Pizza Night and My Gluten-Free Shift

From my Instagram post:
It's pizza night! Lovin' the classic Margherita - tomato, basil, vegan substitute for mozzarella topped with black olives, field mushrooms and spinach on a gluten-free base. No shame, I finished half of this in under 15 minutes; saved the half for tomorrow. 

For those of you who may be wondering why I've moved to a gluten-free diet recently, there are various reasons and factors for the switch. You don't get diagnosed for gluten intolerance overnight. As I learned from a colleague, it took years for her to finally narrow it down to gluten. In my case, I don't usually adapt a diet (as I've done in the past, e.g., pescetarian, lactose-free) just because. This is one of my 'small steps' to rebalance my lifestyle while at the same time helping address some health concerns, with the ultimate goal of understanding the changes in my body better.

For the past few months, I've been having skin reactions on my face that seemed to not go away for good. It could be due to the change in environment (the ever changing and unpredictable weather conditions in London), change in diet (ingredients here may be different than what my body was used to), and/or stress factors. It could be a lot of things.

As almost everything in London is too costly, that means I don't have easy access to an affordable and at the same time dependable facial centre the way I used to when I was in the Philippines. Back there, it will usually take at most two visits, possibly one full facial peel along with regular facials, for my facial woes to go away. (Dermstrata - Greenbelt Branch, I miss you!)

For now, I'm staying away from gluten and dairy to see if my skin reactions have anything to do with these potential triggers. The good news is that there are properly regulated gluten-free and dairy-free options in the supermarkets here and all I have to do is search for them and read food labels diligently.

The Sunday Agenda: Ice Cream

Yesterday, I promised to treat myself to a scoop of ice cream.

This fine Sunday, I found the Amorino shop at Goodge Street.

Amorino sells gluten-free gelatos and I think its huge selling point is the artful presentation of its gelato in rose-like petals. How lovely and unique, isn't it? You can have as many flavours as you like, too! I got mine in banana, pistachio, raspberry and hazelnut.

Gelato. Hmm, is it the same as ice cream? Well, it is Italian for ice cream. It's just that the Italians make their ice creams in a slightly different way. Usually there is more milk than cream, which is then slowly churned to keep the gelato as dense as possible. The gelatos don't easily melt and drip like regular ice cream. I finished my Amorino 'flower' leisurely in 15 minutes :)

The Saturday Agenda: Indian Brunch, Kensington Palace and The Regent's Park

Hey there! How's your weekend going so far? Are you dreading Monday and wishing for the extra 24 hours to prolong the weekend bliss? Hahaha, I feel you my friend. So relatable!


My weekend buddy, travel organiser, and good friend Liza is leaving for a place with almost-year-round warm weather very soon and we are maximising the weekends left for her to have a proper 'last hurrah' with London (after staying here for more than seven years).

It was a sunny Saturday contrary to our expectations of cloudy skies. Obviously, that made us very happy. Let's keep the text brief and sweet. Here's the Saturday agenda in five bullets:

1. We had Indian brunch at Dishoom (Carnaby branch). The place gets packed quite fast and one needs to reserve ahead. Good thing we got a 9:30 AM spot.
2. We walked around the Regent Street. It was the day of the London Pride March and the streets were decked out in rainbow colours.
3. Kensington Park. It was a lovely day under the sunshine and the gardens seemed as green as they can be.
4. Kensington Palace. Our Art Fund pass allowed us free entry to visit the state apartments where royals like Queen Victoria and Princess Diana once lived.
5. Regent's Park. Incidentally, I got to cross out one from my bucket list: To visit an English Garden. Do you think I will be able to cross out the other two in my list this year?

Click 'Read more'to see my short, sort-of bucket list and the rest of the Saturday agenda pictures.

The Weekend Agenda: Paris (also Hashtags 2017 ed. vol. 10)

#Paris #DearParis

 

 

Dear Paris,

By now, you may have gotten used to receiving notes admiring your beauty and charm, retelling in various versions how your cobblestoned streets, your food, your arts and culture, your architecture, your Eiffel Tower, your fashion and films, and your language truly embody romance, love and passion. Should I add any more? Aren't there enough travelogues, memoirs and poems about you? My own compilation of random thoughts will be the millionth verse to this epic ode to Paris.


It's just that I've always dreamt of visiting you, experiencing you --- the Parisian flair that many talked about. Until recently, Paris was a good idea, but only that, a good idea. Who would have guessed? I was presented the opportunity to move to the UK and I have found the perfect excuse. You're now literally just hours away --- a Eurostar train trip and a Schengen visa are the only things that keep us apart. Cheesy as it may sound, it felt like falling in love with someone from across the miles for so many years, with only literature and pictures to keep you inspired, and realising that finally you're meeting him in the flesh.


I was wary and guarded when I walked your streets for the first time, knowing that I do not speak French (at least conversationally) and that tourist traps and thieves are out and about (as in many cities in the world). In a way, you were still a stranger, beautiful and promising in paper --- like most men are, putting their best foot forward when they want to win you over.


I sampled the food from your brasserie and wondered what is it that sets your cuisine apart from the rest. It wasn't love at first sight (or taste), to be honest. It took some more buttery croissants for breakfast and a couple of glasses of wine for lunch AND dinner for me to finally make up my mind. Yes, you do excellent pastries and you've got the wine and food pairing down to a T. The baguette or any 'hard' bread is not something I fancy much though. I like my food less messy to eat, melt-in-your-mouth tender, and flavourful.


Despite all these, I love you still --- imperfections, quirks and all. It may be a one-way street, and you may not feel the same. I am after all another stranger, and we had less than three days together. Nonetheless, it was indeed an exciting and magical experience, and I will never forget this 'first time' in my lifetime. If you and the universe permit, I will see you again.


Enchanté!


With love,
Genefel


Click "Read more" to see my #Paris weekend, as told in 35 snaps.

The Skinny Eats: Hello Fresh (April 2017)

Hey there! How are you today? It's the end of April, can you believe it?


Do you still remember The Skinny Eats from a year ago? If you can't or have only started reading recently, here's a quick recap:

• "The Skinny Eats" (formerly Delectables) is intended for quick foodie "two cents" (maybe a few rants, but mostly raves) from yours truly --- the skinny lady who surprise, surprise actually eats but sadly (for me) hardly gains a pound and even loses more just by breathing, lol. Compared to the more sumptuous, three-course equivalent in the former Delectables posts, these ones are more concise in the same eat-and-run pace when one goes through pit stops.

For the second instalment, The Skinny Eats will be my two cents on the meal planning and shopping subscription service called Hello Fresh.

Click to "Read more".

The Saturday Agenda: Going Through My TSA @ A+I Routine and Trying Something New

It seems that I now have an Angel+Islington routine. It became a pinned, default agenda in my Saturday afternoon for these past weeks. You might be thinking, 'Doesn't she do anything else other than go to Islington on Saturdays?' Hahaha. Surely, I don't want to bore you with my routine by posting the same set of pictures and captions every week. Please bear with me as I post this for maybe the last time --- my typical Saturday at Angel+Islington. The next time I mention TSA @ A+I, you can just go back and re-read this post :)

Don't worry, it looks like I will be doing something different in the coming weekends, and I sure did something different this Saturday (read on to the end of this post)!! But it doesn't take away my hunch that there must be something special and addictive about Angel+Islington for this place to bore itself into me, quite literally, (-;) and stamp its own agenda in my Saturday afternoon. 

The typical TSA @ A+I goes like this:

• Buy flowers. I have a favourite. There's this lovely stall near The York and Toni & Guy, along Upper Street. I think it's called Angelic Flower. I usually buy the hand-tied bouquet because this includes a good mix of vibrant colours - greens, roses and tulips. Its height and hand-tied size is just perfect for my vase, too.

Click to "Read more".

The Saturday Agenda: Okonomi-yaki and Fresh Picks

Hey there! How did this week go for you? Pleasantly blah at work? Or another challenging rollercoaster ride? Either way, I hope this weekend is treating you well :) Sharing with you again my Saturday agenda. Here goes...




1:00 p.m.
Okonomi-yaki lunch

• @ Abeno with Liza
• Abeno claims to be the only one offering the authentic Okonomi-yaki experience in Europe.
• We dined in the Bloomsbury restaurant at 47 Museum Street, London WC1A 1LY. There's also another Abeno in Covent Garden, a.k.a. Abeno Too. Check out its website and book a table in advance.
• We ordered a deluxe Tokyo mix (pork, squid and prawn) to share, and requested for a gluten-free dough.
• For our side dish, we chose one from the Spring Menu - Kakiage Tempura, with scallops, asparagus, carrots and onions.

Click to "Read more".

The Saturday Agenda: Why I Keep Coming Back to Angel and Islington

Hey there, sweetie! How well have you spent your weekend?
It is rarely warm and sunny in London that whilst I originally planned to stay in my flat this Saturday (no Saturday agenda with friends this weekend), I wasn't able to help it but I just had to go out and bask in the precious warmth and sunshine!! Is spring coming soon? Please do come already :)


Hmm, what's my default weekend place? Angel and Islington. I never quite understand why this place seems to beckon to me whenever I need somewhere else to just be. Just be. Quiet. By myself. Mindless and mindful of solitude all at once.


As I have mentioned in previous posts here and in Instagram, this all started when I was looking for a butcher shop after finding the frozen meat at supermarkets too bland and quite tasteless. I found Turner and George and went there almost every Saturday to buy my fresh meat, and then sort of fell in love with Angel and Islington in the process.


2017 came and I decided on a (mostly) pescetarian diet. I had no excuse to go back to Islington anymore. :( Until now.


So why do I keep coming back to Angel and Islington? I tried to find answers to this question this Saturday.


Click to "Read more".

The Saturday Agenda: Making Handmade Soaps + Persian Lunch

Why do I share my Saturday agenda with you? Good question. My two cents on this:

1. Currently, it is my only "free time" when non-work events of interest actually happen. Other than these, I'd most likely bore you with a lecture on audit, risk and controls, hahaha. And on a Saturday, no thanks.
2. I want to encourage you to go out, get out of your comfort zone (which will most likely be your very comfortable, warm and cosy bed) and LIVE OUT LIFE!! Don't get me wrong. I am an introvert myself and staying indoors with a cup of hot cocoa and immersing myself in the world of books are my closest to heaven. However, I've made a pact with this introvert self of mine that I will go out more and see the "outside world" every now and then. Why? Life is short. We are here for the journey - THE experience. :)

So here goes my agenda for this Saturday...


Click to "Read more".

The Saturday Agenda: Steamboat

For Verna's XXth birthday, we decided to invite her friends over our flat and have our own steamboat / hotpot.

This is definitely much cheaper than the one that you'll have in restaurants. You'll need an induction cooker (for slow-cooking), a cook pot huge enough to dunk the ingredients in, a really good soup base and a good variety of ingredients (prawns, thinly sliced meat, tofu, mushrooms, wanton balls and dimsum, vegetables). We had more than enough to serve 4-5 people.

Thanks to Lily who is such a pro with hot pots, we all had a filling and lovely steamboat celebration.

The Saturday Agenda: Udon Lunch

It was one of those rare days when it actually snowed in London! As I queued outside the British Museum, I took a video (for my personal memoir) of the baby snow flakes floating and falling around me. What an amazing moment!

British Museum

I met Liza for our dose of eye-opener tours at the British Museum. These are free 30-40 minute tours held throughout the day where a guide tells the story of the selected region or country as he/she walks you through the art gallery. We picked Greece and Mexico for our tours.



Ichiryu

Afterwards, we came to the heart of our Saturday Agenda. As always, food!

Ichiryu's specialty is the Hakata Udon which consists of dashi broth and udon noodles handmade from scratch everyday using Japan-sourced ingredients. The founder, Tak Tokumine, hails from Hakata, Fukuoka, Japan.



Yaki Udon: Stir-fried noodles with pork, prawn, cabbage, onion, carrot, beansprout, and fish cake

Click to "Read more".

The Saturday Agenda: Pie & Mash + Greenwich Park

Someone craved for pie and mash...
Who else? The weekend getaway warrior, the advance planner, my almost-regular partner-in-crime for The Saturday Agenda here in London? Hahaha! Liza :)


Goodards at Greenwich

Click to "Read more".

The Saturday Agenda: Viennese Lunch & La La Land

Kipferl 

• Kipferl was based on the Viennese coffeehouse concept which is actually beyond a concept but a culture in itself. An experience, if you may. Picture yourself with a cup of coffee, flipping through the newspaper, writing in your journal, or reading your favourite novel, for unlimited hours. No rush, no pressure. In fact, the waiter will readily bring you service water as you linger alone and take your own sweet time. History has records of famous poets, writers and noteworthy fellows who spent significant amounts of time in these coffee houses, and in those leisurely paced hours, wrote well-acclaimed literary pieces. It looks like this culture helped create history itself.

Click to "Read more".

The Saturday Agenda: Snooze No More

The early bird (yours truly) woke up with no problem today. I was feeling much better after a good night sleep, possibly an eight-hour one (or more) as I was too exhausted yesterday. I only remember dosing off immediately as soon as my head hit the pillow. 


For the early bird's breakfast, I stir-fried some vegetables (baby carrots, beans, broccoli and baby corn), mixed in the marrow from the marrow shafts (two-and-a-half leftover from the four halves) and put a bit of effort in the presentation. ;)

  

I was debating whether I should attend or ditch the financial planning seminar (a free one), but eventually decided to attend anyway. I firmly told myself that I have to have an excuse every weekend to leave my comfortable nest (a.k.a. BED).

Click to "Read more".

Post-Christmas: Little Red Riding Hood Meets the Big Ben

Two days after Christmas, I still haven't written any post for my blog. Must be going through some form of writer's block? I told myself that this is expected after having not done any blogging for a very long period of time other than the Instagram posts-turned-random-reflections which I've been posting at least on a weekly basis. I thought I needed some fresh air and sunshine to regain my bearings.
 
I took the bus to Canary Wharf. Sales spotted everywhere! I did some quick window shopping but unfortunately the coats I like didn't come in my size or even if they did, they were still too big for me. Note to self: Need to gain more pounds!

Jubilee - Canary Wharf Station

It was a bit cold so I had a cup of coffee (from Notes) before heading to the tube. I took the Jubilee line to the Westminster station. While waiting for the train, this "Little Red Riding Hood" theme got me out of nowhere. Maybe it was because I was wearing my favourite red coat?

Click to "Read more".

Another Christmas Eve?

Was it just another Christmas eve?


23 December 2016 - from 4 p.m. to about past 9:00 p.m.


My annual leave officially started on the 22nd but I was only truly free from office work on the 23rd.


Liza, one of the Filipina friends that I've met here in London, knew that I'm all game for anything about culture and the arts. She invited me to see the promenade performance called 'Christmas Carol' at the Victoria & Albert Museum. I met up with her at 4:00 p.m. The performance was actually about Queen Victoria's reminiscing of times with her late husband Prince Albert, injected with a bit of Christmas cheer - some singing and dancing, and the character of Sir Robert Peel playing a violin in Queen Victoria's imagination. As it was a promenade performance, the audience had to walk around the British Galleries along with the actors.


After the 35-minute performance, Liza and I decided to head to the National Gallery which was right across Trafalgar Square. I had a grand albeit brief time checking out the 18th century to early 20th century paintings (much shorter compared to my V&A museum visit weeks ago). I finally got to see some greats in the flesh - Van Goghs, Renoirs and Monets.





Van Goghs
(The painting in the centre called 'Sunflowers' used to hang in Van Gogh's guest bedroom in anticipation of the arrival of his artist friend, Paul Gauguin.)

Click to "Read more".

The Skinny Eats: In Singapore (April 2016)

"The Skinny Eats" (formerly Delectables) is intended for quick foodie "two cents" (maybe a few rants, but mostly raves) from yours truly --- the skinny lady who surprise, surprise actually eats but sadly (for me) hardly gains a pound and even loses more just by breathing, lol. Compared to the more sumptuous, three-course equivalent in the former Delectables posts, these ones are more concise in the same eat-and-run pace when one goes through pit stops.  

The ratings I use are simple:

❤ Nah, did not meet expectations.

❤❤ Good enough for a one-off meal but not as memorable.

❤❤❤ Loved it! Recommended and will not mind going back!!!

To keep it focused, these are based purely on the overall dining experience taste-wise. Service, food presentation and price were not factored in the above rating. Some comments about these other factors may be included in my notes under the particular pit stop, as deemed necessary.

For the first installment of The Skinny Eats, here's the rundown of 17 "pit stops" (yes 17, and I didn't even include ALL food stops) made during my three-week Singapore assignment this April 2016:

Pit stop 1: Toastbox (Suntec Food Republic)

Ordered: Laksa and kopi

Verdict: ❤❤❤

Notes: Order just the right bowl size 'cause the coconut milk in the laksa can be quite overwhelming in large amounts. You have to have this in Singapore! Even if there are Toastbox franchises in other countries (including the Philippines), I strongly believe that the laksa in Singapore tastes much better and authentic. If you find time to try this in hawker centres, all the much better!

Notes from IG: Laksa, I missed you!!! #laksa #toastbox till I drop #nofilter (P.S. I've been good; only 2 cups of kopi in 7 days.)

Click to "Read more".

Delectables: Foodie Shots - Behind the Scenes

It is the last leg of the Lenten season. I am not a Roman Catholic but I opted to make use of the holiday break to reflect on things. In my faith, I believe it's a time when we fast on our excesses, spiritually and physically. While I believe that the former is the heart of it all, I understand why some of us decided on physical fasting. Usually, on food.

In my rarely quiet side of the building, I browsed through my social media accounts and found out that I've posted at least 30 food-related posts since January 2016. Does that make me guilty of food porn? 

Food porn, as defined by Wikipedia refers to "glamorized spectacular visual presentation of cooking or eating in advertisements, infomercials, blogs, cooking shows or other visual media".

My first food post in 2016

Caption: A happy thought to say hello to 2016...Dinner with Mama...

Someday, we hopefully will reach that age when eating healthy becomes a lifestyle instead of a New Year's resolution... #positive #grateful

What actually happened: After a very challenging 2015 and my uncle's death, I thought that my Mama deserved a treat to give her a fresh and positive start in 2016.

Click to "Read more".

The Saturday Agenda: Catch the Early Bird's Worm and Then, The Bowery

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. 

- Unknown

That modified quote though...Hahaha.

Let me ask you, dears: How does your Saturday morning usually start? Perpetually tapping the "snooze" button? Sleeping in till midday? LOL! Can't help but agree to these! There are Saturdays when I did just those. Lazy bed potato, yeah. 

But no, this was not one of those Saturdays. :) I had two morning schedules to go through. Therefore, I had to wake up early for a quick breakfast and get ready, real fast! It felt like a preview of how my mornings could be like on "fast-paced big city mode": light half-sandwich and a can of Mountain Dew, cross off one appointment, move on to the next venue, and cross off the next appointment.

#sighofrelief...After a productive morning, didn't I just deserve to have a lovely brunch. Agree, dears? Where? Please read on.

Food Tripping Around Davao

Hello folks? Got the Monday blues? 

I hope I can cheer you up with some snapshots from my three-day fieldwork last October 14-16, 2015 in one of our audit clients in Davao. The fieldwork and late nights (for work AND fun) were short and sweet. But as always, I made the most of what I had.

Before I flew to Davao, I didn't prepare a "must-try" list as I was too swamped that week. However, I realized, there is not much need for advance preparation when in Davao. The locals will gladly help you around.

Tuna panga from one of the Karen's on my Day 1: 
("Karen's" is a play on the local "carinderia" or "turo-turo", an eatery where you get to "turo" or point your orders and viand of choice)

If you think that was a mouth-watering start, please click 'Read more'.