New Baits at Fish & Co.

I love fish and chips, and for me, Fish & Co. serves the best! Of course, it is not the only dish Fish & Co. is known for... and just recently, they unveiled new dishes, made by Chef Boutwood, the corporate chef of the Bistro Group. I, of course, was there to try it out.


Shrimp Popcorn
Tender chunks of shrimp coated in our signature spices and deep fried to perfection. Served with chipotle mayo dip.

What a great way to start a feast! It might be simple, but it was just so good! My companions for this food trip loved it, too, that we couldn't get over it even after we tasted the other dishes.


Fish Crab Cakes
Premium crab and fish flakes blended with spices and herbs then topped with cilantro salsa.

I loved that the patties were pure crabmeat and fish flakes without extenders inside, but I am not a big fan of crabmeat so this one was just an okay dish for me.


Smoked Fish and Crab Dip
Smoked Fish and premium crab blended with cream cheese.

Smoked fish and cream cheese just went well together! I loved it with the pita bread (or was it tortilla?), although I wish there would be more bread because the dip was so flavorful that one didn't need to put a lot onto the bread.


Steamed Mussels in Pico de Gallo

I wasn't able to get the details of this dish, but one thing to know is that this tasted so good! I loved how big the mussels were inside, and the ingredients just helped give the shellfish more oomph!


Salmon Canelloni 
Salmon filled pasta sheets topped with cheesy bechamel sauce.

Salmon is one of my favorite fish, but it has a flavor that can be a little overwhelming. This dish had big chunks of salmon (and not the flake kind), but I didn't get the "umay" factor because of the bechamel and the pasta sheet. Eating this reminds me of the Salmon Rillet I got to taste last Christmas.


Fresh Tuna Picatta
Fresh tuna seared to perfection and topped with lemon caper sauce. Served with aglio olio pasta and seasoned vegetable.

My favorite dish of the day! I don't eat raw meat, but even if the inside part of the meat was still pinkish and soft, I ate it with gusto because the outside part was cooked enough to provide the contrast in flavor and texture. Super fresh tuna meat was used - I got to taste its natural sweetness and the lemon caper sauce helped to take out the fishy flavor fish normally have. It was a perfect match for the aglio olio pasta... but even if this dish is good enough for sharing, I would probably finish this serving all by myself.


Soft Shell Crab Pasta
Perfectly cooked spaghetti blended with crab fat and topped with soft shell crab.

Oh my goodness, what a rich, rich plate of pasta! It was another great tasting dish, but because I am having problems with my blood pressure, I only had a forkful of it, plus a taste of the soft shell crab. Now, with the crab... I just wish all crabs would be like this - it was amazing to eat the claws without having to worry about the shells. This would be something my mom would fall in love with.

Two more dishes were part of this new set of baits - the Fish & Co. Paella, which I didn't get to taste that much so I won't have a thing to say about it and the Calamari Tacos, which I didn't get to taste at all. I am not so crazy about Paella in general, so when I come back to dine at Fish & Co., I would try the tacos, because I have tasted beef, chicken, and fish tacos... I wanna know how calamari taco taste like.


Banana Caramel Pie
We ended the meal with a sweet note. It was difficult to chew on the frozen bananas (because I have sensitive teeth), but I loved it a lot! The crust was thick that balanced the amount of cream, and the caramel just bound all together.

These dishes are now available in all Fish & Co. branches, but if there would be a good time to visit the store, I suggest you go there during lunch time because they currently have the Happy Lunching Promo that gives you a full meal - with soup and drink from 295 pesos. This promo is available Mondays through Fridays, but is not valid with other promos and discounts including TBC and Premier cards.

Happy fishing!

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7-Eleven Slurpee Bring Your Cup Day

I think all of us just love Slurpee. I for one, loves filling up the cup provided by the 7-Eleven staff, trying to fit as much product as I can to the point of tapping the cup into the counter, because admit it or not... filling the cup is part of the fun.

Well now... not only do you get to pour your own Slurpee, you can also bring your own cup and enjoy the goodness of Slurpee for only 29 pesos!


On November 07, 2013... 7-Eleven, in partnership with Coca-Cola will have the Bring Your Own Cup Day, wherein you can bring whatever kind of cup you want to bring - no matter how small or big. Of course, there will be rules. All 7-Eleven stores will have a standee with a hole, and if your cup fits the "maCUPangyarihang bilog," you can use such container.

Other things to consider:

• The container has to be fixed in shape. Even if there will be curves and even if the container has a crazy shape, as long as it is fixed, it's good. What's prohibited is the usage of plastic bags (sando bags, garbage bags, to name a few).
• It has to be clean and watertight.
• There should be no leaks or drips. You can bring your tall pitcher and tilt it to fit the hole, but there should be no spills on the floor. If you're going to bring tall containers, better bring its lid as well.
• Strictly one cup per customer. If you have a lot of unique containers, pay for one cup first, then line again for the other containers.
• No refills, of course. Let's not abuse this awesome opportunity to splurge on Slurpee.

There will be two flavors for the Slurpee Bring Your Own Cup Day at 7-Eleven - the cool and classic Cola and Rad Raspberry. Take your pick among the two and enjoy your frozen drink.



I still don't know if they will allow combining two flavors come BYO Cup Day, but this event is going to be available for one day, so be creative and choose your container well. Whether it's a thermos, a kettle, a blender, a hard hat... or your pet's dish, as long as it fits the maCUPangyarihang bilog, it's fair play.

Here's the best part of all - 7-Eleven is going to give away 5,000 pesos to the customer with the best container. On November 07 until November 08, all those who availed of this treat can upload their images on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag - #BYOCupDay.

I am now thinking of what crazy container to bring, but I have to select carefully because this event has already happened in Australia and Malaysia, and people there have already brought all sorts of crazy containers. Save the date - November 07, 2013... and don't forget to Bring Your Cup!

This promo is open at all 7-Eleven branches nationwide.

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The First Time We Used Our Enjoy Philippines Card

As soon as my sister and I decided to use the resort accommodations we won from the Enjoy Philippines Mid-Year party, we immediately consulted our Enjoy Philippines' member's booklet to know where we could use our card and enjoy its perks.



Some of the food establishments offer discounts, but the Lemon i Cafe was the only place that offered Buy 1 Take 1 on Main Course dishes, something that really got us super excited. On our last meal at Boracay, we went to the Cafe to enjoy their food.


First thing we did was to consult the cafe's staff regarding our Enjoy Philippines cards and vouchers. I asked so many questions, which the staff answered graciously. Since both my sister and I are members, we were advised to have separate bills so both of us could use our vouchers. We either choose two dishes with the same price, or choose two differently priced dishes and pay for the one with the higher price. The main course section of their menu wasn't that extensive, so we had to carefully select which dishes to choose.


Lemon and Thyme Roast Chicken with Sauteed Potatoes
It may just be 1/4 of a chicken, but it was very big for us three to share. The chicken meat was tender, juicy, and very flavorful, even without the glaze. The potatoes were cooked just right and the bell peppers as well as the young corn were crunchy. It had enough vegetables that rice was no longer needed to enjoy the chicken meat.


Tiger Prawns with Spinach and Coconut Risotto
We might have had shrimps for dinner last night, but my mom still wanted to eat shrimps or prawns, so when we asked her to make a choice among the dishes, this was her only choice. I loved how soft the risotto was, made creamy with the coconut cream. The spinach added a very interesting flavor and texture, but it was also good to eat as is.


Chicken and Pancetta Carbonara
This was heaven! Although I am not a fan of crispy bacon - or pancetta - I appreciated that it was topped on the bed of pasta and not mixed into the sauce. I also opted for the freshly milled pepper, which made the pasta much better.


Poached Salmon with Penne Tossed in Creamy White Wine Sauce
This was another great tasting dish, and the salmon was cooked and seasoned perfectly - such a great pair for the pasta, but I guess even if we carefully planned the dishes to choose, I had a little regret for choosing this one because one creamy pasta after another was a little too much for our tummies to handle - especially for me who cannot really tolerate a big amount of dairy products. The only thing I reminded myself was that this dish had a big chunk of salmon... that even without the pasta, it was already worth our money.

The first two dishes were something sister chose, with the prawns as the more expensive dish compared to the chicken. I chose both pasta dishes, with the salmon having a more expensive price tag.


Lemon Merengue
The Lemon i Cafe is also known for their baked goodies, and we didn't pass the chance to buy one of their pastries. Since the place bears the name "lemon," I chose the Lemon Merengue as our dessert. It might looked burned, but it didn't taste like that, actually, it tasted great. The merengue had a light sweetness that went well with the tangy, tarty lemon filling, that us girls totally raved about. It was a little expensive for 160 pesos, but it was big enough to share and the taste was definitely amazing!


Mocha Coffee
Mom and I opted to go for bottled water, but sister asked for a cup of coffee just to perk her senses. This cup of goodness wasn't only appetizing to the eyes, it's richness and good balance of sweetness and creaminess was also drink-gasmic!

Despite the two free dishes, we still ended up paying more than one thousand pesos, because the prawns dish was already 600 pesos. Although expensive, the servings were good enough for sharing, and the experience wasn't something you can put a price tag on. It may be the second time this year for me to travel to Boracay, but it took me 20 years before my dreams of setting foot in the island came true, so the amount we paid was just fine, considering that we didn't know when to travel to Boracay again.

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Lemon i Cafe
D'Mall - Station 2
Boracay Island, Aklan

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Jollibee is Giving Away 35 Bucket Treats!

What's your favorite Jollibee treat? Personally, I love their Jolly Hotdog and Burger Steak, but whenever the family would dine at Jollibee, I always find myself ordering the Jolly Chickenjoy + Spaghetti meal. My mom always choose the Jolly Chickenjoy + Palabok meal. I have a lot of fond memories about the Jolly Chickenjoy... back when we were kids, the only time brother and I could taste this was during Christmastime - as this was the usual choice of food during Christmas parties at mom's office. I remember mom would always opt to take home her share of Christmas party food just so we could enjoy it.

From then 'til now Jolly Chickenjoy still satisfies us. Currently, eating at Jollibee has been one of the ways us sibling bond with our dearest mother, because whenever we are out and we are thinking of where to eat, her vote would always go to Jollibee.




Every week until the 27th of October, Jollibee is giving away Jolly Chickenjoy Bucket Treats (8 pieces of Jolly Chickenjoy, 4 rice, 4 regular drinks, and 4 regular Crisscut Fries) to 35 lucky Jollibee diners. It is open to all interesting participants at least 18 years of age and is currently residing in the Philippines. To qualify, first thing to do is to register for the promo, which can be accessed through the Jollibee website. If you want to join, visit www.jollibee.com.ph/promos, for the full mechanics.

All of us have a particular fondest Jollibee moment. I'm sure those moments were spent with people dear to us. The Jolly Chickenjoy Bucket Treat is available until the 27th, giving you less than 10 days to join, so go and join now!

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Buy One Take One on Amici Pizzas on July 27!

Weekends are considered a day to spend with family and friends, that's why on Saturday - 27 July 2013, in celebration of Amici's anniversary, they are having a Buy 1 Take 1 offering. For every pizza ordered, you get a free pizza among Amici's bestsellers - Tutta Carne (Italian sausage, ham and pepperoni) or Margherita (mozzarella cheese and fresh basil).

Pizzas on Amici's menu:

• Sausage & Three-Cheese - Italian sausage, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, cheese sauce topped with roasted bell peppers
• Meat Ragu -  Amici's signature meaty Ragu sauce, pepperoni, provolone cheese, parmesan and mushrooms
• Walnut, Arugula & Parmesan -  walnuts, arugula, blue cheese and shaved parmesan
• Spinach and Chorizo Top-Crust Pizza -  spinach cream, horizo and mozzarella embedded in a rosemary herbed pizza crust
• Chorizo Portobello - chorizo, Italian sausage and portobello mushrooms 
• Sausage Pesto Pizza -  pesto sauce, Italian sausage, mushrooms and roasted garlic cloves
• Bacon & Cream Cheese -  crispy bacon bits, caramelized onions, mushrooms and cream cheese
• Quattro Verdure -  zucchini, eggplant, mixed bell peppers and broccoli 
• Capricciosa - ham, Italian sausage, black olives
• Napoletana -  anchovies and olives
• Al Quattro Formaggi - mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan and blue cheese
• Prosciutto e Funghi -  savory prosciutto with scrumptious mushrooms
• Quattro Stagioni - ham, mushrooms, artichoke hearts and black olives
• Frutti di Mare - squid, shrimp, mussels and clams
• Chorizo e Spinaci - Spanish chorizo and spinach in white sauce

If those choices are still not enough, Amici now has two pizzas on their menu:


Truffle Mushroom Pizza (430 pesos)
A luxe choice pizza with portobello, shiitake, and porcini mushrooms mixed with truffle oil, mozzarella cheese, and topped with arugula leaves.

Tomatoes, cheese, and mushroom sure go well together, and this one is a great alternative for people who would like to lessen their meat intake because the mushroom seems to give the taste and texture of meat. The arugula leaves provide a different flavor, but don't forget to drizzle a lot of hot sauce... this tastes better spicy!


Smoked Salmon Top-Crust Pizza (395 pesos)
An innovative pizza variety with smoked salmon, capers, black olives, tomatoes, bechamel sauce, and mozzarella cheese embedded in a crispy pizza crust.

At first glance, I exclaimed it looked like quesadilla, but unlike the quesadilla, this doesn't use tortilla bread, but two thin pizza crusts. Having two thin crusts sandwiching the fillings with intense flavors, this was a winner pizza in my books!

Amici's pizza crust is something I love. I always mention that I am not a big fan of thin crust pizzas, but this I liked because it is not oily and it has the chewy texture I prefer.

The Buy 1 Take 1 pizza offer on July 27th is available on all Amici branches - Don Bosco, Tomas Morato, SM Megamall, Greenhills, Alabang Town Center, Ayala Triangle Gardens, Venice Piazza, and UP Ayala Technohub - but can only be availed thru dine-in or take out transactions. Deliveries aren't included. Also, one can only avail of two pizzas (with two free pizzas) per transaction, so if you want to have more free pizzas, have separate transactions. :)

For updates and more details, please head on to the Amici Website and/or like their Facebook Page.

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