Stay, Stray, Play and Feast: March 2014

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Clementine’s, Naga’s Culinary Pioneer

Clementine’s, Naga’s Culinary Pioneer

Old World Charm, Timeless Home Grown Comfort Food

It has always been such a joy for my family

to dine at Clementine’s in Magsaysay Avenue.

Long before Naga City had all these hustle

and bustle in the culinary world, Clementine

pioneered what casual fine dining is in the city.

We crave for this restaurant and dining here

reminds us of the quaint and cozy restaurants

in Europe that gives the diner a genteel and

formal but very relaxing, old world ambiance.

The kids often complain that it takes time

for the chef to cook their meals, but we always

remind them that good food is not fast food.

Whenever we dine in Clementine, we always

order and appetizer to while away the waiting

period before the main meal is served and this

time we tried their delicious Onion Rings.

It took them a little bit to serve our dinner so

we ordered another round of appetizer.

The stringy and tasty Mozarella Cheese Sticks.

We all love Clementine's Mushroom Soup
and perfect way to start a heavy dinner.

Good thing with Clementine they came out

lately with Value Menu, and for hungry, restless

kids wanting their food fast, this is a good option.

For only 75 pesos, the kids were able to enjoy

delicious dishes like Fish Roll, which is actually

a fried fish spring roll, wrapped in thin rice wafer

and fried to crispy perfection and served with rice

and a mound of tasty buttered veggies as a side dish.

But my son is never satisfied without real fish dish,

so we still ordered him a very juicy Grilled Tuna.

It came in a really huge serving that we decided to

share the delicious slab of fish that everyone loved.

Also in this value menu is the Lemon Porkchop,

which is deliciously tangy tender pork, marinated

in lemon (the way they do in the past, before the

invention of these salty seasonings) then pan fried.

It was a perfectly chewy and tasty and was served

with rice and buttered vegetables as side dishes.

My wife ordered Baked Macaroni, which

is probably the most classic and the most

original dish that one could order in Clementine.

Naguenos have grown loving and had gotten used

to Clemen’s timeless version that it had already

obliviously set a standard on our Bicolano psyche

and taste buds on how a BakedMac is supposed to be.

I ordered one of their newest pasta offering;

Angel Hair with Seafood, which is under their
Scrumptious Cuisines meant for 2 to 3 persons.

But is was so delicious that I have

finished it with a really clean plate all for myself.

We ended our dinner with their delicious
New York Style Blueberry Cheesecake,

...while my son munched the moistest, cheessiest
and the tastiest Cheese Cup Cake in the world.

Clementine also serves as a showcase for
beautiful European home decors that diners
could buy and take home after dining.

I consider Clementine a timeless restaurant,

and one could never go wrong on their choice

of a place to dine in the busy Magsaysay Strip.

Read here for related posts:

Clementine and Wolverine: Perfect Premiere Partners
Clementine’s Magsaysay Ave., Naga City

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

EDSA Shangri- La's Horizon Club Room

EDSA Shangri- La: Horizon Club Room

Gorgeous Hotel, Fabulous Amenities

Stay, Stray, Play and Feast

Stay

We got a chance to stay Edsa Shangri- La

once again and I’m happy that I would be able

to blog about the hotel using a good camera.

I featured this posh hotel in my blog in the past,

but used a really old camera phone as my camera

battery was discharged and I forgot my charger.

I cannot remember how many times we have been

to EDSA Shangri- La as we check in this hotel

almost every year every time I am Manila

since I moved to Naga City in the mid- 1990’s

and also featured this hotel in my past blogs.

Link: EDSA Shangri- La: Fabulous Hotel, Bad Camera

I have already blogged about Shangri La’s standard

room (they call it premier room) in the past and this

time we stayed in one of their very exclusive and posh

Horizon Club room at the garden wing of the hotel.

I have raved like a crazy star crossed fanatic about this hotel

in my past blog and please forgive me if I do the same

glorifying this Conde Nast's prestigious A- lister again.

Just like their premier rooms the Horizon Club Room

have contemporary design with Asian touch with the

view of the beautiful resort’s garden, mini water park,

…and the booming and beautiful Ortigas skyline.

Our room came with two comfortable

huge double beds enough to fit my whole

family of four (2 adults and 2 kids).

It had a fabulous bathroom-

… lavished with luxurious toiletries

that Shangri-La in known for,

…and a huge closet with amenities that

to make one comfortable and feel at home.

Connectivity was not a problem as

there are three telephone landlines,

in the room- the first one on the desk,

…second by the bedside,

…and third at the toilet and amazingly

provided with a note pad and pencil.

There is also a free very fast Wi Fi and broadband

internet connections and a well stocked mini bar.

It had a huge working desk, and just like and

Shangri-La suites had complete office supplies,

…a comfy, sofa that could

double as and extra bed,

…and a flat screen LCD TV,

And top of the line home theater system.

The room had a direct stair access to the Horizon Club Lounge

where guests at the Horizon Suites could relax, dine in private,

have cocktails and have afternoon tea, believe it or not- for free.

Stray

The hotel is located between two major malls

the Edsa Shagri- La Mall in one side,

Source: housinginteractive.com

… and the SM Mega Mall on the other side,

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sm_megamall.jpg

…and there is a direct access to the upscale

Shangri La Plaza Mall from the hotel,

...making shopping easy and convenient.

But there is really no need to go out of the

hotel as it was built as a resort hotel and serves

as an oasis right in the middle of an urban jungle.

It had a fabulous garden where one can

have a leisurely walk, or just laze around

admiring the tropical greenery around you.

The hotel had several in house shops- so there is

really no need to hit the nearby malls to shop

The hotel is also known for its popular Chi Spa

where one can have a relaxing massage,

...or guests may avail of their numerous luxurious

health and beauty therapeutic regimens.

Play

The EDSA Shangri La pool, is a place full of

memories for me and my family as I cannot

count the number of times we stayed in the hotel.

My eldest daughter literally grew up frolicking in

the hotel pool until she now in her young teens.

It was also the same pool where my

then two- year old son Timothy taught

himself how to swim on his own.

The pools remained the same- beautiful,

and has been upgraded and redesigned

into a marvelous mini water park.

The garden was well manicured, very clean

and superbly maintained and provides

amazingly vast greenery amidst on of the

busiest and chaotic district of urban Manila.

The hotel also has a well equipped

gym that guests can use for free.

Feast

Although there are countless of dining options

and posh restaurants at the nearby Shangri- La Mall

and SM Mega Mall, there is really no need to go out

of the hotel as EDSA Shangri- La has an excellent

number of restaurants right inside the hotel.

The Lobby Lounge

We arrived at noontime dizzy and nauseated

after a very bumpy flight from Naga City

and we decided to have a light meal at the

cavernous Lobby Lounge before checking in.

We feasted on the delicious Bacon,

Lettuce and Tomato (BLT) Sandwich,

…tasty Wonton Soup,

…and some of their delicious

and refreshing drinks.

…the lobby lounge is
breathtakingly beautiful

…and transforms into a serene

and relaxing bar at night.

Heat Restaurant

Edsa Shangri- La has an excellent
house restaurant called Heat.

The restaurant buffet had a wonderful spread of
international dishes and always crowded with
diners, especially at night, and understandably as
they serve one of the most massive buffets in the city.

We actually pigged out on our first night at the hotel,

…and we never stopped eating until we were so damn full,
and we could never get enough plate after plate of the most
delicious spread of international cuisine at the buffet area.

Heat Restaurant is one of the best places for
binge eating, and that's exactly what we did.

The Horizon Club Lounge

How sweet it is to have a lazy and leisurely breakfast
at the very private and very exclusive Horizon Lounge,
away from the hustle and bustle of the overcrowded
Heat Restaurant where the main breakfast buffet is served.

It is like having the place reserved for the family alone
as there are very few guests dining in the restaurant
making the service is superb and more personal.

It may have a limited display on the buffet area
but guests can order and ask the chef to cook
anything you wish and anything you want for.

Edsa Shangri- La is an old but well maintained hotel
and remained as beautiful the as the very first time

I set foot on this hotel in 1994, a young, unmarried man.

It has been almost two decades, the hotel looked
exactly the same twenty years ago. The hotel
despite its age, still made it to the prestigious
Conde Nast list as one of the best hotels in the world.