Genki Sushi is a chain of conveyor belt sushi restaurants established in 1990 in Japan. The chain expanded to include locations in Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Kuwait, the Philippines, China, Australia, Cambodia, Myanmar and the United States, including, California, Hawaii and Washington. (via)

Place

The location that I frequent to is the one over at Ayala Malls the 30th. The closest to me though is the newly opened branch in Megamall but we all know how parking is a nightmare in Mega. I also love the 30th's ambiance since there aren't a lot of people and the branch isn't always full. Parking is also always available at the mall. One of the things I love about Genki is the ordering system. It isn't like the conveyor belt sushi places in Japan where food just keeps on coming and all you need to do is get your desired dish. In Genki, you can use a tablet to place your order and in a few minutes you can expect the cutie patootie train to deliver your order. 

Some dishes aren't delivered through the train because 1.) they're either too big and actually does't fit the train 2.) the dish has soup and being transported via the train can cause the soup to spill. In this case, the waiter delivers your order. 

Food

Ahhh, where do I start. Okay so while waiting for your order, you can make your own green tea. On the table you'll have matcha powder and a faucet of hot water, amazing. I also love this part. The tea isn't overwhelming and that's coming from someone who doesn't like Matcha. You can also start preparing your soy sauce. On the side of the table, they also have pickled radish available at your disposal.

And noooow, on to the Sushi and Sashimi! So obviously, I've been here several times. But during this visit, here's what we ordered : Salmon Roll (P90), Miso Soup (P90), Salmon Belly (P90), Norwegian Fresh Salmon (P90), Salmon Roe Gunkan (P280), Chuka Wakame (P140) and Gyudon (P280). Lol don't judge me, I love Salmon! Of course everything was good but of all the things I've tasted here, my top favorites would probably be Salmon Belly and Salmoe Roe Gunkan! The Salmon Belly because, while it isn't the best Salmon that I've tasted, it comes close to the best one I've tasted in the past. And for the price, I'm not complaining! As for the Salmon Roe Gunkan on the other hand, this is the only place I've had it because other restaurants are sooo pricey! But my first time was an amazing experience. When people told me it's salty but creamy, I couldn't quite figure out what they meant until I had my first bite. If you want to know how that actually tastes like, Genki Sushi would be an awesome starter!

Hey, everyone! I’ve been on a roll both here and on Youtube and I decided to also start cooking again. Damn, quitting smoking seems to have kicked in something really good for me. I hope this lasts though cause I get days where I really just want a puff. Hope this goes away soon. Anyway, today I’ll be sharing a go-to recipe I usually do whenever I feel home sick—like literally missing home and also getting sick lol. I used to hate vegetables but when my Mom started making me this dish, I don’t know, for some reason I didn’t hate vegetables anymore. All of these ingredients you can find in your friendly neighborhood palengke if not in the grocery so let’s get started!

If you guys have seen my previous video or post in here, you know how I've been battling the worst breakout of my life since 2016. And I think I also did several rants in here during my worst moments which is why I feel that it's also my duty to share with everyone how I've coped and still coping. At the moment, I'm still wearing makeup to work because I'm still insecure about my acne scars so I make sure I got those areas covered with concealer and foundation. 

But of course there are moments where I practically don't want anything on my face but then the insecurity haunts me so I put a foundation or end up not having to go out at all. I've considered the idea of BB creams but isn't that basically like foundation too? In terms of letting the skin breathe, at least. So you cannot imagine when a friend of mine started venturing into organic makeup! I was specially thrilled because they have tinted sunscreen! I MEAN WHAT, if that isn't what I'm looking then I don't know what could be more perfect. I won't be diving into a lot of details about it on here since I made a video! Please watch to know my thoughts, And subscribe if you haven't yet!

The weather has been crazy these past few weeks. There would be days where we'd get really good weather, but as expected most of the time, it has been quite rainy and y'all know what that calls for--rainy comfort food! I have a tooooon of comfort food I prefer to eat during the rainy season. Thank god for work from home perks I get to avoid the heavy traffic and the flooding in Metro Manila because god knows 5 minutes of rain can already flood the city. Anyway, I think it was 2 weeks ago when I worked from home for about 3 days because it's been raining cats and dogs and thankfully there wasn't anything client-facing I needed to do for work that time. I thought of Champorado but y'all also know me, I'm more of a savory type of girl more than sweet so I decided to cook Arroz Caldo instead. Here's my quick recipe guide if you're a struggling professional in the metro--just like me. It's not as jam-packed with ingredients as the original one you're probably used to but this will help you get through Manila stress. So, let's get started!

Ingredients

I've mentioned several times on Twitter and I'm saying it again here, cooking Adobo is not an easy chore. And you know, for a dish that gets cooked in almost every household on a daily basis, shouldn't this be as easy as cooking any type of Sinigang?? You'd think huh, but not for me. I've been cooking Adobo since I learned how to cook and until now, I still don't have a fool-proof recipe. I just take it as it is and adjust if necessary, lol. Most of the time I end up cooking something that tastes a lot like Pork Steak, but when I really want to cook Pork Steak, I end up cooking something closely resembling Adobo. That's how tricky it is for me. 

To be honest, I'm not even sure if this recipe will be of help to you. Please don't hate me lol. I'm just here to tell you what the ingredients are based on how I've eyeballed them the last time I cooked. Hehe I don't really measure my ingredients unless I'm baking so let's get it on!

We're no stranger to Korean culture; from Korean songs to Korean drama and of course--Korean food! I wasn't into anything related to Korea until my former manager introduced me to K-food. At that time, I wasn't familiar with what Samgyeopsal was, and all I wate whenever she would ask me out would be Korean Fried Chicken ala Bonchon. Out favorite go-to place that time was this Korean restaurant along Don Antonio in QC. It wasn't until I tried Samgyeopsal in Don-Day that I absolutely fell in love with it. And while it's always a treat, it can also get pretty expensive. 

A few days ago, my sister asked if I can cook for them so I decided to go Korean. Fortunately there's a Korean store near the condo which has specific cuts of meat meant for Samgyeopsal. If I'm buying from the grocery, I usually get the bacon cut but it's not quite the same. I also decided to cook Cheesey Ttteokbokki with Odeng (fish cake). I decided to add more cheese so it can counter the spiciness since my younger sisters are eating. I also bought Leek Dumplings, Kimchi and Spicy Ramyeun. For the specifics, I'll be listing them below. 

Okay, let's begin! I will be listing the ingredients you'll be needing for the following dishes. For the Samgyeopsal : pork, lettuce, garlic, onion, perilla leaves and Samjang paste. You know the drill, just combine everything together on a bed of lettuce or perrilla or both and you're good to go. For the Spicy Ramyeun : you can buy any Ramyeun you ant, I prefer spicy, I just add a few crab sticks, egg and top it with cheese for that gooey, creamy ending. For the Cheesey Tteokbokki : tteokbokki sauce, tteokbokki, Odeng, onion, cabbage, mozzarella and cheddar cheesse! Just cook based on package instructions and add the cheese. The Kimchi dumplings : I pretty much just fried them and made sauce out of soy sauce, honey, gochugaru (red pepper flakes), mirin, vinegar and sesame seeds! For the sides I prepared onions, garlic, kimchi and pickled radish. 

I was in Baguio for over a week last month because my sister finally graduated from Med School! I mean, the entire 4 years was a struggle for all of us, especially financially but we all pulled through with flying colors! The family decided to stay for a week since she was having her Gabi ng Parangal on a Tuesday and the actual graduation rites on a Saturday. A week in Baguio also means time to revisit most of the places I loved when I was in college! And of course, another gastronomic trip. I thought of vlogging the entire trip but while I was there, I totally just wanted to be in the moment so most of the photos I'll be sharing are from my phone so forgive the quality!

First up on the list, I wanted to bring my Dad to 50's Diner because it's the ultimate bang for your buck--I PROMISE. My Mom was busy having her face done for my sister's Parangal so she wasn't with us, which is a total bummer 'cause she would've enjoyed the selection of food. And now on to the food, let's dig in!

The Place

The original 50's Diner was located in Leonard Wood. It really had the authentic, vintage Diner feels one would usually look for in a place like this. But when I passed by that direction, they've already demolished the entire strip and are looking to build a different establishment. The new location is located inside Porta Vaga mall. It's way smaller than the original and I don't know, being located inside a mall just takes out the entire Diner feel to it. Good thing the food is really worth it. If you're bringing a car, you can park at the Cathedral for a fee. 

My birthday month is officially over and I'm here to dish out everything I've enjoyed for the entire month. To be honest, it was one of the chill-est birthday months I've had. I was drunk most days and just ate everything I wanted which means a ton of sashimi, sushi and seafood! It was my free pass to eat out as much as I can and not mind the weight that comes with it. I actually had a list of places I wanted to go to but since I was mostly drunk, lol, I only got to visit a handful of places on my list. And now, first up!

While scrolling mindlessly on Facebook, I saw a video of a guy stuffing his face with unlimited crab, huhu. Imagine how my mouth watered at the sight. I ended up checking the guy's entire Facebook page so I can see all his eating videos, lol. Anyway, one of the things that took time before I got to trying this place is that it's in Farview Fairview! I had to be on leave so I can go there in peace all while avoiding Commonwealth traffic! So, let's begin!

The Place

I was surprised because the place was fairly small. It had about 6 tables that can accomodate 4-6 people. With all the clamor that was going around since they announced the Unli Crab promo, I was wondering how much people they could accommodate during their peak hours. Fortunately during our visit, we were the only customers. There's also parking right in front of the building. Locating the place is also easy since you can just input the location on Waze. 

I was in Baguio a couple of months ago, just a few days in after the New Year to visit my sister. She's in Med School and we've barely seen each other last year which is why I try to come visit any chance I get. And even if we just finished celebrating the holidays that time, I sorely missed her so I decided to go. We also weren't able to spend Christmas together (just New year), because she was on duty, sigh. Med School IS HARD but I know she really wants this so I'm just here giving my all-out 200% support. Okay, just wanted to let that out before I begin talking about my new discovery 'cause I'm missing her yet again, huhu. 

Anyway, during my visit, I didn't intend on going to any touristy spot. I only had 3 things in mind: 1) Spend as much time with my sister 2) Go ukay ukay shopping 3) and go on a food adventure. I was able to do 1 and 2, but not 3--well, not effectively at least. I had a list of places I wanted to try but I actually ended up eating at this small carinderia I used to frequent when I was in college. For the 3 days that I was there, I was probably at DJG Eatery for about 5-6 times, lol. I figured the 3-day documentation part ain't going to happen but at least I have a few photos from Yasuragi that I can share with you guys! Shall we begin?