Lena: Soak in! Le Souk Grill Mediterranean Cuisine and Bar

Photos Courtesy of Click the City

Having to live most of my days, weekdays specifically--due to work, down south probably gave me a lot of time and opportunities to explore almost all of the foodie spots in the so-called resto lane of BF Homes. Whenever new restaurants would pop-up, my foodie friends and I just can’t wait to try and maybe see if it’ll excite our feisty taste buds or simply make us want for more.

Alas! Le Souk came to life. It’s a Mediterranean casual dining restaurant situated along Aguirre Ave, BF Homes. The thought of having this kind of place made me happy since I’m an all-time and certified Mister Kabab fan for as long as I can remember =)

Smoking Area

Non-Smoking Area

The place is divided into smoking and non-smoking areas. Of course, we chose to be in the latter. The ambiance was quite nice. The interior have the wooden furniture meets brick stone-ish vibe.

For starters, we ordered Hummus and Pita. Pitas were served soft and hot. It became much more appealing and tasty once Hummus was on top. Yum! A basic must try!

For the main entrees, we favored to order Greek Seared fish, Lamb Chops and Kebabs. We opted to eat them with plain rice so as to solely critique the entrees appeal and taste. Well, I’m very happy to say that they never fail our ultimate purpose-- to try nice, delectable dishes. Each one of them is a winner. But I must say that Greek Seared Fish truly captured our hearts. The curry meets fish flavor blew us away. It’s a super must try!

After our satisfying dinner, we were just toying around the drink list menu. They actually have a wide array of drinks. However, the beers that we’re supposed to get (Stella Artois, Corona Light and Dos Equis) were not available except for Stella Artois. Arrggh! Bummer! We just decided to bid our drinking thoughts goodbye.

Service was quite good that time. No mishaps were encountered. Orders were on time. Prices were super reasonable. And most importantly, the food was great! All in all, I will definitely be back for more Persian must-tries and for my uber-love Greeak Seared Fish. Wink! =)

Ciara : Neutrogena Wave

Last weekend, I went to the supermarket with friends with no intention of buying anything until I saw the Neutrogena Wave. Apparently, the normal soap and water routine for washing the face is already out.

The Wave is a small water resistant device that provides deep cleansing and gentle exfoliation. It is battery operated and you have to put a pad  for each use. The best part is it is inexpensive, for only AED 52.00 (that's around Php 600.00 and later on I found out its cheaper in Manila. Hehe.), it comes with 15 pads and a battery.

I immediately tried it as soon as I got home. I could say that it is really effective in removing make-up completely but I have a little doubt about the "gentle exfoliation". Nevertheless, I still like it. I will continue to use it for the following days unless I get a breakout ;)

Bubble Tea - Ping Pong Dimsum Version

I've read about all the hype of bubble tea in the Philippines but I guess I have to wait for a few more months until I make my verdict if its worth it. One day I have come across an article in TimeOut (http://www.timeoutdubai.com/) about this controversial drink and one of the restaurants is in Dubai Mall is serving it. My friend Nia and I frequent the place almost every weekend so I asked her to come with me to try it.

Strawberry Vanilla - Ciara's

Calamansi - Nia's

The bill..

Not so expensive and worth it!

We didn't have much of choices since they only serve two flavors, Vanilla Strawberry and Calamansi which we both ordered. I loved both flavors -- right amount of sugar and fruit flavoring. I never even thought that strawberry and vanilla would be a good combination. The drink was refreshing especially for strictly- water-drinkers-even-when-dining-out people like us. The service was very fast and reasonably priced for AED 39 for both of the drinks. I would definitely come back for more bubble tea and dimsum next time. This was the perfect end of our week instead of having the usual hot chocolate from Starbucks :)

Ping Pong Dubai is located at Dubai Mall, Lower Ground Food Court right across Bloomingdale's

www.pingpongdimsum.ae

Lena: Happy Everyday, Happy Lemon!

Being a coffee drinker since time immemorial – well, that was actually and partially true, haha! *wink* My palette began enjoying any coffee's taste back when I was in college -- since my mom kept on insisting that milk is the only right drink for us. I totally fell in love with it and the rest was history. However, this time, I’ll focus more on the next craze in town – Milk Tea!

It was said and even predicted (during last year’s year end forecast) that this year, all business pertaining to wellness, a greener and more holistic you, will certainly bring aspiring businessman some fortune; and riding the waves of imminent success is none other than the birth of all possible milk tea establishments. Milk tea offers the so-called infusion of improved-health-tea benefits and milk’s creaminess + vitamins and minerals -- which of course immediately garnered the now health conscious consumers’ top ratings and patronage.

Happy Lemon's facade

Marvyn in action! :)

I happened to be within Greenhill’s area when an idea hit me, this is the exact and perfect opportunity! I immediately informed some of my Serenitea buddies that we could stop by Promenade and try out the newest addition in the so-called milk tea players – Happy Lemon (this is a franchise brought from Hong Kong by Chris Tiu and some of his Xavier friends, kudos!).

The place’s ambiance projects modern meets hip style. You’ll definitely feel like staying -- sipping your tea while chatting with your good old buddies. The only problem and major downfall -- the place is not big enough to hold such customers at the same time. Luckily, we were able to grab a corner seat! Saw a couple or more celebrities (Coleen Garcia, James Reid – my crush! who is like 3 seats away from me haha!, AJ Dee, and a guy from Sabado Nights) Perfect! =)

I tried out Happy Lemon's Ultimate Bestseller  & Must-Try: Green Tea w/ Rock Salt & Cheese (Large, 90Php)

To be able to fully enjoy and taste the rock salt in the cheese froth, I was precisely instructed to sip without straw. I uber-love the frothy creaminess-meets-saltiness-meets-cheesiness green tea flavor! Aside from that, there’s this Sampaguita-like aroma coming from the tea itself. It’s kinda weird though, since I instantly associated the Sampaguita’s fragrance to my home-made perfume (perfume meets soap) project way back in high school, haha! Hmmm, a nice weird must-try if you’re an adventurous foodie by heart. I guess, Happy Lemon is very much committed and sincere about its vision of “continuously surprising customers by injecting creativity in every drink”.

Marvyn's Milk Tea (Large, 85Php)

Roasted Milk Tea for Bernie (Large, 90Php)

My two buddies, Marvyn and Bernie, preferred the safe choice of Happy Lemon’s Milk Tea (Large, 85Php) and Roasted Milk Tea (Large, 90Php).

Both have similar base taste of a regular milk tea. Roasted Milk Tea was more powerful due to its burnt/roast aftertaste and aroma. Also, we all agreed then that Happy Lemon’s Milk tea paled (literally) in comparison to Serenitea’s Milk Tea. The taste is a bit bland yet still likeable.

Oops! I almost forgot. We have tried adding their limited offer (while supplies last) lychee popping boba. It was a fun experience though! It’s like pearls with juice that pops inside your mouth.

All in all, the experience is still worth the trip. And I would definitely come back to try some of their other offerings, perhaps their hot tea series as well (I actually prefer hot milk tea over cold ones). I wonder what it’s like to add some extra coffee shots too. Hmmm, can’t wait!

Happy Lemon Locations:

G/F Promenade, Greenhills, San Juan

4/F Eastwood Mall, Libis, Quezon City

2/F Archeology Wing, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center

Facebook Page:  Happy Lemon Philippines

Ciara : Smith's Rosebud Salve

My kissers are always chapped and for that reason I am a self confessed lip balm junkie. I have scoured the Internet for reviews and forums for the perfect one. I even went out of the way to purchase tubes of the much lauded Kiehl's and C. O. Bigelow which turned out to be disappointments :(

L-R : Lip Ice, Hello Kitty, C.O. Bigelow, Kiehl's, Smith's Salve, Blistex and Body Shop's Born Lippy

Needless to say, I was in pursuit of my lip-balm-for-life until  I stumbled upon Smith's Rosebud Salve. Technically it's not even a lip balm -- it's a multi-purpose salve that aids chapped and dry skin, diaper rashes and detergent burns. I've read good reviews and have spent a considerable amount of time to find a distributor here in the sandpit. To my surprise, a quaint make-up store nearby sells it. I made a mad dash to get my fix and what do you know, it works like a dream!

My latest discovery!

I love that the scent is not overpowering and the not too glossy finish. It is also reasonably priced at AED 30 for 0.5 fl oz  that may last for a quarter. I got the Rosebud flavor (a change for my strawberry addiction). I bought the one that came in a tube since I tend to create a mess with tin cans but I can hardly wait to try the other flavors as well! I guess I'll be putting my other stash aside for now.

Smith's Rosebud Salve is available at Make-Up Etc. Boutique

Address : Palm Strip Mall, Jumeirah Beach Road.

Tel no : +971 4 3455747 (they also deliver to your doorstep!)

Website : http://www.makeupetc.ae/



Ciara : Magnolia Bakery

I have passed by this place several times but didn't dare to try anything because of the queue. One weekend we ate in Wafi Gourmet located across the bakery and we finally braved the crowd and bought some treats.

Magnolia Bakery was established sometime in 1996 in Greenwich City, NYC. What I love about it besides the classic deserts is the vintage-y feel of the place. Everything is in pastel colors! You can even see the kitchen staff decorating the baked goodies since they make them in small batches to keep them fresh throughout the day.

Unfortunately, for diet conscious people they do not have anything sugar-free but for those who have food restrictions like me -- they do serve cakes that do not contain nuts. 

Sorry I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures. I couldn't wait to sample our purchases : EQ fail. Here are the things that I have tried for my 3 visits and I'm definitely going back for more.

• Red Velvet cupcake with Cream Cheese : This one takes the cake even if its a cupcake! The sweetness of the cupcake perfectly matched with the cream cheese icing.

• Classic Ice Box Cake : The description was chocolate wafers layed with freshly whipped cream. But it was never the wafer that I expected. It was actually my friend's order during my second visit and it was so good that I ignored my blueberry cheese cake order.

•  Blueberry Cheesecake : It looked very yummy but I guess one or at least I, can never have too many cheesecakes. The blueberries were too much that I had to have it wrapped and brought home. It took me 3 days to finish the slice.

• Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Icing : A classic. I loved the cake itself but the icing was too thick, I had to remove some layers to appreciate it.

Cute packaging too!

Classic Ice Box

L-R : Caramel, Red Velvet and Snickers Ice Box Cheesecake

       

Magnolia Bakery is located in Bloomingdale's Dubai Mall (near the At the Top Burj Khalifa Entrance)

Photo credit : dubaichronicle.com

Lena: HP7, The Last Straw =(

June of 1997, that's when it all started.

July of 2011, the last theatrical installment. The end.

An HP fan that I am. I can still remember the very first time I laid my eyes on JK Rowling's Philosopher's Stone Book. It's a very interesting book. Ate up all my nights, a certified page turner it is!

Remembering those nights when I cried over the death of Sirius and Albus, aaaah!, that would really plastered a huge smile on my face. The "so-attached" fan in me, haha! Those were the HP novel days. And I just knew it right there and then, that in a few years, this book will truly hit the big screen, big time!

Then rumors came on regarding its film adaptation. That was the time when I was reading or almost done reading The Goblet of Fire. I was really hoping for a very nice adaptation, one that is at par with the book. Something that would turn my novel imaginations to vivid pictures, real characters, and fascinating settings. And voila! The movie never failed me. It did give the novel justice. Kudos to 'em!

The moment Book 7 was released, when JK Rowling called it quits on Deathly Hallows, I just couldn't grasp the thought of the magical Hogwarts life coming to an end. A very saddening fact to the Potter fans. An inevitable truth. And now, a mere 4-year apart from the novel's adieu, the film will finally bid its last goodbye.

What's next?? That we don't know. But all that we have are the unforgettable recollections of how Harry Potter touched our lives in every magical way we can imagine.