since i have work today, i've decided to have a very healthy sumptuous dinner. i must tell you, burnz really introduced and made me love greens even more nowadays. i have always loved greens but its not a regular staple on the table may it be at home or dining outside. with burnz, as much as possible, its our starter whenever we dine out. last tuesday, while doing yoga at the yoga center (my last yoga session before the lenten season), my yoga teacher really encouraged everybody to go vegetarian. i for one can't let go of meat in just a snap of a finger! lol... so, having heard this from my yoga teacher, i told her and the rest, "sa mga interesado, mauna muna kau... ako, di ko pa kaya! ayokong magpakaplastic! masarap ang humba! hahaha"... of course, such statement elicited laughter from everybody. :) at the back of my mind though, i said to myself, "i'll do this slowly if i really want to live a healthy life and look years younger than my age!"... chos! hahaha :) ... after my yoga session last tuesday, i haven't eaten any meat yet, only fish! oh diva? hahaha :)... so for today, i choose to eat a big bowl of healthy greens! todo na toh, walang kokontra! hahaha :) ... i really made an effort to go to the grocery and prepare this meal in the office. :)

so, after i feasted myself with a large bowl of greens, i had a hard time finishing the pear as i was so full na! hahaha! :) by the way, my recipe for this green is almost the same to that of Cafe Georg. I didnt include olives and feta cheese coz its mahalia fuentes, as in! di na kaya ng budget! instead, i used other ingredients that would compliment the greens. it was still good, nontheless! :)

if you want the recipe for this salad, just email me. :)

P.S. - burnz, be proud of me! hahaha :) ... see you soon! miss you! :)

tight hugs,
AC

after burnz and i had dinner at Maya, we decided to check out Dolce Cafe for sweets and coffee, located at Panorama Heights, Nivel Hills, Lahug Cebu City. 

Dolce is an italian word wich means gently and sweetly, according to my research. hehe :)

there's another signage that says, Belle Fleur, a french term which means, beautiful flower. im not so sure why two languages (french and italian) were used to be portrayed in a cafe. usually, if the concept is italian, it should be italian all the way, and so on... anyways, this two signages just got me confused as to which title is being accorded to the cafe... hmmm :)

this chandelier caught  my attention first when i entered the cafe. sosyal, luv this! :)

ok, here's the thing, this is an upscale modern design cafe but i don't agree much on the structure where they use blackboard-ish type of menu for people to look at when they order. the chalk writing fades, and some descriptions are not readable. i suggest they use a signage type of menu where there's a back light coz it matches their modern chic theme. the likes of bo's coffee and starbucks, etc... the cake fridge is quite small since i can see plastic with fruits placed in there at the bottom most part when i was there. plus, the top of the cake fridge has a crowded display, there's too much going on there. on the right side, this is where we can see different turn-over croissant bread but they were not arranged properly. different from what we usually see in bread & pastry shops. it was like it was just placed there, that's all. at least, they could have put art on how they display things to make it look orderly and more enticing to buy. also, if you notice the people inside the main counter, they look crowded, as in!
i've read from other blogs that the interiors were designed by Holly Dychangco. her sister, Sally Dychangco, i guess, also manages the cafe. i am inclined to assume that the two ladies you see on the pic above, inside the cafe counter, are the owners. hehe :)

for me, these cabinets and fridge are so off talaga... the fridge is empty, i really took notice of it when i was there. lol... the white cabinets have wines and different mugs, ala starbucks ang show but for me, having it there was a poor choice... it doesnt stand out, it looks like a mini bodega na tinambakan ng kung anik anik...no offense ha, hindi lang talaga bagay... im not an architect or an interior designer pero i know naman what looks good and doesnt look good, at least, in my own opinion. chos! to make things worse, there are two small chest freezers na visible, kaloka! at parang may mop pa talaga sa likod ng chest freezer, can you see it?! lol :) ... the kitchen, i must say is also inside the main counter! when burnz and i were chatting at our table, kumalampag ang mga pinggan at baso! gosh! hahaha! 

there are beautiful pieces of furniture to take note of inside naman. mala cobonpue ang peg ng mga ito but i didn't take a closer look na kasi i notice may mga nakalagay na description na naka tape sa mga pieces, and since nobody was using it, or nobody dared to use it, i assumed, it was for display purposes only... hahaha ... next time, when i do a review, papasukin ko na lahat ng sulok and take pictures para complete lahat ng reviews ko. hehehe :) others kasi, they blog and just say all the beautiful things but for me, i dont think its right... i cant say that its delicious when its not, sorry. or say that its beautiful when its not, again, in humble personal opinion... im just being honest... hahaha

in fairness, these are real flowers that they used as a center piece on each table. its really NICE! bagay xa sa peg na modern chic design! :) i must say that the white furnitures (tables and chairs) they have in their cafe is really sosyal, maganda and matibay. so bet ko ang mga ito. chos! hahaha :)

burnz got the double brownie cake and i got myself the red velvet. the red velvet cake is just ok. the taste of the filling is average, the cake alone, the red crust, its also ok... if i have to rate this red velvet cake from a scale of 1 to 5, nasa 3 ang rating nya for me. for the double brownie, i'll have to rate it at 3 pa rin.. the filling is ok but the cake crust is not moist. by the way, they sell these cakes for 100 pesos each. for me, it should only be sold at 70 to 80 pesos each, from its taste. just my opinion. chos! haha :) 

ok, this is an over-looking outdoor lounge of the cafe. you can view the city from here. landscape is good and the big circular lights are really good to look at, very modern talaga. i made sure that i wont be able to capture what's on the inner right side coz its a bodega of old fixtures! kaloka! hahahaha.... hope they fix it naman at hindi yung ang tinatabihan ng mga customers nila is bodega. i find it just so not right. anyways, im not fond of outdoors pag gabi coz of the lamok! chos! hahaha :)

im not saying that pangit ang Dolce Cafe, it needs a lot of improvement lang talaga. hopefully, next time i visit the place, baka bongga na talaga xa in all aspects! sayang lang, kasi the interior decorator is also the owner of the building tapos ganito ang kinalabasan, diba? the building itself kasi is really maganda, in fairness. yun nga lang, the interior, hindi masyado pinagisipan. we'll see as the days pass, babalik ako dito to check kung may bagong ganap! chos! haha :)

in fairness, nakakaganda ang lights nila dito! swak for picture taking! hindi halata ang mga pores mo sa ganitong lighting! chos! hahaha

tight hugs,
AC

last saturday, march 31, burnz and i had dinner at Maya, a mexican restaurant, located at Crossroads, Banilad, Cebu City. from its main entrance, you'll know that its a posh resto as you'll be greeted with beautiful art pieces hanged on the wall. from the name itself, Maya, the mesoamerican civilization who are widely known for their influence in the arts and architecture. this resto really depicts the rich culture of the mayan civilization. its really sosyal, as in! :) ... to my dear readers, read on as I'll be honest and candid with my reviews. my reviews are of my personal opinion of how i see, feel and think of the place and food is. i'll describe them to the best of my ability. chos! hahaha :)

as you enter, you'll be greeted with dim lights... the ambiance is really luxurious and elegant... its the type of place where you really need to be prim and proper... their bar seems to offer a pricey range of drinks, from beer to cocktails. lol :)

fronting the bar, i was greeted with a long dining table. and the pink container for their lighting really really caught my attention! hahahaha... so feminine, luv the contrast! 

at the bar, we were greeted by their friendly staffs... we instructed them that we'll be dining at the 2nd floor. burnz went to the loo (call of nature). i was just shocked to see Holy Images displayed beside the loo. i was really bothered as to why, of all places, beside the loo! my gosh, naloka ako! these are the pics of the Sto. Niño, God the father, Mother Mary , Baby Jesus and so on. look at the pics above... im sorry but i must take offense of the location... it should not be beside the loo, please lang! i suggest that they remove the images since it doesn't relate naman to their mayan theme. maookray kayo ng pari when they see this! lol :)...when we're about to go up, we were greeted with different painted skulls at the stairs, kaloka! mayan execution ang theme! hahaha :)

when we're at the 2nd floor, we were greeted with another bar, neatly arranged tables and comfy couches! so nice and spacious, plus the dim lights! :)

burnz and i looked for a table where we could sit on a couch and be comfy and feel good! so, we took the corner table. 

after we've settled at our place, we took our orders... its a good thing, they have free tacos for starters! yum! im sure, everyone will agree that the best things in life are those that are free! hahaha :)

we also ordered vegetarian salad, ensalada de jicama (mexican version of veggie salad). hay naku, this is  really my favorite, kakaloka! ginamitan ng coriander vinegrette, ang sarap, sobra! hahaha :) try nyo talaga toh! :)

after the salad, our main courses were served at the same time... ang saya coz the timing is really superb coz by the time you're done devouring the starters, the main course would be served agad... so, walang tigil ang kain, dire-diretso talaga! hahaha :)

for this enchiladas de queso y pollo - the taste is "just" ok... i find it kinda strong for my taste coz of the many spices involved... hahaha... i wont recommend this though. at least im honest na it doesn't suit my taste talaga... hahaha :)

quezadilla camarones is what burnz had. this didn't have too much spice. i like burnz's dish even better than mine! plus, i love salsa too! hahaha :)

here are the pics of their main menu. i really took the time to take pics of these so that you'll have a rough estimate of how much you are to spend if you go to this resto. click on the pics to show a bigger and readable pic! :)

and one last thing, they also deliver! im just not sure if they have a minimum purchase. try to ask them na lang. so, call na! :)

i must say, the staffs here are inglisero, fluent mag-english, bongga! they have really good customer service skills! :)

their website: www.mayacebu.com

tight hugs,
AC