Fine Life On A Budget + + +

This is part 2 of my Marriott Hotel lunch buffet experience. I previously discussed about my appetizer plate in part 1.

As you can see on the image of the infinity pool area above, the 3-week old Marriott Hotel is stunning to behold. Being there is like basking under the Mediterranean sun. Not that I've been to countries along the coast of the Mediterranean sea, but the architecture shows it.

As usual, my approach to Marriott Cafe's eat-all-you-can lunch promo is that of someone on a diet. I put my morsel strategy to action for me to get a taste of everything being served. Fortunately, I was able to reach the dessert phase. I even managed to seal the sinful meal with a cup of espresso. It was odd that I even used Splenda for sugar because the meal that came before it was everything that the brand stands against.

My main course plate will disappoint you. I semi-filled it with adobong manok, lamb, string beans and bell pepper, itlog na maalat, cucumber and half a cup of rice. Since that is giving the experience injustice, I got a plate of this beef:

Marriott Cafe has a selection of thick and clear soup should you forget to include one as an appetizer. For those who love Japanese food, a sushi bar will not disappoint. For pasta lovers, the hotel cafe has trays of lasagna and ravioli.

Having selected my choices for dessert, I felt victorious. I still had room for a slice of strawberry cheesecake, a bite-size blueberry cheesecake and pandan-flavored merangue.

I'm lucky to have a foodie text brigade. By text, I mean friends who literally send you an SMS summoning a food trip. It's not one of those eat out invites which gets postponed. Whether I tag along or not, the food trip is going to happen. And this one did at the 3-week old Marriott Hotel in Pasay City one weekday.

We were lucky to find out that the hotel's lunch buffet is on 50% discount. This means that the Php1,350 rate is slashed down to just Php600 plus. It normally starts at 11:00 am and lasts until 2:00 pm. The promo is until November 30 and for weekday visits only. I suggest that you reserve a table before going because the buffet is picking up fast.

Above is my morsel plate of appetizers which I selected from the salad bar. I also took two pieces of tempura from the Japanese cuisine area and a piece of bread from the breakfast tray. I semi-filled my plate with clam, string beans, feta cheese, cold cuts, eggplant, tomatoes and potatoes, among others.

Eat-all-you-can patrons can forgive me for not optimizing the experience. I had to resort to morsel approach because I'm obviously not as big as some people. I have a small frame and it bugs down quickly (read: rest room refuge), so as not to worry about that dining mishap I didn't take what I could not eat. Besides I don't even get to finish everything, but the waiters at Marriot Cafe seem not to mind unlike other eat-all-you-can attendants at conventional restaurants.

NEXT POST: MY MAIN COURSE BUFFET PLATE

We know Max's for its great tasting chicken and I couldn't agree more. After recently visiting one of its branches for brunch, I stopped by the restaurant entrance and got inspired to bring home snacks for the household members. By snacks, I mean baked goodies. Yes, Max's is no longer just servings full meals. They have expanded from tossing in those caramel bars in their value meals. These days, one can also buy puff cake (ensaimada in Spanish), polvoron, and other pastry products at Max's Corner Bakery. There are also various cake flavors that remind me of how Goldilocks solidified its presence in the bakery landscape in the late '80s.

For a taste test, I grabbed a 9-piece set of meringue, a cheese bun, and a box of caramel bars. I may just have to return next time for the brazo de mercedes. It looks richer tasting than Goldilocks and Red Ribbon's versions.

Money. Bread. Dough. I don't have that much this month. Lots of expenses came up. I guess this gives me the opportunity to really live the fine life on a tight, tight budget.

Case in point: relying on housemates for snacks like Dunkin' Donuts which, believe it or not, I have not tasted in years. Honestly, I loved the strawberry-filling in that innocent-looking donut so much so that I gobbled up two.

I would have preferred Mister Donut, but beggars can't choose, can they?

YOU OUGHT TO READ THIS:
My Red Ribbon breakfast one rainy morning

Mango Tart La Coeur-style is sometimes available (I was not able to ask the schedule) on a buy-one-take-one basis. Don't be deceived by the images as they come in tiny carton packages.

Why buy these suckers anyway?

Three Terrific Reasons To Snack on Mango Tarts:
1) It serves mango with a twist.
2) It comes in small servings which is healthy for a mid-afternoon snack.
3) It's darn good with coffee or tea.

For a mango tart recipe, click here.

The Le Coeur mango tart promo is priced at Php65 only from its original Php100+. I gobbled on my tart after eating a big beef bowl at Yoshinoya.

I waited until now to write a post here because I felt that the local calamity in Manila compelled me to simplify my already simple food cravings. Hence, my comfort food: the polvoron (powdered milk candy).

Two major typhoons ravaged the capital region of the Philippines where I reside. In the midst of the chaos and panic-buying, I walked inside the mall one day looking for something different than the usual full meal. I ended up discovering a stall that showcases only various polvoron products.

The House of Polvoron stall also sells other powdered candy flavors such as cookies 'n' cream and pinipig, but I've always preferred the classic milk flavor. I especially find the packaging interesting because the carton design seems to give the local sweet concoction a prestige that can be recognized internationally.

SEGUE: Allow me to present here the FOODBUZZ BLOG NOMINEES for various categories...

1. Best Overall Blog:
1. 101 Cookbooks
2. Bouchon for 2
3. Kath Eats
4. The Pioneer Woman Cooks
5. Smitten Kitchen

2. Best Photography Blog:
1. Bouchon for 2
2. Sippity Sup
3. Smitten Kitchen
4. Taste with the Eyes
5. White on Rice Couple

3. Best Recipe Blog:
1. 101 Cookbooks
2. A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa
3. Evil Shenanigans
4. Local Lemons
5. Simply Recipes

YOU OUGHT TO READ THIS:
I came up with a restaurant name logo for a chef student's school project.

This post is long-overdue. I was feeling a bit under the weather that's why I only managed to blog about this food-tasting event that I did for a college classmate and his wife's restaurant now.

The food-tasting event was intimate in that the food critics invited are friends of the hosts. As we found out halfway of being served various Asian cuisine flavors, the whole activity was supposed to revolve around so-called controversial delicacies that the restaurant is offering. After much prodding I came to realize that we were being served viands that either compelled the customers to be indifferent with the menu or be drawn to it in unexplainable ways. The verdict was common among my friends. We all loved the Thai-inspired Pineapple Chicken Stir-fry (above) and the Japanese-inspired Oyster Salad with Wasabi Dressing (below).

A female college classmate of mine is not the perpetual food critic but she's been to Europe and a few Asian countries enough to articulate what she should be tasting instead of what she shouldn't be. Her friend whom she tagged along also seems to know her way around the kitchen. As for me, I approach food as an infant does his milk. If it's not properly done, I knew what to cry about. This only means that the rest of the viands served for us to comment on were forgettable. We had to be brutally honest. Besides, our friends' business is on the line. And, the title of this post says it all. We were there more for our friends than for the food.

I find it endearing that some of my blog readers from various countries find my site effective for having wonderful images of the food I eat and places I dine in. Thank you, all of you. You know who you are. I especially find this a hardcore compliment because I am not even using a high-end digital camera. I don't own a DSLR or its vintage version anyway. What I have are a Nokia 2600 and a pair of eyes (good ones, I reckon, based on my readers' reviews).

That's the one you see on the left. Its VGA (640 x 480 pixels) is considerably average according to mobile phone users. Most Nokia 2600 users just bought their unit as back-up for a primary phone. The others even didn't buy brand new ones, just as second-hand units, so you see, I still have to edit my images via the Photoshop. It's alright. One must deal with one's situation. And I am doing so joyfully. After all, I need to go through all these exciting experiences ON A BUDGET.

I was able to buy my phone (not in the black market or online) in the mall last year for Php3,800 after haggling with the attendant. The original rate was Php4,200. I even managed to have her throw in a new sim card and an extra casing for free.

CHECK OUT THIS USER DEMO FOR A GLIMPSE OF LOW-END MOBILE LOVE:

Not all the time is the effort to be different an effort that yields positive results. Case in point: not having soup when it's raining hard in Manila. Most of the people I know just had to have any kind of hot soup when there is a storm surge. They reckon that it's the best time to have one.

One early weekday morning after work, a typhoon forced me to make a sudden stop at Red Ribbon, a pastry shop that also serves various types of meals. Indulging in non-conformity, I went against the grain by ordering a typical breakfast -- pork tocino with scrambled egg and garlic rice. While getting my fill, I realized that I made the wrong decision. The plate was uncharacteristically moist, the scrambled egg  was not puffy enough, the pork tocino seemed to have been cooked in burnt grease and the garlic rice was just as moist as the plate. Everything seemed to be as wet as the streets outside.

When it rains, it doesn't have to pour inside the restaurant. When it rains, order hot soup. These are two of the golden rules I learned on that fateful day.

You already know what I wrote on Red Ribbon's feedback form prior to this post, don't cha?

It was early morning...


(Yawn)


I was groggy from graveyard shift work. The weather was pleasant and I wanted to suck it all in.

My solution? Head on over to Pancake House for a Spanish Omelette that calms the senses and drowns the noise of the morning rush.

I absolutely adore the art deco inspiration of the restaurant's wall interior. It's like dining with a good friend because a good friend and college classmate is responsible for designing that mural. Complimented by various full-color movie ads that have been a staple also of Pancake House walls, the hot color-oriented design that adorn the restaurant walls is a product of Designer Rollan Rodriguez who's currently based in Dubai.

My reward for waiting is this delightful looking Spanish Omelette which is stuffed with onions, cheese, tomatoes and ham, among others. Fast food might have taken me a shorter time to get my food and eat it, but my morning had to stand still for a change.

My breakfast took a little turn for the weird when I spotted this upside-down newspaper advertisement in the Philippine Star while tearing into my omelette  >>




Truly, something out-of-the-ordinary perks things up. An upside-down ad and a Spanish Omelette.