Cocoon Botique Hotel

Theres a new botique hotel over at Quezon City. Its in the corner of Rallos Street and Scout Tobias Street near Timog Avenue. The place is called Cocoon Botique Hotel. According to reviews, the hotel boasts its eco-friendly amenities. This is one of the few hotels who values mother nature more than everything else. The picture above is the deluxe room. The bed is really soft. the sheets are all new. The room has this modern interior design. Very very nice.  

As you wait at the lobby, comfortable chairs welcome you. It has wifi connection so you dont have to worry posting pictures on your facebook as you wait .

 As you can see, their furniture are really beautiful! Interior design again is awesome. Nice and clean and it looks very organize.

If i have all the money in the world, i would hibernate at  this place a  little longer. I actually like the name of the hotel. It feels like you're in deep relaxation like a caterpillar inside his home before becoming a butterfly..

  

Once again, the hallways are lovely. I love the earth tones that they used. Those brown and flesh colors are very relaxing. It has this very homy feel. Like in a zen room or something. Its just nice. 

 According to the staff, there were three wedding receptions scheduled on that day.Caught a glimpse of the bride going to the bridal car...

The pool area is lovely. Its not that big but it looks really good.  Furnishings looks expensive! Perfect for that early morning dip. 

 The design on this wall is very intricate. The wood is made from scratch. Surprising you can make something like this that looks really good and these are from recycled products!

Breakfast is included upon check in. I enjoyed this American style breakfast. Beacon and Eggs is my favorite!

Abby and I really enjoyed our stay at the hotel. We promise to go back some other time. Our experience at the hotel is simply unforgettable. Great rooms, awesome surroundings, Place is all new.  Everything is state of the art and very modern in design. Their staff is really nice. They are very hospitable. If you need something, just dial the front desk and they will attend to your needs in a flash! I really had a great time at cocoon. I hope Ensogo will soon have a deal at this hotel. I recommend this place with such flying colors! 

Awesome Fajitas @ Chilli's

 Lunch, its scorching hot outside..Me and Abby cant decide what to eat for lunch.The damn sizzling heat somehow affected our decision making and we cant decide where to go. Then a spark of idea glitched abby and uttered, "How bout Chilli's?" Sounds like a really nice idea and so we went. Chilli's is one of our favorite restaurants. Food there is just mouthwatering. I ordered some buffalo wings w/c i havent posted yet on instagram - my new favorite app! These pics by the way are grabbed from my twitter. I sync my photos from instagram to twitter... Im too lazy to bring out my camera back then maybe because of of hunger...i just whipped out my phone and shot away.  Abby ordered some Fajitas then suddenly i realized how good that was... slices of chicken and shrimps... on a sizzling plate..damn it thats delicious!

The way to eat is is to put the ingredients to a pita bread and wrap it like a shawarma. Add some hot sauce if you may and enjoy! This dish is simply delicious... Buffalo wings + Fajitas + Bottomless iced tea = 2 happy tummies. Chilli's.. through the years, they always remain at their best. 

Mandarin Sky

Mandarin Sky Restaurant in Banawe, I must say, is one of the best Chinese Restaurants I ever been to. Their food is simply delicious! Their dishes are unique. and most of them I never seen before. Sometimes you will be surprised theres a dish like that  coz some of the ingredients are hard to find and quite expensive. The baby back ribs is one of my favorites. Meat is soft and tender. Its juicy and really delicious. 

 Mandarin Sky added new dishes onto their menu and I was fortunate to take photos of their new mouthwatering treats. They upgraded some of their old recipes just like this fried chicken. It looks really delicious! It smells good too! 

This is my favorite among the rest! Its pork with this special kind of sauce which is kinda sweet and savory. I love this so much I almost ate all of it! If ever im going back to mandarin sky, I will definitely order this one. I tell you this is really good. 

Now this is a treat. Prawns with broccoli and asparagus. The soft shelled like tacos are really good as well. The sauce is delicious.. The prawns are the true stars of this dish. That crunch when you bite the shrimp which explodes inside your mouth is just...its just that good.. sarap sobra.  I just love prawns and shrimps...

Most of these dishes doesnt have a name yet. Sir Chris will still figure it out what to name them. The main ingredient  of this dish is the Tiger Conch . It is usually hard to find and you'l find it in this plate. It tastes really good. The one surrounding it is gabi  wrapped in something that i dont know what it was... sorry for not asking.. i was really hungry and all i ever did was eat. :)

When i arrived at the restaurant, I saw shrimps jumping from the fish tank! This only shows they'r fresh off the tank. I so love shrimps. I can actually eat all of these in one sitting.   

I love the tofu. However you cook it, gourmet or not, i just love the taste of it. Its also best when you partner it with some beer. In every "inuman", tokwa at baboy" should always be present! 

As far as I can remember, this is called Polo Pao. Its some kind of a siopao but it has a different crust which is like a huge hopia. This is one famous dimsum in Hong Kong. I love it. Its good better than your ordinary siopao. 


Mandarin Sky Restaurant is located at Banawe Street corner Simoun Street in Quezon City. For reservations, just call (02)740-5783. The place is big enough for small gatherings..birthdays, receptions.. They offer authentic chinese food and many more. Food you never tasted and soon you will definitely love. I would like to thank sir chris for letting me take photographs of his humble restaurant and its very delicious food. Extending my thank yous to the staff, for helping me with the lights. Also to sir Ernesto and their Chief Cook... il get his name in the future and update this blog asap. 


PS: Im still on a streak! 2 weeks without rice! Imagine all of these food infront of me but never even tempted to hold a spoonfull of rice.. hehe. Sacrifice actually paid off coz i lost some inches off my tummy.. hehe 


Once again thank you for reading =) #foodphotography Catch me on instagram : maccenteno  

Makati Muay Thai Fitness Gym

Muay Thai is a combat sport which originated in Thailand that uses combat striking. Muay Thai is referred to as "The Art of Eight Limbs" or "The Science of Eight Limbs". You use 8 vital points to connect to your opponent. That would be  -punches, kicks, elbows and knee strikes.

This is my first time to shoot a Muay Thai gym.Never took a picture of a Muay Thai athlete as either. I was excited and kinda nervous all at the same time. I dont know the positions or stance of the subject which makes me clueless where to position myself. I just went with the flow and trusted my instincts. As long as i can light these guys properly, my photos will look good. 

Ma-yeh', one of the participants at the gym luckily agreed to pose for a portrait. With her serious look, this photo made her   tenacious looking and she looks like she is ready to kick some serious ass. Muay Thai is a great work out since you use most of the parts of your body. One of the best cardio exercises ever.  Its also best in working out your core and your abs. 

It also helps release stress. Punching or kicking a punching bag is a serious stress reliever. I actually want to take up kickboxing because of this. =)  

 Muay Thai is not only a great workout, it teaches self defense, teaches you confidence and most specially it teaches you discipline. Martial Arts requires a lot of discipline. You need to respect your body and you need to  respect others and your environment as well.  If every human being values discipline, our world would be a better place to live.

 Id like to thank Sir Tony for letting me shoot at his awesome gym. Sir salamat po! To my models Onyok and Ma-yeh, thank you for the great portraits. I enjoyed this shoot even though the weather is scorching hot. I will leave you with this verse posted accross the gym - "Success needs no explanation. Failure needs no albi". Better remember that. For more info on Makati Muay Thai Fitness Gym - please call  895-1986 or 0918 8020434. You may visit their gym at 4008 Yague St. Pasong Tamo Makati. 


PS. I used everything i learned from Laya Gerlock's advanced photography workshop with this shoot. I was surprised with the outcome of the photos. f/8 is my new favorite f-stop! Everything seems to be sharp! I love it! :) Thanks Laya for the tips!

Best Bite Cafe

Monnnndaaayy! This is my first photoshoot of the week and what a treat! I was assigned to go to Best Bite Cafe over at P.Burgos Avenue in Makati. According to my shot list, i have to shoot one of their best sellers, the Hoony Burger. Oh boy this burger is damn delicious !

Its a half pounder monster which I definitely enjoyed. Best served with fries and their refreshing lemonade. Thanks to Ms. Rose for accommodating me at their humble cafe. Hope to drop by once again at Best Bite. 

Check out their facebook at Best Bite Cafe. 

Goodah!

Friday and its the last day of the week and this is also my last shoot for the week! I was asked to go on a photoshoot at Eastwood City Libis at one of the best place to dine in any time of the day.. Welcome to Goodah! 

My officemate Gil accompanied me and thanks for his help, i just made these incredible food shots. He helped me out using the reflector.  

Although we waited for quite some time and for the mad rush of the people coming in, we seem to work our things out and still managed to get amazing shots of their great food. This tapsi is one of my favorites!

Goodah is also famous for their liempo. Had a bite of this one and its really delicious! This is a must order at Goodah.

They also serve chicken inasal! one of the favorites as well. I love the taste of this one. Its tasty.. very tender and sweet. You will definitely love this. 

Their sisig is one of the best as well. Best served with beer. I noticed a lot of call center agents flock the area and this dish is always a favorite. This one is delicious!

Goodah is famous in their tagline "Open 25 Hours". I really like the tagline coz it has this effect to you that they are open much longer than 7/11! Goodah at Eastwood City is one of those places that is really nice to hang out with. Its good food, not heavy on the budget and its open more than 24 hours! Thanks Gil for helping me out. Thanks also to the staff for helping us and for their warm hospitality...

Mango Season is Here

Mangoes mangoes and more mangoes! I think those days of smoking the mango trees finally paid off! They say, smoke makes the mango tree bear more flowers which eventually turns into fruit. Tito Walbert occasionally does that every night, (too bad for our neighbors coz they are probably cursing our asses already, i guess we should give em some mangoes for the aggravation). Now, there are mangoes everywhere! This is the day of the reaping. Freshly picked green mangoes straight from the basket. =)   

As we were hauling down the mangoes,  we saw this odd shaped one and my father called it a "kambal" or a twin. I never saw one before and of course you know me mr.photographer wants to take a photo of it. This happens rarely so i have to document it. Mango with a genetic disorder...   

Tito walbert is starting to peel the mangoes one by one and here it is! With some matching bagoong  (shrimp paste) this one is ready to eat! Go grab a piece and lets enjoy one of pinoy's favorite snacks.. manga at bagoong. Chow! 

Hap Chan Tea House

Its been a long day at work and our manager / production mom, Ms. Janis wants to eat something Chinese. She urged us to  call it a day and have dinner all together. Hungry and tired, our feet led us to one of the most well known Chinese restaurant at the heart of Bonifacio Global City - the Hap Chan Tea House. Its located in front of Market Market just across Serendra. Lucky I brought my camera with me and took photos of some of their delicious dishes. This one right here is their Pork Siomai which Gil ordered. Never had pork siomai drenched in soup before and it tastes really good!      

I ordered one of my favorite dimsum ever - the Hakaw or better known as Shrimp Dumplings. Whenever I see this on the menu, I cant resist ordering it! This one is fabulous! Moist, juicy, and the shrimp is really good! You got to try it for yourself. 

Since its dinner, i usually stay away from carbs. I usually dont eat heavy coz i wont burn it out and eventually it will end up as an addition to my already bulging belly! So this meal is a perfect choice! Hap Chan's Beef Brisket Noodles is one of the best! The beef is so tender and soft. The noodles are perfect and the soup is really delicious. 

I have to agree that their tofu is really good! This sweet and sour tofu is definitely a must try at Hap Chan. I was actually done but when I saw this, i just grabbed my fork and took a piece and it was heaven. Its just so good...

 Anne took this photo. Me, Gil and Ms. Janis enjoying our dinner, Well for me, im still waiting for it to arrive.. =/ I just love ending the stressful day with a hearty meal. We actually deserve it coz we'ved been working so hard for the Oscars event that literally we live at the Ensogo office already! This is to end the super long stressfull week and welcome the long vacation for Holy week. Even though work is really stressful, stress cancels out when you have fun and crazy team mates with you. Exhaustion weakens when laughter floods all over and  most specially when great food is being served. 

Hunger Games

It was unintentional to watch the movie actually. Abby and I didnt planned watching it until my friends jam and wie invited us to join them. It was kinda early going home so we decided to go for it and watch the movie. I heard a lot of good reviews about hunger games and i wanna know whats the fuzz about it. They said it was really good and yes they are right. The story is really nice but kinda brutal. Set design was really awesome.Kudos to the writer of this great novel - Suzanne Collins. Genius plus great imagination.  The story, is set in the future. Theres this big modern city called the capitol and it has 12 districts around it. The capitol choses a girl and a boy in each of the 12 districts via lottery to fight to the death in live television. Its kinda brutal in a sense since even kids under 18 are sent to the bloody fight. Katniss,one of the main character of the movie, volunteers to replace her sister to spare her life. Good thing Katniss has a great ability in shooting the bow and arrow. Along with her determination, the odds went to her favour.. Great movie. Definitely a must watch! 

Draw Something

Oh yeah im definitely hooked with this new game. I really love to draw a lot even though im not good at it.. Doodling though is my favorite past time. Game is simple,  you connect with your facebook friends and you'l draw something and let them guess what you drew then vice versa. Its a really fun game. Brings out the creativity among your friends!  Im playing with my sister  whose in the states and now even my mom wants to try it as well! Available for free on Apple App Store! Come on lets play!