Zarzuela Filipino Cuisine

Zarzuela Filipino Cuisine

6^th Flr. East Wing,

Shangri-La Mall, EDSA

The day before yesterday was our 1^st year anniversary as BF/GF (Ram and Con---not Con and Mie) LoL! And because February 12th fell on a weekday and we had to go to work, we decided to celebrate it in a simple way by eating out.

We started searching for a good place to dine in last week and based our target restaurant/food establishment with the following criteria:

•          New to us.
•         Just around the Metro (preferably in Mandaluyong area)----tamad ang peg!
•     Filipino Cuisine
•         Good reviews from credible food bloggers.

It turned out we have a lot of options. Our top 2 picks are Café Juanita (Kapitolyo, Pasig) and Zarzuela (EDSA Shangri-La Mall). What made us decide to eat at Zarzuela?

•           New to us.
•           Nearest from office and to home. :)
•           Good reviews from food bloggers:

- Hefty Foodie : Shoot First Eat Later 

-     
     Here are the foods we ordered:

Fountain of Youth (appetizer)

•           P249.00
•           Thin slices of crispy, breaded pork meat with vinegar, green mangoes, and sautéed shrimp paste.
•           Good for 3-4 people.
•           The breaded pork tastes good, though it has an 'umay' factor when eaten alone. Make sure to eat the pork with the sidings to balance the taste.

Krispy Binagoongan

•           P399.00
•           Crispy pork cubes in bagoong.
•           Good for 2-3 people.
•           This is one of the recommended dishes from food bloggers’ reviews. What I like about this is it’s not as salty as other binagoongan. Downside for me is the pork’s fatty taste. I’m not sure if it’s from the oil used for frying or from the pork’s fat itself. This also has an 'umay' factor for me, but overall its taste is good.

Shrimp and Pork Tortang Talong

•          P229.00
•          Good for 2-4 people.
•           Purple eggplants stuffed with small slices of shrimps, pork, tomatoes, and onions, dipped in egg batter, then fried.
•           It has the authentic taste of tortang talong (which I love). Nothing too special but we still enjoyed the dish. :)

The Place

It took us a while to find the place. It’s in the 6^th floor of EDSA Shangri-La Mall, East Wing. We've not explored the whole east wing of EDSA Shang yet so that made the place quite unfamiliar to us both. The place is small with simple interiors; a fusion of modern Filipino-Spanish. We’re guided and sat on the couch area of the restaurant, which was just beside the clear, glass window, with an overlooking, good view of the Metro. I have to commend the lighting inside the establishment. We were able to take Instagram worthy moments. #coupleselfie hahaha

Staff/Service

They have a very accommodating and friendly crew plus their service is fast.

Value for Money

If it's price vs taste of food, then it’s a bit pricey, but I can say it's all worth our money considering the location, the place and great customer service.

In a nutshell, we had a great time celebrating our anniversary here. To Ram, thank you for a wonderful, smooth, memorable, and amazing 1^st year. I’m looking forward to spend more lovely years with you. Just like what Pooh said “I knew when I met you; an ADVENTURE was going to happen.”

Love Always,

Wandering Venus (Con)

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Evolution of Smooth (EOS) Lip Balm

I’d like to believe that this is a very good time to review the latest lip product I purchased December last year. It's no other than the famous EOS lip balm. I got the Pomegranate Raspberry flavor, the red one.  I’ve been using the balm since December, and it’s very timely that I got to buy the product before the 'real' cold days crept in. By the way, I bought the lip balm just to try, test, and experience the hype and raves.

According to EOS site:

eos lip balm in Pomegranate Raspberry is 95% organic, 100% natural, and paraben and petrolatum free. Packed with antioxidant-rich vitamin E, soothing shea butter and jojoba oil, EOS keeps your lips moist, soft and sensationally smooth.

• Long-lasting moisture
• Shea butter & vitamin E
• Smoothes on clear
• Precisely glides on lips
• Twist-off top
• Gluten-free
• Paraben-free
• Petrolatum-free
• Phthalate-free
• 0.25 oz

And the ingredients are listed below:

Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Beeswax/Cera Alba (Cire D'abeille)*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Natural Flavor (Aroma), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Stevia Rebaudiana Leaf/Stem Extract*, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil*, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry*Organic. **Component of Natural Flavor. Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth.) Leaf Extract*, Linalool** 

You’ll notice that most of the ingredients are nourishing oils - those that can be found in many beauty products because of their well beauty benefits.

Note: I won’t recommend this product to people who are allergic to propolis and beeswax.

Quick review:

Packaging: The container is a hard matte plastic material. You have to twist it to open the product. Inside, it looks like an egg. My problem with this is that I have to be careful not to drop it while applying since majority of the balm is exposed.

Size: .25 oz.

Scent: It’s fruity and smells yummy.

Taste: Slightly sweet

Color: Yellowish; it’s transparent once applied, so you can use this before/after a lipstick/lip stain. Note: I just noticed that my lipstick color lasted longer than usual with EOS applied before/after my lipstick.

Texture: Smooth, it glides easily on lips.

Bare lips with EOS lip balm

Moisturizing property: I usually apply the product before going to work and the need to re-apply would be after 5-6 hours. This helps me prevent the possible dryness and wind burn from the cold weather for weeks now. It comes in 6 other flavors: Strawberry Sorbet (Pink), Summer Fruit (Red orange), Sweet Mint (Mint Green), Honeysuckle Honeydew (Green), Medicated Tangerine (Orange), and Lemon Drop (Yellow).

Price: P250-P300 from IG sellers; not expensive for a good and quality lip balm that naturally nourishes and moisturizes your lips.

All in all, this is a great product especially for those who love using natural/organic products. 

Love Always,

Wandering Venus

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Mt. Manalmon Adventures

Photo Credit: Esa Andrada

I think my body was just getting warmed up when we hit the summit. Though I was told that it's a no sweat climb (probably for someone who has done major climbs in the past) and Paddex and Efren's sarcasm's just much of a giveaway, it was still a surprise how early we got to the peak.

Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

L image: Con and Mie, R image: Shiela and AJ
Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Con and Ram

This epic selfie shot
Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Our Guide
Photo Credit: Ram Baldoz

1st Batch Group Shot
L-R: Paddex, Pren, Con, Ram, Me, Shiela and AJ
Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

We had so much time for socials and siesta Kim, Paddex, Kashogs, Kace and the rest had to be shushed by Efren because the other mountaineers' already sound asleep and yes, one group has a baby for company. So there! Quite a night for bonding. 

deads!
Photo Credit: Kace Cabantac

Photo Credit: Kace Cabantac

Still Sober
L-R: Von, Zeus, Paddex, Kim, Kace
Photo grabbed from Kace Cabantac

Party Hard!
Photo grabbed from Kace Cabantac

I'm such a loser I missed all that fun. I slept early, as usual (with Maycon and Ram). Oh by the way! One thing I noticed right after I woke up and got out of the tent was the tents and leaves weren't all damp from morning mist. That's a first time! :)

It wasn't the climbing that hit me hard. It was the adventures that followed come Sunday morning. Probably to compensate the minor climb that is trekking Mt. Manalmon, they had a few more adventures prepared for us happy go's. Aside from the impressive view brought to us by Madlum River, they have this caving escapade and a few minutes to hang in what they call the "Monkey Bridge." And before i forget, you can, by the way, swim at Madlum River. Either you stop by after an approximately 15 minute trek down from summit or wait till you get to jump off.

Madlum River - This is accessible for swimming.We stayed
here for around 30 minutes after some 15min trek from summit.
Photo Credit: Ram Baldoz

Paddex Chillin'
Photo Credit: Ram Baldoz

Caption This!
Photo Credit: Kace Cabantac

Photo Credit: Ram Baldoz

Photo Credit: Ram Baldoz

Madlum Cave would require you a guide. Make sure you listen to their instruction; do not underestimate. Never wear slippers, sandals, flip flops and the like. Either you wear a trekking shoes/sandals or a running shoes at the least. The sharp edges of the stones are not forgiving. If you could, please wear leggings - this goes out to the boys and girls - to avoid getting cuts. Also make certain to bring a headlamp or rent for 30php a piece, just ask your guide for assistance. 

Here we go!
I was only pumped up when we hit the cave. I've always liked varieties because they don't get me tired... no, not really, but not as quick. In my more than 2 years climbing, I've always thought that I will be a much better rock climber than a mountaineer. hahah! Don't get me wrong though. Mountain Climbing is one of the best outdoor experiences I've had in my life. It makes me humble. It's just that I have that thing in mind for Rock Climbing, though I've never really done the legit rock climbing before. *wink* This activity was fun, I would say. Some kind of a test of endurance. It would really take advantage of your body so might as well have a good workout before this. I think this is actually the criminal why I got so sick after, haha. I don't blame the cave. I blame myself. :p 

Group Shot
Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Con and Me
Photo Credit: Ram Baldoz

Peekaboo!
Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Ahmmm???
Photo Credit: (L Image) - JayJay Belen, (R Image) - Ram Baldoz

Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Cess on the move!
Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Kim, Yes?
Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Kace
Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Paddex, AJ and Kim
Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Pren, Me and Con
Photo Credit: Ram Baldoz

Kim and Con
Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Yeah, I love the way this cave wall feels...
Photo Credit: Ram Baldoz

Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Wandering Venus
Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Monkey Bridge. This was more of frightening at first. I don't know how many feet high the vertical, parallel ropes (the one you hold on to and the one that you step on) are from the surface of the river, but it kind of warned you already. :) Looking at it from afar made it all seem as easy as eating a banana, but placing yourself at the start line while waiting for others to finish their combat, is quite an agony. Shiela, AJ's invite, on the other hand, was utterly brave to not show any tinge of fright on her face while crossing the bridge. 

Probably in her mind "these sh*ts.." haha. Kidding aside, she was admirable. :)
Photo Credit: Kace Cabantac

Me and Kim
Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Ram And Kashogi
Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Jami, Kace and Cess - all at once
Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Love Birds AJ and Paddex
Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

Zues and his feet
Photo Credit: (feet) - Jay Jay Belen, (Zeus) - Von Cypress

Efren
Photo Credit: Ram Baldoz

Renhart and Von
Photo Credit: (Renhart) - Von Cypress, (Von) - JayJay Belen

Ernie
Photo Credit: Von Cypress

On a placard in a boxing ring, we were all proud to have weathered such fear factor challenge. What a feat! 

I don't know if it's the government of Bulacan that runs the place or it's just the locals. What I'm trying to say is, we understand the need for maintenance for places like these but I find the charges, especially the guide fee, a little too expensive. If the place will keep a traffic of people that many for years, and they're able to collect a good sum of money  from backpackers using the facilities, I guess they would have to add washrooms, haha! But really, I'd rather keep the place as near to Mama Nature as possible. Let's not commercialize the place. I don't know. Maybe it's just me. Dami kong words, forgive me. But yeah. Yun. Nevertheless, I had fun. We all had.

Photo Credit: Jay Jay Belen

A place to visit if you're looking for a city escape. Quick, cheap and accessible. :)

Thank you to the locals of Sitio Madlum and congrats to the newbees!


More Love,
Wandering Venus

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