Meals with Mark: (Toast) Box it in

When Toast Box was still open in MNL, Mark and I used to eat there. Usually, it would be with Ia who's a fan of Kaya Toast.

That's why during our trip to SG last week, we decided that one of our breakfasts should be at Toast Box. It would be good to relive our Toast Box days, right at the home base of the brand.

Of course, we both had the sets- the Chicken Floss toast set for me, and the Ham and Cheese toast set for Mark.

It's been a while. But it's still as good.

Keep calm and curry on

The Curry Puff is one of the snacks that's always a must-have every SG visit.

It's been written on this blog several times that Old Chang Kee is my curry puff of choice. Their Curry-O is da bomb!

But on this visit, Ka Wei brought me to a Hawker store in Chinatown and let me try 2 Michelin starred curry puffs.

They're both good and deserving of their stars. But if a choice has to be made, it's the Heritage Tanglin Curry Puff for me. It's flakier, and the filling is more flavourful.

Admittedly, though, Old Chang Kee is still my sentimental fave.

Hop to it!

Another SG trip, another discovery.

As a White Rabbit stan, this new place introduced to me by KaWei is a big check mark.

A White Rabbit store!

It's at the market behind Chinatown Point mall, and it's a small store with everything White Rabbit. Aside from candies in different flavours, they also have a lot of merch!

Walked out with loads of candies, a tote bag and stickers!

Will most likely hop on over to this place again during my next SG visit.

FMM: Quay Note

I've been to SG many times, but this trip was my first stay in Roberson Quay.

We stayed at Intercontinental Robertson Quay, and it was a quiet and quaint hotel. It's just across the river, so you get very nice views at night. Plus, there's a plethora of food and drink choices, thanks to The Quayside.

While it's off the beaten path, it's still accessible since there are 2 MRT stations near it. There's Clark Quay station which is about a 10 minute walk away, and Fort Caning Station which is relatively nearer. 

The hotel is also near another notable SG place - The Warehouse Hotel. 

Used to go here back in the 2000s where it was still a bar. And while the nature of the business has changed, the structure is still the same.

All this talk of Quays - which, by the way, is pronounced as "keys" - made me think of this David Benoit classic. And that's going to be today's Friday Magic Madness song.

Yes, this Robertson Quay entry is the impetus to "The Key to You." This is a 1988 classic which was such a ubiquitous song in radio stations, particularly City Lites 88.8 and 96.3 WRock.

And that's the quay.

Don(e) for?

Was excited to check out the Don Don Donki branch in Vivo City.

Once there, this is what greeted me.

Say it isn't so!

And say that it's just this branch. 

Don Don Donki can't just give up on SG.

An apple a day

Looks like ijooz is getting a bit of competition.

During my last SG visit, it was just the ijooz fresh orange juice vending machine. But now, you also have. a fresh apple juice vendo!

Had to try it, and it was okay. 

But at P148 a cup, I'm better off buying a 1-liter carton of Ceres apple juice. 

Love the way you lie

Nope, this isn't a Rihanna post.

It's a post about this cat.

Don't you just love how comfortable he looks while lazily lying around?

South of Japan

Just because it's a coffee shop named after a famous place in Japan, and it's in the South.

Yup, Mark and I tried Niseko Coffee in ATC. The thought of Japanese coffee is always promising, so we thought, "let's try it out,"

Aesthetics-wise, it's good. The chocolate was just okay. But the coffee was a fail for Mark.

Hey. At least we tried.

Denim in bloom

This year's Purple Sale is a case of "quality over quantity."

While the haul might not be as plentiful as the past sales, the gems were really gems.

Just like this denim ensemble fro RAF.

It's a denim vest and skirt, made from the same dark denim material. What makes it interesting is the floral details scattered around the pieces. They're also made of denim, has frayed edges, and are all detachable! That's fashionable yet practical.

Just like flowers, this is a fresh take on the denim-on-denim trend.

Fitch Perfect?

I'm not sure if this is a case of "Johnny Come Lately" or "It's about time," but this once-iconic American fast fashion brand has finally opened its first store in the Philippines.

Yup, Abercrombie & Fitch.

This famous and infamous brand is known for their shirtless sales staff, dark store interiors, and love for unabashedly perfect models. Whenever I'd visit their stores in the US, and even in TYO, and once in SG, it was a bit of a daunting experience especially when their chiseled and near perfect staff would meet you at the door. 

But I'd always find myself inside their store since I'm a huge fan of their jeans and polos. This blog is witness to that truth.

The SM MOA store doesn't look like the usual A&F store I'm used to. It looks bright and inviting, very different from the set-up I'm used to. Then again, these are just pictures. It would be interesting to go there personally and see how much the brand has evolved.

So, is their timing too late? Or is it perfect?

We shall see.

FMM: State the obvious

Today's Friday Magic Madness is an obvious choice.

The Philippines celebrates Independence Day today, so, let's play a song about Independence.

"State of Independence" is a 1982 hit by Donna Summer. People have always considered this song to be a heavyweight song because of the song's back-up choir. It featured legends like Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick and Lionel Richie! How's that for a back-up?

That's probably why after 44 years, this song is still in a very good state.

Drawn to it

Human recently had a collaboration with another street wear brand named Hamu, and they had 1 piece that caught my eye.

It's this white cargo skirt with an interesting detail. It's an embroidery, but it looks like a kid's drawing of a flower. It's this simplicity and purity that drew me to it.

Speaking of simple and pure, this knit top, also from Human, was the perfect pair. It's simple, but the scalloped neckline (which isn't too visible) is what makes it elevated.

See, simple can be chic!

Roast with the Most

The sight of roast items hanging from a window always reminds me of HKG.

Spotted this when Mark and I had lunch at Hawker Chan in One Ayala, and it immediately brought me back to my old neighbourhood in Tak Hing Street. There were a few roast restos around my building, and I've tried them all.

And of course, there's Cafe de Coral who also had a set-up like this.

You can never go wrong with roasts.

Being witty is chicken

Trust Pinoys to be clever and witty when it comes to product names.

Case in point...

Everyone knows KFC is famous for chicken, so this snack aped KFC's name to sell their chicken flavoured snack.

Admittedly, that name is what attracted me to this product. 

Honey, I shrunk the Chinoiserie

You know it's a trend when even kids clothes following it.

Thus is the case of the Chinoiserie that has been mentioned here a few days ago. During a routine visit to The SM Store, this super cute and super fashionable ensemble caught my eye.

The top is a Chinese-inspired denim polo from Just Kids. It''s actually a boy's polo, but it'll also work for little girls. I actually got this for my apo, Sab. Luckily, they had a skort made of a similar material, and that's what I got to pair it with.

This ensemble is a perfect example of "small in size, big in style."

I'll Melt-iez with you

Here's one reason why I'm thrilled that Valu$ is now in MNL.

Meliez is one of the products that's on my must-buy list every time my travels tale me to SG. This is simply so, SO good! 

The crunchy exterior, the rich, chewy caramel centre, it comes together wonderfully that it's addicting.

Here's to the first of many packs of Meltiez!

Bet your Valu Dollar

This was a pleasant surprise.

An SG icon where I'd usually buy pasalubongs is now in MNL. It opened quietly, and without much fanfare. But the shop, the promise and the prices speaks volumes.

Valu$ is a grocery store in SG that sells items for much less compared to regular supermarkets. This is my go-to place if I'm buying chocolates, cookies and other pasalubongs.

It's a very no-frills place. Wooden shelves. Cardboard signs highlighting the offers. Red and yellow signs everywhere. And the great thing is, they brought all that here, so going inside the Valu$ store in Starmall feels like being in the Valu$ store in Bugis all over again.

From now on, this is going to be my destination for value buys.

FMM: Rawls playing

After writing about fables, the word "imagination" suddenly came to mind. After all, you need a rich and vivid imagination to be able to come up with stories. Much more if you think up of fables.

And since today is Friday Magic Madness day, I'm digging up a song that I've written about more than a year ago. But it's such a nice song, it deserves a repeat.

"Pure Imagination" is a 1976 song from Lou Rawls. As kids, this song would be played a lot on cassette, whether it was at home or in the car.

True to its title, there's something very imaginative and fantastical about this song. It sounds so soothing, thanks to Lou Rawls' voice, and the lyrics were beautifully written.

So, as the song says: Come with me, and let's listen to this song again.

Aesop's fables

No, this isn't a post about kids stories. 

But as a kid, Aesop's Fables was one of the books that I'd devour.

What this post is about is this recent discovery.

After smelling Aesop HWYL, it was definitely a must-buy. It has this very green and earthy scent that's easy on the nose and not too overpowering. It also has good longevity and lasted more than 6 hours on my skin.

I'm not a big fan of perfumes, so this is a big deal.

Concrete Jungle

File under: "The things you find when you're not looking."

Was walking along the concrete pavements of 13th Avenue, and chanced upon this beauty:

It's so refreshing to see so many flowers and so much vibrant colours in least expected places. It's a nice breather from all the hustle and bustle of city life.

Wish they had more trees like this in our area.