Manila Ocean Park

The day was perfectly sunny for a trip to Manila Ocean Park. So we went.

It was a little after lunch when we arrived and we had to line up and wait before we could go in. I find the prices a bit steep though, considering that the place isn't fully operational yet. Good thing we were able to avail of discounts; for senior citizens, manila residents and even SM Advantage cardholders. (So don't forget to bring your IDs and cards with you when you go.)

The different species of marine life forms were fascinating to watch. I mostly took videos rather than photos since the moving animals weren't very easy to capture on still camera... But I managed to take a few.

There were activity and media halls inside.

More fun activities await people at the end of the tour... A restaurant is ready to satisfy the hungry crowd at the end of their tour.

The tour was much shorter than I expected. For the price, I had expected to see more. Well, maybe there'd be more when the place is already fully operational.

Bread Monster

I just happened to pass by this booth at Market Market, tired and hungry. I gave it a second look and decided to get a couple of the choco chip cookies.

It wasn't easy to choose from the different treats they had.

I wasn't wrong in choosing the choco chip cookies... freshly baked, soft and chewy, choco chips in almost every bite, I loved it down to the very last crumb.

Bibingka

Bibingka is one of the Filipino delicacies that I love. I used to wait for the Christmas season to come so I could start enjoying this because this is a traditional Christmas treat, specially enjoyed after an early morning Misa de Gallo.

But now, I can enjoy bibingka every weekend at my favorite marketplace, Aani Market in FTI, Taguig.

Cooked traditionally in these clay pots with uling above and below, using galapong and eggs laid on a banana leaf, topped with itlog na maalat... then enjoyed with butter spread on top, a generous sprinkling of sugar, and finally the niyog to top everything... now that's a perfect meryenda for all! It can't get any more Filipino than that.

Something as heavenly delicious as this is not easy to resist. Go ahead, have some this weekend!

Greenwich

Greenwich has been around since 1971 when it started as an over-the-counter pizza store. And after more than three decades, it has grown into the one of the most popular and more affordable pizza restaurants in the land,

The menu is no longer limited to pizzas.

... pasta dishes...


... rice toppings and salads...

... and now, pizzas can be ordered by the slice, anytime!

Pucchi will surely be begging me for more trips to Greenwich.

Rai Rai Ken

Japanese food is one of our favorites. And these days, finding a dining place that serves Japanese cuisine is not as difficult as it used to be because Japanese restaurants are practically everywhere now. But finding one with that authentic taste is the tough part.

We tried Rai Rai Ken ramen house and sushi bar at Harbor Square, CCP Complex.


Bright and neat interiors...

Fast service, great food presentation...

The sushi platter is colorful and bright... it looks too pretty to eat.

The kani sticks, salmon and tuna sashimi are our mainstays.

And the Gyudon is my lead star for the night.

Not the best, but for the price, I would say it is okay.

Mr. Choi Kitchen

We were in Robinson's Manila looking for a good dining place when we saw Mr. Choi Kitchen. The place looked nice from the outside, even better inside.

Though the tables were a bit small, the setting was neat and tidy.

We ordered our regulars when eating out at Chinese restaurants... the Yang Chow fried rice, steamed fish, the fried chicken, the crispy squid, and of course, the house pancit!

We tried some interesting items on the menu like their spinach soup and their mushrooms with tofu.

The ambiance and the service were good. The price was even better. As for the food, it wasn't bad. But we had better gustatory experiences elsewhere.