Amazed at Hotel H20

Ived never been in a place so cool like this ever before. This is Hotel H20. It is located within Manila Ocean Park. Even though the weather doesnt want to cooperate with us we still went thru the shoot...all wet yet amazed! This is the reception area. A really cool one indeed. This is what ya call interior designing! Very modern. Very stylish!

This one is the lobby where you find guests lounging around. Just chilling. This is also the receiving area for the H20. Look at that ceiling! Its really amazing. The design is really wicked. Its so cool. I love it.

Ever seen a hallway like this before? Well i dont! Its like im in a sci-fi movie! The lights.. the mirrors.. the lines and curves is really amazing. Love the design. If you are amazed with the hallways., wait till you see the rooms!

Now this is the Aqua room where theres a huge saltwater aquarium on your wall! With mirrors all over, it has this really spacious feel. The bed is really soft and the view is spectacular! Manila bay sunset is just a curtain away! Really nice room i tell you. Very inviting., it smells really good, furnishings are really modern looking and bathrooms are awesome.

This is one of their rooms with twin beds. Again., its very spacious. Great view of the Manila Bay and the bathrooms are awesome as well. This is like the first room without the Aqua view.

After the shoot, the managers of the hotel gave us a well deserved treat. They invited us for a snack at their cafeteria downstairs and had some Pad thai and some chicken. The Pad thai was so good. I dunno how to describe it. Its just really delicious... You can actually see it in the photo. The shrimps are perfect., and the nuts gave the dish that unqique taste! Love it!

Shau's Lemon Barley was really interesting. By the looks of it, you might find it a little weird but wait till you taste it., its so damn good! I just got a fresh mango juice and its tastes good as well.

In filipino, this is what they call., "Binalot". Its chicken wrapped in palm leaves. This is so damn good. The scent of the palm leaf really just accentuates giving that distinct aroma that is really appetizing! You must try this one when you happen to visit Manila Ocean Park.

Our experience at Hotel H20 wsa really amazing. Like I said before., its a hotel with a unique design., unique concept and has very accommodating and very hospitable staff. Its really good there. Enjoying the different amenities that Manila Ocean Park has., this is the best place to rest. This place is all worth it.

Thanks again to the staff of Hotel H20 specially to Ms Lowelyn Tangi. To Ms Vangie who accompanied us througout the shoot and to shau for being my assistant for the day. Good times! :)

Panizza @ C Italian Fine Dining

Theres something that im craving right now. Im craving for some panizza over at C Italian Dining in Pampangga! Grabe., the food there is really delicious! Its kinda expensive but every cent is worth it. If you want to experience Italian Fine dining, C restaurant is the place to be. The photo above is my favorite and its C's famous panizza. It has different kinds of flavors to choose from. If you are a meat lover, you could try their Escapadia . Theres a technique into eating the panizza. You get the panizza bread, put on your favorite ingredient like the Alfaalfa, Arugula.. you can also add some bacon, salami, sausages and some gorgonzola! This dish would definitely knock you out of its goodness! Its really good!

Double Vanilla Tea Latte @ CBTL

Officially, this is now my favorite hot drink - The Double Vanilla Tea Latte over at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Its just so good. Really calms me down specially when im stressed and cold. You have to try it for yourself! Had this one when I was stuck at Trinoma due to heavy traffic because of President Noy-Noy's State of the Nation Address. I just chilled for a while and let this fine drink wash all the boo-boos away... Its goooood promise!

Mango Torte @ Dulcelin Gourmet

I never tasted a cake like this ever! Its just so good. This is probably one of those cakes were mangoes are heroes! This is so good that im sure you will love it too. This Mango Torte is definitely one of my favorites next to Contis' Mango Bravo =).

The crust is kinda crunchy and its made with crispy-chewy nougatine, golden mangoes and cream. It also has cashew nuts inside. Best thing bout this is its not that sweet. This is a winner. Im sure you will love it. Best with coffee! :)

Thanks to sir Miko for all the help and for their warm hospitality. Appreciate all the helping hand specially for the people who held the lights, and the reflectors.. hehe. Its a one man shoot and i really need an extra guy assisting me with my gear. Im glad everything went well. The scheduled photoshoot was at the hype of President Noynoy's State of the Nation Address and i was worried, traffic would delay everthing. Good thing, EDSA was clear since all of the vehicles are stucked at Commonwealth.

Im so happy I arrived 5 mins early! I still have time to use day light which is my favorite light source when doing food photography. Makes it more natural. Anyway, this deal will be on Ensogo.com.ph probably next week. Please do watch out for it. Cake costs around P600 and thru Ensogo, you will get it at 50% off. Not bad for a cake that is so good. So please do watch out for it and for more great deals at ensogo.com.ph

Wing Hub @ Metrowalk

Have you ever been to Metrowalk? If you do, then your in for a treat coz Metrowalk has something good to offer - the newly opened Winghub Restaurant. Situated almost at the middle of Metrowalk. If you happen to watch concerts at Metrowalk, you will find Winghub at the right side of the stage.

Im going to make a wild guess that they got their name from the wings of an airplane since they serve one of the best chicken wings in town. Their place is really cool. It has this 1940's Air Force feel. I just love that plane hanging over. The tables are really simple. Those plasma tvs hanging on the wall are awesome. Perfect for watching something along with a bucket of chicken wings and beer. Love the interior's color combination. Thumbs up!

If the interior is great, wait till you taste its food! I tell you., its really good. The first picture is their trio burgers. One burger is made with lamb, the other one is made with pure beef and the other one is made with chicken. Its good to try something different that really tastes great! While the picture on top is their fish and chips. Its crunchy, really tasty, perfect for that white cheese dip at the middle.

Now this clam chowder is an absolute heaven. Its creamy, tasty chowder placed in a bread bowl. Its like the ones in French Baker only better. The clams are really delicious along with the mushrooms. I tell you, this one is a must! Dont forget to order the clam chowder and im 100 percent sure you will love it!

Now this one is their signatured Buffalo wings.For some people it kinda tastes different because of its sour taste. Its good actually. Its also has this sweet and spicy flavor that will surely catch your attention. :)

I didnt had a chance to taste this one because i am so full! So full i cant hardly button my pants! Just had the chance to photograph this crunchy looking chicken. I love the lighting on this photo. Many thanks to Ms. Janis and Cara for helping me out with the reflector and speedlight.

I also want to thank chef Humphry and chef Manuj for giving us their time introducing their wonderful dishes to us. Its an honor to be with such great master chefs. Winghub is a really nice place. The food is fantastic, the place is nice and clean. The spaces between tables are not cramped. The place is relaxing, interesting and very cozy. Your visit here is surely worth while. Visit Winghub at Metrowalk for your delightful, airforce-like experience. Watch out for their deal at ensogo.com.ph coming real soon!

Andi Manzano Visits Ensogo!

You wont believe who dropped by at the office! Its Andi Manzano! A radio Jock, a TV personality and i she was a courtside reported for the FEU Tamaraws. It was kind of a surprise because my officemate told me to check out the cute girl inside the conference room. I had a glimpse and said whoa.. thats Andi9! Undeniably, shes one of the freshest faces on TVand Radio. Not only shes cute, she has this really wacky personality.

Now this is a mystery to me. I actually wanted to have a poll on this one on whose prettier among the two. Its actually an honor taking a picture with these two pretty girls. :) Luisa herself is a product endorser and appears on commercials as well.

Now its time for me to take a picture with Andi. Thanks to Nikos for this one. Ived been following Andi on twitter and i really enjoying reading her funny love quotes. Im also love their radio show with Jessica on Magic 899. I guess im a fan! hehe. Shes a really nice person. Very jolly and down to earth. I guess she will be helping with the marketing department for Ensogo's media exposure.

Waah i look like im on crack here! haha.. Good times.. :)

Us Girls BTS @ Ensogo

It was a huge surprise when camera crew of ABS-CBN starting to crash over our small office in BGC. I didnt know that Angel Aquino and the production staff of Us girls will come over for their segment about online shopping. I was star-strucked coz Angel was doing her spills right beside me. Shes really nice and very down to earth. The feature on Us girls will be aired on July 28 at Studio 23. The camera guy gave me and my jungle-of-a-like desk some tv exposure and honestly i dunno if im gonna be proud or disgusted! =)) He told me to look busy and said to him., sige po sir mag bu-busybusyhan ako..hehe. This is now my 3rd TV appearance since my humiliating rice shortage-appearance on GMA News and giant burgers at Rated-K. Haha. =)

Bistro Miyake

If you happen to drop by Greenhills, you definitely should drop by Bistro Miyake at Annapolis Street. Its one of those premier restaurants that you will find around the area. I was again lucky enough to take photos of some of their food and drinks. The photo above is probably the best salmon i ever tasted. Dip this to your mixture of Wasabi and Soy Sauce, this dish is a surefire treat! Love this one so much.

These shots are literally on fire! Packed with the legendary bacardi 151, these drinks will sure kick the hell out of you! You wanna get slammed and wasted., drink 5 of these and im sure you'll end up sleeping in someones bed, or worse - a pavement.

this is actually Abby's favorite creations - Asparagus wrapped in bacon. I love it when abs cooks this one. They serve this one crunchy and the bacon is really good. You'll never be disappointed when you have this one coz its really delicious. Its a must try!

This drink is called "The Flaming Lamborghini". This drink is composed of different shots then arranged the glasses in this manner. Then poured with Bacardi 151 for the flames. Took this one with a minimum amount of light but i did not use the flash coz i really want to display the almost like blue and yellow flames of this awesome drink...

They serve a wide array of drinks to choose from. They have funny names as well. The green one's name is "Lasalista" ,. the blue one is atenista and the third one., i dunno the exact name of the third drink. Tasted them all and damn! This is really good!

I met an interesting guy named Tyke. Hes a jolly fellow. Very down to earth and funny. He arrived late and started the shooting a little bit as expected. The blue one is really strong.

Id like to thank Tyke, Abby, their chef... to all those people who are responsible is lucky to drink the golden pour of liquid. More power to the people who made us experience to tourists. Thanks a lot!!!

Mcdo's Big Mac

It was a fine sunday and I woke up late. I was hungry and im craving for something. At first i didnt know what to eat until my sister arrived and asked me to come to McDonalds. The elusive light bulb suddenly popped out and instantly, Im goin to have a Big Mac!

Brought my camera with me coz I havent posted a blog about the Big Mac. This is the time. Even though i was damn hungry, I need to take a picture of this succulent treat from Mcdo. This is my favorite among all the burgers in Mcdo.

I noticed that, BigMac's nowadays are quite smaller than before. Back then, eating a BigMac is a really hard and messy. But now, i can eat this thing within 5 minutes!

Starting the day eating a Bigmac will definitely make your day FULL of happiness. Good stuff! :)

Berjaya Hotel

Berjaya is a Malay word for success. To be at this place is already a success since this place is really amazing. Berjaya Hotel's buffet is so far the best place of all the food photoshoots i ever been to. The place is cozy. Its not that cramped. The place is very clean. And the food is really amazing. We arrived early before lunch making it a good time to take photos of the place. I have to shoot quickly before the guests arrives. Using the Tokina wide angle lens, i have captured the whole place with a breeze. You can see here the intricately designed chairs and tables.

Nobody is around yet, this is the best time to shoot the buffet table because the food is still intact and untouched. Food is still fresh, the goodness and the lovely smell is everywhere. Sometimes its hard for me to shoot hungry coz my brain is telling me to go grab a plate! Hehe. I love their stainless food bins. Looks really nice, clean and shiny.

When I saw this dish, it automatically grabbed my attention. Looks really good! Berjaya's manager - sir melo asked us to go dig in once were done shooting . This is the first dish that I took from the Buffet Table. I admit that im a terrible food blogger since everything i write here is always delicious! Haha. But It is really delicious!

Went to the roast pork section of the buffet and theres a chef stationed there to give you a slice. I asked for 3 slices and was so excited that I almost forgot to get some sauce for it! While he was doing the slicing, i framed the busy chef and took his photo. This guy can cut that meat really thin! Love this shot.

The roast pork is so delicious. Its so soft., the meat is really tender and the sauce is to die for! I asked for 3 slices and I want some more! If only my tummy can handle more, i could have devoured the whole thing! Its just so good. My favorite!

I was puzzled when i saw these goodies on the table. The chef told us to pick the ingredients for our pasta. I just said "oooh!" I pointed my fingers to the pesto sauce, mushrooms, bacon and the flat noodles. The chef cooked the sauce right in front of me and man oh man it smells really good!

He placed the noodles on a separate plate and poured the sauce on top of it. He generously drizzled it up with parmesan cheese, wiped the olive oil smudges which is totally not necessary and then served. Pasta magnifico!

Berjaya serves Unlimited Margaritas for only 298. Its a real treat since some restaurants offer this at around 300 to 350 pesos. Their Margaritas are really good. Its smooth. Tasty. It has this kick and you wont even know where it came from. I was surprised with this shot since the reflections of the bottles gave amazing bokeh circles. Also, the way light hits the glass gave my cocktail shots such beauty!

My Berjaya experience is really one of a kind. Its the best place to relax and unwind.Im thinking of buying their deal for ensogo for their buffet and for their unlimited margaritas. Buffet deal is priced at 500 pesos while the unlimited margaritas are at 288. In less than 800 pesos, you already had decent meal and unlimited margaritas! Sulit diba?!

Many thanks to Sir Melo and to the staff of Berjaya for their warm hospitality. This goes to all ther the staff and the bartenders., you guys are amazing. They all wear their lovely smiles almost the whole day. Berjaya - its a place where success happens once you stepped in. I highly recommend. Id like to thank sir Melo who is very kind to us. Thank you sir!

Till my next photoshoot! Good times!

Beer Belly

Bangus Sisig! I was lucky enough to shoot Beer Belly at Madisson at Boni Ave. Dave, the owner of the place needs a photo of his Bangus Sisig for their ensogo deal. It was quite a challenge for me coz light is really faint. Not only that.. its red! The neon lights are really messing up my exposure. I need to use my speedlight to overpower the nasty neon lights.

They also need a photo of the fries. I saw this food photography tip off the net and it says that - shoot the food in a unique angle. I shot this one like these coz you dont normally look food at this kind of angle. It gives out a different perspective for the viewer.

Beer Belly is one of those places you will love to chill in. Food is great, music is steady. Its a commendable place to unwind, relax and enjoy an ice cold beer with friends, co workers after a long stressful, toxic day. Oh man., im so hungry right writing this blog... =/ I guess its bad blogging about food when ur hungry. It makes you crave for something that you cannot have. And thats depressing. oh well., i guess i just have sleep this off... Thanks to dave for his warm hospitality =)

Namaste!

What does "Namaste" mean? All i know is that its an Indian word that usually spoken as a sign of respect when people meet or say goodbye. I googled it up and as defined by Mahatma Gandhi: In India when people meet and part they often say, Namaste' which means: "I honor the place within you where the entire Universe resides; I honor the place within you of love, of light, of truth, of peace; I honor the place within you, where, when you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us."

Namaste Restaurant is located within Burgos Circle at Bonifacio Global City. They serve authentic Indian Food. My impression about Indian food is that it has this certain kind of characteristic, usually spicy and more of a curry like dishes. I do love spicy food but not burn-my-tongue spicy. Just enough for my taste buds to hold. Photo above is Namaste's Seafood Beryani. It smells so good I tell you.Its spicy, flavorful fried rice that has shrimps and other spices. The rice is not just an ordinary long grain rice, its something you wont find here because the grains are imported straight from India.This is a must try! Its really good.

Now this a real treat! This is called Paneertika.Its cottage Cheese wrapped in onions and deep fried to goodness. I dunno if it is but its just real good! Try this one and im sure you will enjoy the creaminess of the cheese. Its good.. promise.

Although the appearance of this one is somehow not that appealing.... mind you., this Chicken Reshmi Kebab is really delicious! Why is it that everything i post here is good? Well it is really good!

The place is really nice. It is clean. Its neat. Its appetizing actually :). I just love their basic things that you will see here like the ice bucket which is really cute. The salt and pepper dispenser.. its really nice.

This is my favorite from all the dishes that I ate today! Its chicken kadai with Na'an. You break the bread and dip it with that sauce over there. I dunno how to describe it. Its like a curry. Theres actually chicken meat inside the sauce. You can actually put this with an ordinary rice if you want to. This is really something. :) If im going to go back to this place , probably im gonna go get this one.. hehe

If you happen to visit BGC., you should drop by Namaste and experience India right here in Manila! Good eats once again! :)

Ilocos Empanada

Tuesday! I was so excited to go to work today because of one appetizing reason, today is photoshoot day and I am about to embark on another journey to great places and good eats. Along with my officemates, Gary and Aaron, we went to Katipunan Avenue right in front of The Ateneo and visited a place called - Ilocos Empanada.

From the name itself, Ilocos Empanada serves fresh, deep-fried Ilocos empanadas right off the pan! With its original Ilocos recipe, these empanadas are to die for. Served with an original Ilocos vinegar, these empanadas are perfect if you wanna have a quick bite yet heavy on the tummy!

Stuffed with Vigan Longganisa, monggo sprouts and other spices plus an egg. You can order it the Vegetarian way served only without the Longganisa., but what good is an Ilocano Empanada w/o the Vigan Longganisa! You just got to have it in there boy! Give the vegan way to a pause and say yes to Vigan Longganisa!

Best served when hot. The egg and the veggies - i believe those are monggo sprouts, inside are really delicious. It also has this crunch that is really good. Crispy and Delicious! Partner it with an ice cold coke...swabe pare... and im sure you will love it too!

Since its deep fried, oil seeps in so make sure to let it drip before serving. I asked the personnel if I can shoot inside the kitchen and I tell you, its damn hot in there. Its hot even before they were starting cooking. When they started to heat up the oil., the kitchen went 3 notches hotter! I was kinda worried for my gear. It can get fried up or something so i just took my photos real quick.

These Ilocos empanadas are sold for 50 pesos each. Ensogo will soon launch a deal for Ilocos Empanada probably a week after this blog will be published. Please do watch out for it! :) Its a really good deal. Im not sure for the pricing yet so i guess its best to watch for it on Ensogo's website next week.

Another great shooting day for me. Tomorrow, im off to another photoshoot. I think its a food deal again and it makes me excited everytime someone tells me i have a photoshoot! The work is stressful, tiring, sometimes a little sweaty but its something that i really love doing. At the end of the day, i just say to myself., i love my job! :) Many thanks to Mam Carol for having us. To Gary and Aaron for helping me out with the shoot.

Visit Ilocos Empanada and im sure you will experience authentic Vigan treat right here in the city! Good times!