Mixin' Bowl SM North

Do you love macarons? What are macarons by the way? According to Wikipedia : A macaron is a French sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond, and food colouring. I tasted one of these when i went on a photoshoot before... one thing i instantly noticed is that, its not cheap. But indeed very delicious! 

For 40 pesos (or more)  a piece, this dessert should be really delicious and yes it is delicious indeed. I had one at Mixin Bowl over at Skydome at the rooftops of the newly renovated SM North EDSA. I arrived there early to plan out my shoot and good thing i did because i came out with pictures something like these. 

I used a couple of color gels to create a certain mood that goes along with the color of the food. I used yellow, red even blue gels to make the background somehow dramatic. I love the result. :)

 Besides the macarons, they also sell pastas, cakes  and other dishes. I really love their carbonara. It's so delicious. For sure if i drop by here next time, I'd order this once again no doubt. 

 I also love their blueberry cheesecake. I love the texture, the creaminess and the sweetness of the cake. It's really good. I just had this one after eating my delicious carbonara. Im sre you will love this one as well....

I also tried their delicious chocolate cake. This is a triple layered chocolate cake that is screaming with goodness! Its delicious! Best enjoyed with a hot cup of coffee or tea. 

Visit their restaurant at SM North EDSA just beside Skydome. They also serve different kinds of breads and I even saw some waffledogs out there! Give them a try im sure you'll love it.  

Barrio Fiesta

There's always one place I ever think off when it comes to a buffet of Filipino food...  Barrio Fiesta. When I was young, we used to eat out here specially when there are family gatherings, Barrio Fiesta is always the first thing we ever think off. I was delighted when I was assigned for a shoot at Barrio Fiesta over at Araneta Center in Cubao, because i had to re-live moments with family. I was also delighted because i have to taste their delicious kare-kare once again! This is one of my favorite dishes at Barrio Fiesta. I bet a lot of  you as well. 

Another favorite of mine is their Lechon Manok! The skin is so crispy and the meat is so juicy. I love this so much that's its a standard procedure to order Fried Chicken everytime we go here.  .

This is my first time to try their delicious Seafood Paella! It's so good. That fresh crab on the top is the winner. I am a sucker for seafood and to have this kind of dish in front of me is one hell of a treat! 

I really had fun shooting here. The staff is really nice. They accommodated me pretty well. Place is clean and the food is just delicious. 

Brothers Burger

Im fortunate enough to have a photoshoot at one of the most delicious burger chains in Metro Manila - Brothers Burgers. I just can get enough of the taste of their delicious burgers. My favorite is their Big Brothers burger. That half pounder monster us simply to die for. 

 Meat is juicy... tasty.. that flame-grilled goodness gets into your nerves! I had a chance to shoot inside their kitchen... it's hot in there but its all good. I wanted to have the flames go out but it's hard to achieve that perfect flame. After numerous clicks, i just decided to go with this one....

 I was tasked to shoot this delicious burger for Ensogo.com.ph and  I'm just glad I pulled this through. And I was so happy since a lot of people bought the deal..  :) I love my job.

Reminscing Calaguas

April 2014. My last beach trip of summer...  Calaguas Beach as of the moment is my favorite beach in all the beaches ive'd been to in the Philippines. Coron, Palawan comes second and Panglao Beach in Bohol will probably falls 3rd. Why Calaguas ?  Because of the serenity of the place. No words can describe it. It's beauty beyond imaginable.That peaceful  and calmness...which im afraid will soon die because tourists are starting to pour in and opportunists are slowly creeping to take advantage of it. Innovation, modernization is a good thing but there are things that should be kept untouched and left as it is...  I'm lucky to enjoy it now before this beach turns into a mess like Boracay and the other beaches that is used to be marvelous yet ravaged by people who only see profit from it.

  I hope none of these will happen to our beautiful Calaguas. I hope not. I will definitely miss those pristine blue waters and powdery white sands replaced by used diapers, beer bottles and endless piles of plastic bags. We people should open our eyes with all these bad things that are happening to our environment. Its just sad that all of these beauty will just put on to waste...    

It's sad because some people just dont give a damn about anything...I really love to smack the hell out of someone's face if i see them throwing empty beer cans at the beach.... The place is beautiful and you'l just throw shit and make a mess? Come on.. Shame on you.. You all better than that. Be considerate naman and act like an educated person... 

Respect the beach..Respect the environment..and it will come back to you as well. It's just sad to see something like this put on to waste. Calaguas for me is an escape from reality. I wanted it to be like a dream vacation.. not a hedonistic nightmare... I wanted to arrive and depart with awe.. with a blissful sigh and tell myself that I'll soon comeback... Its sad coz the nightmare is already happening. Before, the only sound you will hear within Calaguas are the clashing of the waves.. those burning wood at the bonfire and the crickets endlessly grinding... but now, there are videoke machines powered by generators... loud drunkards and never ending party music till the break of dawn... The peaceful  Calaguas is turning into something  else.... 

It's a long way to the island. So long, one of my butt cheeks cramped.  But its all worth it. It's better than the usual. It's better than the hideous Manila traffic. The scent of the sea is much better than foul scent of piss that I always endure every time i pass the Ayala MRT overpass... It's a relief. When i'm traveling specially in Calaguas, it's like I'm in agony but I'm enjoying  it. Ironic it may seem but this time in a good way... 

I love the spray of saltwater as the waves smashes the side of the boat...that smell of the sea, the cool wind that envelopes your face... it's mesmerizing.. Sounds corny but.. yeah. i think it is. But once you're there.. you'd probably feel the same. I love this photo by the way...  i almost slipped and fell taking this shot.. :) 

at last.. we're here.  i want to jump in the water right at this moment....

crystal blue waters... 

calm and serene...

i just love that sound....i should have recorded it and play it whenever im stressed.

 It's really soothing... stress killer. 

it's time to unload the goodies... touchdown Calaguas! 

booze...booze and more booze

just lie down and relax......enjoy the feel of it. 

a good book is always a great idea.... 

but getting wet is my thing... kudos to my go pro.. it captured most of the 

fun :)

including this one...

and this! If you're a traveler... a go pro camera is a must. It's one amazing gadget. 

Bring this and a small compact digital camera and you're all set! 

tired? need a break? the beach is yours! :) 

time for lunch! our friends from Biyahe Lokal prepared a really nice feast for us! 

All that swimming made us hungry so i guess 3 cups of rice ain't enough! :) 

one of my favorite things to do at the beach is to eat ( i mean eat a lot) with my bare 

hands! 

most specially when its fish! It's just perfect!  

since we're all full.. it's time to relax a little. We all sat down by the sand and just chilled for 

a while. Booze flowing... Bob Marley is playing in the background... Time is an 

absence right at this moment...

they said that the view from the top of the hill is magnificent. So we went... even if 

the sun is killing us... i think it's worth it..

it's a long walk but it's all good. 

and it's all so much better once you reach the top! Awesome view :) after all the photo ops, 

we went down before it gets dark...

but first...lemme take a selfie.

sun is almost down... and Golden hour is happening... this is my first time to 

use a go pro for sunset shots.. im just amazed how beautiful this tiny little 

camera captures images....

sunset... shooting sunsets is so much better if you put a human element on it. 

and i really love shooting silhouettes on sunsets! Heres one of my favorite 

photos from the trip. My good friend Camille showed us a really nice form and 

im just happy i captured it.... love this shot. 

more candid moments... ;)

breath-taking...

sun is out and its time for the stars of the night to go out as well...

new found friends.. great conversations...and booze to wash the stains

 in our souls... kampai!

to add more awesomeness to the night.. it's full moon..... We we're up drinking 

until 3am... We just have to apologize to our kidneys the morning after...

I would like to abuse this opportunity to give a gazillion thanks to Biyahe Lokal 

for the great vacation.... This group is really fun.. Traveling is so much fun when you're 

with happy, crazy, jolly and beer crazy people. I really had a great time... Im looking forward

to join the next Biyahe Lokal trip... You should too! 

for more info about Biyahe Lokal's trip schedules.. visit their facebook page. 

Thank you Biyahe Lokal! Thank you Deraks! Till next time!

Thank you!

Biyahe Lokal 

www.Biyaherong Barat.com

#goproHero3 #LumixLX5  (for images)

Marina Seafood Restaurant

Marina Seafood Restaurant is famous for their delicious Sisig and Sinigang na hipon. They had a restaurant before at Greenhills and I tried their food and man it was heaven. Seriously its delicious. I had a little smirk on my face when I was asked to do this shoot. I had to make this dish really appetizing and boy it was a tough challenge because the lighting is all yellow and gloomy. Good thing I kinda pulled it through... 
  

Their deal : Marlin Sisig + pakbet + Sinigang na hipon + unli  ice tea for 4  + unli rice all for the price of 499 pesos. That's great value for your money! Their sizzling marlin is really good. I had a chance to taste it and i loved it. Actually all of the dishes are good! I had a lot of those shrimps! 

I almost forgot to tell you guys that i held the shoot at their branch over at Metrowalk in Ortigas.  Great place! It's spacious and cozy.  Come by and visit im sure you'l love it there.  Deal is already running at Ensogo.com.ph Go grab your vouchers!

Sodam Korean Restaurant

I missed blogging. I know im not a born writer and my grammar i guess won't pass on any copywiter's taste.. but what the hell. I really dont give a damn anyway... I just wanna share something really nice.. and delicious. I went to this Korean restaurant near Gilmore street called So Dam Korean Restaurant. Outside its quite small.. But once you go inside, its really spacious. I went on a shoot there for Ensogo and they prepared  this really delicious dishes...  I went on setting up my lights and started shooting. Photo on top is their delicious shabu-shabu! I just love the color on that photo.    

I so love korean food. I find it really healthy. Because you cook it with its own oil. Part of the deal is the unlimited pork or beef samgyupsal. I had a lot of these! Its really good...

thats what Im talkin about... just grill it and eat it along with the vegies. Glazed it with  olive oil mixed with some seasoning and enjoy! Writing this makes me hungry...

 They also have other korean favorites! I love their kimchi! They serve buffet at only 299 pesos for lunch and 399 pesos  for dinner. Come visit their humble place at P.Guevarra St. in Pasig! For more info visit their facebook page.