Bizu Patisserie

Bizu, 10 yrs and more 

      September 7, me and Angel attended the Bizu bloggers party at Greenbelt 2.  I came 30mins early, but eventually came late because I had a hard time finding the restaurant (the invitation said it was on Greenbelt 4).  As far as I can remember, Bizu was the place where I always bought some of those colorful and delicious french macarons that Angel loved so much and it was in the area where I normally park.  But then I knew it had already been transferred so I tried looking for it around Greenbelt.  I eventually found out it was within the area of the bars in Greenbelt 2, so I hurried there and found that the event was going to be held in the lounge area in front the store.

     It was really a sight to be hold, the place was so beautifully designed to make you feel like you're in a classy resto and yet still feel at home.  While I was waiting for Angel, I was handed a disposable cam which we were given the task to use up because the photos inside it would be posted at the Bizu website and that they would pick one picture which would show happiness caught in the moment. I was accompanied by Oms in a few while and we just enjoyed each others company while we wait for Angel.  We were given "hors d'oeuvres" which was French for appetizers and white wine.

 

      Aaron, part owner of Bizu, gave us a brief history of Bizu.  Bizu actually came from the French word "Bisous" which means kiss.  Since it was hard to spell, they used Bizu instead coming from the word "Beso" which also mean't kiss in Filipino.  I had a ton of information overload, but I new well to remember the things I learned from his talk since it doesn't hurt to have some additional information ^_^

     As we were given our set meal, Aaron also gave us some info as well regarding the dish we were having.  This is the delicious menu given to us by Bizu:

French Onion Soup, classic onion jus braised with balsamic vinegar, croutons, and gruyere cheese

Truffle Salad, warm mushroom with asparagus, truffle jus dressing on mesclun

10-Hour U.S. Roast Beef, slow-cooked USDA beef belly, potato gratin, grilled vegetable, horseradish and mushroom espagnole

Trio Desserts, Strawberry Chiboust, Opera Cake, and Macaron de Paris (Lemon)

     We also had fun playing games and also engaging in the question and answer portion which had topics coming from Aaron's discussion regarding Bizu's origin.  I think all of us we in one way or another.  I really enjoyed this event, because I learned a lot, had tons of fun, and also was able to taste a very delicious meal.  Truly Bizu had captured their theme for this night, "Joie de Vivre" or the joy of living.  Everywhere you looked, most of the people were having so much fun either with the food their eating, the prize they won, and the tons of smiles shared by each person who was enjoying the night.  Thank you so much for sharing this memorable event Bizu! I wish you have more years to come!

In case you want to join Bizu's photo contest, you can visit their website at www.bizupatisserie.com or facebook.com/ilovebizu for the complete contest mechanics and registration forms.

BenMore Scotch Whisky

A New Taste Of Scotland 

      On September 6, I had the opportunity to attend the release of a new brand of drinks designed to captivate your senses and give the beautiful taste of a whiskey in an affordable price.  

      Diageo, a leader in the liquor industry introducing popular brands such as Johnnie Walker, J&B, Jose Cuervo, and more, produced its newest drink that would help you enjoy the the great taste of a luxurious drink for about P300+.  I am an occasional drinker, and at first was dubious with the promo of making such a drink affordable since I know that scotch are a bit expensive since they are the kind you keep in the cellar for special occasions.  So as we listened to how BenMore came to be, I was able to understand how it came to be, a competition for some of the big brands of whiskeys in the market.

It has a unique Stag symbol embossed in the bottle, it symbolizes leadership, superiority, and masculinity

     BenMore scotch whiskey was produced from four casks, sherry, bourbon, charred, and refill.  It has an alcohol content of 40% so it is not advisable to drink it quickly like what you would normally do to a local brandy or rum, it is a drink meant to be savored.

Borgy Manotoc, BenMore ambassador

     You can drink it straight up, on the rocks, with water, iced tea, tonic, soda, cola, or what ever you choose to.  The only think I can guarantee is if you drink it, you'd appreciate the taste of true perfection given by BenMore.

Samsung Plasma 51" Series 8

Me And My Samsung Devices 

     There are three items I own that are proudly Samsung made... three items which a person normally uses everyday in terms of entertainment, business, and socializing.

My TV, Samsung 26" LED TV Series 4

My Laptop, Samsung RC418 which I named Sera ^_^

My Phone, Samsung Nexus S

      As a tech geek myself, I always try to look for the best thing I could afford without salvaging the quality of the device I'm going to buy.  So I was really surprised to find out that Alex was inviting me to give my insights on one of Samsung's latest TVs on September 4.  The Samsung 51" Plasma TV Series 8 and their latest Blu-Ray player, I literally had to relax the night before because I can't stop thinking the things I'd like to try out with that kind of super TV. ^_^

Samsung 51" Plasma TV Series 8, a very Smart TV

Our Blog Sites

    
     Here are the long list of what this Smart TV can do.  As they say,the longer the list, the better performance the TV has! ^_^

• Plasma +1
• Free Skype-To-Skype on the big screen TV
• 3D Auto contrast
• Ultra Slim design
• Reduced layered images
• 3D Converter
• Search all
• Smart Hub
• Web browser
• Your Video
• Social TV
• Samsung Apps
• All share
• Connect share movie
• Clear image panel
• Micro dimming
• Full HD 1080p
• 3D HyperReal engine
• 600Hz Subfield
• Real black filter
• 3D sound
• Wide colour enhancer
• HDMI X4
• Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC)
• BD Wise
• Digital noise filter
• Brigthness sensor
• WiFi built in
• SRS theatre sound

     Still not convinced on having one?  I don't believe so.  Because the moment you turn this TV on, you'd understand how I felt like.  It's like being in front of a very large chocolate cake, it would make your mouth water.

      We had so much fun playing Super Street Fighter IV (Arcade Edition) as well as we tried playing it in 3D.  Angel felt so thrilled as we kicked and punched away while enjoying the beauty of the graphics Samsung has to offer.  I truly am lucky to experience such for even a short span of time.  And was even luckier to have enjoyed with my friends.  Good thing I brought my laptop because one of my hobbies was collecting HD movies.  So after playing, we went on trying out the crispness of the TVs HD quality.  And crispness I did got as we watched Avatar (Extended version), Legend of the Guardians, Transformers 2, and some HD videos from YouTube.

 

     Unfortunately we were unable to test out the 3D quality that much because the 3D glasses' batteries were drained, so we only tried playing the HD movies thru the Blu-Ray player as well.  The sound quality was superb as well as I played my iTunes while we rested a bit after playing and watching.  I really wish the TV's controller had the capability to enter letters as well because it was a bit hard surfing the web thru the TV.

     All in all, the experience we had with the TV was 5/5, I expected to be astounded by the picture quality, and it did astounded me so much that I plan to have one in the near future.  Video quality is actually one of the reasons why I bought my laptop in the first place, after finding out that the laptop had HD quality, and knowing it was made by Samsung, you definitely can trust you are in for a great and thrilling ride in terms of movie viewing.  Nothing beats quality watching with a Samsung.

The Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences

The Art Of Hospitality 

Simple yet elegant

      I was so excited to go the place where we were going to check in last September 4, I thought we were going to have a hard time finding the place.  But to my surprise, we found it so easily.  We came from the Ayala Triangle, from there it's just about 5mins drive and about 10-15mins walk.  As I view the front, I had the idea that who ever designed the hotel was a very artistic person because all we're well designed but had a simplistic feeling to them.  The reception area was small but didn't waste time to impress the guest who would arrive, it was fronting their restaurant, Brasserie Boheme, had a very classy homey feel to it.

The Reception Area

     We were told that we were going to stay at the Picasso Suite (the next to the most expensive room) and the room was 801.  Every time you look at a specific area in the building, you would always be marveled by the different paintings that are displayed on the walls or the artistry of how the hotel is design in terms of materials that are used and placed in the surroundings.  

     Once we exited the small but elegant elevator, we found our room just beside the elevator's exit.  And the moment we entered, we were all mesmerized by the size and also how beautiful the room was.

Flow, Alex and me

The different views of the suite we spent the night at ^_^

     As you can clearly see from the pictures, it was a really beautiful suite.  And it was even more beautiful because of the Samsung TV in the middle of the living area.  We were like kids testing all the different couches and were just simply amazed to how clean, beautiful, and comfortable the place was.  After resting a bit and testing the TV, we had dinner at the Brasserie Boheme downstairs and had our own share of appetizing meals.

Like dining in a first class restaurant ^_^

Salads, soups, fish, pork, beef, and desserts!

      We really enjoyed the meals which were not just delicious but were served in large artistic plates that often times we were amazed to having such a meal served in front of us, one can't stop but wonder what you would want to do.  To look at the beautiful presentation of the meal that was served, or to taste the mouth-watering dish that you have been given.  Nevertheless, the second choice won.  And we really enjoyed the night as we also talked about the different experiences we had before we got together.

Stuffed and happy! ^_^

     All in all, our Picasso experience was really an experience worth trying again.  Good food, beautiful place, and very friendly people.  They allowed us to borrow their umbrellas when we had to go out that night to buy some snacks for our movie marathon.

     If you want to visit their website you can go to this link http://picassomakati.com/

Ayala Triangle's Chinese Restaurant

Wee Nam Kee 

Picture c/o ClickTheCity.Com

      I was going to meet up with Angel last September 4 at the Ayala Triangle, and since me and my dad haven't eaten lunch yet, we decided to eat at our meeting place instead.  Angel wanted to try a Chinese restaurant there named "Wee Nam Kee" so me and my dad had a table reserved when we arrived earlier than expected.

     It was already past 1pm, and since Angel was no where to be found, I decided to order already.  These were the dishes...

Spicy Crab

Mantou aka Chinese Buns, I liked these ones dipped in the crab sauce ^_^

Sweet And Sour Fish Fillet

Sambal Kangkong

Beef And Broccoli

Roasted Pork

     Unfortunately me and my dad were so hungry to wait, added the fact the dishes served in front of us all looked mouth watering, I just asked Angel if we can eat already while waiting for her to arrive.  The taste was really great, each and every bite makes you so satisfied you would want to eat the whole dish.  I only had to stop because I know Angel was hungry as well, the crab I didn't touched because it was a dish I bought for my dad.  Angel arrived about 30mins since me and my dad came to the restaurant.  Good thing I ordered 5 of the chicken rices, the rices were so yummy you'd ask for seconds.  And yes I ordered another of those mantous because it really tasted great.

     Anyway, we were so stuffed but still had a lot of the dishes left.  So Angel decided to have them wrapped as her lunch for tomorrow since we had about an hour to head to our next event which is to check in at the Picasso Hotel to test out some Samsung products.  All in all, the dish was great, but in terms of service, I had to rate them 3/5 because of how slow the waiters were to notice that we already ran out of water or that the bill was incorrect.

      One last note, don't buy the crabs, too pricy, costs P150 per gram and the one I bought was 500+ grams.  But really had to buy it since dad really likes eating it ^_^

Great Dole Cook-Off

Cooking With Dole

Chef Jeremy Favia

     Me and Angel had the opportunity to be invited at the Great Dole Cook-Off held last August 26 at the Magsaysay Institute for Hospitality & Culinary Arts (MIHCA) located at the 5f of Walter Mart, Makati.  I've been using Dole since my younger days because my mom always sees to it I drink lots of Dole juice to get well whenever I get sick, plus my mom always uses it as ingredients for her dishes.  So I was really eager to see what would happen at the cook-off, when I arrived, I was told by Angel that the winners of the cook of was already being awarded.  I wish I could have joined because I learned that the contestants battle was to imitate what Chef Jeremy did, and he actually cooked pasta.  And I love cooking pasta, well better luck next time for me.

Juan Manila grabbed 1st prize for the Cook-Off challenge

      So I just watched the awarding and also sampled the dishes that was served.  The place was really cozy, you'd feel like you are cooking at a fine dining restaurant but still feels you are eating in your home's kitchen.  I loved most of the dishes except the soup.  And I especially loved the fish dish called "Dory Braised in Tomato Sauce" because the Dory was so delicious and the sauce that came along with it made the dish even better.  I really love the taste of Dole pineapple in tomato sauce when it is served in a very good meal.

Dory Braised in Tomato Sauce

 

Chili Con Mushroom Over Herbed Baked Potato, this came second place to the dishes I liked that night ^_^

      I really loved how much Dole influenced our meals, it never fails to reinvent it's self even after all these years to spice up our every meal.  Enjoy eating!  And don't forget to reinvent your meals with Dole ^_^

Highlands Corned Beef

Angus Beef in a can?! 

      For the past days, I've been puzzled by the commercial of five guys running on top of a mountain range.  Puzzled because the commercial looks like it was shot in a very cold and damp mountain range which you would normally find in Scotland (try to picture Mel Gibson in the movie "Braveheart" ^_^), I have always loved eating corned beef, especially for breakfast.  Having lots of garlic bits in it, onions, and also diced potatoes.

     I was given an invite to come to the Blue leaf at the McKinley Hill on August 25, to attend an event regarding that commercial I saw.  I was surprised to see that the commercial was all about a corned beef product.  Why 5 men running a top a mountain range though?  That was the thought that kept circling my mind that afternoon.  So as the event went on, we were told that Highlands was the first ever corned beef that would be launched using Angus beef.  I was skeptic at first to why they even had considered using Angus for a corned beef.  I really love eating meat, and Angus was like heaven to me in terms of the tenderness you would feel when you chew in to it.  Mesmerizing was the perfect description I have regarding such tender meat.  So I was really amazed to know that my favorite meat would be available easily thru corned beef!  They gave us a sampler, Angus corned beef rolled in pita bread with lettuce.  I quickly took a bite, and felt like I was in heaven.  It was so juicy but was so tender at the same time, each strand had the taste of having a bite of a portion of that Angus slab I always liked.

Jake Cuenca, James Younghusband, Paul Soriano, Luke Landrigan, and Angelo Cacciatore

     After giving us a short intro regarding the Highland corned beef, we were introduced to the 5 bachelors who were the new breed of men endorsing the said product.  They were there to represent why they were chosen as the new breed.  The following are the quotes I have read from the forms given to us:

"If you love steak like I do, you'll surely love Highlands Corned Beef." - James

"It's exciting to know that it's the first corned beef out there that's made with Angus beef, it really pays to be a breed apart." - Jake

"I like how Highlands Corned Beef has no artificial flavors, you can tell it's all natural Angus beef with the richness of the beef's taste." - Luke

"Good beef starts with the breed, and Highlands Corned Beef is definitely a premium breed." - Angelo

"Highlands Corned Beef is a breed apart from my old corned beef since it's made with the high-quality Angus beef." - Paul

     With these thoughts in mind, and the taste in my mouth, I already knew for a fact what I choose to buy for a corned beef during my grocery days.  Highlands Corned Beef, the one corned beef which gave me the satisfaction I had been longing for in a corned beef, truly an exceptional breed of corned beef.

Angel's new iPhone 4, she won from the Highlands raffle ^_^

The Red Whistle

Blow harder

     The Red Whistle is a campaign led by Niccolo Cosme to let Filipinos know better on what HIV is, how it is spreading fast nowadays, and also ways of preventing it from spreading further.  So last August 17, I went to a place in Makati named "Blackbird".  It's a small bar in San Antonio, Makati where you can enjoy listening to good music while also enjoying a delicious dishes that you would mistake them to be from a famous restaurant.  Nice, cozy, almost like a home away from home but having the extra comfort of their very courteous staff.  We were served with some of their famous pizza, spaghetti and chicken meals.

 

     After having our stomachs stuffed, we were given a brief discussion by Niccolo and his friends.  One of our speaker was a survivor of HIV for the past 7 years.  I was surprised because even though he had the virus for the past 7 years, he never gave up and even is a living example to all of us listening that night that it is a good thing to know about the HIV, but it is a lot better to spread the knowledge on how to stop it.  We were all given our red whistles which we could wear around our neck as a symbol of Niccolo's campaign to spread the news.  To "Spread the word, not the virus"; and as a person who's working in a call center world, it really helped a lot also in voicing out to my peers something about it.  I was even more shock when I found out that Philippines was actually one of the top 5 countries where HIV was spreading fast.  There are actually 6-7 persons recorded everyday in our country with HIV.  Can you believe how many persons that would be in a year?  About 2,190 to 2,555 persons!  So can you imagine the number of people we could actually save if we raised the awareness?  By making people aware that it is actually a good thing to practice safe sex and let people know that HIV is not something to joke about.

Angel and Niccolo

       As I went to work that night, I wore the red whistle around my neck to check how many people would actually ask me about it.  And to my surprise there were some who actually did, curious to why I had a whistle.  I gave told them about the what I learned from hearing Niccolo's teachings.  And I even gave them the pack that was provided to me which had 2 more whistles.  Hopefully they would also spread the word about HIV as I was able to do to them.  Spread the word not the virus!  Blow hard, blow harder!  ^_^

Thanks Sai for our makeup ^_^