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Thursday, December 31, 2015
YEAR ENDER LIST: 4 FOODIE and TRAVEL Things to look Forward to in 2016

 As 2015 comes to a close, we welcome 2016. During this time, I would like to share with you a list of my hopes when it comes to the MANILA FOOD and HOTEL and TRAVEL Scene.
Snow in Edsa Shangri-La
THINGS I am looking forward to in 2016:

1) Amazing and Affordable Food Done Right
In 2015, we all saw how the Food Scene changed. A lot of international brands came in. Still, amazing home made concepts sprung and held up their ground. These may not be new restaurants but I enjoyed their remake and their take on food. Hopefully, 2016 will be better.
COCHINILLO from VASK. TINOLANG MANOK from LOLA CAFE, CHEESEBURGER from THE BEEF in HOLE IN THE WALL.




2) Awesome Hotel Food. 
Gone are the days when Hotel Food was synonymous to expensive and awfully normal.  I am glad that these hotels reinvented and improved their food concepts and thankfully it worked.
 MAD FOR WAGYU's Amazing Steak buffet,
MAD FOR LOBSTER's LOBSTER all you CAN!


 MAKATI SHANGRI-LA'S: ALL MEAT Butcher's Buffet.
 MARCO POLO ORTIGAS: CUCINA. Concise and Complete.
3) Bigger and Better Hotel Rooms
In the past couple of years, the word STAYCATION became quite popular. Rather than going out of town, you get to stay in a hotel and live the life of luxury. You get to escape from the hassle of the city and get access to on demand wants and needs. Basically, it either depends on their location and accessibility, prime spot, affordability, and near perfect service and amenities.
 For 2016, I can't wait but be excited for the new hotels coming.  
For the mean time, here are my fave staycation / hotel spots in the country:
Hotel Jen Manila's SUNSET View. MARCO POLO ORTIGAS' amenities that is perfect for a staycation.

and F1 Hotel's LOCATION.
Not to mention the Peace and Serenity in SHANGRI-LA BORACAY.
4) Great Airline Food, Service and Trips
Yes, human beings are born to travel. Thankfully, going somewhere is but a click away. I mean booking that is. I enjoyed quite a few out of town travels this year, a couple out of the country and a few domestically. For next year, I hope to enjoy and have more travels to look forward to. For 2015, 
Food In The Bag is now in Facebook. Click Here to follow and like.
If you are into INSTAGRAM Follow me @mr_jeng.
As 2015 ends, I can't help but be thankful for all the support and the love I received from everyone. From Family, Friends and Love Ones. Let's all be optimistic with 2016. Happy New Year Guys! Thank you so much!



LINK LIST:





DISCLAIMER: Wrote this based on my opinion. I was invited to some of these events in the past.
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Monday, December 28, 2015
EDSA SHANGRI-LA'S HEAT BUFFET: #MadForWAGYU


Did that get your attention? It sure got mine. It was just this SATURDAY NIGHT and I was all too excited for EDSA SHANGRILA'S HEAT BUFFET: MAD FOR WAGYU. Everything made of WAGYU! The origins of wagyu came from JAPAN. From Matsusaka Ushi, Kobe Beef and Ohmi Beef cattle. Raised in the Kansai region, these are the best of the best. Other than these, The US has an American Styled Kobe Beef while there is also an Australian version. Enough of the history and let's get down to business.
It was a night to remember. SATURDAY night. As I took my seat, these dark reddish brown crunchies were served to whet the appetite. This dish right here is amazing.

THE WAGYU BEEF JERKY, this gives you an incredible desire to NOT stop yourself and indulge. Crispy and candied. Definitely a MUST GET! One plate is not enough.

If you are a newbie to buffets, I suggest you get tips here on how to attack HEAT'S BUFFET.   Better to go on an empty stomach as you would be overwhelmed on where to start and might get full to soon. For me, the Japanese section is always a great way to begin your foodie walk.


Aside from the usual rolls, you are greeted with WAGYU rolls. Just be careful not to over indulge as this is just the beginning.

Wagyu salads and starters are also placed near the Japanese Section.

Believe it or not, EDSA SHANGRI-LA made xiao long bao that has wagyu as the base. It gives off a rich taste as the soup and meat goes well together.

There's also a MAKE-YOUR-OWN TACO WAGYU STATION that could make you go Mexican.

It's like having cheese steak on shells. Perfect to go with cheese.

Even the Shawarma station is WAGYU.

An interesting starter though would be the WAGYU TARTARE. Mixed with capers, mustard, parsley, tobasco sauce and egg. Placed on top a toasted wheat bread. It was pretty good. The meat was fresh and didn't had that funky after taste.

Beside the WAGYU TARTARE is the WAGYU PANINI.

They have a station that slices the WAGYU MEAT and gives you options on what to put in the sandwich. From different cheeses, onions, tomatoes, and vegetables.

I was really into it because of the generous meat serving that I had 3 more. NO JOKE

By this time, you might be thinking: "IS THAT ALL?". Well not really. They have a couple of grilling station with different WAGYU cuts.


Even BURGER PATTIES.

Over at the CARVING station, you are given a couple of choices of pre-cooked meats.

The WAGYU TOMAHAWK. 25KG of meat and bones cooked to perfection.

and the ROAST BEEF

Of course, you could have your slices of meat cooked to your liking. I suggest you go for medium.
You might feel that it's a bit too rich or "nakaka-umay" but adding different sauces would allow you to have a plethora of flavors go into your salivating mouth to give you a different pace.
Personally, I prefer the HONEY TRUFFLE MUSTARD. Yes, amazing sauces.

Aside from the meat, you can also have a pick of seafood. Shells, slipper lobsters and clams. You can have them cooked to your liking like garlic butter. A preview of their FRIDAY BUFFET: MAD FOR LOBSTER. Click Here.
Since it's conceptualization, the chef wanted everything to speak WAGYU. Even the dessert. From WAGYU CHOCOLATE CREPES
TO CAKES! Yes, it's a cake and not steak.

You need not worry as they also have a lot of short cakes and other sweet things to treat your taste buds.
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FOR Php 2,415.00 Nett per person, EDSA SHANGRI-LA'S MAD FOR WAGYU BUFFET is an amazing salivating treat. Served every SATURDAY DINNER, you could be assured of quality steaks and innovative WAGYU DISHES. Aside from all the WAGYU, they also have all of their usual dishes to go with the meaty affair. If eating seems a bit too hard for you, they also give out free 5 minute massages at the entrance c/o the specialists from THE CHI SPA. It was pure heaven. Cheers!

More on:
EDSA SHANGRILA: Mad for Lobster (Every Friday Night)
6 Tips on Heat: Edsa Shangrila 's BUFFET

Information:
Php 2,415 Nett/Person
Every Saturday Dinner

HEAT
(632) 6338888
EDSA SHANGRI-LA HOTEL
G/F
1 Garden Way, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City
Metro Manila
Facebook
www.shangri-la.com/manila/edsashangrila
Disclaimer: was invited to visit HEAT. Wrote this based on my experience. To be sure, please call Edsa Shangri-La for the updated price and to reserve a seat.
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Thursday, December 24, 2015
FLYING PHILIPPINES AIR ASIA: SANTAN IN-FLIGHT MENU


 Air Asia was an airline carrier that I have never flew in before. I didn't know what to expect.
 Thursday and I left my place at 6am, thinking that 4 hours would be enough for me to get to the airport. The boarding time was 10:50 am and flight at 11:30am. Guess what? I arrived at 10:25am. I was really cutting it close. The traffic in the airport area seemed a little far fetched. I was contemplating if I should go out and start walking towards the terminal because I might get late. Thankfully, I knew I was going to be pampered by PHILIPPINES AIR ASIA and VIKINGS LUXURY BUFFET. Everything seemed okay!
Checking in was a breeze. No lines no hassle at AIR ASIA's Counter.
Terminal 3 is the newest terminal that caters to the flying public. Everything was walking distance and thankfully, there are moving walkway for tired feet.
After boarding and getting into our seats, we were treated to AIR ASIA'S SANTAN MENU. In cooperation with Vikings Luxury Buffet, they came up with a whole new menu for the holiday season. You don't need to be worry about the food as it is certified halal. Dishes are roughly 200+ Php each with dessert at 80Php but if you buy when you book your flights, you get a huge discount.
Very nice, I thought myself. Perfect for the budget traveler.

The dishes in the new menu simply focused on the different cuisines in the region. Snacks such as the GRILLED CHICKEN and CHEESE PESTO would be served during domestic flights and the heavy meals during the international travel. 

The KOREAN JAPCHAE and the BARBECUE COLA BEEF looked and smelled delicious.
At first I thought the COLA BEEF was similar to Adobo but it tasted a bit sweet with a hint of COLA flavor. It was unanimous that this dish is definitely a crowd favorite.
The KOREAN JAPCHAE is basically glass noodles cooked to a bouncy bite resulting into a sweet flavor. Nicely done.

For dessert, I had the LEMON TORTE.
It was border like SANSRIVAL. I enjoyed the citrusy taste and the crunch. It wasn't too sweet for me not to eat it.
After a luxurious 3 day stay in HONGKONG, we were on our way back.
I was looking forward to the meal ahead. The BANGUS SISIG and the BUFFALO CHICKEN STRIPS with POTATOES were looking straight at me. I didn't have breakfast so this was perfect!
The BANGUS SISIG is like eating sisig on steroids. The calamansi flavor popped up at the right time. It wasn't too spicy and it was delicious.
The BUFFALO CHICKEN STRIPS could have been better. The flavor was there and I enjoyed the baked potatoes but the chicken's texture was soft. IT was no longer crunchy. Maybe it is because of the moisture that it became a bit soggy. Other wise, it was perfectly fine. Maybe, they could have cooked it differently as it would have been a great addition to the menu.  
 The HOISIN GRILLED CHICKEN SANDWICH though was pretty good. Flavor wise it was perfect. I would have enjoyed this sandwich more if the bread was not too thick. Maybe they could have the serving size smaller. 
 For dessert, the BANOFFEE CAKE was a dream. Real banana slices underneath. Not too sweet. This was great meal ender.
Food In The Bag is now in Facebook. Click Here to follow and like.
If you are into INSTAGRAM Follow me @mr_jeng.

I was actually a bit concerned that since we would be eating airline food up in the air, the flavor would diminish because of the altitude but PHILIPPINES AIR ASIA did a great job with the in-flight meal. The service was pretty much wonderful. The crew did everything they can to make the flight enjoyable and fun. 

CHECK OUT : RICHIE'S THE PICKIEST EATER'S VIDEO HERE >>> video shot by yours truly so please pardon me the shakes.

VIKINGS LUXURY BUFFET in connection with PHILIPPINES AIR ASIA made this trip wonderful. Aside from their amazing partnership, they definitely have made flying and eating more affordable and enjoyable.





PRO TIPS:
* When you Book Tickets via AIR ASIA... Get the meals! You get to save around 20%*

* If planning to eat at VIKINGS .... Give them a call at least 1-2 weeks before to be sure of getting seats.... DO NOT PROCRASTINATE***

MY HONKONG 2015 TRIP SOON.

Disclaimer: was invited to join Air Asia x Vikings in Hongkong Food Tour. Wrote this based on my experience.
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