Mr. Rockefeller

I met with a good friend last Friday and had a light dinner. Light because hubby and daughter will fetch me and I know the two would want to have dinner. That's when I will pour in all my appetite.

They arrived thirty minutes past seven in the evening. A little bye-bye to my friend and off we went around Greenbelt 3 to scout for some fine dining place. Mr. Rockefeller was the final choice. Mr. Rockefeller - Steaks, Ribs and "Spanking Good Oysters".

The interior is uncluttered, simple, almost zen-like. A few oyster decorations here and there on the walls and a few writings on the green board for their menu. Samba music is playing if I am not mistaken, it's a little bit loud when seated at the first half of the dining area.

It took a few minutes before our order was taken. Oh yes, hubby was the one who called on the food attendant for our orders. Maybe like ten minutes from the time we had our table.

I prefer a seat at the dining area with soft light. I wanted a cozier atmosphere. I checked that the interior dining are mostly in big groups or families. And also, the cameras keep on clicking on that side. I would want to be there definitely as people won't stare at me if I take pictures of my family and our food. They're doing the same thing anyway. I won't be disturbing anyone with the flash of the camera.

Rating: Food: Good. Service: For Improvement. Cleanliness: For Improvement.

Anyway, I asked the food attendant if we can transfer to the vacant table inside. I don't know why she has to ask their manager but she politely excused herself and asked the one in charge that night. She came back and apologized since the table is used for their extra plates and glasses for drying. Huh?

Maybe the look on my face showed great interest sitting inside. A few minutes later, the manager asked me if I wanted to transfer. I said yes. He said they'll just clean the table and set it up. And so I waited. In vain.

The manager kept looking at me as I crane my neck if the table is ready. But not a word from him. Until I saw a family leaving a table for four. I got up and reserved the seat myself. Still not a word from the manager. The waiter cleaned the table and set it up. Honestly though, crews of Jollibee and McDonald's know better in sanitizing a table. Crumbs were still on our table. You know the feeling that the table is still dump you don't want to lay your hands on it, it's sticky. Click the first picture to enlarge, you just might spot the crumbs (not intentional to capture them and that's not our table).



Hubby wanted to try oysters as they are his favorite but it's not good to have them when one's really hungry. He opted for boneless bourbon ribs with baked beans and creamed corn (P440). It was good. The barbecue sauce is just about right for my taste - not too tangy, a little sweet even. The corn is a perfect match.


I tried the linguini prawns with feta cheese and brandy (P340). We liked it too. It's very creamy and is actually good for three persons.


My daughter tried the ever safe chicken fingers with fries. The safest, easiest way to a child's taste buds. The price escapes me now, more than P150, less P250 as far as I can remember. The chicken's good, very tender. The fries is just okay.


Our orders were served quite fast than I expected, maybe around ten minutes. Are we going back? Yes because hubby would still want the oysters but I'm hoping the service will be better and cleaning of the tables will be prompt and proper.

At Least I Tried

They were barely out of the oven when the Princess said, "Mom, I thought you're making cupcakes". Oh well, I thought so too. It turned out to be different, at least how it should look. It turned out flat. I am not losing hope with my baking skills. I want to be good at this. Practice makes perfect and using the proper tools, the right temperature setting and not just estimations. It will be a celebration on my part when I get to finally bake a presentable cake.

Check out other different posts at Photo Hunt.

Token

I would like to acknowledge Napaboaniya for handing over a token of appreciation to me and other bloggers who wished her well when she was a little sick.

Learning

I must admit I love buying things for my family, for my daughter most especially. But I also want to believe I am a smart consumer. Nothing in excess (a few times I falter but I/hubby have to cover it up immediately such that my target savings will still be reached).

As a child I have always been excited with saving money. This feeling was reinforced when my father gave me a savings account when I was in grade school. It was the feeling of being empowered seeing my name in my own passbook. It also means that I was given the trust to handle my allowance. Modesty aside, I know how to save even prior to having my own account. But it's not even about having money per se. It's the thrill to have a filled-to-the-brim coin bank. It's an accomplishment for me. Thanks to my parents for sustaining this discipline and learning from them the value of it.

Now I am passing this learning to my daughter Andrea. I created a little game when she was in preschool. I bought her coin banks and we play shoot that coin. We did that everyday and continue to do it now. I see her putting the coins she sees in the house or from my coin purse to her coin bank. We agreed to save a certain amount everyday and deposit it to her coinbank and after a month, deposit it to her savings account. She does not have a daily allowance as she brings the snack I prepare for her and her drink to school. So mommy and daddy provide. The concept of savings is there, we have to start somewhere. When she gets her allowance, hopefully, she has already acquired the value of savings.


One day though she said her allowance day should be every Wednesday. Some of her friends bring money and they buy food or little things at their mini mart. It's okay with me. I don't want to be too stiff with money. Let me play it cool with her. And just provide an example of how to properly manage money. Nothing in excess dear.


And of course, summer is here. Her swimming lessons continues. She loves swimming to the max. I am already inquiring for a Lozada swimming center where there is a roof to protect the kids from the glaring sun while on the pool.



***This post is my entry for Pinoy Moms Network theme for this month, Learning.

Healthy Options

Sunday is grocery day for my family. Normally we do it after church. It used to be that we head to the meat section to buy the week's menu. But the past months we opted for some healthy options. It's the fruit section first and then the vegetable area.

Lately also we've been into regular drinking of pineapple juice. We don't buy the powdered juice since it contains too much sugar. As an alternative to natural fruit juice, we buy the liquid variant with freshly squeezed fruit juice as the main ingredient with ascorbic acid.

There's a brand tug of war going on between my hubby and me. We settle for my brand though. I prefer the unsweetened added fiber variant while he goes for the immune builders variant. As long as we stick to our wellness diet, we're fine with each others' preference.

Happy Birthday, Frankie!

Happy 1st birthday to my very cute niece, Frankie! Hugs and kisses from all of us. We love you so much!

Birthday Party

My entry for this week's Photo Hunt is my daughter's seventh birthday party held at Dreamscape, an indoor theme park. I have a lot of party pictures to share with my family, my friends and at the office. I even thought of making a collage of my daughter's birthday celebrations starting when she was a year old up to last year's birthday. I'm sure a lot of mothers can also relate with me when I say every month before reaching one year old, we celebrate our babies' milestones every month.

Anyway, here are some pictures of my Princess' seventh birthday. I'm not sure in other countries but in the Philippines, it's a common tradition to hold a grand celebration on a child's first, seventh and eighteenth birthdays. These mark their entry to another stage in their lives - from infancy to being a toddler, going to prepuberty or the tween years, teenage years and then adulthood.

The party area with colorful hats and balloons.
The Hello Kitty birthday cake which was my daughter's favorite then.

Part of the party package are tickets for the rides as give aways to all attendees. The kids surely enjoyed this part.