Room Review: Grand Villa Resort and Butterfly Center




The road going to Grand Villa Resort and Butterfly Center was a huge challenge considering that their driver, Peachy, was just learning how to drive. They left home early in the morning to avoid heavy traffic and drove slowly to Laguna and arrived at 11:00AM in the resort.

While checking in, the hotel staff at the reception area seems bothered when Rome’s group registered for an overnight stay. She didn't let them in and told to wait until 2 PM. That was almost three hours of waiting!

Rome, who had a tourism degree and worked as front desk officer in a standard hotel in Palawan, knew that it is the standard check in time being followed around the world. The reason behind is for the hotel to allot 2 hours of cleaning and dressing the room up from check-out (12 nn) before check in time at 2 PM. This rule has been very essential especially when the hotel is fully booked. Guests could request a few hours of extension and early check in but that is subject to room availability. Some hotels are charging for extension or early check in but in Hotel Fleuris Palawan, the hotel where Rome used to work in, they allow guests to check in ahead of time as early as 8 AM if there’s an available room without charging their guests extra. They call it COURTESY.



He didn't complain and they stayed in a small picnic cottage while waiting. The kids were tired and bored. All of them were hungry. Food is not allowed to be brought in and the sunken restaurant by the pool has a limited menu to offer. Most of the dishes that they want from the menu were not available. In the end, they decided to have late lunch later that afternoon outside the resort.

Anney, on the other hand, had an ample opportunity with the kids for photo shooting in every corner of the resort. That time, she doesn't need to bribe them. The resort was deserted, green and clean. There were 5 people in the swimming pool area, three of which were resort’s staff.





The resort's policy in check in/ check out time is very strict. At exactly 1:45 PM, Anney asked the staff at the front desk if they could get into their rooms already but the staff declined and told her to wait for 15 minutes more. It was on the 2PM dot when they were allowed to get inside their respective accommodation. The rooms were not pre-cooled and weren’t previously occupied at all!




Their room is nothing special. The shower is tiled, there's water flowing through the faucet, bed is hard, A/C  didn't bring comfort; hot, old and noisy. The TV and the things inside the room are old and not maintained to its brand new glory but everything is clean and tidy. 

There’s an illusion of creepiness behind the Spanish-Filipino inspired resort but the kids enjoyed the activities and the amenities it offers. I'll tell you more about it on my next post. Adios!





Morning Mist: Open Face Spinach-Tomato Omelet with Oriental Shrimp Topping



At first, I thought it was still early when I woke up today. I was surrounded by clouds and heavy fog when I opened the door. I checked my clock and said it's already 6:30, 22 degrees. Its just a gloomy summer day. The sun was kinda shy to show up and just let the metropolis covered with gray smog.

With a thick cloud of mist enveloping the Manilas's tallest buildings, covering the depressed areas, I felt like I was in a science fiction film.... it was an incredible scene. The calm of the landscape and chilly rolling of the air is a gift to an early riser like me. I watched as the sun peeked,  climbed above the horizon and burned away the mist to reveal the true colors of Manila back to its normal hues after the mist was cleared. Sunshine and trails of clouds adorned the sky, it was a beautiful and magical change.

This kind of day makes me lonely. Back in Palawan, its counterpart is a rocky wildernesses and mist-covered hills, a breath-taking panorama of mist-shrouded and striking silhouettes of trees. Oh, how I miss our country home. I miss my Nanay and the organic food her kitchen serve during this lazy kind of day. So today, since I want to feel natural and organic, I made this leafy omelet to pave the loneliness away.




Ingredients

4-6 pieces medium size shrimp, peeled
Spinach leaves
2 pieces small tomatoes cut into coins
A handful of roasted cashew nuts
Bean sprouts
3 eggs
3 tbsp LADY'S CHOICE Mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped into small bits




Preparation

Cook the toppings first. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and saute garlic and onion until garlic become golden and onion softened. Add the cashew nuts and bean sprouts, cook for about 3-5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Separate the white of the eggs from the yolk. In a bowl, whisk the egg white lightly. Add LADY'S CHOICE Mayonnaise, salt, and pepper together till foamy. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and pour the egg mixture. Add the spinach leaves and cook over medium-low heat until eggs are almost completely set but still moist on top.  

Place on a plate, and arrange your oriental shrimp on top. Serve with toast or garlic bread and fruits.



Morning Star: Eggplant Omelet with Ground Pork Filling



I woke up earlier than usual but I never felt like I want to sleep more. I guess, this is one of those days that I overslept ...and I was. I counted the hours that I've been asleep and its 14 hours, more or less. Sweet! The five weekdays of sleep deprivation were finally paid-off. My mind was clear and I felt light. I brewed  coffee and lit a stick of cigarette.  Ahh, I love solitary mornings like this. It is the finest moment of the day...  It’s a perfect time to reflect and think about feelings and seize a brand new moment of a new day full of all possibilities, promises and essences.

I opened my kitchen curtain and caught a glimpse of the bright morning star gleaming back at me against the black sky …it was breathtaking. The few spectacular moments of the early morning were the splendid change of colors as the sun rises while the glitters of the night slowly fading away. I admired the different shade of blue from dark until pale particularly that narrow, short lived horizontal band of blue green.

The light of the sun approached but the morning star declined to be outshined and continue to shine for a little while. That moment, I received the blessing of a beautiful realization. 

....and so I made a wish upon the morning star before it vanished in the rays of the sun.




Ingredients

250g ground pork
1 small carrot chopped into small cubes
1/3 cup raisins
1 pc thin eggplant, sliced
3 fresh eggs
3 tbsp LADY'S CHOICE Mayonnaise
Salt
white pepper
2 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped into small bits
Italian Seasoning
200 grams tomato sauc
Parmesan Cheese

Side dish:
3 pcs Saba Bananas, sliced and fried or buttered.





Preparation

Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat, saute garlic, onion and carrots in oil and tomato sauce. Cook until the tomato sauce has darkened in color. Add the ground pork and raisins, stir and crumble as it cooks. Brown meat over medium heat, about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. set aside.

In a bowl, whisk eggs lightly. Add LADY'S CHOICE Mayonnaise, salt, and pepper together till foamy. 

In a large skillet, sauté onions in butter and eggplant until cooked. Pour over the egg mixture and cook over medium heat; as the eggs set, lift edges and let the uncooked portion flow underneath. Cook for 5-8 minutes (until it is well set but not too dry). Place on a plate put the pork on top and fold. Top with tomato sauce or tomato ketchup and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Serve while its hot.




My Little Assistant Chef Invites You



Whew! I'ts been a while since I've post here, more than 2 weeks, I guess. We've been very busy with my project cooking Omelet  dishes. Thankfully with the help of Gabi, my niece, I'm almost done and hopefully would be able to finish all 7 omelet dishes next week. I still needs two more omelet recipes, I haven't decided what to cook yet. Could somebody gimme suggestion please? 

By the way, I drop by on here to invite y'all to view my omelet dishes on my this blogpost And hopefully help you prepare not just an ordinary mornings for your families and love ones. See ya there!




Morning Affairs: Chicken Omelet with Mozzarella Cheese Sauce and Lyonnaise Potatoes


Love birds tweets of sensational melodies woke me up and that starts this day.

The Valentine's break of day was so silent that I hear his heart beats in total serenity. His breath was warm, softly whispering in my ear, his arm embracing my waist, and his leg over mine.  The city was still asleep when I opened my eyes and the stillness of early morning was disturbed by the gentle sway of the window curtain… and there was my “Mischievous Him" quietly asleep, so close to me. His angelic face enchants me even when he sleeps.  I ran my fingertips on his nose slowly down to his lips, played my hand through his curly hair and put butterfly kisses on his cheeks.  He moved and let me free but begged to linger longer in bed and I let him be.

I got up and brewed his coffee blend. The aroma that usually persuades him to wake up fills the air in but he decided to miss breakfast and the sweet conversation of our mornings. I sipped my coffee and puffed Marlboro green while listening to our song playing on the radio.

   ....And I wanna walk with you
   On a cloudy day
   In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high
   So won't you try to come....

I made iced coffee just the way he like it, prepared breakfast and wrote a note saying: "Wait for me to go back home tonight ...and turn me on" .


Ingredients

3-5 strips of chicken fillet
3 fresh eggs
3 tbsp LADY'S CHOICE Mayonnaise
Salt
white pepper
2 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped into small bits
Italian Seasoning
Parmesan Cheese




Preparation

Season chicken fillets with salt and pepper. Fry in butter or oil, drain and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk eggs lightly. Add LADY'S CHOICE Mayonnaise, salt, and pepper together till foamy. In a large skillet, sauté onions in butter until cooked. Pour over the egg mixture and cook over medium heat; as the eggs set, lift edges and let the uncooked portion flow underneath. Cook for 5-8 minutes (until it is well set but not too dry). Place on a plate assemble the fried chicken fillets on top and fold. Top with Mozzarella Cheese Sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. (Recipe for Mozzarella Cheese Sauce will be shared on separate occasion).

Serve with Lyonnaise Potatoes on the side, home brewed/iced coffee, strawberries and Nutella.





Note: The story but the recipe is a work of fiction.




Morning Breeze: Asparagus Egg White Omelet with Hollandaise Sauce



The gentleness of the early morning breeze whispered to me like an old fairy godmother, "wake up, dear". I refused and stay in my bed for a little while and felt the extended wintry weather that I love. As day goes by, this kind of weather is slowly fading away to give way to the hot and tropical summer breeze. No more long and blissful sleeping hours. No more snuggling and cuddling close to our love under the warmth of our big blanket.  Really, this crisp thin air of the morning breeze is about to end, I was sad.

Wide awake, I smelled love in the air. Ah, the moment when I finally realized it is already the love month of February. I felt alone and lonely, it literally gave me shievers. But the morning turned out lovely when I opened my window with little bits of chill. It was a bright morning chilled by the whistle of cold breeze... and that gave me enough reason to make this day worth waking for.




Starting this day right, I made an Asparagus Egg White Omelet with Hollandaise Sauce. I failed to make Hollandaise sauce that I've envisioned but it was still beautiful. Nope, I won't share the recipe for that failed Hollandaise Sauce.

Ingredients

12 thin asparagus
3 eggs
3 tbsp LADY'S CHOICE Mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped into small bits
Italian Seasoning




Preparation

Separate 4 pieces asparagus and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and saute garlic and onion until garlic become golden and onion softened. Add all the asparagus and cook until just beginning to be tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Separate the sliced asparagus from the whole and set aside.

Separate the white of the eggs from the yolk (I used the yolks in making the Hollandaise Sauce). In a bowl, whisk the egg white lightly. Add LADY'S CHOICE Mayonnaise, salt, and pepper together till foamy. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the 1/4-inch slices asparagus and pour the egg mixture. Cook over medium-low heat until eggs are almost completely set but still moist on top. Spread asparagus over half the cooked eggs and fold the eggy side up over the asparagus.

Place in a plate, top with Hollaindase sauce, and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Serve with toast and fruits.






Morning Light: Corned Beef Omelet



As always, my phone alarmed its usual tune on the exact time when I less expected it. "Gimme five more minutes and I'm ready to rock the world", I declared to myself while turning the alarm off. The five minutes snooze didn't prolong and it rang again no matter how I begged not to, I turned it off but never leave my bed. Oh, my bed felt so amazing everytime the alarm goes off?...ugh!

I was half awake lurking for nothing in bed until something sweet touched my face - the first hint of morning light. My eyes slowly opened and I can’t help but smile for the first time as I watched a ray of morning light slowly moved in my bed. Ahh, I had a long and well rested night, its time for me to get up.

I got up from bed, opened my kitchen's window up and stretched my arms looking at the dramatic shades of morning light creasing the horizon. I watched it for a minute until I remembered this omelet series project. Immediately, I squeezed some oranges and gulped before I start preparing one of my favorite breakfast dishes of all time, Corned Beef Omelet.





Ingredients:

150 grams Highlands corned beef
3 eggs
3 tbsp LADY'S CHOICE Mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon butter
1 medium red onion, sliced into full moon
1 bulb garlic, sliced and fried.


Preparation


In a bowl, whisk eggs lightly. Add LADY'S CHOICE Mayonnaise, salt, and pepper together till foamy, set aside. In a large skillet, sauté onions in butter until cooked. Pour over the eggs mixture and cook over medium heat; as the eggs set, lift edges and let the uncooked portion flow underneath. Cook for 5-8 minutes (until it is well set but not too dry). Place on a plate.

In same skillet, sauté onions and garlic until onion has softened. Add the corned beef, salt and pepper, cook for 5 minutes. Spread the corned beef on top of the egg, sprinkle some fried garlic and fold.

Serve with garlic fried rice or pandesal. Enjoy!




Travel Tip: How Can You Get Free Wi-Fi Access at Any Airport?

Before going on to Rome's next destination, here's a digital travel tip for a digital traveler like you. Haven't tried it yet but maybe its true, I just found it on one of my favorite website, 9gag.

If you're trapped in an airport because of delayed/cancelled flight, you might wanna kill time and boredom browsing the net. What if your laptop/iPad/Smart Phone doesn't subscribed in data plan? 

This might work! Please limme know if its working. Ok?






Extraordinary Mornings with Lady's Choice



Let me greet y'all a very good morning with my 1 minute breakfast today as I unfold my new project. ( I know, my Ayala Triangle project has yet to be completed and I promise to finish all of my restaurant reviews before May, deal?).

This little project of mine is a series of my favorite, home-made omelets that I longing to try. Lets call it Extraordinary Mornings. My original plan was to try 7 omelet recipes for one whole week but I thought, my work schedule won't allow me to post recipes everyday. Omelets are easy to cook but the technicality (photo shooting, editing, posting, etc) are not. So please bear with me.

Although I am not a morning person, I'll wake up early for this tiny little project. Just for this project. Ok?

In the meantime, let's enjoy this plain omelet but made extraordinary with Lady's Choice Mayonnaise and red onions to fill in the hot pandesal that we all love.

Good Morning!