94th Mensiversary @ Ron Blaauw Restaurant

As I have mentioned time and time again, one of the things that I really love about honey is that he has this moments when he completely catches me off guard and surprises me with something that he knows I’ll really like. The way we celebrated this month’s mensiversary is a classic example.

We are one of those cheesy couples who always makes an excuse to celebrate our love for one another and mensiversaries are simply perfect for us, we always look forward to this day of the month. It can be as simple as a kiss and a hug or can be as elaborate and as fancy as the dinner we shared last week. The night before, honey already told me that he’s leaving work early, drop by the dentist and pick me up for our date. He was at the office at 5:30pm and we drove somewhere close to his office. The moment I saw this quaint shop in the middle of a charming neighbourhood, I asked him, “how on earth did you know of this place?” I even teased him and told him “maybe your taking on budget…” I cut myself midsentence when I saw the name of the restaurant. This well known place could never be a budget meal.

For this month’s mensiversary, he took me to Ron Blaauw restaurant. This renowned restaurant was awarded with two Michelin stars and serves French and International cuisine. It is located in the heart of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel. It was really a surprise for me coz honey remembered that during restaurant week here in Amsterdam, I tried to book us a reservation but they were not able to accommodate us.

The interior of the restaurant was very homey, the tamed lights were very romantic and the seats were very comfortable. But with a restaurant of this calibre, the highlight is definitely the food. We were seated at the couch to enjoy our aperitif, of course in my case it was orange juice and we were served with a wide array of appetizers that are so exquisite, the most memorable of which is the crusty bread which looked like charcoal black burnt pieces of thin bread but when I took a portion and dipped it to the butter-like accompaniment, I found it very nice, the bread was crunchy and the butter complimented it well. Honey favoured the shrimps in cone. Before we were seated on our table, we browsed through their menu and decided to have the 8 course meal, I was a bit hesitant to order that at first because it sounds a lot but the maitre’d assured us that the servings are small enough for us to enjoy all the courses. Once the dinner started, plated works of art begun parading on our table. All the courses were prepared exquisitely with the freshest ingredients one could ever imagine. The creativity of the chef and his staff was evident with each plate that arrives. The entire meal was like a well orchestrated concert where each course builds up and prepares your tongue for the crescendo of taste that is yet to come. The dessert parade was like the perfect punctuation to a well thought of dinner.

The price that we paid for the menu was definitely worth the fair that was served. This dinner definitely goes down as one of the best mensiversary dinners we’ve ever had.

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excess: the photos we have taken during our meal is trapped in my mobile phone :-( i can't seem to transfer it on my laptop.

5 months and getting bigger

This week marks the end of my 5th month of pregnancy and my, oh my, what a journey it has been so far. Over these past five months, I have realized more than ever how blessed I am. As I have mentioned time and time again, this has been one smooth sailing pregnancy and our little baby Bee is not giving mommy any difficulties at all, added to the fact that honey is with me all the way making these entire pregnancy a breeze…

Honey and I have read in one of the many weekly updates that we receive from fabulous pregnancy sites that Bee’s hearing us loud and clear now and this is the perfect time to start reading to her, so every night before honey and I go to sleep we read 2-3 stories from the illustrated stories of Jesus, one of the children’s books that we bought while vacationing in Manila. I’m so thrilled to receive the illustrated fairytale book that I’ve ordered online so that will be the next book we’re reading.

My baby bump is becoming more obvious now and I’m finding dresses, skirts and leggings more comfy to wear. I sometimes feel some fluttering in my tummy but I’m really not sure if that really is baby Bee moving, but honey and I are sure looking forward to the time when we’ll know that the movement is really Bee. Although I'm really not worried coz our midwife told us that my placenta is placed in such a way that it serves as a cushion so it might take a while before I can really feel the baby's movements but she assured me that when the baby's kick is strong enough, i'll definitely know it. I also noticed that my shoes are getting tighter, looks like it’s time to shop for a new pair. We also ordered a maternity belt coz I’m starting to feel my tummy getting heavier and I think I’ll need all the support that I can get.

This week we’re choosing colour palettes for the nursery that we’re preparing for the coming of our little princess. I’m leaning towards a purple and pink palette, although, the freshness of apple green seems to be a nice idea to. We’ll see what honey and I will come up with.

We are also signing up for the birthing classes being offered in Amsterdam, honey and I are really looking forward to it coz it will not only discuss breathing techniques and the process of giving birth, it is also a class specially designed for expat couples because it will discuss the technical stuff that we need to undergo like how to register the baby, how the Dutch medical system works and all sorts of information which should settle most of the questions that have been bugging since we knew we were pregnant.

Wow, I can’t believe how time flies, we’re already on the halfway mark of this pregnancy and as much as I love being pregnant, I am also excited to finally reach the end of this pregnancy and hold our little angel in my arms. We’ll get there soon enough!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

After reading all the seven Harry Potter books, honey and I have been so looking forward to finally get to see them on the big screen. I was disappointed when the latest instalment, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’s premier was moved from last year to this year. You can just imagine our excitement when we were finally buying our tickets online to finally see this much awaited film.

I’ve read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince years ago so I’ve had forgotten a lot of the details in the story. However, one thing that I haven’t forgotten is how much I enjoyed leafing through the pages as I explore Harry’s adventures and misadventures with him in another year of his stay at Hogwart’s. I was so tempted to reread the book before going to the movies, after all I was home on sick leave the very same day that the movie premiered and had time to spare, but as the call of slumber was much stronger on my tired body than the urge to relive the book, I gave in to the call of the bed and slept the day away. After seeing the movie, I think not rereading the book was all for the best, I was thrilled to see each scene in the film and was excited as each part of the movie unfolds without me tying to mentally recall the next things that I have read in the book.

The movie was great! I daresay that this is the Harry Potter movie I enjoyed the most beating the first movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone out of my number one. We were even treated to about 15 minutes of 3D as we watched it on IMAX and the first few scenes were on 3D. The movie was funny, exciting, heart warming, it contained everything that I’m looking for in a good movie. I can’t believe how much the actors have grown over the years. It made me look back to the time when honey and I saw the very first movie together, we were still in college then.

Of course, I browsed through the book after watching the movie and although there were scenes that I would have loved to see on the movie, this film is definitely a gem and worth watching.

Kneading like there is no tomorrow

The very first time I used my new chef http://intricate-thoughts.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-very-own-personal-chef.html, I made some muffins and Japanese cheesecakes and it was a breeze but I thought, batter mixing is not really the true test of a good mixer. So over the weekend, I decided to see how my chef would do when faced with the laborious task of kneading dough. I opted to make Siopao (since I have been craving it for quite a while now) and pandesal.

Last Sunday, my eyelids were barely opened and the rain clouds were making me want to crawl back in bed, good thing honey was picking up a friend from the airport so I got up the same time that he did. I readied the ingredients and threw on my apron and started baking. I was truly amazed at how easy making bread is now. I was able to make two batches of pandesal in less than an hour sans the backache that normally lingers right after I have done all the kneading. I kneaded bought batches ten minutes each and there were no complains from Kenny (that is what I fondly call my chef now). After stashing the dough inside the oven to proof, I started to ready the ingredients for the siopao ( I only made pork asado though as I’m not really fond of bola bola). Thinking that this is the perfect moment to test Kenny to its limits, I kneaded the siopao dough for ten minutes and my Kenny just kept on mixing, it’s like a walk in the park for him, fantastic.

I was all smiles when I pulled out my Pandesal from the oven and after I have steamed by siopao. As I took a bite of the chewy pandesal, I just had to smile and think of the next kneading journey that Kenny and I are soon to venture on. Cinnamon rolls and ensaymada, your next!

Pinks & purples!

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Honey and I have so been looking forward to our scheduled ultrasound last Monday which will finally tell us if it will be dresses or pants and trousers. Surprise, surprise…. Bee is a girl!!!

To be honest I was really surprised to know that our little angel is a girl. See, since I got pregnant, I’ve dreamt like five times (or even more!) that Bee is a boy. So when the technician asked us what we think the baby will be, I immediately said boy but it was such a pleasant revelation. I knew honey preferred to have a girl, as for me I really had no preference (on the contrary, I actually wanted both!). The experience is overwhelming really!

This ultrasound also told us that everything is in order that our little daughter is perfectly healthy. The technician measured everything, her head, her heart, her spine, her tummy and everything that can be measured. I had to laugh when she measured our little girl’s feet and told us “hey, your baby has big feet.” haha, takes after her mom, I guess. Good thing we live in a place where my shoe size is readily available, unlike in Manila.

It’s so surreal to know that in a couple of months from now, we will be caring for our very own little girl. See you soon Bee, our little princess.

My very own Personal Chef

From the moment I discovered the magic that is baking, I have started drooling over the Kitchen Aid stand mixers. I would imagine how much fluffier my cakes would be, how much faster I can whip up frostings and how easier it would be for me to knead my bread (special my pandesal which our friends here always request for). I have my mind set on having one and I even listed it on my Christmas wish list . However, after checking the prices on line, I was surprised. A kitchen aid model which costs around $250 in the US would be had here in Europe at around €450… what kind of conversion is that?!?

During Christmas season, honey kept on insisting that he’ll just buy me the Kitchen Aid but being the wise shopper that I’d like to think myself of, I told him to hold it off and I’ll do some more researching. After combing the internet far and wide and browsing through reviews upon reviews of stand mixers available in the European market, I have concluded that the better alternative for me is to get a Kenwood mixer. There are reviews that even go as far as saying that KAs available in Europe are not as good as those in the US, this I’m not sure of. I was so surprised when I learned that the specifications of a Kenwood mixer are much better than that of a KA and it’s cheaper. Apart from that, all the reviews for Kenwood have nothing but good things to say about the product, how durable and versatile it is. The only edge KA has over Kenwood is the variety of funky colours. I am more than convinced so I told honey I found the mixer that I really want.



Without much prodding, honey and I ordered the product online and last thursday, honey came home with a huge box in tow. We’ve finally got our very own Kenwood Chef Classic. I immediately popped in the DVD included on the package on the player and honey was amazed by the range of things this chef can do. We can buy additional attachments to even increase the range of what our chef can do in the kitchen, it’s simply amazing.

Of course I donned my apron and baking mittens during the weekend and had a little baking frenzy at my kitchen after all my chef and had some getting-to-know to do… For our first adventure together, we made some blueberry muffins and japanese cheesecake. I must say, I couldn't be any happier with its performance.

Bigby's

I have fond memories of Bigby’s. The first time I dined at this quaint but charming resto was way back my auditing days when a colleague and I flew all the way to Cagayan de Oro for an assignment. After our very long inventory taking was over, we asked around of a restaurant they could recommend and Bigby’s was the unanimous recommendation so off we went and had our very late lunch there. I remember the food being really good and the attendants were very warm. Upon knowing that we were from Manila, they even gave us a complimentary slice of cake with sparklers and all to welcome us. How great is that?

After hearing that Bigby’s has finally hit Manila, I needed no more prodding, I told honey we should dine there once we go on holidays to Manila. True to my word, I hauled honey to the resto and we were both impressed by the ambiance, it was very homey and the couches were very inviting. I completely forgot that they offer very big servings and so when honey and I an appetizer and main course for each of us. I ordered the Tijuana Quesadillas and honey wanted to give their Squiggly Rings a try. For our main course, we both ordered the belly buster. The food is as good as I remembered it to be, the servings were huge and the attendants were as friendly as ever. The ribs in particular were excellent, it was tender and juicy and falls off the bone. The food we ordered was just too much for us he took most of it home with us. I even told him that we have to save room for the midnight dream cake but as it turns out, there was no more room in our tummy. Oh well, we will definitely be back and next time we’ll know better. We’ll bring the entire family along so we can all sample the goodness of this place.

This place is definitely a must try.

Memories Preserved

The moment we’ve learned that we’re having a baby, the ecstasy, excitement and that amazing feeling that borders between nervousness and anticipation are just too much and I wanted to preserve them somehow. So once those wonderful emotions have subsided a bit, I started jotting down ways of how I can create a memorabilia that our growing family can cherish for years to come. It was like a light bulb flashed on top of my head…. What better way of preserving memories than to make a scrap book!

I’ve never really been into arts and crafts and all those cuteness so I cannot tell whether or not I have an apt for it but it’s never too late to try right? With this project in mind, while vacationing in Manila, I scoured bookstores, novelty stores and paper shops for the base scrap book that will hold all my little treasures. After combing the biggest malls, I still couldn’t find the right one. Then while we were in Megamall, I remembered this shop that I adored some years back, Papemelrotti, I checked their store out and found several charming scrapbook, but none of them really grabbed my attention, so I decided to look in some other places and if there is really nothing else out there, I’ll get one from this shop.

Our last few days in Manila came and I’ve decided to just by the scrap book we found in Papemelrotti coz that was the only thing missing, I’ve already bought the all the other paraphernalia I think I’ll be needing (like stickers, buttons and other accessories) to be able to create my very first scrap book. The very same day, I met my sister for dinner and she handed me a gift, guess what it was? It was a scrapbook, none that I’ve ever seen in my previous search for this elusive book. It was cute and brightly coloured and was everything that I was looking for. Apparently, she bought it that afternoon in a small stall while strolling in Robinson’s place. Oh how wonderful, now I have two.

The moment we got back here in Amsterdam, I started creating the scrapbook. Since this is the first time I’m doing this, I decided to just put in anything that I feel I would want to see again that would trigger happy moments. I just try to document, through bits and pieces, the stages of our pregnancy and the important dates and events.

So far there are still a few pages that I’ve filled up but I’m still collecting the rest of the stuff I want to squeeze into this tiny treasure. I’m hoping that I would be able to tap into my creative juices and create a jewel that we could keep.

If you have any tips or suggestions on how I can make this keepsake even prettier, by all means, I’m (wide) open for suggestions.