It's been ages since I last blogged about anything! I wish I could say I've been swamped with work and social activities in the past few months but that's just a blatant lie. LOL. I just got really lazy. Last March, I was about to work on my backlogs but it was too damn chilly for a summer month that weekends were best spent sleeping all day long. 

And then this April, the temperatures have abruptly risen to boiling levels that weekends, again, were best spent sleeping in front of the electric fan. Seriously. Because if you damn think about moving even an inch, i.e. lifting your fingers to type, you WILL sweat like a pig. I kid you not.

So! After Boracay, I went on an Amazing Race-ish trip in December. Manila > Bulacan > La Union > Bulacan > Mindoro > Manila > Bulacan in just 2 weeks. It was a rediscovering-your-roots kind of Christmas. It was exhausting to say the least, but it was one of the best holidays I spent with my family - ever!

And then in January, Toto and I celebrated our 10th anniversary as bf-gf in Siquijor, Dumaguete, Apo Island and Cebu city. I love Siquijor. I just. Can't!!! I don't know how to describe it because I frankly think there are no apt words to describe its majesty. Wow. Would ya look at that? I'm getting poetic and shit. Just GO. Visit Siquijor. NOW.

In February, I went to Bohol with my bestest friends. Bohol is...touristy. Not really my cup of tea, but Dumaluan Beach in Panglao is the bomb! It can give White Beach, Boracay a run for its money. Anyhoo, I still enjoyed this trip because I went with my craziest friends!

Last Holy Week, I went home to La Union. San Juan is bustling with tourists so we went to Pugo and tried this family resort. Nothing spectacular or new about this particular visit but I just love coming home to see my parents every time I can.

Okay. Enough with the yapping! I will find time to finish all my backlogs - presumably in about 2 years LOL - but here's a video that summarizes our 2015 trips so far. It's a feel good video with feel good music (I love Michael Franti!) that will hopefully brighten your mood and inspire you to go travel! :)

Cheers,
Tria

Since I dedicated a few hours of my precious weekend writing about BGC restaurants that Toto and I didn't like (focusing my energy on negative things, I know), I figured it’d also be nice if I wrote about the ones that we did like. 

Nope, you’re not gonna see the ‘next big thing’ or ‘the top 5 avant garde restos in NCR’ or ‘the new kids on the block you should all watch out for’ here. These are all just regular restos that have a special place in my tummy – so regular and common that other people might place them on the same tier as fast food chains. Yakimix, Racks, Café Mediterranean, and Chili’s. Ring a bell?

So why am I wasting my bandwidth on them instead of writing generic reviews on TripAdvisor or Zomato? Because…just because, uhm, I have so much time in my hands. And I’ve got a fab blog that needs updating once in a while... Sue me.  

Put your eyebrows down, fans and patrons of abovementioned restaurants. This isn't going to be a hate post - well, actually, it might possibly have a teeny weeny probability of sounding like one but...okay, fine! This is not exactly an 'OMG!-super-duper-worship-the-chef-creator-owner-of-this-food-joint' kind of blog post. 

A case of bad timing or poor food choices or assumed modus operandi or whatnot. Hey! We can't always have the goods one, can we? 

Crisp on 28th by Erwan Heussaff & co. (yes, he’s the only one whom I’m familiar with) is like an awkward teenager during “transition years.” Or like a 20-something-year-old yuppie in the midst of a “quarter-life crisis.” Or a middle-aged man who can’t figure out if life indeed begins at 40 or not. Or a menopausal 50-year old woman who can’t decide if she wants a new bag or a pair of shoes for Christmas. Oh wait, make that any woman…

No! I’m not saying that Crisp on 28th is like a fickle-minded lady on her 2nd day of period who just doesn't know what to do with her life. What I’m saying is…it’s a restaurant that’s still testing the waters - it’s relatively new (opened last July) and is managed by a young team. 

After my first visit last August, I told myself that I’d come back again to try other items on their menu because I was unfortunate enough to order a Php510-toast box that looked like a whimsical Betsey Johnson creation but tasted like a boring Martha Stewart cookie. It would be unfair of me to pass judgment on this new restaurant based on that bloody toast box. Besides, I really liked the vibes and ambiance of the place – classy but a bit funky, chill but vibrant, posh but not intimidating. 

It all started with an FB chat. An exchange of a little bit of gossip and I miss you's. Then Noynoy Aquino's declaration of an extra holiday for 2014 that fell on a Monday. And then an early morning rendezvous at McDonald's North Avenue. 

And theeeeen, we were off to Sandbox in Porac, Pampanga for a much needed mini reunion with college buddies. It's been what? Two, three years since we last saw each other?!

P299 buffet (drinks included!) and Bonifacio Global City in one sentence? I KNOW RIGHT?! I heaved a massive this-must-be-the-pot-of-gold-the-Irish-like-to-talk-about sigh of relief because I felt that this was where my quest for affordable but satisfying BGC resto would all end. I could practically hear my pockets dancing  to Pharell's Happy when I saw the sign, and it opened up my eyes, I saw the sign. Ay, ang corny ko ples. Sorry, but the big and bold P299 dinner buffet sign/poster on Kuse's glass walls really made my eyes pop. I borrowed that line from Ace of Base's The Sign, by the way, just an FYI in case you're from a different generation (gahd I feel so old).

One of the things I like about being employed is the yearly company outing outside of Metro Manila. I’ve heard of other companies holding theirs in Boracay and I’ve personally seen one in Coron, Palawan (I know right?!), but anywhere away from this grimy city is fine with me – even if said place is the walang-kasawaan-walang-kamatayang dun dun duuun…Tagaytay. 

Because, really, who can say no to an all-expense-paid overnight trip that promises clean, wholesome fun *wink wink* with fellow overworked employees? And I don’t mean “sex on top of the table while everyone’s watching” kind of fun (you horny, little wench!) but more like “literally kick each other’s asses and smother one another’s faces with armpit sweat” kind of fun. Ewww, gross. But what can I say, I’m competitive like that. 

So! The location of choice was Piña Colina Resort. I must say that I was impressed with the pictures on their website. What's more impressive are the prices. Very, very affordable! And it also has very good reviews on TripAdvisor - well, as good as how far your trust in this site goes :p

Okay, lafang na naman! As usual, sa BGC ulit. And as usual, kasama na naman si Toto. Hindi na kami na-umay sa all day, every day rendezvous namin! ;)

So anyhoo, after a visit to the Wild West, a chill brunch at a retro California bistro, and a delightful discovery of Serbian cuisine, we're ready to rakenrol and go back to our roots! Kanteen BGC, from the same owners of Kuppa Cafe, proved to be just the right place for that - offering delicious Pinoy food that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Toto and I know that eating out almost everyday is taking a big chunk of our baon but we just cannot resist trying out the different restaurants around Bonifacio Global City! So you could just imagine how overjoyed we were when we spotted Wild West Roadhouse Grill's Perfect Match promo while combing High Street on a humid Thursday morning. Only P599 for 2 people in BGC? That's definitely a steal!

We continue our foodie adventure around Bonifacio Global City and today's post is about our lunch at Stella Wood Fired Bistro! Quick overview of the food and place - imagine a fancier, pricier, and more upscale version of Kenny Rogers Roasters right at the heart of High Street Central (just across Jamba Juice).