My Pamper Sesh Weekend at Vivere Salon & More

I had the ultimate pamper sesh weekend thanks to the grand launch of Vivere Salon and Ooh La Lash at Glorietta 2 sometime in September. It couldn’t have been a better timing because coincidentally, I was to visit my hometown Cebu that following weekend for a wedding.

Vivere Salon is a premium salon staffed with expert stylists who have been trained by the prestigious Vidal Sassoon Academy— the “Harvard University of hair education.” It promises to create cuts that are meant to simplify your beauty routine by making sure you don’t just look great when you walk out of the salon.

Founded in 2003 with its flagship branch at Robinsons Galleria, Vivere Salon continues to grow rapidly. They now having branches nationwide and recently just launched the 10^th branch at Glorietta 2.

You can find Vivere at the ff. branches:

Robinsons Galleria

SM Megamall

Gateway Mall

Festival Supermall

Fairview Terraces

Lucky Chinatown Mall

Robinsons Midtown

Marquee Mall

Trinoma

Glorietta 2

Vivere Salon at Glorietta 2 is sleek, bright and clean. You know you’re in good hands the moment you step into the place.

Ooh La Lash! Now Open at Glorietta 3

Perfectly groomed brows and long, lush lashes can change your life. But you already knew that. The question now is—do you know where you can go to get the safest and most natural-looking extensions?

Manila Chronicles

            It’s been half a decade (do the math) since I’ve last been to Manila. And yes, it feels as long as it sounds. If my memory of Manila were a gadget, it would most likely be obsolete by now. True enough, I did feel like a caveman (okay, maybe that’s too much) when I unexpectedly found myself there by the last weekend of 2013!

            You see, my mom has a thing for giving me short notice on things. For this trip, I was only informed a day before we had to leave. We were going there to visit her mom, siblings and my cousins.

            Since I started this blog, I’ve been following several Manila food blogs to get myself updated with the capital’s food trends and compare it with my beloved Cebu. As much as I’ve been learning a lot from these food blogs, I’ve been developing a mild stroke of envy for Manila as well because they get dibs on most of the cool food. Unfair, right?! Hehe.

            But really, I’ve been wishing to visit the capital again for some good grub and most especially to meet the food bloggers and chefs I’ve made friends with. So, you can imagine my panic attack when I found out. Guess what the most urgent thing I thought I needed to do was – tell my blogger and chef friends I would be there the next day! Fb status and private messages, Instagram comments, tweets; you name it, I did it! And to my relief, it worked well even with my mom’s all planned out itinerary for the trip.

            I have to confess that I wasn’t too excited when I found out because like I said, knowing my mom, she would already have an itinerary all planned out and this does not include restaurants to try. I told her my plans though because as soon as my friends knew, I was immediately invited to their Christmas Party and other affairs that I dare not miss. Fortunately, she gave me leeway to catch up with them. And boy, was I a happy little piglet!

Our trip’s schedule was set for December 26-30, departing for Manila on the 26^th and returning to Cebu on the 30^th. Here’s the itinerary my mom planned out:

*The ones in red font are my own itinerary.

            Day 1 (Dec. 26, Thursday)

     -   Resorts World to watch the Cinderella play

Day 2 (Dec. 27, Friday)

    -    The Fort, BGC for the Mind Museum

    -    Ocean Park

    -    KTG Christmas Party

Day 3 (Dec. 28, Saturday)

    -    Enchanted Kingdom

Day 4 (Dec. 29, Sunday)

   -    Malling

   -    Café Ysabel/CACS

You’ll find in my following posts that this itinerary will have some changes. Although I wasn’t too excited for this trip in the beginning, the excitement swelled up as I was sitting in the plane and when I saw the Manila city lights, as we were about to touch down.

Anyway, I’ll save the story for later. I’m really excited to share my Manila experience! It’s the best I’ve had so far. Thanks to my mom! :D

Hope you’ll stick around for the following posts!

oink oink,

Babe for Food

               - your BFF in Cebu dining! :)

Roof for Relief: Rebuild Homes, Rebuild Lives

            I hope it's not too late to share this but if you feel like doing something extra special this season, I think this is a great idea. After all, it is the season of giving. 

It’s been nearly two months since Typhoon Yolanda (International name: Haiyan), one of the Philippine’s deadliest typhoons recorded, swept through and ravaged Eastern Visayas and Northern Cebu, leaving thousands of families homeless and people dead. Although this was devastating, we can all be grateful for the help that everyone extended in whatever way they could, especially from the generous foreign countries who came swiftly for relief. The Filipinos themselves have proved to be truly caring and strong people who do what they can to help each other. And that makes me believe that we can all rise back up on our feet as a nation slowly but surely. 

After all the relief goods of immediate needs being distributed, there's still so much we can do. This time, let's help rebuild the lives of our fellow countrymen by donating roofs. For only P5,000 or US $120, you can already provide shelter for one family. You can also pledge it under someone's name as a gift. 

Blue Bell Ice Cream Now in the Philippines!

        If you haven't tasted Blue Bell Ice Cream yet, then you haven't tasted the best. The saying, "Big things come in small packages," can be aptly identified with this brand. But in their case, it's "Great ice cream comes from a small town."

Known as "the Little Creamery in Brenham" to ice cream lovers, Blue Bell Ice Cream was founded in 1907 in the little town of Brenham, Texas, a town of about 14,000 people located 70 miles northwest of Houston. It was initially named Brenham Creamery Company and was making butter from excess cream brought in by area farmers. A few years later in 1911, the creamery began making ice cream, hand-cranked in a wooden tub filled with ice, and delivering to neighbors by horse and wagon. In 1930, the general manager, E.F. Kruse, changed the company name to Blue Bell Creameries because he liked the bluebell flowers that grow wild around Brenham. It was then the company began to focus full time on making what is known in the United States as "the best ice cream in the country." 

Blue Bell is only sold in 22 states in the U.S. - that's 26% of the United States' supermarkets - and yet it is one of the top three best-selling ice creams in the country. And the Philippines is privileged to be the first South East Asian country to have Blue Bell in supermarkets and selected establishments. It's a wonder how this ice cream with a humble beginning reached our side of the world.

According to Blue Bell, some folks say the reason Blue Bell Ice Cream tastes so good is because the cows think Brenham is heaven. If that's the case, then I'm so glad this little piece of heaven is in Cebu! I was invited to the country-themed launch and got to try seven of their fourteen pint flavors - Homemade Vanilla, Strawberry, Dutch Chocolate, Krazy Kookie Dough, Banana Pudding, Butter Crunch and Red Velvet Cake - and their impeccable Chocolate Chip Countrie Cookie ice cream sandwich. 

Their Homemade Vanilla flavor is the most popular and I have to say, this is my favorite of the pint variants. It's definitely got a distinct taste different from any other branded vanilla ice cream I've tasted. Fans say, it tastes remarkably like the hand-cranked ice cream folks used to make on the porch during long summer vacations. 

from left, clockwise: Red Velvet Cake, Butter Crunch, Homemade Vanilla

Krazy Kookie Dough, Butter Crunch and Strawberry

Strawberry! <3 
The strawberry chunks tasted so fresh! 

The other flavors I loved were Red Velvet and Strawberry. I love that Blue Bell even makes their own mix-ins from scratch, like the Red Velvet cake and their cookie bits in the cookie dough flavor. They don't scrimp on these as well. You'll find delightful chunks in your ice cream pint, from the surface down to the bottom. :D

But the best product they have, for me, is the Chocolate Chip Country Cookie. This is THE ice cream sandwich worth talking about. It's got the real thing - soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies and a thick layer of their homemade vanilla ice cream sandwiched in between two cookies. AND, it was HUGE. I could barely finish it. Now, this, took me to ice cream heaven. The first bite was, well, orgasmic. I just had to say that. It's nothing like those pathetic wafer Korean ice cream sandwiches. Yes, I'm bashing because they're pretty expensive and they're not worth it AT ALL. 

Chocolate Chip Country Cookie  P95

Aside from the Chocolate Chip Country Cookie, they also have other single-serve snacks: Almond Bar and Country Cone (Vanilla and Cookies 'n Cream). I was already on ice cream coma after all the flavors and that country cookie I tasted, so I really couldn't squeeze in the country cones in my belly anymore. The Cookies 'n Cream looked really good though. 

        Bringing home two pints of my choice of flavors - Homemade Vanilla and Dutch Choco - made me a happy camper. After resting overnight to recover from my ice cream coma, I tasted the pints I took home. The distinct sensation that this ice cream gives is the full-bodied flavor yet light and airy note at the end. It was difficult to stop my hand from scooping more and more spoonfuls. I had this for breakfast, by the way. :)) 

What makes Blue Bell distinctly special is it is still made the old-fashioned, traditional way, so it tastes just like it was hand-cranked. It makes use of the finest and freshest ingredients from the farmers around Brenham. Then, it mixes in their secret homemade recipe topped off with the special skills and knowledge developed over years. When I posted a photo of Blue Bell Ice Cream on Facebook, a family friend from Kentucky commented that it's "the only ice cream I eat." That says a lot. 

Some fun facts and trivia: 

• Astronauts have carried Blue Bell Ice Cream into space TWICE.
• President George W. Bush had Blue Bell shipped from Texas to the White House and Kennebunkport to serve to visitors.

Visfood Corporation is the exclusive distributor of Blue Bell Ice Cream in the Visayas region of the Philippines. In Cebu, Blue Bell Ice Cream is available in pints, half-pints and single-serve snacks at:

• Rustan's Supermarket Ayala 
• One Pavilion Mall Banawa
• Gaisano Country Mall
• David's Kitchen, I.T. Park
• Shangri-La's Mactan Resort & Spa
• BE Resorts
• Mooon Cafe Ayala and The Walk, I.T. Park
• every Sunday at BTC Market (Banilad Town Centre Lobby)
• Blue Bell PH office

For more information, visit bluebellicecream.com.ph and follow @bluebellph on Instagram, FB and Twitter. Share your Blue Bell experience, tag #discoverbluebell in all your online posts. 

Visfood Corporation

Rm 205, TPE Bldg., Banilad, Cebu City

Contacts:

Telefax: (+63 32) 239 0308

Mobile: 0933 282 9041 / 0932 887 6762

Email: visfoodcorp@yahoo.com

oink oink,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)

Pass the Plate Indeed

        Yummy Magazine's first visit to Cebu was definitely a success! It was an inspiring and educational afternoon at the Ayala Activity Center where guest chefs Katherine Jao (food stylist and contributor, Yummy) and Dianne dela Cruz (Knorr resident chef) demonstrated five easy and delicious recipes. 

       Registration was free for all and the event was packed as soon as it started. Phoebe Kay Fernandez was the host and engaged the audience in an entertaining fashion as she gave out the trivia for the raffle prizes from Knorr and Unilever.  

host: Phoebe Kay Fernandez

       Chef Dianne dela Cruz came out first and did three recipes -- Moringga-Squash Cream Soup, Binalot na Tilapia sa Pechay (Sinanglay) and, Cream Dory Fillets with Sofrito. I love that she gave food safety tips along with technique tips. And of course, all the dishes were delish! :D 

Moringga-Squash Cream Soup

Binalot na Tilapia sa Pechay (Sinanglay)

Cream Dory Fillets with Sofrito

        Chef Katherine Jao was next and she made Mexican dishes -- Mexican Tortilla Soup and Barbeque Chicken and Veggie Quesadilla. Both were awesome, too! The flavors exploded in the mouth. Loved it! 

 

Mexican Tortilla Soup

Barbeque Chicken and Veggie Quesadilla

      I certainly enjoyed that afternoon as I was refreshed of cooking basics and learned new recipes. The best part was getting to taste almost all (because we weren't given a sample of one dish) the dishes. I guess that's why the event was called "Pass the Plate". I'm sure everyone learned a thing or two from the adorable chefs as well.

        This was my first time to actually attend a cooking demo at Ayala and I made it memorable by having a photo with the pretty chefs, Chef Katherine Jao and Chef Dianne dela Cruz. I also met one of the cool Manila-based bloggers I know (online) -- Frances Ang of frannywanny.com!

This is the only photo I have of frannywanny (second from right) :(

Chef Katherine Jao, Babe for Food and, Chef Dianne dela Cruz

           I've read Yummy since I was in high school (which isn't so long ago, mind you) and I think you should too! It's a great way to learn new and easy recipes and know what's hot in the culinary world of the Philippines. It's how I got acquainted with most of the amazing local chefs and find inspiration. 

     Congratulations on your first visit, Yummy! Hope to see you again soon! :D

         Yummy Magazine is a publication of Summit Media and is available in newsstands, bookstores and supermarkets nationwide. 

        Visit their website at www.YUMMY.ph, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for updates. 

A Visit to the Roots

                The babe has been away since the end of April, specifically April 29-May 3 to be exact. This was my first official vacation trip this year: 4 days in Mindanao for a family reunion of Mom’s side and the birthday celebration of mom’s uncle, Papa Jerry. I was actually reluctant about this trip because I’ve just started getting my pastry line Blissful Bites moving, but family matters are not to be missed. I was also hoping this would be my chance to finally begin a travel blog but lo and behold, after fully charging my camera the whole night, it was left behind. No worries though, that doesn’t stop me from sharing with you my great adventures in the wonderful homeland of my mom. :D

The trip was sojourned by boat, Superferry of 2Go, from Cebu to Nasipit and back. The route: Cebu – Nasipit, Agusan del Norte – Butuan City, Agusan del Norte – Mangagoy, Bislig (Surigao del Sur). Only Cebu to Nasipit and vice versa was on boat. Nasipit to Butuan and Bislig were all land trip, courtesy of the relatives (yay for relatives!). The travelers for this trip are JB (my older brother), Joanna (the baby sister), Mother and I. Departure from Cebu was scheduled at 4 am but there was a slight problem with the system so we were delayed to 6 am. Original arrival scheduled at 6 pm was then moved to 9:30 p.m.

To my frustration, there was no internet connection onboard the boat so I really couldn’t update my blog nor check my emails as much as I wanted to; thus, the quiet blog. Our tourist cabin was also quite warm (and I was wearing long sleeves and jeans, expecting it to be freezing cold from previous experience) because the AC was really low so I couldn’t sleep much. Fortunately, the viewing deck was there to comfort me with a great view of the ocean reflecting the sky and the cool, strong wind from the boat swiftly cutting through the water. Watching the sunset was so appeasing and there was also a part of the ocean where it was incredibly tranquil and looked to be as a mirror, the boat being the only invader of the stillness. I wish I had a good camera to take photos of these.   

                As for the food served in the boat, meals were sold at P105 which consists of a main dish, rice and coffee. It was tasking to devour their offerings, really. The food was overpriced and murdered. Rubbish, if you had to ask Gordon Ramsay. I had dry, overcooked fish steak for lunch and unmarinated, almost spoiled pork barbecue for dinner. Bringing your own food and drinks is strongly recommended on boat trips.  

I have traveled to Surigao City with mother countless times in my younger days though not in a long time (the last time was probably back in high school). But this was to be my first time to visit Butuan and Bislig after two decades of only hearing about them all the time. It only takes 30 mins. to get to Butuan from Nasipit. We got to our abode for the night, Emerald’s Hotel, at 11 pm; P1000 for a double bed accommodation. The room had old furnishings, especially the TV; definitely not worth the cost but we didn’t mind anymore. At least they had warm water to bathe in. I was knocked out. I slept right after washing up.

Sorry I don’t have photos for this post but I’d hate to keep this dragging in dullness either. I assure you the next post will have photos to entertain and tease your eyes and of course your taste buds. ;)

P.S. I hope this little travel segment on my blog will be as entertaining and informative as the food segment. 

xoxo,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)