Saturday, October 27, 2012

Nagomi Japanese Restaurant

Its been a while since my last visit to El Pueblo over at Ortigas Center. The last time I went there when I went to Travel Factor's Ultimate Beach Bumming Experience in Calaguas and El Pueblo was chosen to be the meet up place for the participants. I never knew il comeback to visit that restaurant in front of Mcdo again. Nagomi Japanese Restaurant is somehow an institution inside El Pueblo.Its been a while since they started their business there. They offer authentic Japanese meals in a reasonable price! Once you stepped inside the place, its like you went to Tokyo to grab some Ramen. Its a really great place. I had the privilege to photograph their delicious meals that they will launch at ensogo.com.ph . Photo on top is their delicious Sushi Platter. The California Maki is really delicious. Same goes with the Salmon Sahimi.. God im mouth-watering right now. I just remembered its taste right at this moment.... 

really addicting... super. that salmon is so delicious
This is one of the best Salmon Tepanyaki ever! The meat is soft and tender. Served sizzling right in front of you. It comes with a sauce actually i just forgot to include it at the picture! This is one of my favorites from the meal. Its really really good.  

delicious! i love kani
 The Kani is delicious as well! Fresh greens and that delicious Kani is something i cant describe.. its so good. I had it as my appetizer. 


great value for money! all of these for less than 600 pesos
 For only 599 pesos, you can have everything in this photo.. That includes the Gomoko Ramen at the middle, the sushi platter, the kani salad and the salmon tepanyaki. they will also include 5 glasses of cold green tea. You can also ask if you want it hot. There are other combinations as well. Please refer to their deal at the ensogo website for more details. Click it here

great interior! love the different japanese drinks all lined up
 Like I said earlier, the interior is really fabulous. Very Japanese in style! Its spacious, its clean. Its simply wonderful! For reservations, just give them a call at (+632) 635-45-46. You can visit their facebook page at    https://www.facebook.com/HachisukaCorporationNagomi

Id like to thank Ms Marge and Sir Dwayne for having us. They were very accommodating. We had fun with the photoshoot. I also want to thank kate for assisting me. Also id like to thank Chef Don for the great food! Its been an honor sir. Thank you! 

So the next time you wanna go for something Japanese, visit Nagomi and enjoy Japanese cuisine at its finest!

Friday, October 26, 2012

2012 Ensogo Halloween Party

 Time flies so fast its like a blink of an eye, November is already knocking and the amazing people of Ensogo celebrated their annual Halloween Party at the Ensogo office in Bonifacio Global City. Last year's party was fun specially with the traditional trick or treat with the kids. But this year was really something!  

The decorations were awesome. Balloons were everywhere! They also hired a professional party host for the kids. There were games, magic tricks and face painting!

And of course! It aint a party without food! The HR department prepared some delicious meals for the kids and for the adults alike! I love jake's "band-aid" which is basically  graham crackers + cream cheese + strawberry jam. simple and delicious!

Kidshad a great time with an overload of candies! From the games and also from the magic tricks, they surely had fun! I actually enjoyed it as well! 


But the real highlight of the party is the costumes and the masks! The production team's awesome masks were really amazing! All that gore, blood and carnage. Amazing creativity!  


 There were interesting ones as well! The research and yield management team had their interesting crayon costumes! Very creative! I love it!.

 But EJ's mask / costume is pure effort! Made from paper mache using paper towels, white glue and acrylic paints, he made this really disgusting, rotting masks that looks so real! He belongs to the right department! Good job EJ!


Nikos and Anne's masks are scary as well! Specially Anne's!Look at that teeth and the hair! Its just scary!  


Also with this kid with a really nice darth vader costume! I always wanted a mask like that! 


 I would like to congratulate the Marketing department for winning the 1st price in the annual Halloween party presentation. Last year was from the production team's great effort in making the haunted house hat. This year its the guys from Marketing who bagged the crown . Good job guys! Sunshine's costume is just amazing!



Sir Win's mask is inspired from the movie "Chucky"! Awesome mask as well! Very creative!


 This year's Halloween party is one for the books! The kids really enjoyed it. The decorations were awesome. The effort poured to make the masks and costumes is just phenomenal. Everybody is a winner actually. I went home at around 2 am already because i have to finish all my product shoots in preparation for the long weekend. I just locked myself up inside the studio with some house music and a couple of beers. What a great night!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

SunJewel

This is the most expensive thing i ever photographed. Imagine 66 diamonds right in my fingertips... Well forgive me but I dont usually photograph expensive things and i was just amazed how beautiful diamonds are. It has this shine which is mesmerizing... Its just a wonderful feeling taking photos of these precious stones... 
Ensogo will soon launch a deal at Sun Jewels located at Shangri-La Hotel and they are slashing 50% off the price once you purchase the voucher. Its a really great deal and probably one of the biggest ensogo ever had. Watch out for it! Coming real soon at ensogo.com.ph 

Monday, October 22, 2012

Amansinaya Mountain Resort

Its been a while since my last out of town trip. I'ved been dying to let my feet wander outside manila. Sick and tired of the usual commute. Stressed with the hustle and bustle of the metro. I really need a break. I need a place to go to and breathe clean air. When Joyce, one of our marketing consultants, asked me to go for a photoshoot out of town, i did not think twice! "Count me in!" Me, Tracy and EJ are on a quest to one the best places in Batangas. To relax, to destress and cover this place that time stops. Welcome to Amansinaya Mountain Resort in Laurel, Batangas. 

Weather is perfect! Sun is all out. No signs of rain. I knew it even before i left the house that this photoshoot will be awesome. I met up with Tracy at Ayala techno hub at around 6am then we went to our office in Global City to meet Joyce, Enrique and EJ. Then off we go to Batangas!

We arrived on scheduled. There were no traffic. Everything was smooth. When we arrived, we are welcomed with a few drinks and some coffee. The place was breath-taking. I love the view from the infinity pool. Its just perfect. The dining area beside the pool is magnificent. You have an option to eat at the shelter just beside the pool if you want that feel of extra cold air coming from the mountains. 

The site is just spectacular. You're alone with nature and its goodness. Very relaxing. Very serene. Time definitely stops here. Its a great place to unwind., relax.. sip on some fresh juice with lots and lots of ice.. or if you want it hot, their kapeng barako is just fabulous. One of the best tasting coffee ever. You dont have to put cream in it., just drink it with a teaspoon of sugar and you're good to go! 

Good thing I brought along my CPL filter with me. Its been a while since i used that thing. You see that bluish skies, textured clouds and that green foliage, all of those came out thanks to my ever reliable Optomet Polarizing filter. Id like to thank my brother for giving me that thing. I love it so much! 

I also brought along a couple of strobes, my two Nikon SB600 and my softbox umbrella. I asked tracy to sit beside the pool and took some photos of her. This photo is shot using my SB600 - left side of the model, bare at 1/2 power. This was taken at around 10:30 in the morning. I also used my CPL filter for this one, making the colrs stand out. 

One of our first tasks is to shoot the rooms at their small hotel just beside the pool area. EJ already rigged out his gears and starting filming. Actually he already started filming upon arriving at Amansinaya. He bought this really nice waterproof camera from GE for only 3,000 pesos! What a bargain actually coz it delivers high quality videos! Its waterproof, shock proof and fool proof! He also brought his Canon 350D along with some lights and an umbrella to diffuse it. I went on shooting first inside the rooms then he started filming after me. 

The rooms are wide and spacious. The bed is soft and there is a couch near the wall. This room can fit around 5 people. They can ask for an extra bunk bed and just sleep at the floor area. As far as I can remember, it cost around 3,000 plus for an overnight stay. 

 
Each room comes with a pool! There is also a space on the side  where you can grill barbecues. Perfect for that family get together! Ugh.. imagine.. grillin barbecues.. with beer then you go swimming after! Its just perfect! Your own private spot with friends and family! 

Right across the villa is the aqua park which houses a really big pool... You will see there a couple of bridges which leads to the shower area and tables. There is a huge space beside the pool for big gatherings. Theres also a videoke machine which i myself gave a try to tunes of "I Dont Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith! :) When they turned on the fountain and water started to shoot, everything seems to be magic.. Its beautiful.  

Right there another angle of the bridge that leads to one of the sheds and the shower rooms. Pool is very inviting. Water is really warm.. After the shoot., me, tracy and EJ just jumped and enjoyed ourselves! I really envy EJ for that GE camera that he has! 

Its been scorching hot and its already at high noon. Our gear will soon fry if we keep on rolling. So we had to take the shade  and rest for a while. Then we went back to the main lobby to have lunch. They served Kare-Kare and Fried fish! Then Jello with condensed milk for dessert! Delicious! We had to get our selves full coz our next adventure will require a lot of energy. We will embark and trek to Ambon-Ambon falls to swim and for some photo op! 

We met up with a group of girls namely Arra, Kristine, Mar, Alyssa and Zahs. They have been friends for forever and they are on their vacay at Amansinaya. They bought ensogo vouchers from our last launch. They are really fun to be with. They shared laughs and smiled a lot. Happy bunch of people. Luckily, they obliged to be our models for the trek! 


The path going to the falls is not that hard. Cold water swept our feet. We even crossed a hanging bridge  on our way which is a little scary coz its all wobbly and shaky. Good thing i brought along my slippers!

If i worn my shoes, they'd probably still wet while writing this blog! Lush greens greeted our way...Its something out of the ordinary that i truly missed.. The great outdoors.. love it.  

Some of the rocks are really slippery. There are times that my foot sinks into the rubble! It was an extra challenge since my camera doesnt have a strap! So I have to maneuver on to the rocks with one hand holding the camera.. What am I thinking going on a trek without a camera strap? <-- Crazy! A few more steps and the destination is already at sight. 


There it is! Welcome to Ambon-Ambon falls! Such a thing of beauty! I really like to thank Kuya Arnel, for helping me carry my tripod. I dedicate this photo to him coz this wouldnt be possible without my tripod. So thank you so much Kuya Arnel for helping me out. 

The falls is awesome. I dont really remember when was the last time ived been to a real waterfalls. Well, probably that was in Banahaw with my CYC friends a few years back. But this one is probably one of the biggest ived been to. I really need to travel more coz so far this is the grandest ived ever been too and there are a LOT of falls here in our country. Much prestigious, much bigger than this! But then again, this one is beautiful :)


After taking some photos, i took off my shirt and started to jump into the water! Man it feels good. Water is really cold! As in! Water massaged my back when it fell down on me. Its quite an experience! Thats me at left side, then EJ, then Kuya Arnel. 

There goes tracy along with the girls at the back enjoying the view of the falls. Shes actually shivering! Water is really cold! Good thing she brought an extra shirt to keep her warm. Used my pop up flash here. I left my speedlight at the van coz it takes a lot of weight... Sometimes the pop-up flash comes in handy.. After some intense waterfall actions... EJ had some interesting video clips in his GE waterproof camera. We also headed back to Amansinaya to shoot the activity area. Oh yes theres more!


This is the activity area where you can go Wall Climbing, Zipline, and do some team building games. We have to cover this one before dark. Light is our friend. If it goes away, we will definitely have a problem.. Theres a wide angle shot of the wall. Theres EJ on the right side of the wall filming the climber as he goes up. 

The wall is about 40 feet high! EJ is filming the climber as he rappels down the wall. This photo is taken with my 18-105 nikkor lens. Surprisingly its good! The details remains sharp. Love it! I had another daredevil move of bringing the camera on top of that thing and even zip-lined on my way down while carrying the camera to shoot a video clip, without a camera strap! Yes im that crazy!

Thats EJ zippin down the wall! Love this shot actually. There he goes again carrying his GE camera. We are all wondering, what if we have GoPros in our hands?  Argh... me and EJ are GoPro dreaming the entire trip. 



After the deathtifying stunts at the wall, we moved on to the next challenge! The Mudslide. Like tracy, i also thought wer all gonna get dirty and muddy! Its basically a super long slide!  I took photos of Tracy and EJ as they tried the really exhilarating slide. It was really fun! I went on 5 times actually. Its so addicting! What an adrenaline rush! I also took some video clips from EJ's camera and we had some great videos of the big splashes and never ending smiles.. 



What a day! Thats all that I can say. Everything went smooth. It was fun. We even lost the keys to our ride home but good thing we found it immediately! It was an exhausting day but everything went well and it literally ended with a blast! There were fireworks over at Enchanted Kingdom while were having dinner at Jollibee :) Now thats surprise and delight! Such an amazing day.

 Id like to thank Joyce for taking us at Amansinaya. Thanks also to Kuya Arnel for driving us. To my fellow production members, EJ and Tracy, you guys rock. Also to Enrique for the laughs and jokes! And to all the staff of Amansinaya, they were very hospitable. We really enjoyed our stay. 

Check out this video that EJ made :) Good Job EJ!

Luxor Restobar

Luxor Restobar is one of those new joints at Bonifacio Global City which is a fusion of good food, good party music and great relaxing ambiance! Situated at the top floor of the Fort Strip, this restobar is simply incredible. The food is absolutely delicious! Luxor launched a great deal at ensogo.com.ph and i am one of those lucky people to try their delicious, well plated, gourmet meals. 

I was there on a typical friday night where everybody is dancing, drinking and mingling with their friends while doing this photoshoot. People are somehow curious whats with the camera and the softboxes standing around. 

The food on top is one of my favorites, their Chicken Ala Kiev. Basically its like a Cordon Bleu. Meat is so soft, juicy and tender. I love the taste. Its really delicious. You got to admire the plating of the dish as well. Its really something for a bar like this to serve food this way. Its like you are dining in a hotel or something! Love it!   


Pork Parmagiano


Grilled Honey Glazed Pork Belly



Caprice Salad
I so love their Caprice Salad! The presentation is such an art! At first glance you might think this is a burger of some sort! Its actually a big tomato sliced into three then inside is a slice of cream cheese and lettuce (not sure though) topped which i think is arugula then drizzled with this special sauce. Sorry for the lack of information coz i was too hungry to ask questions! Promise this is really good.  

Ham and Pepper Corn Soup
I also had their delicious Ham and Pepper soup. It was heaven actually. That thin slice of that soft ham at first bite is just a feeling i can never describe. I just have to close my eyes while savoring the taste! Its so good. Perfect appetizer!


Mashed Potato
If you want a different variety than the usual plain rice, their mashed potato is also delicious! This is best when partnered with the Grilled Honey Glazed pork. Again, for a mashed potato, plating is again beautiful. A combination of great taste and outstanding plating. 

I myself didnt expect that they would serve a full course meal for two at 399 pesos! Its really a great deal! Imagine you will have 2 main course meals + 2 salads + 2 soups + 2 canned soft drinks for only 399! Its just too good to be true! Food this great can be affordable thru ensogo! It will make your dining experience worth remembering. They also have different kinds of concoctions to choose from if you wish to booze up your night. So come visit Luxor Resto-Bar over at Fort Strip in Bonifacio Global City and experience hanging and dining out in a different fashion. 

Luxor Restobar is located at 3rd Floor, The Fort Strip, Bonifacio Global City, 1630 Taguig. You can reach them at 0906 5012770 / 0929 8891363 for inquiries. They are open from 6:00PM to 3:00AM. Attire is casual. 



Sunday, October 21, 2012

House of Lasagna

Lasagna madness!!! It always has been my favorite food of all time. I grew up watching Garfield and when i first heard garfield craving for some lasagna, i was just curious how good it was. When I tried it, its been my favorite ever since. Welcome to House of Lasagna! It is located at the lower ground floor of Centris near the MRT Quezon Avenue Station. Food there is absolutely delicious! Went on a shoot with Jocy and their new manager Ms. Maj. 

Before the shoot, i thought it would be a lot better if some of the ingredients will be shown at the photo. I asked Chef Erick Congmon if he could lend me some garlic, onions and some of his spices. I played with the food set up and came up with this.    

Placed my ever reliable softbox umbrella at the back for that delightful highlights and adorable shadows. Now i cant live without my sekonic lightmeter. It really helps me with the exposure reading. Making my job easy. The Carbonara Lasagna is really delicious! Of the two lasagnas this one is my favorite. 

Had another angle of the Beef Lasagna photo on landscape. Im sure you will love this one as well. Sauce is so creamy. The meat inside is just stuffed generously. Theres goodnes within and we loved it so much. Besides the beef and carbonara lasagna, there are other flavors to choose from. Also, their desserts are really delicious! Too bad i didnt had the chance to take photos of their Sansrival and Apple pie. I so love the Sansrival... 



This is Chef Erick posing for his wonderful creations... I really want a photo of the chef if its possible in all my restaurant shoots. Its nice showing who's the man behind the delicious meals we  feature on our website. Its always been an honor working with them. They are all nice and very accomodating.   


Watch out for this deal launching real soon! Imagine for only 199 pesos, you will have 2 lasagnas. Normally each lasagna costs 200 pesos but in this deal you will have 2 lasagnas for only 199. Its a really great deal because the lasagnas are really delicious. House of Lasagna is accessible specially for those who commute using the MRT because its located beside Quezon Avenue Station over at Centris. I assure you, this deal is a winner! 

Many thanks to Chef Erick for the warm hospitality. To his partner sir Alfonso, thank you sir! And to all of their friendly staff. Thank you so much for having us. We enjoyed the stay and the food is incredible! We really had a great time. Thank you also to Ms. Maj and Jocy for the company. Its been a fun photoshoot. Thanks guys!

Enjoy Lasagna at its finest! For more inquiries, you can reach House of Lasagna, Centris branch at (+632) 709-70-04