarra St., corner Wilson St., 

San Juan City

6617331