Avilon Zoo
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On April 1, 2010
Avilon Zoo
Bo. San Isidro, Rodriguez, Rizal
(02) 941-8393
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It’s funny that I have lived all my life in the Philippines but I’ve never been to any of the zoos in the country. In all my travels, I have always made it a point to visit the famous zoos. I’m really glad that at least for once, I was able to visit the more popular zoo in Manila, the Avilon Zoo.
Entrance fee is at Php300 and I think it’s more than worth it considering the # of animals on display. The place is well designed and they are still renovating. I just hope they maintain it better though. It will be such a waste if they don’t take care of the zoo. It can be one of the best in the world, I really believe it.
The highlight of my visit was definitely the fact that I was able to hold several animals. We just needed to pay Php50 for each animal. Let me show you some of the pictures that I took with the animals. The monkey was my favorite one! Her name is Trixie & if you notice in the picture, she’s wearing Crocs!! She’s sooo sweet too, see how she hugged me in the picture.
This one I love too! The bird was a bit heavy, so the caretaker had to help me carry it.
I’m sooo scared of snakes. I knew I had to conquer this fear one way or another, and Avilon Zoo gave me that chance, so I took it. It was definitely an experience. I won’t be able to forget it, I’m still scared of snakes though 😛
Aside from being able to hold some select animals, we were also allowed to feed some animlas. Below is a video I took of the Arapaimas. The other guests were feeding the fish with chicken heads. Each small bucket costs Php20 which is pretty cheap 🙂
Other animals that can be fed are farm animals. Here’s the menu they prepared:
- Carrots – Php 20
- Okra – Php 10
- Sitaw – Php 10
- Talbos – Php 10
- Chicken Feed – Php 10
It’s the biggest zoo I think in the Philippines. I took soo many pictures but below are some of the best ones. Enjoy the view!
It’s just too many to see. I also heard they have a mini version of the zoo located in Tiendesitas. The Montalban, Rizal zoo is a must-see though. It took us about 3-4 hours to visit the place. Might take longer for you. The rest of the pictures can be found in my Avilon Zoo album.
Cantonese Soup Kitchen
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On March 30, 2010
Cantonese Soup Kitchen
Unit-C 847 Banawe corner Linao Street, Quezon City
(02) 743-5249
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I remembered how satisfied I was with the food when I first visited Cantonese Soup Kitchen last year. At the back of my mind, I knew that I would go back eventually. When I got the invite to participate in a bloggers event for Cantonese Soup Kitchen, I couldn’t say no. I was even walking like a handicap coz my right foot was still recently fractured. Can’t say no to delicious food, that’s just me :D:D
We ordered almost everything on the menu that I ended up so full. I just tried each dish but wasn’t able to eat a lot. Just seeing all the food on the table can already satisfy not just your eyes but also your stomach.
Here is what we sampled (it was too many!):
- Sibot with Duck Soup (Php 195)
My mom has been cooking this soup when I was a kid. Though most kids dislike this dish, I, on the other hand, love it!! As in love it! 😀 So when I saw this in the menu of Cantonese Soup Kitchen, I had to order. This very healthy soup is good for energy & strengthening the immune system. Delicious!! I want more soup!
- Chicken with Wintermelon & Ham Soup (Php 165)
Beautifully served soup in a coconut shell. There was no buko inside though 😛
- Special Cantonese Soup Kitchen Soup (Php 220)
- Fried Spring Rolls
- Hot Shrimp Salad (Php 250)
Not to confuse you but hot shrimp salad serves as appetizer. Yummy yummy!
- Sliced Beef Kenchi (Php 240)
The Beef Kenchi was just soo tasty! I wish I could have eaten more but there were about 10 of us sharing the dish so I just took 1. 😛
- Yang Chow Fried Rice (Php 170)
- Seafood Fried Rice (Php 190)
I liked this better than the Yang Chow 🙂
- Spinach with 2 Kinds of Egg in Hotpot (Php 200)
- Steamed Fish Fillet with Japanese Tofu (Php 230)
Another favorite dish in Cantonese Soup Kitchen. Perfectly seasoned fish with Japanese tofu. A must-order when you visit the restaurant.
- Garlic Burst Spareribs (Php 190)
This has always been my favorite dish to order whenever I visit chinese restaurants. Perfect when dipped in vinegar.
- Satay Seafood Sotanghon in Hotpot (Php 250)
I overheard Ro commenting that this is like the crab with sotanghon but instead of crabs, they served it with assorted seafood. This actually tasted good especially when newly served.
- Beef Broccoli w/ Oyster Sauce (Php 240)
- Almond Fish Gelatin (Php 80)
This beautifully designed dish is actually gelatin. It wasn’t that tasty. You would actually feel bad getting a portion of it coz of the poor fish :P:P
- Black & White Gulaman (Php 60)
- Mango Sago (Php 55)
Love how they presented this dish. Too bad I wasn’t able to taste it as I had to rush off for an office late night call 🙁
- Buchi
- Pear w/ Apple Shake (Php 65) & Yoghurt w/ Mango Shake (Php 85)
- Milk Aroma Oolong (Php 59)
This is like the usual milk tea but this time it’s served hot. You could taste that it’s natural coz they used fresh tea leaves.
- Floral Bloom Tea (Php 59)
This is like the star of the night. We were all in awe as we watched the seed bloom as water was poured. Amazing! We were staring at the glass for good 5 minutes just to see how it transformed. I took a video. Enjoy the scene!
If you happen to drop by Quezon City, I would suggest you go give Cantonese Soup Kitchen a try. Their food is delicious, very nicely plated & healthy too! I posted the rest of the pictures in my Flickr account, please do check it out.
Uno Pizzeria Restaubar
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On March 26, 2010
Uno Pizzeria Restaubar
Bay Strip, SM Mall of Asia, SM Central Business Park, Bay Center, Pasay City, Metro Manila
(02) 401-6879
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Last weekend, we were invited to sample the dishes in Uno Pizzeria Restaubar. When I entered Uno Pizzeria, I immediately concluded that it was more of a bar than a restaurant. I almost wanted to change venues as I’m not the drinking type & it was still early (7pm).
Good thing, my friend Tisha was there & together w/ the manager, they graciously accomodated us. Tisha then shared with me the history of Uno Pizzeria Restaubar. While Uno Pizzeria is already a successful bar, they wanted to market the place as a good dining place too.
Uno Pizzeria dishes are made with all natural, organic & local ingredients which is good as more and more people are becoming health-conscious. So you won’t feel guilty when you eat their food, healthy & delicious.
While we waited for our order, we were served garlic bread. I also started to observe the place. It has the playing card theme with red, white & black as primary colors of the restaubar. They have an in-house DJ playing pop music with monitors showing the music video of the song being played. They were playing
We had the ff. dishes:
- Four Season all in one Pizza (Php 494)
What’s the point of going to a pizzeria if you’re not going to try their pizza? We tried their signature pizza, four seasons. It is an all-in-one pizza with 4 flavors namely Ruby Ribs, Baja’s Finest, Seafood Pizza & Tandori Chicken & Mango. I like the Tandori chicken the best 🙂
- Ruby Ribs (Php 398)
I super loved this dish. I finished the ribs even though there was way too much food to eat. It is rare that I get to bite into ribs that are tender, I appreciate this much! Ruby Ribs as Uno Pizzeria calls it is baby back ribs slowly roasted & served with honey bourbon sauce. You must order this when you visit Uno Pizzeria.
- Buffalo Wings (Php 212)
I’m not fond of buffalo wings but admittedly, I liked Uno Pizzeria’s version. According to Nick, this is like the filipino version of buffalo wings coz it’s sweet. Very tasty dish, I liked it!
- Uno’s Shrimp Scampi (Php 292)
I love shrimps! Any dishes with shrimps, it’ll definitely get my attention. This dish is pasta with shrimps cooked with wine. It was yummy but I wish it wasn’t that dry though but still a decent dish.
- Halo Halo Special (Php 100)
We stayed inside the restaurant but Uno Pizzeria also has area outside. There are bands playing everyday from 8pm to 2:30am. During weekends, they extend to 4am sometimes. Aside from being able to listen to live music, customers can also enjoy the natural breeze & view of the manila bay.
I took several pictures of Uno Pizzeria Restaubar & it can be found on my flickr account. Check it out 🙂
Join the Search for the Next PLDT WatchPad Crew
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On March 26, 2010
Good News! PLDT watchpad is currently looking for the next watchpad crew! Wanna have a chance to be the next famous celebrity? Then this is your chance!
The search is open to all high school & college students who are 16-20 years old, enrolled within 2010, good looking, internet savvy, articulate in both english & filipino, has passion for music, fashion, film, fitness &technologyand lastly, someone who wants to represent Watchpad.
Wanna join famous celebrities like Isabel Oli & Rhian Ramos who are part of the Watchpad crew? I sure want to but unfortunately I’m too old for the online search hahaha! But if you are eligible to join, I suggest you grab the opportunity.
All you have to do is answer the question “Why should we pick you to be a part of the Watchpad crew?†in a 2-3 minute video. Go to the PLDT Watchpad Crew website, fill up the application form & upload your video.
You have until April 15, 2010 to submit your entry. Ten will be chosen as finalists & will be subjected to online voting. Final five will be announced as newest members of the PLDT watchpad crew! The 5 lucky winners will win the ff.:
- Php 100,000 in cash
- Laptop
- 1 year PLDT MyDSL subscription
This is exciting!! I’m excited to see the videos, I’ll keep an eye for the top 10 on April 26, 2010. Good luck to those who will be joining!
The North Face 100 Trail Run
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On March 25, 2010
Define your personal limits 6,000++ ft above sea level! Join
That’s a great line, isn’t it? I just wish I could join! I’ve been wanting to run since 2008, I tried joining our beginner’s running challenge for the past 3 years but wasn’t successful. The 1st year, I ended up getting lazy in the latter part. The 2nd year, ended up stopping in the latter part of the year too. This year, I was so determined to run consistently but I got into an accident. The one & only run that I was able to participate was the Nike 10k Human Race. I wish I could do more & I hope the trail running by The North Face will be one.
There are 4 categories for the Philippine Trail Running:
- 11k
- 22k
- 50k solo
- 100k solo
Are you game? I bet you are you are!