Bangkok Adventure: Our Hotel - Amari Watergate Bangkok

Hellooooo!!!!  Wowww, can you believe that the year is halfway over?!!!  

Pardon (again!) for the lack of posts since the last one I put up in April.   Things just got busIER leading up to our Princess' last day in school (second week of June). . . leading to our vacation in PHILIPPINES!!! Yep, we went back home for vacation!  Woohoo!  

But I am actually writing this post. . . jetlagged!  Yes, we are back in LA (we arrived last Sunday) and our bodies' rhythm are still in the Pacific time.  So why not turn this jet lag thing into something productive right?!  We even did a grocery run to Walmart at 10pm last night! Haha. . . 

Going back to our family vacation, our itinerary also included a trip to the land of Smiles. . . Bangkok, Thailand!  

We went to Bangkok with my Mom and my sister.  So in picking our choice for our hotel accommodations, we definitely considered my Mom and the 2 kids because we knew they would probably be spending half of the time at the hotel.   We just want to make sure that they would have a comfortable and relaxing place to stay (while we go out shopping, haha!).

Our home away from home was the Amari Watergate Bangkok.  (I have to specify that this is located in Petchburi Road because there are other Amari properties in Bangkok) My sister had several choices for our accommodations but all I can say is she did a good job picking this one!  She picked this one because it is reasonably priced for a 5 star hotel.  Comparing the prices and the other hotels (some are 3 and 4 star hotels), there is just a minimal price difference (around US$40 during our time of booking) which we think is totally worth it.

Since we had some questions and requests (e.g. connecting rooms, airport transfers), my sister just booked our accommodations directly with the hotel.  One thing that I love about them is they reply within an hour in all of our online inquiries.  (It's a good sign right?! Haha)  

We knew it's going to be a great hotel when you step into something like this . . . 

The hotel smelled like a spa (honestly)!

We also appreciate that a hotel staff personally welcomed us by the door and checked us in.  While filling up the forms, they also gave us this . . . 

Cold towels and cold water (it was  refreshingly sweet and was infused with lemongrass)

It was so hot and humid in Bangkok that this little boy did this, haha!

The hotel doesn't have connecting rooms but they were able to give us two rooms that are only a room apart.

The room and bathroom are nice and spacious, the beds and pillows are comfy, fast wi-fi. . . I can stay in this room the whole day!  But one can't really do that because the next best thing about this hotel is its location!  It is located directly across the Platinum Mall (which is one of the popular shopping places to go to in Bangkok, one trip is not enough!) and near the Pratunam Market.   The hotel is also surrounded by everything you might need (Fast food, Money changers, 7-11s and in case you are asking, yes, there is a Starbucks nearby, haha).  There are also night markets across the hotel (Palladium and Platinum) which are not that big but are good enough to go to start your shopping experience (spree! haha) in Bangkok. 

We weren't able to explore the hotel that much but we know that there is a spa, gym and the kids enjoyed the pool. 

There is a part of the pool for toddlers/babies where the water is just 1 foot deep.

We also tried their Breakfast Buffet and there was a lot!  

Kind of overwhelming, haha . . .

But as long as there is bread and cheese. . . I am a happy camper!

This hotel would have been perfect if only there is a train station near the hotel (and better Concierge staff).  Transportation is not a problem though because taxis and tuk-tuks are readily available in the area.  The nearest station to the hotel is probably Chit Lom which is a 20 min walk to the hotel.  

Hubby was able to do this (during his Me-time, yep, he had one) and he said that it was a good walk since there was an elevated walkway, he didn't have to go down and walk through the street. The walkway also connects to several department stores and hotels.

We really had an amazing time in our trip!  Considering we were there for 5 days and 4 nights, we still needed more time to explore, taste and see Bangkok!  

And it goes without saying that Amari Watergate will always be our chosen home in this city!

Amari Watergate Bangkok

847 Petchburi Road, Thanon Phaya Thai

Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400

Thailand

Phone +662 653 9000

Please click on this link to go to their website.

Lifechanging Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Happy Valentine's Day!!! 

Since I missed out on posting anything in the last few months and wasn't able to give you my warmest greetings for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year, well it goes without saying that I am in time (okay a couple of few weeks early) for Valentine's Day! LOL

Now that the Princess is in Kindergarten, life has just been busier.  (And she is just in Kinder! LOL) 

I've mentioned to you in my last post about being a parent classroom volunteer in her school once a week AND I am happy to share with you that I am now doing part time work (I am on call) for the school district! So yep, I guess life just got busier!  And I will tell you more about this in another post (abangan ang susunod na kabanata!)

I haven't been able to try out new recipes as much as I want to but this recipe that I tried a few days ago deserves to be shared.  I tried this recipe out of necessity actually, haha.

My sister in law brought home pints of cherry tomatoes and I don't know what to do with them.  And since they are organic, I had to act fast!  But being the procrastinator that I am (I am putting this AGAIN in my New Year's Resolution!  HAHA), I did wait for a few days and in the process had to throw "let go" (haha) of some of them.

What is the best way (read: fast and easy) to deal with all of these tomatoes?!  ROAST THEM!

And since I love sundried tomatoes, roasting them makes more sense.

There are so many recipes online but I chose to do Rachael Ray's version because it has Balsamic Vinegar in it.  I love balsamic vinegar!  Besides, it's about time to open that bottle of balsamic vinegar which has just been sitting in the pantry, haha!

This recipe is simple, quick, easy to follow, healthy and tastyyyy!!!

LIFE CHANGING.

For the complete recipe, please click on this link

*The original recipe doesn't include garlic but hey, in my book, GARLIC (like butter!) just makes everything better!

*Adjust salt to suit your taste.   

All you need is right here in the picture: Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Garlic, Kosher salt and pepper!

Roast them at 425C for 20 minutes or more (if you like them a bit more dried up)

You can enjoy oven roasted tomatoes in different ways!  You can enjoy them as they are, put them in your salad, Bruschetta (with your favorite cheese) or put them in your bowl of pasta (which I did).

Pesto and Oven Roasted Tomatoes are a match made in heaven!

Happy Roasting and Happy Eating!

LA Eats: Where we get Thai Food in LA

I know two girls who are going to Bangkok this week (you know who you are because you read my blog! Haha!) and they have been busy planning their itinerary which includes shopping (of course!), Temple of the Reclining Buddha, Elephants, Floating Market, Ayutthaya AND I told them the most important thing is to go. . . .on a FOOD TRIP!  

I wish I can go with them because I miss Thai food!  

Before going to the Philippines last March, Hubby and I are in a "Thai food frenzy".  I think we've been eating Thai food every weekend! Haha!  We've tried different Thai restaurants (both near and far from home) and would like to share with you where we get our fix for our Thai food cravings in LA.

To two of my best girls. . . have a safe trip, enjoy Thailand and have an amazing and memorable vacation!  

*********************************************************************************

Warning: This post is loaded with food photos and may trigger food cravings for Thai food after =)

Panvimarn Thai Cuisine

4101 N Bellflower Blvd,
Long Beach, CA 90808
Their website

This is the first Thai restaurant we ever tried in LA (around five years ago).  Love the place, the ambiance (it has modern decors/interiors), good service and good food!  All the things we've tried are always a hit!

Clockwise (from L to R): Sticky Rice and Coconut Ice Cream,
Softshell Crab Curry, Thai Style Baby Ribs 

Here are our favorite items in the menu:

Thai BBQ Pork - always tender! 

It's a little bit on the sweet side so I'm sure Filipinos will love this because it is reminiscent of our own BBQ.

Pad See Ew - my favorite!

I used to like Pad Thai noodles but after trying this dish, it's one thing I always order in all the Thai restaurants we've tried, haha!

Heavenly Como Fried Rice---it's really heavenly!  

My picky eater approves (it's her favorite thing here)! Our only complain?  It needs more rice!  Haha!
They sure don't scrimp on the ingredients.

After countless visits to Panvimarn, we thought of exploring other Thai restaurants.  Thanks to Yelp's help, we found some gems!

This led us to this place which is 25 miles away from our place!  Hubby said he couldn't believe he is driving 25 miles just to get Thai food!  Haha!  Actually, we were meeting a friend for lunch so we picked a place that is convenient for her.  

Sanamluang Cafe

5176 Hollywood Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90027

Two words. . . Parking and Cash!  Parking is a problem and bring cash, the place doesn't accept credit cards.  The restaurant shares the lot with other tenants so there is limited parking.  There is street parking available though.  We had a laaate lunch so the parking concern was manageable.

Clockwise from (L to R): Pad See Ew (Again! Haha), Shrimp Cakes, 
Pad Prik (Shrimp with Fried Chili, Bell Pepper and Onion)

Our favorite:

Fried Garlic and Pepper - we had to order a second plate! Haha!

Renu Nakorn Restaurant
13019 Rosecrans AVe
Ste 105, Norwalk, CA
90650
Their FB page

Clockwise (L to R): Pad Thai Noodles,
Tod Mun Plar (Fried Fish Cakes), Thai BBQ

Hubby and I loved the Pad Thai Noodles, didn't care much for the Fish Cakes and he prefers their BBQ (better than Panvimarn's) because it wasn't sweet.

This next restaurant was special because this was where we had lunch after I took (and I passed!) my Driver's License written exam at DMV (Woohoo!).  I have yet to take my driving exam though.  I know I should have worked on this as soon as we moved to LA but I was just too afraid to fail, hahaha!    

Thai Nakorn Restaurant

11951 Beach Blvd

Stanton, CA 90680

Their Website

Left: Beef Penang                                 Right: Thai BBQ Chicken

The Beef Penang tastes so much better than it looks, haha!  Promise!  How do I describe it?   Filipinos would say . . ."sauce pa lang, ulam na!"  And I have no idea how to translate that to English, hahaha!  It basically just means that the sauce (sooo tasty and sooo good!) can be a meal in itself.  As for the Chicken on the right side, I found it dry.  Will have my Thai BBQ somewhere else.

Pad See Ew (again!) - This noodle just always hits the spot!
Btw, in our book, this noodle goes best with Beef

After looking through my photos again as I'm writing this blog post, all I can say is . . . I'm hungrrryyy and Thai Food is simply one of the best!

Wherever you are, whatever food you are having, Happy Eating!

My favorite Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe

I love Grilled Cheese Sandwiches because 1) I love Cheese!. . . 2) I love anything that is toasted . . . 3) Thanks to this sandwich, my picky eater learned how to eat cheese!

Thanks to Google, I learned how to prepare a basic Grilled Cheese Sandwich.  But many THANKS to a friend who shared this video in FB and Food Wishes You Tube Channel who made this video, we can have a restaurant-worthy, gourmet-ish Cheese Sandwich right at home!  

All we have to do is add that extra step (and extra cheese!) that makes a big difference in a sandwich's (and ours!) life, haha!

For the sandwich I prepared, I used a slice of Cheddar Singles and grated mozzarella as filling.  I also used grated mozzarella for the outer part of the sandwich.  

Close your eyes and imagine mozzarella cheese melting, getting toasted in butter. . . *heaven*

The Result . . . a simple, filling and a winning breakfast!

If you love Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. . . this is a keeper!

Here is the video on how to make the Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich =)

Revisiting Kimpura in Greenhills

I am blessed to have not only one . . .but a few best friends who I've met at different points in my life. I met my first best friend when we were both First Grade in Elementary... so that means we are celebrating 34 years of friendship!  Whoa!  (And I just gave away my age, haha!)

We have different personalities and different interests but there's one thing we have in common, we share the same love. . . for food! Haha!

One of them is P whom I met when I was a Freshman in the University.  I got my love for coffee from her (it started when we were doing our thesis in Economics) and she (and her family!) introduced me to some of the finest food I have ever tried.   And one of the restaurants I remember we went to was Kimpura in Greenhills.  

Two of the things I remember which I enjoyed eating then were the sweet dilis (dried fish) appetizer that the restaurant gives to its diners for free . . .

and the Fried rice!  (I think we ordered Mixed Rice)

Guess what. . . I still love them as much as I did back then!  It still tastes the same!  The only missing in the table was my friend, haha!  The dilis were still the best and my picky eater loved the fried rice!

I also ordered California Maki (I wish they came with Japanese Mayo but this Maki taste so fresh that I actually didn't mind)

Hubby and I shared three "T's" . . .

Tofu Steak - Bean curd with mushrooms and pork (love it!) 

Tori Karaage - they are actually chicken lollipops =)

and Tempura! (I wish the shrimps were bigger though, heehee)

We enjoyed our lunch!  The quality of food was consistent, fast and efficient service from the wait staff, a good dining experience.

We are definitely going back to Kimpura Greenhills (for some reason, food here tastes better than the other branches, hahaha!) and probably try another T. . . Teppanyaki!  They are actually famous for their Teppanyaki.

Seriously craving for some Japanese food. . .as in RIGHT NOW! Haha!

For more details about Kimpura and list of their branches, please visit their page.

L.A. Eats: Burgers!

When I hear or see the words "American Food", the first thing that comes to my mind is. . . hamburgers!  I am not really into burgers.  I would choose eating something else over a burger.  But sometimes, I get that craving for this "American Food".  Living in LA means we are surrounded by this comfort food (there is something comforting about eating one right?).  We don't really eat hamburgers regularly because Hubby still wants his rice and ulam (dish)!  Haha!  But there are times (like watching Guy Fieri's Triple D Show in Food Network!) that we let ourselves give in to this ... high calorie food! (There, I said it!  Calories! Ugh! Haha! But hey, as they say, YOLO!) 

And I would like to share with you a couple of those which we had.

WARNING: This post is not for VEGETARIANS! =)

My first trip to the  US was when I visited Hubby in LA in 2008.  My American boss told me to make sure I get an In-N-Out Burger (which started in California) and in his own words, "it has to be a DOUBLE-DOUBLE!"

And this is what he was talking about . . .

Double cheese, double patties

It has also been said that In N Out has a "secret menu" --- which the fast food chain said is not really a secret.  It is just their way of making their customers happy by making their burgers (and fries) how they like it.  (Here is an article I read which shows that In N Out stays true to that) 

So in a recent trip to In-N-Out, I asked Hubby to get one of their popular items in their their "secret" menu.  The Animal Fries. . .

French Fries topped with
melted cheese, grilled onions and their house sauce which is like a thousand island dressing

It was nice having this burger again (after 6 years) because it reminded me of my first trip to the US!

It is good . . . but I have a favorite burger. . .  and it is from . . . Five Guys!  

Bacon Cheeseburger

You know I love it when I make it the biggest picture in this post, haha!

Fun Fact:  In 2009, Pres. Obama stopped to get lunch at a Five Guys Restaurant in DC and ordered a cheeseburger with jalapenos, mustard, tomatoes and lettuce. =)  (It's in You Tube!)

It is more expensive than In-n-Out (twice as much) BUT for me, the burger is juicier, tastier and it just tastes more fresh! 

Plus you get free, unlimited roasted peanuts which you can enjoy while waiting for your burger. =)

And their fries?  Love them!  I like them thick-cut.

I am not a hamburger expert and I know there are more (like MOOORRE) burgers out there waiting to be tasted but for now, I am just happy with my Five Guys.  Their burger just puts me in a good mood!  (Hun, you know what to do now)

Looking at these photos just made me hungry!  I think I'm going to have one this week!  Haha!

What is your favorite burger?

For more details about In-N-Out and their other locations, please click on this link.

Fore more details about Five Guys, please click here.

Another Well-Loved Banana Recipe

I am a Leo and we are known to be fiercely loyal!   

qI've been loyal to my favorite banana cupcake recipe since I tried it for the first time.  (If you haven't read the post, please click here.) Since then, it has been my go-to (one and only) recipe and it has never failed me.  Just when I thought I found the One, here comes another recipe which I absolutely loved too!  You know, besides being loyal, Leos are also big-hearted!   I have so much love to give which means there is room for another recipe in my heart, haha!

Since I loved the Blueberry Muffin recipe of Sally's Baking Addiction (which I blogged about here), I thought of trying another recipe of hers. . . Banana Choco Chip Muffin with Cinnamon Streusel! Sounds yummy right?  Well, they are!  They are also moist (the yogurt does make a difference) and the crumble on top (made of choco chip, walnut and cinnamon sugar) just makes the muffin so good! 

Bananas, Choco chips, Cinnamon and Walnut are just perfect together!

It was another successful baking recipe!  I am actually getting convinced that any recipe which has ripe bananas is good!  Haha!  If you don't eat bananas as a fruit, you may want to try eating banana muffins =).

Hope you like them too!  Happy Baking!

This recipe is from the website of Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

MUFFINS

• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 and 1/2 cup mashed bananas, very ripe (about 3 large ripe bananas)
• 3 Tablespoons yogurt (I used vanilla greek yogurt)

STREUSEL

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (or dark brown sugar)
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Line muffin tin with baking cups or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Make the streusel first by combining all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

For the muffins: In a medium bowl, gently toss together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Using an electric stand or hand mixer, beat the sugar, butter, and egg in a large bowl until fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed. On low speed, beat in the mashed bananas and yogurt. By hand, stir in the dry ingredients mixing until everything is *just* combined. Do not overmix.

Layer one scant Tablespoon of batter into the muffin cup. Sprinkle with streusel. Layer another spoonful on top and layer with more streusel. Continue to layer batter and streusel into each muffin tin.

Bake muffins for 5 minutes at 425F degrees. Lower temperature dial down to 350F degrees and continue to bake for about 14 more minutes until the muffins are set and lightly browned. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tins and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.  Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Muffins freeze well, up to 3 months.

A Starbucks Kind of Day!

I never go to Starbucks twice in a day!

Except last week when I was at the mall and had to wait for the Princess who was still having her Playtime.

I had a rare treat at Starbucks . . .

Some Me-time (yes, even if it was just for 15-mins), my Frap, my thoughts (lots of them actually!) and I had the whole place by myself (something that doesn't come often!).

Later that day, my Sister and I had to do an errand and went to Starbucks for some snacks.  She didn't feel like having a sandwich but I just had to have mine!  I just love Starbucks' Grilled Ham and Three Cheese Sandwich.  So I forced asked her to just try it and she did. . . .and we had to order another one, haha!  

Looooveee!  =)

This sandwich has two of my favorite cheeses, Mozzarrela and Emmenthal (placed on top of the sandwich) which gives the sandwich some gooey goodness as it is heated.  By the way, just in case you're wondering what's the third cheese in this sandwich, it's Cheddar.  I also like the garlicky flavor that you get in each bite.  I thought it was pesto but it isn't.  

If you haven't tried this sandwich, you should!  I hope you like it as much as I do =)  (Another Starbucks treat you should try is their Roasted Chicken Pesto and Shiitake Mushrooms sandwich)

Another Happy Tummy, Happy Mommy moment for me! =)