Recent food escapade

As people close to me would agree, I have such a knack for sweet stuff. Sweet gestures, sweet compliments, but most of all, sweet foods. Teehee :3

For the most part, this summer has been about experimenting in the kitchen and trying out new food places. Food never fails to give me that satisfaction. For today, my good friend Chass and I tried out this new pastry shop at ATC. I've been hearing a lot of people raving about it and I must say, what really caught my interest was the cutesy interior of the shop which, you all will find out upon scrolling down on this post. 

We met up past lunch time this afternoon despite the heavy downpour. We both needed comforting and what better way to console each other's ails than through cupcakes? :) It took us around 30mins to find the place because a.) all I know is it's on the 2nd floor; b.) the guard we asked directions from misled us; and c.) it's been awhile since I last went to ATC so I no longer know how to maneuver through it (esp. now that Metro point mall also recently opened there). Lesson learned? When visiting a new place, never forget to look it up. Knowing how to specifically go there won't hurt. tsk tsk... Although being lost at a not-so-big mall seems stupid, through all the reasons provided and much more, I beg to differ. Haha So anyway, we found the place, and whoala! Vanilla Cupcake Bakery was everything I expected it to be and waaay more. ❤

I must say, the owner must have such an amazing taste when it comes to furniture. The interiors were really amazing. I'm sure all young girls and young-girls-at-heart out there once dreamt of a room with such a splash of pastel colors. It was really refreshing and relaxing. Now I know what it must have felt like to sit and have tea in a little princess' room. It really gave a vibe like that. 😊

Look, even its ceiling gives off a super girly vibe.❤

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Every inch of the little shop was well thought of that one will find little cute trinkets like these in almost every corner. Cute, no? 😊

See, even their menu is soooo cute. I must say though, this has been the biggest menu I've gotten hold of. Hahaha

Here's another interesting piece. Can you catch a glimpse of the cute refrigerator? No? It's the pink one. Yep, pink fridge. What girl wouldn't want that? Heeeeee

I'd have to admit though, it was really difficult to choose from the assortment of cupcakes available. Everything just looks so delish!!! I tried picking out eccentric flavors but to no avail - almost everything is! Hahaha I was kind of really tempted to order out one of each. 😁

So in the end, Chass and I ended up with Blueberry Lemon, Vanilla Peach, and Luscious Salted Caramel on our girly plates. I just have to say though that it was really interesting to find out that the cutlery and chinaware they are serving their cupcakes with are really high-end. And by high-end, I meant European brand high-end. Yep, you heard that one right. It was no shocker therefore that one of the staff followed us outside when we decided to switch tables. She must've overheard the remark I made jokingly of how I'm real close to taking home everything in the store. Yep, everything's really that cute! 😊😁❤

And just wow, even the tiniest detail as in tea bags weren't left off un-cute (if that's even a word. Haha). Bawal ang pangit sa store na to. Who wouldn't be enticed with these colorful teas? Not to mention, it tastes amazing!!! One of my two favorite teas so far (the other one's from India). ❤ *insert whisper here* Oh and btw, I think y'all should know, these teas are from Paris. No wonder I felt so bongga in an instant. Haha😄

Read: It's okay to die of cuteness any minute now. I really fell in love with this teapot. Someday, mate, somedaaaaay!!! ❤

Ahhhh... What a better way to drown everything from problems to worries to as simple as rain than with a soothing cup of tea? It really went perfectly well with the sweet pastries we had for the afternoon.

Chass and the lovely corner table. It was definitely one of my favorite things on the shop.

My outfit's color ensemble matched the whole of the cuteness surrounding me. Notice though how interesting their chairs are. This is the gazebo area already, btw. It had a garden vibe to it complete with artificial grass, archways, fake grass and fences. It was totally adorable. 

All in all, it has been such a wonderful day with this strong, beautiful and amazing woman. Nothing can be more perfect than an afternoon spent with a well-trusted confidante. Until next time, love! Here's to more years of dates and cupcakes to be shared! ❤❤❤

Vignette

Nothing can be sweeter than sweets, itself

It's nice to indulge esp when in the bad you 

no longer want to dwell

    

For in life at times we forget who we used to be

from thinking too much on who we're supposed to be. 

Nocciola Gateau 

Caramella Premia

Pistaccio Cioccolato

Pause. Take a moment, breathe in, and you'll see,

It's easier to live when in doubts your mind is free. ☺

Caramia, Robinson's Malate.

Satisfied customers, we are.

P.S. Thank you Lord for a great day. Thank you for the grade in Surgery and all the blessings that you bestowed upon me. Today, you have made me realize even more that not a single misfortune defines a person.

5-3-12: Peanut butter never tasted this good

Last Thursday, I met up with a couple of my favorite friends and hanged out at Mall of Asia. I came in earliest so I roamed around for a little while to find my favorite make-up brands only to disappoint myself and not find the exact things I was looking for. Oh well, I think I just have to scout Etude House and The Face Shop's Alabang branches. Well anyway, I met up with Krantzl first as she was out early. We had Chatime teas as we shopped for bags, make-ups, cookwares, books, and as we waited for Hanny. :)

Krantzl's order: Japanese Sakura Sencha Tea (photo courtesy of Krantzl Narte)

I ordered Chatime's Matcha Red Bean Milk Tea while Krantzl's was Japanese Sakura Sencha Tea. Mine was an okay drink but I didn't like it that much - it was too sweet for my taste plus I can no longer taste the flavor of green tea. I guess the red beans' sweetness plus the sugar overpowered it. Now let's go to Krantzl's drink. Haha I'm so sorry but I really have to be blunt about this: it was disgusting. I don't even know what to compare it to. Even I was surprised Krantz was able to finish it. Never again, Krantz, never again. Hehehe

Shopping with Krantz. I bought Kikay stuff and she bought cookwares!
One very dedicated food-analyst-in-the-making, indeed. :)

We were initially at Fully Booked and I was weighing options as to which John Green
book I'm going to buy but since I cannot decide, I dropped the idea. As we were
looking for a place to eat at, we passed by booksale and whoala! Look what I got! :)

As we were roaming around the mall looking for the best place to eat at, we stopped
by Auntie Anne's and Krantz treated us to this delightful pretzel. Best snack to ease our
hunger from all the walking.

After literally hours of walking, we finally have decided to try out an Indo-Malay-Thai restaurant: Martabak Cafe. We were not sure of what to expect of the dishes. I have tasted Thai dishes before but haven't eaten any Indonesian or Malaysian dishes; so I guess the thought of experiencing something new excited me and I must say, it has been the best decision of the night.  ☺

Lovely wall accents at Martabak Cafe 

Chicken Satay

Kway Teow Goreng

Tahu Isih

I'm used to the peanut flavor in Thai dishes but I didn't expect that peanut butter is also one of the main ingredients on Indonesian and Malaysian dishes. Among the things we ordered, I must say the Kway Teow Goreng was my favorite. It has the right amount of sweetness, saltiness and sourness (from the lemon in place of our very own Kalamansi ☺). The chicken Satay was not so bad, either also delicious. It was served with peanut butter sauce and was braised with its special sauce as well which I think was the best part of the dish. And the last (and least favorite) is the Tahu Isih - a stuffed fried tofu with peanut butter sauce. Although the tofu was cooked well, I just didn't like the flavors of the dish all-together. Add the texture of the tofu inside, eck! Sorry, I'm not a big tofu fan to begin with. I prefer it crunchy and deep fried. But all in all, the experience was great. I really enjoyed our dinner and the food was really delicious and cheap! Best bargain of the night, indeed. :)

The Lovely RND's (L-R): Krantz, moi and Hanny at Martabak Cafe

Meet my two friends: Hanny and Krantz - two of my best buds in College. I really missed these two. I used to do lots of things with Hanny most esp. and it was so much fun to talk with them about everything! Until next time, dearies. I am betting this is one of the many more dinner dates to come. ♥