Fine Dining in the Time of COVID-19

It’s been a week since our Anniversary and I thought I wanna share with you how our lunch date at home went. First, my Ikea online haul — which contained most of my table setting stuff — didn’t arrive on time. In fact, it hasn’t arrived till now, and I’ve no idea where it is already. Boo Ikea! So, the eve of our Anniversary, I rummaged through all my cupboards to see if I have decent dinnerware, then whatever we lacked, we shopped for at our local hypermarket. Luckily, we still managed to complete our to-buy list and quite frankly, it made me realize that I don’t really need more than half of the things I bought at Ikea that night! Talk about impulse-shopping! LOL.

In the morning, I requested hubby to set up a table in the middle of our living area but because he’s the best, he voluntarily googled “proper table setting” and worked his way to this:

The only items we had to buy are the cutleries (just because I want them new and shiny),

soup bowl, placemats and table cloth. The rest are already "on hand" ;P

Come lunch time, I ordered our ribeye steak via GrabFood (thank God for technology!), added pasta, some sides and of course, soup. I brought out the traditional Tiramisu that I prepared the night before, popped a bottle of our favorite Moscato Rosé and we’re ready to dig in!

Doesn't it look so well put-together?

And oh, I made an effort to stencil our initials into the Tiramisu! 

'Corz there has to be some solo shots!

J even played some romantic instrumentals to complete the feel. It was perfect!

You see, COVID-19 may have ruined our plans for an out-of-the-country getaway, closed all our favorite restos for dining in, and limited our movements to only the essentials but it can’t stop us from celebrating a decade and a half of love in our own special way!

Cheers!

My Birthday Came Two Weeks Early

Happy Sunday, my few dear readers! :D

It's gonna be June tomorrow and just like that we are already halfway through 2020. June is my birthday month and also our anniversary month so it's easily my favorite time of the year. In 2 weeks I am turning 32 and dang, my age is gonna be off the calendar! >_< More on birthday musings in the next few days but for now, I'm gonna share my happiness because I got an early birthday present from my husband!

You see, since we still cannot dine out due to COVID19, I've been planning a DIY romantic lunch for our anniversary (which is 4 days from now *panic mode*). Why not dinner, you say? Well, we will celebrate with our housemates over kBBQ for dinner so we thought we'll do a more intimate one mid-day. We're just thinking of ordering steak via GrabFood but to make it a little more special, I need a pretty table setting. And where to get all the paraphernalia but my [pre-circuit breaker] favorite place to be, Ikea! I also learned from one of my former colleagues that Ikea delivers small parcels in 2 days so I immediately went to their website to do dinnerware-shopping!

I was vigorously scrolling up and down my phone when hubby saw me and asked what's keeping me busy. Nonchalantly, I told him "Online shopping" and without expecting much, I followed it up with a "Will you pay for it, please?" I almost jumped out of bed when he said he's gonna pay whatever I will add to my shopping cart! Like, seriously? I kept asking him if it's for real and he gave me that straight look and I knew right there that he's not kidding! Who am I to say no, right??? :D

photo credit

Sooooo, like a kid wandering in a candy store, I happily navigated the Ikea site while mentally crossing out all the items in my table setting list. I was palpitating, I tell you! I think it's the first time I'm shopping without worrying about the total bill, LOL! Now enough blabber and on to my loot! Do you wanna see it? Here you go!

I got carried away so the damage was a little bit over $200 >_<

Thanks, babe! Love you forevs! :-*

Note: Click the image for high-res version

I told you, most of the stuff that I bought is for table setting except for our candles, my chopping board and our wooden tray for breakfasts in bed. But, my favorite's got to be this 18-pc service because it's so simple yet so classy! I've always had a thing for square plates! :)

Now I just need to pray that the delivery is indeed 2 days to make it to our Anniv celeb. Otherwise, boo!

I'm excited! If my plan works out well, I'm gonna show you how the lunch date went.

Till then!

Anniversary Dinner at Serenity Spanish Bar and Restaurant

Last June, Jhay and I celebrated our 10th anniversary as a couple and at the same time our 2nd wedding anniversary (yes, we got married on the same date :D). It's such a big milestone having been together for a decade so initially I was planning an out-of-the-country trip or at least a beach getaway but in the end, none of that happened because (1) I am fickle-minded, I cannot decide where to go up to the last minute and (2) we figured we better put the finances towards an investment that we've been dreaming about since forever.

So yeah, no grand getaway for us this year. But my husband had a pretty bouquet of flowers, a box of chocolates and a little plush toy delivered to my office first thing in the morning of June 4th -- something he hasn't done in a while. He even had a short, sweet note with it that made my heart melt like vanilla ice cream on a scorching summer day.

Lakas maka-teenager ng bouquet no? Hihi.

After work, we had a lovely dinner at Serenity Spanish Bar and Restaurant. What I liked about the place is its romantic yet laid-back vibe made more wonderful by the live music and a spectacular view of Sentosa Island. For people like us who are used to alternating fast food and home-cooked meals, this is indeed a treat!

We were seated right across the mini stage so we really enjoyed the good old ballads as well as some Spanish songs whose lyrics we may not understand but still have soothing melodies.

Behind me is Sentosa at sunset. Too bad I forgot to take a photo of the view outside.

We ordered calamari for starters. The serving is quite small but it's very crispy. The squid was really fresh, too. It was gone in 5 minutes or less. Haha.

For the main course, we had Crispy Pork Knuckle (Crispy Pata for us Filipinos) and the house specialty Seafood Paella. I know our choices are quite lame because both dishes are common in the Philippines as well but sadly, I'm not one to settle for the unfamiliar. I find happiness in food that gives me a feeling of home. That or I'm just making excuses ;P

Anyway.. here's what they look like...

Again, the serving is quite small for the price. It is really just good for 2 persons. It is, however, very flavorful and since it's my first time to eat Paella, it made me look forward to exploring other variations of this dish.

And then this. It's deadly, yes, but it's also devilishly good! Best crispy pata I've tasted. The skin is perfectly crispy and the meat... soooo tender! The level of saltiness was also spot-on. And have you noticed the sauce beside it? It's made of tomatoes and cinnamon and it made the whole thing work. Like, really. I'd go back to Serenity just for this :)

The obligatory "date night" shot :)

Overall, we were satisfied with the food but we can't say the same in terms of value for money. We paid around S$ 150 including taxes and service charge and to be honest we can eat in other restos thrice for the same amount. Well maybe we paid for the relaxing ambiance and the location. It's a place to just chill and take everything slow -- something that we don't get to experience every day :)

Happy 10 years to us, honey!
Praying for more and more decades of love, bliss and blessings for our family! :)

Thanksgiving

We got back from Cebu this morning and as expected, we had the time of our lives so I definitely have a lot of photos and stories to share. But I wanted to start my Cebu Getaway series on a grateful note.

Days before our trip it's been raining hard here in the metro. Of course I don't want the weather to ruin our vacay (worst case is cancel or delay our flight) so my only prayer the past week is:

"Lord, 'wag lang umulan ng Sunday to Wednesday, hinding-hindi ako aangal kahit gaano kainit."

And come Sunday Morning, He gave us this:

Photo taken while on the cab, a few meters away from NAIA Terminal 3.

Thank you, Lord! You are an awesome God! :)

Now friends, please stay tuned for my detailed blogs about our trip ^_^

P.S. For the record, I fulfilled my promise. I made a conscious effort not to complain about the heat while in Cebu :P

Today is the Day

When I opened my blog today, this is what captured my attention :)

Today, Jhay and I celebrate 6 years of love and happiness. Just like what I posted in my Facebook wall, I still can't believe that we've been together that long because he still makes my heart skip a beat. Spending Saturdays and Sundays with him still gives me that bliss and energy to soldier on another 5 days of work because I know that come weekend, it's gonna be him and me again. One whisper of I love you, a sweet kiss and a tight embrace from him still makes the world a better place. I guess that's how it feels when you're with "The One", and I'll always be thankful that I've spent almost a quarter of my life this in love.

Happy 6th Anniversary, babe! I love you, forever will.

P.S. It's Cebu in a few hours! Can hardly wait! ^_^

Cebu, Here We Come!

Everytime I check my blog, a part of me gets worried because the clock is ticking (see sidebar gadget :P) and I haven't made the first step yet for our 6th anniversary. But today, with 1 month 3 weeks and 2 days left, I have booked us a flight to Cebu! Hurray!

Well it's not the cheapest of CebuPac fares but I grabbed it because I feel that time is running out. Also, our flight is scheduled a day after our actual anniversary but I'd like to think it's a good choice because I'll be able to celebrate with Mom on her 43rd birthday. I don't think I'll be completely happy knowing that Mom might be making tampo. So yeah, June 5-8 it is!

Next task, itinerary! :D

Suggestions? Shoot me a comment.

Thanks in advance,