Pho Hua

I am not exactly the most adventurous person when it comes to food. I become loyal to my favorite dishes, which are mostly fried, cheesy, and salty. I am not a big fan of vegetables either. My parents, however, love vegetables, and they love Pho Hua, their favorite Vietnamese restaurant. I wasn't a fan the first time, but it's growing on me. We frequent this restaurant in TriNoma after work or during weekends for comforting and guilt-free dining. Check out the photos of our dinner last week.

They give you this while waiting for your order - basil leaves, bean sprouts, and lemons

Vermicelli Bowl: Grilled Pork and Fried Roll served with thin vermicelli noodles and vegetable

Breaded tofu with mushroom and pepper sauce

Beef Noodle Soup. Excuse the spoons spooning each other. Haha!

The Tenderloin Beef dish is also one of my favorites there. The herbs complement the robust flavor of the meat, perfect when eaten with hot soup and tea. For dessert, I've tried their Mango Crepe (I wasn't able to take a photo), which was too sweet for me. The crepe itself is too thin and lacked texture. Just stick to the main dishes and visit another resto for dessert.

Reach for the Starr's! Loving Starr's Famous Shakes :)

There's nothing like sugar rush on bright mornings. Good thing we found this newly-opened great shake place at Katipunan last week after our visit to Studio Zen (read about my salon review here). They sell yummy shakes and smoothies that are so thick and creamy! You can mix and match your favorites from their wide variety of flavor options. 

I love the colors!

Here's one more thing to love their shakes - they're basically guilt-free!

 You'll notice different pop art portraits of celebrities drinking Starr's shakes on the walls. They're stars drinking Starr's. Get ittt? Pretty clever, if you ask me!

A closer look at the choices and their prices

We ordered a strawberry smoothie and caramel and cookie dough milkshake. Divine combination. I love the sweetness of the strawberry and the sweet-salty cookie dough flavor. Both were dangerously THICK, as promised.

Photo op before leaving

Visit them at: 41 E Abada st. corner R.Alvero,Xavierville Katipunan, 1100 Quezon City, Philippines


Have you tried out Starr's Famous Shakes? What's your favorite flavor? 

Le Monet Hotel at Camp John Hay, Baguio

My family wanted to go on a vacation somewhere peaceful and refreshing, so we decided to visit Baguio again after 3 years. We saw an ad about a newly-opened hotel in Baguio, the Le Monet Hotel at Camp John Hay, another property from the World Hotels group. The hotel was named after famous French impressionist painter, Claude Monet, and has a luxurious modern European theme. Here are some photos of the lobby:

gorgeous chandelier, eh?

The crystals drape romantically above the Dinelli dining area

Art is everywhere! :)

 THE ROOMS

We were able to try two types of rooms during our stay - the Deluxe Room and Junior Suite. The suites were all booked on our first day, so we agreed to book the Deluxe first and then just transfer to the suite on the next day. 

Deluxe Room

The view outside

Junior Suite

The hotel employees are all courteous and attentive. They were a bit of delays with special requests, but overall, they try their best to give efficient service with a smile! The rooms are chic and very comfortable, with simple touches of luxury. I love the spacious verandas where a family can actually hang out, instead of being useful only for drying out clothes. Haha! The view is a sight one can marvel at for hours.

THE FOOD

My favorite part about every vacation is the excuse to pig out and try everything! Guests receive complimentary buffet breakfast coupons, and I was of course ecstatic because breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! Here are some photos of the breakfast selections throughout our stay:

delectable Eggs Benedict <3

Lunch is usually spent outside of the hotel, so I'm skipping that and going straight to some dinner choices you might want to try there, too.

Bistek Tagalog

Filipino Salad that comes with the Bistek Tagalog

Salad with walnuts (I forgot what it's called exactly, but it's so good!)

BeefTenderloin

Gambas

OTHER FACILITIES

The gym equipment are quite cramped, but serves the purpose :)

The spa. I got a Backcial massage, and it was so good! Theywere kind enough to extend operating hours for us :))

This is a silhouette of a stranger I was able to capture in their Malt Room (function room/ bar)

Quaint garden outside! :)

Overall, we were very satisfied with our stay. The place really gives you excellent value for your money. The rooms are great, food is delicious, and people are polite, attentive, and courteous. I'd love to go back for another relaxing weekend up North!

Check out their website for more information.

I'm going to make a separate blog post about the other things we did while in Baguio. This is more of a hotel review. 

Sonya's Garden: The Art of Doing Nothing

Last month, just before my graduation, my parents and I visited Sonya's Garden in Tagaytay. We've heard varying reviews about the place from friends, so we had to find out for ourselves. Once we got there, the crew, all wearing white, warmly welcomed us and informed us that our room is actually the owner's own private cottage! The place is so warm and welcoming, that I could not help but try out all the beds one by one once we got inside. First thing I noticed is the linen! The beddings, pillowcases, and even curtains, are exquisite! I later found out that Sonya was able to acquire these linen and all the other trinkets from her frequent visits abroad. The smell of lavender was extremely calming that we spent a good one hour just inhaling the fresh air and drinking fresh Dalandan juice, their famous welcome drink!

The entrance to our private cottage. Enchanting isn't it?

The living room

The bedroom

The food they serve is also fresh, healthy, and best of all, refillable so you can ask for as much of any dish. Everyone eats the same thing, and they don't have any other alternatives. For dinner, we had salad, pasta (you can choose from two sauces), a slice of cake, and some sweet potatoes. The waiter taught us that these deserts are meant to be eaten with the mint leaves on each table. Yummy!For breakfast, they give you a choice of Filipino or Continental breakfast. The Filipino breakfast consists of chicken & pork adobo, bangus, omelet, fresh fruits, and creamy hot chocolate. 

Pasta

Salad

The garden is lush and picturesque. They get ingredients straight from the garden. They even have a small organic chicken farm! Walking around, you'd notice that there are cozy benches and daybeds where one can simply relax and enjoy a cup of Tarragon tea while reading a book. I enjoyed taking photos of the beautiful flowers and quaint touches here and there. 

Curious plant called "Bayag ni Pedro"

The scented garden

The scented garden

Met one of Sonya's dogs, Aldo!

With Sonya herself! She was kind enough to give us a quick tour around.

Simple living, however has its down sides as well. During our stay, I did not have access to the Internet, which is fine, but can be quite inconvenient for some. Also, there is no air conditioning in any of the rooms, so during the scorching summer heat, you'd be sweating bullets in your sleep! I also would love to see other selections for the food, because it's the same thing every day for every meal. I'm sure they can come up with something, given all their home-grown ingredients! :)Overall, I'd rate Sonya's Garden 8/10. Definitely a place worth visiting! I enjoyed the food, the incredibly relaxing ambiance, and the smell of flowers everywhere. I can't wait to go back! ♥

• Sonya's Garden is located in 

Barangay Buck Estate, Alfonso, Cavite, Philippines (near the vicinity of Tagaytay City, Philippines) 

• For reservations: call or text +63-9175329097 or +63-9175335140 

• Website: 

http://www.sonyasgarden.com/