Hawker Heaven and a Beauty Find at Resorts World Manila

Resorts World Manila is beginning to be my new favorite place. Never mind the fact that finding an available parking spot can be a nightmare in itself. Last Saturday evening, we had planned to go there for a nightcap. But seeing that there's no available parking in any of the 2 outdoor parking lots and of that one connected to Newport, we had to turn back, make a change of plan, and head to BGC instead.


Tonight was no different, actually. Parking is still a nightmare. But we toughed it out this time. We lined up at the parking lot across Marriott and waited until people left and parking spaces cleared out. When we got there, we were the 6th car in line. Thank God that two of the cars ahead of us backed out. We were fourth in line now and in total, we still had to wait 20 minutes. They really have to do something about this parking issue.


Well, enough of my ranting. ;-) Once we got inside Newport, everything had been forgotten. We were starving and we decided to have dinner at the Old Penang Restaurant to satisfy my craving for hawker fare. You can find the Old Penang Restaurant on the 4th floor of Newport. It's right across McDonald's and it's on the same floor as the cinemas.


There's nothing fancy about the restaurant's decor. There's little space between the tables and the chairs really aren't that comfortable. You're sitting on stools, actually. They're wooden and there's nothing to rest your back on. Except for the framed black and white pictures of old Malaysia, there's really no other decor in the place. It just has the bare essentials.

When we entered the restaurant, a waiter promptly greeted us and led us to a table. Within one short minute, the menus were quickly handed out, utensils were laid out, and the waiter was able to help us make our choices. We asked about their bestsellers and the waiter, without skipping a beat, said that it was their Char Kway Teow and Roasted Chicken that topped the list. Looking around, it seemed that these were the same things that the other patrons ordered. And they looked sumptious! We trusted the waiter and ordered these along with an extra cup of Chicken Rice (the Roasted Chicken only came with 1 cup of rice) and Iced Teh Tarik to drink.

After five minutes, the first to arrive were our beverages. I took a sip of the Iced Teh Tarik (PhP85) and it did taste authentic. It wasn't too sweet that it completely masked the tea. It was just right. But for PhP85 per glass, I found it priced a little too steep. I wish they had made the serving much larger or they could bring the price down a bit. After all, a third of the glass is really just ice anyway.

A couple of minutes later, the Hainanese Roasted Chicken Set (PhP245) plus our extra Hainanese Rice (PhP50) were served. We were also served a tiny bowl of condiments for the chicken. Mixed in there already is the minced ginger, chili sauce, and soy sauce. So what did we think of their Hainanese Roasted Chicken Set? First off, we were quite impressed with the serving size. The chicken is good for 2-3 people! The meat is not as tender as the ones at Wee Nam Kee but I think Old Penang's version is definitely much tastier. The skin is soft and bursting with flavor! As for the Chicken Rice, I've had better but all in all, it's really not bad. That's just me being picky though. ;-) Altogether, we were impressed. A mere ten minutes away from where we live, we will definitely be back at Old Penang to satisfy a Hainanese chicken craving!

Oh, but we're not done with the meal yet! Just as we were enjoying our Hainanese Chicken, the Char Kway Teow (PhP220) arrived just a couple of minutes after. It was piping hot and had all the toppings that a Char Kway Teow should have. It had enough scrambled eggs, a couple of large shrimps, bean sprouts, onions, chorizo, and a few greens. The other Char Kway Teows that I've had here in Manila often ended up being too greasy. The one at Old Penang, thankfully, was not. The noodles are as gooey and "slimy" as they should be but I wish they had put in more bean sprouts. I like how the texture of the noodles juxtapose with the crunch of the bean sprouts. As for the taste, I'm sure it could be better but it's close enough to how I've had it in Singapore. It hits the spot just right. ;-)

The food at the Old Penang is a definite two thumbs up. But what's even more remarkable is the service. We were really impressed! Their waiters and staff are not only quick on their feet but they're quite attentive too. We had asked for the bill already and the waitress had started clearing our table. Even then, I was surprised that she came back to hand me a cold glass of water. It's like she read my mind. I had a glass of the Teh Tarik and was feeling a bit thirsty. And without needing to ask, the glass of cold water was served. Another waiter was in charge with processing our credit card payment. Jojo and I were in the middle of our conversation when the receipt and credit card were handed back to us in one of those leather booklets. After Jojo signed the bill, the waiter took the time to remove the credit card and receipt from the booklet and personally handed it back to Jojo. I guess he was thinking that we might forget to take it out of the leather booklet so he took the initiative to hand it back. It's these small gestures that really count. We were really pleased with the service at Old Penang. They really go out of their way to please their customers. This is one of the reasons why you'll definitely see us back there. To boot, the food is great and the prices -- for the most part, are reasonable too. It's the perfect place for a satisfying meal that is sure to transport you to Hawker Heaven! I can't wait to try the other items on their menu on our subsequent visits! ;-)

This is completely off topic but apart from Old Penang, I'd also like to share a shopping find that I discovered at one of the shops in Newport. On a recent visit a few weeks back, we bought a couple of the PhP65 face masks that we found at The Face Shop just for kicks When we got home, we immediately tried it after I was able to successfully convince Jojo to put on the face mask as well. ;-) After all, I didn't want to be only "silly-looking" one. Jojo had to be silly-looking WITH me. ;-) Well, you know what? We liked the results. Jojo commented that the face mask gave his face a certain glow. ;-) It made our skin a bit more firmer too. Because of that, Jojo and I excitedly went to The Face Shop at Newport to buy more and try the other masks as well. I didn't know which one to pick since all the other masks looked quite interesting. There's a Mung Bean face mask, cereal, lemon, and so many other variants. They also have a special promo which I just have to share. If you buy five of any combination from the Jasmine and Fennel variant, Geranium and Everlasting Flower, and/or Tea Tree and Bergamot, you can get a free Oil Pore Minimizer Sampler Set. Each of the mask sheets cost PhP95. Buy five of these for a total of PhP475 and you get the sample set too. The sampler set consists of 30 ml Controlling Toner with Powder, 30 ml Controlling Emulsion, and 5 ml Controlling Essence -- all aiming to minimize pores. I have yet to try it to see how effective it is. But so far, The Face Shop hasn't failed me. I've tried their nail polishes too and I like how they stay on without chipping. My skin is very sensitive and their mask sheets hasn't caused my skin to break out. That's a good sign. I have a feeling their Pore Minimizer Sample Set might just be as effective too. I couldn't pass up a great deal. Five mask sheets and a sample set for only PhP475. What a steal! There's still more on stock. Hurry on in to Newport's The Face Shop to catch the deal too! ;-)

A 'Socially Responsible' Gift Idea For You!

Are you done with your Christmas shopping yet? Or are you one of those people who prefer to do things last minute? Either way, I found another excellent gift idea for you. Because if you think you're done with your Christmas shopping list, think again. Did you happen to forget to add a few 'emergency gifts' on that list? From experience, I know for a fact that every year, I have "long-lost" friends and relatives that just show up out of nowhere. ;-) It's good to have at least 5 generic emergency gifts that's already wrapped, tied in a bow, and with a gift tag hanging off of it already so you can just easily write the recipient's name and pretend that you really haven't forgotten them and they were on your list all along! ;-) Hahaha! No one will ever know...;-)

Now what would make a great emergency gift? I already talked about the "Manila by Day" book on a previous entry HERE. That would make an excellent gift, actually. But then again, not everyone is fond of reading. So here's another alternative for you. What about getting the Messy Bessy sampler pack? ;-)

I saw (and bought!) this Messy Bessy sampler pack at the Mercato Weekend Market a few days ago. If you've been to the Mercato Market over at BGC, you know that Messy Bessy has a lot of competition there. There's a whole handful of other stalls that sell organic soaps, mists, environmentally-friendly cleaners, and the like. But among all these, it's this Messy Bessy sampler pack that immediately caught my eye. It's not only because it's very cheap at 300 pesos, but also because of the very neat and cute packaging of the bottles and the whole set! To boot, I love the fact that it has everything that you'll need while you're on the go. In fact, I think this would be perfect for a jet-setter friend or relative. The sampler pack comes with the following: a lavender linen spray, insect repellent, Aloe and Green Tea handwash, Green Tea hand sanitizer, and Vanilla hand cream! I LOVE it! ;-)

I got one set for myself and so far, I only got to use the hand sanitizer and hand cream. The hand sanitizer absorbs quickly and I like how it's gentle and doesn't dry your hands. It actually moisturizes it too since one of the ingredients is green tea essential oil! The neatest thing about it is that it's really not just a hand sanitizer, it can also be used as a disinfectant or surface cleaner. It's strong enough to do the job but gentle on your hands as well! Neat! ;-)

As for the scent, the green tea is not overpowering. The smell is faint but lasting. The scent stays awhile but it's not one to overpower your perfume. You'll have to put your hand close to your nose to smell the green tea. This could be a plus or minus for you. But in my opinion, I think it's a plus. Although the green tea smells nice, I'd rather that people smell my own perfume than the scent of the hand sanitizer. ;-)

As for the Vanilla hand cream, I tell ya, it certainly does the job. It moisturizes the skin so well without being greasy on the hands. Just like the hand sanitizer, the scent is faint too. Put your hands close to your nose though and you'll smell that vanilla-bordering-on-gingerbread-cookie smell. ;-) It's very nice.

So why is this Messy Bessy sampler pack a socially responsible gift? Well, for one, it's good for the environment. The bottles that these come in are all biodegradable. The ingredients used are all natural and organic too. So that makes it good for your health as well. No parabens and all that bad stuff. Most of all, did you know that Messy Bessy (the company), is part of a project called HOUSE? That stands for Helping Ourselves through Sustainable Enterprises. They're also in partnership with the Virlanie Foundation and the International Justice Mission. They help the poor and marginalized by hiring them and giving them a means for income, I assume. I think they also fund charities and help NGOs as well.

So there you go. The Mercato Market only runs Saturdays and Sundays. So the best place to go if you want to purchase would probably be their website HERE, or head on to the Echo Store at Serendra, or any Sesou stores at Glorietta, Market, Market, and other malls.

Cool Bazaar Finds

We did our bazaar rounds yesterday. I checked Clickthecity and Spot.ph and found out that there's at least 10 bazaar events going on in the city! My husband and I didn't leave the house until noon. After having lunch at Salcedo Market, we only had time to go to 4 bazaars. And at around 7 pm, we were just so tired that we called it a day and went back home. Namely, we went to the Marche Bazaar at Makati Sports Club, Esprit de Noel at A. Venue, the Brown Bag Market at The Collective, and the Karl Edwards Bazaar at the BGC (Bonifacio Global City). Esprit de Noel mostly sold clothes, branded overruns, toys, and perfumes. The Brown Bag Market sold bag organizers, books, a few dessert items, and clothes as well. These two bazaars were nice too but most of our cool finds were really from the Marche Bazaar and Karl Edwards. Here's a small list of my awesome finds from one afternoon of bazaar-hopping: ;-)

1.) Customized Jewellery Boxes

Every year, it always seems to be a challenge to find the most perfect gift for my in-laws. My mother-in-law, in particular, already has a large and varied collection of perfumes, bags, and shoes. Jojo's sisters (ie: my sister-in-laws) always give her watches and jewellery so that's out of the question too. She's got all the cooking supplies that she needs and she's not much of a techie person so gadgets might not be appreciated. What else is there to give?!?? ;-) Well, I had a big lightbulb moment when I passed through this particular stall at the Marche bazaar. The nice red texture of the jewellery boxes caught my eye. Heyyyyyy, why not give her a jewellery box?!?? ;-) I looked through the set and found them in many different sizes and uses. There's one for watches that come with small pillows inside already. There's another particularly for bracelets and bangles. And there's another where you can specifically store rings and earrings. And the best part of it all? They customize!

I spoke with the nice lady that manned the booth. I'm pretty sure she's the owner. She's so pleasant to talk to and she even gave us a discount! I told her I wanted a whole jewellery box set. One would be a really large one with a window and compartments inside -- 2/3 of the box with large compartments for bangles and bracelets and the other third, with much smaller compartments for necklaces. I wanted two smaller jewellery boxes too. Each of these will be half the size of the larger jewellery box so you can pile them all up perfectly. Anyway, one of the smaller jewellery boxes will be for watches -- 3 compartments with pillows. The other would just be for rings and earrings. To store them, you'll just have to stick them in these slots. All of the jewellery boxes will match, of course. They'll be in this bright red color --- my mother in law's favorite! Your jaw will drop after hearing how much everything is. They're all only 1,000 pesos ($40 USD roughly). She asked for a 50% deposit and she'll have them delivered for free too. That is, as long as you're in the Makati area. I got her to have them delivered at Jojo's office. The lady promised that by Friday (6 days later), Jojo should have the jewellery box sets already. Super cool! ;-) I regretted not having a whole set customized for myself too. Well, the good news is that although they don't have a physical store (except at these bazaars), you can order from them anytime. Here's her contact info if you want to order some for yourself or as gifts too! ;-)

Name: Kath Bautista

Website: santafactory.multiply.com

Email: kathbautista888@gmail.com

Phone: (632) 506-2523

Mobile: (0917) 587-5250

2.) Notepad Sets, Notebook Sets, Recipe Organizer, Calling Card Organizers, etc.

This is another stall that we found at the Marche Bazaar. It was one of the first that we saw, actually. Being a sucker for everything cute and pretty (of course!), it was the polka-dotted and damask boxes that caught my eye. They came in different colors too. The stall also sold box sets with pad paper in them. There's this cute green and pink box that had 6 small pads of paper with the heading "Things to Do." There's also another set that came in a different box with the heading "To do," "To Buy," and "To Call" right at the top. You can circle one of the three and there you have it -- a multi-purpose pad paper. I guess any pad paper can have multiple purposes. But isn't it neat to have it come with the heading already? ;-) Just one of those things...;-)

There's a bunch of other stuff there. I took a minute to browse through the stall and within that time, 2 ladies came by and bought in bulk! Between the two of them, I think they bought about 20 or 30 of these notebook sets that they had. A set came with three notebooks in a box for only 100 pesos! What a deal! I think they also bought a set of 10 handcrafted any-occasion cards that also came in a box. I didn't buy any of those so I don't have pictures. Although it was tempting to get them, frankly, I didn't have anyone to buy it for. I'm done with the girls on my Christmas list and I had to practice restraint. Boy stuff is what I needed to get. Anyway, you can order from them year round. Just give them a call, send an email, or purchase online! Interested? Check out their contact info below:

Name: Lilit Almendral

Website: boxesandprints.multiply.com

Email: lilitalmendral@yahoo.com

Phone: (632) 890-6954

Address: 3300 Zapote Street, Makati City

3.) Sugar Plum Bath Sets, Lotion, and other Toiletries

We found this stall over at Karl Edwards. Karl Edwards run their bazaars every weekend, I think. So if you want to, I'm sure you can still catch them and purchase straight from this stall. Anyway, it's really impossible to miss this stall. Not only will your nose lead you there (the stall smells very fruity and fragrant!) but the decor will catch your eye because it's really as girly as girly can be! ;-) Out of a better adjective or comparison, let me say that it was very 'Crabtree and Evelyn' but in a more girly and whimsical sort of way. I literally hyperventilated when I saw the stall and my husband can attest to that. ;-) You see, I'm also a sucker when it comes to bath sets, lotions, and anything that smells nice. And this stall had all of that. To top it all off (which is the reason why I hyperventilated a second time!), the stall was on sale too!!! Oh my! ;-) Let me just give you a rundown of the prices from memory. Their lotions were only 80 pesos each, bath sets (soap, lotion, and bath gel in a metal case or this small porcelain tub) were only 120 pesos, sprays and mists were only 150 pesos, and larger bath sets started at 200 pesos, I think. Everything was presented nicely with ribbons and all. Best of all, I found out that Sugarplum does not test on animals as it said at the back of the bottle. The scents range from Strawberry cream (my favorite among the lot!), Raspberry Vanilla, Sweet Pea, Cherry Blossom, and many others. I've had the chance to try their lotion and I like how the scent is not too overpowering. It smells very nice and it does stay, but it's not one to overpower your perfume. It absorbs fine and isn't greasy at all. I like it! ;-) By the way, they also sell scent diffusers for only 200 pesos. From our visit there, it seems that this is their most popular item. I'll just have to remember to come back and buy this next time. ;-)

4.) Inexpensive Perfumes, Lip Balms, Mists, Make up, and Gift Sets

You'll have to forgive me because I didn't get the name of the stall and we weren't able to take pictures as well. We were in a rush to go because we were trying to reach the credit card payment booth which closed at 7 pm over at the Karl Edwards bazaar. So how can you find this booth? If I remember correctly, it's near the middle part of the bazaar. You won't miss it because it's the stall that sells Burt's Bees lip balm, lotion, and other Mary Kate and Ashley make up at 3 for 120 pesos!!! They sell Victoria's Secret mist and lotion at 2 for 550 pesos! I also bought these mini-travel sets from Victoria's Secret and Jessica Mclintock (for the reason that this scent reminds me of my Mom!) for only 450 pesos each or 3 for 1,000 pesos!!! It was just crazy!!!! Sorry for all the exclamation marks, by the way. ;-) Oh, another way to find this booth? It's the one with a lot of people crowding around it. I really wanted to browse some more but I was peeved with all these girls crowding around the table like they're the only people in the world. Like, seriously! Don't they know that there's a hyperventillating shopaholic behind them??!?? ;-) Hahaha! ;-) I browsed through their stuff quickly and decided to come back to wait until everybody's gone. But when I came back, there was another group of people crowding around it! Well, as any crazy shopaholic would do, I squeezed in or at least tried to stick my arm between all these people and grabbed at all the items that I could. ;-) I ended up buying 6 things from the 3 for 120 pesos box and 3 of the travel sets. Apart from the 2 Victoria's Secret and 1 Jessica Mclintock travel sets, I mostly stocked up on the Burt's Bees products and this eye serum for eye bags. Check out the rest of my loot below. Sadly, I didn't get a business card either. I'm pretty sure this stall is a mainstay at the Karl Edwards bazaar. So check it out before the sale is over! ;-)

Happy shopping, everyone! In the spirit of the Christmas season (well, the 'commercial' gift-giving part of it, that is), my coming entries will revolve around gift ideas and themes that could help you in finally completing that list! Merry Christmas! ;-)

Pampering yourself at home

One thing about Jojo and I is that we love massages! Admittedly, we're both too lazy to give each other a full body one. Actually, make that I'M too lazy to give a massage. ;-) And after a long day at work, we both get too lazy to go out and find a spa or massage place too. So the next best thing or most logical thing to do would be to call for a home massage service! ;-)

Jojo and I must have tried more than a dozen of these home services. Whenever we'd get a new flier in the mail, we'd try them out in search for the best massage and most professional therapists out there. We've had a whole gamut of experiences with these home massage services. There are those that just poke and pinch -- seeming to not have an idea of what they're doing as well as a few therapists that cause even more tension and pain to your body as oppose to trying to ease and relax it! Too painful! And there's that one therapist that we encountered too that felt too "at-home" at our place -- thinking of himself as a guest at our house. We were getting a few services done and he had to wait for his turn. I was surprised to see him sprawled on our couch sleeping while waiting for us. He went to the bathroom without asking for permission and even took a cookie from the batch that I had on the table without the usual "pleasantries." Not only that. He did a foot spa on my friend. And somehow, rubbed too too hard when he tried to exfoliate. My friend asked him to go gentler a few times but I guess he didn't listen. In the end, my friend had two bleeding toes with cuts! Needless to say, this home spa service (Revived Senses) is blacklisted. Never again.

Well, after going through all these experiences, we were able to weed them out and find two home spa service providers that are really good. One focuses on massage and body scrubs while the other focuses mostly on salon services.

Angel's Home Massage, for months now, has been our suki. Our balikbayan relatives who stayed with us has tried them. I recently organized a small spa party with my friends and they've tried them too. All of them have given Angel's Home Massage a thumbs up! Not only are their services incredibly cheap but their therapists are professional too. Oh and the massages -- wow! I'm not a big fan of hard massages. I go for the gentler ones that provide just enough pressure to release the knots. If this is your thing, you would probably want to request for Susan. She's available except for Fridays. Now I don't normally fall asleep when I'm given a massage. I don't know why that is. But with Susan, I'm always falling asleep. It's just so relaxing and it feels so good!

If you prefer harder massages, just let them know that when you give them a call. You'll find all of the info and rates in the flier below. It's not an updated flier but do note that they've made their massages cheaper. For a one-hour massage, all you have to pay is 200 pesos. If you want it for an hour and a half, that's when you pay 250 pesos. Amazing huh? ;-) By the way, I haven't tried their body scrubs yet. But Jojo and I can really vouch for their massages. All rave reviews from everyone who's tried them! ;-)

For salon services, I usually try to go to Freshaire at Market, Market. They're the best when it comes to manicures, pedicures, and foot spas. They're gentle and I don't ever get stressed when it comes to them removing the ingrown toenail. ;-) Oh and that's where I also have my hot oil, highlights, and cut. But for waxing, I go to Lay Bare. They're conveniently right across each other at Market, Market. But during my "lazy" days, I go for Salon-at-Home. When I feel like getting a mani/pedi at 11 pm, it's not going to be a problem. That's because they are able to provide these services from 10 am until midnight! Give them less than 30 minutes and they're there right at your doorstep. I've gone for their mani/pedi and their foot spa a number of times. They come in with everything that they need -- even the mini-chair for the therapist and towels. All you have to do is plop your feet up, really. ;-) All the while, you can type a blog, check your FB account, watch TV, or read! And it can all be done even with your PJs on. ;-) This is what I call multitasking. This can't be done when you're at a real salon.

What I can say about Salon-at-Home is that they're very professional and efficient. You can tell that they've done this a number of times. My nails ended up looking great! And I love the fact that they use imported nail polishes. From what I recall, I think I ended up picking this bright red nail polish from The Face Shop the last time. She applied about three coats of it and it looked fabulous! Not to mention the fact that it didn't chip easily too. That's unlike the Ever Bilenas and Cutex nail polishes that other salons only have available. For more info on Salon-at-Home, check out the flier below.
Have 700 pesos on you? With that, you can have your pampering right this minute! ;-) For that amount, it's amazing that you can have your mani/pedi done, foot spa, and a 1-hour massage too -- in the privacy of your own home! Enjoy! ;-)