Win a Slendance DVD & 1 box of Slenda! Join now! :)

As promised (see related post), HeaRty's Haven is giving away Slendance DVD and 1 box of Slenda to 5 lucky readers!!!

I'm going to start taking Slenda tomorrow.  In line with that, I'm launching the Slenda giveaway so we can all start living a healthier life!

HKO: Alba & Her Journey to Level 15

I posted an entry a week ago regarding Hello Kitty Online.  I just registered that day & the week after, my character now reaches level 15!  Wohoo!

Meet Alba, my HKO character.



She's currently a week old.  Born last August 24, 2009 and has blood type AB.  She's very jolly and hardworking.

Chef Robert

Chef Robert
847 Banawe corner Linao Street, Quezon City

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Had lunch today with friends at Chef Robert Banawe.  I was the one who decided on the place, wanted to try it out since it's newly opened.

The first thing I noticed is the big teddy bear on display and also the sign that it has free wifi.  Seems like a lot of establishments are offering free wifi now, makes it easier for us to connect to the internet :)

We ordered 3 different solo dishes but we ended up sharing coz we wanted to try out all of it.

Here are what we ordered:

• Korean Beef Stew(Php 185)

While this was served, we didn't see the meat.  The sauce (that looked like soup already) was overwhelming, we have to use the spoon and scoop up the meat so we can see :P  The meat was tender, sauce is pretty good as well. It's their specialty after all!

• Pork Cutlet in Mushroom Gravy (Php 135)

Best presentation from all the main dishes we ordered.  This is porkchop with mushroom gravy sauce.  Tasted okay, similar with the burger steak of Jollibee just that it's porkchop instead of burger :P  Go figure :)

• Fish Fillet in Hollandaise Sauce (Php 135)

The fish is thin & fresh but the sauce is blah.   We all agreed that the sauce ruined the dish, it tasted like pure butter.  I think it's better if they just use garlic sauce, it might work well with the fish.

• Mango Banana Shake (Php 75)

This one is good.  Fresh Mango & Banana blended together is perfect.

• Triple Chocolate Mousse (Php 115)

Layers of bittersweet, white & milk chocolate topped with chocolate chips. Presentation is good.  Tasted okay, just like how triple chocolate mousse should be.

Chef Robert is not really my type of restaurant but worth a try. :)

Link From Blog

I stumbled upon this site from a friend's website.  When I tried to register, it says that I need to post about the site in order for it to be activated.

So here I am posting about it though I really don't have any idea how it works or if it really works.

Globe Tattoo I Dare You Event

A lot of bloggers attended this event yesterday.  When we received the email, we didn't have any idea what will happen.  All we know was that we need to dress nicely and be prepared for a surprise.  I was pretty sure they'll launch a new product from Globe.

Causeway Seafood Restaurant

Causeway Seafood Restaurant
883 Banawe corner Del Monte Avenue, Quezon City
(02) 410-8690

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We've been having our toastmasters meeting at Causeway Banawe.  Last night, I realized that I haven't blogged about it!  So I took note of all of our orders and remembered my experience with the food.

Let me share them with you.

The restaurant's serving is good for 3 person or more.  So if you're just going to order for yourself, you'll have a hard time as you only have a few choices... I remember when I try to order, my only choices were:

• Congee
• Noodle Soup
• Rice Topping (3 types only)

Since I'm a rice person, I can only have the spareribs & rice, chicken feet & rice, sparerib w/ chicken feet & rice. ahhaha see?  I can even remember them!

Here are what we ordered last night:

• Beef Hofan (S-Php 200, M-Php 300, L-Php 400)

I love this dish very much.  I shared this with a friend but I think I ate about 3/4 of it hehehe :P  Very tasty, lots of beef, very tender, yummy but a lil oily.

• Lapu Lapu Congee (Php 110)

Just the normal fish congee that we have in chinese restaurants.  best to put calamansi in it to make it tastier and more yummier :)

• Dimsum (after 9PM, 30% off & will be priced at Php 43)

We waited till 9PM before we order the dimsum, this is because they have 30% off on all dimsum after that time.  I was still very hungry and I felt the dimsum is just cheap so it's okay to order many :)

The Chicken Asado Roll sucked big time!  The asado was raw &a I didn't dare eat my share.  I told this to the waiter but they didn't do anything about it so that kinda disappointed me more.  Anyhow, good thing it stopped my craving for more food so that was the sign that I have to stop eating already :P:P

The seafood roll was delicious though, you should order that when you go to Causeway :)

Here are the dimsum we ordered:

Seafood Roll (Php 65)



Chicken Asado Roll (Php 65)



Pan-Fried Radish Cake (Php 60)



Asado Pao (Php 65)

Toastmasters Meeting in Mandarin Language

I attended the Mandarin version of the Toastmasters meeting last night.  If you remember my post last time, I made a promise that I'll be attending the meetings often.  Unfortunately, I have global meetings scheduled every wednesdays that end 10PM, so I'll have to beg off wednesday meetings.

I'll probably move from Emperor Toastmasters to its sister club, Camanava Toastmasters.  This is because their meetings are scheduled every saturday mornings and the schedule is more doable for me.

The friday ones I will attend as schedule permits :)

I attended the mandarin-version for the 1st time.  And it's really cool!  Would you believe we all tried our very best to speak mandarin all throughout the meeting.  It's pretty hard for us especially we don't get to use that language much in our everyday life.



The books/manuals are also in chinese!!!  It's sad though that the book available during the meeting is written in Simplified chinese, I'm not really good at it and I can't read most of the words.  I'm more comfortable with Traditional chinese, there is one available at Toastmasters though, our co-toastmaster just don't have it during that time :)



The meeting yesterday was attended by 6 members.  It was a pretty intimate meeting so we didn't get to use the stage anymore.  We talked while eating our dinner.  The first hour was used to introduce ourselves in chinese then we just chatted.

Later in the night, the others started talking about religion & history.  Those 2 topics are totally not my thing hehehehe so I ended up talking to the younger ones and we talked about photography and hobbies ;)

Here's our picture from last night, more pictures here.

Slenda Commercial Shoot & Slenda

I was invited to watch the Slenda new commercial shoot last saturday.  It was my 1st time to watch a commercial shoot and found out that it is indeed tiring.  Imagine the model has to repeat the lines for hours (literally!), never thought that being a model is that hard, I initially thought that it's the easiest profession of all.



Slenda has 2 new models in addition to Valerie Concepcion.  We have the privilege to meet them all but I can't stay the whole day so I was only able to meet their new endorsers- Gloria Diaz & her daughter Isabelle Daza.

BPI-Italianni's Shop Anywhere Promo

Went to Italianni's for lunch for 2 consecutive days courtesy of my BPI receipts worth Php3k or more :P

I really really love BPI promos, I think nothing beats it!  I'm so glad I have chosen BPI Gold as my credit card.

This particular promo is open exclusively for BPI Gold Mastercard holders.  You just have to spend at least Php3,000 anywhere using your BPI Gold Mastercard, keep the original receipt and you're on your way to a great, great, greeaat meal!! :D

Promo Period is from July 1 to September 30, 2009.  Can be redeemed till November 30, 2009.
Valid for dine-in, Monday-Friday, 11AM-3PM.

At Italianni's, we can either choose 1 of 2 of their famous big lunches!

• Grilled Fish with Fettuccine Gorgonzola

Grilled fish fillet with tomato, olive & caper relish.  Served with fettuccine in gorgonzola cream sauce.  The fish is just perfect!!!!  The pasta is very tasty, I'm not a pasta person so I'll probably request if I can have rice instead when I go back to Italianni's hehehe :P

• Beef Stufato

Beef cubes simmered in tomato herb sauce.   Served with spaghetti pasta.  The beef is soooo tender!  The sauce is very tasty & yummy as well.  I don't know what to say, loving Italianni's now :)

One thing that I really like is that even if I'm just going to pay for my drink and order this.  The waiters still treated me like any other customer.  I was still given this complimentary bread :P



I notice for other promos (Citibank ring a bell?), the freebie they give is like a mini-one (mini popcorn, mini drink).  As for BPI-Italianni's, they really give you the full dish (as advertised, worth Php 350!!).

Totally a great promo, if you're a BPI gold mastercard holder and you don't know about this yet, it's not too late.  Go & redeem your big lunch from Italianni's.  I myself is a very happy customer! :)

Get a Post-It OC Sampler Pack for Free

Wanna get this for free?   You definitely can!

All you have to do is to go to this link, register at the Post-It website & indicate which National Bookstore branch you like to pick up your free OC pack.  No purchase required, totally free! Take note, this is till September 30, 2009 only.

I picked it up this afternoon at NBS Trinoma branch.  (Was able to shop as well hehe!)
It includes a Post-It Pop-Up Notes in Paper Dispenser & an OC guide.



The OC guide is actually quite interesting.  Let me share what is inside the guide.

Basically, it listed down all the OC levels, their characteristics and also what post-it products best fit them.

The 3 OC levels are the ff.:

1. Novice-OC  -  You've just started to realize how important it is to organize.  At this point, you most probably have a beginner's OC tool with you wherever you go which you got as a gift from a friend.  (Product Recommendation: Post-it Notes & Page Markers)
2. Mid-OC  -  Organizing is already a part of your daily routine.  You write your 3 most important tasks on your post-it notes.  By now, you already have your no-fail organizing basics kit that you don't leave the house without. (Product Recommendation: Post-it Notes, Notes Cubes & Post-it Flags)
3. Uber-OC  - Over the years of organizing, you have developed a highly effective organizing system that in the future will bear your name in its pending patent.  A clean desk and a finished to-do list by the end of the day is your Zen (Product Recommendation: Post-it Notes, Flag highlighter, Flag Pen, Pop-up Notes, Arrow Flags)

Which one are you? :)

D.E.I. Direct Sales

I discovered this recently from an email sent to me.
I had this impression that the only direct selling company that offers clothes & other beauty/fashion products is Avon.  Apparently, there is D.E.I. Direct Sales.

D.E.I. (Dragonworld Enterprises, Inc.) is a fast-growing direct selling company of trendy & affordable clothes for ladies, men & children.  Aside from this, they also provide an opportunity to earn money.

Started May 2003 with only 7 dealers, now they have 40,000 business associates nationwide.  Its business opportunity is being endorsed by Winnie Cordero.

Browsing at their catalogue, it looks interesting and the price is not bad.

Here are some of them:








Aside from the products shown above, they also offered the ff. recently:

• Homecare Products (Fabric Softener & Dishwashing Liquid)
  
  
  
  
  
• Wheatgrass Products
  
  
  
  

This is more of an informational post, I'm not a business associate of DEI or have bought anything from them but I think other people like you would be interested in their products or business opportunity :)

If you're into fashion or if you're someone who's looking for business opportunity, you can just go to their site at http://www.deidirectsales.com.

Laking National 1-day Advance Sale - Aug 27 2009

Today is my lucky day.  The event that I was supposed to go to got cancelled but I already filed for a half-day leave.  I decided to just chill at Trinoma Mall.  Look what I found!  1-day Advance Sale at National Bookstore!

You know why I just feel so glad I discovered this?  Because I've been planning to buy the Lonely Planet guides for quite some time coz I'll be going to Taiwan next month.  I wanted to make good use of my time and travel to the places that I should visit in Taiwan.

I was about to buy yesterday but I ended up not getting it because we can't figure out the balance left in my Ayala eGC.  I was thinking of just buying it next time.  Now I know why it happened.. because... of the 1-day advance sale for Laking National members today!!!  Wohoo!

Just to give you an idea why I'm so happy with my purchase..  I bought the ff.:

• Lonely Planet: China (Php 1,349.00) - bought it for Php 809.50 at 40% off!!!
• Lonely Planet: Taiwan (Php 1,559.00) - bought it for Php 587.50 at 75% off :D  

Happiness Indeed! :)  Take note, they are still the latest issue (published last 2007).

Take note though that this is exclusively for Laking National members.  I was not a member until I discovered this so I applied for one without hesitation.  What is Php100 if you can save as much as Php1,511.00!!!

Hello Kitty Online

I attended the Hello Kitty Online Bloggers Party at Yaku Restaurant, Podium Mall last August 20, 2009. It was attended by bloggers and organized by Level Up, sponsored by Level Up, Sanrio & Netopia.

Pictures from the event can be found here.

They gave us a demo of the game and also raffled out prizes, I didn't win but I'm happy to be invited as I'm a BIG fan of hello kitty! So nice that there is an online game that has Sanrio characters. We were all given founders beta passes to try out the game first-hand.

Secret Recipe

Secret Recipe
5/F Shangri-La Mall, Edsa corner Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City
(02) 637-0367

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We wanted to try a restaurant that I haven't reviewed yet. We ended up choosing Secret Recipe. My friend recommended this and I said why not? Besides my colleague Jo always mentions that we should try to eat there (calling Jo!).

We ordered their ever-famous Lamb stew, let you know later if we liked it :P

Here are what we ordered:

• Green Apple Kasturi (Php 120)



The restaurant has pictures of their menu items all over the walls. This was one of them & it looked so delicious so I ordered it. It does taste good, not your usual fruit juice. I do think that Green Apple is not the only ingredient here, I just can't figure out what :)

• Iced Lemon Tea (Php 50)



I didn't order this but I'll order this drink when I eat at Secret Recipe next time. Not our usual powdered Iced tea. Combination of tea, water & lemon :)

• Irish Lamb Stew (Php 480)



This is highly recommended by everyone so even if I'm not fond of lambs, I said why not? Maybe it's really that good. This is tender lamb shank cooked with herbs. Served with mashed potato (designed beautifully) & bun. My friend was totally disappointed coz he tried the same dish at a different country's secret recipe restaurant. I guess it's because the lamb here isn't the same? For me, I'm really just not fond of lambs period :)

• Thai Style Fried Rice (Php 300)



I really liked the presentation for this dish and I feel it's a bit cheap considering the serving. And it's delicious too though the soup was just toooooo spicy! I think the chef accidentally put too much spice in it!

It's fried rice cooked Thailand style with shrimps & shrimp paste. Served with 2 pieces King prawns, additional shrimp paste, salad & Tom Yum Soup.

• White Chocolate Macademia (Php 120/slice, Php 1400/whole)



I love white chocolate & I also love macademia nuts but I'm not fond of cakes. When I first saw the cake slice, I said wow it's a big slice of cake! Best for sharing unless you really eat a lot hehehe :P It's good but I'm not wowed by it. I can barely taste the macademia but it's still okay nonetheless.

My friend was kinda disappointed with what we ordered, I felt there's no chance for that person to go eat at Secret Recipe again :P

As for me, I'm really not fond of Lamb so I wasn't really expecting anything. As for the restaurant & the food they serve, I think I will go back to try their other dishes. It's not that bad, I gave them good feedback when they asked me to provide it in their sheet. :)

The Time Traveler's Wife

Watched this yesterday courtesy of my friend's Citibank receipts hehehe :P

I'm such a fan of Rachel McAdams so whatever movie she has, I'll definitely watch.

Time Traveller's wife is an adaption of the book by Audrey Niffenegger.

Basically a love story.. Eric Bana's character has a rare genetic disease where he travels through time, vanishing without specific timing and being gone for a long time.

Roch's List of Food Reviews

I've blogged about a lot of restaurants in HeaRty's Haven. It's time for me to create a list of those that I have reviewed for easy reference :)

image by dreamstime.com

I love to eat and as much as possible, I would love to try out all the restaurants out there. It's just nice to experience all of them.

Here is the list of places I've dined to with link to the review I made in this site:

Buffet Breakfast at Seven Corners
Canton Soup Kitchen
Spaghetti Factory
Better Than Buffet at Red Kimono
Zing Juice - A Waste of Money
Top of the Citi by Le Souffle
Lutong Macau
Greenwich
Breakfast at Granvia Cafe
Palamis Resto Grill
The Tea Republic
Fish & Co.
UCC Terrace
Recipes by Cafe Metro
Oody's Bar & Restaurant
Mandarin Wok
Colasa's Bar-B-Que
Grilled Tomato
Cafe Sweet Inspirations
Five Cows Resto & Ice Cream Bar
Nach-O-Fast
Grams Diner
Hai Chinese Restaurant & Bar
Chili's Bar & Grill
Italianni's
Bannaple Pies & Cheesecakes
Coral Garden
Dezaato Pan
Yellow Chicken Inasal Food House
Flavours of China
Zao Vietnamese Cafe
Suzhou Dimsum
Pho Hoa Vietnamese Noodle House
Gerry's Grill
Max's Restaurant
Kohikan
Sea Palace
Binalot
The Noodle House - Hong Kong Fried Noodles
Pancake House
World Class Persian Kebab
Cyma Greek Taverna
Razon's of Guagua
Abe
Cafe Ysabel
Bubble Tea
Luk Foo Cantonese Kitchen
Artina Gallery Cafe
Shanghai Hand-Pulled Noodles
Sugarhouse
Blackbeard Seafood Island
Mey Lin
Icebergs
JT's Manukan Grille
Hossein's Persian Kebab
Old Chinatown Kopitiam
Red Crab Seafood & Steaks
Wheatberry Bakery & Cafe
Cheesecake, Etc.
The Sizzlin' Pepper Steak
Steak MD
Teriyaki Boy

Breakfast Buffet at Seven Corners

Seven Corners

3rd Level Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila, Ortigas Avenue corner ADB Avenue, Quezon City

(02) 633-7220

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My friend told me that the breakfast buffet at Crowne Plaza is to die for. So I was a bit excited to have breakfast there. I called up the reception & asked which floor do I go to for breakfast and I was informed that it's located at the 3F, the name of the restaurant is seven corners.

The room rate already includes buffet breakfast for 2 but if you're just going there for breakfast. The rate is Php 928 nett per person :)

Man, the buffet is just awesome! It has everything you can think of.

Let me divide it in sections:

• Drinks - As soon as you are seated, the server would ask you coffee or tea. Aside from that, there's a variety of choices in the buffet. Includes juices like orange, grape, watermelon, mango. There's also low fat milk, fresh milk & water with lemon available.
• Fruits in Syrup, Yoghurt
• Cereals
• Salad & Fruits
• Breads - Wheat, White, White Loaf Slice, Brown Loaf Slice w/ choices of Peach Jam, Peanut Butter, Strawberry, Butter, Margarine.
• Cold Cuts
• French Toast, Pancake, Waffles with choice of syrup: honey, maple
• Filipino Breakfast Dishes like Beef Tapa, Pork Tocino, Chicken
• Broccoli, Hash Browns, Bacon
• Sausages - Pork & Chicken
• Fried Noodles, Congee
• Noodle Soup, Dimsum (dumplings, siomai, siopao)
• Miso Soup
• Eggs - cooked whichever you want (sunny side up, scrambled, omelette)
• Vegetables, pork & beans
• Rice - garlic & steamed

People say pictures are worth a thousand words, let me show you some pictures from the buffet.

Definitely a great eating experience. a Pig out! :D