Manang's Delicious Egg Pie

I was so hungry and good thing there is "Manang" who delivers lunch and snacks here at the office. Took a peek onto her food stash and I saw her delicious egg pie. Asked how much and she said its only 20 pesos a slice. Gave her my money and took the pie. As always, I wanted to take a picture of the food before i eat it. So here it is., the pie's in memoriam photo.

Tristan

Its portrait day! Today is quite special since im shooting one of our new managers, Sir Tristan Torres. He is the new director of sales for LivingSocial Philippines. He's a nice guy. He's a very jolly person. Always wears a smile. I bet he'd fit well here at the office coz people here smiles a lot even when stressed. =)  Sir tristan is tall. About 6"3 i think.. I have to adjust my white backdrop a little higher. I also have to adjust the height of my strobes and reflectors. Cool portrait.    

Kape Pilato

 

This is my first time to shoot around Malate area. I was intrigued of what I might see there. I rarely go to Manila and I had a gutt feel this photoshoot will be interesting. Kape Pilato is located along San Marcelino Street. It is the restaurant inside Orange Nest Botique Hotel. Ensogo will soon launch a deal with them and I was tasked to shoot their rooms and their restaurant. It was a delightful experience since the place is really nice. Theres this "Wow" factor upon entering the premises.   

It was scorching hot outside! Good thing the staff gave us complimentary drinks like this Strawberry Drink with a touch of Basil. Its really refreshing I tell you! The Basil gave this unusual taste that made it so good! Im a sucker for strawberry smoothies...

I decided to do the photoshoot upstairs so we would not disturb the people dining in the restaurant. They prepared a special corner for us and it was fantastic! It looks like a really beautiful house from this angle. Its like dining in style! Love the white leather chairs and the glass table.  

Down to business. The chef and his minions are starting to carry mouthwatering dishes onto my shooting table. My eyeballs are starting to get bigger and bigger! I started shooting this Porckchop with mushrooms and fries. Looks really good and very delicious! Smells good too! 

Now this one is really delicious...the ribs are so soft and tender. The sauce is perfect. If you're going to order this one, Im sure you wont regret it. This dish is just fabulous.   

They also served the Sisig Pasta and i tell you this dish is hot! Intensely spicy but really delicious. That crunch of the chicharon is so good.. The sisig and pasta fusion is absolutely delicious. After the shoot, they had this one to go. My officemates back at the Ensogo loved it!

Their frappes is insanely delicious! The chocolate frappe was the bomb! Its so good... I love this shot by the way due to the moist at the sides of the glass. Lookin at it makes me thirsty... This is a must order  at Kape Pilato

That gutt feel was right! I had a really great time shooting at Kape Pilato and Orange Nest Botique Hotel. The food is really delicious. The place is superb! The people and the staff were really nice and hospitable. Awesome experience indeed.  I would like to thank Faye for assisting me with the shoot. She was kind enough to hold the camera flash for me. Thanks Faye! 

Watch out for Kape Pilato's deal on Ensogo. They will launch probably a week after this shoot. Just visit Ensogo's site for more details. Whats with the name by the way? According to their very nice operations manager, the interior designer named it after Poncius Pilate which she doesnt know why. Mysterious.. 


Good times! More food adventures coming real soon! Thanks for visiting! 

Xocolat

Xocolat is small restaurant in front of Ateneo de Manila University which  probably serves the best Hot Chocolate ever. As in. Its that good!!  Me and Abby went to Xocolat to have dinner after we heard mass at UP Diliman. Its just perfect! Sippin' that hot cup of hot chocolate in a cold, rainy, stormy weather. These photos are from my last photoshoot when we had a deal with their brownies and I was kinda surprised that I havent posted it yet onto my blog. I just have to post it this time. Anyways, we had dinner there and I ordered their Xocolat Chicken Pasta.. damn it was so delicious! Abby ordered the Pork Belly which is so good as well. Too bad i dont have pictures =/ . I also ordered my favorite Hot Xocolat. Perfect for this stormy weather. Ived been dreaming of it since almost the whole day and Xocolat was the first thing that came in to my mind.

My first time at Xocolat was awesome.I was there as early as 7:30am. People there were already sippin their hot cup of coffee while reading the paper. =) Great place to start the day right. They'r playing 80's music..very relaxing.. Most of the regulars there are students (from Ateneo perhaps) studiying  as they sip their favorite drinks.   You can just smell the hot chocolate in the air. Love it!  The place is actually an old house converted into a coffeshop.  I like the decorations at the store. The cute fountains..the figurines and the chairs has this vintage feel. Its like a blast in the past feel. Photo above  is their delicious brownies. Its moist, crunchy on top.You'l definitely say "mmmmmm" after that first bite. Its best partnered with their  Hot Chocolate :)

They have lots and lots of pastries available. The cakes looks really delicious. Saw a blueberry cheesecake over there and its really tempting! Maybe next time il have  that for dessert.. I was just so full lastnight i cant handle another slice or a spoonful of anything =).  What a great dining experience me and abby had lastnight. :) If you happen to drop by katipunan avenue, drop by Xocolat. Its just in front of Ateneo. If you're coming from UP Diliman, take the street after Rustans Supermarket on the right.(I think thats Gonzales Street - not sure though)   Im gonna say it again., Xocolat by far for me is the best Hot Chocolate Experience ever. :) not to mention they serve great food as well.. :)

Yanagi Japanese Restaurant

Its about time since I had another outdoor photoshoot. I have been shooting retail products for quite some time and I kinda miss the traffic, the dust, the intense moment when the managers of the restaurant watches you work.  I got to admit that I miss it even though its stressful sometimes. Nikos reminded me that I have a shoot at Midas Hotel over at Roxas Blvd.. I thought Im going to shoot facades and rooms of the hotel. I just found out that Midas has this new Japanese Restaurant inside their hotel called "Yanagi" 

They serve the finest Tempuras in the city. Everytime you grab a bite, theres a burst of flavor inside your mouth. This is one of my favorites at Yanagi. The sauce is really good. You have to try it.

Different varieties of Maki is included in the buffet. This one looks interesting. Its been two months already that I havent ate rice. But this one, i just have to make an exemption and end my no-rice-streak. This is just awesome. So worth it. 

They have this fresh garden salad that has this crunchy wanton noodles on top. Dressed in this really delicious sauce. Probably one of the best salads i ever tasted. Its healthy and very delicious! 

 Share it with everyone and im sure they will love it. 

This is the beef used for the Sukiyaki or the HotPot. You can actually eat this raw if you want. But i wanted it cooked.. then placed inside my hot pot. Tell you, the beef is so soft and tender. I ate a lot of these earlier. 

These are the ingredients for the Hot Pot. Look at those mushrooms! They look really tasty! 

All of these for only P499. This is a great buy actually. The tempura alone and the different kinds of Sushi are quite expensive already .This is a bargain for 499! When this deal launches at Ensogo, i'l be the first one to buy the voucher ! Look at all that you'l get! 

  

 My experience at Yanagi is quite challenging because everybody is watching me photograph the food. The chefs, the managers, the waiters, All eyes glued on me. Theres a little bit of pressure but I just got to get used to it. I just worked with my camera and shoot away.  I used the technique Jo Avila taught us from his talk at DPP's anniversary. Thats the speedlight + bondpaper maneuver. It was awesome. My shots became more interesting. It has more texture. The highlights and shadows came out. It was awesome. Im so happy I attended that free workshop. Thanks to sir Jo, my shots took up a notch! 


I would like to thank the staff of Midas Hotel for being super hospitable. They were very nice. Very accommodating. That place is really nice. Midas hotel is one of those hotels that has the best lounge area. Those fiber optics running down from the ceiling is just awesome. And the collection of the Heremes boxes were fantastic. I also want to thank Ruby for assisting me with the photoshoot. She was kind enough to hold my speedlight and my 50 cent diffuser (bond paper). Thanks Ruby! 


If you are craving for some great Japanese food, please come to Yanagi, im sure you will definitely enjoy their great food, awesome service and the delightful dining experience. 

Barquillos

Barquillos is one of Philippine's best snacks of all time. My favorite actually. Its just so addicting. Spanish in origin, it is like cookies but rolled thin. Crunchy and tasty. Easily breaks into pieces. This goes best with coffee, or ice cream! Soon, Ensogo will have a deal with these delightful treat. ;)