Melt The World Cafe

Hubby took me to a date last Christmas. We had a dinner at Melt The World Cafe! It was supposed to be at Carousel but we are in the waiting list so he booked us at the former. 

Melt The World Cafe is one of the dining places in The Mandarin Oriental Hotel. It offers  a variety of international cuisines from local dishes to Thai, Indian to Italian. From salads to bread to fresh sushi to cold seafood.

Table for two, please.


I like the interior of the place. It is simple and not too busy in the eyes. They could do better with the carpet, though.


Let's have our appetizers! (Sorry, I forgot what dressings and etc we had that night. Next time I'll take down notes. Hehe.)




Yes we had two servings of appetizers. Sarap, eh!

The cold seafood. This is the first time I had this. The prawns are fresh and there are so many sauces to chose from.



My main dish. Ohhh, I so love the grilled beef and most specially the crayfish! I think I had this again after our dessert. *wink*


And this one, too. The pasta is so simple. Just pure tomato sauce and some parsley as a garnish.


The dessert area. The.Best.Place.in any buffet.
Local desserts.

Chocolate fondue and Belgian waffle. The waffle is what some of the diners rave about in the Melt. And I can attest to that as it has the crunchiness outside and an almost chiffon-like softness inside. I could have had this two or three more but it was sooo freaking cold to the point my finger tips got numb, purple white and constricted!


Ahhh..Chocolates!

Fresh fruits!



Super busog and so happy! Writing this makes me want to go back. Or maybe we can try Carousel instead.


Beautiful lighting in the elevator. Looks futuristic.


When we were about to leave we saw this wood carving in the lobby. So intricate and detailed!



The overall experience in this buffet is just so great. Pure happiness! The waiters and cooks are very courteous and you would be surprised to hear them say, 'Certainly' instead of a simple 'Sure'. And the best part is the food. I have nothing bad to say with what I have tasted. But, I don't recommend eating here on Christmas or New Year's or I guess even on Valentine's day because the rate is outrageous! More than twice the regular day. Hubby is joking since the food choices are the same during a regular and special day maybe the reason for the special rate is this:

We find this a bit tacky. A picture frame! Parang sa kasal lang. Hahaha!

Loving Pixlr-O-Matic

I am loving the Pixlr-O-Matic! It's another option if you don't have an apple device and you can't use Instagram. It is an application where you can mimic the filter a real camera use to give nostalgic or black and white effect. There are a lot of borders and layers which you can use to add a different twist on your photos.

The application is available in iOS and android devices. It can also be part of your Facebook and Google Chrome application. All you have to do is download it in the Pixlr-O-Matic website here and you are ready to go. You can share it or save it on your PC.

I am also planning of printing some of the pictures I have worked on and get more creative in displaying them!

Removing Mildews/Molds On Your Leather Bags

I was surprised one day when I smelled something like a mold. It took me few days to find out that my bags were growing molds. The culprit was the one sling bag that got wet when hubby and I run through the rain. The other bags got it, too, like a disease. 

So, here's how I got rid of it:

What you need:

1. damp cloth

2. blower

3. leather cleaner or mink oil

4. charcoal/dehumidifier 

How to remove it:

1. Thoroughly clean the bag by removing all the mildews/molds and its traces using a damp cloth. Make sure that the leather doesn't end up wet as it can damage the leather.

2. Using a blower, completely dry the bag. Don't let it get too much heat. You can also air dry it in a place where there is sun but don't put it directly under the sun.

3.  Next is apply a generous amount of leather cleaner or mink oil. There are some cleaners that are specific to a type or color of the leather so make sure you check with the sales person if it suits the leather you'll be cleaning.

4. Let the bag sit in an open air for some time to dry and absorb the leather cleaner.

5. To keep the mildews/molds from growing back make sure that your room or storage area don't have too much moisture by putting humidifier or charcoal all over the place.

They are good as new!

After a week the molds haven't gone back! Now, I am happy!

To prevent mildews/molds, ensure that before you store your bags they are completely dry and not stored in a plastic. Ensure that the storage area has good air ventilation, not damp and has enough lighting. To minimize humidity or moisture, you can put some charcoal or humidifier in the place where you keep your bags.

2011 A Personal Review

2011, the year that was! I couldn't believe that it has already ended so fast while it just seems yesterday when I was excited to leave the corporate life and jump to Singapore to be a full-time wife. What a year indeed! Here are the things I love to recount for they are a testament that God in His awesomeness have blessed me more than I can hope for.

1. Finally, starting out a blog
2. Checking one out in the list of my dream destination, Seoul, Korea!

3. Successful triple bypass heart operation of my father at no cost. Praise, God!

4. Visiting and knowing my parent's life in Riyadh, KSA for a month

5. Knowing I can get pregnant after almost being one. Yey!

6. Meeting new friends both Pinoys and foreigners making my circle a United Colors of Benetton
7. Hubby finding a new job
8. Hubby having more time at home and with me!
9. No serious illness the whole year.
10. Learning how to cook simple yet good dishes
11. Eating healthy. Going semi-vegetarian and eating meat very occasionally
12. Finding old friends in FB and talking as if we've last met only yesterday
13. Being part of a wonderful community that is Couples for Christ
14. Friends visiting us here in Singapore
15. Settling in Singapore with hubby. Best decision, ever!

It is great to look back at what happend in the past year because it makes us appreciate more life despite all the challenges that came before us. This also inspires us to dream bigger and live bolder for the coming year ahead because we know we can be better than we were last year.

I am so excited for 2012. This is my year, Year of The Dragon! This is going to be great. I know. I believe.

May your year be great, too!

Our Personalized Intimate Christmas Eve Dinner

Hello, everyone? How was your Noche Buena? As for us, it was fun, exciting and a little tiring at the same time.

On the eve of Christmas we went out and had lunch at Banana Leaf Apolo Restaurant with our Indian friends. This is not the same Banana Leaf that we have in the Philippines.

The food were really nice but they are too spicy for me. The only dish I was able to eat was the Chicken Tika. It is like a marinated roasted chicken.

After lunch we went to the store to buy some stuff for tonight and got home about 6:30pm. We are supposed to attend the evening mass but we are too tired and we haven't started our cooking plus we have not yet taken our photo for our Christmas FB-card.

It is now past 8pm and that was the only time we are able to start with our photo shoot. I never thought this was tiring because we have to repeat several times and go back and forth the camera.

Why don't we try these poses!

Nope, this one is better.

Now, to work. We finished cooking as in few minutes before midnight. By 12, we're seated, inhaling and exhaling to relax and enjoy our simple yet intimate Noche Buena.

Penne Pasta in Feta Cheese with Fish Fillet in Herbs and Tomatoes and Mashed Sweet Potato

Happy Birthday, Jesus!
Emi Cake's Choco Raspberry Mini-cake

Things Lately Before Christmas

I have been procrastinating on blogging. Things caught up on me. Days before Christmas hubby and I were a little bit busy. Aside from the usual chores and stuff we had our nine-day evening mass or Simbang Gabi. And these are the things that happened lately:

1. Happy sweating it out with hon

2. Giving in to my ultimate guilty pleasure. Peppermint choco from Awfully Chocolate




Awfully Chocolate
131 East Coast Rd.
Singapore, 428816

3. It has been raining the past days and the plants were watered abundantly. After the rain, I was amazed at how lovely they were.




4. And, because of that, hubby bought a bonsai for us to tend.

5. Discovering new guilty pleasure! Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks' fried chicken chops



Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks
313 Somerset
Far East Plaza
Suntec City

6. Decorating the center piece for our intimate Noche Buena


7. Completing the nine-day simbang gabi despite our very petty fight on the last night. Thank God for winning over us!