I was actually surprised to receive several “Happy 1st Anniversary” messages from family and friends. Not one who’s very good at remembering birthdays, it totally blew my mind that they actually remembered that one year ago, Toyang & Tweety and her Hubby Sweet made the promise of all promises before God and the ones they hold dear:
To be one heart and one soul,
From this day forward,
For better, for worse,
For richer, for poorer,
In sickness and in health,
Until death do us part.
YAHOOOOOOOOOO!!! =D
Apparently, my friends actually kept our wedding invitation in their “active” CD collection so it’s not that they actually remembered. They were just reminded when they inadvertently decided to play our wedding CD that day. Hahaha!
I suppose every girl wants to mak
e a big deal about “firsts”. Instead of an anniversary day, therefore, I was adamant about turning it into an anniversary weekend instead—starting as soon as he picked me up from work Friday evening. =)
No biggie Friday evening though. I just told him that in honor of our first anniversary, I'd love to eat in another restaurant. Any restaurant except Zaifu (which is Hubby S’s restaurant-of-choice in Rockwell)! He probably saw the desperation in my eyes (hahaha!), and allowed me to pick the dining place that night.
‘Thought of Brazil! Brazil! and its never-ending parade of BBQd meat and fabulously delicious side-dish buffet, but the cholesterol orgy somehow didn’t feel right. Not on that night anyway.
I felt like steak. Special occasions deserve to be celebrated with steak. Real, honest-to-goodness, juicy, wonderfully-marbled steak. Hmmmnnnnn…..^_^
Hubby Sweet and I walked around and discovered Myron’s. Yey!
I suppose every girl wants to mak
e a big deal about “firsts”. Instead of an anniversary day, therefore, I was adamant about turning it into an anniversary weekend instead—starting as soon as he picked me up from work Friday evening. =)No biggie Friday evening though. I just told him that in honor of our first anniversary, I'd love to eat in another restaurant. Any restaurant except Zaifu (which is Hubby S’s restaurant-of-choice in Rockwell)! He probably saw the desperation in my eyes (hahaha!), and allowed me to pick the dining place that night.
‘Thought of Brazil! Brazil! and its never-ending parade of BBQd meat and fabulously delicious side-dish buffet, but the cholesterol orgy somehow didn’t feel right. Not on that night anyway.
I felt like steak. Special occasions deserve to be celebrated with steak. Real, honest-to-goodness, juicy, wonderfully-marbled steak. Hmmmnnnnn…..^_^
Hubby Sweet and I walked around and discovered Myron’s. Yey!
MYRON’S STEAKS, RIBS & SEAFOOD
Being in the middle of The Powerplant “food court”, I honestly did not expect much from the place. Having been generally happy with the dining places in Rockwell, how
ever, I knew it wasn’t going to be half-bad. I just did not expect it to be great. Which it surprisingly was! Myron’s was good. Really, really, really good! It was real, honest-to-goodness, juicy, wonderfully marbled steak! Yum! ^_^
Now, while other restaurants would have their own special marinade to make the dish "unique", Myron’s just thankfully let the rib-eye be. I mean, I’m sure it’s marinated and all, but the marinade still allowed the natural goodness of meat to come through as opposed to layering it under slops of BBQ sauce, etc. (which, by the way, is something Toyang & Tweety considers a sacrilege).
ever, I knew it wasn’t going to be half-bad. I just did not expect it to be great. Which it surprisingly was! Myron’s was good. Really, really, really good! It was real, honest-to-goodness, juicy, wonderfully marbled steak! Yum! ^_^Now, while other restaurants would have their own special marinade to make the dish "unique", Myron’s just thankfully let the rib-eye be. I mean, I’m sure it’s marinated and all, but the marinade still allowed the natural goodness of meat to come through as opposed to layering it under slops of BBQ sauce, etc. (which, by the way, is something Toyang & Tweety considers a sacrilege).
Oh, and in case sister Pusjing is reading this post, for P495++ per person, it's actually a good deal! =)
I ordered mine with a side-dish of f
ries, medium-rare (yes, I like things bloody). Hubby Sweet had his with mash potatoes, medium-well. Both were perfectly done! Well done! With all pun fully intended. =)
In addition to our preferred side-dishes, our steaks were also served with braised (blanched?) veggies and olive-oil infused roasted garlic to die for! Yum, yum, yum! I spread each clove on my steak and enjoyed its rich garlic-olive oil flavor as the meat practically melted in my mouth.
If there’s anything I regret about my order in Myron’s, it is that I ordered The Paolo (5oz) instead of The Louie (10oz). Coming from a sales rally, I thought I was not too hungry and thought that a 10-oz steak with sidings would be too much. WRONG! With steak that good, size does matter. And, yes, I say this with all the regret I could muster: I should have gone for the bigger slab!
I ordered mine with a side-dish of f
ries, medium-rare (yes, I like things bloody). Hubby Sweet had his with mash potatoes, medium-well. Both were perfectly done! Well done! With all pun fully intended. =)In addition to our preferred side-dishes, our steaks were also served with braised (blanched?) veggies and olive-oil infused roasted garlic to die for! Yum, yum, yum! I spread each clove on my steak and enjoyed its rich garlic-olive oil flavor as the meat practically melted in my mouth.
If there’s anything I regret about my order in Myron’s, it is that I ordered The Paolo (5oz) instead of The Louie (10oz). Coming from a sales rally, I thought I was not too hungry and thought that a 10-oz steak with sidings would be too much. WRONG! With steak that good, size does matter. And, yes, I say this with all the regret I could muster: I should have gone for the bigger slab!
Tip: The difference between The Paolo and The Louie is thickness, with The Paolo being just a thinner version of The Louie. Since I actually like my steaks thick, I tried asking if it would be OK to have the 10-oz “halved” instead—as I normally request whenever I share my steak with anybody. It has always been OK at Melo’s, Outback or any of the other great steak places. Not so at Myron’s so that’s how I ended up with the thinner slice. =( No biggie. I have learned to just go for the bigger size next time! =)THE TRIP BACK TO LAGO DE ORO
They say any “daddy’s girl” would inevitably marry someone who somehow reminds her of her own father. I am—beyond the shadow of any doubt—a daddy’s girl to the nth power! Haha! 'Am not too sure about the infallibility of this theory, but there is one thing common between Hubby Sweet and Father. It will take a bulldozer to wake them up, and a lot of hemming and hawing to get them on their feet during weekdays, but they’d be up before 4:00 a.m. puttering around the house as soon as Saturday rolls in!
Father wakes up before 4:00 a.m. for golf.
Hubby Sweet, I realize now, would wake up before 4:00 a.m. for anything remotely associated with wakeboarding or surfing.
And so it goes that we found our
selves on this particular rainy, foggy Saturday morning in mid-July driving to—of all places—Calatagan! For better, for worse….HAHAHA! (That’s the downside of getting married in July. We chose the date not because it had any particular significance to us, but because it’s summer in most other countries and would therefore be the one month in the year that would allow the majority of Hubby S’s relatives to come home to Manila for the wedding. Drizzle during the wedding day. Rain during the anniversary. Oh, joy! Hahaha. =P)
In any case, we did say we’d be back in Lago soon after our brief trip there with cousin Dooders and special girl MJ. We decided to make an anniversary weekend out of it. ‘Wish I could say that I was finally able to make the rounds this time, but NO. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!! I think I have to seriously work on building my upper-body strength, because no matter how “correc
t” my position was at every turn, the stupid cable still kept on yanking me forward, slamming me straight into the murky water! (For the record, yes, I still maintain that it's the cable that's stupid, not me! WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! Hahaha! 'P)
I signed up for a half-day turn; Hubby Sweet was adamant about going for the whole-day experience. By the time 11:30 rolled in, the wind was getting stronger and the water was getting so choppy, I was literally bouncing on it. With a full hour still allowed for the a.m. sessioners, I decided to hang my life jacket up nonetheless. =) Thinking he still had the entire afternoon to wakeboard, Hubby S agreed to go for lunch.
Father wakes up before 4:00 a.m. for golf.
Hubby Sweet, I realize now, would wake up before 4:00 a.m. for anything remotely associated with wakeboarding or surfing.
And so it goes that we found our
selves on this particular rainy, foggy Saturday morning in mid-July driving to—of all places—Calatagan! For better, for worse….HAHAHA! (That’s the downside of getting married in July. We chose the date not because it had any particular significance to us, but because it’s summer in most other countries and would therefore be the one month in the year that would allow the majority of Hubby S’s relatives to come home to Manila for the wedding. Drizzle during the wedding day. Rain during the anniversary. Oh, joy! Hahaha. =P)In any case, we did say we’d be back in Lago soon after our brief trip there with cousin Dooders and special girl MJ. We decided to make an anniversary weekend out of it. ‘Wish I could say that I was finally able to make the rounds this time, but NO. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!! I think I have to seriously work on building my upper-body strength, because no matter how “correc
t” my position was at every turn, the stupid cable still kept on yanking me forward, slamming me straight into the murky water! (For the record, yes, I still maintain that it's the cable that's stupid, not me! WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! Hahaha! 'P)I signed up for a half-day turn; Hubby Sweet was adamant about going for the whole-day experience. By the time 11:30 rolled in, the wind was getting stronger and the water was getting so choppy, I was literally bouncing on it. With a full hour still allowed for the a.m. sessioners, I decided to hang my life jacket up nonetheless. =) Thinking he still had the entire afternoon to wakeboard, Hubby S agreed to go for lunch.
Unlike the other wakeboarde
rs who knew better and therefore brought their own packed lunch, Hubby Sweet and I trooped over to the Lago de Oro cafe. We had dined there before. The food's not bad, but it isn't great. When you consider that even the "budget meals" are @ P225++, their standing on the value-for-money meter sinks much lower.....(The picture shows my "budget meal" as taken from my cell camera. =( )
rs who knew better and therefore brought their own packed lunch, Hubby Sweet and I trooped over to the Lago de Oro cafe. We had dined there before. The food's not bad, but it isn't great. When you consider that even the "budget meals" are @ P225++, their standing on the value-for-money meter sinks much lower.....(The picture shows my "budget meal" as taken from my cell camera. =( )Still, we were both dripping wet and hungry, and darn it, it is our anniversary weekend! We would just have to make the most out of it. =)
The resort is run (and probably owned) by a foreigner. I'm guessing he's Italian because the only unquestionably great thing on the menu was the wood-fired-oven-bak
ed thin crust pizza. We had a Supremo this time with Italian Sausages and the works. It's good, but I still liked the simpler Margherita that we ordered the last time we were there with Dooders and MJ.
ed thin crust pizza. We had a Supremo this time with Italian Sausages and the works. It's good, but I still liked the simpler Margherita that we ordered the last time we were there with Dooders and MJ. Since I was hungry, I also ordered Chicken Schnitzel with a side order of fries (SBD-diet begone! Waaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!), while Hubby Sweet decided to go for the Bam-i. (For carbo-loading daw in preparation for the afternoon session. For the record, he orders pancit everytime he gets a chance.) The schnitzel was dry, but I suppose it's my fault that I did not anticipate it to be dry--it being made with white meat and all. The Bam-i was actually good but I still think it's a tad overpriced.
Thin-crust pizza the size of a dinner plate .............P 325.00
Goofy plate (a.k.a. chicken schnitzel with fries).............P 220.00
Bam-i (a.k.a. pancit canton with bihon)...........P 360.00
Drinks (1 coke light, plus 2 H20)..............P 153.00
GRAND TOTAL ...P 1,058.00
(SFX: Ka-ching! Ka-ching! Ka-ching! Ka-ching!!!!!!!)
Trust me, if you ever find yourself in Lago de Oro, spend your money on the wakeboarding experience, but bring your own baon! There are better ways to spend a thousand pesos. =)
We were done way before 1:30 p.m., with Hubby Sweet rushing off to maximize the afternoon run. By this time, however, the serious wakeboarders have arrived (I suppose it makes sense to say that only the serious wakeboarders will insist on driving to Calatagan in that kind of weather, hahaha!). With Hubby Sweet still trying to muster the courage to go for it in the face of all the pros (hehe =)), I decided to take the time to wander around. Earlier that day, as I was carrying my kneeboard back to the dock, I chanced upon one of the hired hands. Taking the opportunity to rest, I engaged him in small talk. 
"Manong, pinagbibili niyo yung buhok ng tupa?" I asked, noting that the lambs' fur had just been recently shaven.
"Ay, di po. Tinatapon lang namin pagkagupit namin sa kanila," he replied, his Batangueno accent thick and distinct, "Mainit kase pag mahaba buhok nila."
"Ah, ganun po ba? So alaga niyo lang sila?" I asked curiously.
"Ay, hindi po," he replied, looking at me like I've just landed from outer space, "Kinakatay po. Lamb chops para dun sa restaurant. Minsan, binebenta din sa palengke."
WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!! Tanong pa kasi ako ng tanong! Hay! =(
For some strange reason, discovering their morbid fate earlier that day made me even more adamant about taking the flock's pic. Weird ba? =) Ay, ewan!
After taking a million and on
e shots--while holding a golf umbrella to keep the camera from getting wet--I decided to go back to the dock. The wind was getting stronger, and I decided I didn't want to suffer the humiliation of being pulled violently in all directions by an inverted umbrella, visions of a wa-poise Mary Poppins playing in my head. Hahaha! 'P
e shots--while holding a golf umbrella to keep the camera from getting wet--I decided to go back to the dock. The wind was getting stronger, and I decided I didn't want to suffer the humiliation of being pulled violently in all directions by an inverted umbrella, visions of a wa-poise Mary Poppins playing in my head. Hahaha! 'PBy this time, even Hubby Sweet was getting frustrated, not just with the choppy waters, but also with the long lines. After one video shot of him going around on a full knee-boarding run, we decided to call it a day. We'd just have to take another trip back. In the meantime, it was time to go to Tagaytay where we had made arrangements to stay the night.
THE BOUTIQUE BED & BREAKFAST
Overnight stays in Tagaytay are usually spent @ Tagaytay Highlands. Not this time. I had deliberately stayed away from the tried and tested, and decided to surprise Hubby Sweet with something new. After a thorough search through several internet blogs, I chanced upon The Boutique Bed & Breakfast. I originally thought of going for Discovery Country Suites, but felt that, while beautiful, the rooms were much too traditional for our taste. The Boutique was different. It piqued my interest because it had the audacity to be bold about its intentions.
THE BOUTIQUE BED & BREAKFAST
Overnight stays in Tagaytay are usually spent @ Tagaytay Highlands. Not this time. I had deliberately stayed away from the tried and tested, and decided to surprise Hubby Sweet with something new. After a thorough search through several internet blogs, I chanced upon The Boutique Bed & Breakfast. I originally thought of going for Discovery Country Suites, but felt that, while beautiful, the rooms were much too traditional for our taste. The Boutique was different. It piqued my interest because it had the audacity to be bold about its intentions.
Situated along the Tagaytay Ridge, it was supposedly an old house converted into a mini-hotel. If you weren't looking for it, it would be easy to miss its stark white facade--which apparently extends to its stark white, black and chrome interiors. (Hint for those not yet in the know: it's across the church! =))
The Boutique has only seven rooms. There are no room numbers in this hotel. Its rooms are all quite appropriately named after the different stages of love.
I Dream.
I Lust.
I Desire.
I Dare.
I Escape.
I Surrender.
I Love.
I had originally wanted to book I Lust (haha!), but apparently being the most popular, it had already been reserved for the weekend. So what the heck, We Dared!
The room was quite pricey @ P7,700 net per night. When I booked it, I admittedly managed to do so only by repeating a particular mantra:
It's your first anniversary....it's OK for you guys to blow P7,000 plus on a room for just one night....It's your first anniversary....it's OK for you guys to blow P7,000 plus on a room for just one night....It's your first....Hahaha! 'P
That, and a lot of inner dialogues in a supreme effort to silence the irritatingly rational voice in my head, "The charges include aroma-therapy toiletries, and breakfast-in-bed! OK????!!!! Quit analyzing!!!" Hahaha! Yeah, yeah. =P
Thankfully, The Boutique did not disappoint. If you were to ask me where I would have spent our first anniversary--knowing what I know now--I'd still say "The Boutique. The white house. The one along the ridge in Tagaytay." =)
More than the tastefully done interiors and the subtle opulence (as oxymoronic as that may sound), it's really the staff's attention to the gazillion and one details that made the entire experience more special, and ultimately, so worth the price we paid. As soon as we entered the room and saw the gigantic bed and the numerous, multi-shaped pillows, I knew we would love it there. Hubby Sweet was sooooo moved, he actually s
aid, "Tweet, when we finally build our real house, I want our room to look like this." Haha! =)
The bed and the pillows did not just look cozy, they actually were. Hubby Sweet and I were reduced to kids moving pillows around to prop ourselves up. Ang dami-dami! Hahaha. Ang saya-saya! 'P
aid, "Tweet, when we finally build our real house, I want our room to look like this." Haha! =)The bed and the pillows did not just look cozy, they actually were. Hubby Sweet and I were reduced to kids moving pillows around to prop ourselves up. Ang dami-dami! Hahaha. Ang saya-saya! 'P
The following morning, Hubby Sweet's first words said it all, "Tweety! Ang galing ng bed na 'to. Kahit ilang beses ako pa-ikot-ikot sa pagtulog, di ako nahuhulog!" HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! 'P
Tired and sore from Lago de Oro, we decided to have a massage before dinner. The Boutique does not have an in-house spa. I suppose they just have a masseuse on-call because they asked for a 30-minute leeway to allow for travel time when we tried to arrange for a couples' massage session. It did not take too long for our masseuse to arrive (seriously, may plural ba ang masseuse? =)). We found out that one used to work at Nurture Spa, while the other used to work at Highlands Spa before they decided to do freelance work. I suppose that means we were literally in good hands. =)
As the lights dimmed, I felt my tired and sore muscles melt away.
'Twas a good way to de-stress before dinner.
All for now though. 'Will leave the rest of The Boutique experience for another blog. =)
2 comments:
wow! one year ago na pala since we last party with the Brass Munkeys! hehe!
happy anniversary to you and "hubby sweet"!!!
as the 3 Momoys' fave and standard speech goes, "may your marriage be modern enough to survive the times, but also be old-fashioned enough to last forever." :)
Hahaha! Thanks, Emi! Hi to Ricki (tama spelling? =)) and Evan. =) So! Babalik pa ba kayo sa Manila? =)
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