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For our Chiang Mai accommodations, I used the services of Airbnb once more but booked a guesthouse this time. I came across Kamala's Boutique Guesthouse while I was looking upon numerous accommodations in Chiang Mai.  We booked a Deluxe Room with twin beds for our 3 days 2 nights stay in Chiang Mai. The person in charge of bookings, Pimm, was kind enough to give us the room with a balcony. To say that our room was spacious seemed an understatement. You can fit a family of 5 and still wouldn't feel cramped at all. 

I was invited for a lovely lunch by Karen and Loren to their new abode in White Plains: K&L Cafe by Blushing Cupcakes .  Moving their Ortigas location to a homier White Plains paved way for them to recreate their restaurant into a lovely cafe that serves delicious dishes using some of the finest ingredients from Baguio City, where they spent their childhood.  We started with Session Salad with Strawberry Wine Vinaigrette (Php 175) and Grilled Ham & Cheese (Php 227). Session Salad with Strawberry Wine Vinaigrette Grilled Ham & Cheese

Hope you're having a great time with family and friends while you are reading this post.  I call this year my relaxed year, as I focused more on the food (and travels) near my home base. Still, it was as adventure-filled as I want it to be.  Here's a rundown of awesome things I have tried and have been to this year: I consider Chef Robby Goco's new baby, Green Pastures one of the best restaurants I have tried this year. It broke my "no lining up" policy. I would probably visit this place again soon. Impressive culinary sanctuaries I have visited this year is a nearby restaurant, Madison's Bistro Moderne , a sophisticated restobar NEST , a hidden steakhouse Vittorio's , and Filipino restaurant with a French flare, Locavore in Kapitolyo. I feel honored to be invited to Ippudo and Teddy's Bigger Burgers days before both restaurants officially open. I am sincerely humbled by these opportunities. 

Nothing screams Christmas more than the abundance of festive colors, and the sweet desserts that everyone seems to be generous of.  Like this lovely box of macarons from Cafe Macaron by Fairmont Makati , one of the finest dessert makers in Manila. 

Our final stop in Chiang Mai is the most popular temple in the city: Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, or Wat Doi Suthep .  This Buddhist temple is 15 kilometers away from Chiang Mai city center and located at the mountain named Doi Suthep. The temple was built in the 1300s and is considered one of the major places of worship in the city. From the Warorot Market, we hired a songthaew for 360 Baht (Php 490) to take us to Doi Suthep and back.  our spacious songthaew There's a less expensive option to go to Doi Suthep, but we didn't have much time because we have to catch our flight back to Bangkok that afternoon.

Sumo Sam will be turning 9 this December 23, 2014! As thank you treat to its loyal customers and diners, here are three special treats to celebrate their 9th anniversary -- and to celebrate the holidays too! :) 9th Anniversary P9 Ebi Tempura On December 23, 2014, from 4:00pm to 6:00pm, Sumo Sam is offering its popular Ebi Tempura at only Php 9 each. Each person can order up to nine (9) pcs Ebi Tempura!  Diner who avail of the P9 Tempura will get a chance to win one (1) year supply of Ebi Tempura. Check out their Facebook page for the participating branches. 

I was invited last Friday to dine at the newly-opened Chinese restaurant along Tomas Morato named Oriental Palace . It was a very special dinner because it was my first meet-up with Didi , the blogger behind one of the blogs I enjoy reading. :) Ground Floor Function Area Spacious seems an understatement in describing how huge Oriental Palace is.  Opened last November 2014, Oriental Palace is an authentic Chinese restaurant that can cater to all types of occasions. Second Floor Function Area Shabu-Shabu Area I was impressed with the collapsible walls so they can adjust the function rooms according to the needs of the client. Brilliant move!  Oriental Palace has 3 Hong Kong chefs to ensure that their food is as authentic as possible.  While waiting for our food, we were served Mango-Kiwi Smoothie.  Mango Kiwi Smoothie I haven't tried this combination before and it was delicious! I must have this again soon. :)

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  It was a fun-filled day: a food event in Makati, a drinking sesh in Ortigas, and a short stop to a "not so" food festival in Quezon City. Not sure where to go next, the boys decided to drive us to Katipunan to have something closer to home: Beef Pares.  Pares Mami House , located along Xavierville Avenue, is one of those places you go to for no-frills food at pocket-friendly prices.  It was almost midnight, at to keep our tummies warm (and happy), we each ordered a serving of beef pares, a cup of rice, with hot broth and a bottle of soft drinks. 

Our last day in Chiang Mai started early for our first stop of the day: Maesa Elephant Camp . We booked a half-day tour via our guesthouse for this adventure.  I booked for an elephant show and elephant ride while my friend skipped the elephant ride (he has tried it in Indonesia, where he went a month before our trip).  We were picked up from our guesthouse by the tour guide who was also our driver.  Maesa Elephant Camp is around 30km away from Chiang Mai City Proper. We didn't eat breakfast because of the early pick-up but we're glad that there's a small restaurant near the gate, serving affordable rice meals.  breakfast for 50 Baht (Php 68) Our arrival was just in time for the elephant ride . I was quickly ushered by our tour guide to line up. I was expecting to be riding with a stranger but realized I'm taking the elephant ride alone. YAY!!! :)

Note: Crazy Chicken was rebranded to Chicken Studio last March 2018.  Our second stop for our Marikina food trip was Crazy Chicken , located along Lilac Street.  I eat chicken almost every day, but we still went on to try this place because of one flavor I haven't tried before: the Black Listed or the chocolate-coated chicken.  Crazy Chicken has 6 flavors: Korean Spice, Original Buffalo, Garlic Parmesan, Soy Garlic, Lemon Pepper, and Black Listed.  We settled with Wings Solo (4pcs, Php 109) and Drumsticks Solo (2 pcs, Php 109). Other serving sizes available are Duo (8 pcs of Wings or 4 pcs of Drumsticks for Php 213) and Family (16 pcs of Wings or 8 pcs of Drumsticks for Php 428).

Note: The giveaway has ended. Winners have been announced.  Let's make this Christmas a little sweeter with a lovely giveaway from Made in Candy ! :) I will be giving away 2 Made in Candy jars (Jar of Everything) each to 10 winners!  Christmas rocks Kindly read the guidelines before joining. 1. This giveaway runs from December 9 to 21, 2014

After our day trip to Chiang Rai , we were tired and extremely hungry from the long drive back to Chiang Mai. Still, we managed to walk around the city center to look for a decent resto to eat. Either than or McDonald's (which is quite near our guesthouse, btw). We found this resto, Euro Diner & Bar, located along Ratvithi Road. My friend might be craving for Western food, after all.  Turns out both of us wanted to stick to Thai food, which was also on the menu.  Coconut Shake We both requested to have Coconut Shake, and we were served the cold drink with this lovely orchid. 

Have you experienced the extreme lust to try out a restaurant and find that it's closed? It feels like heartbreak. That's how I felt when I tried to visit The Snack Shack in UP Diliman a few months back. Imagine my delight when I found out that they opened a branch nearer to me. So when we planned to have a food trip in Marikina, including this place in the itinerary was non-negotiable. Because I said so.  This small burger joint wasn't difficult to spot. It was only a few meters away from OLOPSC, a school in Marikina.  The smell of burger patties was so enticing you wouldn't have second thoughts on which food to order.  With a pretty straightforward menu, we all chose to have a Quarter-Pounder with Chiz (Php 70). The burger takes a while to cook, but it was really worth it.  Quarter Pounder with Chiz

We were invited at the SM Megamall branch of Made In Candy to personally experience how their candies are made.  I would always stop by this branch to watch how the candy chefs create candies from scratch. Incidentally, this is their biggest branch in Manila so far.  While waiting for the sugar to boil, all the things needed to make candy were neatly set in the warm table. The warm table keeps the sugar from hardening.  our project today! :)