Sunday 14 August 2016

Sing Sing Meat Shop and Restaurant [REVIEW]

 
 
In some days, you just have this strong craving for meat--particularly grilled meat. Who can't resist the sound of the sizzling fat melting away while the meat touches the hot iron grill? Well, I can't! I'm sure one hell of a meat lover myself so I love the thought of grilling scrumptious and juicy meat!

If you want to satisfy your craving for grilled meat + good tasting Korean dishes and you're from the south, Sing Sing Meat Shop and Restaurant might be the one for you. Yes, it's a meat shop. As you enter the establishment, one side of it is a meat shop wherein you can choose and buy from different cuts of quality meat and on the farther side, there are Korean-style tables placed on an elevated floor where you can experience a sure Asian style kind of dining. So, it's a meat shop and a restaurant in one; clever indeed. Plus, the place is clean!

I apologize for not having to take a photo of the shop/restaurant from the outside, at that time, we were just out from our night classes in law school, and we sure are damn hungry! I'm sure Google will help you on this :)

Another apology for not being able to take a photo of the menu--again, the "I'm-too-hungry-to-remember-things" reason applies. Google will again save you :)

But what we had was the unlimited samgyupsal or the unlimited grilled meat paired with several Korean side dishes to compliment it. If you are on a budget but wanted to indulge yourself in eating grilled meat, this one I suggest the most. We opted for a mix of grilled pork belly and beef just so we can have a taste of both. We were charged P380/person for the unlimited samgyupsal meal.
 
When having samgyupsal, the grilled meat is wrapped in a lettuce leaf together with the side dishes of your choice or condiments then just put the whole thing in your mouth. Kinda messy and difficult at first because you have to shove a big wrap of leaf and meat into your mouth--but you'll get the hang of it!
 
beef and pork belly pieces are being grilled in this Korean flat iron grill
 
from the looks of it, you can tell it's a fresh and cleat cut of meat
 
you can't go samgyupsal-ing without the side dishes!
Egg rolls, then some sort of meat patties (torta style), Korean onion chive pancake, and fresh serving of green lettuce leaves
 
kimchi, of course. Tastes good really.
 
I really love this one! I don't know what it is called, but it's a cold salad of shredded lettuce and onion chives I think with sweet and spicy Korean dressing.
 
***side dishes can be refilled twice!***
 

these bowl of boiling soups served in an earthenware came with our unlimited samgyupsal meal.
Top: a spicy broth which I guess is a miso based one
Bottom: a non-spicy broth with fish cakes with very light seasoning
 
our server that night, she helped and assisted us at first in grilling, but then we decided to just grill it ourselves

sorry for my serious face, I was really "into" it

Over all, we had a wonderful experience. Me and my friends were really satisfied by the service of the staff, and the meat was really tasty and fresh. It's not as expensive tasting as it is compared to high end cuts from expensive hotels and restaurant, but I'm sure you'll get your money's worth and your belly full. P380 for an unlimited grilling of beef and pork? Not bad! You can also opt to order chicken if you do not prefer pork or beef.
 
Oh, and did I mention, that after your meal, they offer free hot or iced coffee? Panalo!
 
And do not worry, they do not only offer samgyupsal, there are other dishes offered in their menu just check it out!
 
I'd gladly recommend eating here and I would surely come back.
 
photo by Mai Reamico
 
Big thanks to my friend Mai for taking some of the pics for me. She got a good eye on a good angle in taking photos, so, thank you beks! ;)
 
Located at 268 - A Aguirre Ave,BF Homes, ParaƱaque, 1720 Metro Manila

Sunday 7 August 2016

How to Choose the Right Shade of Red Lipstick

For starters in make-up, what's important is that they should get a hold of of their very own lipstick wherein the shade was personally chosen by them. Who wouldn't want a red lipstick in their make-up drawer? Even newbies are going gaga over several shades of red lipstick by different brands whether inexpensive or high-end.

But many do not really know, and not aware of is that, choosing the right shade of red lipstick should match your skin color. "WHAT?!" "So, does that mean, that what I'm using right now doesn't really compliment me or my skin complexion?" "..Darling, the truth hurts. But it'll definitely set you free"

So yeah. Drama aside, your skin complexion plays a big part in choosing your shade. Also, you have to determine first whether you are in the COOL undertone side or in the WARM one--because there are several shades of red that compliments the cooler tone and same goes to the warmer tone.

The test to determine whether you have a COOL undertone or a WARM undertone is to examine the color of your veins in your arm.

BLUE colored veins = COOL undertone = COOLER REDS, BLUE TONED REDS
GREEN colored veins = WARM undertone = WARMER REDS, CLOSE TO A MIXTURE OF RED AND ORANGE
BLUE & GREEN = either COOL or WARM or mixed = EITHER SHADES WILL SUIT YOU
NO VEINS showing = you got a serious problem boo = ONLY GOD CAN TELL


And to help you out in showing the shades of red that matches you, I have a diagram here that I got online to guide you:


source: diply.com via Pinterest

Source Here
 
 
In my case, I have a WARM undertone evidenced by my green colored veins. That's why I opt to use warmer shades of red:
 
I'm wearing Avon's Ultra Color Matte Lipstick in Matte Ruby M400
 
 
I hope these diagrams will help you in choosing the right shade of red lipstick. It's confusing I know, but if these don't really matter to you, then, by all means, you have the freedom to choose whichever brand and shade you like and what will make you feel confidently beautiful (Holla! Pia Wurtzbach) regardless of what skin tone you have. This is just a little knowledge shared! :)

Are Korean BB Creams for you? [Pinay Edition]


 
Girls are very particular about how our skin would look like and be envious whenever we see someone whose skin is better and as flawless as a porcelain compared to us. It sucks right?
 
We Pinays oftentimes look up to Koreans and Japanese women for they have that smooth, dewy, blemish free, and healthy looking skin--that's why one of the trends we are crazy about in achieving said clear and fresh skin is the use of a beauty/blemish balm or most commonly known as the BB CREAM. Oh, and did I mention that it was popularized by the Koreans and the Japanese?
 
Surprisingly, the invention of said formula was discovered and developed in the 1960s till the 1980s by a German dermatologist named Christine Schrammek but as time pass by  was later introduced and bloomed in 2011 in the U.S. However, not many of us are really aware of its existence or what benefits can we get out of it. All we can conclude is that, it is a wonder cream and nobody uses it better than the Asian people especially the Koreans. 
 
The question is, WHAT REALLY IS A BB CREAM? 
 
To save us some time, www.webmd.com has provided us some quick overview of what a BB Cream is and what can it offer:

uh-huh

oohhh...

oh really now?

 
Having read these and considering the number of benefits it can give you, is it really for you? For us Pinays? Well, the answer is a big YES, but I have to qualify! Indeed, there are still cons in using this product, mainly because of its limited shades that is obviously more favorable to fair and pale complexion. Morenas and skin complexion with yellow undertones like I have can't really use this unless the shade is close to my skin color. If used, it may tend to give a gray cast on your skin, and sometimes, a bright white cast that may obviously look as if it is not really for you. 

 
Here are some snaps when I tried out Organic Farm's Magic BB at the back of my hand:
Written in Korean, I suppose shade no. 1 is lighter than shade no. 2

First drop is shade no. 2 which is obviously darker than the one below it
 
This particular brand has a thick and heavy consistency

I tried blending it, and man it's sticky and thick.
 
Remember I told you about the gray or white cast? Here it is then.

After 5 minutes of letting it settle on my skin, the gray cast on the left side is somewhat showing. However, the white cast is definitely coming through. Sad.
 
 
In conclusion, it's really not for me because of my skin tone. Shade no. 2 is what I hated the most--because it tends to give me that formaline-treated looking skin. Ugh.  However, I sometimes use the lighter one (No. 1) under my eyes to highlight that area and set it with loose powder just like a concealer trick that many are doing. kind of nice to make you look fresh and awake by highlighting your under eye. Of course I have to think of ways not to waste the product y'know. I did not even attempt to try this out on my face, oh it will definitely look horrible! Light to pale, and pink under toned skins would be the best suitable skin to try this product out.
 
Sadly, I do not know the price of these Korean BB Creams because it was only given to me by my good friend who happened to visit Korea. (shout out to Mai!)
 
Again, if you happen to encounter these kind of products, test it out first before purchasing it. Especially if it doesn't match your skin color, it would be a waste of money and time.
 
Lastly, there are many brands out there which you can try out. Do not limit yourself in just one or two. I'm pretty sure there are better and more expensive/inexpensive brands suited to your own liking. EXPERIMENT! :)


Sunday 31 July 2016

Classic Savory Restaurant [REVIEW]



For those of you who craves for a classic inexpensive Filipino-Chinese cuisine, you might want to consider and visit Classic Savory restaurant. It is a simple, clean yet classy restaurant wherein it serves fresh, delectable and unpretentious Filipino-Chinese dishes which will definitely satisfy your Asian food craving. 

 


The branch we visited was the one at SM Muntinlupa National Highway, Tunasan, Muntinlupa City.   The restaurant can be easily found because it is just located at its ground floor. Oh, and a little caution: it is not advisable to go there during weekends especially during lunch hours because I am telling you, that place is jam packed with hungry people waiting in line to be seated! This particular branch is not so spacious  to accommodate the wave of people coming so, you might want to go there early or just be as patient as we were! Lol
Here's a snap of their menu:

 


 
 
Classic Savory opens from 10am-9pm

 
The dishes we ordered:
 
    1. Hot and Sour Soup 



     
  • Firstly, I want to applaude them for this generous amount of serving considering its justifiable price (see menu), for a group of 5-6 people, this will surely quench your thirst for soup. Secondly, let's discuss the taste-- this is not the best I have tasted so far (I personally love Wee Nam Kee's), the sourness of the soup really tasted like raw acid. I mean, it doesn't have that clean sharp taste of dark vinegar like the other recipes for hot and sour. It tastes exactly like a regular suka (vinegar). It's really sour that it really forgot the other element which is the hotness/spiciness of the soup--all I tasted was the sourness. I actually had to sprinkle a dash of salt and pepper to my liking just so my palate can be save from all those sourness! Lastly, I have to give it to them, the other components of the soup like the meat, mushrooms, veggies, thickness and color of the soup is perfect. It's tolerable.
Rating: 2.5/5
 
    2. Miki Bihon Binondo
  • Filipinos are suckers for pancit! I myself are one of them! Classic Savory has a wide variety of noodle dishes where you can choose from a soup base dish or a stir fried one. This particular dish is claimed to be their best selling noodle dish together with their Long Life Pancit Canton. I really love how the noodles are very well seasoned and not over cooked. Most pancits are very oily and sweet, sometimes, too salty for my liking--but this one is very delicious! What I really appreciate is their special kikiam on top of every serving of this dish. It is not your typical kikiam that you've tasted in the streets. This one has big chunks of meat and veggies minus the awful preservatives. Ratio of noodles and veggies is quite reasonable. Thank you to our Chinese friends who greatly influenced Binondo in terms of food.
  • Rating: 4/5
     
    3. Sweet and Sour Pork
  • Not really a fan of any sweet and sour dish to be honest and what aggravates my unlikeliness to eat this dish is that the pork cutlet should be crispy and kind of thick. I'm quite upset because the pieces of deep fried pork is so thin that i thought I'm eating a tapa. Not crispy as well--I'm very sad. But have to commend them for the taste. Decent though. 
Rating: 3.5/5
 
    4. Lumpiang Shanghai
     
 
 
  • Famous dish in every party here in the Philippines, lumpiang shanghai is that one food that can't be ommitted in every food gathering. It may also be called egg rolls and others call it spring rolls. I call it shanghai lol. It's a tasty deep fried roll wrapped in a flour made wrapper wherein the filling is a mixture of meat,veggies and asian seasonings. They serve 16 pieces of these in a platter which I think is a very good deal for a dining family of 4-5. Did I also tell you that the filling is unpretentious and very generous? Siksik sa laman is a good way to describe it. 
Rating: 5/5
 
    5. Chopseuy
  • In every family eating out, there's always mom asking for a veggie dish. But let me tell you something about this, it's bland. I don't know if a veggie dish was suppose to be that tasteless in order for you to get a hold of that "crisp" and "real" taste of the vegetables.  My mom even complained that the veggie dish was at least 80% made with cabbage. Chopseuy is a stir fried dish with an assortment of veggies--here in the photo you can clearly tell that what we ordered was a stir fried cabbage! Lol other components such as the meat, liver and shrimp are not really generously incorporated in the dish. Sad.
 
Rating: 2/5
 
 
    6. Fish Fillet Tofu Chili Garlic
     
  • Lately I've been craving for fish dishes as it was kind of healthy and low in fat. This dish is very worthy of your every penny. The serving was really a lot and big blocks of deep fried cream dory and tofu was wedded in a chili garlic sauce. If you're not a big fan of garlic, then dont bother. If you're not used to eating fish, likewise do not bother. At least give it a try anyway. The sauce might taste a little bit salty, but it is suppose to be eaten with rice, so don't worry; it will be a perfect balance after all. Fish is so clean and mild, definitely no over powering fishy taste. 
Rating: 5/5


For our drinks, we just opted to have some glasses of water because that's how we roll ;)




Disclaimer: This is not my first time to eat in this restaurant, however, the dishes that I will be featuring haven't been tasted by me in any circumstance and I just also wanted to try something new for myself, you could try it too--any negative or partial comment made in this blog is only for the purpose of constructive criticism and is only MY personal opinion and liking. This post is not intended to prejudice, discourage or offend any individual, restaurant owners or their cooks. So, hold your horses! If you don't like it, then don't try it ;) not forcing you.✌