ippudo

malacca: mille crepe cakes by nadeje

I had been craving for cake for a while. A few days back, I was sitting in the office suffering a case of PMS, when I thought "Screw this, I'm going out to get some cake because my uterus and I both deserve it!" (said no one ever... out loud). And so I escaped for a few minutes to take refuge in a nearby Starbucks.

That probably isn't the best introduction for a dessert, but I was surprised to find a chocolate crepe cake in their chiller because I did not know such heavenly creation exists -- until I went to Malacca.

this would suffice. but nothing like the thinness of the ones by nadeje. malacca in my mind 🙂 pic.twitter.com/aRXgu5aCo9

— April (@grewlegs) November 27, 2015

The one by Starbucks was enough to satisfy a craving, but the ones I've tasted in Malacca are exquisite.. both in presentation and taste. Say hello to mille crepe cakes by Nadeje.

Tiramisu

Green Tea. Mhmmm..

Lemon Cheese (!!!!)

Mango Yogurt

Earl Grey Tea

How they manage to keep a consistent stack of thinness, I absolutely have no idea (fairy magic, perhaps?). I'm compelled to go back to Malacca just to experience this again.

go cook yourself

WILSON'S PLACE IN TAGAYTAY

Wilson's is a bed and breakfast place in Tagaytay that we opted to stay in for a short unwind. We arrived late in the evening on the first night, and on the next day, we sat outside beside the pool while waiting for breakfast to be served.. when it drizzled.

I was too lazy to get up because we just sat down when the drizzle started, so I thought it wouldn't hurt if we just let ourselves be wet by the thin drops of water. I can't remember the last time I showered in the rain!

After that, we went back to our room, dried ourselves for a bit, and waited to be summoned for breakfast (How Downton Abbey-ish! Okay, maybe not :D). The food was served in courses, and it was homemade and so delicious. The table setup was simple and pretty, which added much anticipation in the consumption of these dishes. I can still remember how each of them tasted! :)

Wilson's Place | Exterior
Wilson's Place | Interior

INDULGENCE

LUNCH AT BREAKFAST AT ANTONIO'S

I was chatting with a friend one night, and we gradually slipped into the question of am I happy? Ironically, simple questions reap rather difficult answers. Without a thought I answered with, I could be happier. Not only I was indirectly dodging the question, I was also telling the truth. Admittedly, it's hard to just throw out a direct yes or no answer on this type of question because it says so much about how you see your life, and the amount of satisfaction you feel reeling every single day of it.

I could be happier. But, I am also content.

I see happiness as life's hunger; you just need to keep on feeding it. Although I would not decline a comfortable lifestyle, I much rather spend my days working on life and finding things to look forward to along the way. There's nothing like waking up in the morning excited and giddy on the thought of what lies ahead. That's what makes me feel alive.

Much like this day I want to remember, a lunch at Breakfast at Antonio's in Tagaytay with my bestfriend. Unexpected conversations about the twists and turns of life, old feelings and impressions, and simply an overwhelming wave of gratitude, which inevitably brought me to, well, tears.

Screw the saying, just keep your friends closer.
 

Looking forward to a fun-packed long weekend! I hope you are, too :)

DONG BEI DUMPLING

While waiting for our own serving, I get to watch Ate make pork and chives dumplings straight from the next table :) Glad she didn't mind me this close beside her taking these photos -- or maybe she's just used to people watching her while making these probably-the-most famous dumplings in Binondo.

Hot, soft and light to eat. All of a sudden, I'm craving for these now!

642 Yuchengco Street, Binondo, Manila, Philippines

WHITE COFFEE, NOODLE SOUP AND BAYON TEMPLE

It was only 9:30 A.M. when we finished touring around Angkor Wat complex, and yet it already felt like we've went through the whole day. Then I realized that this is because we started the day at 4 in the morning. So after four hours of standing and walking with only a few winks of sleep, I was thankful that we were guided to an eatery just outside the complex, where I ordered  a cup of White Coffee and a plate of Flat Fried Rice Noodle Soup with Beef and Vegetables off their menu. I thought it would be soothing to warm my stomach with a soup after a long walk.

The white coffee was too sweet for my taste, and then I was surprised to see my "noodle soup" served to me without the, uhm, soup. In front of me was a mixture of an inch-wide flat noodles, beef, vegetables and a little bit of sauce. I am always passive when it comes to customer service that it's next to impossible that I would ever call out a server to complain, much more when on a foreign land. So I thought, whatever, I'm still going to eat it anyway, haha! And my my, was it the tastiest, most delicious pancit noodles that ever landed on my mouth! It was unbelievably good, for the way it looked so simple. And also unbelievable that I don't have any photo of it, hehehe.

Outside the eatery was this beautiful view of tall trees firmly standing on lush green grass, with a row of tuk-tuks waiting on the side. It looked and felt peaceful as I breathed in the last straw of cold morning breeze.

Afterwards, Bayon Temple :)

GOODIES

Right after another good food time at Chambruyu, we slid ourselves out and moved on to the next door which happens to be a *drum roll* Korean grocery :)

Jo being goofy with her slice-of-pizza-shaped ice cream :)

Lots of ice cream goodies!