Dainty Brunch: Designers Bloom Cafe

Last  month, we celebrated my wedding sister's birthday. I was tasked to look for a nice place :) define nice - not to girly but dainty enough and good food,of course. I googled for a new place that we can try in Alabang. And I found Designers Bloom Cafe in Molito, I was surprised they ventured to the resto industry :) my mom is a long - time client of their ATC branch. However, I'm allergic to real flowers so I called them and they reassured they have minimal display only :)

Mirror, Mirror on the wall...

mismatched chairs and tables :)

adorable bw pillow!

pppoooiiissseeennntttiiiaaassss :)

minimal flower display ;)

Tinapa Mousse with Toasted Flat Bread P235.00

Home Made Potato Chips P155.00

Four Cheese Pizza P235.00

Lasagna P255.00

Rosemary Grilled Chicken P280.00

Peso Power

4/5

Mrs. Panda Foodie Views:

- the place is so homey and warm! its perfect for brunch/lunch with friends or a light date :)

- i love the high ceiling of the dining area 

- wished the toasted bread is toasted talaga, ang soft masyado e

- the potato chips are yummy but they are exactly the same chips we have at our old family resto

- i'm not fond of bread spreads but i love,love the tinapa mousse!

- four cheese pizza is yummy, the dough was baked to perfection 

- lasagna is good enough to share for 3 pax

- rosemary grilled chicken and potato wedges were super yum too! 

- service is quite slow, to think when for the first hour kami lang andun

- they are not attentive, ang liit lang naman ng dining area sa first floor pero hindi nila kami napapansin tawag kami ng tawag 

- we asked for the menu to order dessert but they gave us our bill :( we told them menu nga ang hiningi kasi oorder pa kami.....

- after 10 minutes of waiting for the menu, a waiter approached our table and gave us our bill ulit.....gggrrrr.....my friend commented "pinapaalis niyo na ba kami, we asked for the menu to order again di ba?" the waiter apologized and said sorry.

- after another 10 minutes we followed up for the menu ( hindi sila full that time ha) and the guy from the flower shop area assisted us finally with the MENU.

Will I go back? Yes, but if their service still sucks for the 2nd time... ai wala na 3rd time, will look for my tinapa mousse somewhere else.

Landmark: Table Napkin Shopping

I dropped by at Landmark last month to buy table napkins for my high school get - together, and I scored some pretty table napkins! and I saw some lovely Christmas decor and  cutesy throw pillows too :)

This Christmas Tree is a different from my usual taste..... but for some reasons I'm drawn to this tree :)

This is a nice gift for newlyweds or for new homeowners :)

The cupcakes, tea set, vintage clock and key are lovely to look at! :)

simple but classy wreaths :)

Christmas Theme Table Napkins from P 29.75 to P 39.75 per pack

I bought these pink and green polka napkins for our HS get together :)

Got these for my "baking kit" gifts for little girls this Christmas :)

I love the weird trees haha and I found the heart-y plants cute :)

I was supposed to use this for our Noche Buena...oh well.

I'm not a pink girl usually but these napkins are too cute to pass. 

Landmark Makati will always be one of my favorite malls, I grew up going there and one of my favorite childhood memories is our weekly grocery shopping and dinner at triple-v ( yep, naabutan ko pa ang triple-v sa landmark). And I'm very happy with their renovations (finally!) and their new stuff! easy on the pocket but good finds! :) :)

Overdue Post: High School Friends Get-Together & 168 Partywares :)

This is a 1 and 1/2 months old post.... yep, ganun na katagal. Sorry Sorry (part ng new years resolution to keep my blog post updated).  We had a high school get together last Nov, one of my close friends is home from her cruise ship job and the other one is weeks away from giving birth. We decided to have a mini baby shower but my preggy friend asked if some of her work friends can join us para isang baby shower na lang for her. Our condo can only accommodate 10 guests.... so I decided to rent the function room downstairs. Its a potluck merienda and I volunteered to take care of the chairs,table and partyware since ako naman yung nakatira dun hihi :) and since I'm already a bum that time, I need to work on a budget only :) Good thing, weeks before the party, my parents and I went to 168 mall! :)

From 168 Mall:
3 packs  for 100 pesos
- pink stripes and polka dots paper plates (10 pcs per pack)
- pink stripes and polka dots plastic table cover (1 table cover per pack)

From S&R
- green and pink kirkland plastic cups
- plastic spoons and fork ( that I diy'd with washi tapes)

From Dennis Party Shop (BF Homes Pque)
- pink and green balloons with floor length ribbons! (this is very nice in actual! P20.00 each)

From Landmark Makati
- pink and green polkadots table napkins ( P29.75 for a pack of 40 pcs)

From 168 Mall:

3 packs  for 100 pesos

- pink stripes and polka dots plastic table cover (1 table cover per pack)

- 1 pack of princess banderitas :) :)

From Invitation House

- G and L letter blocks (less than 200 bucks)

Sayang walang close up of the cupcakes and cake pops :( but the cupcakes I got from Cielins BF Homes and placed some barbie toppers from Cooks Exchange, Rockwell. We had s&r pizza, binondo style friend chicken, chopsuey, carbonara, bbq ribs and cordon bleu :) Yum! I'm sorry medyo kulang sa pics, I was not able to take pictures that much kasi, I was playing with my adorable goddaughter whom I haven't seen in ages.

Our small get together was cozy and fun :) and I was quite happy on how things turn out sa budget ko :)

Weekdates: Mr. Jones Greenbelt 5

Another Overdue Post:

One of my comfort restos is Mr. Jones at Greenbelt 5, the classic diner resto :)  Their ribcap tapa and mac n cheese are super love! Sulit naman ang serving for the price! :)

 Hubby's order..... can't recall the name...

my favorite! famous us ribcap tapa!

NY cheesecake na may twin sa Chelsea

Peso Power

4.5/5

Mrs. Panda Foodie Views:

- Sulit naman the price for the serving

- Super Yummy the food :)

- Fast Service

- There's a washroom inside the resto

Happy Dining! :)

Shoebox Love: DONE :)

You might have read in my previous posts that I'm a volunteer for Shoebox Love for the Yolanda Survivors. Last week, I spent most of my time going around our city collecting shoeboxes :) Total strangers will text me and they will donate from 3 shoeboxes to 30 shoeboxes :) Some of them are not properly sealed, and because most boxes are really full, half open na ang cover nila. I taped them one by one :) and I'm so happy to see little notes of love and support like "kaya mo yan, mahal namin kayo from manila peeps" :)

I had 321 boxes at our home, so medyo napuno ko ang mga spaces sa sala namin umabot na sa hallway :)

My parents and my guy-bestfriend helped me and my hubby to bring all the shoeboxes sa Katipunan QC. Driving with a blind rear - view mirror is tough! but hubby and guy bestfriend managed to drive carefully.

We braved the south to north traffic but we know its all worth it because these boxes will bring 321 smiles :) :) 

Thank you to our friends and families who supported us, Mndbuilders Preschool, to my former boss whom I got this idea from, total strangers with big hearts who trusted us, to the household helpers at the Paredes Residences who welcomed us and to Margaux :)

A Blessed Christmas Everyone! :)

Thursdate: Chelsea Serendra

During our wedding last year, our loving friends prepared a surprise video of their greetings and tips for us! One of them is to always have a date :) Mr. Panda and I have everyday dates, sometimes we do it at home and if we have extra time we go out even on weekdays. 

A good old favorite is Chelsea :) 

                           

complimentary! :)

Hickory Smoked BBQ Baby Back Ribs Big Plates

Slow-Cooked Herbed Norwegian Salmon

of course, may rice pa din! :)

Chocolate Chip NY Cheesecake

Peso Power

3.75/5 (bec of the cheesecake)

Mrs. Panda Foodie Views:

- the ribs sauce is too rich for my taste

- salmon is a bit bland

- NY cheesecake - meron twin sister at one of the restaurants in Greenbelt for a lesser price :(

I don't know what happened with Chelsea but I'm quite sad with their dishes from our last visit. I hope the next one will be much better.

Overdue Post: Fely J's @Greenbelt 5

Another overdue post :) we always passed by Fely J's at Greenbelt 5 and Mr. Panda will always ask me if I want to try it but the place is always crowded and I like to have my dinner in peace hihi :)

Nostalgic Menu :)

Sizzling Sisig

Lola Ising's Adobo

Plain for me, Garlic for Mr.Panda

Chicken Sate

Claude's Dream (nathaniels is much better tho)

Sikreto ni Maria Clara

Peso Power:

3.75/5

Mrs. Panda's Foodie Views;

- the area is crowded

- next table's chairs kept on rubbing mine :(

- hindi masyado attentive ang servers

- the adobo is like my lola's too....

- sisig is not crispy

- sikreto ni maria clara is the saving grace during our dinner but for vanilla ice cream,suman and slices of mango for 165.00?? :)

Shoebox love for my favorite bloggers!

Back in the days, when I was so stressed with my old job (palpitations, heart problems and sleep apnea ang naging sakit ko lang naman) one of my stress  reliever is reading my favorite blogs. My first three favorite blogs are the bright spot of leah, dapattylaurel and mommyfleur. 

Miss Leah of the Brightspot is like a big sister sa blogging world (nope, hindi ko pa siya namemeet personally hihi) when you read her blog kasi she's so warm and kind sa words niya. Her blog is very easy to read too. I totally adore her shopping finds from greenhills to landmark. I always look forward to her food reviews and out of town trips posts too. She's a doting aunt like me and I can totally relate when she's over the moon whenever she's with her nephew Liam. I stalked her blog sa wedding preps stage pa niya. And because of her blog, I found my dream wedding gown designer. :) :)

Miss Patty of Dapattylaurel is a celebrity blogger but she's so down to earth! I read her old blog pa...... and siguro sa tagal ko na nagbabasa ng blog niya feeling ko tuloy friend ko siya. When I read her sad blog posts years ago, I felt sad too... I whispered a prayer for God to heal her heart. When I read that she's happy with Mr. Filart, I thanked God for an answered prayer. And with her blog posts, she inspired me to improve my health and diet issues. And one of the best thing about her, her relationship with God. Her posts about her beliefs are heartwarming and not over the top. She's not self-righteous and will not make you feel na "ako lang save ni God sa judgement day kasi ako lang ang mabait" her blog posts about God will inspire you to be a better person. :)

Mommyfleur is one the most loved mommy bloggers in town! Her daughter Anika is a sweetheart and her pretty face always cheers me up. Mommyfleur is a working mom but she manages her work-life balance! Sometimes, I want to ask ikaw ba ang Pinay version ni Kate Reddy of "I don't know how she does it"  :)

A couple of months ago, I planned to give them a small Christmas token. Then Typhoon Yolanda happened, and I thought of preparing a shoebox love instead under their names. I know their generous hearts will agree with my idea. :) :)

A Blessed Christmas to my favorite bloggers and their loved ones too! :)