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Review: 5 out of 5 stars
Restaurant: Apartment 1B
Unlike my sister's recent exploits with ox brain (Uck) (See rapacop.multiply.com) my not-so-adventurous tastebuds led me back to Apartment 1B in Makati. With some mornings left unoccupied, I skipped a morning class of Body Balance for some Eggs Benedict.
I had eaten here last year with little Caelum and Blue and thought the place was real pretty, cozy, and child-friendly. We were seated on the second floor right smack in front of the flat screen which was tuned to the Disney Channel. Did they know we were coming? :o) Because of that tv, we were able to enjoy our dishes and have the luxury of dessert with Caelum busy and all. That was dinner. It was okay.
My comfort food has always been breakfast fare. Anything with eggs, I like. And so I had been reading that this place was famous for its eggs benedict. Off I went and found it without a hitch. At 10 in the morning, 5 out of the 7 tables on the first floor were occupied. I was seated quickly enough at a table near the bar. I asked the waiter their specialty and he pointed out the eggs. For an egg dish, P510 may seem steep but it is huge. (see photo) Decked on two bagels are eggs, smoked salmon, spinach and some hollandaise. Second best were the super tasty herbed potatoes with onions as sidings. With a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice and the latest InStyle, I was giggling in my seat.
I found that I could only finish half so when I got my check the server effortlessly said, "No problem, we can wrap this up for you." (ang galeng mag-eengleesh, didjawantthatinabag?)
With free wi-fi, cool piped-in music, great service, I'll definitely return and maybe try the omelet or the EB this time with Canadian ham. 5 out of 5 stars for me!
Location: LP Leviste corner Sedeno Streets Salcedo Village, Makati
The quest for the best water bottle started quite early. There were spills, spills, and more spills. The essential criteria involved spillage, insulator support, ease of opening, and most recently, safety (BPA-free).
I've come up with 4 bottles to compare:
1. Foogo by Thermos
2. Insulator Straw Cup by Playtex
3. Juice Box by Rubbermaid
4. Sigg 0.3 L Bottle
I was happily surprised to see the Foogo in the children's section of Rustan's Department Store. I had been reading about it in ZRecs as one of the newer products which were BPA-free. As the second priciest among the four, I had high expectations from this bottle. On the package, it read "keeps liquids cold for 6 hours" and "easy to assemble". Unfortunately, I've found that it takes a lot of time and a keen eye to ensure it doesn't spill. The pieces are difficult to remove for washing and when filled with water and shaken upside down, some drops manage to escape from the spout. I do love though the heavy duty look as well as the soft spout which resists Caelum's gigil bites.
Moving on to the sipster, it pretty much gets a low score for me because of its straw. Again, Caelum likes biting straws and this one pretty much broke down too soon. This poses a choking hazard so I had to trim off a little of the torn edges. As for keeping liquids cold, it scores a measly 1 out of 5 for me. Another drawback of this bottle is that it quickly gathers dirt in its insides. This "libag" forms in the bottles crevices, straw openings, and what have you so every now and then, I have to take out my Dr. Brown's special brush tiny enough to get to those places. No one wants to drink from a filthy bottle now, right?
I have to say, the Rubbermaid juice box is my second best choice among the four. I just grabbed this in the department store, curious that a lot of the students in Caelum's preschool, plus my students had this as their bottle. It takes a little effort to flip up the straw at the beginning but Caelum was able to manage eventually. Plus, it is the cheapest and there are no spills. Also, somehow he manages to drink a lot of water when he's using this. Go figure.
Last but definitely not the least is the Sigg bottle. While I was in shopping glee at Whole Foods in Chicago, I saw their children's section and saw these super cool-looking water bottles. At $16 without tax, it is very pricey. But I think it fits all my criteria for the best bottle. Its spout turns to open, it has a nice red dome cover that snaps shut. The spout is solid white too so you know when it gets dirty. No spills here too and though it's not as insulated as the Foogo, it is BPA-free. It is quite durable but gets dents naturally if you drop it on cement.
Which bottles have you tried???
