Salon De Ning Restaurant and Bar: Posh Bar for Royalties

I had the opportunity to get inside the luxurious Salon de Ning Restaurant and Bar.  I heard it’s a really expensive bar that only those well off and elite socialites can afford.  I had seen this on the television show Mel & Joey on GMA 7 and it was discussed that renting this place for like three hours can amount to Php100,000. Yes, for an exclusive use of the venue for only three hours.  It doesn’t even count the foods and cocktail drinks you would consume while inside the said bar.

I’d like to think that if you’re truly into something as lavish and grand as having to celebrate a party in a grand way—then, Salon de Ning is the place for you. Seeing the unique shoe collection inside (sorry, I had not had the chance to take photos of those) may make one feel like former first lady Imelda Marcos. You could also dream of becoming a princess or a queen. For guys, there are a few boxing mementos on display as well as boxing-ring like background in one of Salon de Ning’s spot.

The place is complete with a wide screen for private functions and other occasions.  I got the chance to get inside Salon de Ning when I attended Bounty Fresh Chic Moms event. International star Ms. Lea Salonga even sang at the said event, proving that it’s such a place for music royalties like her.

Ms. Lea Salonga rendered a song.

I could compare Salon de Ning’s designs and style with the former Club Embassy at The Fort. Just like Embassy, Salon de Ning’s interiors boasts of its trendy and unique pieces making them cool fashion statements. There were crystallized colorful embellishments and chandeliers abound. It is where the royalty of coolness and elegant party.

The posh boxing themed room in Salon De Ning.

 Salon De Ning Restaurant and Bar is located at the Manila Peninsula Hotel, Makati City.

Agave Mexican Cantinna: Mexican Foodie at its Best

The facade of Agave Mexican Cantinna

I had been a huge fan of spicy foods.  I love jalapenos and kimchi. So when I was told, we’d be going to Agave Mexican Cantina recently, I knew exactly what to eat. I had to gobble on piles of nacho, quesadillas with guacamole (mashed avocado with tomato salsa) and calamares with dip and pair it with a tall glass of bottom less iced tea.

An order of nachos was enough for three to five people.  It got loads of jalapenos, black olives, cheese, chicken bits, red beans and tomato salsa.  It’s really a treat eating such with your friends while updating stories with each other.

 Quesadillas on the other hand had melt-in-your-mouth cheese and honest to goodness salsa with guacamole on a bed of shredded lettuce.  Hmmm…thinking of such is enough to salivate me now while I’m typing on my PC.

The squid calamares is crispy up to the last bite. It is pleasingly firm and it goes well with its signature mayo dip.  The drinks are good as well. Wolfing down huge chunks of quesadillas and calamares with nachos and jalapenos, bottomless iced teas and lemonades are your best bet to help you with the extreme hotness of jalapenos. 

Eat here and your stomach will thank you for it.  Agave truly satisfies even the most discriminating palate.

Agave Mexican Cantina Restaurant is located at Tomas Morato (near Tomas Morato Circle) beside Kalye Juan on Sct. Rallos Street, Quezon City.

Lucky Me's Special Kari and Po- Ku Instant Noodles

Lucky Me's Kari noodles in all its curry goodness.

With the presence of tropical storm Bebeng hitting the country this weekend, I see no other reason why I should not give in to a steaming bowl of Lucky Me's instant noodles. I recently found out they have new flavors: Kari and Po-Ku, both with Asian flavors in mind. Kari really tasted like the way japanese noodles had curry powders on it. So if you're up for a hot, hot bowl of noodles, Kari is your best choice. It really had that Asian touch--Indian to be exact. For in every sip, you know you're being transported to Mumbai. You won't go wrong with its aroma either...it's too strong to resist.

Lucky Me's Po-Ku instant noodles is perfect for the rainy season.

Po-ku is meant to be enjoyed with family and friends over a chit-chat. It tastes like bones and bones of pork steamed into a soup thereby having its richness and goodness of a real hot pot soup. It is an honest-to-goodness soup for the rainy season. And I was burping with pride after devouring my bowl of this wonderful soup. I heard my stomach thanked me for it. And I know you would too. The best part? They're both easy to prepare and had the Lucky Me NAPA seal of approval, which meant it had no MSG. 

Lucky Me's Kari an Po- Ku are now available in the supermarkets and grocery stores.

Chowking Halo-Halo: Not as delicious as they claim to be!

It looked yummy outside but it isn't.

My entire family and I recently went to Batangas. And upon our return to the city, since it was a hot and humid day, we all decided to drop by the nearest food chain serving Halo-halo. We settled for Chowking Metrolane branch because of its proximity.

I guess because we were about twenty, it had taken quite a while before the halo-halo arrived on our tables.  Chowking’s halo-halo was indeed pleasing to the eyes. One would think it is truly an enjoyable feast because of its toppings served on the new tumbler glass. Little did I know I was in for a major disappointment.

Chowking’s Halo-halo may seem grand because it had a scoop of ice cream, beans, red tapioca balls, pinipig, monggo beans, among others. But all those stuff would be put to waste upon seeing the HUGE and BULKY ice you’ll have to go through to be able to enjoy the said summer concoction. The ice was so huge that it will probably take you like forever to melt it and before you knew it, the halo-halo would then be tasteless.  Don’t get me wrong, I know that halo-halo must all have ice shavings—yes, shavings and not bulky ice like the way almost all Chowking branches do it. In order to enjoy eating halo-halo, you have to stir the ice shavings and mix all the toppings together (that’s why it’s called halo-halo, if roughly translated means: mix-mix). But the question is, how do you mix it when all you have are enormous ice shavings heavily pressed on the glass tumbler thereby making it more difficult to stir?

We called the attention of the Chowking service crew regarding the way they served their halo-halo. We were even asking for some milk (it had actually lacked in milk and sugar) but we were told they’re going to ask for some extra charge. We bought around twenty orders of halo-halo (worth P65 each) that were all tasteless (it was probably due to that huge ice shavings) and they were asking us for an extra charge for what like two spoonfuls of milk?

I hope that through this blog post, Chowking will soon wake up and stop the taint in their brand name. It is really disappointing for customers like us. I used to like Chowking for a good number of reasons, but if they will continue to serve halo-halo as sloppy as the way they do now, then chances are, customers like us will no longer visit their store.

I remember celebrity Gerald Anderson once had this TV commercial about Chowking’s halo-halo where he claimed it’s the best and no.1 halo-halo in the country.  I’d say, liars…Where’s the truth in advertising? We all learned our lesson well. Next time we crave for halo-halo, we better head off somewhere. Even our neighbor, Mang Bobby’s halo-halo tasted a whole lot better than the ones served at Chowking’s.  The best part? It is cheaper for only P15 per order.