LE MONET HOTEL : A BAGUIO MASTERPIECE

    Having had my fill of the sand and sun growing up in Cebu where the beach is 30 minutes away, I've always preferred getaways with a colder climate, such as Tagaytay and Baguio. Though I prefer the cold of Baguio, the thought of an eight hour drive made Tagaytay the more feasible choice for us nowadays. 

    Thankfully, the Tarlac- Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) opened at the end of 2014, cutting the travel time practically in half, making Baguio more accessible than it's ever been before. I am very fortunate that our family has a summer house in Baguio, so we always had a place to stay when we would visit, but at the same time, I always kinda wondered what it would be like to stay at a hotel when visiting the summer capital of the Philippines. 

    2015 was the year where I had to wonder no more, as my fellow KTG friends and I were invited by Le Monet Hotel to experience a Baguio vacation! 

LENTEN SPECIAL: MCDONALD'S DOUBLE FILLET-O-FISH!

      I've always said, If there was a McDonald's in Cebu (Where I lived as a child) back in the 80's, I wouldn't have been such a pain in my Yaya's ass every Friday during the Lenten season. I credit McDonald's Fillet-o-Fish for helping me see fish in a different light. Prior to trying the Fillet-O-Fish, I did not eat fish at all.

     You see, as a child growing up as a carnivore, I would fear the Lenten season. My mom would explain to me the importance of making that small sacrifice every Friday, but as a stubborn not to mention, Picky little kid, it was difficult for me to grasp that I had to be deprived of meat for one day a week. 

    Now, I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that in case I need a seafood dish, I have the Fillet-O-Fish as my go-to meal. Since it's a bit lighter than your usual McDonald's Beef Burgers, I sometimes feel like I can finish two of them in one sitting.. Although I must admit, out of sheer guilt, I never tried. 

   But I would always think to myself, "How awesome would it be if McDonald's released a "DOUBLE FILLET-O-FISH", that is perfect for heavy eaters like me?". 

   Fittingly, an alleluia is called for, because McDonald's Philippines just released the Double Fillet-O-Fish for the Lenten Season!

TEDDY'S BURGERS IS BAE-CON ME CRAZY!

      Teddy's Burger's arrival here in the Philippines in Mid-2014 had a huge impact in the foodie world. The line to get in during its opening day was ridiculous, and stories of grown men going through desperate not to mention pathetic lengths to gatecrash the opening ran rampant. Since that memorable first visit to Teddy's, I have been back around two or three more times with Rina, and we tried a few more burgers that was part of the original menu. 

    Recently, Teddy's added quite a few more items to their menu, including breakfast and rice meals, as it's slowly carving a name for itself as more than just a burger restaurant, and offering more "Diner"-like fare.   

MAKING NEW MEMORIES AT THE NOSTALGIA DINING LOUNGE IN OAKWOOD

     It was only last year that I was introduced to awesomeness that is Oakwood Premier Hotel. I never really considered Oakwood as one of the elite hotels here in the metro, but my eyes were opened during my very first visit there.

    I wasn't able to attend that first event, so Rina went and covered it on her own. I really wasn't expecting to hear much but she was texting me all throughout the event telling me how badly she was wishing I could have joined her because I would surely love their food!

    And she was right. 

    Since then, I've dined at Oakwood's Oakroom at least three other times, trying their Tex-Mex themed Buffet and their Jazzy Sunday Brunch. Also, one of the highlights of my year was when my family and I enjoyed an amazing staycation at Oakwood.

     I will admit to feeling a tinge of sadness when I was informed that Oakroom would be closing its doors, to make way for a new concept. I may have only a few memories there, but they are ones that I cherish dearly. 

    Enter the year 2015, and Oakroom has reopened as Nostalgia Dining Lounge, ushering a new era of culinary excellence that I now closely associate with the Oakwood brand.

EVERYTHING IS AWESOME AT RAFFLES HOTEL'S LEGO AWESOME SUNDAY BRUNCH

         When I was a kid, my brother and I were huge lego fans. We had quite an impressive collection of different parts that we would just throw into this humongous, heavy, lego-issued carry case and sort things out later. Soon, my friends had much cooler cases with different lego designs, but couldn't store as much lego bricks in it as mine, so despite the fact that my bro and I would have to lug around this clunky case, we preferred it to any other the fancier cases, simply because it could fit MORE bricks, which would lessen the chances of two siblings fighting over who gets the blue ones. 

   The mere fact that to this very day, Lego has found a way to remain relevant and become a staple in our pop culture is a testament to how iconic this product is. You know a brand has made it when it gets the Lego treatment! From Starwars, Marvel, DC and even Disney (Yes, geeks, i'm aware that the first two are owned by Disney, but you know what I mean)!

   After the Lego Movie came out on Blu Ray last year, it gave me an opportunity to introduce the wonderful world of Lego to Baby Rain. She may not be able to build a Lego Death Star just yet, but she did love Emmet (Whom she calls "Mr. Lego Man") and Wild Style.

   Her fondness for the movie got me excited to see her reaction when we would visit Raffles Hotel's Lego-Themed Awesome Sunday Brunch, that's happening at their flagship restaurant Spectrum all of February and March! 

OUR AMAZING MARRIOTT HOTEL MANILA STAYCATION

      It was at the turn of 2012 that I remember writing about how I wanted to expand my blog's entries to include stays in hotels around the metro for possible "Staycations", as well as away from the city for vacations. 

      My quest to experience as many hotels that our country has to offer continued when my family and I spent a night at one that undoubtedly has a global reputation as one of the finest names in hospitality.. Marriott Manila. 

LIFE WELL LIT WITH TRANSITIONS SIGNATURE LENSES

How do you like my shades? Pretty cool, huh?

        But I have something to reveal. No, I’m not transitioning to fashion blogging (although you might get that idea based on a a certain post I’ve done). The pair I’m wearing are not actually shades. They’re my prescription glasses with Transitions® Signature™ lenses. And I’m pretty excited to tell you all about it!

Valentines Day Cakes by Pink Wasabi! ~RinaZ

        Looks like Richie's really touched to receive this heart-filled Chocolate Mousse Cake. An early V day treat from me to him! 

Fine... it's from Pink Wasabi ;-)

AN ANNIVERSARY TO REMEMBER AT CRU STEAKHOUSE

       All the good things I have going on in my life is the result of falling in love with my wife, Rina. Let's enumerate: As you may have noticed, I have a daughter that is not just beautiful, but incredibly sharp and well mannered.. Something I attribute to Rina's role as a mother. My relationship with my family is better than ever because of her being the calming voice of reason that I never had in my life before. 

   And lastly, I don't know if I've said this enough, but without Rina, there is no Pickiest Eater Blog. It was her fondness for food photography, this blog would never have gotten started. Not to mention, I can't take pictures for crap, so yeah, the brains behind this operation is really Rina.. I'm just the "Pretty Face". 

     Fine, maybe just "The Face". 

    I'm professing my love for my wife right now because we were set to celebrate our 7th year anniversary last January 6, but it never came to fruition because I got stuck in line trying to renew my license. I had planned on taking her out for a nice steak dinner at a posh place, but because I arrived a little bit later than I should have at the LTO Satellite office, we ended up having a meal at SM Pasig Center. Not the most romantic place to take your wife for your 7th year anniversary, I know, but the circumstances couldn't be helped. 

   But the funny part is, it didn't matter to Rina.. AT ALL. She kept insisting that it doesn't matter where we eat.. She was fine with it, as long as we were together. But that's precisely why I fell in love with her.. How she manages to find contentment and appreciation in everything in life.. Even with the most mundane things. One time, for a present, I asked what she preferred: a P4,000 Gift certificate to Mango or P4,000 Gift certificate to Zara. She answered, "Two thousand pesos cash for St. Francis Square". 

   But I wanted to show her how much I appreciate the way she takes care of Rain and I. True, we eat out all the time for the blog, but this time I wanted to take her out to a romantic dinner, not because we need content for "The Pickiest Eater", but because we simply wanted to celebrate our union together, and the blessings that have come our way. 

     Rina let me do the choosing for the restaurant, but had said that she wanted steak, which as a testament of how she and were truly destined for one another, was exactly what I wanted as well. I had earlier researched some places where we could go enjoy a nice steak dinner, and one of the names the cropped up was Cru Steakhouse in Marriott Hotel. After the whole license debacle, Rina and I decided to postpone our date, while keeping Cru on the list of possible candidates.  

      A week later, my friends from Marriott Manila invited me to get a taste of the world renowned Marriott experience. Apart from the overnight stay in a beautiful Executive Room, we were given a special surprise..

     A romantic Three Course Steak Dinner for two at Cru Steakhouse.. The Perfect way to celebrate our anniversary! 

VIKINGS LUXURY BUFFETS AT SM BF.: SAILING ON TO THE SOUTH!

      Are you a buffet guy/gal? Some people are intimidated by a large "Smorgasbord" (as my dad calls it), but not me. Being a picky eater by nature, the wider the choices, the better the chance there is for me to find dishes that suits my finickiness, without having to worry about my Rina making a sacrifice because I don't eat some dishes that she likes (such as shrimps, etc.).

    Ten or so years ago, buffet restaurants were few and far between. The more high profile choices ranged from the Triple V group (Dad's, Saisaki, Kamayan and later on, Sambokojin), but after that, you were relegated to choosing a place from the expectedly more expensive selection of hotel restaurant spreads. 

    In recent years, the evolution of the buffet restaurant has emerged. Now, a buffet dinner need not be only for special occasions such as birthdays or graduations, but as a more common way to bond over food.. and A LOT OF IT.  More affordable buffet restaurants have sprung up, that gives you the feel of a luxury buffet, without you having to break the bank in order to enjoy. 

   At the forefront of that movement is Vikings Luxury Buffet. 

   After conquering various parts of Northern Metro Manila Vikings took its first step in it's Southern invasion with it's opening of their newest branch, in SM B.F.! 

O RICE KOREAN STYLISH PAN FRIED RICE AT BGC FORUM!

       It was just a few months ago that I had my mind blown away by my Korean BBQ meal at Yoree Korean BBQ at BGC Forum. I've been back twice since then, and each time I pass by its sister restaurant, O'Rice, I can't help but be intrigued. O'Rice prides itself in serving what they call, "Korea Stylish Pan Fried Rice", and as a lover of fried rice, this got my immediate attention. 

   I was happy to discover that, like Yoree, O'Rice is also really quite amazing!