magnum manila

Got a sneak peek of what's to come in Magnum Manila last week! I was there to take photos for a two-day press conference, and in those two days, I ate the world! Here are some of the dishes and desserts I got the opportunity to try:

Crostinis Three Ways

What I remember from this appetizer is that I enjoyed the truffle mushroom and the seared tuna on tomatoes very much. 

Cajun Spiced Chicken Poppers

IF ONLY. If only this came with rice. I would've been stuffed even before the main dish!

This was the second appetizer served during the event and it sold in an instant. Once the chicken poppers came out, everyone attacked it and there were even requests for extra orders. It was delicious!

Asian Steak Salad

Two reasons I enjoyed this: steak and vinaigrette dressing. The chips, nuts, corn and other ingredients made it all the more enjoyable. I finished one whole serving by myself!

Braised Beef Cheek

I didn't get to enjoy this dish as much because by the time I got to it (after taking photos), it was no longer warm. I ate it anyway because I was hungry, and I liked that the beef was really soft. It was good and I liked that it had carrots and mashed potatoes, but I kinda wish there was a little more flavor to it (kind of how the Cajun Chicken Poppers got me at my first bite).

Seared Salmon with Basil Creme and Chorizo Confit

I don't usually choose fish meals over meat but I had to get this as main dish during the Friday press conference because I couldn't eat meat (Lenten season). I must say I actually liked it! The presentation was pretty too.

Carbonara

They served the Carbonara with bacon and some bits of ham I think, but because i ordered it on a Friday, I had to settle for the plain Carbonara sans the meat, but with egg--yup, they serve it with egg! It was okay, nothing great for me. I would have to say that I enjoyed the salmon more.

I forgot the name of this one, but that's strawberries + cheesecake + vanilla Magnum. It was good! But still not my favorite dessert.

I forgot the name of this too, but it's a rainbow butter cake with a side of vanilla Magnum. Of course it was also good, but I think out of all the desserts this was my least favorite. Only because the next one.. WAS THE BEST!

The Cookie Skillet Pie

THIS. This one I enjoyed the most! Vanilla Magnum on cookie dough. This is the dessert that's similar to the Pizzookie from Bamba. I really love vanilla ice cream on freshly baked cookie dough, and Chef Miko executed this perfectly--so soft and moist! I prefer this over Death by Chocolate--a common favorite.

I don't have a photo of Death by Chocolate, but it's the dessert that also comes in a skillet and has Magnum bar over chocolate lava cake. It was also really very good, but if I had to pick one I'd go for the cookie!

 Of course you can't go to the Magnum Cafe and NOT make your own Magnum. After eating everything I just mentioned above, I drank a cup of hot water and proceeded to the Magnum making station!

This isn't mine--I just like the color combination of the Gold chocolate, dried raspberries, pistachio, almonds and milk chocolate dressing. Mine had a vanilla filling, milk chocolate coat, almonds, pistachio, some sea salt and marshmallows with Magnum Gold chocolate drizzle.

As a whole I would have to say I really enjoyed the food in Magnum Manila. The appetizers, main dishes and of course the desserts were all delicious, it's impossible to leave that place without a food coma. I will definitely schedule a trip back to the cafe once it opens to try more dishes and desserts!

Magnum Manila will only be up for 500 days, so enjoy it while it's here! It opens on April 8 in the SM Aura Sky Park.

an update on life

` I finally finished my P365 for February and I personally think it didn't come out as nice as I wanted it to be to make up for an average Jan outcome. Been so forgetful (and slightly lazy) on some days that I end up settling for a badly lit photo with bad quality. It really is so hard to get a photo on those nothing days when all you do is sleep, work and eat. But I'm honestly still glad I haven't stopped, because there was a point in Feb that I almost gave in to my laziness. I'm moving on to March!
Here are some good photos from Feb.

February 2, 2012

February 3, 2012

February 8, 2012

`I really am a fan of close-up shots, so if you're an FB friend or an Instagram follower, you'll probably notice that most of my photos are close-ups. I don't know why, I guess I just find it more appealing when small details are somewhat magnified. But for my March I'm hoping for shots with more variety in size.

`We're making the move! My parents finally found a house.

`My Facebook and Y! mail were hacked into the other day. I got my FB back, luckily. My mail, no. I'm sorry, but I can't seem to get over the fact that my most important email account is gone. I tried retrieving it by answering my secret questions, but apparently the hacker changed my answers as well. I googled all night trying to find a way to get it back, and I found a few people with the same problem. Some of them got their accounts back, but that was years ago. I tried what they did but unfortunately Y! can no longer be contacted, and they tried to make available on the site all the possible solutions to the questions you may have with your account, and it is up to you to find the one to solve your problem. Now my account is gone. All my old emails and photos were there, as well as my high school and majority of my college life. That account is what I used for all my academic Yahoo Groups, so now I'm not getting any mail. So frustrating.

No one knows my password and I haven't used a public computer in months, so I don't think I carelessly left my account on. Some of my friends have been getting emails about someone trying to change their passwords, but luckily they got a text from Yahoo warning them of it (I guess I didn't give my cell number when I signed up, huhu). So keep your accounts private and difficult to hack into to the maximum level! It's just an account, but once it's gone, you'll realize how important it actually is. I did!