Food Tasting # 21: Toy Cakes and Pastries by Chef Kiko

Okay, this is not the usual food tasting entry that you guys are used to because I didn't really attend a caterer's grand food tasting. Instead, I, along with some W@Wie friends, went to Chef Kiko's house to taste some of his delicious cakes and desserts! I already booked my cake supplier, but I just couldn't pass the chance to taste some delicious treats for free!

I've heard a lot of great reviews about Toy Cakes and Pastries by Chef Kiko, and I personally love the cupcakes that he baked for the W@W Grand EB, so I was really excited to taste more of his goodies! :)

We picked the perfect time for our cake tasting because another client had booked Chef Kiko to do their dessert buffet, so there was a table full of cupcakes and other goodies when we arrived. And these were all served to us! Yey!

Now let's get a more close-up look at all these desserts. First up are the panna cottas. We had the Kit-Kat Panna Cotta, the Fruit Panna Cotta, and the Malteser Panna Cotta. I just made up the last one since I'd completely forgotten the name of the panna cotta. I just called it the Malteser Panna Cotta since it has a Malteser in it. Haha!

From L-R: Kit-Kat Panna Cotta, Fruit Panna Cotta, and Malteser Panna Cotta

What I love about Chef Kiko's panna cottas is that they have the right amount of sweetness to them, even those with chocolates as toppings! Hindi siya nakakaumay talaga. I especially love the fruit panna cotta because the sourness of the fruits was the perfect complement to the panna cotta. I loved them so much that I got three shot glasses! Patay gutom lang. Haha.

Then we had the cupcakes, both the bite-size and full size versions! We had Dark Chocolate Ganache, Banana Walnut, Red Velvet and Lemon cupcakes.

Dark Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

Boy, all of the cupcakes were yummy! Mox especially liked the dark choco ganache, although I found them a bit too sweet. Just one or two of these bite-size babies would satisfy my choco cravings. The banana walnut was also delicious, but I'm not a fan kasi of anything with nuts in it, so I'll probably pass on this one. I loved the red velvet and lemon cupcakes because both were not too sour nor too sweet, and yet you can still taste their distinctive flavors (the cream cheese frosting for the red velvet cupcake and the lemon flavor for the lemon cupcake).

Lastly, we hadFruit Tarts and Truffles. I really couldn't comment much on the fruit tarts because I didn't taste them, but for the truffles, I only have one thing to say: choco overload! Imagine this chocolate ball that is the size of a jackstone ball covered with cocoa powder. It was delicious, but I could only take so much chocolate for the day. Ako na ang gumive-up sa kanya! Haha!

Truffles and Fruit Tarts

Chef Kiko also showed us a sample of his three-layered cake, which costs about P6,500. The cake has one edible layer, which is the bottom part, and is taller than the average three-layered cake. I guess in a way, sulit na rin siya. And of course, you can be sure that your cake would taste delicious.

Despite being tired from conducting a dessert tasting for one client and baking a wedding cake for another client, Chef Kiko was still so cheerful and friendly to the group of very noisy people who went to the cake tasting. And mind you, we were 13 in the group, including the grooms. Talagang sinugod namin si Chef! Haha! Still, he was able answer all of our inquiries and even took a group picture with us.

Thank you again Chef Kiko for the very warm welcome and for the delicious treats! :) I'm really looking forward to tasting your Chocolate Cheesecake. A note to my darling fiance, you now know what cake to order for my birthday. Haha!

TOY CAKES AND PASTRIES BY CHEF KIKO
#5 16th Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City
0905-3191296

Designer Meeting # 2: Hana Saab Tomacruz

Since Mox agreed to increase our allotted gown budget for me to have my dream designer wedding gown,  I now have the whole month of August to set meetings with possible gown designers. Oooh, this is so exciting!

The first on the list was Hana Saab Tomacruz. I really love her dainty and feminine designs! Most of her gowns feature illusion necklines and lace bodices with appliques. I'm more into simpler bodices and a layered skirt, but her designs still tickled my girly side. Haha. (Pics were taken from Hana's website)

I emailed her my chosen peg, and sadly the price that she gave me was way over my budget. But still, I decided to meet with her to see if I can haggle her quote. Hehe. Her shop was not that difficult to find thanks to my phone's GPS. Oh yes, di na ako nagpiprint ng Google Maps. Hi-tech na ako eh. Haha!

Hana welcomed me warmly into her shop. She may seem timid and shy at first because she is very soft-spoken, but she certainly knows her craft. She asked me what kind of gown I envisioned myself wearing on my wedding day, and she sketched on the spot using a sign pen! Galing noh? This is what she came up with:

You can't see it from the sketch, but my skirt has this feathery effect instead of the usual ruffles. Hana said this can be achieved by using shredded tulle. Don't ask me what that is; I never knew that such a fabric exists. Haha. She also added some appliques to my bodice so that the waistline would not be too noticeable. At first I wanted to add some illusion overlay, but Hana didn't recommend this because it would cover up the pleated bodice. Sayang lang ang pleats diba? So she suggested to put in some straps, which can be removable for the second look.

She also made some suggestions for the fabrics for my gown. She even showed me some sample swatches so that I would know what she's talking about. She recommended tulle and lace for the bodice, and tulle for the skirt to give the gown an overall soft look. She then added a three-foot train so that I can achieve my dream photo peg: lying on the floor with layers of my skirt surrounding me. Parang nakahiga lang ako sa clouds. Haha.

We then talked about the number of fittings required (around five to six); the delivery of the gown (a day before the wedding since her team will set up the gown on the body form); and her payment terms (50% during booking and 50% upon delivery of the gown). Every thing that we talked about was written at the back of her sketch. She's really that detailed and organized.

Sadly, her quote costs more than half our budget. As much as I really wanted her to do my gown, I had to cross her out of my list. But to all those brides out there who are still looking for their gown designers, do try to visit Hana Saab Tomacruz. :)

HANA SAAB TOMACRUZ
150 L. George Street, San Juan, M.M.
0915-2596792
hycsaab@yahoo.com

Groom's Suit: Booked!

The next thing on our wedding agenda was to look for suppliers for Mox's suit. Originally, I wanted him to wear a barong since our wedding will be held in the summer, and a suit will be too hot to wear. Plus, a barong is cheaper to buy/make than a suit. But Mox was very insistent that he wanted to wear a suit on our wedding. Sige na nga, pagbigyan na natin kasi kasal rin naman niya yun. Haha.

Since we are on a very limited budget (read: less than P10,000) for his suit, we plan to visit a good tailor who could copy the peg Mox has chosen. I've heard good reviews about Mang Pons of Kamuning and Mang Roger of Mandaluyong, and I know that they fit our budget, so we decided to pay them a visit last Saturday.

Unfortunately, it was raining so we weren't able to visit Mang Pons' and Mang Roger's shops. Instead, we went to the Before I Do bridal fair in Megamall to look for possible suit suppliers. The fair only took up one Megatrade hall so there were only a few exhibitors, but luckily we found one suit supplier.

That supplier was Emil Ocampo of E. Ocampo's Fashion House. I've heard good reviews about him when it comes to wedding and ento gowns but I never really thought that he could make great suits. And the suits were indeed great! I am no expert, but I thought the workmanship on each suit was perfect. Pulidong-pulido ang mga tahi. Here are some samples of his suits taken from his website.

Emil's rates for his suits range from P10,000 to P12,000, but since he was an exhibitor in the fair, he offered a 10% discount for on-site bookings. His assistant explained to Mox that the price of the suit will not be based on the suit's design, but will depend on the fabric used. He even showed us some swatches. I never knew that there were so many different variations of black, gray and cream! Ang hirap mamili, in fairness.

I thought his rates were quite affordable for a designer suit, but Mox was not yet that convinced. He thought he would still get a better deal from Onesimus and other tailors in the mall. But then he overheard May, one of my W@Wie friends, say that Onesimus charges an average of P8,000 for a suit, and that's just for the labor cost! Now that convinced him that Emil's offer is quite a steal.

We got the chance to talk to Emil during the fair, and he is so nice and soft-spoken. Mox didn't have a hard time explaining to him the cut and fit that he wanted for his suit, which is a good thing because Mox sometimes can't express himself well. So buti na lang na nagkaintindihan sila. Haha.

Emil also made a few suggestions for the color of the suit, and even scheduled Mox to have his measurements taken on February. And the best thing of all? The fabric that Mox picked is part of the P10,000 package, and with the 10% discount for on-site bookers, we were able to book Emil for just P9,000! Now that is very affordable, considering that a designer will make Mox's suit. Dinaig pa niya ako!

Emil Ocampo of E. Ocampo Fashion House

We did went over our budget for Mox's suit, but I know that it would be all worth it once I see him look so handsome on our wedding day. Also, another good thing happened to me that day. Because Mox booked Emil to do his suit, he said it's only fair that I should get a designer to do my gown! And he agreed to add P10,000 from his personal savings to our budget just for me to have my dream designer wedding gown! I swear, I really love my fiance to bits! :) Kilig mode on!

Another happy side story, a day before we went to the fair, I learned that Mox went to Robinsons Galleria by himself to get a quotation for his suit. I'm just so touched to learn that my formerly unenthusiastic groom is slowly becoming hands-on in our wedding preps! Kilig mode again!

E. OCAMPO FASHION HOUSE
1613 Alvarez St.,Sta.Cruz Manila
711-8868; 0917-5005890; 0917-5984969 

Ento HMUA: Booked!

My ento will be paying for their own gowns for our big day so we decided to pay for their hair and makeup as our gift to them. This would also be the perfect reason for them to go to our hotel early for the pictorials. Wala silang choice. Haha!

To pay for their hair and makeup, I added four extra heads to my package from Ms. Berny, my HMUA. The fee was P1,500 per head, which was quite expensive in terms of ento makeup, but since I wanted to have only one contact person for the hair and makeup, I got Ms. Berny's team.

But as the weeks go by (and the list of expenses got bigger), I decided to do some cost-cutting to lessen our budget. I've heard that there are a lot of makeup artists who offer cheap rates for ento makeup, so I decided to look for a cheaper alternative for my ento's HMUA.

I've heard good reviews about Diane Coles. She offers P950 per head, which was cheaper than my Ms. Berny's rate. So I messaged her in Facebook, asking if she's still available on our date. Unfortunately, she was not, so I had to look for other more options.

Then I found about Jennifer Gumban from W@W. She has one of the cheapest rates for ento makeup. Imagine, only P700 per head! Some of my W@Wie friends also vouched for her great makeup skills since she also did their makeup for their prenups. I'm not sure if I can post some of their pictures here so just check them out at Jennifer's website.

Elitista Basement by Jennifer Gumban

I only have four female ento members, excluding the principal sponsors, so if I would get Jennifer as my ento HMUA, that would mean I would only have to pay a total of P2,800 for four heads, as opposed to the P6,000 rate from Ms. Berny! Diba, ang laking savings! Of course before booking Jennifer, I had to tell Ms. Berny that I wouldn't get her team to do our ento makeup. Luckily, she allowed me to cancel the four extra heads, so now I'm free to get Jennifer as our ento HMUA! Yey! :)

Whew, another supplier checked off our list. A few more to go and we're done! :)

Honeymoon: Booked!

Unlike other couples, we never really planned to have a honeymoon in the first place. We were already spending so much for the wedding, so I felt too guilty to splurge on our honeymoon. Sayang rin kasi ang savings eh. This was actually the reason why I didn't include it in our initial wedding budget. Deep inside, I was hoping that someone would shoulder our honeymoon expenses as their wedding gift to us. Haha!

But then we decided to increase our budget to include a somewhat fancy honeymoon. After all, this is the perfect excuse to splurge for a trip! Haha! But because we are too kuripot, we chose a local destination for our honeymoon: Siargao. Siargao is known as the surfing capital of the Philippines, and because Mox is a surfing fanatic, I know he will definitely enjoy the big waves of Siargao. As for me, well, I'm pretty happy to be a beach bum there. Magrerelax na lang ako sa beach habang nagpapakahirap magsurf si Mox. Haha!

We plan to get the honeymoon package of one of the top resorts in Siargao, so all we needed were cheap flights going there. Cebu Pacific is the only airline with flights to Siargao (connecting through Cebu), so we were on the lookout for their seat sales. And lo and behold, a piso fare sale happened! But sadly, there were no piso fare flights to Siargao! Grrrr! I tried computing how much our flights would cost with their regular rates, and the total price was so expensive! In fact, getting an international flight would cost less than a flight to Siargao. Nakakaloka diba?

Then I thought, why not Bali, Indonesia? Bali is also a premiere surfing spot so I know Mox would go for it. And the roundtrip tickets for two would only cost around P11,000! Now that is quite cheap considering that it is a popular honeymoon destination. I was so tempted to get tickets already, but Mox wanted to think things over first, so I didn't book the flights yet.

Luckily, there was a travel expo happening at SMX Convention Center that weekend so Mox and I went there to see if we would find great travel deals to Bali. It was our first time to go to a travel expo, and I was so shocked to see the long lines of people so early in the morning! We tried searching for travel deals, but the Bali packages were only valid until  December 2013 only. There were a few 2014 packages, but these are only valid until March 2014. Di man lang namin naabutan. Bwiset.

So we decided to just book a flight to Bali then make our own land arrangements ourselves. We lined up at the Cebu Pacific booth in hopes of getting an affordable flight to Bali since the piso fare promo was still ongoing. We stood in line for almost FOUR HOURS! We were both so hungry, tired and irritated. At ang sakit ng paa ko ha!

After hours of standing (with some arguments in between with Mox who was very, very cranky that time), it was finally our turn! I immediately asked the reservations officer if there were available flights for Bali that were included in the piso fare promo, but to my dismay, there were no more flights! Waaaaah! I really wanted to cry as soon as I heard the news. Imagine, all that waiting for nothing! :(

I felt so down that I wanted to just leave the expo without booking anything, but Mox said that we should just book a flight to any destination so thaat our wait would not be in vain. The reservations officer gave some suggestions like Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore, but I really wanted to go to a beach destination, which was why my heart was set on going to Bali. I thought of going to Phuket instead, but the flight schedules were too close to each other that it would seem as if we would just spend one night in Phuket. Hindi sulit diba?

Then the reservations officer suggested Kota Kinabalu! It is said to be part of East Malaysia, but is far away from the mainland.  I have never been there, but I've heard lots of great things about the place. The best part of all, the airfare was really cheap! We got two roundtrip tickets for less than P3,500! That's even cheaper than some domestic flights! See, worth it rin pala ang pagpila namin ng apat na oras.

So now we have our honeymoon destination. Yey! Our honeymoon will take place two months after our wedding though because those were the only available dates within the piso fare promo. But it does not matter because at least we would still get to travel together! :) It would be Mox's first time to go out of the country EVER, so you can imagine his excitement about the trip. Haha! I still have to do some research on our itinerary and possible accommodations, but that wouldn't be too difficult.. Since we were able to save on our airfare, we could splurge on our hotel accommodation. I can't wait! :)

See you in June Kota Kinabalu!

W@W Love: Grand EB 2013

July 7, 2013 was a very memorable date for all W@Wies because we finally had a chance to meet and greet all those faces behind the emails and Facebook accounts at the W@W Grand EB! Finally, makikita ko na kayong lahat sa personal! Haha. :)

Layout by The Pretty Palette by OJ

What made this event special is that this was organized by W@Wies for the W@Wies! Yes, from the program to the prizes and decors; the W@Wies were in charge of all of that. Kulang na lang siguro, kami na yung nagluto para sa event. Haha!

Can I just say that I love the photo walls! Kudos to the Decor Committee! We know how much hard work you've put into creating the decors, and we really appreciated how it beautified the place. See how much fun we had taking photos at the photo walls? Uhhm, pwedeng mahiram talent niyo sa wedding ko? Hahaha!

Circular Pinwheels Wall

Kusudama Flowers Wall

My Little Red Riding Hood at Moki Gray's setup

The Message Booth

There were a lot of suppliers also involved in the event. There was Manny and April, Camzar and She & Him for the photography, Aisle 1401 and For You are Mine for the videography, Margarush for the drinks, and lots more!

And of course, the event was overflowing with food. Richgold provided us with some heavy cocktails for merienda, and we enjoyed the desserts/candies of Punky Porca's Box of Sweets and the cakes of Purpledish. I don't have any pictures of the food though, just their setups. Masyado siguro akong gutom. Haha!

Richgold's setup

Purpledish's dessert bar

Punky Porca's candy buffet

Some of Punky's mini cupcakes (na hindi ko nakain dahil may kumuha. Huhu)

Just a happy note, I saw a lot of our suppliers there (Manny and April, Chef Velmor, Anna of Aisle 1401), and it's so nice to see that they still recognize me. As in first-name basis talaga! In fact, even our former AE from Richgold recognized us! Sabi pa nga niya, miss na daw niya kakulitan namin ni Mox dahil lagi kami nag-aaway sa tuwing minemeet namin sila. Haha! Come to think of it, maybe that's not really a good thing because we did cancel our contract with them. Haha! Just kidding. But seriously, it's really heartwarming to learn that our suppliers still remember us from the brief meetings that we had with them, even though they have probably met so many different couples already. :)

We had a blast during the event! We love the bridal shower games, especially the pop the balloon challenge. And of course, the highlight was the impromptu "Gentleman" dance by the W@Wies with none other than Boy Kastner Santos, the W@Wie Supplier of the Year for 2011. Check out their super-fun dance here!

And yes, winners of the W@W Peer Awards were announced. Sadly, I didn't win the Blogerista award, but I am still very happy and honored to be nominated. Congratulations to the winners by the way! :)

And of course, who doesn't love freebies? I wasn't able to win in the raffle (sabi ko na nga ba malas talaga ako eh), but I was still able to bring home a bag full of goodies. The lootbag includes beauty products from Pond's, a cupcake from Chef Kiko, chocolates from Knotville Favors, yema balls by Hearts and Bells, and the W@W Commemorative Coin. We also had our photobooth picture from iFlick Photobooth. Syempre, di pwedeng mawala yun. Hehe.

Lootbag goodies :)

Ganda ng printing, in fairness

But what made this day special, aside from the loot bag and the free food, was being with all my W@Wie sisters and brothers. After months of just talking through emails and FB chats, we were able to bring our friendship to the next level. :) I want to thank Ms. Benz and Sir Abet for creating W@W, because not only were we able to prepare our dream wedding with the help of this community, but we were also able to find new friends that will surely make the next chapter of our lives more memorable. I love you my W@Wie friends! Here's to more EB's and chikahan moments with you :)

Photo from CamZar Photography

The Missus Reaches 100K!

Before I leave for the W@W Grand EB, which will happen later this afternoon near MOA, I just want to say thank you to all of the readers of this blog because we had finally reached (actually, we just exceeded) another milestone today.

I can't believe we had more than 100,000 views already! Hopefully, this will serve as a sign that I would win the Blogerista award later. Haha! Nangangarap lang naman.

Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I love you all. :)