Bamba Modern Bistro

I've been wanting to eat here at Bamba, located at BF Homes Paranaque, ever since I read about it in a magazine a few months ago. We were supposed to have dinner here a few weeks ago on a Sunday night but made the mistake of not making a reservation since the place was full.

Good thing hubby and I decided to come back on a weeknight for a quick dinner date. The restaurant is quite small, but makes up for it with its quaint and charming design. The outdoor seating area seems to be much bigger than the inside, air-conditioned space though...

outdoor area

outdoor area leading to the main entrance

indoor area

lots of features about the restaurant on the wall

bar (& the kitchen behind it)

They also have a Confiteria where you can have coffee or dessert, but we'll just check it out another time. :)

Based on their menu and the magazine article I read, Bamba serves a combination of European-inspired cuisine (Spanish & Italian) adapted to local Filipiono taste.

Bamba likes reinventing classic and simple dishes, just like their french fries for example. The combination of the honey, feta cheese and fried rosemary elevates the taste to a whole new level. Doesn't it look so elegant? ;p

French Fries Moderne
Honey. Feta Cheese. Fried Rosemary.
P190

For my main dish, I ordered the 3-Mushroom Raviolo. The sauce was amazing and I loved the taste of the caramelized onions!

3-Mushroom Raviolo
Foie Gras Cream. Caramelized Balsamic Onions. Pecorino Bread Crumbs.
P375

Hubby got the Morning After Sandwich which looks just as good as it tastes! That fried egg on top of the bread looked soooo yummy! And the truffle oil was to die for...

The Morning After Sandwich
Ham. Cheddar cheese. Fried egg, Mozzarella. Truffle oil. Honey. Served with French fries.
P310

So happy we were finally able to eat here because it really did not disappoint. Comfort food at its finest. :)


Bamba Modern Bistro + Confiteria
55 Aguirre Ave. cor. Arsenio Luz St.
BF Homes Ph.2 Paranaque
Tuesday - Sunday, 11am to 10pm
519-7097

New pillows = New living room look!

Here's my throw pillow cover haul from my trip to The Landmark. Like I said in my previous post, there were so many cute prints and patterns to choose from that it took me forever to decide which ones to get...

My current pillow covers are in the more muted shades of purple, so I knew I wanted to go really bright and colorful since it's summer after all. Since I wanted to buy almost all the designs, I decided to just get one of each print I really liked and just mix and match!

These covers in the blue/green shade are 20"x20" and cost P69.75 each...

The rest were 17"x17" and cost P54.75 each...

I read a lot of rules in mixing prints, like sticking to the same color palette or combining patterns in a range of sizes. But if all else fails, just put them all together like I did and if it looks good to you, then it probably works haha! ;p

Here's how my living room looks now with the new covers! Laveeeeet! ;p

Can you believe all these pillow covers just cost me about P650??? That's cheaper than one pillow I originally wanted from Dimensione which was about P700. Now my living room looks completely different all for under P1k and I couldn't be happier. Best buys ever!!! :)

Throw Pillow Heaven at The Landmark

If you know me, then you know I have a slight obsession with pillow covers. I usually buy anything with a really cute pattern or print, especially if it's on sale. I actually checked my inventory a few weeks ago and I have about 20+ unused pillow covers which I've accumulated over the years!

Anyway, I have been drooling over the gorgeous pillows over at Taste Central these past few days. I've been so tempted numerous times to buy those Bungalow 300 brand pillows (which you can also find in Dimensione) that cost about P700 each. But then I remembered that I hadn't been to The Landmark in a while now. The last time was when I bought new pillowcases 6 months ago!

So good thing we had to attend a party at Makati Shangri-La, so I dragged hubby over there right after. I miss those times when I used to work in Makati, since my office was just walking distance to the Ayala area. I could just pop by The Landmark, Glorietta, or SM anytime I wanted during lunch or after work. Now, going to Makati is a special event in itself haha! ;p

As usual, The Landmark did not disappoint! Their Living Room Linens section were filled with so many cute and modern designs. I personally think they have the best selection with unbeatable prices! I mean check out the prints and patterns below. They give all those much more expensive brands a run for their money! I think the most expensive cover I saw was only about P250.

They also have these cute chair pads at just P130 each.

I was really overwhelmed with all the designs! Level up talaga from the last time I was here. I was like a mad woman carrying so many covers, I think I had one in every color haha! ;p

 These designs were P129.75 each and the material is kind of the shiny type...

The covers below come in 3 sizes, small (17"x17") for P54.75, medium (20"x20") for P69.75 and large (24"x24") for P79.75. Super cheap right?? And the material was such good quality! And I can't emphasize how CUTE the designs were! For someone who loves throw pillows this was really HEAVEN for me lol! But some of the designs I wanted were sold out in the bigger sizes (I needed a couple in medium but everything was mostly in small)... I had to work things around but I was happy in the end with my choices. :)

I was really so confused on what to get I think naikot na ni hubby buong Landmark pati Glorietta and I still wasn't done! Hahaha! I mean come on, once in a blue moon na lang ako makapunta here so might as well sulitin diba? ;p

So if you're looking to give your home a makeover, you have to check out The Landmark promise! I'll reveal my buys in the coming post so stay tuned. :)

Monde Summer Mamon-It-Yourself

When I was still younger and didn’t have kids back then, the only thing I thought about during summer was where to go on vacation, what new books to read, or what to watch on TV. Now that I have my own children, it’s all about keeping them engaged and finding what activities or classes to sign them up for so that they can have a productive summer.

I’ve already enrolled Miley in ballet and swimming lessons, while Sabe will be going to soccer camp. Mind you, these activities do not come cheap and unfortunately, they also don’t get to interact with each other since they’re taking different classes. Hubby and I also just watch from the sidelines, just like all the other parents. So even though all these extra-curricular activities are great, I still think it’s important to have quality bonding time wherein we would all do things together as a family.

That’s why I was so excited when I was invited by Nuffnang to the MONDE Summer Mamon-It-Yourself  event last April 5, which was held at Yardstick Coffee in Makati. It was a family event, so we got to bring along our hubbies and kids which made it even more special.

When we got to the venue, we were greeted by such a lovely set-up featuring rows and rows of mamon and all kinds of toppings and ingredients which will be used for the activity - Mamon-It-Yourself (MIY)!

Now you all know I’m a DIY girl at heart, so I just found this whole idea so genius! Imagine, the mamon has been around for so long (it’s been a constant baon of mine ever since I was in gradeschool) and I never even thought that this snack can suddenly be so exciting and fun to eat in more ways than one for the whole family! But I’m getting way ahead of myself... Let me take you through the event and how our fun-filled day went. :)

First, I really love that they had a photobooth which printed our Instagram pictures right on the spot with the hashtags #MondeSummerMIY and #MamonItYourself. Check it out on Instagram for more pics from the event from the other mommy bloggers who were there. :)

The event was hosted by Delamar Arias from RX93.1 (ultimate fan-girl mode!) who also brought her son Cooper (cuteness overload!). Can I just say how starstruck I was since I’ve been a “Silent Rusher” for the longest time and I’ve been listening to her and Chico Garcia’s show since I was a kid??? I told hubby I wasn’t leaving until I had a photo with her... Success! ;p

After lunch, Chef Mitchie Sison did a demonstration of 3 simple recipes for the mamon toppings: Cream Cheese & Bacon, Cookies & Cream, and Swiss Butter Cream. Who would have thought the mamon could look this glamorous? It’s really just such a great idea, I swear!

Now I’ve said it before that I am definitely challenged when it comes to cooking, but baking is something I am willing to try especially with my kids. We’ve done a couple of those easy bake banana breads and brownies, but nothing from scratch. So what I love is the delicious mamon is already the perfect blank canvass to just add whatever ingredients or toppings that suit your fancy. From cornflakes, peanut butter, fruits, chocolate, nuts, candies, marshmallows, ice cream, or whatever you may have at home! With the mamon’s flat base, the ideas and choices are endless! Monde Special Mamon is made with real fresh eggs, imported wheat flour, and milk. Baked to be delicious!

She also taught us how to make and put icing on the mamon using a piping bag. Aside from the usual frostings, you can also draw letters or numbers on the mamon to make it more educational for the kids.

Grace Barbers-Baja, aka The Spoiled Mummy, also shared some of her recipe ideas with the mamon - like cheesy ensaymada, peanut butter & banana or using her favourite ingredients like strawberries and chocolate (which she called her “Spoiled Mamon” lol ;p). Plus some tips on how to make kids’ snacks healthier by adding ingredients which they won’t notice (like chia seeds for example). 

After that, it was finally time for us to decorate our own mamons! We were all given ingredients and toppings to make whatever creations we wanted. Everyone got busy and uber creative with their mamons! It was super fun and addicting haha. :)

Yes, we take mamon decorating very seriously! ;

Our masterpieces!

And that’s not all! After the decorating activity, all the moms were further surprised with a super cute video with messages from our kids. I’m sure every mom there felt so special and loved. Watch the video below to see more snippets from the event itself! :) 

Plus, the children also presented us with special mamons which they decorated themselves while us moms were busy watching the demos. Awwwww!

Thank you baby! I love it!

This was not only such a fun event, but a great bonding experience with the family. MONDE was also so generous to provide all of us with our very own mamon decorating kits to take home! We were all so happy since we were able to have our own Mamon-It-Yourself activity the very next day with Sabe this time (who wasn’t able to join us at the event since he was sick, poor baby). Miley was so excited to teach her little brother all the things she had learned. And he not only enjoyed putting the toppings on the mamon, but eating them too haha! :)

I know that summer is a wonderful time to open children to the world around them. Mamon-It-Yourself is the perfect activity to encourage the curiosity of young minds and tap their inner creativity. It also allows kids to use all 5 senses - sight (all the wonderful and assorted colors), hearing (listening to mommy and daddy give helpful instructions), smell (the various aromas and scents of the ingredients), touch (the different textures of the toppings), and of course taste (eating the finished product!). So go ahead and try it out too with your kids and family! You can also find lots of topping ideas on their website www.monde.com.ph. And don’t forget to post your wonderful creations with the hashtag #MamonItYourself.

So thank you to MONDE Special Mamon for coming up with this genius idea that is Mamon-It-Yourself! Now, I can keep my kids’ hands and minds busy this summer, all while spending time together as a family in discovering new things. :)

*sponsored post

Happy Mother's Day!

Thank you to my darling Sabre for this Mother's Day gift he made in school! I love it so much! :)

And another gift I got for today - Skyler just learned to roll over! This picture was taken just this morning. I can't believe how fast time flies! Pretty soon I'm sure he'll be crawling na...

Like they say, being a mother is definitely one of hardest jobs in the world (if not the hardest!) but definitely the most fulfilling. So again, Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Especially to my own mom and also my mother-in-law. Thank you for always being there for us and loving us unconditionally. I love you both so much! :)