BLT Steak ♥ ♥

Sunday brunches are my thing. No need to wake up too early, you eat two meals in one go (or three if you have XXXL stomach storage like I do), you relax and take things slow, enjoy the view, the company, the conversation...

This bright and sunny Sunday noon, Shirley and I go to Bistro Laurent Tourondel (not Bacon Lettuce Tomato) Steak to fill up our oversized tummies.

 

First, we warm up our still half-asleep digestive systems with some munchies from the buffet table…

Plate # 1

 

   Plate # 2

 

Still not satisfied, we order an additional appetizer from the ala carte menu.

Spicy Rock Prawns, Blue Cheese Dip

This turns out to be a total disaster. The batter is too thick, the blue cheese too little, and the prawns are not even a bit spicy. And they charge $138 for that few pieces. Major. Rip. Off.

 

Australian Ribeye 12 oz

Boring, tough, and tasteless. I love the wooden popsicle stick, but the steak is actually more m-well than m-rare.

 

Wagyu Flat Iron 10 oz

Now this is more like it. The wagyu is tasty, tender and juicy. It is far from being the best, but it does not disappoint either.

 

Crêpé Soufflé, Passion Fruit Sauce 

I take a mouthful and I immediately understand why this is BLT’s bestselling dessert. The crepe soufflé is warm, moist and spongy. I let the bottom soak up as much passion fruit juice as it can absorb, and as if that is not enough, I drizzle some more on top. Each spoonful makes my mouth water and leaves me wanting more. Help! 

 

Cassis Lemon Meringue Pie, Lemon Sorbet 

I love how this baby is so photogenic and all, but after the soufflé, I’ve already exceeded my sourness quota for the day. I say chocolate people better stick to chocolates.

 

You hear that, Shirley? We’re sticking to chocolates starting today!

 

BLT Steak: Shop G62, Ground Floor, Ocean Terminal, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Tel: +852-2730-3508

Robuchon a Galera ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

We are on holiday and our clock reads 12:30pm. Nothing, I say NOTHING can drag our big and lazy asses off this super heavenly Four Seasons Hotel bed at this ungodly hour. 

Nothing, except the promise of an exceptional meal.

Robuchon a Galera is that promise.

Beautiful tasting breads

Amuse bouche - Apple-something mousse. Sorry, but my memory doesn’t function until after appetizer.

Le foie gras – Lightly smoked foie gras shaving on a Carpaccio of smoked figs with spices. Pure genius, that’s what this dish is.

La mozzarella – Crispy mozzarella with pressed fresh tomatoes in Mediterranean style. The funky looking balls taste just okay.

L’oseille - Sorrel bouillon with smoked salmon royal and touch of dill. Excellent!

L’haricot de Paimpol – White beans velouté with smoked duck breast and chorizo on top of a delicate parsley foam. The marriage of creamy and salty creates indescribable pleasure in my mouth. Bravo!

Le cabillaud – Poached black cod fish fillet with braised endives in saffron bouillon. Kinda forgettable for me.

L’onglet – Hanger steak in French-style with sautéed shallots and new potatoes. Not the best I’ve tasted, but still quite good.

L’Agneau – Grilled lamb saddle with vegetable taglierini with pesto and herbs jelly. This is my order and I love every bit of it. The lamb is extremely tender, the taglierini and herb jelly brilliant, and the mashed potato… it is the bomb!

My most awaited part of the meal - the dessert trolley! But why can’t I pick more than three? Why?????

  Chester’s plate

Frances’s plate

Still Frances’s plate (but guess who ends up eating most of it?)

And yes, this is me. Hi. My name is Jin and I am a chocoholic.

Excellent coffee and petit fours end the meal beautifully

Now can we go back to bed already?

Robuchon a Galera: 3/F Lisboa Tower, Hotel Lisboa, 2-4 Avenida de Lisboa, Macau. Tel: +853-8803-7878

Restaurante Fernando ♥

 

Restaurante Fernando is an institution in Macau. They do not accept reservations and they are always, always full.

 

 

People say you’ve never truly experienced Macau until you have a meal at this homey place in Coloane. And so we come.

 

Frances of Frannie Tales, Chester, and me

 

Ahhh… the giant breads of Macau

 

Stewed Clams in Wine Sauce – the clams are fresh and the sauce delicious. We drink the sauce using empty shells, and when scooping becomes an impossible feat, we mop the juices with the giant breads. Yum!

 

Roasted Half Chicken – quite ordinary

 

Roasted Suckling Pig – meat is tender but lacking in taste. The skin looks crispy but is actually soggy. Not our favorite.

 

Grilled Sardines – ok lah but no surprises

 

We wash it all down with a pitcher of sangria

 

Now this is what we girls love more than food – walls and walls of monies! Hahaha!

 

Restaurante Fenando: 9 Hac Sa Beach, Coloane Island, Macau. Tel: +853 2888 2264

Lawry’s ♥

So Uncle R is in town again this cold and rainy night. We need something to keep us warm, something piping hot, something nourishing, something like… Prime Rib! (Sorry, we are so not soup persons.)

But first, we order some salad in an attempt to live a healthier lifestyle. See, mom, dad, I do eat my veggies even when you’re not watching.

Famous Original Spinning Bowl Salad

A blend of crisp romaine and iceberg lettuce, shredded beets, chopped eggs, cherry tomatoes and croutons, tossed with Lawry’s vintage dressing in a salad bowl spun on a bed of ice.

 

The Salad Spinner

 

Lobster Bisque – a bit too salty but still yummy

 

Now for the prime rib, I usually have the petite cut (yeah yeah), but we are here for warmth tonight so I choose a bigger piece. Just for tonight, promise! 

Come on, chef, bring it on!

 

English Cut

I have the English Cut - three thin slices, deftly carved to heighten the beef flavor. And these are three huge thin slices! How I manage to finish everything, I blame it on the rain.

 

Diamond Jim Brady Cut

Uncle R likes his prime rib extra thick, and he likes only half of it. He packs the other half and insists I take it home. Hello there, tomorrow’s lunch!

 

Chocolate soufflé tastes quite ordinary, nothing to write home about.

 

The food at Lawry’s is ok good, but definitely not the greatest. It will not make you do cartwheels and back flips, but it is consistently good, and always reliable.

In the end, a good meal is all about the company.

 

Thank you, Uncle R, for being great company!

 

Lawry’s: 4/F, The Lee Garden, 33 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Tel. +852-2907-2218

Leland and Rachel’s Wedding Reception

 

This is the video they showed during dinner.

 

This is their love story.

Video taken by (and stolen from) Jason Magbanua

 

 

 

But nothing is sablay about their wedding reception.

 

It is magical.

 

 

The newlyweds in front of the Enderun Campus
(Photo grabbed from Lito Sy’s album)

 

 

 

 

Lee and Rach

 

 

 

 

Guests getting ready for the show

 

 

 

The fireworks are amazing but my camera’s too slow

And I’m not really a good videographer but here goes…

This is just the last few seconds of the display

 

 

 

 

The entrance

 

 

 

 

The setting

 

 

 

The cake

 

 

 

The centerpiece

 

 

 

 

The signature cocktail

The food from Makati Shangri-La:

 

Salmon gravlax with marinated artichoke salad, micro greens and honey mustard dressing

 

 

 

 

Portobello mushroom soup with truffle foam, herb and parmesan crostini

 

 

 

Herb-crusted seabass with mushroom risotto, green asparagus and lemon beurre blanc

 

 

 

Flourless chocolate cake with vanilla mascarpone cream

 

 

 

 

The bride, bridesmaids and cousins

 

 

 

 

Gimlet, Mikey, Lee, Auntie Judy, Rach, Me, Kristie, Joy and Charlie

Enderun: 1100 Campus Avenue McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, Philippines.
Tel: +632-8565000

Makati Shangri-La: Ayala Avenue corner Makati Avenue, Makati, Philippines.
Tel: +632-8138888