Mercato Market

Early in the morning, a few girlfriends and I decided to check out what the deal was at Mercato Market. I'm had a wedding to attend and host that day, so I had a quick brunch with them before leaving for the church.

I had heard that this Manang's fried chicken was better than Bon Chon, so I decided to have this for lunch without batting an eyelash.

The chicken is cooked and seasoned right in front of you. You have a choice of either Original, Mild Spicy or Extra Spicy. I'm not a fan of spicy stuff though I can take them, so I chose original.

Honestly, I was disappointed with it! It's so not better than Bon Chon. It feels like it's missing Bon Chon's secret ingredient, which is Ginseng. Sorry people, I'm a Bon Chon girl all the way. Haha. I have a feeling that the reason to why the people on Team Manang's like this better is because they have the option to choose Mild or Extra Spicy, whereas in Bon Chon they only have the Extra Spicy option. Oh well, c'est la vie!

I only had 3 Chicken wings out of the 6 that I bought for 120 Php. Then it was dessert time!

Surprise! Look at what I found! I have blogged about these before (link here) and they impressed me once again! I got a box of 12 standard macarons to take home and a box of these minis, which I shared with my friends. :)

One would think that these minis would be crunchy all the way and not as good as their standard older siblings, but they weren't at all! They were how a macaron should really be-crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The small ones are a cylinder of 12 for 220 Php, and the standard are 12 for 450 Php. :)

And lastly, right before I left, I couldn't resist having one of these. I tried two of them on my last trip with friends to Tagaytay - Caramel and Vanilla. They weren't anything great. But for the love of Rose!

I had a Vanilla Rose mochi ice cream ball and it was lovely! All of you must know that I love everything roses. The color, the flower, the taste and smell, everything! Haha. So I really enjoyed this one. :)

So, would I go back to the Mercato Market? Probably not. I wouldn't go for the real food but I would go back for the desserts. And since I'm on a diet, I definitely won't be going back. I hope. HAHA!

Paul Smith

Last week, at the height of my preliminary exam week, my mother decided to go shopping. And who was I to protest and stay at home? I came along, of course! We looked in Tory Burch while waiting for my dad but didn't find anything that either of us liked. When my dad finally arrived, we went into Paul Smith and my mom found something right away! It was a new hand-carry.

On the outside it's just simple and black, but when you open it, surprise! The lining is a deep shade of purple. One thing I hate THE MOST about travelling is airport security. It KILLS ME! I hate having to remove my laptop from my hand-carry and putting it on a separate bin, lalala and removing my shoes, jacket and belt. :| Just thinking about it makes my blood boil. But what solves the laptop problem better than a separate compartment that zips out and flat onto the conveyor belt? :) Look at the photo below! It also has a red snap-on envelope that screams out to you reminding you not to forget your passport. The snap-out feauture is designed so that you can carry it around through customs and immigration, hassle-free! Is Paul Smith a genius or what? :) I'm so excited to travel again so that I can borrow this bag! Shanghai maybe? I heard it's a must for this year!

Of course, since this was my mom's purchase, I got to pick something too. On the shelves behind the counter I noticed boxes of perfumes that had the word ROSE all over them. My absolute favorite flower is the rose, and though it is a cliche I love everything and anything roses! rose tea, rose fragrance, rose color! Fun fact: my prom dress in high school was the color of old rose and it won me best dressed. Heehee. :)

I especially love this scent because it's not purely rose. If it was then it would remind me of an old grandma. Haha :) It's a mix of two kinds of roses and iris, plus musky bottom notes of amber, white musk and cedar. :) Not really an evening scent, it's perfect for every day! I was getting sick of my Strawberries and Champagne by Victoria's Secret anyway. :)

Now to get ready for lunch! Toodles!

*All photos are from the Paul Smith website. He has a store in Greenbelt 5 if you're interested in shopping over there :)