OASIS GARDEN CAFE: Solaire's Sweets and Tea Time Haven

OASIS GARDEN CAFE: Solaire's Sweets and Tea Time Haven

I was enchanted by Oasis Garden Cafe the very first time I laid my eyes on its decadent-looking cakes, pastries and pralines plus its specialty teas by da.u.de (pronounced as da - you - deh) during our sneak peek of its world-class new wing called Sky Tower last November 21, 2014.

Add to it its refreshing, lush garden setting and calming effect brought about by its waterfalls installation and you'll definitely think you're in sweet heaven.

Oasis Garden Cafe is a refreshing centerpiece to the spacious Sky Tower atrium. This restaurant is highlighted by a transparent glass roof that brings life to a multihued backdrop of foliage, blooms, and cascading water features.

This is the main entrance of Oasis Garden Cafe.

Oasis Garden Cafe is embellished in elaborate bird’s nest interiors.

I was bedazzled with the wonderful world music played by the pianist.  The soothing voice of the pianist plus the beautiful music he plays on the piano guarantee a delightful experience both for your senses and tummy.

The Sky Tower features two new restaurants - Waterside Restobar and the other one is the Oasis Garden Cafe. A large cafe set against a relaxing garden setting overlooking two waterfalls where one can have a leisurely breakfast, a quick business lunch or cocktails under the stars.

From morning until early evening, Oasis Garden Cafe offers a wide selection of coffee, tea, traditional snacks, and artisanal finger sandwiches. By sundown, the vibe turns into that of a stylish lounge that offers a full complement of cocktails and drinks served with the usual Solaire panache.

 

So you can imagine my happiness when my brother and I got invited to a luxurious tea party at Oasis Cafe. Armed with our party hats, we trooped to Solaire and savored every bite of its delicious pastries.

It was an afternoon of wonderful conversations and gastronomic adventure like no other.

Every piece of food that was served was artistically hand-crafted. Each one was pleasing to the eyes and best of all, a real palate delight.

Delicious Chocolates.

Oasis even served us mini bibingka ! Yummy!

Enjoy your food in a relaxed atmosphere, dine at Oasis Garden Cafe.  

Smack right in the middle of Sky Tower is Oasis Garden Cafe. It has the perfect sophistication that could enchant almost everyone that sees its beauty.

Verdict: 

Oasis Garden Cafe
Solaire Resort Sky Tower Wing
1 Asean Avenue, Entertainment City, Tambo
Parañaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 888-8888 

WATERSIDE RESTOBAR: Solaire's New Sky Tower International Dining Place

WATERSIDE RESTOBAR: Solaire's New Sky Tower International Dining Place

Waterside Restobar is Solaire's newest food haven on its new wing called the Sky Tower. It specializes in Latin American and Mediterranean cuisine with a Filipino twist. 

The W insignia at the entrance reminds me of the W insignia of W Hotel in Hong Kong.  

A beautiful lady welcomes every guest with a smile.

As explained in the video, the restaurant features a number of show kitchens like the paella cooking station, the churrascaria, the rotisserie, and the tapas bar all of which are perfect for dining and lounging against the backdrop of the magnificent Manila bay sunset.

Maximum seating capacity of the restaurant is 265. The Tapas Bar has 18 seats. Pool side can accomodate up to 40 people. Dining area 100. Continental breakfast starts at 6:30 in the morning. 

We were entertained with a wonderful Rondalla performance, a dramatic Flamenco (flaˈmeŋko) and Samba. Some of the bloggers even got a personal dance lesson.

We started off with the tapas (appetizers), like the freshly-baked bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, Sardanillas with olive oil, Asparagus salad with lemon and goat milk, Burritos with red onion pickle, Jabugo ham with pineapples and blue cheese, Chorizo with sweet melon and mint, Bruschetta with aubergine caviar and salsa Lucia, and Humita (sweet corn baked in husk), must-try is its Surf & Turf, a combination of jumbo prawns, best paired with Chimuchurri, Beef Brisket, Inihaw na Liempo and Crack-back chicken glazed with BBQ sauce. 

My super favorite and highly recommended dish is its house specialty Paella Valenciana, it taste so good I wish an angel will invite me again for another chance to eat at Waterside Restobar. Dessert is Pineapple ravioli with chili and sorbet and Chocolate Tart in Raspberry Jelly.

The place has a circular bar that showcases various wines from all over the world. It has a wide array of wines and spirits. Stylish, laid-back, and state-of-the-art are the words that best describe Solaire’s posh restaurant. Ideally located beside Solaire’s luxurious pool. This all-day dining restaurant is a delightful treat for families, friends, business partners and even to those who are out for a romantic night. 

It is luxuriously decorated with modern furnitures and art fixtures. It has a Latin-influenced table setting.  It is safe to say that Waterside exudes sophistication yet homey vibe while dining in style.

To end the wonderful event, we toasted and wished Oasis and Waterside the very best of luck and congratulated all the people behind the success of their grand opening.

For more informations and reservations, you can visit Solaire’s website @ http://solaireresort.com/dine

Operating Hours: 6:30 up to 12 midnight. Average Price is Php700 to Php800 per person.
Waterside Restobar at Solaire Resort is located on Aseana Ave, Parañaque City, Metro Manila. For inquiries and reservations to the Sky Tower, you can call (+632) 888-8888.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

Thank you for visiting my blog year after year! May you truly feel the true essence of Christmas now and for always!

Happy birthday Jesus Christ.

BANK HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

BANK HOLIDAY SCHEDULE 

In this day and age of consumerism. Christmas becomes an expensive tradition. A trip to the bank to withdraw or to do other transactions becomes necessary. That is why you should learn about the limited banking hours during the holiday season. Each bank has its own schedule, so make sure to do all your banking transactions several days before your bank/s close/s for the holidays.

Here are some banks schedule for the coming holiday season:

BDO

Shortened hours in select branches: December 24, 26, 30, 31, and January 2

Regular banking day in weekend branches: December 27, 28, and January 3

Regular banking day: December 29


BPI

Shortened hours in select branches: December 24

Regular banking day in mall branches and kiosks: December 27 and 28

Regular banking day: December 29, December 30, and January 3


Chinabank

Shortened hours in select branches: December 24, 26, 30, 31, and January 2

Regular banking day in select branches: December 27, and January 3

Regular banking day: December 29


The banks will either be closed because it is a regular holiday or because it falls on a Saturday or Sunday so make sure to have the necessary Cash to tide you over until January,  Have a merry Christmas!

God bless us all!

WATER RATE HIKE EFFECTIVE JANUARY 5, 2015

WATER RATE HIKE EFFECTIVE JANUARY 5, 2015

It is not only the MRT, LRT 1, 2 that will have a price increase next year.  Water rates will also increase effective January 5, 2015.  Consumers will see it on their February billing next year.

Sad but true. We will all experience the price increase in the coming new year. Consumers of Manila Water and Maynilad will be met with an increase in water prices at the beginning of 2015, in line with change in peso value.

Manila Water will be posting a price hike of 0.36 per cubic meter by January, while Maynilad will increase its price by 0.38 per cubic meter.

This means an additional P1.19 in the bill of Maynilad's lifeline rate consumers, or those that consume 10 cubic meters and below per month.

The hike will add P4.45 to the bill of those that consume 20 cubic meters a month, and P9.12 for 30 cubic meters.

According to Manila Water and Maynilad, the increase comes in line with foreign currency differential adjustment, or the change of the value of the peso against other currencies.

Source: GMA TV

MRT, LRT Lines 1, 2 New Fares On January 4, 2015

MRT, LRT Lines 1, 2 New Fares On January 4, 2015

Fares on the Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 and the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 are set to increase effective on January 4, 2015 according to the Department of Transportation and Communication.

DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the increase, which he called “a tough decision” had to be made. Metro Manila's rail lines, particularly the MRT-3, have been the subject of complaints from commuters because of congestion and frequent delays caused by glitches and breakdowns

The new base fare will be P11.00 from the current P10.00 with P1.00 charged per additional kilometer. I think this price increase is long overdue. So a one peso additional fare will be okay.

According to Abaya, the increased rates will bring improved services on the MRT and LRT lines.

The last fare increase for the LRT-1 was in 2003 while the LRT-2's rates have never been increased. MRT-3, on the other hand, lowered from P17 - P34 in 1999 to P12 - P20 in 2000. Fares were decreased further to the current P10 - P15.

“It's been several years since an increase was proposed. We delayed it's implementation one last time until after the Christmas season,” Abaya said.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM Exodus: Gods and Kings

LESSONS LEARNED FROM Exodus: Gods and Kings

Year 2014 is about to wrap-up. And Exodus: Gods and Kings is one of the movies that got inculcated on my mind. From the Bible we learn much about Moses’ motivations, misunderstanding, meekness, and faith in the New Testament books of Acts and Hebrews. 

In the movie, most members of our society still has idea of over a hundred if not a thousand gods. But religion is such a controversial topic that is why a lot of producers veer away from making this type of movie. 

While sporadically stirring, and suitably epic in its ambitions, according to some critics "Exodus: Gods and Kings" can't quite live up to its classic source material. I think otherwise, because for me this movie was able to tell the tale in a more realistic manner.

Tablets of Stone

People should not hesitate to give God some credits for providing and preserving His own words.

In the movie, Moses went to a Mount Sinai cave to literally chisel the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone. I think that is more realistic than having lightning bolts carve the 10 commandments as depicted in other movies.

The dialogue does point out that the Law comes from God, not man. Scripture is clear, however, that God Himself not only inspired (2 Timothy 3:16) the Ten Commandments but actually wrote them on both sets of tablets—the first set that He presented to Moses on the mountain (Exodus 24:12, 32:16) and the second set that Moses cut out (Exodus 34:1) after he broke the first ones upon seeing the golden calf being worshipped in the camp (Exodus 32:8,19).

The scene does make the point that God’s written Word is the foundation on which we base our faith, not the vicissitudes of fallible human leaders. The God-character in the movie tells Moses that the written word—the Law—would endure and guide the people in Moses’ stead. Thus, whether the writers of the movie intended to or not, they have here declared the importance of standing on the authority of God’s written Word, the Bible. The fact that we can trust the Bible from the very first verse is indeed the message of the bible and God. You can recall the importance Jesus Christ placed on all the words God recorded through Moses.

Ninth commandment of God: Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor

It simply means you should not tell lies nor believe in lies that were told to you. 

We, humans, are judgmental beings, and we judge fast.

Sometimes, human as we are, we tend to add or sometimes omit a sentence or two resulting to a confused collection of impression thus leading to a tale or, hell yeah, tales from the dragons.

If you are really good inside and out, then don't believe on painted impressions cast by devils against other human beings. Always be good no matter what.

Share the Feast, Not the Fat this Holiday Season

Share the Feast, Not the Fat this Holiday Season

Whether you realized it already or not, health is wealth.  We Pinoys tend to overeat and enjoy the holiday season to the hilt. Filipinos celebrate the longest Christmas season in the world. Decorations are already up on the first day of the "ber" month- September. Yes, pulis! The first day of September marks the start of the Christmas season in the Philippines. 

Parties and reunions are everywhere every week if not everyday leading up to Christmas Day and are usually extended till New Year’s Eve. And parties only mean one thing: Good food.

Everybody looks forward to this time of the year when we can splurge on a leg of ham or a jamon de bola. If budgets are tight, Pinoys still feast on Lechon Kawali or Crispy Pata. For well-off families, lechon never ceases to appear on the table. The same with bigger families, since it is considered de rigueur for parties. 

With all these holiday delicacies, it is a real challenge to keep track of the calories you consume and stay on that diet you’ve been trying so hard to follow all year. You convince yourself that this is just a once-in-a-year event and a slice of that tasty ham or a bite of that crispy, succulent lechon skin won’t do any harm. 

Before you know it, you'll realize you’ve had too much and all that’s left is the taste of guilt plus those extra pounds. It is a good thing that Fisher Farm came up with delicious products good enough for our traditional salo-salo (get-together).

This holiday season, Fisher Farms Inc., a world-class aquaculture food processor and the largest supplier of farm-raised milkfish in the country, lets you indulge without the guilt with its Gourmet Baked Rellenong Bangus. Created by celebrity chef and food expert Reggie Aspiras, this delicious creation is a healthy alternative to the fatty dishes often served during the Noche Buena (Christmas eve).

The whole bangus (milkfish) is stuffed with a savory filling of fish, sweet potato, bangus belly, shrimp and other premium and special ingredients that give a holiday twist to this traditional dish. 

Juicy and flavorful but not cloying like its fried counterparts, the Gourmet Baked Rellenong Bangus makes any celebration merry and healthy. 

Unlike the traditional rellenong bangus, this is baked and not fried, which cuts down considerably on the fat content without sacrificing flavor. The relleno comes in three generous sizes to suit the Filipino family: 800-grams, 1.1 kilos, and 1.3 kilos. With bangus this big, you can definitely share the feast but not the fat.

As the country’s leading aquaculture processor and exporter, Fisher Farms grows its milkfish in the pristine seawaters of Pangasinan in fish cages, resulting to sweeter, more flavorful, firmer and cleaner fish. Only high-protein feeds are given to farmed fish to produce high-quality fish meat. Fisher Farms’ Gourmet Baked Rellenong Bangus is available in select supermarkets in Metro Manila and in select provinces around the country.

For more details about Fisher Farms, visit fisherfarms.ph. Visit its Facebook (fisherfarmsinc), Twitter(@fisherfarmsph) and Instagram (@fisherfarmsph) for updates.