Genki Sushi

I remember craving for sushi and sashimi when I was pregnant with Munchkin. I veered away from all things raw because of a huge possibility of stomachache or food poisoning. So I promised myself as soon as I gave birth, I would eat sushi and sashimi to my heart's content.

Fast forward now, Munchkin is already 3 years old and I cannot remember if I was able to accomplish that promise. I've gone through all my photos but I didn't see any sushi or sashimi.

When I learned about Genki Sushi, the famous train sushi restaurant from Japan, Tapioca and I took note and put it on our list of must visit places to eat.

. . . the entrance

It finally happened last Saturday. Our very first Genki Sushi experience. And we were in for a treat.

interactive ordering system . . .

You order your food through a tablet. There's a wide list of options and it can get pretty overwhelming. The good thing is the tablet also shows your outstanding bill so if you're on a budget (and you need to work within a budget) you will not get lost ordering way too many items. Though we didn't find the budget a problem because most of the items are reasonably priced.

Service was excellent. As soon as we sat down, our utensils were set up and brief instructions were provided. There were plenty of waitstaff and calling their attention was effortless.

. . . tapioca and jellybean

It was so nice to have your very own tea set tableside. A container filled with green tea powder and a faucet which dispenses hot water.

Now onto the first batch of our order, specially delivered by the sushi train.

egg maki . . .

. . . grilled river eel

This has got to be our favorite of them all. I love unagi and this one was pretty good.

salmon belly . . .

. . . jellybean looking very excited whenever the train arrives with plates of sushi

fried chicken gunkan . . .

. . . round one

gone in a flash . . .

And now, Tapioca's back to ordering again for the second round.

. . . fried gyoza

tapioca enjoying the gyoza . . .

When there's gyoza on the menu, Tapioca will surely order it.  Because we love the grilled eel dish, we looked for another eel dish and found this . . .

. . . unagi kyuri maki

Sorry but this didn't quite work for us. The unagi was overpowered by too much cucumber.

agedashi tofu . . .

Tapioca loved it. I felt the opposite. Prolly because the tofu was deep fried? I still think Teriyaki Boy has one of the best agedashi tofu.

. . . more more sushi coming right up!

norwegian fresh salmon . . .

This was better than the Salmon Belly. Our 2nd favorite.

I must have soup so we ordered the miso soup. We were waiting for it to arrive from the sushi train but a wait staff approached us who hand-delivered the soup. Must be for safety reasons.

. . . miso soup

It was bland. Needed more seasoning.

squid nigiri . . .

Squid was tender but it was just a-okay.

. . . second round

tempura shrimp nigiri . . .

Though the size was small, it was all shrimp.

. . . tapioca just wouldn't let go of the menu hehehe!

spam tamago . . .

We were so full already but Tapioca couldn't resist. Last decision and our final sushi for the day -  the spam tamago. It was pretty ordinary but I have to say I love how the spam was cooked to crispy perfection.

Overall, we enjoyed our very first Genki Sushi experience. This is definitely not going to be the last. They have so much more to offer that we still needed to try.

Read more...

Our 1st Pyromusical Competition Experience at S Maison Conrad

Last Saturday, we attended our very first Pyrolympic. This event has been going on for 9 years. Every year I've been meaning to go to the event but it never happened until last weekend. I actually understood why it only happened now.

It was the last weekend for the Pyromusical event in MOA. Discounted tickets were sold out but I did some research that you can actually still buy them last minute at the venue. I didn't really want to go to the actual venue because the last time I read a review the smoke from the fireworks were terrible so as much as possible I wanted to be away from where it was.

We cannot afford a staycation so I went to gamble for a view from S Maison complex. We were supposed to leave the house at 5pm so we will have plenty of time to check out which restaurant to have dinner to and watch the sunset. Alas, we had issues with booking our Uber trip.

1. Tapioca got the booking wrong. Instead of S Maison, he chose Mall of Asia *boinker*. So we cancelled it.

2. The 2nd car got stuck in traffic because of an accident. We've been waiting for almost 15 mins so we have to cancel it again.

Tapioca was so worried we might be charged with cancellation fees so we booked a Grab instead. Our Grab car arrived at 540pm. Traffic was so bad going to the event. We even took the Skyway going there but as soon as we approached Diokno Avenue the cars weren't moving. We decided to get off the car and walked from Diokno Avenue to S. Maison. We got there at exactly 7pm. That left us with 30 minutes to look for a restaurant.

Tapioca was craving for Japanese food, however both Japanese restos (Chubi and Uma-uma were fully booked). The only restos available where we can view the fireworks were the Italian and Mediterranean. He was not really in the mood for Italian. The Mediterrean resto was asking for 1500 pesos per pax consumable to get a table and watch the fireworks.

I was begging him to go with the Mediterrean resto since we do not have any choices and we were also running out of time. Tapioca insisted that he didn't want to spend 3 grand on food he's not even sure if it's any good. So we tried to go outside and check out a place where we can catch the fireworks.

Little did we know there were also restaurants on the ground floor that offer fireworks view. Luckily there were still available tables and they only required 700 pesos consumable per person. That means 1400 pesos for the both of us. Hooray!

. . .baker & cook and plank sourdough pizza

they share the same dining area for the pyromusical event . . .

This was our view. Not bad eh. But it could be so much better if we were on the 2nd floor, I suppose.

. . . our view

family photo #1 . . .

. . . family photo #2 (from a different angle)

We had pizza and pasta and soup. I know Tapioca was not feeling Italian that night nevertheless we enjoyed the food specially the pizza.

margherita pizza . . .

Tapioca and I are starting to appreciate the goodness of a simple pizza called Margherita. Baker & Cook's version was really good.

. . . pancetta pesto cream

The pasta was just okay. I'm not really a fan of pesto. When Tapioca picked this pasta we were sold because of the word pancetta and forgot the word pesto. Imagine my surprise when our server brought the pasta to our table. I was like "Oh no, we didn't order pesto pasta. We ordered the creamy pancetta pasta . . .  oh wait, it says creamy pancetta PESTO pasta. Sorry, my bad". Hahaha **whatashame**

clam chowder  . . .

We also had clam chowder soup. It was super creamy which I liked a lot. But we think Draft's clam chowder has a lot more things going on.

. . . basil pineapple smoothie

When dining out, I like to order fresh fruit shake for the Munchkin and I to share. I was eyeing the mango and strawberry shake however it was not available. Our server recommended the basil pineapple shake. I asked if it's so good he thinks our little one would like it. Without batting an eyelash, he said yes. So I gave in. Unfortunately, neither the Munchkin and I liked it. It was too sweet. Like sickly sweet. The Munchkin likes sweet drinks, though. I'm guessing she didn't like the basil in it. We tried giving her some of the pesto pasta and she didn't like it either. So we got her some fresh OJ that comes in this cute bottle.

tapioca opening the bottle for munchkin . . .

. . . noah's juice orange

OMG, it costs 160 bucks. So sad that the Munchkin still didn't like it.

But you know what, the hassle and the stress that brought upon us going to this event, all paid off when the show finally started. They said the show starts at 730pm but Pinoy time it was. It started past 8pm. Nevertheless, my Muchkin's reaction was priceless.

She was screaming and clapping and yelling "More fireworks! More fireworks!" So adorable! Even I couldn't help but be awed and oohed at the display.

ooohhh . . .

. . . wow!!!

By 930pm we did not have any idea when the 2nd part of the show would start. There were a lot of people in the bay area. Tapioca suggested not to wait until the show ends so we didn't have to deal with the chaos. We might have a hard time getting a ride home and he's right. We couldn't book any cars from either Uber or Grab. We just took our dessert home and walked back again to Diokno Avenue to hire a cab.

dessert options pic #1 . . .

dessert options pic #2 . . .

. . . dessert options pic #3

last photo op before leaving s maison conrad . . .

While we were walking, the 2nd part of the firework show started. We were able to see the reflection of it from the Great Eastern Hotel. After all this experience, I finally realized the reason why we've only been to the Pyromusical just this once.

1. Traffic was hell. Going to and from.

2. So many people were fighting for a good view. Unless you book your tickets way early then good for you.

So will we be going back? Well, it depends if Tapioca will allow us to. But I surely would love to go back simply because Munchkin enjoyed it so much. If ever we will go back, I will make sure to book a staycation so we didn't have to rush with the crowd going and leaving the bay area. Plus points if we can get a room with a good view. That will be awesome.

This was our take out dessert from Baker & Cook.

. . . the takeout box

choco eclair and pecan pie . . .

It was Tapioca who chose these pastries. I had them for breakfast. Well, I shared a few bites with the two, of course. I heated them up in the toaster oven and they're still good. They have a whole lot more baked goodies and if it was just me, I would have gotten a cheesecake, too.

Oh well, maybe next time.

Read more...

My Supposed 10th Year Anniversary of Blogging

. . . photo from google search

Hello Blogosphere!


I'm back. How have you been? I almost forgot that this year was supposed to be my 10th year of blogging. If I can really call it that way. I mean I've been gone for quite some time. As usual.


Is blogging still relevant at this day and age where different apps are popping left and right? And don't get me started with Instagram. Not to forget the new breed of bloggers called vloggers over at Youtube.


Sigh.


Times have changed. I am not even sure how to get my blog updated. So many things to do. So many pictures are waiting to be posted. Not enough time. I know, I know... I will never ever have enough of that.

Until then, I will take it one step at a time. So I'm taking this one. New post coming right up.


Thanks for your patience.

Peace, love and a bulletproof marshmallow y'all!



Jellybean74170

Read more...

House of Polvoron (HOP) again!

Because we love HOP's polvoron, Tapioca and I decided to buy more and get all 7 flavors! Yay!

. . . 7 different flavors of polvoron

I haven't really tried all of them yet and I am still about to find out what my favorite is. One thing is for sure though, this is one of the best polvoron for the following reasons:

1. Have you ever tried a polvoron with raw tasting flour, or worse -burnt taste? Disgusting, right? Well on HOP's polvoron, the flour is toasted well and me thinks it's really important.

2. Each piece is individually wrapped. It's compacted so well it doesn't disintegrate or collapse on a first bite.

3. Variety of flavors. Yes! Me loves variety! You can be as adventurous as trying out different flavors like the green tea, ube, pili or cashew.

4. It's priced reasonably. I mean, the ingredients are simple and readily available so it shouldn't cost an arm and a leg. You can actually make these treats at home and that's even cheaper. But why go through all the hassle (unless you are very very passionate with polvoron and you enjoy and love making it yourself then by all means, pursue your passion lolz) when you can get them all packed nicely and ready to go? A box costs 120 bucks for the premium with 12 pieces and 18 pieces for regular. That's roughly 6.67-10 pesos each! For a cheapskate like me I wouldn't mind paying that price for a good quality polvoron.

    

Read more...

Team Outing in Zambales 2018

Last month, my former teammates and I went on an overnight trip to Zambales. It was supposed to be a Christmas party but because everyone was busy last holiday, it was moved to a later date.

. . . 1st trip for year 2018

The timing of our getaway couldn't get any better. It's off peak season meaning less people at the beach and cheaper accommodation.

We stayed at Canoe Beach Resort in Zambales. Simple, no frills accommodation that fitted our budget.

Our group of 18 occupied 2 dorm type rooms good for 20 pax. In fairness, the rooms are clean. Each bed has its own pillows and blankets.

My only complaint, the air conditioning cannot handle the midday heat. It's like it was not working at all.

I'm sorry but I didn't have a lot of photos to share. 

I have turned into a rusty blogger. Slacking off in taking pictures and documenting important details. 

Sometimes I think that it's a good thing. You know, living in the moment. 

Then there are times I think I am missing out. 

Sigh. 

Still trying to figure out how to balance it.

Zambales is still as beautiful as I remember it. I stepped into this paradise twelve years ago. I love how the mountains meet the sea. Whether you wanted a mountain view or an ocean view, you get the serene feeling of being one in nature.

I'm sure I will be back to this place. And when that day comes I'll make sure to bring Tapioca and the Munchkin with me.

Read more...