Michi Photostory

“Vacations comes and go, but happy experiences are forever” - Hermione GT 

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has been in the business for more than forty years already, it started in 1972 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Now they have more than 3,000 restaurants around the globe. I have no idea that we had Popeyes before in the Philippines, the restaurant was already closed in year 2007 without me knowing it. The good news is, it returned to our country, and the first store opened last May 16, 2019 in Arcovia City.

I can’t believe that we’re down to the last quarter of the year, ang bilis talaga ng panahon. Ber months are here and life would be busy again. I only have few posts starting last month because I’m preoccupied with my son’s exams, birthday celebration and lastly, tinatamaan ko ng katamaran. Hehehe! Thanks to my guest posts at may napopost pa ako.

Starbucks Tagaytay 




Anyway, last week out of the blue, niyaya ko ni hubby magTagaytay.

Hubby: Punta tayo Tagaytay.
Me: Why?
Hubby: Libre kita ng kape.


I find it funny because I’m not fond of drinking coffee but it's a date so off we went to Starbucks Tagaytay. We always see this Starbucks branch but it was only last week that we were able to pay a visit. It has a nice view of Taal Volcano but at that moment, may construction sa likod nila so you won’t appreciate the view.



This Starbucks is just beside the Discovery Country Suites where we ate Christmas breakfast last 2016 and 2017. And I guess, that was the last time that we went to Tagaytay so ang tagal din naman bago nakabalik. Since I’m not fond of coffee, I just told my husband to buy me Banoffee Pie. This was my all-time favorite whenever we visit Starbucks but now, sa dami ng pagpipilian, marami na rin kong ibang gusto.

Santis Deli-Cafe 





We did not stay long and we drop by at Santis Deli-Cafe at Silang, Cavite. It’s been five years since our last visit. We dined here after my son’s moving up and we had a good meal here. I knew that they sell imported products so we checked the store. I bought Hungarian Sausage because I’m craving for the sausage that we ate at Cafe Breton. I was glad that the taste is quite similar. I also bought Balocco Cubes which is similar to Loacker but much cheaper.

Read: Food Trip in Tagaytay
Staycation in Tagaytay

Jollibee Epic Fail 



Since we went to Tagaytay, I was not able to cook ulam for our lunch so we went to Jollibee Drive-Thru. We got our order and off we went home. I was disappointed when I opened my order because I ordered chicken palabok but they gave me chicken spaghetti. Hay, nakakainis! Lesson learned, always check your order. Di na kami nadala, last time naman yung ice cream sundae ang hindi nila nailagay sa take-out namin. Sayang money.

Looking Back

I remember when I had my son, never na kami nakalabas ni hubby na kami lang. Wala na kami date and alis na kami lang dalawa, it is always package deal. I’m not complaining because we have no yaya or helper and ayaw din magpaiwan ng anak ko sa iba so wherever we go, he goes. But now that my son is in grade school, we now have time for quick dates. We just make sure that we’re home before my son arrives from school.

P.S. Acienda Designer Outlet will be open on October 26, 2018. Malapit na siya matapos so we have another reason to go back to Tagaytay. 

Our family loves to eat out, we love to visit new restaurants and taste new foods that we don’t usually eat at home. But I can never deny that we have our go-to restaurant that we often visit whether we are in a mall, we want delivery food or we don’t want to think anymore.

Yes, when we don’t want to think anymore because before we enter the restaurant, we already knew our order. No need to check the menu, order na agad to satisfy our hungry stomach. I’ll be sharing with you our go-to restaurant for the past three months. 

1. Jollibee and McDonalds - these two are our go-to restaurants not only for the past three months but all year round because they have so many branches everywhere. If we are traveling and we are hungry, we will just drive-thru. McDonalds is my usual tambayan in my son’s school, I’ll order a happy meal, eat the food and give the toy to my son. Oh di ba, may pasalubong pa sa uwian. 

2. Shakey’s - now that they have a branch near our place, we often visit this even for merienda. Our usual order is Bunch of Lunch or Deal one, but there are times we just choose from pizza, mojos, chicken, pasta, french toast or banana split. 



3. Kenny Rogers - if we are tired of fried chicken, we eat here. Our usual order is Solo A, ¼ roast chicken, 1 regular side dish, 1 rice and 1 corn muffin for P195. It is already a complete meal and we can choose our side dish. 



4. Mang Inasal - my husband loves this restaurant because of the unlimited rice. But my son and I always order a regular meal. I love their palabok and turon split. 


5. BonChon - most of the time we will order the BonChon group meal or Seafood Platter group meal but for the past three months, we always order the boxed meal at P155. I’ve almost tried all the boxed meal pero pare-pareho lang naman lasa ng breading. Hehehe! This is the new favorite of my son, Mommy, I want BonChon, repeat 100x. 



How about you, what is your go-to restaurant?

We had our first taste of BonChon Chicken three years ago and since then, it became one of our favorite chicken meal. Though we are the only group of 3 persons, we always order a group meal which is good for 4 persons. My last visit was January 20, 2015 after my KUB IVP test. 

The restaurant is known for its famous crispy and flavorful chicken but they also serve other dishes like chops and fish. Last Friday, we revisited BonChon Chicken because we saw the poster of Seafood Platter Group Meal at P655.



We always order their chicken group meal, so for a change, seafood naman. The group meal includes seafood platter, (calamari + crispy shrimp +crispy fish) 4 rice, 4 drinks, 2 side dishes, and 1 chapchae. 

Iced Tea and Pineapple

As always, we’re satisfied with our meal and off we went to the movie house to watch Jurassic World. 

Mang Inasal is a fastfood chain that was established since December 12, 2003. It is one of the affordable fastfood chains in the country that offers chicken bbq +unlimited rice and soup. 

So if you have big appetite and doesn’t want to pay for extra rice, Mang Inasal is the answer. But my son loves fried chicken so we seldom dine here but for a change sa nakakasawang fried chicken, we will eat here. 

While scrolling my pictures in my phone, I saw food photos when we dined in Mang Inasal last March (twice). Sharing to you the food that we have tried such as Chicken BBQ, Pork, BBQ, Dinuguan, Bangus Sisig and Halo-Halo.



What I like in their menu is, they offer regular meal and meal that has unlimited rice. My son and I always order regular meal while my husband go for unlimited rice. 

What’s your favorite meal in Mang Inasal?

Our family loves Jollibee because we like their food, it is our go-to restaurant if we are in a rush. We are thankful for the 24 hours branch and drive-thru option because we can buy food anytime.

Aside from chicken joy, my son and I love Jollibee Burger Steak. I think the burger steak meal is one of the cheapest meal they offer so I always order that.



Last month, I asked hubby to buy dinner before he goes home. I wasn’t feeling well that time so I did not cook. He suggested Jollibee na lang. I said ok and I said: burger steak na lang sa kin. 

He dropped my dinner and they (hubby and son) off to watch Avengers Age of Ultron movie.  When I opened the pack, I was surprised because the burger steak was so big so I called my husband to ask. He said, “yan na lang meron, wala yung dati”. 



Anyway, the big burger steak is 1/3-pound Champ patty. It is really big and thick but I find it dry and the mushroom gravy was not enough. I still prefer the old burger steak which is juicy and just enough for the rice. I did not finish the burger steak, how much more if my son will order this. For sure, marami tira. I think this is good for those who have big appetite and who want to order extra rice. Hehehe! 

The Jollibee Big Burger Steak is P80 for solo and P95 with a regular drink

Update: July 2015

I mentioned before that I did not enjoy my big burger steak because I find it dry but a few months ago my husband told me na masarap naman ha, natikman niya na daw. Knowing him who is not fond of burger steak, as in di daw niya type talaga and he can't really understand me bakit favorite ko daw yun. hahaha!



So finally last Saturday, I gave it another try and I was surprised that it is no longer dry and di na bitin ang mushroom sauce. Thank God for the improvement.

I also saw the commercial yesterday, burger steak meal is back at P50. Yehey!

For the last two years, I’ve been meaning to register my son in McDonald’s Kiddie Crew but I have to wait till he hits 6 years old. They were very strict with age so I had no choice but to wait. But now, I noticed that there were kiddie crew as young as 4 years old. 

McDonald is the only fastfood near my son’s school and most of the time I stayed there while waiting for my son’s dismissal. Since March 12, I accompanied my son to school until he finishes his graduation practice. At that time, I learned that McDonald’s Kiddie Crew was already open for registration.  

I immediately got the registration form, filled up the form and I was so excited to tell my son that I would enroll him in McDonald’s Kiddie Crew. But my son did not like the idea. My husband and I kept on persuading him to join the workshop but he had so many excuses. 

Ethan: I can’t do that. 
Ethan: I don’t want to work in McDonald.

Finally, after four weeks, he said yes. Unfortunately, the next available date is April 27 to May 1, 2015. I chose the 8-10AM schedule. 

Registration Fee: P595 
Inclusive of T-shirt, ID with Lace, Cap, Bag, Chef’s Hat, Apron, Meals and Workshop Materials. 

After two weeks of waiting, we attended the orientation and got the uniform. The staff toured the kids in the kitchen and my son became interested. 

Day 1 

Kids introduced themselves (name, age and talent). The kids were divided into two groups. So if group 1 is in the counter the other group will practice their song and dance number. 

My son doesn’t like burgers but I was surprised that he ate his burger McDo meal. 

Day 2 

My son started to enjoy his counter experience. He experienced preparing drinks and putting tissues, spoon and fork and ketchup on the tray. 

Day 3 

Cheeseburger Making. Kids made their own cheeseburger for their snacks. 

I ordered a meal while my son was at the counter. He was happy to serve his mom. 

Day 4 

The kids painted their McDonalds Happy Meal boxes and presented their talents. My son said his talent is drawing so we just brought his sketch pad. 

Day 5 

Graduation day. Kids sang “Make it Happen” and danced “Shake it Off”. 

I always tell this to my son, stop saying “I can’t do that” or I can’t do this” always say I can do it! So I was really happy when I checked the lyrics of McDonald’s Kiddie Crew theme song. I liked the message. 

 “As we gather here today, we make our pledge to serve others and be the best. Let nothing bring us down, always say we can. Let the whole world know, we’re gonna make things happen.” 



My son enjoyed his first Kiddie Crew Workshop.


We bought the McRib meal (fries + drinks + free umbrella) for P200 because there was a raffle but we did not win. But at least we have McDonald umbrella. hehehe! Hubby said, McRib was just okay. 

Last Tuesday, I gave him Papa Smurf and he said “Papa Smurf, check. Party next” (Party Planner). Wow, may checklist pa siya! I’m not sure if I can complete the 12 Smurfs, napupurga na ko sa happy meal. =)

Tsim Sha Tsui B1