Trying Out Soul Kitchen

I always make it a point to try new healthy restaurants and culinary destinations in the city, so when I learned that Soul Kitchen opened in the heart of the city (was it last year?), I really wanted to try it.

I follow Soul Kitchen on Instagram and have encountered their products (juices, salads, even overnight oats) at different bazaars, but somehow, I was never able to try them.

Serendipitously, our brokerage class takes place in a venue near Soul Kitchen. However, our class starts early, and they're still closed whenever I pass by. Also, we don't have to go out for lunch because we already have lunch provided for us. But last Saturday, our morning session ended a lot earlier than expected (10 am!), so we decided to go out and take care of some errands.

We went first to Brokenshire Hospital, which is in the same compound as our venue, to set an appointment with a doctor. Then, because the doctor was out, we went to OMF Literature bookstore because I wanted to claim my membership card. As luck would have it, my card wasn't available yet. Because it was still early and lunch wasn't served yet, we proceeded to try Soul Kitchen.I really liked the ambience of the place. It is not a restaurant, just to be clear, but more of a posh takeout counter. They serve different kinds of cold-pressed juices, which they make themselves, salads, overnight oats, meat loaf, etc. The prices of the food range, I think, range from 180- 300.I wanted to try their salads and the meat loaf, but I know lunch will be served at our venue (and we do have generous servings there), so I settled for a bottle of juice to drink during class. Because they offer a lot of blends, I found it hard to decide which one to get. In the end, I followed the lady's suggestion and bought a bottle of Cleanse juice.Here are the ingredients. I liked how it tasted. You will taste the acidity of the fruits first and later, the kick of celery and spinach. It actually reminds me of the smoothies I used to make at home, only it's easier to drink with the pulp removed. It's P180, by the way, and according to the label, no preservatives were added. In fairness, I felt energized throughout the afternoon even during the dreaded siesta hour! 

PS: Sorry for the extra watermarks on my photos. I'm doing this post entirely on my phone, and I experimented with watermark apps. I didn't know the app would also watermark itself, and I'm too busy to repeat the process hee hee. 

Lunch at Probinsya Buffet

Photo from Probinsya's Facebook page

Yesterday was my parents' 32nd anniversary and they planned to eat lunch at Vikings. However, I opposed because I am on a diet and may not enjoy it anyway.

Before anything else, OOTD as usual haha:

On Yuri: department store polo shirt, Circo shorts, and his new Oshkosh loafers 

Since everybody was still busy, Yuri and I just used the self-timer of the camera. We kept running back and forth, which Yuri enjoyed. No wonder I forgot I was still wearing pambahay slippers.

So anyway, they compromised and started to look for another restaurant. But Papa really wanted to eat buffet so we agreed to eat at a cheaper buffet where I can still eat without feeling sorry for wasted money.

Thus, Probinsya.

This is my only photo of the restaurant's facade because it was blazing hot outside. It is still January, isn't it?!

This is how cheap Probinsya is:

Capping Off the Afternoon with Green Coffee

After eating a hearty lunch at Belito's Vineyard, my friends and I, with the exception of Hazel who had to attend a party, went to have some coffee (read: dessert) at Green Coffee, which was just down the road.

I have fond memories of Green Coffee. It used to be my favorite coffee shop when I was still an office girl. You know, when I still had the time to actually go out to have coffee. My teammates- slash- friends- slash- kumares and I used to go to their main branch at Torres so often after work that we already had our usual table. We also loved the friendly barista who memorized our names on our second visit. Talk about great customer service!

Anyway, getting to sit down in the same coffee shop, albeit in a new branch, caused me to be a little nostalgic.

Photo by Christine Mata

However, it was no match for the trip down memory lane that my friends and I took. We were so loud and there were two toddlers pa in the group that I said we should've stayed in private Belito's. Buti na lang we were not the only loud ones hehe.

Here are what we got:

Chocolate-chip muffin (I think this was P95)

Christmas Luncheon with Friends at Belito's Vineyard

Did I really write "Christmas Luncheon"? My friends would surely laugh at the term, but the old lady in me is pleased haha. So let me call it that, and besides, it's not as if I could call it a “party," and “get-together" is too generic a term. Riiight?

Photo by Christine Mata

So thank you for reading that totally pointless opening banter hee hee. Anyway, today, I'll tell you about this Christmas luncheon (stop trying to make luncheon happen) with my friends at this new discovery called Belito's Vineyard.

We had other options including Sea Green and Gogi Gui, but the night before our date, I suddenly craved for paella. Which, in hindsight, was weird since I am not a fan of paella. Still, I searched for the best paella in town. Tiny Kitchen wasn't an option since we didn't see it as toddler-friendly, but I stumbled upon a review of Belito's Vineyard.

No one among us was familiar with the place, but the photos of the food and the ambiance were effective enough in enticing my friends. Aha, paella, here I come!

Before I talk about the place, let me force upon show you adorable photos of us (Warning: Photo overload):

Photos above by Christine Mata

Lunch at Bistro Selera

My sister celebrated her birthday last Sunday and we made a reservation for lunch at Yakimix. We didn't go to Abreeza right away, though, because we had a couple of errands to do at SM Lanang.

However, after staying in SM for a while, we decided na nakakatamad na to have to go to Abreeza to eat (then back again to SM for groceries). So we cancelled our reservation at Yakimix and decided to just eat at Vikings.

However ulit, when we went to Vikings (it was just around 10), there were already several people in line. We asked the staff if there's an available table, and he said wala na. Everyone without a reservation is waitlisted and for a table pa talaga outside.

No thanks!

So we went to look for another restaurant since my sister and I were already hungry (#boa). Long story short, we decided to try Bistro Selera.

Since we were there early, they were actually still closed when we got there. The waiter immediately flipped the Closed sign upon noticing us though!

Click here to read Bistro Selera review.

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New Shopping Finds, Birthday Parties, and Other Stories

Yesterday was a hectic but fun Sunday! And though I didn't even expect it to be, it was a welcome change in the monotony of a WAHM's life hehe. Anyway, let's begin with the story-telling, shall we?

1. Organic Finds at Got Heart Community Shop

I barely venture out to the central part of the city now (I'm always in my comfort zone: the north), but yesterday, I really needed to go to Gaisano Mall for banking and buying stuff. I also made it a point to go inside Got Heart Community Shop.I'm going to dedicate an entire blog post for the shop, but here's a photo of my finds:

Yes, I'm going to take a better photo using an actual camera; nagmamadali lang hehe.

Anyway, I've always been curious about this shop not only because I'm friends with the lovely manager (hihi) but also because it stands for many things I believe in: natural materials, health, art (real art), and local resources. If you noticed, I often feature some local finds like Kablon Farms jam,  Cacao de Davao, and Real Laundry Detergent. So imagine my delight to see these brands - and more - in the shop!

Photo: http://www.gotheartfoundation.org/

2. Dencio's Kamayan

Another reason why I wanted to go to Gaisano Mall that Sunday was because my dad and I wanted to eat at the newly opened Dencio's Kamayan (right beside Manang's Chicken). Filipino food is always our go-too comfort food, and it doesn't get any better than inihaw and barbecue (at least for us hehe). We got a "mini boodle fight," my own term because I forgot the name haha, which had grilled pork, chicken, chicken liver, baked mussels, and crunchy kangkong. It costs around 780 yata without rice and drinks. Sulit because there's so many food!

Sorry, I only had my phone with me, and I couldn't take a decent photo because Yuri was being malikot.

As for me, I ate a lot even if I was supposed to be on a diet because I haven't eaten pork for so long! Yuri also ate a lot! The best part here is the service: everyone in the staff is warm and bibo and courteous, and they almost always ask us if we need something even before we call them. Kudos to whoever trained the team!

3. I want to do the whole OOTD thing again.

But I'm fat and have no new clothes!

An Afternoon at Cafe Annabelle's

Credits to Christine Mata

I've been noticing Cafe Annabelle's for a while now. It's this quaint and dainty cafe right in front of Ayala Abreeza mall's Robinsons grocery; it's hard to miss it in its pink and white glory!

I'm not sure when it opened exactly since I rarely grocery-shop at Abreeza, but the first time I saw the cafe, I knew I had to try it sometime! You know naman, anything cute and pretty with food thrown into the mix piques my curiosity. :-)

Finally, I was able to try Cafe Annabelle's last Sunday with my super-friends.

Read my review of Cafe Annabelle's here.

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My Expo Mom 2014 Fun Finds

I try my best to be a wise shopper. If I pass by a clothing store sale, I can easily ignore it. Promise.

But I have two shopping weaknesses: food and kid's stuff. Biglang bumababa ang financial IQ ko jan. So when I received an email last week about Expo Mom coming to Davao, I knew I had to mentally prepare myself to practice restraint. Haha!

Looking back, it was a good thing that there weren't too many booths so it was not so overwhelming. Because of that, I was able to examine all products and decide 3x whether I absolutely needed to buy them or not. Which was not hard because I came with a checklist!

Yes, ako na ang prepared. Anyway, I promised to talk about my finds today so here they are:

1. Kiele Anti-Mosquito Cologne

Upon entering the expo, I made a beeline to Kiele's booth for two reasons. First, our last bottle of GIGA insect repellent is almost gone, and second, I'm curious to use a good-smelling repellent. Relate?

A bottle costs P199

Verdict: Woah I didn't know a mosquito repellent could smell this nice! And the scent lasts long ha; in fact, you can use it as an actual perfume. As for its mosquito repelling power, I'm glad to report that Yuri hasn't gotten bites since he used it last Sunday. I'm definitely buying this again!

2. Human Heart Nature Loot

Lunch at Sea Green Cafe and Lifestyle Shop

Sea Green cafe is only the hippest healthy restaurant in Davao City. Or so I heard. So from the first time I came to know about it, I knew I should try it.

After months of craving, I was finally able to eat at Sea Green last Sunday. I was one happy gal!

Sea Green is this quaint little restaurant in the middle of the city that gives off strong country vibes. It's popular for serving only fish and vegetables and only fresh ingredients. Thus, Sea + Green. Love! Also, I wasn't kidding when I said it's tucked in somewhere in the middle of the city. We almost got lost because we're from the north and not very familiar with Torres-Marfori area. (Just go to Mercury Drug Garcia Heights and make a right. Or left, depending on where you are from. Ang labo ko lang.)

Click here to read my Sea Green Cafe review.

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