Luxe Nail Lounge

I've been a loyal customer of this nail spa for almost a year. I have been to more popular nail spas but this is the best I've ever tried.

I try to visit at least twice a month, depending on my need to destress and pamper myself. :)

For this visit, I had Basic Manicure (Php 180) and Basic Pedicure (Php 220). Both manicure and pedicure include soaking, shaping, massaging and painting.

What I love about Luxe:

the seats

- The privacy of the place. What I don't like about other nail spas is that they don't provide privacy for their customers.

- The couches. Luxe doesn't have uniformly-designed seats like other nail spas. :)

- The staff, I have yet to meet a nail technician that I don't like. Everyone looks neat in their black uniform, and are friendly enough to recommend a polish color that you'd like and how you'd like your nails done (cut cuticles? square cut or round?)

- The magazines. Luxe gives me a chance to read the latest international fashion magazines.

- Free wifi! Love it the most!

- The price. I tried more expensive nail spas, but they don't provide superb service like Luxe.

- The massage! If only Luxe would provide full body massage...

the rewards menu

- The rewards card. You get 1 stamp = Php 100 worth of service.

I like Luxe so much that my friends and I gave Luxe GCs for a friend's birthday.

Try Luxe and you might be a loyal customer like me. :)

----------------------------------------------------

Luxe Nail Lounge

Lower Level East Lane (in front of NBI Clearance Center)

Robinson's Galleria

Ortigas Avenue corner EDSA

Quezon City

Mon-Thurs & Sun: 10:00 am to 9:00 pm

Fri-Sat: 10:00 am to 10:00 pm

Contact No. 634.5395

Manang's Chicken

Finally! The sun did shine after a few days of terrible rain. And I was able to go out for lunch at Manang's Chicken.

I did not know that it was popular because it was a regular stall in Mercato until I read about it in Our Awesome Planet. Also, a fellow pex food club member suggested that I should try it.

I have to be nice with Manang's because they are just starting with a place of their own, and it's a lot different from having a stall.

I ordered 2 pcs Manang's Chicken (Php 124) and regular Iced Tea (Php 30). I was supposed to order Sarsi but they ran out of drinks in can.

Two pieces Manang's Chicken with Rice

You can have your chicken in original, mild spicy and spicy sauce. I had mine in original sauce. They still use styro containers for dine-in. I guess they still have to improve on that and use plates instead.

My friend and I sat near the kitchen, and they were still having problems on which orders should come first. Excusable, since they are just starting. I got my orders quick, so quick that I got it faster than the people who ordered before me. :)

Juicy!

I got two huge pieces of chicken, and it was so delicious! I love the sweetness and saltiness of the chicken. It is a perfect substitute for the usual fried chicken. However, it is a bit more expensive than your McDo and Jollibee but cheaper than Bon Chon.

I see myself returning for more Manang's Chicken.

------------------------------------------------------------

Manang's Chicken

AIC Gold Tower
Garnet Road corner F. Ortigas St.

Ortigas Center, Pasig City
Contact No. 5848848

Operating Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00am to 12:00mn

The Peeps

They are my original adventure-mates.

We go anywhere.

We go anytime.

It has been more than a year since we met in this company.

Now these adventures are almost zero.

Too busy. Too far from here. Too many other friends to bother joining. Too many other reasons.

But I miss them. I miss them a lot. :)

I remember...

the lunches and dinners and desserts

the videoke sessions

the company parties

the pantry parties

the adrenaline trip

I miss those times.

I really do. :)

Note: Photos from Jeo, Riza, Ea, Bry, Jerome Santos

Persian Square

Note: This restaurant is already closed. 

The PEx Gluttony Society was planning for a Persian Persuasion for quite a while, since most of us were craving for kebabs, we decided to put that in our food trip calendar. A food trip for another place was postponed so I guess this was good luck for the kebab crazies (including myself). And the Persian Persuasion Part 1 happened at Persian Square.

There was a typhoon, and I was having doubts that the dinner will push through. However, it did. :)

Persian Square is located at the Ortigas Business District. The area is a usual hangout for office workers in Ortigas, different restos and bars are also located in the area.

The restaurant was like a little Persia brought in the middle of the city.

The door in the resto

Fountain at the middle of the resto

On the wall

As some of us were taking pictures around the resto, Reva, the Iranian owner of the resto, asked us to post the pictures on their FB page. (I will post later, Reva!)

Since we were a big group, it was an advantage that most dishes are for sharing. :)

Here are what we had for appetizers:

Mirza Ghasemi (Php 175)

Hummus (Php 125)
Pita bread (Php 10 each)

Mirza Ghasemi is grilled eggplant sauteed onion and garlic with Persian spices, served in homemade tomato sauce. Hummus is Garbanzo beans, tahini and roasted garlic.

The appetizers were good. If you don't like spicy, be careful on getting the hummus because it has chili powder on the sides.

We also ordered salads:

Persian Square Salad (Php 165)

Salade Tabooleh (Php 145)

Persian Square Salad contains crisp romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomato, corn, carrot, bell pepper, kalamata olives, croutons with their secret dressing. Salade Tabooleh contains lettuce, tomato, onion, parsley, bulgur, and lemon juice.

We had to mix the Persian Square Salad before we get our helping. The Salade Tabooleh is more like ensaladang pako for me.

The main course is the Kebab Platter

Kebab Platter (Php 995)

The Kebab Platter has two skewers of koobideh kabab, a skewer of zaferani kebab , borg kebab, joojeh kebab with grilled tomatoes and chillies

I think 3-4 persons can share the kebab platter. Included in this platter are 2 pitas. So be careful on ordering pitas. The waiter was very clever to suggest that we order 4 types of Chelos (rice)
so that we can try everything. Thumbs up!

Shivid Baghali Polo (Php 165)

Zereshk Polo (Php 125)

Beryani (Php 125)

Zaferani (Saffron) (Php 135)

Shivid Baghali Polo is Basmati rice mixed with Fava beans and dill, topped with saffron. Zereshk Polo is Basmati saffron rice mixed with lightly fried red barberries. Beryani is Basmati rice mixed with mild Persian spices & herbs. Zaferani is Basmati rice with Saffron.

I liked the Zereshk Polo, it tastes a bit sweet. I think I almost finished it. :)

We also ordered some add-ons:

Khorma (Dates) (Php 45)

Grilled Onion & Tomato (Php 55)

Overall, the experience was superb! The service was really good, the food is great, the ambiance is awesome! I could say that the food was authentic. I almost felt we were in Persia, since many Iranians are coming in the resto while we're having dinner.

I suggest that if you're coming in a big group, call for reservations, so you can also get the best view.

For the Persian feast we had, we spent around Php 400 each. I strongly recommend that you order the dishes for sharing, it's a lot cheaper than ordering solo.

I would definitely bring my other Kebab fanatic friends there. :)

Here are other pictures of our group:

I had a great time guys! See you next food trip! :)

-----------------------------------------------------------

Caspian Persian Square Restaurant
Unit 101, Ortigas Home Depot
Julia Vargas Avenue,
Ugong, Pasig City
Contact Nos. 4707700, 4707800
http://www.persiansquare.com/

Gamja Gamja Garlic Potato

Note: This establishment is already closed.

Gamja Gamja Jaja size

I hate passing by this mall's basement because I never fail in buying these yummy garlic potatoes.

Gamja means "potato" in Korean.

Gamja Gamja Garlic Potatoes are deep-fried diced potatoes then glazed with secret ingredients and sesame seeds on top. What I love about Gamja Gamja (aside from the potatoes) is the packaging. The cup (as shown above) has a lid with a hole big enough for you to get one piece at a time (they are not using toothpicks but a two-prong stick).

This is what Gamja Gamja Garlic Potato looks like:

Photo from aeriskitchen.com

You can buy Gamja Gamja in three sizes: Potpot size (Php 39), Jaja size (Php 49) and Garlee size (Php 59). Gamja garlic potato is a bit sweet and a little salty. You would also notice that there are grated carrots in the glaze mixture.

Overall, Gamja garlic potato is a good alternative especially if you're having a craving for potatoes but don't want to get messy by eating fries. It's also less expensive than Potato Corner.

It's a nice treat while waiting for a shuttle or bus ride.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Gamja Gamja Garlic Potato
Basement Level, Main Mall
Robinson's Galleria (in front of Jollibee)
EDSA cor. Ortigas Avenue
Quezon City

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Photo from beyondhollywood.com

It finally ended.

The orphan boy with extraordinary bravery has finally defeated the evil wizard.

I got to watch the final Potter movie last Saturday. (As I was writing this, I found out that last Saturday was Daniel Radclifffe's birthday.)

Since it was a weekend, the theaters were almost full, so we had to watch in 3D so that we wouldn't have to wait for a long time.

The whole movie was amazing! It was gloom and doom I expected. However, Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) stole the scene. Of course, there are scenes I expected to be there but weren't there. Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is the best! He's the best villain of all time, in my opinion.

The best scene for me is when Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith) casted a spell to protect Hogwarts from the evil forces. Then went giddy and said "I've always wanted to use that spell!"

Let me clarify that I'm not a Harry Potter uber-fan. I actually missed 2 movies, however, I read all the HP books. :)

What was the epilogue about? Aside from telling that Hermione and Ron ended up together like Harry and Ginny, the whole series tells us that in the end, the greatest magic is love.

And I sat in the cinema with 3D glasses on, my mouth is hanging open as I watch the boy I grew up with say goodbye.

Legend of India

The PEx Gluttony Society had another food trip, and we went Indian this time at Legend of India, Makati. Chris got discount vouchers for us last month for an eat-all-you-can buffet.

I was really hesitant about trying Indian food because Indians are known to use curry and other spices. Still having this Aamir Khan fantasy, I took the challenge anyway.

The restaurant looks small from the outside, but it wasn't. The restaurant's ambiance is cozy, with only a few tables occupied. There is a flat screen TV playing Bollywood filmi (that's what you call the song-and-dance routine) non-stop.

Legend of India dining area

I arrived late, as in super late, so I wasn't able to take so many photos. I took one picture of the buffet area:

the buffet area

I could remember getting chicken tandoori, mushrooms with red sauce (I forgot the name) and some Basmati rice. I skipped lamb and the paneer. The food tastes fine, some dishes are sweet and spicy. I could taste too many spices at the same time.

My verdict: Indian food wasn't as scary as I expected it to be. Though I would not recommend it to people who have weak stomachs. However, I couldn't say that Php 650 for an Indian eat-all-you-can is worth it. I'm just too glad Chris got vouchers for us (so we paid Php 290 each instead).

Here are some pictures with the food club:


Legend of India is worth the first try. But for another try? Nah. Not unless I would meet Aamir Khan there. :)


Special thanks to Dwin for the ride from Rizal to Makati, and Miko for the ride from the resto to Greenbelt. :)

------------------------------------------------------

Legend of India
114B Jupiter Street, Bel-Air II, Makati City
They serve Halal Meats only.
Contact Nos. 8364232, 09178992566, 211-9864
Email: legendofindia@ymail.com
Operating Hours: 11am-10.30pm

a Veneto Napoli Pizzeria Ristorante

I met up with the Northies for dinner at a Veneto Napoli Pizzeria Ristorante. I have heard of Aveneto from a friend, but I haven't really tried since I could always find an Italian resto everywhere. The last Italian resto I have been is Buon Giorno, which I think is the best I've tried.

a Veneto means "in Venetian" in Italian.

As we are waiting for other people, we ordered the a Veneto Family Platter (Php 300).

a Veneto Family Platter

The a Veneto Family Platter contains cheddar munchers, fries, chicken wings and crabsticks.

We also ordered Baked Ziti with Chicken (Php 315) and Seafood Pasta Parmigiana (Php 275)

Baked Ziti with Chicken

Seafood Pasta Parmigiana

The pastas were served piping hot. They have generous servings, and they are very generous with the mozzarella cheese too!

When our group's almost complete, we ordered 16" New York Style Pizza (Php 580)

New York Style Pizza

The pizza had lots of green bell pepper (which I love) and lots of mozzarella. The pizza tastes almost like Shakey's pizza with less character.

We ordered another pasta: Oil and Garlic Pasta with Sausage (Php 165)

Oil and Garlic Pasta with Sausage

This tastes good, I guess we should have ordered more oil and garlic based pasta.

Let me share with you the good and bad points of a Veneto

Good points:

- They have generous servings of pasta, which I didn't expect.

- The ambiance is cozy, one could forget that the resto is located near the food court.

- They are generous with mozzarella cheese.

- Though I'm not a seafood fan, the seafood pasta has big toppings of mussels and squid.

- It was quite affordable. We paid less than Php 2000 (5% service charge included) for 9 persons.

Bad points:

- The parmesan cheese should be asked from the server. In other Italian restos, it should already be on the table.

- They have only 2 servers. The restaurant could accomodate around 60 people should have 3-4 servers, most especially during peak hours.

- The spaghetti pasta could have been thinner, but that's my personal preference. :)

I recommend a Veneto for affordable Italian pasta and pizza. :) I guess I should try the other pizzas next time.

-------------------------------------------------

a Veneto Napoli Pizzaria Ristorante

Basement Level, Bldg A

SM Megamall

EDSA cor. Julia Vargas Avenue

Mandaluyong City

Note: Other branches include Trinoma, Mall of Asia, SM San Lazaro and many more.