Ya Kun Kaya Toast in NAIA 2, Manila

On our way to our Ilocandia holiday, we had breakfast in Ya Kun Kaya Toast located in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Centennial Terminal 2 pre-boarding area. I had my first taste of Ya Kun Kaya in Singapore on my visit there in November 2010 and I remember liking it better than the kopitiam style coffeehouses locally such as Kopi Roti. I love this post by Singaporean blogger ieatishootipost :)

As can be seen from the sign by the entrance, what makes the coffee of Kun Kaya Toast better is that they brew their coffee the traditional Singapore way by "pulling their coffee". And this supposedly "gives the coffee a fuller body, extra richness and a delightful aroma".

They have toasts and other sandwiches and breakfast food. And of course, the coffee and tea.You can either get Coffee “O” or Tea “O,” which is black (as pronunciation of O in Chinese means black) or try it with a bit of milk and order Coffee “C” or Tea “C.” As for me, I prefer Coffee/ Kopi (the one with condensed milk!) Other drinks in the menu include Hot Milo, Hot Mocha, Hot Chocolate, Ginger Tea, and Japanese Green Tea.

I ordered Value Meal A- Kaya Toast Set (P180). 2 slices of kaya toast with butter and eggs and kopi. Yum :) The toast was as yummy as it was in Singapore :)


And the coffee, of course, always tastes different than the usual stuff we get in Starbucks and other coffee chains. For a notorious coffee drinker like me, that's always a good thing :)

Ya Kun Kaya Toast is also in Robinson's Place Manila and in Ortigas. Cheers! :)

Fashion Friday: The Many Lives of the Tie Neck Blouse

Several years ago, it was seen on trend reports everywhere from whowhatwear to Fabsugar. They called it the bow tie blouse. I've also heard it called the pussy bow blouse and the secretary blouse.

Back in 2008
Photo credit: whowhatwear.com

They say that every woman must have a signature look/ fashion item. And if it takes you more than a minute to think about what's yours, then it's NOT your signature look. For me, it's red, animal print, pencil skirts, stacked bangles, printed wrap dresses, sunglasses, and yes, the bow tie blouse. I love all its names and reincarnations. And this year, I'm quite delighted that it's back again on the fashion radar---with a new name this time---the Tie Neck Blouse.

2011 reincarnation

Photo credit: Frugal Fashionistas

Ever since I've started work life more than three years ago, I've always had a version of this blouse circulating in my closet at any one time. I love how this blouse can make a look romantic, classic, professional, and fashionable all at the same time. And over the years, I have amassed more than a few of these blouses, which have become a staple in my wardrobe.

One of my first ever tie neck blouses started out not as that but simply a blouse with a black cloth tied around the waist. I saw the original version in a department store, really liked it but thought it was expensive. So the next time I went to Divisoria, I bought printed chiffon and georgette fabric for less than P150 and had my tailor, Mana Edith, copy the blouse for me from a picture stored in my camera phone. All for less than P500. Sweet! :)

This is the blouse I had made back in 2007, turning a belted blouse into an instant tie neck blouse simply by tying the black cloth belt around the neck. And I do that even for my other blouses too :) If you look closely at the picture above, you'll even see the belt loop :)

Made to order tie neck polka dot blouse over black Mango tank top
SM Department Store slim black belt with leopard print detail
Rico Salandanan from The Landmark black pencil skirt
Charles & Keith heels

I have lusted over Rachel Bilson's white bow tie blouse ever since I can remember.
I've been meaning to have Mana Edith make one for me in white cotton this time. Will definitely buy the fabric on my next Divisoria or Fabric Warehouse trip. But I guess this version of the blouse is a bit too much, no? :) I know I can wear this...but I know a lot of people will not understand!

Anyway, the simple lesson for today, my friends, is that fashion trends come and go...and come back again. So, let's not throw away our fashion finds, especially the classics :) I know I'll never get tired of the tie neck/ pussy bow/ secretary/ bow tie blouse and I can see myself wearing this classic piece well into my fifties and sixties ---or at least a variation of it, with most probably a new name to boot! :)

Cheers! :)






P.S. My pictures for this post (except detail shots) were taken by my 7 year old niece, Laena (for more gorgeous angles!) Here's a picture of her, without any direction from me on how to pose. I love it! :) Looks like this girl will follow in my footsteps :)

Wicked Kitchen

One week day, in the midst of another acquisition project, my friend S. and I happily found ourselves looking for a place to eat for lunch in the Quezon City area. This was a welcome break from the daily office cafeteria food or the usual places we go to for lunch in Bonifacio Global City where our office is located. And the fact that it's in the "North" or in the QC area where we both went to college then to law school only added to the nostalgia. S. suggested a place she read about near ABS-CBN called Wicked Kitchen. It's right along Mother Ignacia Avenue in front of the studios. The restaurant is made up of two floors, with the kitchen downstairs and most of the eating area in the second floor, where we were seated.

Wicked Kitchen's Lenten deals.
And expectedly, an ABS CBN noontime show showing on TV :)

They have quirky and creative names for their food, which I appreciate.

S. ordered the Wicked Burger, which is one of their bestsellers while I got the Beef Salpicao simply because I was really craving for good old salpicao, which I haven't had in a while. The food was good enough and at reasonable prices too.

But the real reason people care to go to Wicked Kitchen (and I suppose to even blog about it) is the piece de resistance, Gluttony. With a capital G.

Their desserts are all named after the Seven Deadly Sins. And Gluttony is their best-selling "sin" :) Priced at P145 for single (we got this and it was big enough for two) and P295 for sharing, Gluttony is in essence, a cookie. But not just any cookie but a freshly-baked chocolate chip cookie with mantecado ice cream on top and drizzled with chocolate syrup. And the term "freshly-baked" is not just lip service. The server told us it will take around 25-30 minutes to prepare, so much so that unlike the usual dessert, we had to order it right away with our salpicao and burger.

Wicked Kitchen's Gluttony is really something to rave about. I suppose it all boils down to it being freshly-baked. You MUST try it.

Wicked Kitchen
143 Mother Ignacia Avenue
South Triangle, Quezon City
http://wicked-kitchen.com/

Bubble Tea Tokyo Milk Tea Place (Wilson)

I'm back!! :) I've been away again on holiday for the last several days and I'm so excited to tell you all about my trip. But before that, I have to do some backlog posts :-p

For the second installment to my tea series, one Sunday night in March, we went to the newest Bubble Tea Tokyo Milk Tea Place (or more popularly known simply as "Bubble Tea") in the metro, which is the one located along Wilson Street in my city of San Juan. I've tried Bubble Tea in SM Megamall, in The Block at SM City North Edsa and along Tomas Morato Avenue and this one along Wilson is a welcome addition to the roster of foodie places in San Juan's Wilson/ J. Abad Santos area (hmm, this gives me an idea to do a series on the foodie go-to places here).

Another addition to this particular Bubble Tea branch is the Honey Bee bakery (which I'm guessing is a sister company). The cakes look yummy and I was told that their Raspberry Napoleon (pictured below) is a must-try. But since this is a tea series post, no, I didn't try the cakes!


Now, on with the teas. For a change from the usual royal milk tea, I ordered a large Passion Fruit Tea Slush with combination bubbles and less sugar (P135). Refreshing, although I think I still love my royal milk tea :) Also, upon taking our order, the server didn't care enough to ask the size of the bubbles and my sugar preference. What's the point of making those choices available in the menu if the servers aren't trained to get the customer's choice? I had to re-order my tea ;(


My companion got a Strawberry Milk Shake (P145) which he didn't even finish. Being the tea connoisseur, that says a lot about that drink right there. Or maybe he just wasn't in the mood.

Aside from the teas, we also ordered some Dynamite rolls (P295) (unagi and spicy tuna with teriyaki sauce) and I had pork katsudon (P195) for dinner. Yes, because Bubble Tea is not just a tea place per se but a real, full-fledged restaurant with a wide assortment of meals and as I like to call it, "real food". I will post the complete pictures of the menu on my Flickr account and link to the album here so that you'll get an idea of the variety as well as the prices.

Dynamite roll

Pork Katsudon

I don't recall the rolls being fresh. And I must say that the katsudon was just so-so. Nothing spectacular. Despite Bubble Tea being a full-service restaurant, looking around us, almost everyone was just drinking tea and/or having dessert. It was only us and the diners in one other table eating dinner. So I guess in a tea place such as this, just get the tea and not the real food. :) And maybe next time, I won't go back on a Sunday night, when the place is filled with the after-Sunday dinner Greenhills crowd and thereby making the servers more frantic. If you live in or have been to the area, you know exactly what kind of customers I mean! hahaha :) Cheers!

Bubble Tea Restaurant, Manila (Tokyo Milk Tea Place)
#229 Wilson Street, Greenhills, San Juan City
Visit their Official Site and on Facebook