Vikings: Luxury-Buffet Restaurant

ABBEY: Another buffet restaurant that you can enjoy dining in. Make sure to have your table reservations to avoid disappointment. We were supposed to be there at 7pm but due to flight delays we got there by 8pm; only an hour and a half to indulge. 

During that time people are still queueing for their tables. The place is jam-packed but it has a homey ambiance and the aroma of delicious food all over the place. My first plates are chicken satay, pork belly and baby back ribs which I found a little less moist and juicy. You have to put sauce to have the flavor up. I got Wilma her favorite puto-bumbong; a voilet-colored rice delight topped with niyo and brown sugar. I tried pork spare ribs, nido soup, and shanghai fried rice. 

They serve Japanese cuisine like sushi, fresh salmon carvings, and miso soup. 

WILL: Are you devoted in pursuing a sensual pleasure in enjoyment of good food but you are in a tight budget? Then, go ahead to the Mall of Asia Bldg B, oh I forgot, if you want to cut a queue please make a reservation through their facebook or email at reservations.vikings@yahoo.com. 
      I am very very satisfied on their bibingka, puto bumbong, hot taho and pork & shrimp siomai. And the rest?, not good, not bad...just nothing special. 
      Some issues were raised when they confirmed three pax but gave us a table for two people and when they gave me a receipt and not handed my credit card. Until now my card is with them and they secured it as "safe" but when I told them to cut the card into two ask for the name behind those messages, 3 days passed and yet no reply from them. They never refill some of the servings. I don't know why. 
     The dinner costs us Php932.40. Will I go back there? Of course, for eat all you can putobungbong. :) 

Les Misérables

ABBEY: Making a movie from a play that reaped awards and recognitions worldwide and well-loved by its audience is great task. But Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and Russel Crowe had it in the bag. Their portrayal of the characters;Jean Valjean, Fantine, and  Javert respectively is excellent as if they just popped out of the novel and shared their lives with us. The innkeepers,Thénardier, Madame Thénardier gave the viewers something to laugh about after the drama. Even their daughter's rendition of On my own is moving. Can't wait to see it on stage.

WILL: This is one of my much awaited film for 2012 but because of our busy schedule we just saw the movie 5 days after 25th of December. I am not a type of human that will spend money on silver screens unless it is worthy for me to pick my pocket, and yes this Les Miserables is one of the few. 

      This is the longest running play in US, I think, and that indicates how good this will be. We booked a ticket to Shaw at JCube Mall at Jurong Port and from there the unforgettable thing happened. 

      No lame seconds, I don't even yawn, and then my tears fell down unstoppable on my cheeks. Ratings 10/10. The simple story withe great portrayal of the actors and actresses and the musical scoring is simply the best. 

      I would love to pay to see this movie again and again. 

CZ12

ABBEY: The teaser got us. It's a Jackie Chan-movie. As expected the movie is action-packed and funny as well with his antics. It was a story of national treasures that needs to be given back to its rightful owners. But with greed, people are selling them for huge profits. Being promised with a good pay and great bonus, Jackie went for the searh of all Zodiac heads including the Dragon head. People with different interests on the artifacts were also in pursuit making it harder for Jackie to get and protect the heads. He also showed that at his age he can still do his well-coordinated stunts; like in the sofa, with his body skates, and on the photography room. Jackie still has it. Take note of the French gal who likes purple :)
Costa Coffee

WILL: When we saw the trailer of this movie, Abbey immediately asked me if we can used his cinema voucher to see this film, I nodded. 23rd of December afternoon, we went to VivoCity and hurriedly went to the the Golden Village counter to exchange the voucher to movie ticket. 
      Well, I like Jackie Chan and his antics since I am a child, so even this film has a very simple layout of story, I appreciated it much. Story 5/10, Stunts 10/10.
      Nice work Sir Jackie. 

The Line | Shangri-La Hotel Singapore

ABBEY:I, Wilma, Chat and Vincent, all have different plans to celebrate Christmas. So before going their own parties we booked a breakfast buffet at The Line restaurant in Shangrila Hotel. Yes, Vincent, a mid-day waker, managed to be there at 6am. 

The Line serves Indian, Japanese, Chinese and Western cuisine. My first plate is full of bacon and chicken sausage. Next is siomai and aloo prata with tomato chutney. We also ate bread topped with cheese and spinach noodles. Tea, coffee, and fresh juices is free flow. A reasonable price for 38sgd++.

WILL: If I am spending mornings with you, you should know that you are one of the lucky few. I have a sleeping problem since my childhood so its very rare for me to wake up early to do some activities. But because I will spend time with my husband and friends, I woke up 4am just to have a holiday celebration at The Line in Shagril-la Hotel. We chose breakfast why? This is more sweeter than dinner,  think, ha!ha!. 

     We hailed taxi then arrived at The Line around 6am. When we entered it, I can say that this is the biggest breakfast buffet I have seen. They served multi-cuisine in their stations... Indian Station, Congee and Noodles, Waffles with Ice Cream, Bread Station, Fresh Fruits, Yogurt, Western, Japanese and Asian Station. Too many, is it?, don't worry they have street signs you will not be lost in this place. 

    My favorite are their sausages, their chocolate muffins, fruits, yogurts, fried rice... Gosh reminiscing the taste make me really anxious to book for dinner or lunch buffet. 

    Very recommendable, the name "The Line" is very appropriate with this restaurant. Like line, the array delicious food seems no ending.  

    Kindly email them at dining.sls@shangri-la.com for reservations. Breakfast buffet is $39++. 

Philippine Airlines Domestic Flight / Cebu to Manila

ABBEY:  This is my first time to ride Philippine's flag carrier. A bit of issue though when the flight was delayed for two hours due to technical problem. I understand those issues. But we were only notified thru mail. We gave our contacts when we bought the tickets. It just so happened that we got a wifi connection and my wife checked her mails. I asked the staff, what if we didn't check our mails or we didn't have a wifi connection. They asked for apology and appreciate that. Maybe the process could be enhanced to avoid it. 

The flight is good. The pre-flight emergency procedure video is entertaining and informative. Hope I can ride again on PAL but this time an international one.

WILL: Well, I am proud to be one of the passengers of the Philippines flag carrier, PAL. I already experienced the international and domestic flight from this airline and the best take-off and landing of aircraft is the definitely one of the smoothest. High five PAL. 

      This is our first time to take PAL together, from Cebu to Manila last November 30. They e-mailed us twice and for the flight being delayed for around 2hours. Its okay for us as we do not have some urgent appointments back in Manila. Yes the said delay made me frantic but that day I don't want to stretched-out the problem, so I just keep my mouth shut. 

      Well, the flight is nice. The seat obviously more spacious and more comfortable. I paid Php2,355 for the two of us. Very affordable isn't it for a one way with free snack. 

Plantation Bay Resort And Spa - Cebu Philippines

ABBEY: When Wilma told me that we will be checking at Plantation Bay, I was excited. The resort is popular for its good reputation. But I didn't expected that it was a very long ride from our previous destination in Balamban; making us late and tired upon check in. It was my mistake not to do my homework about the locations :) 

We were given a room at poolside. It's a two-twin bed room with a tub. With no time to spare we changed to swimming attire and hit the pool. One pool is freshwater and the other is seawater. We let ourselves relax at their jacuzzi. After our dinner we head back to our room and had a goodnight sleep. 

In the morning we had breakfast at . We trie their clubhouse, beef tapa, and bread platter; all for less than 2500php. We took some snaps in the beach and visited the souvenir shop. Upon  checking out we were given complimentary sweets. A night stay costs almost 9000php but its worth it. 

WILL: I have heard a lot of good traits of Plantation Bay Resort and Spa. This over 10 hectares of land cradled me and my friends for a night costing us USD197.12, poolside room, excluded of breakfast. Expensive? Yes it is. 

      We checked-in around 2pm and we were assisted by their staff and hop on in their golf carts and walked our way to our room. Our room has two tin sized bed, a bathtub and a very refreshing site of pool and gazebo. When we are all ready to go, we went first to their sea salt pool. I don't like this pool, it gave me an itchy feeling, when the sun went down, we dipped in their jacuzzis and lasted our stay for almost an hour. Hydro massage is really amazing. This gave a good night sleep. 

    Morning in Plantation Bay, we strolled the vicinity, bought some souvenirs, visited their beach, and had a sumptuous breakfast at the Kilimanjaro Cafe. 

    This is a great staycation. I regret?! Oh, I wish we stayed longer here.  Haha! 

Gran Tierra Suites

ABBEY: Grand tierra accommodated us on our first night in Cebu. The rate for a deluxe room is 750php for a person; additional pax costs 150. Walking a few meters and you'll be at Osmena boulevard; a 10-minute ride to Ayala Center. Warm staff welcomes you upon checking in with delicious cheese roll and biscotcho to fill in your hunger from travel. The room is spacious and comfy. One thing to improve though, it would be better to have one more drain in the comfort room other than in the bath. Thanks to them for keeping our danggit and pusit safe until we go back to Manila.

WILL: This is highly recommended by my friend Denise and our level of appreciation is and likes are just the same level. This Gran Tierra Suites is just located along Cebu Doctor's Hospital, a quite new one and very affordable. 
      As we entered the room, its spacious and clean and have a very approachable staffs. There is a free hot and cold mineral water just outside of our room. I enjoyed their complimentary basket of breads. Oh, they also provide toiletries except toothbrush and toothpaste. No choice but to buy two for us. We had a great sleep on that night.  
      After checking out, we asked the receptionist if we could leave some of our baggage and they confirmed on it. Nothing was lost after  we left those bags for almost 2 days. Recommendable for people traveling on tight budget. One night costs Php 750 and reserve it in advance since this is place is always fully-booked. 

Ah Boys to Men

ABBEY: This movie became the top-grosser home-grown Singaporean film. We got the pair of ticket thru a Facebook contest and we're excited to watch the movie. Its about a group of guys that will be enlisted in National Service. With the comfort of their own homes; air conditioning, cellphones, and moms, they're reluctant to join. Once in the camp they were put in the se platoon and each has his own story. They have the "always alert" type, "buisiness minded" type and so on. Some of them are frequent visitors of the doctor as they don't want to train. 

All of them were given a book out after two weeks to be with their family. Ken (Joshua Tan) was sad that his girlfriend already had a new partner. This is turn gave Ken more determination to win her back by being sick; which got worse and cause his dad to be in an accident. When Ken knew what happened,  his perspective changed and became more serious in his training. The second part of the movie will be shown in February 2012. This movie gave me a good laugh; thanks to Lobang. It also made me realize to give more love to the ones you most cared for.

WILL: I am not astonished if this movie is a highest grossing Singaporean film of l. Here tackles the consequences that the men of this country going through when they are going for the National Service training. 
     I am not a Singaporean but in my heart when I saw the introduction of the film, I am proud of the readiness and high technology gadgets of the men here. Here they showcase their prime ammunitions. 
     For sure, we will watch the 2nd part of this movie. Thank you to RamenPlay for our free ticket. :)