Mercato Centrale at BGC

Mercato Centrale at BGC is the new place to go on weekends , where one could find different kinds of food to satisfy ones appetite.  It's a nice day to go out with my long time no see friend from Singapore and I just had to show her this market. Just as we did, you'll also love the wide variety of food available.  We couldn't even decide what to get for lunch.

How to get there :
The market is located on 34th street and 8th avenue in Bonifacio Global City just across MC home depot.  You won't miss the big white tent with cars parked around it. The main tent is not airconditioned so be sure to bring your handy fan.  The extension tent is where all the grilling takes place and the shows.  On our day of visit, there was a doggie show.  The market is open from 7am to 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

What we tried :
My friend had the lasagna.  I had a freebie lunch of 'bagwang' (it's a very crispy thinly sliced pork liempo) served with egg and rice - yum!  It came free with my purchase of Ensure milk buy 1 take 1 promo but you could buy it on its own.  We also tried the cheesy potatoes which was very good.  It gets saltier though as you get to the sauce.  For dessert, we had chocolate moist cake and cookies and cream cake.  Both good and both very sweet.

Tip :
Make sure you go around first before choosing what to eat.  You'll find Moroccan dish, Italian pasta, Filipino bagnet, isaw and barbeque.  There's also roast beef, steaks, small tacos.  For dessert, there's Mochiko ice cream, cakes, cupcakes.

The bagnet. I got one for take out and my hubby enjoyed it !

You've got to try the cheesy potatoes



Called "Taclings". These small taco fills you up quick.

An array of cake slices



Different kinds of nuts



The outside tent of Mercato Centrale

 Enjoy !


Grocery shopping weekend !

I love grocery shopping !  It somehow releases some of my stress - and so , I just had to put this in my blog.  It's also one of the things that we cannot do without.  We need to eat and we love to eat.  However, we also know that families nowadays have to cut on some costs in order to save up for a rainy day.  Whichever part of the globe you come from, saving and expense cutting are inevitable. So, here are some grocery shopping tips that I have learned through experience.  Hope you learn something from it.

1. Don't  shop on an empty stomach
         I tend to shop more when I'm hungry.  And when I do, more often than not, I end up buying food or grocery that I later do not end up cooking anyway.

2. Plan ! -the menu
        Whether you shop every week or every 2 weeks, have a menu planner ready.  Sometimes, you may not find the ingredients in one store and that's okay - just replace with another but almost same type of viand.

3.  Compare ! - the prices
       If you're buying laundry soap, for example, check out the cheaper one and compare.  If it meets your needs, then go for the cheaper one.  Try it in small packs first so that you could test the quality.  Later , you could buy them in bulks.

4.  Take advantage! - of store sale
     Some grocery stores have a sale each week of the month.  Find out what and when in your usual store, and go for it !

5.  Check out !- the store brands
       They usually are good products.  And if your grocery store has a name to preserve, chances are their store brands will be good.

6.  Ask ! - the cashier to ping you on your budget amount
       I frequently ask the cashier how much my total bill is so that I could decide on the priority items.  No harm in leaving some items on the cart.

Tip : 
I just have to say this.  If you are in a hurry, check out the lines at the cashier first before going in the store.  I learned my lesson when I insisted to shop late at night while I was trying to catch another appointment.  I ended up leaving the cart full of grocery items and not buying them.

Let me know if this article is useful for you.  Feel free to leave a comment.

Enjoy !

Conti's Nuvali weekend

What's nice about Friday is that you're a little bit relaxed at the office knowing that it's the start of the weekend and time for a new getaway !  So, my officemates and I went to Nuvali in Sta. Rosa for a stroll and lunch at Conti's. Nice place when you would like good food.  It has a good view of the man-made lake.
Nuvali is the newest go-to place on weekends at the south side.  One could get a boat ride around the lake or go biking or feed the Koi's.  Go bring your kids but be a bit early because the fish food sometimes run out.

Tip :
> When you're going for a lunch-out, come early because the place sometimes gets packed

Direction:
> From SLEX, exit at Sta. Rosa , turn right and go straight ahead.  It's on the left side of the road. You won't miss it.

This is the Beef Salpicao.  One of my favorites at Conti's !

Baked Salmon. If you like fish , this is the way to go.



Chiken Roulade


Enjoy !

Tagaytay weekend

I wanted to getaway with my family for Father's day last June but the rains did not permit it.  I ended up postponing the trip twice before we finally decided to go , rain or shine.  And so we did !  Last July 30, we went up to Tagaytay and stayed at Hotel Kimberly.  They were very gracious to allow me to postpone my trip twice at such short notice.
The hotel is located away from the hustle and bustle of the city , which is actually very conducive for some relaxing. There was no volcano view but we had a great view of lush greens. 
It did rain.  In fact it poured ! Good thing, the hotel had a gym and game room with billiards,  darts, air hockey, table tennis and a table football.
The next morning, Mr. Sunshine decided to show up but only for a few hours - just enough for some pictorials.

How to get there:
- Turn right at Tagaytay rotonda , then right again at Petron station (forking road).  When you get to an intersection, turn right and drive about 3 minutes.  You will pass a lot of villages.  The hotel is on the left side.

What we did/ Where we went (when the weather permitted)
- We mostly stayed at the hotel and enjoyed the game room with our children.  Such bonding experience when the dad is losing to the son on table football !
- Of course, I could not pass up the opportunity to go to Good Shepherd to buy the ube or purple yam, crinkles and suman or rice cake. Location : It's just past People's Park on the right side of the road.
- We bought some snacks at Robinson's grocery located near Summit Ridge.  There a lot of restos at the area. It's very nice for a lazy afternoon to enjoy a cup of coffee or some chats.

Tips :
If you're a family of four , you could ask for connecting rooms at the hotel.  One room with the double size bed and the other with twin beds. It was actually very convenient for us.

>> This is the game room.  You would need to reserve the billiard table and table tennis and you could use it for one hour.  It could be extended depending on the number of guests that reserved.  Game room opens from 10am to 10pm.

>>The lobby. Nice !

>> The pool view.  Water is cold so bring some oil to put on the back of your kids. Behind the pool is a big area where your kids could run around.

Enjoy !

I love weekends.  It's my time to bond , to serve and to go around town. In this blog, I would like to share with you my adventures and my discoveries. If you have something to share as well, let me know.  I hope you learn something each time you read here.  Have a happy weekend !