Dark Specialty Roast: My last foodie find for 2018

After partying left and right just before Christmas Day, I found myself tired of eating meat. So I decided to take a break from pork, beef and chicken for one whole day on the last Saturday before the 25th of December and stick to fish and veggies. It would be a bit of a challenge as I had to go out to do some gift shopping, I thought, as not all restaurants have fish on their menu. Fortunately, I found Dark Specialty Coffee at SM North Edsa because it's where I discovered a fantastic pasta dish with smoked milkfish or tinapang bangus which is one of my top favorite all-day breakfast food. Yay, goodness without red nor white meat! As a bonus, they serve good coffee, too, although I chose a cold coffee and tea blend as thirst quencher.

My lunch at Dark Specialty Roast:

Pasta Maria Ana, P165.

This has milkfish flakes, fresh tomatoes, capers, black olives and extra virgin olive oil.

Iced Cafe Matcha, regular, P160.
Green tea and coffee in a single cup, and the combination of flavors was awesome! 

Dark is my last foodie discovery for 2018 and I was glad to know about and be able to try it. It's a small coffee place with not much on the menu (three pasta dishes, I think, and some meat pies and cakes plus drinks) and shares space with Onesimus men's wear store. Don't let the size of the physical store keep you from visiting this coffee shop, however, as I guarantee, you'll be in for quite a nice surprise, based on 
my first impression of the food and drink.
Will I go back? I would love to! That tinapang bangus pasta would be 
something worth coming back for!

Meal time, fun time at Genki Sushi

When I first read about Genki Sushi, that restaurant at the SM North Edsa that serves food riding on a "bullet train", the first words that came to my mind were 

"fun" and "play". Only kids would think of those, I know, but hey, 

it's good to be child-like and have fun once in a while. 

It took me a long while before I actually made it to Genki Sushi since it reached Philippine shores from Japan in 2015 (if I'm not mistaken), but you know that popular adage: better late than never! It was in between Christmas shopping with my daughter earlier this December when we decided to have Japanese food for merienda and I thought of none other than Genki Sushi. Finally, "fun" and "play"! And it all started when we ordered food using the touchscreen monitor, up until we made our own green tea, and finally, using electronics again to view our bill and ask for our check. 
The highlight of our visit, however, was in between, of course: excitedly waiting for the train carrying our orders to arrive. For once, something 
beat the excitement of eating!

Our orders:

Shoyu Ramen, P250.
My daughter loved this, saying the noodles itself was already flavorful and tasty. I had some 
and liked the savory broth, which was comforting to the tummy. 

Fried Maki Salmon, P160.
We both raved over this -- luscious even to the eyes, and when you put it in your mouth -- an ensemble of delightful sapid flavors! On top of being savory-sweetish, it's spicy -- sure to titillate the taste buds! I could imagine it perking and lifting me up when I'm having the blues. 
Love, love, love!

Norwegian Fresh Salmon Nigiri, P90.
Loved how the salmon glided very smoothly on the tongue with a creamy, melt-in-the-mouth texture. Delish! I could eat salmon whether as sashimi or nigiri 
from breakfast till dinner and not complain!

California Maki Roll, P160.
Good, too, although not a standout. 

DIY green tea
That's green tea powder on the round container. Hot water runs on the faucet.

After putting some green tea powder on your cup, pour some hot water from the faucet, 
stir and voila! Your healthy cup of green tea is ready for drinking.

Special food delivery on board a mini bullet train!

Menu

Genki Sushi at the ground floor of SM North Edsa's main building

Needless to say, we enjoyed mealtime and yes, "playtime" at Genki Sushi. Haha! The electronic system of food ordering and having food delivered by cute trains spell fun! I imagine kids having more fun than me, so bring them over 
and let them play at mealtime. :)
Happy eating!

Merry Christmas!

While most people are busy preparing their Christmas fare or Noche Buena at this time, there are those who are not -- those who are grieving the loss of a loved one, or are sick, or are so poor they can't afford to put anything special on the table. 

Let's remember to reach out to them and help them in whatever way we can and include them in our prayers. Let's remind them of what God named the Lord Jesus when He came to earth by being born in a manger: Immanuel, which means God is with us! What a beautiful truth! God is with us! Through all our pains and suffering, the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth is on our side, and 
He said never will He leave us nor forsake us. 

(Thank you, Bible Verse Art for this photo)

Let us thank God today for His infinite love and kindness to humanity. He gave His one and only Son in His desire to save us from eternal condemnation because of our sins! Indeed there is no better proof that God loves us so very much. And because He loves us, He is always willing to help us in times of trouble and need. All we have to do is pray to Him and trust that He will answer. Let this be a reminder to those whose burden is so heavy they do not find a reason to celebrate the holidays.

Merry Christmas everyone and God bless us all.