Something's strangely delicious awaits you at Nobu Restaurant

As soon as I entered the Nobu Restaurant, my senses were competing against one another. My eyes kept wandering as they try to devour the unique interiors and fixtures that adorned every corner of the hotel restaurant. My sense of smell was trying to search for the aromatic feast. As I heard the wait staff briskly walking in an out of the kitchen doors.

My taste buds felt like it wanted to jump out and everything made me feel its going to be a great start of the day. The one breakfast dish that caught my attention was the Champorado Nobu Style with Bacon furikake. It had me on its thick chocolatey cocoa flavor with bacon's slight crunchy saltiness on top, it was heavenly good, I tell you, I finished one and ordered another bowl. I highly recommend this on top of their other breakfast signature dishes.

Nobu Restaurant is a contemporary fine dining venue which accommodates 335 dining guests. It has a two private dining rooms; a sushi bar; floating water cabanas; two tepanyaki tables and a Chef's Table. I got to experience Nobu's Breakfast Specialties and its delectable and mouth watering buffet last June 6 with selected bloggers. We were greeted at the restaurant lobby by the General Manager of Nobu Hotel Manila, Mr. Marlon Hirsh, we had pleasantries about the restaurant's interior, breakfast specialties and its signature dishes. He toured us on the hotel rooms, spa and gym after a hearty breakfast.

 We were served the best Breakfast Minis, all the food served tasted and cooked the way I liked my breakfast should be. It concludes of the following;

French toast

Shioyaki (Chef's Daily Grilled Protein Selection)

Champorado Nobu Style (Chocolate Rice Porridge with Bacon Furikake)

Samplers from the buffet table

Silken Tofu Hotpot

City of Dreams Manila  consists of 6 hotel towers which include the famous Nobu Hotel and the world's most recognized restaurant Nobu Restaurant.   Chef Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa takes pride on its fusion cuisine blending traditional Japanese dishes with South American ingredients. 

The buffet table boasts of sumptuous and delectable menus for those who want to start their day right. Their Breakfast Specialties are,  Yuzu Soba Pancakes; Green Tea Waffles; Eggs Matsuhisa; Bagel and Lox; Breakfast Tobanyaki; Salmon and Egg Donburi.

Their Signature Dishes includesToro Tartar with Caviar; Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeno; Whitefish firadito Style; Salmon New Style; Rock Shrimp Creamy Spicy; Squid Pasta; Black Cod Miso; Beef Tobanyaki; Bento Box Dessert.

Signature Cocktails available are  Matsuhisa Martini; Pins Martini; Mango Passion; Mia Margarita; Yamasaki Sidecar, Lychee Martini; Champagne 95.

Chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s culinary empire spans through 36 restaurants, in 28 cities and five continents. Guests at the Nobu Hotel City of Dreams Manila will be able to savor his signature contemporary artistic fusion and mouthwatering cuisine.


Nobu Restaurant is located at Level 1 of the Pool Deck, Nobu Hotel. It is open from 6:00AM to 10:00AM  on weekdays, until 11:00AM on weekends 6:00PM -11:00PM.
Executive Chef:  Zachary Hillberry
Restaurant Manager:  Casper Khamphouy

Nobu Lounge is a chic, modern, Japanese-inspired lobby lounge exuding a relaxed but sophisticated atmosphere which can seat 50 guests.  Baristas and tea tenders take guests on a “taste and sense” adventure as they offer an extensive tea menu, premium coffees and homemade cakes, pastries and chocolates. Operating hours is from 7:00AM to 12MN. High Tea is from 2:00PM to 5:00PM

Pandesuelo and long forgotten pinoy breads at Kamuning Bakery

I celebrate my Independence Day together with selected bloggers, being a patriotic foodie at the famous Kamuning Bakery Cafe, where all the politicians /celebrities from yesteryears and today has dined in including the late Pres. Cory Aquino. It was nostalgic as well, as I had to taste my favorite filipino pastries like the pandesuelo (its a freshly pugon baked pandesal, which is sweet and filling and best served hot)   and ogled at the bakery racks for their pandecocos, panderosas, meringues and other Kamuning Bakery's delicacies.  The best part was when the  owner, Wilson Lee Flores, toured us at his bakery and showed us the 76th year old giant "pugon" oven, where all the traditional breads, cookies and cakes "preservatives free" are baked.

With fellow bloggers at the big "pugon" site

The Kamuning Bakery Cafe offers the best filipino-inspired pastas that I have tasted,  I liked their chicken sisig pasta, tawilis pasta, and the longganisa pasta. They also served the best selling Kamuning Chicken Basket with pandesuelos which is juicy, delicious and tasty the way I liked my chicken, home fried and its best to partner with garlic rice.  Inside the restaurant /cafe is the  imported Italian coffee maker machine which they used for making the best  Benguet province Arabica coffee beans brewed into latte or cappuccino or other drinks and native chocolate tablea drinks.

Despite the rise of bakery chains, groceries with gas or electric ovens and industrial bakeries or multinational giants, 76-year-old Kamuning Bakery still continues to serve loyal clientele and its niche market with its artisanal, high-quality and pugon-style baked products.

chicken sisig pasta

tawilis pasta

longganisa pasta

coffee maker

On its 76th year and seeking to still be relevant in the 21st century, Quezon City’s first bakery the revived Kamuning Bakery has restored its old café to serve all-day breakfast meals of diverse pasta choices, rice meals or sandwiches with Third Wave or artisanal coffee, tea, juices, chocolate tablea.

Tuna clubhouse sandwich

The artisanal and pugon-style bakery still opens daily at 5 a.m., while its restored and now air-conditioned Kamuning Bakery Café is open from 7 a.m. to 12 midnight daily in the same address since 1939: No. 43 Judge Jimenez Street corner K-1st Street, Kamuning, Quezon City (near Caltex of Kamuning Road).

It has also revived a lot of its old traditional breads, cookies and cakes, plus adding modern cakes of all kinds baked in its antique pugon or wood-fired brick oven, such as birthday or wedding cakes, and many others. The No. 1 bestseller is still the pugon-baked Pan de Suelo breads. Since 1939, a lot of showbiz and political celebrities, writers, musicians, artists and people from all walks of life patronize Kamuning Bakery.

Kamuning Chicken Basket

Pandesuelos with Ice Cream

To differentiate it from many foreign cafes and bakeries coming to the Philippines from the West and Asia, Kamuning Bakery’s new owner and writer Wilson Lee Flores introduced Filipino-inspired innovations like chicken sisig pasta, tawilis pasta, longganisa pasta, Kamuning iced tea, Kamuning chicken basket (traditional fried chicken),

Strawberry Cake 

Hot Chocolate

Jonel Uy and Wilson Lee Flores

Short history

Kamuning Bakery opened in late 1939 as the first bakery in the newly-established Quezon City upon the invitation of President Manuel L. Quezon’s friend and adviser the newspaper tycoon Don Alejandro Roces. It opened in what is now called Barangay Kamuning, the city’s oldest community and once planted with flowering kamuning trees. Kamuning Bakery founders were Atty. Leticia “Letty” Bonifacio Javier (whose parents Miguel and Jovita operated pre-war Manila’s renown Los Baños Bakery in Singalong) and her husband Marcelo Javier Sr.

Letty’s father, husband and a brother-in-law were military officers who became World War II heroes, they died fighting the Japanese military invaders. Letty raised three small kids on her own by running the bakery with integrity, good service and excellent breads.  She passed away two decades ago and the bakery still operated despite the rise of many modern and bigger competitors.

Revival and innovations

Realty entrepreneur, 3-time Palanca award-winning writer & 12-time CMMA award-winning columnist, foodie and history enthusiast Wilson Lee Flores first read about Kamuning Bakery from newspaper columns of his Ateneo college paper Guidon’s moderator the late top food critic Dr. Doreen G. Fernandez. He also read about it in other publications, including the Palayok coffeetable book of Dr. Doreen Fernandez. He loves the traditional pugon-baked, no-preservatives and no-additives breads of Kamuning Bakery.

Wilson Lee Flores wanted to save Kamuning Bakery from obsolescence, so he invested in and revived the bakery in December 2013. He spent 2014 rehabilitating the bakery, and Quezon City honored the revived Kamuning Bakery on October 12, 2014 with its highest “Manuel L. Quezon Gawad Parangal Award” at the Araneta Coliseum.

He asked an old tenant to cut short their lease contract of the bakery’s former old café which was then a dental clinic already, so he restored and reopened it as Kamuning Bakery Cafe  on March 20, 2015.

At another space the old owners used to lease out to a printing shop, Wilson Lee Flores also asked that the lease contract be cut short, so he’s planning another casual restaurant to soon open there beside Kamuning Bakery as a pugon chicken & pugon pizza resto utilizing the rehabilitated second pugon oven. All pugon chicken customers shall get free pugon-baked pandesal breads.


Kamuning Bakery makes artisanal breads, cookies and cakes based on recipes and practices passed on from generation to generation. Built in late 1939, the same wood-fired brick oven (more known as “pugon”) continues to bake traditional bestsellers, two of which are the pan de sal and pan de suelo (a registered trademark of the bakery).

Kamuning Bakery Cafe is more than just a bakery. It is a cherished and well-preserved tradition. It is history made alive with quality products and sincere friendly service.


Contact details
Kamuning Bakery Cafe
No. 43 Judge Jimenez Street corner K-1st Street, near Kamuning Road, Quezon City, Metro Manila, The Philippines
Telephone numbers: 7945045, 9292216
Office Tels: 4112311, 3326066, 4151692, 4126685   Telefax: 4126685

“Like” Kamuning Bakery or Wilson Lee Flores on Facebook, follow Kamuning Bakery and Wilson Lee Flores on Instagram & Twitter for updates, thanks!

Powermac Center unveils the latest lifestyle accesories at PH Fashion Week

Power Mac Center partners for the first time with The Philippine Fashion Week last June 12, at the SM Aura in staging digital tech vibe collaborated with six fashion-forward lifestyle accessories brands making their way to the local runways—Beats by Dr. Dre, Happy Plugs, Casemate, Moshi, Gosh!, and Knomo London. With top designers, Mixy Dy, Lyle Ibanez, Sidney Perez Sio, Jian Lasala, Boyet Dysangco, Anthony Nocom and Audie Ae.

As the Official Technology Retail Partner of the country’s grandest fashion extravaganza, Power Mac Center takes inspiration in bringing together technology and style to glam up the experience of Manila’s fashion glitterati for three days filled with fashion, lifestyle and beauty.

Power Mac Center’s debut on the Philippine Fashion Week runways turns the spotlight on mobile accessories, showcasing global lifestyle brands that serve up mobile accessories as fashion statement pieces and must-haves in the digital era.

“This has been one of the most exciting ventures for Power Mac Center, and we are delighted to work together with Philippine Fashion Week. Our synergy is a reflection of fashion and technology crossing paths to bring about stylish mobile accessories that deliver a visual feast of style, color and texture,” said Power Mac Center Marketing Director Joey Alvarez.

“in joining Philippine Fashion Week, Power Mac Center sets a footprint in the fashion circuits as well as push the boundaries for creativeness and versatility in the digital lifestyle realm,” added Mr. Alvarez.

Becoming sleek additions to the Philippine Fashion Week are Power Mac Center brand ambassadors and their mobile accessories brands: Jeron Teng for Beats by Dr. Dre; Gretchen Ho for Happy Plugs; Daniel Matsunaga for Moshi; Mari Jasmine for Case- Mate; Rovilson Fernandez for Goshl; and Vanessa Matsunaga for Knomo London.

*photo credits:  PH Fashion Week

Get ready to dance and sing with the new cast of Hi-5 Philippines!

Hi-5 Philippines takes over other edutainment programs with an all-Filipino cast

The one tv show that I love to watch with my grandson Finn is Hi-5, the award-winning Australian children's edutainment program from a cable channel. It is entertaining, educational and fun. He learns how to dance and sing with the Hi-5 cast.  The educational fun tv show for kids focus on music and movement that attracts children's attention. Hi-5 caters to a wide range of young children which tap their cognitive abilities and learning styles.

The good news is TV5 launches Hi-5 Philippines, a local version of the award-winning Australian children’s edutainment program last June 11 at TV5 studio.  The Hi-5 Philippines features an all-Filipino cast, a first for the series of franchise in Asia. The Hi-5 members are  Gerard Pagunsan, Aira Binas, Rissey Reyes, Alex Reyes, and Fred Lo, sets to bring a Hi-5 House Party in every household with their talent and interaction with kids in both English and Filipino.

A more exciting and fun-filled learning experience awaits kids and their parents as TV5  will start airing on weekdays at 8:30 a.m. starting June 15.

 The dynamic new quintet all boast of extensive backgrounds in performing arts and will now channel that energy to engage kids in music, imaginative play, social interaction, and developmental growth in a fun way.

“With Hi-5 Philippines, we are very excited to bring the world-class edutainment experience closer to more Filipino kids. This is our way of not only showcasing world-class Filipino talent, but more importantly, helping shape our country’s future generations,” said Noel Lorenzana, TV5 president and CEO.

“We are proud to partner with Hi-5 World in introducing to millions of Filipino kids a local version of this highly interactive edutainment show. We are up to the challenge of producing the show that is at par with global standards,” said Jane Basas, Media 5 Corporation president.

Launched in Australia in 1999, Hi-5 rapidly grew in popularity over the years. It has won three Logie Awards for Most Outstanding Children's Program, five ARIA Awards for Best Children's Album and five Australian DVD and Video Industry Awards, among other achievements. It was then that Hi-5 started expanding its reach by franchising the show across North America, Europe, Australasia, Latin America, and Asia.

However, this is the first time that the Hi-5 franchise assembled an entirely new cast for the localization of the show in Asia. The Filipino version of the musical group is currently one of the only two casts for Hi-5, the other one being the Australian cast.

Watch how the Hi-5 gang of Gerard, Aira, Rissy, Alex and Fred makes learning exciting and fun for kids through songs and dancing. Don’t miss Hi-5 Philippines, airing weekdays at 8:30 a.m. starting June 15, only on TV5.

Get ready to dance and sing along the new cast of Hi-5 Philippines Gerard, Aira, Rissy, Alex and Fred. TV5 proudly introduces the all-Filipino cast for the local version of the popular Australian kids’ program, which is a first for the series franchise. Hi-5 Philippines will air weekdays at 8:30 a.m. starting June 15, on the Happy Network TV5.

Take the best Malaysia selfie with #mybffxoxo and win a trip for 2 to Malaysia!

Have you been to Malaysia? If yes, Im sure you have visited the tallest twin buildings in the world, the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur or explore the Batu Caves. If you are reading this and still in Malaysia, take a selfie together with the bff, partner and or bestfriend and find out at the end of the post. Or you can check your previous Malaysia selfies with the #bff and post right away.  You can be creative with your obligatory selfies, tweak and post and dont forget to put the hashtag #mybffxoxo

Now, is the best time to visit Malaysia and explore the other "must see" destinations such as Bukit Bintang, Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, Aqua KLCC, Langkawi, Perhentian Islands, Mulu Caves and Mount Kinabalu to name a few.

The MyFest 2015 and Be Friends Forever campaign was launched on June 8 at Fairmont Hotel with Honorable Dato' Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, Director General of Tourism Malaysia along with the rest of the Malaysia Delegation comprised of State Tourism Boards, Product Owners, Hoteliers, Tour Operators and media guests.

In his speech, His Excellency shared, “For MyFest 2015, we aim to have 29.4 million tourist arrivals and RM89 billion in tourist receipts, leading up to our ultimate goal of 36 million tourists and RM168 billion in tourist receipts by 2020. This is part of the government’s National Blue Ocean Strategy to create value innovation through public-private partnership collaboration. To that end, I would like to invite all of you to work with each other and develop new tourism products and packages that will highlight our culture, and promote it as a tourist attraction to the rest of the world.”

The MyFest 2015 theme which focus on "Endless Celebrations", the year-long calendar is packed with festivities of every genre; such as cultural festivals, shopping extravanganzas, international acclaimed events, eco-tourism events, arts, music showcases, food promotion and other themed events.

The "Be Friends Forever campaign" complements the year-long "Endless Celebrations".  Its as easy as take your best selfie shot with the bff, post those in social network and  have a chance to win a trip for two together with your bff.

The campaign encourages travellers who have been to Malaysia to post their favorite vacation photos on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #mybffxoxo, which also qualifies them to win special monthly prizes from Tourism Malaysia, as well as the grand prize for the promotion – a three days/two nights stay in Malaysia accompanied by his or her best friend (or family member). It sure is fun travelling with friends this time in Malaysia.

“We have always believed that traveling builds more than just character and life experiences. In an eventful place such as Malaysia, you can also build lasting memories, memories that you will cherish forever especially if built with close friends and family.  In this endless celebrations theme lies a call for people to take these celebration with them long after they have returned home,” shares Dato’ Mirza

 He adds, “This special campaign inspired by the Filipinos’ love affair with selfies and picture taking, focuses on not just keeping but on sharing these lasting memories captured digitally and immortalized on social media. In as much as I would love to think that all of us here are all BFF’s, I want to let all Filipinos who have at least once travelled to Malaysia know that we consider all of them and the future generations of countless Filipinos who will take time out to visit my beloved Malaysia, as our best friends forever and my hugs and kisses go out to all of them."


With so many things lined up as well as more events and attractions being held and being put in place in this charming country, Malaysia is happy to inform Filipinos of what they can expect from their trip.

Essilor Ambassador Piolo Pascual joins inauguration of Sight Center in MCU

Essilor, the world leader for corrective lenses, recently launched its very first Sight Center in the Philippines at Manila Central University, College of Optometry in Caloocan last June 9.  The inauguration was attended by Essilor Ambassador Mr. Piolo Pascual and joined by his son Inigo Pascual and guests from media.

Essilor, launches Sight Center in the country to provide optometry students access to the most advanced and updated technology in optical studies and vision solutions. The sight center features fully equipped vision screening rooms complete with clinical refraction equipment, and access to Essilor Academy’s advanced tools and practical trainings in optometry practice.

The first Essilor Sight Center offers optometry students a venue where they can perform hands-on eyesight examinations and diagnoses in an ideal clinic set-up used by actual optometrists.

“We are happy to open our very first Essilor Sight Center in the country, with Manila Central University as our initial partner. Through this project, we hope to support optometry students in their field of specialization by giving them the opportunity to study within an ideal clinic setting, using state-of-the-art technologies and equipment in optometry,” said Dr. Emelita Roleda, Essilor general manager.

The Manila Central University-College of Optometry is one of the top optometry schools in the country. It is, in fact, the only optometry school in the Philippines recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as a Center of Development. It has been granted Level III Accreditation status by the PACUCOA, in 2011. The college currently has more than 200 optometry students enrolled who will have the privilege of using the very first Essilor Sight Center in the Philippines.
 
“We are truly honored to be chosen as the initial beneficiary of the very first Essilor Sight Center in the Philippines. Through this partnership project, we can provide a better avenue for our students to learn and master their skills in optometry using Essilor Sight Center’s advanced state-of-the-art technology,” said Dr. Aristotle Malabanan, MCU President.

According to Dr Christine Rodriguez, dean of MCU’s College of Optometry, the opening of the Essilor Sight Center is a boost to the reputation of the College as one of the best in the country. “We hope that, with the enhanced facilities and better technology that the College now offers, more students will be inspired and motivated to pursue and specialize in Optometry, “she added.