Call me naive, but this was the first time I saw a root crop that looked appetizing! I’ve never seen squash colored camote !

According to The Baghag, this is her favorite diet food!

True enough, this tasted quite sweet and I enjoyed it in my guinataan (camote, ube, sago, rice balls, banana and jackfruit cooked in coconut milk)! Uh-oh, now I’m feeling the urge to eat guinataan again! Wah!

I love corn! I’m allergic to it, but no one can stop me from eating corn chips, boiled corn, mais con hielo, creamed corn…you get my drift! But I have never tried eating roasted corn which I saw being roasted right on the street in Chinatown…

It looks a bit charred, but I would think these would still taste yum!

What do you think? I think I’m willing to try it!

Hehehe!

From afar, these looked so good The Baghag and I just had to move in closer to see what these were…our sweet tooth practically begging us to satiate it’s curiosity!

So imagine our surprise when we found out that these were face towels wrapped up so nicely to resemble sweet treats!

So cute huh? Not a bargain though at P150 each! Waaah!

Still from Shin Tai-Shang!

A stuffed Hello Kitty toy/charm…

Hello Kitty ??? Sorry! Can’t read Japanese characters!

Trainers…

Bathroom cuties…

Key “helmet”…

…and a Hello Kitty spoon!

If you think these are worth the trip to Binondo, watch this space for the best finds of Chinatown!

More than the yummy Shin Tai-Shang treats, we discovered these treasures tucked in the corner of the store!

Spotted, a hot & cold drinks bottle…

…a desk top clock…

…cellphone charms and stamps…

Plus more!

Shin Tai-Shang is our go to place for freshly made treats like these…

Here’s a closer shot!

But this is our favorite! Green Tea with Red Bean Mochi!!!

They also have red bean soup with rice balls! Super yummy! But you have to eat it right away, or put it in the refrigerator immediately because it spoils fast!

But more than these yummy desserts, they also have super cute items that will get you clapping with glee!

I went to Binondo with The Baghag and she happily toured me around the best places for cheap eats in Chinatown! To repay her kindness, I introduced her to my SILS’s favorite place (apart from President hehehe)…

You’ll find out why in the next couple of posts!

I was super lucky to be invited to the Pepper Lunch dry run because the waiting time for a seat at Pepper Lunch these days is so long! The sad thing is, I have yet to satisfy my craving, which has persisted three weeks running!

So now, I only have these photos to remind me of my wonderful meal. I had the Tokusen rib eye steak..

While my sister-in-law had the Hitokuchi…

I wonder when I will get the chance to get back? I’ve told my family, my husband and my in-laws about Pepper Lunch so many times it ought to be soon!

TIP: Mix the Amakuchi (Garlic Soy Sauce) and Karakuchi (Honey Brown Sauce) together with your meal! It is sooooo good! Promise!

If I could eat this everyday I would! One of the first things I sought out as soon as I got back here in Manila was Razon’s Halo-Halo! I just missed this cold, creamy mix of shaved ice, milk, leche flan, macapuno and minatamis na saba!!!

It’s strange how a simple and pared down version of the halo-halo we are used to can be so tasty and so crave-worthy!!! My mom is friends with the owner and according to her, the secret is that milk is already incorporated in the ice, hence the flavorful and creamy texture of Razon’s halo-halo!

At Php70 for a tall glass of this swoon-inducing, sigh-rendering treat, it’s worth every spoonful!

Sigh!

My friend Ruby is a fitness and health buff! With the kind of running around that she does visiting her stores, attending events and still having the time to workout, I’ve always wondered where she gets all that energy!

Then she showed me this a couple of days ago…

A Hello Kitty magnetic therapy bracelet, which she says keeps her from feeling tired! Guess this is her “secret weapon”!

Hmmm, I better ask again where she got it!!!