When One Door Closes...

It's great to be back...to Manila, to my family and friends, to my old roots and at the same time be a "mrs". :) Since I've been settling, there are random things that happened - one of my CT's got dissolved and I resigned (for now) from another CT. I believe I have a lot on my plate as of date so I do not want to have my designers wait for me to get my life in-check again before creating things...plus I sometimes feel a bit bogged down these days.
But as that saying goes "when one door closes, another one opens up" - one of the dissolved CT's designers asked me to join her to be one of her CT, which I was honored since I love her work. We'll see how this one goes.
I'm slowly getting back to creating since I have to prepare and condition myself to "normalicy"...now we have heard this before already.

Ed and I are adjusting as husband and wife...very new to us since we see each other's peeves.
Wish us luck...don't think it gets easier.

Manila Foodscape.
Since Ed and I are getting used to living together, we have decided to have "weekend date nights" - wherin we would go out to try a new resto and/or catch a movie. We have tried quite a bit already that I'm unable to update immediately here so check out the below's short summaries.

11.Jan.2008 - Queen's (Jupiter St. Makati)
Review: Indian-Malaysian cuisine. Friendly and hospitable service. The menu's a lot so we had to ask for recommendations. I always thought that the resto only served Indian and be fine dining...but I guess I was wrong...or they have changed their menu.
Verdict: We both love our orders - Nasi Goreng (vegetarian) and Indian Lamb Curry (?)...so nice! We are still remembering the taste of them. :D
Rating: 4*

18.Jan.2008 - Purple Feet (Reposo St. Makati)
Review: This resto has a shared space with Wine Depot wherein you can purchase the wine there and consume it there. Cuisine is home-style cooking and in any way you want. The ingredients available were posted on a big black chalk board...like how I remember school used to be. :)
The chief came over to help us out since it was our first time and recommended Ed have the grilled ostrich with pasta siding while it's the pan-seared cobbler with mushroom risotto for me.
I had a glass of recommnded white wine while Ed had their michiatto for dessert. Oh, and I tried their penna cotta.
Verdict: Food was prepared and cooked very well. It's a simple enough resto since we both think that we can do it at home...though we won't since Ed would love to go back there again when the time comes to check out their awesome lamb chops while it's the prime rib & seabass for me. :P
Rating: 5*

20.Jan.2008 - Pia y Damaso Restaurante (GB5)
Comment: Saw it when it was soft-opening in December. Place is quaint and cozy. Service is good and hospitable. I like the mod/vintage feel. Menu is a fusion of western and filipino food like bibingka waffle, chocolate with goat's milk for their tsoklat eh.
Verdict: Recommended for merienda and what we had - Tsoklat Eh with Toasted Ensaymada while their Mint Tea is something to try since it's the store's own special blend. A bit pricy as per Ed since the merienda combo of drink and ensaymada is already Php250. I like the coziness and peace of the venue since it's small and thus can't accommodate too many people.
Rating: 4* for me while 5* for Ed

24.Jan.2008 - Cantineta (Power Plant / Rockwell)
Comment: had lunch with gal pal, KC. We ordered the cannelloni pizza and the truffle cream pasta.
Verdict: Love the pasta with its al dente noodles but not too happy with the cannelloni since it was basically like a pizza turnover...not as nice as what a regular pizza could be. Service is fair but we were seated in a hotter location...airconditioning is not enough for the venue. Oh, this is already after the lunch hour rush since we started lunch around 1pm already.
Rating: 4.5*

25.Jan.2008 - The Maison (GB5)
Comment: Ed and I went off to check out this new resto at GB5 that my mom, brother & family went recently. The Barkada ribs came highly recommended so even if it was just Ed and I, we made room for this scary beef ribs portion. Note that this portion is good for about 3-4 people. Pig-out time!!! :P
Verdict: Barkada ribs were absolutely a great choice since they were scrumptiously nice, tender and juicy. The meat basically was falling off of its bones - just how we love it! Ed enjoyed the Honey Chilli dip while it was the BBQ sauce for me. We had a side mash potatos with our meal.
Rating: 5* for the barkada ribs and service

*****
Kit/Designer: An Old Acquaintance Elements and An Old Acquaintance Papers by Deanna Patterson / Shabby Scrap Designs
Photo Credit: Imogen Photography
Program: PS7.0
Notes: This photo was taken as a recent pre-nuptial photo shoot that I found quite interesting. It was our first time to go through such a photo shoot and was a real cool experience. :)