Hello folks!

 

I… SUPER… MISS… YOU!

 

Okay, just to bring you guys up to speed on what’s happening.

 

First off, please bear with the intermittent Between Bites site you’ve been experiencing lately.  The site transferred to another server but still of the same webhosting company and it took awhile for my network to see it since I didn’t flush the toilet… somebody needed to flush the DNS (that reads the IP address of a website and converts it… gosh, I picked up a lot of web IT info this week).  When I was finally able to see it on my PC, the webhosting company tells me that they are currently experiencing a problem with the automation of their new billing system that’s affecting the whole server… when that was fixed after two days… I had 5 minutes to blog before my site suddenly started resource hogging…

 

 

Thus, I quote:

 

“The account is using more than 70% of cpu resources as well as more than 50% ram this account is spiking the resources and eventually will bring the server to a halt and cease to function properly. Thus the system is equipt to suspend such account to bring the operation back to normal.”

 

That’s where the words “Account Suspended” came in.

 

Between talking to Martin and Martin talking to webhost and troubleshooting and plurk/online friends suggesting so many other webhosting services and Rico and Chrissy suggesting WordPress super cache plug-ins and talking to Martin again and relaying what the others have suggested on plug-ins and talking to Martin again and driving him nuts and making lambing to ease him through this debacle while a volcano is quietly erupting inside out of anxiousness and venting out to Bubba my worries and more friends volunteering to help out and between a lucid interval and lunch at Au Gusto…

 

 

Between Bites is BACK!!!  Up and running!  Still experiencing a few hiccups but so far, it’s working fine minus a few functions and speediness. 

 

Doc Martin had a hard time figuring out what’s causing the spike.  We’ve mulled over probable causes: heavy traffic (nuks!), someone trying to hack in, WordPress plug-in issues, LinkdWithin, etc.  Martini was on it the whole day… taking out the plug-ins and putting them back one by one and checking which one might be causing the spike.  Was it probably the WordPress database back-up plug-in or the supercache plug-in?

 

If all that makes sense to you… bravo!  It didn’t make sense to me.  Haha.

 

 

I’ve been very patient; trying my darn best not to get stressed out by what Between Bites site (my supposed escape habit) is doing to my mental faculty.  I almost gone bonkers and yes, I meant, beyond usual.

 

But I held it all in in grace.  I’ve been blessed far too much these past 2 weeks to even mutter a grumble.

 

 

I have 30 pending entries over the course of 2 weeks… BLOG BACKLOGS.  Tongue twister.  Mind-blowing.  I was able to write 4-6 out of the 30 but I lost the appetite to write when I couldn’t upload it real time or even just schedule its publishing. 

 

Now, I’m blogging like a mad woman… typing crazily in front of the monitor like there’s no tomorrow. 

Okay, breathe Jane.

 

Man, my site is up and I’m ever so ECSTATIC!

 

(so ecstatic! look at the leg… haha.  Thanks Denny for this photo!)

 

Big thanks to friends who tried to help out: Fran, Rico, Chrissy, Margee, Jennie and other plurk buddies.

 

Many many hugs and thanks to Martin G for helping me out.

 

And I glorify you Lord for hearing my small prayer.

 

Love.  Love.  Love.

 

I want to squish you all!!!

 

Happy reading! 

 

And HAPPY HAPPY WEEKEND!!! Cheers!

 

XOXO,

Janey   

 

August 17, 2010 –Lunch was spent that day outside the office since Jaja decided to treat her team out to post-celebrate her August 7 birthday (Belated Happy Birthday Jaja!).  

 

With the easy on the eyes green and white motif, it’s a venue where dainty ladies would normally spend leisure Sunday brunch.  I guess the name, Terrace at the 5^th, comes from the look and ambience of the restaurant that looks like a terrace.  It is similar to an outdoor patio that’s very relaxing and green.  

 

 

Grass display by the far end of the wall makes it feel like a garden.  Beautiful lamps that are designed like a birdcage adorn the high ceiling. Twigs/branches pattern are painted on the green walls. 

 

On the Table

 

Cynthia’s Amazing Artichoke Dip PHP 260

Served with tortilla chips –this was received with much gusto.  Jaja initially ordered it with melba toasts but I suggested tortilla chips.  Everyone happily munched on the crisp crackling tortilla chips with a nip of the creamy and tasty artichoke dip.

 

 

Terrace Salad PHP PHP 360 + PHP 120 (for additional grilled chicken breast)

Terrace at the 5^th’s signature salad of fresh garden greens with almond chips, apples, and popcorn sprouts tossed in a special balsamic dressing

 

 

We ordered 2 kinds of salad for our party of 7.  The Terrace Salad was pretty satisfying with different textures coming from the fresh leafy greens, almond chips, soft apple slices and popcorn sprouts.  There could be more dressing though because the last half of the salad was drier than the initial part.  A drizzle or two of their balsamic dressing would have helped bring the rest of the salad together.

 

CCY Salad PHP 460

Prosciutto-wrapped mixed greens and rocket lettuce with tomato.  Valencia orange and buffalo mozzarella in honey-mustard dressing.  

 

 

Now, this was as interesting in presentation as it is in taste.  Tubular of rocket lettuce was clumped beautifully by thinly sliced prosciutto that had the right tinge of saltiness that balances off well with the acidity of the freshly sliced tomato and timid buffalo mozzarella.  The honey mustard dressing, very light, adds a sheer but pumped flavor.

 

Hickory Baby Back Ribs PHP 1,100

1kg tender, fall-of-the-bone pork ribs.  Served with homemade potato chips

 

 

Louie Y’s Vongole PHP 340

Manila clams, garlic and white wine

 

 

This was okay but nothing impressive.  I find the price a bit expensive.

 

U.S.D.A Roast Beef Belly PHP 580

Oven-roasted Angus beef belly served with root vegetable and mushroom ragout

 

 

Very tasty tender beef slathered with brown mushroom sauce that can be too robust at certain bites but the deep woodsy flavor is also likeable.

 

Silk’s Thai Hainanese Chicken PHP 480

Boiled chicken fillet in coriander broth served with sautéed garlic rice

 

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A bit on the pricey side when you can get a serving for a hungry 3-4 for double the price somewhere else but well-cooked chicken, tender and only slightly moist.

 

D.C-style Apple Pie Ala Mode PHP 220

 

 

Frozen Brazo de Mercedes PHP 250

Meringue and custard cake with crème anglaise on graham crust

 

 

Sugar-free Chocolate Cake PHP 280

Heavenly moist cake without the sugar!  Your guilt-free sweet indulgence

 

 

Friendly service was knowledgeable, fast and efficient.  We ordered tea afterwards and the wait staff duly refilled the teapot with water upon our table’s request.  Overall, it was a fantastic lunch and the group obviously enjoyed this birthday lunch celebration of Jaja.

 

 

Happy Birthday again Jaja!!! Where’s our next food destination?

 

The Terrace at the 5^th

Unit 93, Ground Floor, Greenbelt 5,

Phase 2, Ayala Center, Makati City

(632) 729 6860

 

 

The Terrace at the 5^th Album

 

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***UPDATE as of Sept. 3, 2010***

 

Malacanang has issued Proclamation No. 26 declaring Friday, September 10, 2010 as a Regular Holiday throughout the country to promote national consciousness on the religious and culutural significance of the Eid’l Fitr (Feast of Ramadhan).

 

In this regard, employees who will be assigned to work on this day will be given premium pay in accordance with their company’s existing policies.

 

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Will there be a special non-working holiday this month of September?

 

We’re all anticipating President Noynoy’s announcement.

 

Last year, September 21, 2009 was declared as a national holiday by Malacañang in observance of Eid’l Fitr.

 

 

A lot are asking if September 10, 2010 (Friday) will be declared as a holiday.

 

Many opinions say it should be declared as one.  It’s like saying there’s no Christmas holiday.

 

If P-Noy/Malacañang does decide to announce it as a holiday, it would probably be declared by tomorrow or latest Sunday.

 

-

Holiday or not!

Take your family or your significant other

out on a date in the Metro (or just at the outskirts of it)

 

Celebrate LIFE!

 

Read more: Between Bites TOP 10 Date Places

 

 

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You can also check out the Chef’s Table. 

Gastronomic Indulgence at the Chef’s Table by Chef Bruce Lim

 

 -

 

If you’re going for a short drive to Tagaytay,

TOP TAGAYTAY PLACES to check out:

 

Marcia Adam’s Tuscany

Chateau Hestia

Lovely Dinner at Antonio’s

A Weekend Getaway at Summit Ridge Tagaytay

Andanita Taj of Tagaytay

Vanilla Suites Tagaytay

  

XOXO,

Janey

 

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A few Saturdays ago, Nuffnang and Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt with Jelly held a Laughter Yoga event at the Julius Maggi Kitchen of Nestle Rockwell.  The guests were welcomed by the event’s host Mike Unson, who is one of my two top favorite stand-up comedians in the country.  I used to catch Mike in Comedy Cartel gigs, mostly at the Spicy Fingers restaurant in Greenbelt 2 but he has come in full circle since his Comedy Cartel days and is now doing TV, radio and events hosting with his stand-up comedy acts.

 

As expected, Mike opened the floor with his jesting monologue that’s wittingly funny it got the crowd stirred with laughter.  The light-hearted entertainment continued, this time with a healthy twist when Mike turned over the floor to Paolo Martin Trinidad, a certified laughter yoga instructor –the one and only in the Philippines.  

 

 

The person who got first quoted saying, “Laughter is the best medicine” knows exactly what he or she is talking about.  Paolo confirms that when done properly through right breathing techniques, laughter can actually help cure depression, facilitate blood circulation and assist in weight loss.  One of the breathing methods that the Laughter Yoga master taught is to inhale deeply through the nose and exhale longer through the same channel using your belly.  Smiling while doing this repetitively sends notes to the brain to be happy while oxygenizing your entire system.  Exhaling longer also gets rid of stale air that’s been trapped inside the body.

 

The Laughter Yoga session took away the inhibitions of the people inside the room and opened them up to proper breathing/laughing techniques.  Laughter in our lives is so vitally important mentally and equally nourishing physically when correctly performed to get the full benefits of it.  At the end of the session, I was feeling really tired and warm from the laughing exercises –but full in spirit, having communicated to my brain that I’m happy through the “act of laughing.”

  

 

After stretching out our laughing faculties, it was time to stretch out our tummies.  Refreshments of tasty snacks of pasta, fried wontons, sandwiches and tacos filled the table but the star of the show is the debut of the new Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt with Jelly. 

 

 

Personally, the new variant got me excited since I’m a true-blue fan of Nestle Fruit Yogurt.  I started buying it off grocery shelves in 2006 while I was on a diet and continued to consume it heartily even after my diet.  My all-time favorite of course is the 0% fat yogurt in strawberry flavor (if all fat free goods taste like this, we’d be happier people) but I’ve moved from one variant to another and have also fallen in love with their mixed berries.  Colleagues see my stock pile of Nestle Yogurt in the fridge and at certain times have asked me if they can get a “cup” from my stock for their after lunch dessert or for their afternoon munchies.

 

I’m one of the happy consumers of the brand for years now that’s why when I was approached, I was okay to write an open review about their newest product -Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt with Jelly.  It is still the smooth and creamy yogurt everyone’s familiar with that the Nestle brand continues to deliver but half of that cup is filled with a new surprise –jelly.  Yes, that translucent gelatin we’ve all come to love growing up –and for some, candied jelly is still a choice of dessert or snack.  Put the two together and get introduced to the newest product of the NFSY line, Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt with Jelly!  It’s definitely another first from Nestle.

 

If you’re a happy consumer of Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt just like me,

 Click Like on their Facebook Fan Page.

 

I got my first dibs of the yogurt with jelly or jello-gurt, as I would flippantly call it, at the Laughter Yoga event.  Observably, each person had their own take on how to eat this double treat.  Some cracked the soft jelly on top of the yogurt and actively mixed it with the yogurt blend at the bottom.  I took another route and gently spooned a bit of the jelly and savored its wobbly glassy texture.  My next bite consisted of a fragment of the jelly and a portion of the yogurt, tasting it together in a unifying sweet tart while enjoying the altering texture of the two components. 

 

 

The jelly has a light fruity taste while the yogurt still holds its recognizable characteristic tang with traces of strawberry sweetness.  It is twice the surprise and twice the delight!  I wonder if the Buko Pandan variant tastes the same.  That’s what I’ll figure out in the coming days.

 

With the arrival of frozen yogurt specialty parlors that have sprouted like stray mushrooms in the Metro, I’m still partial to my off-the-shelf yogurt favorite that I can just pop open and enjoy.  It’s such a lip-smacking thrill to know that Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt continues to create delicious new twist, in this case jellicious (jelly + delicious), to excite yogurt aficionados. 

 

 

Contest Alert #1: JellyGurt Bounce Game

 

Check out the JellyGurt Bounce Game on the Facebook link below.  Just register and be the highest score recorded to win special prizes from Nestle weekly!

 

It’s as simple as catching many blue objects in the cup, but eye and hand coordination including speed are keys to strategize your way into getting high scores.  It’s so fun –it’s as exciting and enjoyable as eating your favorite NSFY at the bottom and fun jiggly jelly on top.

 

Contest runs from September 6 to October 31, 2010, 5:59 PM.

 

 

 

Contest Alert #2: Twogether Forever/Decorate It Twibbons Blogger Contest

 

Nestle will be giving away 30 jellicious cups of their newest yogurt variant for Between Bites readers.  All you have to do is join the Twogether Forever (portmanteau) game.  A Portmanteau game is a game that combines two words to create a new word.

 

 

Contest Mechanics:

 

1. This contest is open only to Metro Manila residents (prizes need to be picked up from the Fort area).

2. Go to http://www.twibbon.com/join/Jelliciously-Good and create your own twibbon.

3. Use the twibbon as your profile picture on Twitter for the duration of the contest (1 week).

             For example: http://twitter.com/maanbeee

4. The contestants must describe their NFSY with Jelly snacking experience using the portmanteau game. Was it fun, cool, odd, amazing?  We want to know!

5. Tweet your entries using this format: @blogger word1 + word2 = portmanteau #NestleFruitSelectionYogurt

             For example: @maanbeee jelly + delicious = jellicious #NestleFruitSelectionYogurt

6. Each person can send in multiple entries.

7. Winners will be chosen according to creativity.  The sponsoring agency will choose the winner.

8. There will be 2 winners and each winner will receive 15 cups of NFSY with Jelly each.

9. Within 1 week of being proclaimed, the winners can claim their prizes at the Ogilvy office at this address:

25F Picadilly Star Building

4th Avenue corner 27th Street

Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City 1634

  

 

It’s as EASY as that!  TWO contests are underway and it’s your chance to win the prizes.

 

 

Don’t forget to GRAB a chilled cup of Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt with Jelly and start snacking on your favorite yogurt with a jelly twist!

 

 

-o-

 

 

 

Related Entries:

Patting Myself on the Back

Yabba Dabba Yoggle

Comedy Cartel – Mad Max

Laugh Out Loud with Comedy Cartel

 

 

NSFY Laughter Yoga Event Album

 

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A couple of Friday’s ago, I got an SMS from Richard asking if I can pass by YKK before heading home.  That was right before I went to our High School reunion at Sarah’s new place.

 

Arriving at YKK, the counter girl handed me a package.

 

I open it and see the silver-gray label with the name Homemade Treasures.

 

Homemade Treasures ensaymada is recently brewing noise into the pastry scene as one of the best ensaymadas in town.  Or maybe a little out of town.  Homemade Treasures actually hails from Pampanga where the bakeshop is located.  Good to know that for those in the Metro eager to get a bite of this lavishly made ensaymada, they accept orders for pick-up at Bel-Air every Friday.  The box of 12 retails for PHP 700, while the box of 6 retails for PHP350. 

 

 

You’d immediately notice the indecent amount of cheese and sugar as you open the wrapper.  Take a bite into the soft, fluffy pastry dough and detect the slightly sharp cheese that convoys with the sweet taste of the sugar crystals.  There’s a bit of buttery goodness slathered on top and you’d think you’re in sweet heaven.

 

 

The somewhat sharp cheese is attributed to the marka pato queso de bola they use.  This makes the ensaymada quite distinct in flavor and character for me.  I find the sugar crystals though a bit engulfing but I can always just dust it off onto a plate.

 

 

Homemade Treasures ensaymada is a simple treasure you’d want to hunt for.

 

 

**Many many thanks to the extremely thoughtful Irene for the delish ensaymadas!

 

 

Homemade Treasures

(63) 928 507 0928 (Chona Ayson)

Pick up in Bel Air

 

Homemade Treasures Album  

 

Photo Credit:

Richard Co of TalesfromtheTummy.com

 

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