Have at you!











{October 22, 2008}   Magic Pen

The Boyfriend sent me a link to Magic Pen, a really cute and fun (sometimes even frustrating!) game to play.  The objective is to collect the flags at each stage using a red ball.  Your job is to get that red ball rolling by drawing different shapes and pushing the ball.

Aside from the simple gameplay, what I love about Magic Pen is the background music.  It’s very relaxing and you won’t mind if it plays over and over again.  Give the game a try by clicking here.  It may take a bit of time for the game to fully load, depending on your internet speed, but it really is worth it.  Have fun! :)



{October 20, 2008}   Sumo Sam Lunch

The Boyfriend and I went to Shangri La Mall to have lunch at Sumo Sam. I’ve heard that Sumo Sam is co-owned by Filipino actor, Marvin Agustin, and heard that you can sometimes catch him preparing your orders at the sushi counter.  I’ve been to Sumo Sam before the Sunday lunch with The Boyfriend but have never seen the actor at work.  Anyway, if you decide to try dining at Sumo Sam, please come early.  Just like Cyma and most of the other restaurants at The Ledge, this Japanese restaurant gets packed pretty quick.

We arrived relatively early yesterday and so we got our seats immediately.  We were served a small bowl of sugar coated anchovies for us to eat while browsing through the menu.  I seriously LOVE these things and I was so happy when it arrived at our table.

SUMO SAM_anchovies

I ordered a serving of Dynamite Rolls (Php168), which are maki filled and topped with spicy tuna chunks.  Definitely one of The Boyfriend’s and my favorites!  The only thing I didn’t like was the dipping sauce they included with the maki.  It was sweet and I felt that it was inappropriate.  I stuck to eating the maki without dipping it into anything, not even in my soy sauce and wasabi.

SUMO SAM_dynamite rolls

The Boyfriend chose another maki for us to share: Las Vegas Rolls (Php219). This maki dish is made of baked scallops and topped with more (albeit smaller pieces of) scallop and a lot of cheese.

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For my main dish, I decided to give the Fish and Tofu Fries with Wasabi Mayo (*Whew!*) a try.  I really enjoyed the tofu fries, especially with its crunchy breading.  I loved the wasabi mayo dip too.  Despite these, I don’t think I’ll be ordering this dish again.  For Php218, I didn’t feel like it was worth my money.  The dish came with only three thin pieces of fried fish and they weren’t any bigger than the tofu fries… As you can see below, the tofu fries are on the right and the fish are on the left.

SUMO SAM_fish & tofu fries

The Boyfriend ordered the Steak Match, which is basically the bento box in Sumo Sam.  These sets come with a bowl of miso soup, a bowl of salad, a serving of California Maki, a bowl of fried rice, your choice of beef or chicken and your choice of another viand.  The Boyfriend ended up ordering the beef set and salmon teriyaki as his extra.  This entire set costs Php519.

SUMO SAM_miso soupSUMO SAM_salad
SUMO SAM_California MakiSUMO SAM_steak match

I know the steak in the picture doesn’t look too good ( I will post pictures taken in better lighting conditions next time, I promise!), but The Boyfriend says it was yummy and was cooked just right.  Since I don’t eat beef, I ended up eating the mushrooms from his mushroom gravy instead.  He didn’t want it all that much anyway (hehe!).

I have been able to try the chicken set the time I was at Sumo Sam with my family a couple of months before, and I ordered the salmon as my extra source of protein too.  I have to admit that the salmon was terrific, so I took a small bit from The Boyfriend’s dish.   Here’s a closer look at the salmon teriyaki:

SUMO SAM_salmon teriyaki

The Boyfriend and I both had iced teas to wash the food down.  I had the Red Iced Tea, and he had the Green Iced Tea.  Both were refillable and costs Php88 for each glass.

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We finished eating our lunch after an hour and The Boyfriend felt like he was going to explode.  I have to admit, he did end up eating a whole lot since I kept on sharing my food with him, and all that time the only thing I ate from his Steak Match was the California Rolls (excluding the small bit of salmon and the mushrooms hehehe)…

I’m glad that we both enjoyed the meal even if we decided to skip dessert.  I mean, seriously, with all that yummy food, great conversation and a marvelous foodie partner, how can I ask for more? :)

***Sumo Sam is located at the 6th Floor of the Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong.  They also have another branch in the Powerplant Mall in Makati.



{October 10, 2008}   Sugar Rush

Yesterday was a great day.  I went to the Powerplant Mall with my closest friends and watched Igor.  The Boyfriend also managed to get his hands on those coveted Rockport leather shoes (with rubber soles!) and My Best Friend finally found THE dress she was to wear to a wedding she will be attending soon.

But… I’m not here to continue gushing over the pair of shoes and the dress that made our trip worth it.  I’m here to tell you about the stuff that left all of us in a sugar high:  The Ice Cream Bar.

After finding ourselves having an early dinner at Gram’s Diner (if you haven’t read my entry about this diner, click here),  we decided to drop by The Ice Cream Bar to get desserts, which serve everything from FIC (Fruits in Ice Cream).  They have sandwiches, soft serve yogurt, ice cream concoctions, milkshakes, etc.  If you have been to Five Cows in TriNoMa, both places basically work around the same concept.  Anyway, for FIC aficionados, The Ice Cream Bar is definitely the place for you.

Let’s start off with My Best Friend’s choice, shall we?  She had the Choco Mallow Parfait, which costs Php200.

THE ICE CREAM BAR_choco mallow

My high school buddy, Deny, had the Grasshopper Mint Parfait, which consists of three flavors of ice cream: Mint, Cookies and Cream and Pistachio.  This one costs Php210.

THE ICE CREAM BAR_Grasshopper Mint

Next up is my choice: Coffee Crunch.  Let’s see if I remember this right (feel free to correct me if I get it wrong):  It consists of a scoop each of Coffee ice cream, Double Dutch and Butterscotch.  Topped with chocolate chips, cornflakes and whipped cream.  My parfait is the only one not topped with cherry.  It costs Php195.

THE ICE CREAM BAR_coffee crunch

Lastly, The Boyfriend ended up ordering Peach Melba Parfait simply because My Best Friend beat him to ordering the Choco Mallow Parfait (hahaha!).  This one’s a fruity parfait drizzled with strawberry syrup, topped with slices of peaches, whipped cream and a piece of cherry.  The Peach Melba will cost you Php195.

THE ICE CREAM BAR_peach melba

The Ice Cream Bar’s cute interiors coupled with the amount of sugar we consumed that evening left us in good spirits.  It was an excellent way to end a day spent with good company. :)

*** The Ice Cream Bar is located at the Joya Tower, along Joya Drive, Rockwell Center in Makati City.  They’re open from 10AM to 10PM daily.  I believe they’ve also opened a branch at The Fort.



et cetera