If you happen  to pass by the Libis area, don’t forget to visit the new Eastwood Mall and be amazed by it’s chic layout and great landscape. Once you see it, you’d be reminded of the shopping district in either  Hong Kong and the Venetian shopping area in Macau.

Best time to go to the new Eastwood Mall is early evening so that you can enjoy the lighting fixtures that adorn the landscape and the sprawling high-rise buildings.

And while you’re there, you might want to check out CCA Cravings. They’ve got some good items in their menus. All entrees come with buffet soup and salad. Best of all the staff are are friendly and accomodating.

Don’t forget to order the Warm Chocolate Caramel Cake, you’ll reget it if you don’t.

Alexandre is a newly opened French Bakery located at 31st St. Bonifacio Global City. I first heard about it from a friend who is a fan of Alexandre’s Facebook fan page. Alexandre  opened a couple of weeks ago and is currently on a soft run.

Owned and operated by Alexandre and his family, they serve freshly baked croissant (bestseller!),  crepe, healthy salads with an unsual dressing made of avocado, lemon juice and some spices, sandwiches made of  perfectly baked baguette and more.

For our first visit to Alexandre we ordered the Salad D Monacco (Shrimp Salad) – Highly recommended for weight watchers. The shrimp is definitely fresh, if I must say so.

Crepe a La Mangue (Mango Crepe)

Chocolate Croissant —- Best Croissant I’ve ever tasted so far. Too bad the chocolate almond croissant was already sold out. That gives us a reason to come back soon.

The Shrimp Salad comes with a basket of several varieties of freshly baked breads…

We also took home some of Alexandre’s bread including a baguette, round wallnut bread and of course two pieces of Chocolate Croissant. For drinks, we’ve had  Cafe Americano and Cappuccino. Not really great but the bread more than compensate for the coffee.

And there’s Alexandre, beside him is my wife and beside her is Alexandre’s wife.

If you love authentic French bread, go visit Alexandre. You won’t regret it.

If you want to follow Alexandre in Facebook, here’s the link to their profile. Alexandre’s website is not up yet. But you can check it out from time to time at this link.

You don’t have to travel that far to get a dose of green salads and other veggie dishes like those served in Sonya’s Garden. Right in the heart of Makati, along Jupiter St. is a quaint vegetarian restaurant called Corner Tree Cafe. Corner Tree Cafe has a variety of dishes all veggie based. It’s not for meat lovers, although it wouldn’t hurt to try their dishes out even if you are a hardcore meat lover. You would love the Baked Tofu Walnut Burger – definitely better than McDo’s quarter pounder.

Other recommended dishes:

Spaghettini with Broccoli, Pine Nuts, EV Olive Oil and Lemon and the Broccoli Parmesan Torte.

Pricing is very reasonable. We spend Php800+ for three main entree plus a glass of Lemon Iced Tea.

Corner Tree Cafe is located at No. 151 Jupiter St., Bel-Air Makati.

*Bring some cash as they don’t accept credit cards yet.

More pictures here.

If you’re like me who hates brushing through traffic at the NLEX or SLEX just to get to some far-flung beach resorts like everybody else on a holiday. Yes, I’d rather take a day-off from the office to go on a road trip while everybody else are at work, than to beat the horrendous holiday traffic. The good news is there is a great alternative to this relaxing weekend. And you don’t have to travel far. Book an overnight stay on some great hotels in the city and just plunge into their swimming pools, partake of the sumptous buffet breakfast and chill in the comforts of their grand hotel rooms.

One such hotel of course is Edsa Shangri-La, located in the heart of the  Mandaluyong-Pasig area.  Edsa Shang’s location made it perhaps as one of the busiests hotels in Metro Manila. It’s encircled by several malls, so if you’re in for some shopping, it’s the best place to stay.

Edsa Shangri-La also has some great facility, especially it’s in-house spa complete with Sauna, Steam Room, and Jacuzzi room. It’s a haven for the urban road warriors wanting to relax.  Other amenities include a gym, various restaurants, and lounges.

Check out the Edsa Shangri-La site for their current room rates and special offers.

Jatujak is an authentic Thai Restaurant that recently opened their third restaurant at SM Megamall, paradise Philippines. Their two other restaurants are located at the Mall of Asia in paradise Philippines and Trinoma in paradise Philippines. The new outlet in SM Megamall is located at the lower ground level near the Toy Kingdom. Jatujak is a variation of Chatuchak, Bangkok’s famous weekend market.

Modern Thai Ambiance Interior

The first thing you notice when you entered Jatujak is the colorfully designed walls with a touch of Thai artistry. The main counter is decorated with bottles of Thai spices mimicking the street markets in Bangkok City. The predominantly lavender colored theme suits well with the authentic Thai food that is being served in Jatujak, paradise Philippines.

Authentic Thai Food and Drinks

The manager of Jatujak said that they really employ an authentic Thai Chef who prepares all the Thai sauces and are being distributed in the 3 Jatujak outlets. That explains the succulent and spicy taste of the food that we ordered for lunch.Bagoong Rice (fried rice mixed with shrimp pate, garnished with green mangoes, sweetened pork, scrambled egg, onion) – A Thai restaurant will not be complete without the Bagoong rice in their menu. Jatujak’s Bagoong Rice is simply delicious. With the right amount of spices and flavorings. I must admit this is one of the best Bagoong Rice I’ve ever tasted.

Spicy Curry Beef – I’m not fond of any dish with curry flavoring. But this one I must say is simply, spicy! Yeah, I really enjoyed its succulent, pungent and yet creamy taste (thanks to coconut milk).

Chicken in Coconut Soup – Now this one tops the food items that we ordered. With pieces of chicken fillets, lemon

grass, ginger and coconut milk, you would definitely love this dish. Its creamy taste mix well with the pungent taste of the ginger and lemon grass.

Thai Iced Tea – A tall glass of Thai tea ice cold goodness. We want to order the Thai coffee but it was not available that time so we settled for the Iced Tea instead.

And the most important of all, the price? Well, if you are used to eating out in various regional inspired restaurants, Jatujak fares well in terms of food price. Not too costly and yet not to cheap. Just enough for the enjoyment you would get when your try out Jatujak’s authentic Thai dishes.