A text message came in from my Bicolana friend FM2 setting a dinner date with me and PDG. FM2 is one of the friends I mentioned in a previous blog who, for the longest time, was single because of her constant exposure to my "radiation" (see Blog: Truman). The moment she moved out of Manila, she has broken out of the curse and immediately found the love of her life. Unfortunately, the only time the three of us could meet is whenever she has business dealings in the Metro, like last Saturday, when we agreed to meet in Bonifacio High Street.
Surprise! Surprise! There she came with her new 22lbs-skinnier body. She looked great and she was feeling and working it. It turned out that the only thing she needed to do to lose weight was to cut down on food and eat fresh and healthy. When she was still living in Manila, she's tried all possible physical activities from yoga, to street dancing, to such extreme as fire dancing. her weight seesawed but eventually settled on the heavier end. When she moved back to the province, she accidentally found the perfect solution. It turned out that their cook, well, isn't a good one forcing her to eat less. And because she's in the province, fresh fruits and vegetables are readily available alternatives as opposed to the fast food she's used to in Manila.
And what better way to celebrate this feat than to, ahmmm, pig out! LOL!
And because the two of them are my co-authors of Golden Rule No. 1, they took charge in hunting for the resto to try. We proceeded to Serendra where most of the restos are clustered. We eventually settled with DZao, which offers Vietnamese cuisine.
We were a bit hesitant at first because compared to its neighbors, the place was practically empty as there were only two other customers when we got in. Although I love the ambiance because the interior is kept simple yet elegant.
I let the girls decide on the food, I having very little awareness of Vietnamese cuisine. And these were what we had:
Seafood Pho @ 225:
which you further season with this:
All three of us agreed that this soup looked and tasted clean and simple. Though personally, I preferred it hotter than it was, I really don't like my soup almost lukewarm.
Zao Fried Rice @ 195:
Lemongrass Chicken @ 265:
Again, we were unanimous in saying that both the rice and the chicken had strong flavors. I, being very averse to salty food, find the two a bit too salty for my taste. I understand that salted eggs should be, well, salty, but the one in the fried rice was like salt itself. However, I still ended up finishing everything as I always do.
Beef Satay @ 195:
The satay was tender and tasted good but it did not standout enough to distinguish it from the other grilled beef I had. I even remember more fondly the tasty barbecue I had at Beach House in UP Diliman.
For our drinks, FM2 had Coke Zero, PDG had Tamarind Iced tea and I, despite my previous experience with a flower-flavored drink, had Jasmine Iced Tea. I was lucky that this time, it was not like drinking a fabric conditioner like when I had a free taste of Rose Juice at Orchard Road resto in Megamall.
Another thing worth mentioning about DZAO is the most uncomfortable restaurant seat I've sat on in my life. It looked Cobunpue-ish but I swear it is not ergonomic!
After dinner, as usual, PDG was craving for yogurt so we proceeded to Hobbes and Landes, a toy store in Bonifacio High Street with a yogurt store inside. But because I did not want to commit the same blunder in putting together a yogurt as I did at Golden Spoon, I let them choose for me.
While slurping on our yogurt, FM2 could not stop talking about how much she missed Manila. I guess having lived here practically half her life, it would be really hard to re-adapt herself to rural life. I had to excuse myself for a moment for a very urgent call of nature, leaving the two girls with their girl talk, which I could not, despite my open-mindedness, listen to.
To cap the night, we decided to proceed to Venetian in Mckinley for coffee but along the way, we changed our mind and went to Resort World in Pasay instead, and I must say that the Chinese New Year was very much in the air.
After wandering around the Casino area, in which no cameras are allowed, we finally sat down for coffee and smoothies at Cafe au lait. Prices are steep but expected in a place like that. FM2 had Cafe Americana, PDG had Dulce de Leche Smoothie and I had Blueberry Smoothie because I saw one served in a big bowl-like glass which I was excited to take a picture of for my blog. However, I was terribly disappointed when mine was served in a tall glass instead. Anyway, I got over it quickly because it was really delicious at 200.
It was a great time as usual, having missed FM2 for the months she was away. I certainly hope however that that eating spree we had would not slide FM2 back to her pre-22lbs-skinnier self.
Surprise! Surprise! There she came with her new 22lbs-skinnier body. She looked great and she was feeling and working it. It turned out that the only thing she needed to do to lose weight was to cut down on food and eat fresh and healthy. When she was still living in Manila, she's tried all possible physical activities from yoga, to street dancing, to such extreme as fire dancing. her weight seesawed but eventually settled on the heavier end. When she moved back to the province, she accidentally found the perfect solution. It turned out that their cook, well, isn't a good one forcing her to eat less. And because she's in the province, fresh fruits and vegetables are readily available alternatives as opposed to the fast food she's used to in Manila.
And what better way to celebrate this feat than to, ahmmm, pig out! LOL!
And because the two of them are my co-authors of Golden Rule No. 1, they took charge in hunting for the resto to try. We proceeded to Serendra where most of the restos are clustered. We eventually settled with DZao, which offers Vietnamese cuisine.
We were a bit hesitant at first because compared to its neighbors, the place was practically empty as there were only two other customers when we got in. Although I love the ambiance because the interior is kept simple yet elegant.
I let the girls decide on the food, I having very little awareness of Vietnamese cuisine. And these were what we had:
Seafood Pho @ 225:
which you further season with this:
All three of us agreed that this soup looked and tasted clean and simple. Though personally, I preferred it hotter than it was, I really don't like my soup almost lukewarm.
Zao Fried Rice @ 195:
Lemongrass Chicken @ 265:
Again, we were unanimous in saying that both the rice and the chicken had strong flavors. I, being very averse to salty food, find the two a bit too salty for my taste. I understand that salted eggs should be, well, salty, but the one in the fried rice was like salt itself. However, I still ended up finishing everything as I always do.
Beef Satay @ 195:
The satay was tender and tasted good but it did not standout enough to distinguish it from the other grilled beef I had. I even remember more fondly the tasty barbecue I had at Beach House in UP Diliman.
For our drinks, FM2 had Coke Zero, PDG had Tamarind Iced tea and I, despite my previous experience with a flower-flavored drink, had Jasmine Iced Tea. I was lucky that this time, it was not like drinking a fabric conditioner like when I had a free taste of Rose Juice at Orchard Road resto in Megamall.
Another thing worth mentioning about DZAO is the most uncomfortable restaurant seat I've sat on in my life. It looked Cobunpue-ish but I swear it is not ergonomic!
After dinner, as usual, PDG was craving for yogurt so we proceeded to Hobbes and Landes, a toy store in Bonifacio High Street with a yogurt store inside. But because I did not want to commit the same blunder in putting together a yogurt as I did at Golden Spoon, I let them choose for me.
While slurping on our yogurt, FM2 could not stop talking about how much she missed Manila. I guess having lived here practically half her life, it would be really hard to re-adapt herself to rural life. I had to excuse myself for a moment for a very urgent call of nature, leaving the two girls with their girl talk, which I could not, despite my open-mindedness, listen to.
To cap the night, we decided to proceed to Venetian in Mckinley for coffee but along the way, we changed our mind and went to Resort World in Pasay instead, and I must say that the Chinese New Year was very much in the air.
After wandering around the Casino area, in which no cameras are allowed, we finally sat down for coffee and smoothies at Cafe au lait. Prices are steep but expected in a place like that. FM2 had Cafe Americana, PDG had Dulce de Leche Smoothie and I had Blueberry Smoothie because I saw one served in a big bowl-like glass which I was excited to take a picture of for my blog. However, I was terribly disappointed when mine was served in a tall glass instead. Anyway, I got over it quickly because it was really delicious at 200.
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| Blueberry Smoothie |
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| Dulce de Leche |
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| Cafe Americana |
great blog! funny too!
ReplyDeletethank you, thank you, FM2! :D
ReplyDelete