Tatami + Muji

 Last Saturday, we went to the Fort area to check out Muji and have dinner as well. 

We were set on going to Healthy Kitchen to have the salmon and blueberry rice dish, only to find out that they closed shop already! Bummer.

We decided to try out Tatami for some Japanese food instead.

FOOD

These look nice but are incredibly uncomfortable. You have to sit perfectly erect the whole meal time.

It was so unbearable that we requested to transfer to the regular seats which worked out fine. 

Iced Japanese green tea with syrup on the side
D: I liked this, it had a clean and refreshing flavor. You definitely need the syrup to add some flavor though.
P: Bit on the bland side for me. Not enough green tea taste.

Sukiyaki

D: Sukiyaki is the only soup that I truly enjoy eating and I've sampled many versions, from the canteen fare to more authentic resto offerings. This was better than most! The soup was extra flavorful and the bowl looks deceivingly small and shallow. We had to have the rest wrapped up. The meat is also very tasty and soft.

P: The taste from the broth and the quality of the ingredients made for an excellent sukiyaki. I prefer my sukiyaki beef paper-thin so this was thicker than what I like.Otherwise, this is a hearty dish perfect for the rainy Saturday.

 

Gyudon with Angus rice

P: Again the beef was a little too thick for my taste but the sauce was fantastic! The rice was nice and sticky with the egg and sauce. I liked the sweet onions as well. Wouldn't mind enjoying this again.

D: I agree, the onions added a lot to this dish. Even though the rice was a bit sticky, it wasn't the clumpy kind that I hate so much. I would definitely order this again.

Miso soup

This came with the Gyudon. Good quality tofu and the soup was obviously not just an afterthought.

Tatami gets two thumbs up for its food and service!

 FASHION

P: Check out the GIANT shopping bag! You'd think we bought furniture or something. 

What's inside?

A briefcase / laptop bag!
I was going to settle for one of those bulky bags with the pockets and the padding to handle my computing monstrosity. When I found that this black number with the leather accents came in a big size, I had to have it.

  It's very clean and minimalist but not too "corporate freebie" looking. With a million compartments and a divider you can pull out, it's pretty versatile. It's unmistakably Muji.

 Topshop dress, F21 shoes

Little Lulu sniffing around on the left

 D: Unearthed this ancient Topshop dress from the back of my closet. 

I was feeling rather lazy and sleepy on that rainy Saturday evening and this was the most convenient thing to slip on. 

I had on a pile of rings on 6 fingers but I forgot to slip 'em back on and shoot them.

Oh and these F21 shoes are a dream to walk in. Good traction for stomping puddles and no painful corners cutting into the side of you feet! Check 'em out here.

My feather and wood earrings to keep it from getting too dreary

Fashion Forum

Last October 11, we were invited to the fashion show of the newest brands carried by Fashion Forum in SM Makati. Here are some of the pics from the event.

The Prestige Lounge was turned into a makeshift boutique with all the dresses that were newly brought in.

Love the black top on the left!

Tons of bodycon dresses from Miss Couture

Lovely printed dresses with modest cuts that are a great departure from hoochie-mama styles

Interesting knot details in vibrant colors

The purple dress had a lovely swing to it.

Embellished blazer that caught everyone's eye

P and I were with Hanna and Rosanna of Little Miss Dress Up and we decided to check out the shoe section of the department store while we were there. Parisian is the best for cheap yet funky finds!

Dolce Vita clogs for around P4k.

Miss Couture black cape

FASHION

 

chambray button-down, Zara trousers and brogues, striped bowtie

A big thank you to my friend Chino for bringing me home great bowties from London. I think it complements the shirt well by allowing it to show the piping on the placket and the black buttons. Previously, I'd hesitate to wear a tie with this at work because it covered up all the details. The textured fabric of the bow really ties up the prepster look, as well (pun intended haha).

vintage sheath, slip dress, grandma's earrings, vintage dress cincher (?)

D: Got this sheer salmon sheath while thrifting. It's a vintage Italian brand with glorious details that can't be seen in the photo. It's shapeless so I made a pseudo-dart using this clincher that a got a long time ago.

 New pair of shoes that I scored from local shoe store. I love the gold print on the rough, white leather! It's actually a lot higher than it looks in the photo and I was teetering the whole time but it's pretty comfortable, all things considered!

WAGW SALE ALERT

What A Girl Wants launchs their month-long sale today!

They're also offering the blogging community an additional P100 off on top of their huge markdowns!

All you have to do is print out the coupon found below and present it to the SAs.

After a long week of school or work, what better way to unwind than to go on a shopping frenzy?





WAGW Branches:

3rd Floor, the Gallery, Robinsons Galleria

2nd Level, Paseo Cuidad, Ayala Center Cebu

2nd Floor, Main Wing, SM City Cebu

1st Level, West Promenade, Limketkai Cagayan de Oro City

 

See you at the malls!

Mesa

D: Upon the recommendation of one of my kids, we decided to try out the fare at Mesa, which is found in The Atrium, Megamall. It also happens to be conveniently located near F21, which I took advantage of while waiting for the food. I dashed to and around the store for 15 minutes and then realized it was impossible to cover the entire store before dinner so I gave up and went back. Anyway, I digress...

FOOD

Pork sisig with egg

P: I love that this dish is made with the good parts ie. the cheeks and ears. Other versions consist mainly of pure pork fat. It's also not your usual bar and grill fare which is all crisp and sauce and no substance.
Thumbs up for this dish!

Bagoong rice

D: I'm a huge fan of bagoong rice and I've tried A LOT of versions from different restaurants and houses. This just did not make the cut at all. It was bland and tasteless and boring. Tasted like white rice with salt.

Catfish and green mango salad

D; Loved the concept of serving the salad on 8 individual spoons! The dish itself was delicious and juicy with the perfect catfish crunch.Watch out for the chili though!
P: Got burnt by a piece of chili which I grossly underestimated. The rest of it was pretty good though.
Could have used a bit  more mango and dressing to round out each bite.

Honey-garlic chicken
D: My favorite out of everything we ordered. The honey and garlic was awesome with the perfectly cooked chicken. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish!
P: Oh man the skin of this was fantastic,clight and crisp all the way through! It wasn't fatty or bready at all!
Plus I had more than my fare share since D doesn't like the taste/texture of fried chicken skin.

The interiors of Mesa were very cozy and comfortable. They had these little alcove/booths that looked like a great space to dine in.
The servers were all very attentive and friendly and that definitely made for a nice dining experience.
It was just too bad that some of them took abuse from an evil group of diners who berated a waiter in the most obnoxious "conyo" English and then snickered when the waiter stuttered in response. : (
Some people are just cruel.

On to sweeter things!
We were craving for dessert so we stopped buy Poco Deli (in Kapitolyo) and got a slice of their Black-out Cake (Valrhona chocolate). It was deliciously gooey and the chips on top gave it an interesting texture. We loved the mix of chocolates, sweet and semi-sweet and the thick and moist texture.
Try it out!

FASHION

H&M chambray shirt, Topman jeans, Zara sneakers

P: I like the rugged yet soft feel of this shirt but this might have to be my last chambray/denim piece for a while. Too much in a short span of time haha. Hoping for more interesting finds soon!

Top and blazer from Bkk, random denim shorts, Aranaz bag

D: Casual schlepping outfit. 

This over-sized pinstriped blazer has pre-rucked sleeves so my life just got a little easier.

And of course, my bow-mania lives on!

These cork and denim heels were pretty comfortable because of the substantial platform.

So easy to throw on and match with anything!

FIND

Check out this gigantic pizza Mum ordered for my birthday party. 40 inches, thin and crisp!

It's from this pizza joint in Pioneer. Will look into it!

Enjoy the rest of the week, boys and girls!