Comfort Food at Its Finest at Kettle

My friend and I went to Shangri-la Plaza East Wing to give Kettle a try because both of us have been wanting to try the restaurant's most popular dish, the buttermilk chicken. 

For appetizer, we shared the Pork & Potato Strips (Php 389).

Pork & Potato Strips

It's a humongous tower of fresh potato strips with pork belly, mixed with herbs and truffle oil and served with red pepper aioli. I love that it wasn't greasy and stays crispy even when it gets cold. Oh, and I love the taste of truffle. :)

Kumori Japanese Bakery

I have received a lovely package from the newly-opened bakery, Kumori Japanese Bakery, a few days ago. 

Kumori (which means cloudy in Japanese) is a brand from Japan that uses no preservatives and no artificial additives, hence all breads are all-natural and freshly made every time. Kumori advises to consume the breads within 2 days of purchase. 

Here are the goodies that I had from Kumori:

A classic Croissant (Php 55) is a flaky layered Danish pastry with premium butter. It was so pillowy soft I ate it in three bites. 

The Salmon Bonito (Php 65) is a savory bread with salmon filling inside the soft bun, topped with bonito flakes and homemade teriyaki sauce. 

Tips on Surviving Taiwan

My friends and I flew to Taiwan a few weeks ago. Honestly, travelling to Taipei is probably one of the most challenging trips I had, as I wasn't able to research well given a very hectic schedule at work. Also, I haven't read a lot of extensive posts about Taiwan so I'll try my best to make my posts 5-Day Taiwan trip as detailed as possible. Kindly note that I don't speak any Chinese language so my tips may not be applicable to those who can speak Chinese. 

Here's a few things you need to remember when you visit Taiwan:

1. Purchase an EasyCard

EasyCard is Taiwan's all-around reloadable card that you can use to pay for all types of transportation (MRT, buses, Maokong Gondola, U-Bikes), for convenience store purchases (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, etc), Starbucks Coffee, other fastfood establishments and many more. Note that you get 20% discount on fares when you use an EasyCard for transportation. 

You can get an EasyCard for a deposit on 100 NT (Php 146), which is refundable when you return your EasyCard. 

2. If you're between 15 to 30 years old, get a Youth Travel Card.

Taiwan Youth Travel Card is a membership/discount card to different establishments around Taiwan. You can get yours at any Visitor Center or Tourist Center, just don't forget to show your passport. Here's a list of establishments where you can get discount using your Youth Travel Card.

Manang's Chicken Pops n' Chips!

Here's a new delicious snack from Manang's Chicken: Pops n' Chips!

Pops n' Chips are crunchy and cripsy chicken poppers with Manang's signature potato chips, available in 3 locally-inspired flavors: Beef Steak, Cheese Pimiento and Chili Vinegar.