Family Night Out: Xiao Long Bao at Su Zhou

I have heard about this famous Xiao Long Bao from other people but I never got interested in trying it out because I found the whole “soup inside a dumpling” idea pretty weird. Then once again, my cousin Nikka, convinced us to try it out. She said she would treat us for dinner at Su Zhou so we could not only taste Xiao Long Bao, but have the best Xiao Long Bao in the metro. We took advantage of this long weekend and had Dela Torre (my family)- Munion (my cousin’s family) Night Out at Su Zhou.

When the Xiao Long Bao was finally placed on top of the table, we immediately grabbed our ceramic soup spoons and chopsticks. She told us that they way to eat it was to bite the top first, sip the soup inside then finish the dumpling. We followed the instructions then boom! It was heaven.  It was really different from all the other dumplings out ther. We ate one Xiao Long Bao after the other until we finished everything.

FUN FACT!!! Xiao Long literally means small steaming basket.

Here are the other things we ordered:

Fried Xiao Long Bao!

Oh this one is interesting. Chinese style of cooking intestines.

Fish fillet and tofu

Taiwan Beef Noodles

Lovin' the Taiwan beef noodles

All of these come in very reasonable and cheap price! :)

While it is still not too late for you to have a bite of Xiao Long Bao, I suggest that you schedule a family day out at Su Zhou and order yourself one! Sarap!

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 Pictures taken by Ivy Dela Torre.
                   -offers her photography services in any kind of event. Email her at ivdelatorre@yahoo.com
You can send your inquires via text, 09175204508

Want to be featured?  email me at annabeatrixdelatorre@yahoo.com

GIRLS DAY OUT!: Ristras @ Greenhills

I love this long weekend!!! Since my friend was looking for new clothes in Greenhills, we decided have a movie and shopping date. I researched in advance for new restaurants around the vicinity so we wouldn’t end up eating again at Kenny Rogers or Teriyaki boy. I first heard of Ristras from my sister and cousin. They just couldn’t stop gushing about it. Though I was not a fan of burritos, my sister told me that once I’ve tried Ristras, I will love and crave for burrito my whole life.

And she was right.

It was a perfect barkada place to just chill, chat, and eat. We ordered their Wet Steak Burrito, an ultimate best seller. You might be wondering what I mean by “Wet” burrito. They placed cheese on top of the burrito and used cooking torch to kind of burn it.

The "wetting" of the burrito (upper picture) and the kitchen/counter view (lower picture)

You might be shocked to see that one burrito can cost you around 420 pesos. Don’t worry! Their burrito is incredibly BIG!!! As in, one burrito can be shared by three people!!! You can actually see how they do the burrito and how generous they are with the fillings. You have a choice between their vegetarian rice and chorizo rice, and then they add the steak and all the burrito fillings inside. Before they serve it, they will “wet” the burrito.  You can actually see how stuffed it is, as if anytime it might explode.

YUUUUUUUM!!!

IT WAS REALLY DELICIOUS AND SATISFYING!!! You can taste its authenticity and the wonderful blend of different Mexican flavors.

My friend loving the burrito..

If you think their 400 pesos burrito is big, then you have to see their 1200 pesos burrito. We were lucky enough that one group ordered that and we saw how they make this enormous burrito. IT WAS REALLY BIG!! It was enough to satisfy two meals of a family.

Biggest burrito ever!!!

The fastest record holder (yes, they hold burrito eating contests) who ate this Godzilla burrito finished in 52 minutes. Hands -down, man. Hands –down.

Best burrito I have tasted, people. Bring your family, friends, or even the whole neighborhood down to Ristras and I promise, everyone will go home with full stomachs.

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 Pictures taken by: Nina Gerodias and Eka Mesiona

Want to be featured?  email me at annabeatrixdelatorre@yahoo.com 

GOOD VIBES NIGHT: BOROUGH AND CHATIME

So what to do after a depressing exam on a ruined long weekend? Once again, PIG OUT! It was a triple depressing day for me. First, because of the Economics exam, which was hard (as usual).  Second, it was scheduled on a Sunday (what happened to Sabbath day???). LASTLY, this was supposed to be my long weekend. Okay enough with the ranting. Moving on.

After exams, we went to hear mass and decided to try a new restaurant for dinner besides Shakey’s  (my family’s all time favorite fast food). My sister was the one who suggested Borough in Podium because she heard a lot of great feedbacks about it. The restaurant was really cozy! A great place for family and even barkada bonding! Borough’s a familiar place for people working around the vicinity because it is where they relax and unwind. 

Cozy environment

There menu is mostly composed of comfort food and meals ordered during conversation moments. They also had a great variety of drinks and wine but I didn’t order one because my dad was there (He is still not comfortable with the idea that I drink. Funny right?).  My family decided to try their CHOCOLATE CHICKEN WINGS for obvious reasons (we got SUPER curious). I usually see Buffalo wings in menus but this was the first time I saw CHOCOLATE chicken wings!

Chocolate Chicken wings

Sorry if the picture looked like burnt chicken wings! Anyway, my sister and I described it in one word. DIFFERENT. I couldn’t say that it was super delicious or super not delicious. It was the type of food that you will either like or not. It really tasted like chocolate by the way. It had a nutmeg kick into it and it really went well with the sauce. A MUST TRY FOR ALL THOSE WITH ADVENTUROUS TASTE BUDS

Claud, a friend of my sister, orders just one item in their menu and that is the BAKED MAC AND CHEESE. So we tried it out to know why she is so crazy about it. Now, I know why! IT IS THE BEST BAKED MAC AND CHEESE I HAVE TASTED IN A RESTAURANT!!! Really amazing! It is a little crispy on top with all the cheese and saucy inside. It is definitely a different MAC AND CHEESE experience.

Value: 380 pesos

Lastly, since my dad was pretty hungry that time, we ordered him the ALL BEEF CHEESEBURGER. For me, this was my favorite out of all the items we ordered. One of the best burgers I have tasted. My sister and I each took a bite and we finished the burger together. In the end, my dad ordered another one for himself. The burger patty was really flavorful! I don’t usually care about the bun of the burgers I eat but the bun of ALL BEEF CHEESEBURGER was really soft inside but a little bit crunchy outside and I made it even more delicious. I totally forgot my triple depressing day because of that burger.

Overall, Borough is the perfect place to chill and eat comfort foods at its best.

Value: 320 pesos. Good for sharing and super worth it!!! Kaya huwag mo na ishare...i kid.

Since I was craving for something sweet after that heavy dinner, we decided to finally try one of the most talked about Milk tea shops in the Metro, Chatime. Warning, you might have a hard time looking for it in Robinson’s Galleria (It’s in front of National Bookstore near the grocery area)! I asked for their best sellers and I ordered the Red Bean Milk tea while my sister ordered Taro milk tea. I now know how it stood out from other Milk Tea shops. Their milk tea was unlike others because it had texture. The red bean in their Red Bean Milk tea really added a kick in the drink. My expectations for Chatime were completely satisfied. They even had this cute machine they give to customers who were waiting for their orders. This small circle machine vibrated whenever one’s order was ready. First time I saw something like that! Though try visiting other branches (like SM NORTH EDSA, which just opened recently) because the one in Galleria was more of a to- go (or take-out) stall.

Sorry if I wasn’t able to update my blog last week. Blame it on the school hell week….

Even though I only have 2 days left of my long weekend, this night was definitely a GOOD VIBES night.

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Pictures taken by: Bea Dela Torre, 09175204508
Want to be featured?  email me at annabeatrixdelatorre@yahoo.com

Lakwatsera Loves STACKERS BURGER CAFÉ

ZE STACK BURGER!!!!

I know a lot of people must have written blog entries about Stackers but I just couldn’t help myself! I really love Stackers! As in I’ve been forcing my mom to go to Eastwood just so I can eat their Stack burger.

So yesterday, since it was Sunday, meaning family day, I told my mom if we can eat at Eastwood after mass. But here goes my sister and said she was too busy and had to read a lot of cases. This time, my mom went on my side (GO MOTHER!) and told my sister if she didn’t want to come, she can stay at home. So, Bea won and we went to Eastwood after mass!!!!!

I finally got to eat my long-craved Stack burger! I also ordered the same for my mom and dad while my sister ordered the Philly Cheese burger. What are burgers without fries? So along with this, we ordered their crispy and garlic chips. 

Philly Cheese  Burger

OHHHH HEAVEN! I just love their burger! They have this original Stackers sauce that is just really addictive. It actually reminds me of the In and Out burger sauce in Los Angeles. The Philly Cheese burger is also an excellent choice though nothing beats their Stack Burger. Ordering this along with garlic chips will be the best choice you’ll ever make in your life! They don’t just use garlic powder to make the fries tastes like garlic. Really awesome! Anyway, if you are craving for burgers and you want to try out something new besides Mcdo, go to Eastwood and take a bite of Stackers delicious Stack burgers!

Lakwatsera Loves PREVIEW MAGAZINE!

 I truly believe every woman must have a copy of this sacred bible. It is a guide to life! I can’t even count how many copies we have at home and we never throw any of them. This is the type of thing that you can give as a pamana to your future children!

It was five years ago when my sister brought home our family’s first Preview magazine. I got curious why she would always buy a copy every month so I opened one (Lucy Torres was on the cover) then I, myself became fascinated with this magazine. Even when I was in Los Angeles last year, I asked my sister to scan the May 2010 copy just so I wouldn’t miss it.

I love browsing through the fashion section of the magazine because this is where I get inspiration for my look. I also take note of some of the trends just so I know what to buy next. The photos of celebrities and socialites in different events (found at the last few pages of the magazine) also give me ideas on my outfit for college parties and formal events. Oh, by the way, the magazine is not only about clothes! I also enjoy reading the features on new restaurants that I try to visit with my family. 

Danica Magpantay graces the cover of Aug 2011 Preview

I always look forward to your magazine cover because you guys have this gift to turn celebrities (who I thought can’t pull this off!) to fierce icons. By the way, Danica Magpantay on the August 2011 cover looks like a star! I can’t believe I am older than her and yet she has achieved a lot! The One-Stop Shop section of the Preview staff featuring the great finds in department store is very informative. Even though the outfits are cheap, it looks like designer clothes! I am totally inspired! I never thought department stores have great finds in it. So this weekend sale, I am off to visit every department store and look for hidden treasures.

Kudos to the creative team of Preview! They never fail to go beyond my expectations. Preview really is my monthly guilty pleasure! 

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 Pictures taken by: Bea Dela Torre, 09175204508
Want to be featured?  email me at annabeatrixdelatorre@yahoo.com

Cooking with Lakwatsera's Momma: Paella Valenciana version

One of my mom’s bestseller dishes is her Paella Valenciana. We used to eat this outside but when she learned how to make one, goodbye Spanish Restaurants! Try making your own!

She told me the secret to perfect paella is the Saffron (a reddish type of herb). It can be quite pricey but it is the key to perfect and authentic paella. Enjoy!

Ingredients

5 cloves of garlic

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup semisweet white wine

1 whole chopped onion

1 cup crushed tomatoes

2 cups Japanese Rice

1 whole Chorizo Bilbao, sliced

1 cup squid rings

5 pieces of black prawns

2 cups of chopped Letchon or sautéed chicken in 1 tbsp oil and salt and pepper

1 tsp of Saffron

6 cups of chicken stock

¼ kg of Halaan shells or arc shells

1 tsp paprika

¼ cup green pitted olives

20 pieces string beans

½ green peas

1 pc red bellpepper, broiled and cut lengthwise

1 hard boiled eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

OPTIONAL: crab and lemon wedges for garnish

Directions

1.       Preheat oven 250 degrees Fahrenheit

2.       Sauté string beans in 1 tbsp butter. Set aside.  

3.       Cook prawns and shells in ½ cup white wine. Set this aside

4.       In the paellera pan, fry the chorizo in olive oil for 5 minutes then add garlic, onions, and tomatoes.

5.       Add the Japanese rice (uncooked) and pour white wine, till dry.

6.       Add paprika, salt, pepper, and saffron

7.       Add two cups chicken stock and stir until the broth is absorbed.

8.       Add all the letchon or chicken, squid (cooked in 1tbsp oil, with salt and pepper), olives, and green peas then stir.

9.       Add the remaining chicken stock and stir once.

10.   Arranged bell pepper stripes on top. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 30 minutes in medium heat.

11.   5 minutes before turning off the oven, add prawns, shells, and crabs.

12.   Add sliced hard boiled eggs, sautéed string beans, and lemon wedges before serving.

 WANT TO TASTE SOME??? order now!!!! 09175204508

 Pictures taken by Ivy Dela Torre.
                   -offers her photography services in any kind of event. Email her at ivdelatorre@yahoo.com
You can send your inquires via text, 09175204508

Want to be featured?  email me at annabeatrixdelatorre@yahoo.com

TAO YUAN RESTAURANT: authentic Chinese food at its best

What to do after an accounting exam that contains words I have never encountered (or taught to us)?

PIG OUT

(Though not in a "fast food" type of way)

After the mass (really asked for guidance and divine intervention after that exam), we went to Resorts World to eat at Tao Yuan. I have been begging my family to eat here for around a month but because of my sister’s midterms, we weren’t able to do so.

Just a suggestion, make a table reservation. You can only make a reservation for 6 pm and 8pm (not so sure why they have this policy. I think because they assume it takes 2 hours for a family to eat dinner, thus the allowance. Just guessing), so make sure you have one. We waited for around 30 minutes to get a table and we were already so hungry because we really prepared for this dinner (aka emptied our stomachs for the day to pig out on dinner). Though, the wait was worth it.

First of all, I would like to commend their friendly service crew. They are really accommodating and if you have questions about their specialties or you are looking for something specific, don’t hesitate to ask them. Believe me; they know what they are selling.

Even though I’m not Chinese and I haven’t been to China, I believe (and think) that they serve authentic Chinese and Singaporean dishes. How can I tell? Well, there are a lot of Chinese restaurants here in the Philippines and I never really liked them. Even if you ask my friends, they would attest to this. I would rather go to American, Italian, and Japanese restaurant.

But when my mom forced us to try this, after seeing it on TV, I vowed never to eat Chinese food, EXCEPT in Tao Yuan.

Here’s our staple menu! 

OHHHH!!! THIS ONE'S OUR FAVORITE!!!!! IT'S A MUST ORDER!!!!  Its Fujian Fried Rice; like yang chow rice in a more "soupy" way (kind of like the lugaw) but it takes really great! You can eat it as is!

The famous Hainanese Chicken. Really healthy! Great for health conscious people. The chicken is boiled but if you are worrying that it has not taste, let me tell you that their Hainanese Chicken is so flavorful!

Condiments to enhance the flavor of the Hainanese Chicken

The one is garlic spareribs. Good for kids who are still doubtful about flavors that are not usual to them.

This one is my dad's favorite. This is Taiwan pechay; smaller than the usual pechay.

READY TO EAAAAAT!!!

 So guys, the search is over for the best Chinese Restaurant in town.Visit Tao Yuan and it won't only be the best restaurant but it will be the ONLY Chinese Restaurant you'll ever come to!
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Pictures taken by Ivy Dela Torre.
                   -offers her photography services in any kind of event. Email her at ivdelatorre@yahoo.com
Want to be featured?  email me at annabeatrixdelatorre@yahoo.com

THE G-SPOT (Got to visit Spots): Thailand Version

When I opened the Yahoo webpage, I saw one of the headlines of Yahoo news about the top tourist spots in the world. I clicked on the link and to my surprise, the number one spot didn’t belong to Paris (totally, my dream place to visit!) or even New York (In New Yooooork! Concrete jungles where dreams are made of…).

  

The top tourist spot in the world belongs to…. *drum roll* THAILAND!!!

But when I think about it, it is not impossible for Thailand to grab the top spot.

FIRST PROOF! I have been there twice. Why would I even waste my money to visit a country twice, right? It’s because I just couldn’t get enough of Thailand and everything about it! 

Night life in Thailand

SECOND PROOF! It’s cheaper to go here than to other countries. Flights from Manila to Thailand are way cheaper than a trip to Japan or Australia, especially during seat sales (watch out for Cebu Pacific seat sales!).

The food is also incredibly cheap! Imagine, we are four in the family and we only spend around 300 Baht for lunch and another 300 for dinner. And di namin tinipid ang aming sarili ha!  We are already so full with that value of meals. We already have our Phad Thai (the famous pansit  of Thailand), Thai Iced tea (it’s color orange and perfect to quench your thirst), and green curry with rice! Their food court is an experience in itself. Have you ever seen a food court that uses prepaid cards to pay their food instead of money? It’s really amazing I swear! Before you can order your food, you would have to go to the reloading stations and get a card in exchange for your cash. For example, in exchange for your 100 Baht, you’ll get a card with a 100 Baht load. Then you go to the station where you want to order your food and hand them the prepaid card. Don’t worry if you don’t finish all the credit, you just have to keep the card and you can use it again next time to buy your food. THAT’S WHAT I CALL TECHNOLOGY!

Enjoying the Thai Iced Tea while shopping

The Prepaid Cafeteria

Yum yum!

More food!!

If you are a risk taker when it comes to food, they sell fried crickets, grasshoppers, and other insects in the side streets and you can buy it for only 10 Baht. Tried it for myself and it is like what people say; it tastes like chicken.

Enjoying my edible friends

The fruits are also cheaper! This is the reason why my mom agreed to spend for this trip. She is a fruitaholic (if there is such a thing). We pass by every stall of Durian sellers and she would eat it while walking. Even though I hate Durian, I ended up eating Durian with her while walking the streets of Bangkok. It is creamy and flavorful! Just don't mind the its strong smell.

Besides food, Thailand is also famous for their massage. Here in the Philippines, this would cost around 1000-3000 pesos. But in Thailand, it just cost around 150 Baht or 225 pesos. You can find them along the streets of Pratunam. It is my first time to experience a full body massage. They will put you in a more comfortable, costume type of outfit before the massage begins. Afterwards, I feel rejuvenated and energized to walk the streets of Bangkok again.

The Thai massage outfit

Need I mention the hotels? The hotels also come in cheap prices without sacrificing the quality of the room. The rooms are clean, big, and some of them already come with free breakfast. We actually reserved our rooms via internet. If you are kind of iffy (in doubt) about reserving via internet, I’m here to tell you that you have nothing to worry about! It’s actually easier (and cheaper than walk-ins) and you can customize it if you want to avail of the breakfast, be fetched in the airport, or give you a ride back to the airport. Since we can’t decide whether to get an expensive or cheap hotel, we ended up spending two nights in a cheap hotel and spending the other two in a more expensive one.

Our first hotel was My Hotel in Pratunam. Even though this was cheaper than other hotels, the services and facilities didn’t disappoint us. It was a newly built hotel near the Pratunam Market and Platinum. The halls actually smelled new! The rooms though were not that spacious but it was well lighted and clean. Their free breakfast was also amazing! If you are the type of tourist who is on a budget but still want to get a nice room, I recommend that you get this hotel! Really worth it, guys.

Our second hotel was Baiyoke Boutique. When you go out of this hotel, you can immediately see the stalls of clothes! Love it, right? The hotel lobby was really cute and posh. In every floor, there were different designs for the elevator doors. It really added a little cuteness to the hotel. The rooms were big and the room decorations were really chic. The only thing I didn’t like about it was that the whole hotel was carpeted. You know what happened to carpets after being stepped on by thousands of visitors in that hotel, right? If you are with your barkada, I really recommend this hotel for you.

Our hotel room in Baiyoke Boutique with all the thing we bought

Hotel lobby

The cute elevator doors

 

THIRD PROOF! If you are a shopaholic like me, Thailand is the perfect place! Not only THE PERFECT PLACE, it is paradise.

Just a short story about how perfect Thailand shopping experience was. Since it was already our second time to visit and we have already experienced the temples and all the tourist attractions in the country, our plan was to spend all our money on food, shopping, food, shopping, and SHOPPING.  During our first day, we didn’t waste time and our first destination was Platinum, which was a walking distance from our hotel. When I entered the mall, I was overwhelmed with all the beautiful clothes! I really had to pause in front of the mall and took in everything! Not exaggerating here, guys. They had a whole floor for clothes, shoes, accessories, and shoes. You can also try the sky walk that was used to connect the different malls, namely

• Central World
• Siam Paragon
• Erawan Shopping Arcade
• Gaysorn (for syala (gay linggo for sosyal or rich people)
• Siam Center and Siam Discovery
• MBK ( largest shopping center)

But just to add, nothing beats Platinum.

OTHER TIPS:

Biggest shopping center in Thailand

SHOPPING TIPS! I recommend that you buy in bulk since the shops there are wholesalers. They give lower prices if you buy more than one item from there shop. Choose a shop that has lots of beautiful items you want to buy so you can get bigger discounts.

Streets of Thailand

Since we didn’t have the chance to visit the famous floating market of Thailand during our first trip, we decided to try it out. We went to the Damnoen Saduak (there are other floating markets such as Bang Kung Whia Floating market). FUN FACT!!  This was actually a location in one of Tom Cruz’s Mission Impossible films! We paid 800 Baht per person, which includes the van and the boat ride. Not sure if this was the best and cheapest package out there, but from what I heard, they charge tourists around 800 Baht just for the boat ride! So be careful guys! For me, I expected more from the floating market. I thought it was really a market with all the fresh fruits, flowers and locals selling goods, but it lost its “authenticity” and just turned to a tourist spot. Though, I recommend that you try the noodles that were sold in the boats and the sticky rice with mangoes. 

Loving the floating market!

The yummy noodles!

Another, be careful with the Tuktuk and the cabs. They usually charge tourists more. The cabs come in different colors and my mom told me to suggest in my blog for tourists to take the green cab. So guys, mothers’ know best, ride the green cabs.

Sorry if my blog entry is lengthy, but I just could not stop gushing about my Thailand trip experience! I wish I could write more but I know people have short attention span and you would probably just close my blog page. To cut it short, Thailand is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Peace out.

Amazing Thailand!