Food trip // Goldilocks

I am Filipino. 

Let me be one of the few people to say that Filipinos are Asian and not Pacific-Islanders. 

You may or may not agree with me but it's true. Unfortunately, this post is not about that. 

I will discuss that later on.

Today, I will talk about a famous restaurant here in California, not so much back in sweet, ol' Philippines called 

Goldilocks 

[[^^ You know the drill, click the linky for more infy ^^]]

Back in the Philippines, Goldilocks is famously known for a local bakeshop where you can usually get your last-minute birthday cakes. [[Yup! I know Dad, you forgot my bday again (ʃƪ ˘ ³˘) ]]

Any cow, here in Cerritos lies the famous restaurant.

From fairy tale to famous Filipino bakery grail

I was never really a fan of Goldilocks 5 years back but I am a sucker for sweets so I gave it another shot.

In the Philippines, there are numerous house garages turned to small cafeterias. For someone who was born and raised there, you get that nostalgic feeling whenever you encounter a place where it reminds you of home and that is exactly the atmosphere that Goldilocks gives you when you first enter the restaurant.

Once inside, you are then greeted by a host that will escort you to your table. Around you, you'll see copious 'kababayans' (fellow Filipino) eating with their family. This place really gives off the sense of home.

Filipinos, filipinos everywhere!

Goldilocks' icon is nonetheless the famous fairy tale character herself, as shown below. Kind of creepy but you get used to it.

I don't know how they did it; how they owned such a famous character but they did.
And for that I salute you.

A waiter then approaches you in your table and gives you the menu. A mid-size menu full of  the restaurant's specialties.

For a native, you will see very familiar words in the menu, delicacies served in a normal Filipino household such as Pancit (Noodles), Sinigang (Sour soup), Nilaga (Stew) and even Lechon Kawali (Deep fried Pork belly)

The menu has english descriptions for non-native speakers. Very convenient!

Just a brain blast moment; I didn't know that Filipino's have soul food. Very interesting. 

Crispy Dinuguan - Crispy Pork Blood Stew for your soul, anyone?

Once done ordering, the waiter then distributes the tableware suited for what you ordered.

I think this setting is really dashing.

Unfortunately, I was too hungry to even take a picture of what we got. It's simply Fried Rice but of course, Filipino-style which means it's sweet and just right for my palette.

For desserts, my friend got an Avocado Chiller which looks definitely refreshing

She has her own blog and her own review of the place.

Check her out HERE

Avocado Chiller - Avocados, silky evaporated milk, tapioca with shaved ice all over.

And as for myself, I got the traditional Halo-Halo which means Mix.
Very tantalizing to the eyes and very refreshing to the tummy.

Halo-Halo - (Mix) consists of a shaved ice and evaporated milk MIXed with a variety of sweet beans, plantains, nata de coco, dash of pounded crushed young rice (pinipig) and a scoopful of flan and/or purple yam ice cream or purple yam itself.

Top view of this majestic masterpiece before it is then pulverized to mix  thoroughly for  fun.

Last but will never be the least, if there's one thing that Goldilocks never got rid of; its the bakery.

Still the top leading bakery in the Filipino community, showcases of assorted cakes and sweets lined up on the glass cases waiting to be taken home.

For pricing, it's not that bad. Brazo de Mercedes (Rolled Meringue cake with Custard Filling) - a famous, Spanish-named  roll has taken its toll in my child-like heart. This roll has been my cake since I can remember.
≧(´▽｀)≦

Of course, there are the grand cakes suited for every birthday need!

I like this one, very simple yet sophisticated.

Price: ★★★☆☆

• For something you can simply make at home, the price is good for reminiscing old times.

Food Rating: ★★★☆☆

• Knocked out 2 stars because again, you can try and make your own recipes for these dishes. This place is meant for those who wants to reminisce home or those Filipinos who wanted their Non-native  friends to have their own Pinoy experience.

Overall Service/Experience: ★★★★☆

• For someone who cannot cook that well, I love this place as it reminds me of home. 

Would I come back?

• In a heartbeat. Goldilocks has a special place in every Filipino's heart, especially mine.

Thanks for tuning in! 

о(ж＞▽＜)ｙ ☆

Life as you know it // The little things

Happy Sunday Pacific Coast!

Just a quick update with what is going on with my life, I hope you're as interested as I am.

Expressing myself through words and pictures, the best thing I can do.

This post will be better off as a photo dump rather than an update but it doesn't matter, on wards to the snapshots.

I recently got a full-time job so it's really hard to come up with something interesting to blog knowing I have ZERO time for anything else. But I know I can be interesting somehow （//･_･//)

= // =

Green Juice -  something healthy that my best friend concocted. I'm obviously obsessed with the thing no matter what color it has. 

Spaghetti dinner my best friend made for us a couple of nights ago. I thought it was a nice way of expressing gratitude by putting it up here.

The whole enchila.... spaghetti. 

= // =

Have you guys ever been to Five Guys? If not, you are missing out. Sure, it's not like In-N-Out but in my opinion it can be one of the next best thing after. 

As stated, it's kinda true. I enjoyed my time here. I should do a review, no?

FREE PEANUTS

I cannot stress that enough.

= // =

A trip to Little Tokyo and this amazing banner; unfortunately I get overly excited over the simplest of things

I am currently obsessing over my Dansko shoes, the bane of all shoes..
Seriously why does it have to be so comfy?!

You gotta admit, these water bottles are adorable.

= // =

I might lose readers but i am ultimately terrified of cats, due to past childhood experiences, the worst thing that could happen is a cat blocking my way home knowing that I needed to pee badly.

= // =

Why would I post something so random? Simple. 

Why not?

The title of the post is "The Little Things"  and it's exactly what it is, small things in your life that matters. Do not ignore them, for the love of Loki.  Do not look into life like a bullet train, stop for awhile and think what made everything happen, what made you happen. Everything in your life has something to do with everything. Take the time to appreciate the people around you, give them a hug, a Thank you for they are responsible for what is happening around you. Take the time to respect your surroundings for they never last. 

Smile. Laugh.Love.

My friends and I, sadly, we're all wearing glasses （/｡＼)

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."

John Wooden 

Places // What time is it? It's Boba Time!!

Hello and welcome to my blog.

Ahhh Koreatown, how I miss you so.. how long has it been? 3 years ever since I last visited you?

Kidding aside, let me be the first one to say THIS SUMMER IS WAY TOO HOT FOR EVERYONE! 

｡ﾟ(TヮT)ﾟ｡

It is a good thing Ice was invented, most especially shaved ice mixed with refreshing flavors such as tropical fruits or simply, just fruits. 

Lying in the heart of Koreatown is a boba place called Boba Time. 

What is boba? Boba are black tapioca balls that taste kind of like jello but it's a bit harder around the center.

They were first incorporated with Milk Tea which makes it a Bubble tea but later on, thank God for our  creative human minds, ventured on other flavors.

This is the exterior photo of the place.

It's pretty dainty but definitely packs a lot of people. Imagine, lemonade tycoon with the right recipes on a hot summer day.

Once inside, you are then greeted by walls and walls of their menu, ranging from their favorite picks of smoothie to customer picks of shaved ice.

In front, you'll see a black board of the flavors to choose from. It's like any cafe's like Starbucks or Jamba Juice.

The place is pretty small. The lady on the right signifies the other end of the cafe, as she patiently
waits for her thirst-quenching treat.

When it's your turn, look down.

Look down again!

You would think that the walls of choices are enough, but you are dead wrong. 

Below you can see dozens more choices of fruits and flavors to put in the drink.

I admit though, it's very cute. Like Purikura. 

\(///Σ///)\

In the end, I chose a Soy Strawnana Smoothie with Extra Boba.

Why not right?

With this Summer coming in, I'd be needing it.

Price: ★★★★☆

Drink Rating: ★★★★★

• Thank the heat for a perfect score!

Overall Sevice: ★★★★☆

• The overall service was pretty fast. We got there just in time before a whole barricade of people gushed in. Reminds me of my Pinkberry days to be honest о(ж＞▽＜)ｙ ☆

:EXTRA:

Afterwards, we ventured on to Little Tokyo for dinner stuff; found a cute fountain to chill while drinking our refreshing, bubbly drinks. 

I'd rather stay behind the camera so here's my best friend sporting her Milk Bubble Tea.

I am not photogenic. =_=;;

Thanks for tuning in!

(￣□￣;)!!

CP Chronicles // And today's date is 7-eleven!

That's right. Today is July 11 and to everyone who knows a convenient store called 7-eleven knows that today is...

FREE SLURPEE DAY!

Created back in 1966, 7-eleven is givng away something bigger. 

This year they're giving away 12-ounces! 

I was literally at the edge of my seat waiting for that little hand tick to the 40th minute at work. I had to work overtime because I was 10 minutes late XP...

NOTE: This is a CP Chronicles so pardon my English as well as my grammar for  I am not looking on what I'm typing. Though I will try my hardest to correct myself as much as I can.

Anyways, going back to work, I had to meet up with my best friend, I actually thought I'm not gonna be able to grab myself a yummy slurpee but I was, thanks to the guy up above 

Once inside, you'll see all the 7-eleven's banners all around.

I was quite happy yet sorta disappointed that there wasn't a lot of people like last time. 

   

The most disappointing part of this trip was the sticky floor but the fact that they gave were giving out a bigger cup... I could not ask for more. 

They have a limited flavor which is "Strawberry Lemonade" 

The excitement in me was sudden like a roller coaster and I grabbed that flavor right away along with of course.. the Coca-Cola and the Wild Cherry Fanta. But like any roller coaster it has to go down and end. 

The flavor is not as good in comparison to Coca-cola. But I still feel pretty accomplished that I was able to get a hold of this majestic creation to absolutely quench your thirst on this horrid summer season.

Yay Me!

Thank you for reading my posts, today's weather is so serene and nice and sunless (Thank gawd!)  for a summer day

Isn't this building just so freakin shiny!?



Thanks for tuning in~

⊙ω⊙

Shoot // Se-ere-enity, come and be with me

From way back when I decided to do a project with my friend Bridget, she is adorable and very fun to shoot with. She's very easy to direct when we were doing this shoot, I admit it was quite hard for me because I have the right tools but I lack the creativity and ability to fully express what my eyes can see.

After maybe like an hour? We were able to come up with a few photos. I was pretty proud of them but looking back at them now, I feel like I can do better.

I will do better.

I consider myself pretty lucky to have a friend to this for me,I was pretty nervous taking her photos knowing that I lack the skills and knowledge to do so. She made me feel confident and I was pretty satisfied on how these pictures came to be.

Taking photographs gives me ease, knowing I can easily convey my thoughts into pictures rather than words. I'm not good with words. I try but I always feel like it's never enough. Through my pictures, I hope to create a story and a name for myself.

I only have three (3) pictures to show of the same thing because truthfully, we were on our way to brunch and I thought, "Why not?". A question that should never leave one's mind. A thought that should always be satisfied given with enough introspection, one should be able to comprehend the question instead of being ignored.

.::TEASER::.

- I'm working on a shoot that I did with Bridget and Claire the day before -

So stay tuned~

 (⌒_⌒;)

Food Trip // Thai Original BBQ

Good evening Ladies and Gents...

It's time for another Food Trip!

Now to all of you living in California, you know how culturally-diverse our little state is; you have food cuisines ranging from Chinese, Soul, American (new), Vietnamese, Filipino, Thai, Greek and Mediterranean. The food choices are endless.

For today, Bugsy's mom felt like treating us outside so we headed to a Thai restaurant a few blocks away from their place. It lies in the heart of Culver City. I believe that if you're a Foodie like I am, you're already familiar of this place.

.The Thai Original BBQ Restaurant.

[[ ^^ click their website, I dare you not to drool  ^^ ]]

[[ Photo Credit to YELP ]]

I forgot to take an exterior photo of the restaurant so thanks to Yelp but any photos down below are originally mine. I promise!

Any moo, when you enter the place, you feel that rustic feeling of being in well, an Asian restaurant. You then are greeted by a waitress/waiter who will assist you to a table available (sometimes, if you're a early, you can choose your own seat!)

This is the view from our table, it wasn't that crowded that day since we went after lunch service.

Most customers prefer having their food as take-out, I don't know why but we're all different so whatever.

The menu was pretty simple and easy to follow. For our starters, we started off Bugsy's Mama's favorite; The Spicy Shrimp Soup.

Just look at the steam it's producing, I cannot wait to have another one.

The Spicy Shrimp Soup
combination of Spicy and Sour soup packed with juicy Shrimp, scrumptious mushrooms, leafy greens and tomatoes.

It didn't take us long to finish the soup, but luckily the service was fast enough our entrees started coming. We just ordered two (2) of them since the restaurant gives some pretty big servings.

To start of we got the ever so famous, Pad See Ew that I'm definitely positive my Thai readers love ( I hope...) and their lunch special, the S-2 BBQ Pork Spare Rib Dinner.

Starting off with the Pad See Ew; this dish is one of Bugsy's must when going to a Thai restaurant. The combination of sweet and savory is all I could come up with whenever I needed to describe this dish. 

It is served stir-fried with the accustomed green, crisp broccolis,  delectable cuts of beef (our choice) and what is Pad See Ew without the rice noodles.  

As I've said before, the serving can feed up to 2 people, so this dish is a definite must when going to a Thai restaurant !

You can see how vivid and colorful this dish was, I am a witness that this dish is yummy and fresh

And finally, last but never ever the least, the S-2  or how the restaurant describes it; the 

BBQ Pork Spare Rib Dinner.

This dish comes with plenty serving of succulent shrimp rice enough for again, 2 people, a set of savory spare ribs grilled to perfection and of course, their sweet sauce in which I-am-not-familiar-of-that-is-why-I-am-so-obsessed-with-it.

I'm not a Shakespeare when describing food but I can assure you that this mouth-watering dish can most certainly satisfy your palette, IF you're into or craving Thai cuisine.

The orange is optional. its garnish and edible at the same time ^-^

Price:  ★★★☆☆

• I give it three stars, just because as a broke adult, the price is not your typical Mcdonald's. It's a nice on-occasion event though. Very rewarding.

Food Rating: ★★★★☆

Overall Experience:  ★★★★☆

• We're all happy campers.

This is what I get when I asked him to take a photo us his Mom and I.
Silly Bugs~

Happy Campers!




Thanks for tuning in!
(〜￣▽￣)〜