Review: Matsuri at Tomas Morato

Matsuri is an order-all-you can restaurant that charges P495 for lunch Mondays to Fridays and P595 for dinner Mondays to Sundays and weekend lunches. It's located at Tomas Morato, Quezon City.


It's an order-all-you can restaurant, which is good because:

1. You don't have to leave  the table
2. Food is served freshly made

Matsuri serves generally good food. There also weren't a lot of people when I last went, so I didn't have to wait long for my orders. My water glass wasn't empty for very long, and the plates were cleared very quickly. It was very clean and well lit, though I wondered why they still seemed to have Christmas decorations.


I forgot to take pictures, as usual.




Must Try:

• Gyoza
• Ushi Ebi Tempura
• Matsuri Salad
• Creamy Chicken Mushroom Ragout

The biggest surprise for me was actually their salad. I'm not a big fan of greens, but I ended up demolishing this salad. Maybe because it had a lot of fruit? Anyway, I didn't find their sashimi or miso spectacular, but was decent. 

Since there's a leftover charge of P250, it's best if you avoid the horrible things in their menu too.

Must Not:

• Chawan Mushi
• Creme Brulee

I've been to Matsuri a year ago, and I am disappointed at my latest experience with their chawan mushi. It was definitely not the same one I tried a year ago. This version of the dish was the  most horrible one I've ever tasted. It was way too dry! After one bite, I had it sent back. When I complained, I was told that "ganyan talaga siya." As someone who loves, chawan mushi, I'd have object! Although it is type of egg custard, chawan mushi should not taste and feel like badly cooked scrambled eggs.

I was hesitant about trying their creme brulee because of this, but I ended up ordering it nonetheless. It was also on the drier end of the creme brulee scale. You're much better off with the leche flan which was not amazing, but much better in comparison.


I did not try any of their tofu dishes, nor their skewers (which I wanted to as I remembered they were quite good a year ago, but was too full to try).


I like this restaurant, but it's a bit out of my way. And while they're food was good, I'm not over the way they murdered one of my favorite dishes. I'll probably go back in another year if they're still there.

News: Uniqlo is Coming to the Philippines and Review: Uniqlo Lightweight Pocketable Parka

Uniqlo, which is like the Japanese version of GAP, is coming to the Philippines this June 15 at SM Mall of Asia. I'm excited about it, especially with their Vote and Win application on facebook which gives voters the chance to win free shirts and a trip to Japan(ends on June 10, so vote now!).


While I am excited, I am not as excited as I want to be: I'm expecting a drastic mark-up in price compared to that of Japan like what happened to Muji (Mujirushi). Something to look forward to: they will be having a promo on their Barbie UT shirts for women at P590; shirts like that cost 1500 Yen (P833) normally.


On the other hand, maybe it will be much cheaper: they will be having a Jean sale (P590 instead of P990) as soon as it opens. However, UJ's in the Japanese website cost around 2,990 - 3,990 Yen, making it much cheaper!


What I did end up buying while I was in Japan was their Light Pocketable Parka ($50 dollars in the US catalog or around P2200) I bought for around 3,000 Yen (P1700). I bought this jacket because 1) it was unexpectedly colder and rainier in Japan than I expected and 2) I could still use it in the Philippines (especially underneath my white uniform). I bought the M size with pockets on both sides of the jacket and on the inside two plus the pouch pocket. It's very light and surprisingly strong.

Lightweight Pocketable Parka by Uniqlo (White)

Tutorial: Turmeric Mask

Turmeric isn't just for curry and other foods, it's for your face and body too. I use it to help prevent acne while preserving the contents of my poor wallet. 

Ingredients:

Powdered turmeric

Calamansi juice (or lemon juice)

Honey

Powdered turmeric can be bought in a supermarket very easily and cheaply with the spice selection (at least in the Philippines, you may have to go to an asian food store). For the tutorial, I used half a singles sachet or 1.5 grams of ground turmeric by McCormick. The 36g - 12 sachet pack itself costs around P40 (around $1 dollar). While there are cheaper versions available, the packet is less messy and allows me to better control the amount of product i put in.

Calamansi, being native to the Philippines, is easier to find and far less expensive than lemon. I used only 10 drops of freshly squeezed calamansi juice on this mask. I've forgotten how much the honey costs but you'll need 1-2 tablespoons. I started with 1 tablespoon's worth then added as I went.

Here's one way to use turmeric as a mask:

Surfing the Rustan's the Beauty Source

I was looking at Rustan's the Beauty Source a while ago -for those who do not live in the Philippines, Rustan's is a high-end department store in the country- and I saw this upon clicking Skincare >> Price (Low-High) on the first page.

It's a good thing it was stated that prices could change and that the site was not an online store!


However, given that the store is owned by such a large company, I feel that there should be more care taken when displaying prices. Additionally, I do not understand why a product whose price is upon request is considered  on the low end of the spectrum: To me, it's a better sign that something is expensive!


I didn't really find this site very informative as it is as it only gives the name of the product, brand, price and category of each product: it seems more like an online inventory than anything else. They do have a specials section for events and features section  for product promotion, but they were all very short. I don't know what the goal of the website is; hopefully, it will grow more in the future such that people can gain a further understanding of what the product is and maybe even start a Beauty Box of some sort of it's own (One can dream!).


I'll leave this site alone now. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised in the future.

News: Kanebo Dew Superior Brush Cleanse Pen

Have you heard of it? The Kanebo Dew Superior Brush Cleanse Pen is supposed to be a new (at least to me!) way of spot cleansing so you get rid of all the nasty stuff in your pores. This product debuted quite recently, and I saw it on TV in Japan this late May. However, at 3,000 Yen (3,150 Yen including tax or around 40 USD) for a brush with 6ml of product, I was not very keen buying it.


According to this news release, this pen is meant to be used twice a week after oil cleansing and before normal cleansing (Japanese women seem to wash their face twice: once with both an oil-based cleanser and another with a non-oil based cleanser).


Because the bristles -from 0.7 mm at the root and 0.07 at the tip- are about 1/10 the size of a pore, it seems that it is possible for the brush to be used as a mechanical scrub in order to remove build up on top of pores. Among other things, the liquid in the pen contains Niacinamide and somehow involve collagen and sodium hyaluronate (my japanese isn't that good so feel free to translate the text yourselves :) ).


I think that if someone were to buy this pen, he or she could substitute his or own formula after the original 6 ml has run out (even as an external solution). However, I'm not ready to shell out this much money on something this tiny!


Has anyone tried this? 

Lazy Sunday Morning at CBTLs

No, the title wasn't a spelling mistake. I've been a bad girl and went to 2 different outlets and ended up trying all 3 drinks.... I think you're supposed to get a maximum of two only (one hot and one cold)...

Anyway, CBTL's (Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf) Open House opened at 10 am and offered 3 new drinks, Caramel Cream Tea Latte, Caramel Ice Blended Drink and Caramel Macchiato. I was there at X branch  by around 10:20. Going to this branch was a BIG mistake for me since there were a lot of people who knew about the event. I felt bad for the baristas, who were very nice, since they were stressed by people who ordered (one customer ordered 17 drinks!- most of the customers came from an event occuring nearby). I also felt apprehensive because this turnout might lead to this branch being one of the exempted branches from participating in the next Open  Houses (which would be very disappointing since it is one of my favorite CBTL branches to date).

Caramel Cream Tea Latte 

I ended up reading a meg magazine while waiting for this drink (it took a while since there were so many people). I didn't like all the noise going on (everyone kept talking) and went out as soon as I finished my drink. Anyway, the Caramel Cream Tea Latte wasn't very caramel-y to me, which I did like (It wasn't too sweet). This was my favorite of the trio; I imagine this easily pairing with their cakes (I love CBTL cakes!). I don't know if it's just me though, but this drink seems best drunk during a rainy day (instead of the sunny one today).

Coffee Bean Open House

Today on June 3, 2012 at 10 to 11:30 am, Coffee Bean (Philippines) will be having an Open House for their Caramel treats!

There will be some exceptions, but what a great way to start the morning :)

A Stupid Mistake

It has only recently come to my attention that I have been very stupid making such a big oversight!


I don't wear make-up often and often wash my face just once with a facial wash/soap. However, I try to use sunscreen everyday (when I go out, at least). Someone recently pointed out to me that I'd need extra help washing it off. Thus, oil cleansing has become a nightly ritual before using cleanser.


I would suggest using a commercial oil cleanser since they would already have emulsifiers in them instead of pure oils. I've only recently finished up my DHC Cleansing Oil.




How To:


1. Wash your hands thoroughly and dry them thoroughly with a clean towel. It does no good use dirty hands to clean one's face.


2. Pump enough oil to cover both palms and gently massage onto face with light strokes. You can warm the oil slightly by rubbing your oiled hands gently together. Take this time to relax.


3. Wet hands slightly and pat face until the oil turns milky. Do this at least twice until most of the oil seems to have emulsified, allowing it to be rinsed off easily.


4. Splash face at least 15 times with warm to tepid water. I'd suggest getting a shallow basin and filling it once or twice if you're averse to using running water.


5. Follow up with your normal cleansing. The previous step may not have removed all the oil and other gunk.






I'd suggest using a make-up remover prior to this when using make-up.


On another note, I am very lucky that I have been using VMV Armada as my sunblock and have not broken out because of it (also recently finished).

Return

I'm back from Japan! And I brought with me a lot of extra baggage. Around 10 pounds. Unfortunately, it's not in loot....


It's tummy fat!!! Japanese food is yummy and the servings are big. 10 pounds in 2 weeks.....


Time to diet. Wish me luck.

Highly Placed = Highly Valued

I've recently heard a talk regarding drugs in the Philippines -of the illegal kind. The speaker used the scare into compliance tactic in his speech: Apparently, there is a zero tolerance policy towards drugs; if you are found with 1. drug paraphernalia or 2. in a place where a raid occurred, you can pretty much be assured off a spot in jail.


In the Philippines, it is a LITERAL spot as you'd be very lucky to get even enough SPACE to sleep in.


It's good that this person, this agency, is taking their/its job seriously. However, what if somebody drops (1) in your bag while you aren't looking or you just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?


Clearly the phrase "innocent until proven guilty" does not apply in this case. It does, however, apply to money laundering when involving high profile politicians.


Is this a good or a bad thing? It's good if you're guilty, bad if you're not. And this person stated without apology that, in effect, it would be regretful if you were innocent but if you were there on the wrong time, then you are going to jail. It is your fault for being somewhere shady in the first place. And you will
lose a chunk of your life while experiencing all of the wonderful experiences of Filipino prisons.


Remember that in the Philippines, aid from the government is usually only for the wealthy and the powerful.


Say no to things that are bad for you, whether it be physical or legal.


What is worse? Taking illegal drugs or robbing a country?

Starbucks Mocha Cookie Crumble + Whoopie Pie

Have you tried the new Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappucino in Starbucks? It's a cup of sugar-sourced calories. I liked how gritty it was, especially when I grinding my teeth, compared to the traditional Mocha Frappucino in Starbucks. Also, that they used a different color for the whipped cream.

Mocha Frappucino (left) Whoopie Pie (center), Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappucino (right)

Starbucks suggested pairing it with a Whoopie Pie, so I did. There's something strangely fun about eating something that resembles Cookie Monster while drinking something with the word "cookie" in it. Especially if you're sharing it with friends and giving it Cookie Monster's voice...






Buy Again?


Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappucino: Maybe in a few months. While it tasted good, it really isn't something I could see myself drinking regularly (I prefer my drinks smooth in general). I'd rather go buy a traditional Mocha Frappucino and save my money and possible fat for something else.


Also, beware of food particles sticking to your teeth. Not very attractive to find something brown stuck there while you're talking to another person.


Whoopie Pie: Maybe in a few months. Again, though it was yummy, I can honestly say that the best thing about it for me was the eyes.




For all Starbucks Philippines Planner holders (me!), note that you have a BOGO coupon for a frappucino this may. On that note, time is running out on the Monday Starbucks promo. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Experience: Getting a Japanese Visa

This is my experience in getting a visa to Japan using Reli Tours Travel Company.

VMV

Guess what's this picture for?




If you look to your right, you will see a couple of sample cleanser and toner boxes...

Yes, I'm going to be travelling. And it's always a good idea to pack travel sized items for short trips abroad. I'm going Japan!!! I will be posting my experience in getting a visa shortly in another post. If ever I have people actually reading this blog (is there anyone actually there?), I'd just like to say that I will not be posting anything during my 15 day stay (which is the limit for Filipinos).


I'd also just like to share that I was able to get the VMV Superskin 3 (for oily skin) toner with with a 25% discount. It was previously P700 ($16), but is I got it for P525 ($12). I will be reviewing it in the future. But just a little about VMV. VMV Hypoallergenics is a Filipino brand gone global. It is most famous for the Armada series sunscreens (which I might do a review on). Unfortunately, it also has international prices. VMV is notorious for price increases (I actually dread every sale because it probably means another price increase), so I only buy during sales.


I was once able to get the full sized scrub, toner and nourisher (moisturizer) from the Superskin 3 line much less than it costs now *sigh*. I used this combination during my high school years. While the scrub and nourisher where very gentle, the toner was much less gentle and definitely the heavy hitter of the lot. Though I experienced less break outs for the two month period I used the trio religiously, it reduced my teenaged acne by only around 40% (which was still bad during that time); I had to use a different cleanser and spot treatment at night and brought it up to around 60%.


The current toner's sale price is less than (P80) $2 of the old regular price, I think. I don't think I am re-purchasing from VMV until the price becomes more stable since the constant sale-price increase cycle depresses me.


This specific toner is not available in the US; something else called a mandelic acid primer is sold over there.