I just turned 24!

This has to be one of my most memorable birthday! It got me stuck at that age! And for those wondering when this was, it was not this year! Haha! This birthday was memorable because it's also the most expensive birthday ever! I'm grateful for the blessings, my friends, and this special day.

It started with a Pizza Hut treat... 

and it's not complete without the Pizza Hut crew singing you a Happy Birthday song, with a cupcake.

Che also gave me a Dora balloon. Haha!

Then, Che and Mark treated me to a tour around Tagaytay.

First, we went to Sonja's Garden where we bought some bread from the Panaderia and took lots of pictures.

... then we went for some coffee in Bag of Beans.

           

... the place was so cozy, and I love their blueberry cheesecake.

Usually the coffee shop is the last destination. In our case, it's more like the appetizer part. After enjoying the  coffee, we went to the famous Hawaiian Bar-B-Que.

We only tried their best seller, Hawaiian Baby Back rib, since we already planned to visit yet another restaurant after. We went to Pamana Restaurant. The place looked more like a typical Filipino house filled with family portraits from their downstairs reception, up to the stairs, and even in the dining area. Since we ate before we went there, we just ordered some soup. 

 

We went back to Pamana and tried out their three-way adobo with Tyler, Karla's then fiance' and now husband, and soon-to-be dad of Misha. 

I enjoyed my festive birthday!

Magnum Proxy

So I still haven't gotten my hands (and my mouth) on a Magnum Chocolate Truffle... Big Deal! It's just nowhere to be found! And I found an alternative. This Selecta Chocolate Truffle! This would do for now... I bet the Belgian chocolate coat tastes just like the Classic's. Yum!

Tea Fit for Royalty

I am a princess and this tea is definitely for me!
Gong Cha! Tea fit for royalty.

And I am with the Tea Queen Che. She started this milk tea craze.

She first made me try Quickly's Super Milk Tea, and I loved it!
Since then, she's been making me try other milk teas.
I loved Serenitea's Okinawa and Hokkaido Milk Tea, and now these:

 The BestSeller: Gong Cha Pearl Milk Tea
and

 Milk Wintermelon Tea
(which I find too sweet. the sweetness was set, and if i were asked 50% is better)

Back to Banapple

So, we ate at Banapple Kitchen again. We did not have to wait long to get a seat. There were people lining up outside the restaurant awaiting their turn with the tables as there were less than 20.

Here are the treats we tried out::

from top to bottom

Crunchy Chicken Sandwich
Pasta Verde
and for dessert
Banana Starry-Berry Custard Cheesecake

Guess who i was with this time...

 My BFFs! Che and Karla (the cake version). hehe.
We were planning to celebrate our birthdays together. Che's February, Karla and I are March celebrants.
But Karla left for the U.S. last January to exchange vows with Tyler in marriage. We're so happy for her!
 Still, we're celebrating with her, hoping next year we'll get to celebrate together.
We would definitely be back for more Banapple Kitchen treats!

Magnum Madness!!!

This past weeks I've been seeing pictures and comments about Magnum... what's all the fuss about? It's just another chocolate-coated ice cream bar! Well, I guess I have to try for myself to know... Here goes...

There are three flavors:

Classic, Almond and Chocolate Truffles

I got just these two. I guess Chocolate truffles was sold out.

60 Php each.

Trying out Almond... I loved it! I also loved the Classic flavor. The chocolate coat was just divine.

I would definitely get my hands on the Chocolate truffle flavored Magnum!

Try it! YUM!

BanApple Kitchen

Visited Che at work for a Date at Ayala Triangle, Bannaple Kitchen.

Tried out the Best Sellers

Banofee Pie

and Creamy Chicken Pie

We'll definitely be back to try out their cheesecakes!

Happy Cream Puff

"Stressed spelled backwards is desserts! Coincidence? I think not!"

Tried the best sellers: (cw from top) 

Dark and White Cream Puff

Original Cookie Cream Puff

Caramel Cream Puff

Chocolate Cookie Cream Puff

with my favorite Food Buddy... Che

Serenitea

Tried out Serenitea's Hokkaido and Okinawa milk tea.

Amici & Caramia Experience

Tried out Amici and Caramia Gelateria in Alabang Town Center with Che and Karla. While I love pasta, Che loves pizza and Karla loves ice cream. It's what this restaurant serves best, as their logo indicates.

And since it's our first time, we agreed to choose from the best sellers in the menu.

Insalata con Ricotta Fritti

 Fried ricotta topped over mixed greens, served with balsamic dressing. I was never a fan of salads of greens until Ate Lea's dressing, so when they chose this I was like, I would just try the dressing with tomatoes and cabbage and the "chicken." Little did I know that it's fried cheese. Well.

Linguine Fantastico

Linguine tossed in a tangy, mouth-watering blend of proscuitto, stewed tomatoes, black olives and garlic. This has to be one of our favorites. Loved the stewed tomatoes.

Toni di Maiale

 Roast pork slices with tuna mayo dressing and fried capers. Another favorite. The pork was roasted perfectly! Yum!

Tutta Carne

All-time Amici favorite. Italian sausage, ham and pepperoni.

Now, it wasn't difficult choosing our appetizers and pizzas and pasta. Those were unanimous choices. Until.... DESSERTS. We had to try Caramia Gelato's best sellers, and it was a battle of fruits and nuts. Since Karla loved ice creams she insisted on trying Black Forest. But it was not available. Then we had to choose a cake. Che wanted to try the Pistachio cake, I wanted the Nocciola Gateau. Here's what happened:

Pistachio Gelati e Sorbetto

 Karla's choice was not available, and I won the cake challenge. And since we love Che, and her love for pistachio, we chose this. It is also one of Caramia's best sellers and we loved it!

Nocciola Gateau

Hazelnut cream cheese and rich dark chocolate in layers of crunchy meringue. A Cara Mia favorite. We loved the texture of this cake, and it melted in our mouths. 

We were all nuts with the desserts!

We would definitely try the other Cara Mia gelatos and cakes. You may visit their facebook page where I got the roast pork and pizza pictures.