Pasalubong from friends

I'm posting here gifts/pasalubong I got from my closest high school friends. This month two of my closest high school friends Yana and Betty Jane arrived from Dubai and New Jersey respectively for their annual vacay in the Philippines. Yay! It was a once in a blue moon event since it's very rare that my balikbayan friends are all here at the same time.

I got these from Yana Banana :) I told her to bring me Galaxy chocolates when she gets home for vacation. 

And this from Betty Jane :) This Aeropostale tank top and boxer shorts is the best sleepwear this hot summer nights. 

During summer months, I prefer using body spritz or sprays over perfumes. They're light, refreshing, and you can spray a lot without leaving an overpowering scent. Just perfect for really hot summer days. 

Yay! Thanks girls Yana & Betty Jane  :)

My Singapore shopping hauls

During my 13-day SG trip, I only promised to shop if it's on sale. Shopping in Singapore is quite expensive. True! That is if you didn't know the best places to get a good bargain. I managed to buy a few items on sale and this shopping experience made me realize that clothes and shoes in SG aren't that expensive only if you shop smartly.

Here are my shopping hauls and buying all of them makes me happy because I saved a lot! Conversion is at SGD 1 = Php 34. 

 Charles and Keith black leather bag

     Original price: SGD 69.90 /Php 2300

     Sale price: SGD 55.90 /1900

L-R: Charles and Keith tan office pumps, Rubi by Cotton On blue flats

                                                            
Charles and Keith shoes
Original price: SGD 53.90/Php 1800
Sale price: SGD 26.90/Php 917


Cotton On flats
Sale price: SGD 1o / Php 341

l-R: Cotton On Animal print blaser, Forever 21 belt, G2000 boatneck top

     Cotton on blazer: SGD 10 /Php 341

 G2000 top: SGD 13 / Php 443

        Forever 21 belt: SGD 4 /Php 136

Billabong maillot

Billabong swimsuit: SGD 20 /Php 682

L-R: Forever 21 amethyst leggings, Cotton On black leggings

Forever 21 leggings: SGD 9 /Php 306

Cotton On leggings: SGD 5 / Php 170

I made sure to visit some outlet stores in Singapore so I can take advantage of really discounted items. After all commuting isn't hard at all and I managed to do it on my own. I will blog about this in my next entry. 

Batam shopping finds

Last weekend, we made a short trip to Batam, Indonesia which is just a 40-minute ferry ride from Singapore. We wanted to have a quick getaway from Singapore and Batam Island seems to be one of the closest we can go to unwind.

Singaporeans go to Batam to shop and have a cheap and good message aside from going to the beach. We were able to visit Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall which is the largest mall in the island. To be honest, most stores here sell fake items. If I could compare it to our malls here in Manila – it’d be Greenhills Shopping Center or Harrison Plaza.

But there are also good buys here in the mall.

We bought some snacks like junk foods with variety of flavors like pizza, beef barbecue, and salted. The Chitato potato chips was really good at IDR 8,150 (Php 38).  We also tried kue lapis or layer cake which is a famous local delicacy in Batam.  We got the chocolate flavor Apollo kue lapis priced at IDR 18,550 (Php 86). It was surprisingly good with soft sponge covered in chocolate.

I've been using the Asian Secrets Lulur whitening body scrub. Lulur was originally intended for the bride-to-be in order to beautify, smoothen, and whiten her skin before the wedding day. This skin whitening treatment is still being used by modern Indonesian women. They didn't have the ASL brand which I was using so I bought the Purbasari brand (IDR 12,760/Php 60). It was a huge savings since the scrub is sold here at Php135.

Who loves donuts? I do! We bought half-dozen donuts from J.Co at IDR 34,000 or Php 159. Whoa! I know J.Co has recently opened here in Megamall but I haven't gone lately to check. Anyways, I really loved the Matcha green tea and Al Capone donuts (two donuts in the upper left).

Who would have thought that I will be able to do some lingerie shopping in Batam? We passed by the Wacoal store and saw that there was an on-going sale. Yay!

So I bought the red-striped bra (IDR 67,500 or Php 315) and panty (IDR 25,000 or Php 117). Those are the prices after the discount. And yeah, I also bought another black t-shirt bra at Matahari Department store at IDR 110,000 or Php 515. Cheap!!!

I love my Batam shopping finds!

My BrowHaus Experience

If you catch me staring at your face, I am probably looking at your eyebrows and studying them. I'm obsessed about eyebrows. For me, you can have the most basic make up but if your eyebrows are neat, you'll still look made up.

I've been hearing raves about BrowHaus since I came to know it. BrowHaus is a one-stop grooming salon that uses blueprint system which is a precise system designed to create the perfect brow. The system employs a grid technology to structure a brow of perfect form and symmetry.  I was curious about their services like their brow construction which is normally called as threading. However the price was quite steep. It was Php 598 for classic threading where you can get it at Php100+ in other beauty salons. 

BrowHaus Greenbelt 5

So when a deal for Brow Construction was sold by one of the groupon sites, I immediately asked the boyfriend to buy it for me because the deal was exclusive to Citibank credit card holders. Finally, I was gonna try it!

Brow Resurrection - one of BrowHaus' signature services

My eyebrows are not exactly that bad which I thought so. They are groomed every once in a while - shaven or threading as I pleased. But one thing I noticed is they don't have arches for that perfect eyebrow look. 

I booked an appointment with BrowHaus Greenbelt 5 since it's near my office. I got there before my 7pm appointment and I didn't wait that long to be called. My eyebrow technican or eyebrow architect lead me to small room and explained the process to be done. She said that my brows are straight. Oh dear. She mapped my eyebrows to check the  inner brow, the peak, and the tail and to determine the perfect eyebrow shape for my face. She suggested that for my face the perfect arches are the soft ones.

Then, the brow construction began. She put on some powder first to protect the skin and probably ease the pain. It felt like normal eyebrow threading but more detailed. I sensed that the eyebrow technican is working meticulously in creating the really perfect brows for me. I actually had to help her during the process by pulling my skin in the eyelid for her to pull the hair easily and prevent from making a cut. The whole process wasn't painless at all as I expected but I must say it's worth it. Oh the things we do for vanity!

My brow technician advised that I should let the hair grow thicker in my inner brow to have a more defined eyebrows. After the whole threading process, a soothing cream was spread in my brow area to ease the redness and pain.


BEFORE

AFTER

I am happy with the results! I am definitely lovin' my eyebrows. I think it really brightened up my face and made my eyebrow area more defined and groomed. To add with, I am also pleased with the service provided by the BrowHaus staff. I will try to maintain my brows but if anything goes out of hand, I know BrowHaus will come to my rescue. Hmmm and I'm getting curious about their Color Tweak to boost the eyebrow color to soften or darken thm.

BrowHaus

Serendra
1 Serendra, Store space 2C13
The Piazza at Serendram, Bonifacio Global City
City of Taguig 1634, Philippines
Tel: +632 901 0597

Greenbelt

Store Space 4-003B
4F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center
Makati City, Phillipines
Tel: +632 501 3998

The case of a compromised credit card

Yesterday, I bought a luggage for my upcoming trip next week.  I bought a World Traveller burgundy luggage with 25kilos capacity.  It was a good deal at 50% off considering the brand and size. I decided that I was just gonna use my BPI credit card. When the cashier swiped my card, she got an error saying ‘call voice center’.  I got confused since I already paid my outstanding balance before due date which was last Friday. I asked the cashier to try it again but it still was giving the same error. This irked me because I didn’t want shell out cash but had no choice since I was at the counter already. So in short, I bought my luggage in cash.

When I reached home, I immediately called BPI to inquire what could be possibly be the issue. I already paid my outstanding dues so I could not understand why my card has been declined that night and also last Saturday when I tried to use it. They checked my records and inquired when was the last time I used my card. I told them it was probably first week of March when I bought an item from one the deal sites. I tried to use it after but it got declined when I booked a flight from Cebu Pacific for my sister. I thought the card was just maxed out since I share the same credit line with my dad.

Upon further investigation, the BPI phonebanker informed me that there appeared to be transactions using my card from Apple app store. There were two transactions on March 9 amounting to USD 144 and another one on March 11 amounting to USD 10. This freaked me out since I don’t remember downloading something from Apple and I don’t even have an Iphone or any Apple gadget. I am not gonna pay for that! 

The agent suggested that I should file a dispute on the items purchased using my credit card. He called another department to verify something. When he got back to me, he informed me that the transactions made under my card did not push through and BPI have permanently blocked my card so that it would not be further misused for transactions. Wheeeeeew! What a relief! But I'd appreciate if they could have informed me that they’ve blocked my card instead of me calling them to know the situation. I tell you, it’s really embarrassing to stand in the cashier only to be told that your card has been declined,  with a long line of customers behind you. I wanted to disappear in embarrassment.

Lesson learned: Use your credit card with extra caution. Like most of you probably, I use my card with ease in online transactions. It saves me time and it's faster. I never thought that I would be victimized by fraudulent use of credit card. Anyways, I was informed that BPI will process the replacement of my credit card within 1 banking day and the delivery would take about 3 days. I just hope to get my new credit card soon because I will be out of the country next week and will definitely need it.

Here are a few useful tips from BBC Web-wise to keep your credit card safe and sound.

Stay safe!

19th Travel Tour Expo 2012

Another travel expo is coming up! I’ve always been a “suki” of travel expos because of the low airfares, cheap accommodations, and discounted travel packages you can score.

The 19th Travel Tour Expo will be from 17 – 19 February 2012  at SMX Convention Center, Halls 1,2,3, and 4 at the SM Mall of Asia Complex. Entrance fees  are PHP 50/day for general admission and PHP 20/day for senior citizen.

Last year, we were able to book a 3D/2N hotel accommodation with daily breakfasts + 1 night free accommodation at La Carmela de Boracay.  For a 4D/3N trip, we paid around Php840/person. Great deal! Read the related blog entry here.

Although I promised that I won’t book anything, I’m still excited with all the travel promos and discounts offered during the 3-day travel expo. There’s no harm in looking and I’m really gonna try to control my impulsive self to buy anything. Haha. Wish me luck!

 Seeing the list of exhibitors makes me ecstatic! For the full list, check here.

Anyways, I will be there on the 18^th. See you  travel junkies!

My little black boots

Just when I thought this day was turning out to be a really bad day, my officemates and I dropped by at Promod, Greenbelt 5 and this juicy black boots suddenly made my day into a good one..

It’s ankle-length, made of suede, and iluvit

The best thing is it’s on SALE – one of my fave 4-letter word aside L-O-V-E. SALE is LOVE. Luvitttt!

Without thinking twice, I bought it. After all where would you find a branded boots 80% off the original price? Konti na lang libre na! haha. The original price is Php 2695, you do the math :)

On an afterthought, this day wasn’t so bad after all!

Budget shopping at Duty Free Philippines

I have blogged before that I was able to get a Club Elite membership at Duty FreePhilippines (DFP). I got the free membership since we had a total shopping purchase of above USD 500 last time we went there in August of last year.

As a Club Elite Member, you are entitled to discounts, perks, promos at Fashion Walk & Beauty Walk at the Duty Free Fiesta Mall, Cebu Waterfront Hotel, and NAIA Terminals 1,2, and 3. 

I first called up the Club Elite hotline (5524337 local 3147, 8793614) for confirmation that we would be there to shop. Calling the hotline was easy breezy.

We dropped by the grocery to buy some personal toiletries and snacks. Since I was on budget mode, I only bought some essentials from their supermarket.

 
  

Here are my grocery loots:

Vaseline Aloe Fresh Hydrating Body Lotion with Aloe & Cucumber,700 ml @ USD 7.95

Pringles Super Stack in Cheddar Cheese @ USD 2.00

Crown Chocolate Mallows @ USD 1.20

2 Monarch Corned Beef @ 2.70 each x 2 = USD 5.40

Total Purchase: USD 16.55 (Php 716.63)

Conversion yesterday was at USD 1 = Php 43.30. 

That’s what I call budget shopping! I paid in peso by the way. Credit card transactions are not allowed.

I also checked on some items like perfumes and bags I’m eyeing to buy and the prices are way lower than what they're sold in the mall. 

MAC lipsticks are at USD 18 (Php 700+). Lipsticks are sold over Php1,000 in department stores. The foundation and powder are at USD 37 (Php 1600+). The mall price ranges from Php2000-2500.

For perfumes, I checked two of my favorite scents: DKNY and Elizabeth Arden Green Tea. DKNY Be Delicious is at USD 62 for the 50 ml while they have the promotion of two 30 ml bottle with different scents at USD 68 . Not bad! Elizabeth Arden has ongoing promo also where you can get two bottles of same scent at USD 32.

Of course, I wouldn’t miss to check on Longchamp. Here the prices at DFP:

Cabas – USD 89

Le Pliage (medium short handle) – USD 115

Le Pliage (large long handle) – USD 149

Planetes (large long handle) – USD 169

Planetes (medium long handle) – USD 149

If I just had money, I could have bought the Planetes in large long handle. I’ve been drooling for the black planetes ever since.

To get to Duty Free Philippines, check on this link. If you’re going there via commute, you may ride any bus going to Baclaran. From Baclaran, ride the jeepney with the signboard “Sucat Highway”. You will not miss the Duty Free Philippines Fiesta Mall since it’s very visible from the highway. You may also take the bus going to Paranaque with "MIA Road" signboard coming from EDSA. The bus route is only until NAIA Terminal 2 or the Centennial Airport, you need to take the Sucat jeepney to get to DFP.

Promise, the next time that I'll be back I'm in for some serious shopping! 

Make-up model for a day

Since Erick moved to Singapore, I've been spending my weekends mostly at home. Occasionally, friends would invite for meet-ups but oftentimes I’m a homebuddy these days.
So when my good friend/officemate Shane asked me if I could be her model for her make-up class, I said yes. Since I really got nothing to do, I thought why not. It could be fun after all! Shane is taking up make-up class as a hobby but eventually she plans to do her own bridal make-up in her wedding in June. Isn’t that cool?

I’m no make-up person to be honest. I’m just a powder and lipstick girl. I found it a bit of an effort to do my own make-up. 

Shane did two make-up styles to me on that day: deep-set eyes and round eyes make-up. I really liked the round eyes make-up that Shane did. It was fun doing the make-up session since it's feels great to be all made-up once a while. I also learned the basic tips for applying make-up. I’m no make-up guru but I picked up some really good steps on how to do it.

1.    Choose the right shade of foundation for your face. It should be closer to your natural skin tone. To test it, apply a stroke of  it in your jawline or cheeks and not on your hand. The one that disappears naturally is the right shade for your face. 

Shane used a cream foundation during our make-up session. Using a foundation brush, she applied it on my face by dabbing it lightly. She focused on the usual dark areas of the face like under the eyes, nose, and around the lips.

2.    Apply eye primer on the your eyelids. Using your fingers slowly glide it in your lids. The eye primer ensures that the eyeshadows will stay on your lids.

3.    Apply powder evenly on your face with a powder brush. Find a powder that suits your skin tone.

4.    Using a fan brush, apply loose powder under the eyes just above the cheek. This is done to dust away anything that fell from your eyes and cheek during the make-up application. 

5.    Apply a medium shade eyeshadow on the eyelid up to the crease. Extend the shade to the outer eye corner and continue down the lower lid.

A darker eyeshadow should be applied above the crease of your eye.

Use a lighter eyeshadow somehow close to white or beige in the upper eye just below the brown bone.

For the session, Shane used brown and warm colors since it’s a day make-up. Also, I wanted it to look natrural since we were going somewhere after her class.

6.    Appy an eyeliner by lining the eye from the inside of the lashes outward in one big sweep. You may use a liquid eyeliner or gel eyeliner which is easier to use. 

7.    Curl your eyelashes  using a curler  and apply mascara. 

8.    Groom the eyebrows combing it using a spoolie brush. You can use a brow shadow or pencil to fill or connect the spaces between your brows. Use a lighter shade of brow shadow.

9.    Apply blush on your cheeks.

10.  Choose a good shade of lipstick to go with your look. And you're all set!


Here's what I looked like after the make-up class with Shane! Thanks girl :)

Make-up model for a day :)

There was one time that I did my own face for a friend’s wedding last December. The wedding was 9 in the morning so I had to prepare like 6am or 7am. There was no open salon during that time so I was forced to learn a simple bridesmaid make-up. Thanks to YouTube and Shane for the tips!

Simple bridesmaid make-up by moi :)

I'm learning few things about make-up day-by-day and I'm excited to learn more techniques and essentials when it come to make-up applications.  It's fun to be a girl!

I love end-of-season sales!

Don't you just love end-of-season sales? I do! It's the time to of the year to splurge on shopping because everything is on red tag. I actually don’t shop a lot unless they’re on sale especially for branded items. With the end of Christmas season, almost every shop has a huge SALE sign on its window which is hard to resist. For someone like me who passes by the mall on my way home, the temptation is harder to resist.

So anyways, giving in to the temptation here are my good finds from last weekend’s shopping spree :)

Sleeveless scoopneck dress from Kamiseta. Bought this off the rack for Php800 which is 50% off the original price. I love its material - 100% cotton jersey which could easily pass for an office dress and be worn casually.

Brown knitted sweater dress from Terranova. I wasn't supposed to check Terra but my feet brought me to their shop and luckily I found this dress. The moment I fitted it, I knew I had to buy it. The material is light and comfortable; it also provides warmth when you're in a cold place, just perfect for our freezing office temperature. The tag price? Php695, a 50% off from the original.

Celine wedges and flats. I've been planning to buy on some decent shoes and wedges since last month but I've been waiting on shoe sales. I am such a cheapskate hehe. Celine offers a wide selection of shoes for every personality. I am a fan of their shoe collection because it's trendy, reasonably-priced, and sturdy. I bought the black wedges for Php799 while the black flats for Php499. Both shoes are already less 50%.

 

I am so liking my new buys :) I will have to go back this week to check on Mango. I'm eyeing the brown trousers because of its perfect fit. I hope Zara would go on further reduction sale this week. I will still have to check on Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Charles and Keith, Promod, and yes I will go back to Terranova. Haha! I'm counting the days until the next payday, that's five more days :)

Of birthday surprises

It was Erick's birthday last Wednesday and I thought to come up with a surprise for his birthday.  It was challenging this year to execute his birthday surprise since he's in Singapore. But I wouldn't be easily turned down by that.

A card sent via snail mail, an online birthday groupcard from his friends, and a birthday cake were the ones I thought from the start and decided that I could do all of them to make Erick's birthday special.

Birthday surprise #1

Birthday greeting card via snail mail.. This was Erick’s favorite birthday surprise.

I know I know.. sending letters via snail mail aren’t popular these days anymore in this age of Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and internet video calls. But hey, I would still love to receive old fashioned love letters and so I did to Erick! Exactly seven days before his birthday, I sent a greeting card thru our very reliable PhilPost. And I’m happy to say that they are very reliable indeed. I was told that it’d take a week before my mail gets delivered but voila it arrived in 6 days. Woot! for the fast mail service! My letter came just in time.


Birthday surprise #2

Online birthday groupcard from all of his friends

This one’s caught Erick in a big OOOOH.. thanks love! He surely enjoyed reading all the birthday messages from his family and friends as much as I enjoyed bugging/spamming his friends to sign his card :)

Here’s Erick’s birthday greeting card. 

Birthday boi ;p

I enjoyed doing this small project for him. I found this great paid greeting card service online. GroupCard provides greeting card services where you can ask your friends and families or just everyone else to sign the card for the recipient. What’s good is that everyone can chip in to a gift for the recipient. But a simple HBD greeting goes along way! Customizing the card is free but if you want it delivered to the recipient or print it you gotta upgrade for an annual membership or pay a one-time fee to be able to send/print the card. No worries, the one time fee is very minimal. GroupCard will deliver your card via email or post in the Facebook wall of the recipient. You can specify the date and time for delivery. Easy as 1-2-3.

It wasn’t easy asking all of Erick’s friends to sign in the groupcard. But with the help of his high school friends and officemates I’ve met, we were able to come up with birthday greetings from his 70 friends. Thanks so much friends!


Birthday surprise #3

Birthday cake from moi!

It's a white chocolate cake with strawberries on top

For me, a birthday is not a birthday without a cake. I remember seeing Erick’s surprised "teary-eyed" face when I surprised him with a birthday cake last year. Although I wouldn’t be able to see that this year which I was kinda looking forward to, I still wanted to give him a cake. I know he would still look like a teary-eyed birthday boy when he gets the surprise cake delivery.

This one is the most challenging birthday surprise plan. First, I had to search for all bakeshops in Singapore that provide cake delivery. I found a few but was not quite sure if they have a good delivery service.. until I found BreadTalk. They just started their delivery service and there are quite a few cakes in the selection to choose from. What’s really great is they have free delivery offered for a limited time to anywhere in Singapore. Greatness!  I ordered a cake online two days before Erick’s birthday but encountered some problem with the processing of the payment using my credit card. I had to call my credit card company to confirm if the payment went through since I didnt get a confirmation message. I posted a message for BreadTalk's Facebook wall. After a few minutes of posting it. I got the confirmation from them that they got my order. Good thing, they confirmed my order asap. It was already 12mn when I posted that message and I received a reply in a matter of minutes. Two thumbs up for the quick response!

Preparing all these surprises made me giddy all weeklong. hehe. Erick actually hinted a few days before his day that I was hiding a secret from him. Lol. I simply told him that he will know in time. I do miss him these days but somehow I was relieved from the "pangungulila" by preparing his birthday surprises. Who said that you can’t surprise your loved one when you are apart because of time, money, and distance. For sure, there are so many ways to do that but you gotta be creative and resourceful.

Happy Birthday Love! XOXO

Secret Recipe and Mercato Centrale on my birthday

So last Sunday, your dear streetsmartgirl celebrated her 2xth birthday. This year, I opted to celebrate it in a simple way with my family.

I purchased five Secret Recipe vouchers from Ensogo and I used them to treat my family to a dinner J I called up Secret Recipe for reserve a table only to find out that the only branch that can accommodate us is in Fort Bonifacio Anyways for a change of location, I gave it a go.

Secret Recipe is café chain in over nine countries mostly in Asia. Its menu consists of Asian, western, pasta, chicken, and vegetarian dishes. They are also popular for their fresh cream cakes and beverages

One thing I liked about the restaurant is the ambiance with its white and red walls. You can just dine, relax, and enjoy your food with family and friends. It gives you a feeling of comfort which makes you feel at home.

Casual dining at Secret Recipe

Here’s what we had..

Pan Grilled Dory in Lobster Sauce (Php 345)

Known as one their bestsellers; I ordered it. The dory was cooked fish fillet style with fries and salad on the side. Quite honestly, I didn’t like it. The fish didn’t taste fresh to me.

Chicken Cordon Bleu (Php 265)

This chicken dish is served with fries and salad. My sister didn’t like it but my cousin  said it was average. So I’m not sure how it tasted.

Irish Lamb Shank (Php 485)

The lamb is served with mashed potato. Erick ordered an extra rice to match it. It’s one of their award winning dishes according to the menu. So I insisted Erick to order it. Well, to begin with the meat was soft and juicy. But I’m not so sure if it was really lamb or it was just beef. The sauce was okay but it tasted bland. You need to put more pepper to savor the taste.

At this point, honestly I’m not sure if everyone was enjoying his food. Off to the better dishes..

Fried Rice with Satay (Php 280)

The serving was small just enough for my sister’s pocket-sized built. Hehe I think what she liked about the satay was the peanut sauce.

Tom Yum Spaghetti (Php 220)

This tom yum wasn’t really spicy. This dish is a must try if you want to taste how spaghetti will taste with sour/spicy sauce on it.

Grilled Mushroom Chicken (Php 245)

Surprisingly, this dish is not on the bestseller list but it was actually the best tasting food of the night. The chicken was sliced proportionately with brown sauce and mushrooms on it.

Since we have a kid with us, we also ordered the Kid’s Burger.

Lemon slush, Apple Kasturi, and Fresh Watermelon shake

For our beverages, I had the Frosty Lemon Tea which is good. I’ve been craving for lemon slush since I had one in PNKY Café on my recent Baguio trip. This one’s quite a good alternative. They ordered Green Apple Kasturi which is a favorite drink in Secret Recipe and Fresh Watermelon.


Since I used five vouchers in a single transaction, we were given one whole round cappuccino cake which we all loved. Maybe the secret recipe of this restaurant is their cakes and not their entrée dishes.

with my family and my Capuccino cake

Aside from that, we also got free Secret Recipe VIP cards for discounts for card (10%) and cash (15%) transactions for dine-in and cake orders. Not bad eh? I was entitled to have 10 Secret Recipe VIP cards but since they ran out of stocks, they only gave me 6. The manager asked me if I could just return and get the remaining cards. But I don’t think I will go back there just to get the cards.

Secret Recipe VIP cards

The service wasn’t too bad at all but it can be improved. First off, I called up all the other three branches (Robinson’s Midtown, Shang, Megamall) to reserve only to get declined. They told me that the date I wanted to reserve is a mall-wide sale and they prioritized shoppers and non-voucher holders. Hokeeeey..I called up their BGC branch to see if I can reserve there. Good thing, there are available tables. Well, the restaurant wasn’t full actually; we were the only big group when we we got there J

We were told that the free whole cake specified in my voucher wasn’t available and they forgot to order it. They initially told us to return the next day to claim my free cake. It was disappointing because I reserved our table two days in advance . I told them that I am availing using the voucher which clearly stated that there is a free one whole Chocolate Cream Fudge Cake. So why are they telling me that it wasn’t available. Good thing that it was straightened out and I was given the Capuccino cake instead which wasn’t bad at all. 


They are attentive to our needs but I can’t help but feel this belittled sense that I am using a voucher. It turned out that I have to tell them everytime that it was said in the voucher.  Blah, blah. Blah.

The bottomline of all of these were resolved. So I give them a thumbs up for not getting us disappointed at the least. But as I said, they must improve on their service and food.

Our total bill amounted to Php 3420. I paid using five vouchers with Php3500 value in total.  I ordered a slice of Chocolate Indulgence cake (Php80) to consume the value left in the voucher. 

my take out which i remember is still in the fridge...remind me!

I would probably return but not for their dishes but for their cakes next time.

Since we were in the area, we decided to drop by Mercato Centrale to check the night food market. There were more food stalls now compared to our last visit. 

Of course, I wouldn't miss to check if there was a milk tea store. And yes, we found one! We found Bubble Tea Chills and ordered the Sweet Black Milk tea and Wintermelon Milk Tea. 

Bubble Tea Chills

At around 12mn, I was home blowing my birthday candle. HBD to me!

Birthday girl

Cheers to life! :D