Mac and Cheese in South America Video is Here!

Shout out to our friend Marvin Hernandez for taking the time, choosing and patiently stitching clips from our gazillion videos. Thank you!

So this was my fiancé and I's 2-month South America adventure compressed into a 6-minute visual display. I can still feel the chill!

I Made It To Machu Picchu!

It was everything I hope it could be, and more. Seeing the real thing, wow, Machu Picchu, it's sublime. You'll know what I mean when you see it :)

This is our first view of Machu Picchu from Inti Punku or Sun Gate for tourists that opted to hiked Inca Trail to get there.

This is me fighting the tears lol jk.

That's the llama and ongoing maintenance construction that will greet you on the way to the ruins. Caution: heavy foot traffic. Pakadaming tao even if it was just 8 in the morning!

And here's my holy grail in its glorious, unedited beauty.

I didn't cry. It's impossible to cry when you're surrounded by a bunch of tourists pressuring you to be over with your photo ops/personal moments/whatnots asap so they can have theirs too. They're vicious like that. I did, however, had this loony smile plastered all over my face the whole time. It was so surreal, I really have no words.

Mac&Cheese in Machu Picchu!

I'm still writing down everything, trying to relive what happened so it's gonna take me quite a while to put it out here aside, of course, from being a painfully slow writer.

I don't want to say it was the greatest day of my life - although it's super close enough - since I do believe that there will be more days like this. I will strive to create more days like this. It was, however, the greatest and happiest 2 months of my life I'm not sure how can I ever top it.

I did it, WE did it!

There are days I'd still want to pinch myself. Looking at photos I couldn't believe we were really there. Sometimes I want to high five myself for a job well done because believe me it really wasn't easy. I'm not rich, I don't have a fat bank account not even parents nor relatives to support me financially.

Does that make me a stuck up jerk? I hope not. All I did was hold on to my dream and persevere. It might sound a cliché but it's true: dreams do come true if you work hard enough for it. No matter how long it takes you to dream it, believe that you can. Sooner or later it will.

Off to Live the Dream

So this day has finally come TODAY. Just like that 2 years and 6 months flew by, but not without bumps and hurdles. Lord help me.

PS: THANK YOU!

image from andrewschultz.com

P.P.S.: You can follow our adventures here: http://macncheeseontheroad.wordpress.com/ .

No, I will not forsake you blogger. You were my first voice in this chaotic sea of information superhighway.

Everything is Awesome at Todd English Food Hall

My friend Mitch and I have been meaning to pay Todd English Food Hall a visit after hearing so much rave about it after opening a branch in Manila.

Yes, there are only 2 branches of Todd English Food Hall on Earth and one is in Manila (the other is in New York).

We came on a Sunday, in the middle of the stinkin' hot afternoon but the place was packed.

While waiting to be seated, the maitre d' asked us if we were willing to be seated in the bar station to which we politely declined. The bar was okay but we didn't feel like sitting there on our first visit.

I read from the internet that Todd English Food Hall boasts of offering only the finest, freshest, and gourmet foods.

The interior of the food hall was styled to look like an upscale version of European food courts, an exact replica of the one in New York. It was really spacious! Inside are nine food stations to choose from: Pasta, Asian, Pizza, Grill, Salad, Charcutterie, Raw, Carving and Dessert.

Pasta Bar. Where the freshest pasta are made everyday.

This ferris wheel loaded with macarons momentarily steals your attention. The continuous motion is hypnotizing!

By the way, that Stormtrooper alarm clock Mitch is holding is her gift to me. I'm so happy because she unselfishly parted ways with it and have given it to me. I super LOVE it!

On to ordering. We ordered the following:

Asada Steak with Pear Salsa (on soft tacos). Gone in 5 seconds.

Asada Steak with Pear Salsa. Tender strip loin steak, with fresh pear pico de gallo finished with cilantro creme (PhP320)

T.E. Slider. Very tender, tendon-free, bite-size burger. This was absolutely good! I lingered so gone in 5 minutes. 

T.E. Slider. Freshly homemade ground 4 cut meat burger pattie, tomato, iceberg lettuce, mustard relish, T.E. sauce on a toasted home made brioche buns (PhP390)

T.E. Half Chicken. Again, this one's really, really tender it almost melts in your mouth. Chicken on a bed of mango sauce works!

T.E. Half Chicken. 24 hours brined boneless half chicken, with sauteed corn, tomato and edamame served with mango vinaigrette (PhP320)

And for finale, the star of the whole Todd English Food Hall experience - the OMG Chocolate Cake. They weren't kidding when they named this dessert (that wasn't on the menu) OMG Chocolate Cake 'cos that's exactly what you're gonna utter after a bite into it.

OMG Chocolate Cake. Silky pudding, cereal crumble, chocolate gelato (PhP420)

Napa-OMG din kami sa presyo haha. But yes, it's worth it! I suggest though to bring someone you can share it with kasi overkill naman if you finish it all on your own. The Cheese, Mitch and I shared one OMG chocolate cake among us and it was a satisfying experience for us three.

Group photo!

On our way out, I had to take a snap of this ham leg. It's the first thing you will see when you come in. No make that second, I purposely searched for the ferris wheel first pala!

All in all, our first Todd English Food Hall experience did not disappoint. It was one of the best gastronomic experiences I've ever had. Everything was just so good and it's not an exaggeration. Prices are also reasonable especially if you come in group because you get to try various dishes at once.

I/We will certainly be back to try their flatbreads, pastas, and dumplings.

Kimukatsu: Not Your Ordinary Tonkatsu

Before Charlie left Brady for good, he treated the whole team (previous, even new teammates) one last Japanese lunch at Kimukatsu located in the east wing of Shangri-la Mall.

All 6 of us that came in that afternoon were treated and attended by the staff like royalty. Most probably because we were the only people at the time.

One of the interesting things I found out while choosing what food to get was the differently-colored menus for men and women. White for the women, black for the men.

According to Kimukatsu's menu, Kimukatsu's not your ordinary tonkatsu. It is made from 25 layers of mille-feuille katsu in seven flavors.

So the 6 of us chose different flavors of kimukatsus mainly Cheese, Garlic and Black Pepper. While waiting for our mains to arrive, we dug into our unlimited cabbages and miso soups.

I had the cheese kimukatsu and it was great! The chicken was perfectly tender with a generous serving of cheese on its layers.

The rice came in this wooden container. I wish we have good rice like this everyday!

We also tried the garlic and black pepper kimukatsu that the others ordered. Garlic is actually good as well! 

I would definitely recommend these flavours to anyone who wants to try out Kimukatsu. Plus, kudos to all the staff who made us feel so special that afternoon. We felt overwhelmed with all the attention given to us, hot they were too attentive with our every needs, but it was the good kind naman. :)

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Kimukatsu
Shangri-la Plaza Mall
5/F Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Shaw Blvd cor EDSA
Wack Wack, Mandaluyong
(02) 727-0333