Author: Rochelle Sy Chua

Yakimix

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On January 4, 2011

Yakimix Restaurant

My mom and I was roaming around Trinoma Mall finding the best restaurant to eat at on Christmas Day. The Rosario movie tickets we purchased wouldn’t start for another 2 whole hours and we had ample time to eat some yummy food.

After checking out almost all the restaurants in the mall, we decided to have our meal at Yakimix. I tried it before with my best friend, Christina. I knew my mom would love it too. We were early so we had seats. I think it was around 5:30pm when we entered.

We were greeted warmly by the staff. The first of the staff greeted us and exclaimed, “irasshaimase”. Then you’d hear the rest of the staff exclaiming the same thing! Wahhh! It was just funny coz we kept hearing the same greeting over and over as guests entered the restaurant.

I love the ambiance of Yakimix. They have great lighting, comfortable chairs, huge place and awesome chandeliers. It always amazes me whenever I enter restaurants and how they decide to decorate the place. When it comes to dining out and choosing restaurants, there’s just so much to choose from that offering a great meal is not just the only component, but you must be able to offer an environment that is inviting to your customers as well. Yakimix has a great conceptualized restaurant atmosphere. From the refreshing and bright lighting, all the way to the glass dividers which were unique unto themselves, and the color scheme was simple but all worked well together.

I’m sure they’re used to having diners come in and stay for a while since they really do have a great variety of dishes. We just had to stay as long as we could until we couldn’t stomach anymore food hehehe :p

yakimix ambiance

Yakimix basically offers buffet. Buffet that includes ready to eat food and food that we can cook at the table. The price is pretty reasonable considering the variety of foods that are available and also did I mention that it was a buffet!

These are the prices for your information:

Eat All You Can – Php 580
Eat All You Can during monday to friday lunchtime except holidays – Php 499
Eat All You Can for Children below 4 feet – Php 380
Left Over Price per person – Php 699

They also have drink all you can at Php 65. You can choose between lemonade, iced tea, water & softdrinks. You can also change your mind during the course of your meal and change your drink to another variant. I stuck with my blue lemonade throughout our meal though. My mom, on the other hand, just loves Coke light.

Here is what you can expect to see at Yakimix:

Maki and Sushi — soooooo many of them!

yakimix sushi

Cooked food replenished like almost every 5 minutes. We were like people who haven’t eaten for 10 years hahaha! The favorites among them are tempura shrimps and fried lechon pork.

ready to eat yakimix

Wide array of raw items for us to cook and season to our liking. My favorite were the pork and intestines. My mom got a lot of shrimp for us though. She knows I just cannot get enough of freshly cooked shrimp! And I just love that many of the uncooked foods were already marinaded and seasoned which definitely makes it even easier to get freshly cooked food that tastes so good.

yakimix ingredients

The Desserts section at Yakimix is most probably everyone’s favorite. Aside from the cakes and other yummy desserts in the picture below. They also have fruits and ice cream! There were about 4 flavors of ice cream when we were there plus some toppings that we were able to choose from too! They also have popsicles available.

yakimix desserts

My mom was busy cooking for us and I can’t help but capture this moment. I’m truly lucky to have a loving mom like her. She spent Christmas with me! Look at how focused she was cooking on the grill hahaha! Sooooo cute!

mom at yakimix

It’s truly smokeless, we didn’t have to worry about the heat. Oil was in the grill already so we didn’t need butter as well.

to cook at yakimix

The picture below is what I looked like as I was enjoying my food. Anyone who knows me surely knows how much I love shrimps, and I could go on for hours just slowly enjoying biting into each piece. However, we obviously couldn’t stay in the restaurant forever, and oh how I wish we also had a bottomless stomach sometimes. Honestly, if you look at my place close enough, you would see that my plate was full of shrimp. I can’t say this enough, but what a great way to have Christmas dinner especially for someone who loves seafood.

roch at yakimix

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Yakimix Sushi, Smokeless Grill Restaurant
4th Level, Trinoma Mall, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Rosario Movie Review

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On January 3, 2011

Rosario was the movie my mom and I decided to watch last Christmas. The lines were long for all the entries in this year’s Metro Manila Filmfest Festival and I’m just glad we were able to buy tickets.

I had to wait for the awards night before I could share with you my review of the film. I wanted to know if they won so that I could share with you my opinion and whether or not I believe they deserved it.

The movie tells the true story of Manuel Pangilinan’s grandmother, Rosario Herrera. Rosario’s son, Jesus Herrera-Fernandez, who at 82, narrates his mother’s life in the film. The movie ‘Rosario’ is basically a flashback of Rosario’s life when she was 18 years old till she was 32 years old. A true story of a lady in the 1920s.

Rosario had come to the Philippines straight from New York just for a vacation at their hacienda. Her sheltered and quite prestigious life would soon take a turn when she, at just 18 years old, fell in love with the administrator of their tobacco company, Vicente Perez (35 years old). Rosario’s parents were furious when they found out and Rosario would then be sent to a convent.

However, Rosario would follow her heart and defy her parents’ wishes as she eloped with Vicente and lived their lives in Manila where they had 2 children. Rosario never went back to her parents and they both died without their daughter on their side..

Her life changed again drastically when Vicente got sick of tuberculosis. As Vicente was sick, the toll on their marriage would soon manifest itself as Rosario would commit adultery with her best friend’s boyfriend. To make matters worse, she got pregnant. She was caught in the act by her husband, Vicente, who never forgave her for what she had done. Back then, as it is now, adultery was shunned and forbidden as a culture. But even worse, the penalty was harsh as Rosario was sent to Hongkong in exile as she was proven guilty of adultery.

She was abandoned by the guy eventually as he could not support Rosario and her son, Jesus (who was young at that time). Rosario met another man but she decided not to go with him in the end.

Doing a period type of movie is a massive undertaking usually. Depending on the era and the time where the movie takes place, the sets, the costumes, and even the props have to be true to the time. I was honestly in awe as the movie kept going along, just seeing the people in the 1920s era gave me a totally different movie experience than usual. I have to admit that it really opened my eyes and fascination for this period, just imagining myself in such an era, really thinking to myself that this is how people lived and looked like back then.

I believe the acting was pretty excellent too among all the cast in the movie. This is a true story and you can’t really change the story just to make it award worthy or exciting. The lesson I got from watching the movie is.. karma’s really a bitch. With Rosario being unfaithful, she wasn’t able to be with her children, never got forgiveness from the people she loved and lived her life with hardships and sacrifices. Until the very end, I believe she would be haunted by her past mistakes and decisions.

Regarding MMFF awards, I was shocked that both the director and lead actress didn’t even get a nomination. I believe they both deserve at least a nomination. For a movie who being rated A and even winning 2nd best picture and cultural award, I just couldn’t believe that they didn’t even acknowledge the director and lead actress. It was contradicting, I must say.

I’m not sure if everyone would love this movie since it strays away from the usual path that many Filipino films have become in this modern era. This story chases the actual story, it envelopes the viewer in the romance that was the Philippines of the 1920s, and brings back to life the true story of a liberated woman of that time. Rosario’s life was colorful, it showed a lot of her weaknesses and faults. And also, which I think was important, the actors were splendid in the movie, and let the story of the characters speak for themselves. They didn’t overact even if they are good actors. It made the movie realistic and I guess, closer to reality.

There are a lot of firsts in this movie, 1st directorial job of actor Albert Martinez, 1st title role for Jennylyn Mercado, 1st movie of TV5 and 1st to use the Arri Alexa camera in the film. If I may add, 1st truly deserving movie that did not receive best director and best actress nominations for a MMFF movie.

My Rating for Rosario: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Lechon Pizza by Pizza Hut

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On December 28, 2010

Pizza Hut's Lechon Pizza

After trying so hard not to order Pizza Hut’s new offering, I finally indulged last Christmas eve. My mom has been craving for Lechon for the longest time. Since it’s noche buena time and we didn’t prepare anything. We decided to order delivery for our mini celebration.

I remembered that mom loves pizza too so I figured that we should just try out Pizza Hut’s holiday offering, Lechon Pizza. Perfect combination, isn’t it?

I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about Pizza Hut’s Lechon Pizza. Even if the thought of it conjures up images of a defibrillator and a massive heart attack, sometimes you just have to indulge. Sinfully good food sometimes has its way of finding itself sitting right in front of you. With all the calories and cholesterol this pizza must have, I know that this had to be a once in a blue moon treat. And what better time to have such a rich and cholesterol heavy pizza than on Christmas Eve for our Noche Buena.

So, I called Pizza Hut Delivery a few hours before Christmas eve. I got a busy tone, so I tried again and still it was busy. I must have tried quite a few times, but I still wasn’t able to get through. I was beginning to feel that it would be almost near impossible to reach them in time for our Noche Buena. Well, when everything fails, try going online. And what do you know, Pizza Hut allows us to order online too!! Woohoo!! Oh the wonders of technology and how it can oftentimes be a saving grace when it comes to a lot of things, even ordering food. I love it!

Pizza Hut’s Holiday offering comes in 2 sizes:

Medium Size (10″) – Php 329
Large Size (14″) – Php 499

It was a no-brainer that we ordered the medium size hahaha! Kidding aside, I was delighted to find out that they have “Holiday Feast” offerings. One option has spaghetti included while the other one has an ultimate cheese pizza. We ordered Feast 2 which has the extra pizza.

pizza hut holiday feast

I was pretty excited to find out what Lechon Pizza looked like. Apparently, the lechon skin is separate from the pizza itself. They provided instructions on what to do with it: crack it into bite-sized pieces, put on top of pizza and enjoy it.

The lechon skin was unbelievably thin. I guess all the fats were dissolved when it was fried. Doesn’t feel too greasy which is cool!

balat lechon pizza hut

The Pizza itself can be eaten as it is, without the skin, but I think what we all love most about Lechon is really that crispy skin. So, of course, we decided to put it on our pizza. Aside from the crispy skin topping, the pizza itself is already loaded with tons of cheese and a whole lot of roasted pig (the lechon). I still can’t believe the combination, lechon and pizza all in one. Whoever came up with this idea is just a genius in my opinion. Definitely not a friend for those on a diet, but this is a welcome treat for any Filipino celebration.

The lechon pizza was so delicious, but it was definitely a heavy pizza. I was only able to eat 1 slice of it before becoming immediately full. I’m not sure if I was already full, or if the pizza itself is just that heavy in calories that it really fills you up that much. In any case, I think this is a great price for how much you get. 1 to 2 slices, and you’re full right away!

lechon pizza before meal pizza hut

I asked my mom for feedback as well. She told me it was good especially because it’s new and unique! I felt it was a good variant. Hopefully, Pizza Hut will consider having their lechon pizza as a permanent pizza variant. Well, let’s see.

If you haven’t tried Pizza Hut’s Lechon Pizza then I suggest you do. You have until January 15, 2011 to order it. We finally tried it and we loved it. It’s definitely not your everyday ordinary pizza, but it’s something that’s definitely a welcome treat especially for us who love lechon! 🙂

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Lechon Pizza
available at all Pizza Hut Branches
November 16, 2010 to January 15, 2011
(02) 911-11-11

Ayala Triangle Gardens

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On December 24, 2010

Ayala Triangle Gardens

I always pass by Ayala Triangle Gardens because I walk from my office to the gym every weekday. It’s such a nice sight to see considering how busy the Makati Central Business District is. Who ever have imagined having a garden right in the middle of Makati? Sooo cool! Reminds me of the one in Ortigas (I actually mentioned in my review of Ortigas Park that I wished we would have one in Makati!). Someone must have listened to my wish 😉

The beautiful Ayala Triangle Gardens is already on its 2nd year but it was only last weekend that I strolled around the area and stayed for almost 5 hours. Having all the trees, the beautiful grass, and the garden itself is important in my opinion. I think in the hustle and bustle of corporate life, and being surrounded by building after building after building, you just want a change of scenery. And that’s what I love about this place. Not only does it provide a change of scenery, but there is finally a place we can turn to get some fresh air, relax, unwind, and just slow down even for just a few minutes.

Apparently during mornings and early evenings, you can see a lot of running enthusiasts jogging around the area. There are literally so many activities you can do at Ayala Triangle Gardens. I also remember that I was supposed to attend a picnic tweetup last year at Ayala Triangle Gardens. I wasn’t able to go that time. But last week, I didn’t want to miss the chance again to visit the Makati Garden brought to us by Ayala Land.

ayala triangle gardens 2

For their 2nd anniversary celebration they decided to unveil the Restaurants at the Ayala Triangle Gardens. It features 12 great food establishments that offer unique dishes. See the line up list below, I’m sure you would love to try all of them! I’m honestly glad that I was able to at least try out 3 so far and would try the others when I go back to Ayala Triangle Gardens. The three places that I was able to try out was Bon Chon Chicken, Amici/Cara Mia, and Golden Spoon. Here is the full list of available restaurants:

First Concept Restaurants: Bfast by Chef Laudico, C.B.D. (Cheesesteaks, Burgers & Drinks)
First in the Philippines: Wee Nam Kee, Bon Chon Chicken
First in Makati: Banapple, Momo Cafe, Kanin Club, Omakase, Pho 24
Old favorites: Amici/Cara Mia, Golden Spoon, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

The Restaurants at Ayala Triangle Gardens

During Christmas is definitely a great time to visit Ayala Triangle Gardens. They have awesome lights hanging around the trees and the grass. The sound of kids in the background, the wonderful light decorations, the parols, so many things make this place really special. And the best time of day, is really at night because you can really feel the difference in atmosphere, and not to mention the wonderful lights that really seem to make this place magical.

ayala triangle gardens before dancing lights show

There were some tree branches that looked really unique. I couldn’t help but ask my mom to take a picture of me with it. Look how colorful it is! I was actually kind of wondering whether or not they were real, but in any case please do check it out when you drop by Ayala Triangle Gardens.

lovely branch tree at ayala triangle gardens

The highlight of my visit is the lights & sounds show called Symphony of Parols. It’s a 7-minute show that runs every 30 minutes from 6-8PM during November 17 to December 23, 2o10. I took a video of it but was using a crappy camera so pardon me for such an awful video. It didn’t give the dancing lights show justice. It’s just my way of showing you what’s in it. It was astounding! You should go visit next year if you missed this year’s show. We were all in awe while watching it.

The following picture below shows just how BEAUTIFUL the place can truly be ! I loved it! A truly magical and amazing sight to see. It’s something really that words just fail to do it justice. If you want to experience the wonder of the place, there’s just no other way than to just go there and see for yourself. And after, I am certain that you will also love it as much as I did.

Ayala Triangle Gardens Dancing Lights

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Ayala Triangle Gardens
Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati City
Middle of Makati Avenue, Ayala Avenue & Paseo de Roxas

Roch Signature

Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On December 24, 2010

Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt

The # 1 brand of frozen yogurt in Southern California finally lands in Ayala Triangle Gardens. This was the last stop of my food trip last weekend. It was definitely icing on the cake . I fully enjoyed the restaurant hop. And ending on this note was really a great treat.

Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt was branded as the ice cream lover’s yogurt. As someone who doesn’t like yogurt, I definitely was changing my mind especially since there are several yogurt flavors available (5o to be exact). They feature 6 different flavors in a day. That time, the ones available were old fashioned vanilla, peanut butter cup, simply tart, belgian choco, pom & blueberry and cake batter. Now, those are some unique and truly delicious flavors!

Aside from offering lots of yogurt flavors, they also have a decent amount of toppings to choose from. Almonds, corn flakes, butterfingers, choco crunch, granola, marshmallows are among them. In fact, I can’t stress enough how important I think the toppings are because it makes it even easier for us to customize just how we would like our frozen yogurt.

golden spoon toppings

They also have cold toppings available: chocolate chip cookie dough, mochi rice cake, mixed berries and blackberries. Wow! You totally have the freedom to choose what you eat.

I think also that having the wide variety of toppings makes it easy for Golden Spoon to cater to a wider customer base. As you can see, sometimes frozen yogurt may be a drawback for people who really just want an all out sinful desert. This way, I think you can range for super healthy and delicious frozen yogurt to some of the most sinfully delicious deserts out there complete with multiple toppings like cookie dough, butterfinger, marshmallows, etc.

Also on display are different sizes of the cups plus their choices of cones, the waffle cone and the regular one.

golden spoon cup sizes and toppings

So, the way we order is this:

choose your yogurt flavor.
choose where you want your yogurt to be in: cone or cup? regular cone cost Php 125 while waffe cone cost Php 175. The cups on the other hand have 4 sizes: kiddie (Php 85), small (Php 155), large (Php 220) and quart (Php 499).
If you want toppings, each variant cost Php 20.
enjoy your serving of Golden Spoon Yogurt

I think most of us are getting more health conscious nowadays, which is why I am really glad that Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt has put out the nutritional information for their customers. Sometimes, if we’re really counting calories, desert is just out of the questions because of the unknowns when it comes to calories. This way, Golden Spoon has made it easier for all of us to decide. And actually, I think it’s also a good way to draw in customers since the proof is right there in black and white. See just how little the calorie count is for their frozen yogurt!

golden spoon nutritional information

What did we have?

my mom had the old fashioned vanilla in a regular cone. We were too full but still game for yogurt!

mom at golden spoon

this one is old-fashioned vanilla yogurt with mixed berries. I think it really is so delicious, that sometimes you just want it as simple as possible to really get a taste of just how good their frozen yogurt is! And I’ve been really trying to get more healthy, with fruits and frozen yogurt, it’s just a healthier way of treating yourself to desert!

golden spoon mixed berries

this one is pom and blueberry with chocolate sprinkles. The combination definitely is my favorite. Try this when you go to Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt.

golden spoon flavored yogurt

I definitely find it cute that the servers were ready to strike a pose when cameras started flashing at them! Such a delight that they were willing to be endorsers of the product without any talent fee! LOLz!

golden spoon servers

Have you tried Golden Spoon? Why not head on over to Ayala Triangle Gardens and order one of their products? This is the most variety that I have seen in the longest while. Imagine having the opportunity to choose from 50 different flavors of frozen yogurt and tons of toppings. You can literally make hundreds of different frozen yogurt combination, which is why I believe with Golden Spoon there truly is something for everyone to enjoy!

I enjoyed my first time visit so much that I just had to document it and have my picture taken! See me posing at the Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt wall.

Roch at Golden Spoon

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Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt
Restaurants at the Ayala Triangle Gardens
Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati City

Roch Signature