Wedding Wednesday: The Dress

When news of our engagements came out,  most of my girl friends were asking me about the wedding gown. To which I replied: "I have an idea but it's not yet my concern at this point." I was not obsessed with the dress until we settled the theme, date, church and reception venue.

Although, when I started choosing the pegs, meeting the designers and reviewing designs, my princess dreams when I was 5 started coming to life: another exciting facet of being a  B-R-I-D-E. It's surreal.

I am happy to update you, my dear readers, that my wedding dress is in good hands. The design is something I really like and it's being made by someone extremely talented and I have always dreamed of wearing a creation of.

I promise to share most of our wedding partners in due time because God has blessed us with creative, talented and really nice ones. I am talking about our Invitation Designer, Wedding Gown Designer, Photographer and Videographer... and hopefully the ones we're still going to book. Until I make the big reveal of the entire experience down to the dress, allow me to share my wedding gown 2 weekends ago.

My first wedding gown.

Not bad, eh? You can never go wrong when your friends design and make it. Hahaha! I love you Chelle and Jen.

On a more serious note, here are the gowns which made my heart skipped a beat or two and they are posted on my Pinterest page.

I love the illusion neckline with the dreamy tulle

Speaking of neckline and details, how's this for something familiar but entirely unique? Metals, anyone? -(",)-*wink*

I like the blue confection, neckline and details on the waist

These 2 Jenny Packhams spell simplicity, class and elegance

For a dressier Jenny Packham, I am drawn towards the waist and belt details of this one

I can't say no to the silhouette and front detail of this Ellie Saab. I love the flow of the chiffon, too! 

Can we all give a dreamy *sigh* to the details of the back and gorgeous bagsak of the skirt

I had a great time discussing these pegs and my Pinterest page with the 2 designers I met up with. What I learned about the entire choosing-the-wedding-dress experience is you have to know what you want and the dress should speak who you are. In my case, I wanted something simple, with a single focal point and well-thought of design patterns. Casual yet polished. Romantic and whimsical. 

Some of the international designers I drew inspiration from are Ellie Saab, Amsale Aberra, Jenny Packham and the standards Vera Wang and Monique Lhuillier.

I tell you we also have awesome local designers and I will save that for a later post.

Girls, share with me your dream wedding dress! 

Boredom, Baguio and the Bird

Hello! Hello!

I feel happy saying these 2 words after a long post hiatus! It perks me up and I hope it perks you up, too! 

Weee!!!

I told you, I am very happy and perky tonight. Must be the 1.5 hours of Ashtanga - after our teacher spent a month in an ashram in India. She learned new ways of doing Vinyasa and the rest of the poses and now... my muscles are battered to death. I am not kidding.

So where do I start? I have 3 weeks worth of random kwento so let's start with one of Khaleesi's dragon literally hanging around at a mall in Subic.

I spent Election Day passing by the green dragon. I'll be a more responsible citizen next time.

Then off to Baguio last weekend where the temperature was 22 degrees Celsius!!! late afternoon and drops to 18-19C at night. 

I totally forget about Manila's 38 deg C weather.

I did not go to Baguio to have Strawberrry taho, though I couldn't resist one after delaying breakfast to buy Good Shepherd ube.

I attended the wedding of a friend. 

This got to be the prettiest and freshest hydrangea ever.

Us girls during Apple's bridal shower.

It was a trip with my girls but I brought my handy-dandy driver/everything.

Yeah, minimum driver requirement: coat and tie. Seriously, this guy is the ultimate multislashie of my life. I am so lucky! Cheeseball!!!

This is our creative take on PMA's ever famous canon.

Picture taking in high heels. Matching sampa sa canyon!

After this photo was taken, I requested the photographer to do a jump shot with me.

Heels + clay + it just rained = NEVER A GOOD IDEA

Then during the reception, this is what happens before the singles game. 

Tago tago din pag may time. *Jejejeje* Donchawori, on our wedding there will be no singles game. Promise.

On to food, presenting Baguio Country Club's famous banana bread with ice cream. 

It's sooo good: soft, fluffy and tasty. You might think it's banana cake. We got this from Villa Cordillera - the budget hotel run by BCC. What's more: banana bread ala mode costs PhP 60. It's a steal. 

Last rainy Sunday night, I craved for Lucky Me Itnok with egg and lotsa pepper. 

Safe to say that I wasn't able to sleep well due to dehydration and MSG. Nonetheless, it's still an all time peyborit. Trust me, simple lang kaligayahan ko.

Tonight, I had apple and grapes salad with feta cheese - because I forgot to buy lettuce. Para-paraan lang yan. 

Though I couldn't help but steal from the bowl across the table. 

Sometimes, life is unfair. 

Lastly, I spent a minute yesterday doing staring contest with this bird. 

It checked me out so I checked it out as well. It was out of its cage at Bioresearch. 

I was bored.

Hill Station Cafe: Talk of the Town

I am still dreaming of Hill Station's callos - the sinful fat is heavenly soft while the sauce has the most delicate taste making it the best callos I've had so far. Now, I am getting ahead of the entry. Over the weekend, I headed to Baguio with a number of friends to attend a wedding. Because we just had one major agenda and some time to spare, the next best thing to do is to eat. 

Yeah, I was with the right crowd: the "Drive all the way to Baguio and eat" kind. Once we realized that we have a spare night after the bridal shower, Person A (aka the Driver) searched for the best place to eat in town and  suggested Hill Station. 

It's the only restaurant in Baguio which made it to the Miele Guide. I wouldn't think for a second to reserve a table in the restaurant. 

The Place

Although situated in the crowded city center of Baguio, once you descend the stairs you will have an impression that it's a quaint and lovely converted old house with hardwood flooring, big windows and very warm and welcoming atmosphere. 

Reminds you of a well-preserved ancestral home. 

There are artworks, clay pots and home-made products. The pieces of furniture are hardwood and I love the staircase that we can't help but take our photos on the steps.

The Food

If you made it to the Miele Guide, I think it is safe to say that the Professional Foodies think you serve good food. That should give us regular foodies ( aka lamon lang ng lamon) some assurance that we are making a good decision. 

The complementary bread is fluffy and soft. The selling point is the herb that comes with the oil - unique but good.

Beef Salpicao (PhP 150)

The beef is soft and tender, it's not oily and very tasty. It is categorized as an appetizer but if you order rice with it, solve na! If you like salpicao, this is a good order.

Cambodian Coriander & Garlic Chicken (PhP 380)

Marinated overnight and charbroiled, this herb-y tasting dish is a good fare if you prefer chicken. Meat is very tender and its strength lies in the spices that were used to flavor the dish.

Spanish Callos (PhP 370)

On top of my opening line, I just wanna add that this callos is to die for. I almost finished a whole cup of rice because it tastes very delicate - just the right amount of everything. Another description would be: comfort food - perfect for the cold Baguio weather. 

Ice Cream Palette (~PhP 150)

Winner the presentation, right? It comes in 5 flavors but since we went at night, we were only able to have the vanilla with spice, mango and rum, mexican avocado with some spice and strawberry. The ice cream is very creamy with silky texture and has that authentic flavor of its source ingredient. What makes this dessert unique is the addition of spices - which add kick to your usual flavor. 

Our group loved it so much that we ordered another palette. It doesn't matter that it's less than 20C outside.

In Summary

1. The place has a great ambiance: with its old-world charm and classic furnishing. It is a great place for anything: family gathering, smart casual gathering with friends and you will impress your date if you take him/her there.

2. Food is its strongest suit. The way it's cooked, ingredients used and presentation are all winners. I think it earned its Miele Guide status.

3. I say price is value for money, given the food quality and ambiance.

Hill Station Cafe

Case Vallejo, Upper Session Road

Baguio

63.74.424.2734

info@hillstationbaguio.com

Mon - Sun 7AM - 11PM

Early Bird Breakfast Club: Beautiful Breakfast Morning, Noon, and Night

In celebration of World Communication Day, allow me to communicate my hearty breakfast yesterday courtesy of the Early Bird Breakfast Club. Waking up late on a Saturday morning and having brunch with friends are always love.

The Place

Since we all have errands at The Fort area, our group of 4 met up at this new breakfast joint. Meals with the BBs is always a joy. They're one of the nicest and sweetest couple you'll ever meet... not to mention smartest, too. Try googling their names, you'll know what I mean.

I digress.

The place has the right amount of quirky feel toned down by dainty colors. It's actually very pretty and has that warm, welcoming feel.

The interiors also has that 'I make you happy vibe'.

I love the place that I asked Person A to take a photo of me with the green wall.

I am loving green these days.

The Food

It's one of the best breakfast experience I can remember in recent months. The food is divine. I describe the breakfast: gourmet - a few steps short of becoming fine dining breakfast.

Choco Banana Berry French Toast (PhP 295)

A combination of Nutella, fresh bananas and blueberry jam between caramelized French toast.

All the ingredients were precisely measured to come up with the best tasting choco french toast. The chocolatey flavor of nutella was just right married with the citrusy taste of blueberry and velvety flavor of banana. The toast is also perfect.

Serving size is generous for 1 and can be shared by 2. The presentation is also excellent. I rate this a 10.

Person A chose the savory to go with the toast and so here are his picks.

Sausage Skillet (PhP 275)

Breakfast bites for the big boys! Hot plate of Spanish chorizo, English banger, hashed potatoes and caramelized onions.

The taste is very delicate - that's a plus for a dish with very flavorful ingredients. You will not get that oily aftertaste and goes well with my toast.

For someone who is not a big sausage fan, I like this.

Spanish Omelette (PhP 275)

A European favorite made with potatoes, onions and tomatoes served with warm toast.

The egg lightly wraps the nicely done potatoes. Flavors are masterfully blended to make a great omelette. I can't say though if it's the best tasting Spanish omelette.

Our companions had this

French toast fondue

Winner the presentation, right?

Early Bird Croque Monsieur

And an unidentified excellent breakfast

Hazelnut Latte (PhP 120)

The coffee was okay - nothing remarkable. It's not as hazelnut-flavored as I expect it to be.

In Summary

1. The place is pretty. The interiors has that ambiance that conveys breakfast can indeed make your day. It's perfect for daytime romantic date (I guarantee you, you'll make a thousand pogi points), meals with the family - bring the kids and great catch up place with the girl friends.

2. The food is the place's strongest suit. I categorize the fare as gourmet breakfast with excellent combination of ingredients, delicate taste, excellent presentation and ample serving size.

3. The price slides to upper mid-range but for the ambiance and food quality, I think it's worth it.

Early Bird Breakfast Club

Unit C G/F Fort Pointe 2 Bldg,

The Fort Complex, 28th St

Fort Bonifacio, Taguig

63.2.470.8847

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Skinny Dip

I am not going to the beach any time soon therefore I will content myself with painting my toe nails summery blue.

Orly's Skinny Dip

Appropriate name, no?

Honestly, the color is tricky to wear. I thought it came out too strong and too informal but it's slowly growing on me. I like that it's a very happy and rich color. I will just have to be careful with my whole look the next 2 weeks lest I look like a box of Crayola.

If I won't get my summer vacation, then at least my toes get to enjoy it.

Hello! Hello!

I am still here!  -(",)-*wink* Very much alive and kicking. In between life, learning new ways of doing things at work, wedding preps and spending time with my oh so favorite Person A I have finally found the time to blog! I am currently blogging in bed while watching Argo... yeah, I know I have a lot of good movies back log. 

Anyway, in this catch up post, allow me to share random things that I find interesting. I'll start off with this parking sign.

Half of me is expecting a Trojan horse parked on the spot. 

Speaking of parking, presenting my awesome parking skills. I am 1-cm away from denting the trunk. I did this successfully thrice. 

Sad to say, on the fourth instance I bumped Jellybean's rear. Oh well, papel... I should have listened to Person A when he said that for the specific spot, I should do forward parking. Lesson learned. 

What's an update if we don't share what we've eaten. Fancy date night which I would share in a later blogpost. 

Here's one of our favorite Starbucks after its renovation. 

The cute women's restroom signage.

This shop is closest to my heart since I've passed by this Starbucks twice a day for 5 years. 

I tried the newest cupcake shop in town. 

It's good but I find it expensive. 

Here's the gelato cakes we enjoyed with friends before a wedding. Chocolate and pistacchio.

Mango sansrival.

This is our friend's wedding 

Congratulations Dong and Best Wishes, Celine. 

Before we leave the topic on food... here's Person A's tomato-based penne pasta with basil cream dory.

Yummy! Di na siguro kami magugutom pag nagkataon. 

In spite of all the food, I am happy to report that my degree of obesity is a negative number! 

My metabolic age is way younger than my real age but older than how I look. Hahaha!

Tonight, I also completed one face of a 4x4 rubik's cube. First time in 27 years. I never bothered understanding how to solve this cube. Ever. Though tonight I feel like giving it a try. It isn't so bad. 

I still have a long way to go as evidenced by the 5 other faces. 

One last, here's my favorite waiting area at a men's dressing room. 

I always love it here every time I wait for Person A. 

May we all have an awesome weekend!