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.

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The Big 3-0

Yesterday, I turned 30. I was completely okay with it unlike what I felt last year on my 29th birthday. I realized, 30 is still young and cool and not old. I mean, it's still far from getting a senior citizen discount, right?

You only turn 30 once in your life and some people would have a huge party or do something epic. I did consider doing the same thing but after all we've gone through this year, I figured I just wanted a simple celebration. Just me and the love of my life. We had Chinese for lunch at Komrad. Tapioca was dying to try this place out.

I love the modern interiors and the Mao Zedong mural. Tapioca didn't know who Mao Zedong was and he's Chinese! He prolly slept during his history classes. LOL!

. . . root  beer & red iced tea

Root beer for him and red iced tea for moi. The iced tea was too sweet for my taste.

birthday noodles . . .

Of course, hindi mawawala ang birthday noodles for long life. I find the colored quail eggs really cute and girly!

. . . mapo tofu

They had mapo tofu on the menu so we had to try it. We had high expectations knowing they serve Hunan and Szechuan cuisines (read: spicy). However, it turned out to be a total disappointment. Not so Hunan after all (read: not spicy). Or maybe we should have told them we wanted our mapo tofu really hot and spicy. We had better mapo tofu elsewhere.

. . . porky dish

Originally, I wanted lobster but the only seafood available was crab. We didn't feel like eating crabs so I opted for pork which we haven't had in a while. Tapioca is on a diet and he mostly ate fish and a little bit of chicken. But on my day, I asked with fluttering eyes if we can have pork. Not quite sure what to order, we asked for a recommendation and that's how this dish ended up on our table. It's like your ordinary sweet and sour minus the oomph.  Sorry, I forgot what it's called. The dish is as forgettable as its name.

mango sago . . .

For dessert, I had mango sago. I miss this dessert so much and it's such a shame Komrad let me down. The mango they used was sour and this was served lukewarm. I had a spoonful or two and told Tapioca to move to another place for dessert.

. . . Tapioca and the birthday girl

We finished everything except for the dessert. Tapioca doesn't eat mango so it went to waste. Komrad didn't quite live up to our expectations. It was unfortunate this happened on my special day. Still, we're willing to give them another try. Hopefully they have lobster available next time and that Tapioca is no longer on a diet so we can try more dishes hehehe!

A birthday will never be complete without a cake. For dessert, I was torn between UCC or Italianni's. Since the latter was much closer, we ended up at . . .

Italianni's . . .

This is how I look at 30. Not bad eh?

We decided to dine al fresco.

We also had a pot of English breakfast tea. Fifteen minutes has passed and still we're waiting for the cake. I thought they forgot we ordered a slice.

. . . my birthday cake

Finally, it arrived and my oh my, it was so tall and huge and pretty!!!!

view of the cake from another angle . . .

For the record, this was the most expensive slice of cheesecake I've ever had. But I tell ya, it's worth every cent. It was frozen (just like the cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory). They have to thaw it for a few minutes and that's why it took quite a while. Well, it's worth the wait :-) Super creamy, smooth and cheesy! And that red sauce matched the cheesecake perfectly. The cake slice was so big Tapioca and I had a hard time finishing it.

La la la means I heart you ! ! !

Since we're eating outside, people who walked by were staring at my cake. I swear I can see them even from the back of my head LOL! Theses photos makes me drool right now*wiping out drool on the keyboard*

The cake was the saving grace of the day. We completely forgot about the disaster meal at Komrad. Now, if only we had Italianni's instead of Komrad. They have really good steaks at reasonable prices. Next time!

After dessert, I went shopping naman. Marks & Spencer was on sale!

. . .  my loot

Did I tell you I like to hoard shower gels & lotions? Yes, I do! And M&S is one of my favorite brands. Now that I'm 30 and my skin is prone to drying, I really need a great skin care regimen. And these products are a good way to start. I think I need to invest in anti-aging creams, too. Oh well, I want to look fab when I turn 40!

On my birthday weekend, Tapioca brought me flowers!

 my just-woke-up face . . .

. . . mochi thought it was a toy :-)

This is the second time Tapioca gave me flowers. First time he gave me one, I ruined it. I told him not to give me any more flowers because I thought it was a waste of money knowing that it would wilt eventually. When my father passed away, my views about flowers changed. More than love, to me, flowers symbolize life. Very much like our lives here on earth. Flowers are meant to die and that we should cherish them while they last.

Wala pala kami flower vase sa bahay so I used a recycled bottle. It turned out just fine.

I have been blessed with so much love that I can't ask for anything more but for good health and live a longer life so I can continue to be a blessing to others, too.

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Bigoli Ristorante & Bar

Had breakfast at Bigoli in Eastwood. Formerly, the Fazoli restaurant. Same exact place, same exact menu with a new name. We ordered their budget friendly set meal good for 2. The set meal includes the following:

. . . bread sticks

One stick for both of us. It was yummy! Wish there was more.

garden fresh salad . . . 

. . . 2 small pieces of italian chicken and a big slice of cheese pizza

The chicken was tasty except the meat was on the dry side. The pizza slice was big and I'm big with plain cheese pizza so it worked for me. I actually had most of it.

meat sauce spaghetti . . .

Now this was Tapioca's kind of spaghetti. Italian style (read: sour). I like my spaghetti a little sweet, Filipino style. I had the pizza and he had the pasta. Fair deal.

. . . minestrone soup

I love soup especially when it's piping hot. Though I'm partial to creamy or clear soups this was fine by me. The chunky parts on the other hand went to Tapioca to finish.

turtle cheesecake . . .

Tapioca surprised me with this cheesecake. I was so giddy when I saw it served on our table. It looked so yummy however it was too sweet for my palate.

I loved Bigoli's unlimited soda. They have a soda station where you can dispense any soda of your choice. The only downside of trying different soda is you get full easily. But still it's great value for your money.

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