Bawai's Vietnamese Kitchen: Eating Vietnamese-ah!

     The last long weekend found my family, extended family and I enjoying the rainy, er stormy weather indoors where else? We were just a short drive away from Tagaytag and all we planned to do and eat but the weather made us do otherwise.
     It cleared up a bit Sunday and we got to hear mass at the Chapel on The Hill of the Don Bosco brothers amidst strong winds and a short power failure.

     God rewarded us I believe with a wonderful meal at Bawai's Vietnames Kitchen at Sandari Batulao. It is my new favorite Vietnamese restaurant. Come to think of it I don't really have a
favorite one until now.
   It is a family-owned resto of the Tatlongharis. The couple's son, Paul inherited his mom's culinary skills and was our chef and most gracious and funny host for lunch that day. =-))) My sister told me that their other branch is actually their home and is warm and quaint but I like the place in Sandari. Look!

 

The koi pond did it for the kids!

     But it was the food that did us all in, kids included. Everything we ordered was prepared and cooked perfectly. Some dishes did take a little longer to be served but it was all worth it. Prices are reasonable too. I wanaa go back!

     For starters we had these...Chao Tom and Goi Cuon

       and we drank Pandan Iced tea...

 

     The kids of course had noodles, Pho Bo

     Those trying yo eat healthy all had the shrimp salad, the Bun Tom

     We all loved the prawns, Tung Rang Me

Goi Thit Tom

      We ordered a chicken curry dish too but the mouths were too quick for my camera....
       And so we ended the meal with Vietnamese coffee, my love... and a cuchinta-like sweet which was also so yummy, Pandan and Yellow Mong Bean Cake

How can you not love this?

 

Check out Bawai's Vietnamese Kitchen here. 

Do reserve and call in advance. They do not accept walk-ins.

 Thanks for the treat, guys!

C is for COOKIE!

     My classmates in design school have been abuzz for while about cookies. I read about it on their facebook status and comments, heard them talk about it in school. I was drooling... and hurting inside. Haha! Where are they getting them from anyway? Finally I bumped into my professor, Arch't Edwin Enriquez and I learned his wife Timmie bakes them...Hmmm...I shall order! I checked out the facebook page of The Cookie Dream. Chocnut Cookies, Cookies & Cream Cookies, I couldn't decide on which to order so I settled to order four flavors first.

     I promptly received an email reply from Mrs Timmie Enriquez that I can pick up the cookies in school the next day. :-))))) Arch't Enriquez himself handed me two brown bags of cookies. I told him to which he chuckled, "I'm excited!"

     Yellow who was on a school holiday was in the car waiting. We were not even two blocks away from school and she had already sampled all four.

     If you used to watch Sesame Street and how Cookie Monster used to gobble up cookies, you wouldn't think of eating The Cookie Dream's cookies that way. It wouldn't be fair. These cookies, every single kind we tried that day deserve to be savored, bite per bite to the last crumb. No not an om, nom, nom but more of a hmm-mmmm!!!

     Each cookie is inspired and actually made with everyone's favorite chocolate bar. =-))) How dreamy is that?

     I totally love and support home bakers. I can just imagine their homes engulfed in the sweet smell of their creations.

Cookies & Cream

Dark Choco Chip Kisses

Hershey's Semisweet and White Choco Chip

Chocnut. Yes, our very own Chocnut

     Our instant favorites were the Chocnut and Cookies and Cream. =-)))

     Find out more about The Cookie Dream here. 

     Now I know what the kids in school are talking about. I can't wait for my next cookie stash....RAISINETS!!! Hmmm, mmm! 

Sunday Foodie Sunday: Hits and Misses

     I was dreading last Sunday. I was afraid it was gonna be another diet challenging, belly bulging, non-stop burping day. We had a breakfast invitation. a food fair and a lunch invitation as well. I mean not on a Sunday when you are so programmed to eat, indulge and ignore the calories....

     Anyway, the day began with a leisurely drive to the Ayala Triangle. We were to have breakfast with close family to celebrate a birthday. I was excited about the place BFAST. I love Chef Laudico, even his Selecta ice-cream concoction I so love. I liked the interesting interiors right away. I love that it was designed green.

Thumbs up though for green design!

     Sadly my excitement was thwarted by how terribly late the staff was in preparing the breakfast buffet. Finally when it was served, still not everything though everything was terribly oily. Whatever flavors or innovative efforts the chef intended to share was so hard to appreciate. It did not help that the staff took forever to serve our drinks from a simple bottle of water to coffee. Good company though made up for it- at least.

     Between breakfast and lunch my kids and I stopped over Podium in Ortigas to catch the Pinoy Eats World fair. The free native bag was enough a come on for me. hehe!

     We found and tasted quite a number of good stuff. My friend Toots strongly recommended Irving Farm's coffee, It is 100% organic and is know to improve your skin and even aids in slimming down. Hmmm?... Give me some of that!

     Right beside it is a stall that sells interesting cookies and pastries, beautifully packaged too. We loved the apple strudel!

      We had to skip the paella though it looked really yummy....

     OC's Kitchen was there too and I met Aleth who is the sister of my former office mate Anna. Check their facebook page here.

     They have come such a long way in terms of their products. So nice to hear of such passion.

     We especially liked their camote and taro chips with three yummy dips too. A must try and must buy too are the two-bite brownies. (also recommended by Toots)

     It was a fun and intimate affair...and yummy!

    Another things we enjoyed and brought home...

     I won't tell you about lunch...you don't want to know.


(had more pics to post but my desk top is acting up....)

                         .....till next time!

Tween Room Update

     Remember my 'rainy' week? Well, I survived it. Of course, because of God's grace,we all do. Just in case you are curious about how Yellow's room is turning out. Allow me to share some pics...Sorry, nothing final yet....Let me refresh your memory with some before pics here.     

     See what we have been up to...

      First up, the walls. We instantly loved the light turquoise. =-)

     Yikes, Yellow and I were not liking the pink on the drawers and shelves at all....gulp!

     But putting all her stuff back with the exclusion of trash, clothes that no longer fit and others was the most challenging task of all.

     Still in the mock up stage...for me anyway.....

         


     I chanced upon this mid century modern office desk in a yard sale. P2,000 only. No kidding!       

     She seriously needs new bedding....Perhaps a little black?

      She loves where I temporarily placed her desk though I intended to put a two-seater there.

    Well, how are we doing? =-)

    Happy Wednesday!