Stuffing with a Japanese-French Combo Foodtrip

I do not know what is with my taste buds that every weekend I always crave for good food. :) So, one hot Saturday afternoon, my sweet tooth kicked in and found myself craving for a yummy dessert. I was thinking of trying the amaretto sour gelato in Greenbelt but it's too far away. I remembered what my friend Luthie told me about this crepe heaven located in Shangri-la Mall and so I invited her to join me to try the famous crepes of La Creperie. 

La Creperie is located at Shangri-la Plaza Mall, 2nd floor near Bossini and Ecco. The ambiance is cozy even though the place is set in the middle of the hallway. French songs are also being played as background to compliment the French experience. 

Luthie ordered her favorite Double Chocolate Fudge Brownie Crepe and I got the Mango Hazelnut au Chocolat.

Double Chocolate Fudge Brownie Crepe (Php 235)

The brownie inside the chocolate crepe is so warm and chocolatey but not too sweet. And the vanilla on top of it is cold. Just the perfect combination! This is really a must try crepe!

Mango Hazelnut Au Chocolat (Php 195)

This crepe is made of fresh mangoes, hazelnut spread in a chocolate crepe with caramel, sliced almonds and whipped cream. 

I love this combination because it gives your mouth a variety of flavors. Sweet, sour and chocolatey and the texture of the almonds just completes the overall experience. It is also La Creperie's another best seller. 

We left La Creperie with a happy tummy. Our sweet tooth was well nursed. Tres Bien!

Next stop, Yabu House of Katsu.

When we finished having dessert at La Creperie, we roamed for a while at the East Wing and did a little shopping. I got this lovely semi nautical striped dress from Regatta. 

My outfit of the day! Yes, I love stripes!

After shopping, we decided to transfer to SM Megamall for our dinner. Luthie has been asking me where to eat. Almost all restaurants are full. So I let her decide and she suggested Yabu. Haha

We were seated immediately as soon as we arrived there. We both ordered Rosu Tonkatsu, 120gms! Hahaha! Yes, we are hungry like that! =)

We were first served this mortar and pestle with sesame seeds. At first, I was wondering what these are for and I realized that this is for the sesame dressing. At Yabu, customers are given the chance to experience preparing their sesame dressing. Haha.. But you can ask them to give you crushed sesame seeds if you are too lazy to create your own.

Tonkatsu sets at Yabu are served with unlimited Japanese rice, miso soup, Japanese pickles, unlimited cabbage with sesame dressing and a bowl of fruit. 

Rosu set is a 3/4 inch-thick Rosu (porkloin), with a sliver of glistening fat trimming its edges and deep-fried in crisp golden panko

This is the Japanese sticky rice that comes with the set. I told Luthie I can eat 5 bowls of it because I've done that before in Tokyo Tokyo. But, their rice is so sticky, and heavy and very carbo loading! I only had 3 of it! (It's still plenty though) Hahaha

Luthie and I were soooo stuffed!!! HAHAHA But we have no regrets! And we will definitely come back for more! :)

Eiga Sai 2013

When I first saw the huge tarpaulin of Eiga Sai (Japanese Film Festival) hanging on the ceiling of Edsa Shangrila, I immediately texted my friend Luthien and told her that we can't afford to miss this one because we already missed last month's French Film Festival in Greenbelt. 

Here's the huge tarp I'm talking about:

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So yesterday, we headed to Shangrila together with our two other office mates, Adz and Nina to watch, Always Sunset on Third Street. 

Though the movie was quite long (150mins) and dragging in the beginning, it is one of the best foreign family dramas I have seen. The scene where Hiromi (Betty) was inside the train reading a chapter of the book Authentic Blue written by her sweetheart Chagawa was so heart warming, I found myself teary-eyed. 

Here's the message in that chapter:

The Dancer

"No matter how others may see you.. I know you. Though you talk like a shameless flirt. you dote on a stranger's child, cooking him curry rice.. You shed tears staring at an imaginary ring calling it beautiful. With each passing day, with each passing hour, the memory of your tears clutches my heart. I want to see you, all I want is to see you. Someday, I want to slip a real ring on your slender fragile finger. I want to fulfill the promise of your fleeting smile with genuine happiness. If only we two clumsy souls could have nestled our lives together. If only I could have lived my life, seeing your face, hearing your voice, my heart yearns for nothing else.."

You can watch the heart warming scene here:

http://vimeo.com/17861510

Eiga Sai (the annual Japanese Film Festival) staged by the Japan Foundation Manila as part of the Japanese-Filipino Friendship month celebrations  has been shown here in the Philippines since 2011 and this is my first time to watch it.