Lady Cupcake | Fashion, Food, Fun! | The Sweet Life by Ange

Pastry Arts Class Week 1

I'm back again! The past few months have been pretty amazing and eventful, that blogging almost became the last thing on my mind. I finished my Fashion Design degree, introduced a few new desserts for The Sweet Life, lived alone in another country for the first time, applied to a Business Management program for my Bachelor's Degree, and so many more. A couple of weeks after I finished my AA degree, however, I decided to take a leap of faith and postpone my bachelor's just a bit in order to pursue my first love. 

I heard somewhere that the path to excellence entails always being a student; to never stop learning and exploring no matter how experienced you are. When I told one of my friends that I enrolled in a pastry course, he laughed and asked me if I was kidding. "Shouldn't you be teaching that?" he asked me. Having practically lived in the kitchen for most of my life, I've schooled myself on making so many kinds of pastries, desserts, candies.. but just being satisfied with what I already know already would just be boring. I want to constantly challenge myself to be better, more creative, more skilled, especially in something I'm so passionate about. So here I am, fresh out of fashion school, now taking up pastry, and (no surprise here) loving every bit of it so far.

 

Mamou part 1

 

Mamou is one of the restaurants in Manila I frequent. Food + service + ambience are always consistenly good. From their warm bread to their key lime pie, you'll definitely enjoy each part of your meal here. What I love about Mamou is that they've got a very honest, no-frills approach to food. They don't need to bother with overly fancy presentation, their food speaks for itself. It's almost as if you're having a home-cooked meal, with the friendly atmosphere, family-size servings and honest-to-goodness great food.

Don't skip the bread- ever!

Refreshing Four Seasons Shake

Classic Pasta with Marinara sauce

Lamb tapa with red rice and scrambled eggs w/ truffle oil- one of my favorite brunch dishes

The ultimate! I order this almost every time I dine here. Pork and Chicken with Black Beans, Plantain and Red Rice - comfort food at its best!

I love their Key Lime Pie- simple but amazing.

Asia de Cuba

A few photos from one of my favorite dining spots in LA, Asia de Cuba. If you find yourself dining there during the day, make sure to get a table al fresco or right by the window. Their dishes are so colorful and dynamic that having them bask in the beautiful Los Angeles sunlight makes the meal all the more visually stimulating.

Refreshing Calamari Salad

I'm in love with their Avocado Rice!

I don't remember exactly what fish this was, but it was perfect with the rice and salad we ordered.

Don't skip dessert! They've got a great selection of them. I loved the carrot cake that we had for my mom's birthday.

Intimate Italian Dinner at Home

Whipped up a little Italian feast for a few friends. The main dish is inspired by Rigatoni Alfonso, my favorite menu item from a famous restaurant in Manila called Cibo. Wanted my friends here to at least get a glimpse of what all the fuss has been about. Also made a simple Alfredo sauce for some store-bought mushroom ravioli. Served those with toasted sourdough drizzled with oil, garlic and herbs, and some sliced mozzarella cheese with fresh basil. Everything went perfectly with a glass of Riesling.

After all the talking, laughing and eating, we realized that we kind of forgot to plan out dessert. Thankfully some of the best desserts are the ones that require minimal preparation. Melted a few different kinds of chocolate, brought out a pint of Haagen Dazs strawberry and some frozen strawberries, and finished everything off with a dollop of cream.. can you say heaven?

 

I add the fresh mozzarella and basil a few minutes before serving. The melted mozzarella makes all the difference to this sauce.

Scharffen Berger chocolate chunks, Hershey's Dark and Toll House Semi Sweet morsels all in one bowl. 
 

 

BYOB (Build Your Own Burger) @ The Counter, Hollywood

My friend Vanessa loves burgers. And trust me, this gal knows a good burger. When she described the unique ordering process at The Counter, I couldn't wait to go.  The first thing we received when we sat down was a paper filled with different condiments, fillings and ways to have our burger. We felt like we were taking the SAT's all over again; it was choices galore. Whole wheat bun or regular bun.. or salad instead of a bun? Onion strings, mushrooms, or bacon.. maybe all of the above? The possibilities were endless. After a few minutes of intense "test-taking", we finalized our burgers. 

Their onion strings and sweet potato fries went perfectly with the burgers. 

V's burger: hamburger bun with a 2/3lb patty cooked medium well, bacon, mushrooms, caramelized onions and American cheese.

Mine: Multigrain bun with 1/3lb patty cooked medium rare, brie cheese, red onions, bacon, cranberries and coleslaw

The Counter
7919 West Sunset Boulevard,
Los Angeles CA
 (323) 436-3844

Weekend Brunch: Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon & Brie

Got up early on a Saturday to surprise my friends with a little DIY brunch. Made a rich scrambled eggs dish with smoked salmon and extra creamy brie and served it with a simple salad (mixed greens tossed with feta, garlic croutons and vinaigrette), sourdough toast, maple bacon and fresh fruit.

Glitter Tory's

Love!

Raclette + Wine

One night my best friend Honey and I just wanted a light dinner that involved wine and cheese, so we headed to L'Entrecote. 

We ordered  a simple tossed salad, melted Raclette, and a phyllo pastry dish with anchovies and feta. We both liked the Raclette a lot.

L'Entrecote Manila
Unit A Bellagio 2 Forbes Town Center,
Burgos Circle, Bonifacio Global City
Taguig City, Philippines

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

I love chicken pot pie, especially piping hot right out of the oven!

Va Bene Pasta Deli

Went to lunch to catch up with my friend Dennis last week. He suggested we eat at an authentic Italian restaurant called Va Bene, that happens to be on the second floor of a gas station. I'd never heard of the place before but after tasting their food, I was so glad he suggested it. Va Bene is small and intimate, and the owners are there to personally greet customers and walk you through their menu items. The food is really worth going back again and again. Make sure you try their pasta dishes with freshly-made noodles. I love places that make their noodles from scratch; it makes a huge difference. 

Their salads are light, fresh and flavorful

I especially LOVED this one with fresh mozzarella!

We really enjoyed their Minestrone Soup

I forgot what this was called exactly, but it was a filled pasta with a Lobster sauce. Really good!

Their famous Squid Ink Pasta

Panna Cotta with mango, the perfect light ending to a great meal

Chef Massimo Veronesi's Va Bene Pasta Deli
2nd Floor, Petron Gas Station,
Edsa Corner Pasay Road, 
Dasmarinas, Makati City Philippines
(info from OurAwesomePlanet.com)

Outback's Brown Bread & Bloomin' Onion

2 Things I LOVE from Outback Steakhouse. Thankfully they've got restaurants all over the world so there's nothing to worry about when cravings strike!

Their brown bread is always perfect! Warm, homey and oh so good with a dab of whipped butter

Nothing beats Outback's Bloomin' Onion! I think the way the batter is seasoned really makes this appetizer pop.

http://www.outback.com

Wine & Tapas at Barcino

I love Barcino. It's a nice, chill place to unwind with friends after a stressful day. Their wines are reasonable and their tapas are great.

Ham & Cheese Croquetas - so good!

Chorizo -  my best friend and I are huge fans of this one!

Bacon-wrapped dates - really liked this

Manchego cheese - this went well with our fruity wine

(the photos are differ slightly from each other because they were taken on 2 different nights)

Barcino
Fort Bonifacio
Unit 101, Forbeswood Heights
Rizal Drive
Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
http://www.barcino.com.ph/ 

Sentro

I love Sentro's Filipino food! It's remained consistently good for years now.

I always order their bottomless Sago't Gulaman or the Dalandan shake

Butong Pakwan

String Beans

I never come here without ordering their Sizzling Tofu

Catfish, my absolute favorite!

Crispy Trotter

Coffee Pie

Coffee Bean Sans Rival

 Sentro
Greenbelt 3, Greenbelt
Paseo de Roxas cor. Legaspi St., Ayala Center
Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines 

What are you craving for?

I always find myself craving for Gyu Kaku's Sukiyaki Bibimbap! It's a Korean fried rice with Sukiyaki sauce that comes in the pot pictured above. My mom and I have our way of enjoying this; we push the rice up towards the sides of the pot and let it cook slightly until it becomes nice and crisp.

Gyu Kaku
163 N La Cienega Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90211 

The Sweet Life by Ange's Pinoy Treats

Check out The Sweet Life by Ange's new sweet treats with a Filipino twist!

Sweet Surrender in Macapuno, Sweet Corn and Mango

Sweet Surrender in Queso, Ube, and Avocado

Ube & Avocado Flavors

Tangy Calamansi Bars

Salty-sweet Camote Chips

Pinoy Pride Couture Cookies!

Apartment 1B

My best friends and I have been frequenting this place a lot lately. We love the comfy, relaxed vibe, great food and the friendly service. Apartment 1B is one of those cafes you can stay and talk for hours in.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Salmon Quiche- I love this!

Turkey Burger

Their famous frozen pie! This was wiped out in a minute or so.

It's got an Oreo crust and vanilla ice cream filling that's then drizzled with chocolate, caramel and nuts

Apartment 1B
One Lafayette Square
132 L.P. Leviste Corner Sedeno St
Salcedo Village, Makati City 1227
Tel: 843-4075 

What's for breakfast?

Some iPhone shots of breakfast food from popular LA spots Joans on Third and Bottega Louie.

I love Joans' Homemade Strawberry Pop Tart! The crust was wonderfully buttery and flaky, just how I like it.

Soft-boiled Egg and Toast

Joans on Third
8350 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048

If you want a quick but delicious breakfast, head to Bottega Louie

Their breakfast sandwich is great!

Bottega Louie
700 S Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90017 

I'm so addicted to Panini Cafe's Fresh Orange juice that my friends tease me about it relentlessly. They always know I'm going to order at least 2 glasses whenever we go there. Nothing really says "good morning" like a big glass of FOJ!

Check www.mypaninicafe.com/ for locations

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao

After reading about Crystal Jade in Our Awesome Planet (click here to see the blog post), I couldn't resist making the trip to Greenhills to taste their famous Xiao Long Bao. These little pork dumplings, believe it or not, contain a flavorful soup inside. Dip them in the accompanying sauce and you should be transported to dumpling heaven. I like to have them in a bowl because these aren't exactly a one-bite affair. Lastly, have a spoon on hand and you should be good to go.

Whoops! This dumpling fell into the sauce

I LOVED Crystal Jade's noodles.. I can't get over how good this was.

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Pork Dumplings

We just HAD to order another round of Xiao Long Bao!

 

Red Bean Pancake

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao
Unit 117-121 (near Haagen Dazs and Goodwill Bookstore)
V-Mall, Greenhills Shopping Center
Greenhills, San Juan City, Metro Manila
(info from OurAwesomePlanet.com)

Homemade Seafood Dinners

Just wanted to share these photos of two great seafood dinners my mom prepared. Eating out is great, but sometimes a home-cooked meal really beats any Michelin star restaurant.

Spaghettini with scallops sauteed in a garlic-y lemon butter sauce and topped with grated gruyere

Lobster tails with lemon butter sauce and asparagus

Michael Mina, Las Vegas

It completely slipped my mind all these months to post these photos! Had a nice New Years Eve dinner at Michael Mina in Las Vegas... and I'm blogging about it in June haha! Anyways, forgive the delay and try to enjoy the pictures =p

My favorite- the lobster pot pie!

Michael Mina
Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas 

Extraordinary Crab + Garlic Noodles at Crustacean

After tasting Crustacean's famed Crab and Garlic Noodle dishes, you instantly realize that probably nothing will ever come close to how amazing they are. Perfectly seasoned, homemade noodles.. sounds like quite basic, but taste it and you'll probably understand why the recipe is top-secret. The crab makes for the ideal pairing with the noodles. Both are equally simple in appearance but don't be fooled, they pack in a mighty amount of flavor. Just thinking about it makes me want to hop on the first flight out to LA. I'm telling you, they're nothing short of incredible!

Crustacean
9646 S Santa Monica Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90210