Murtle's Wedding at The Fairmont San Francisco

It's only apt to end my San Francisco series with the reason why I was in the city:

MURTLE'S WEDDING!

Murtle got married at the historic Fairmont San Francisco located atop Nob Hill. 

Photo Credit: www.hotels.com

It's home to the famous Tonga Room, a tiki bar which has been featured on Anthony Bordain's show Layover... 

The Penthouse Suite at The Fairmont San Francisco where Murtle's wedding ceremony and reception took place was not too shabby either.

The suite is 6,000 square feet and spans the entire eighth floor of the main building of The Fairmont San Francisco. President John F. Kennedy, Prince Charles of Wales, Mick Jagger, Tony Bennett, and Nat King Cole are a few of the VIPs that have stayed at the Presidential Suite.

One has to take a private elevator to reach the Presidential Suite and this charming entrance is what greets guests. 

The suite also features an expansive living room which was transformed into a wedding hall for the ceremony.

There are three large bedrooms in the suite and this travel inspired room is one of them: 

The formal dining room, on the other hand, can seat up to 60 guests. It was perfect for Murtle's intimate wedding celebration.

One of the highlights of the suite is the "two-story circular library crowned by a rotunda where a celestial map is rendered in gold leaf against a sapphire sky."  

At the second floor of the library, there's a secret passageway concealed by bookshelves. It used to lead to the rooftop of the hotel for the ultimate in stargazing. Rumor has it that JFK conveniently utilized the passageway for his trysts with Marilyn Monroe.

Books are mostly vintage with 1st edition copies part of the collection.

My favorite room though is the billiards room! It is covered in handcrafted Persian tiles from floor to ceiling making it one of the most beautiful rooms I've seen in a long long time.

From the living room, there is a door that leads to the terrace..

for sweeping views of San Francisco!

Here's a collage of some of the special moments during Murtle's wedding!!!

The Fairmont San Francisco is located at 950 Mason Street San Francisco California, United States. For more information, click here.

Murtle & Mr. J

I was in Taipei for a quick 3 day getaway. It was more of a sightseeing excursion but we did manage to squeeze in a few culinary adventures along the way! This is the 7th of 10 parts.

This post is dedicated to all Jay Chou fans!

I’m sure the number one reason Murtle wanted to go to Taiwan was to see Jay Chou in the flesh. 

Sadly, Jay Chou was nowhere to be found so Murtle settle for the next best thing: A trip to Mr. J, Jay Chou’s "French- Italian" restaurant!

We went to the branch found within the Taipei Medical University Hospital complex (odd choice of location, I know) where the theme of the restaurant was inspired by his movie Secret.

Since we already had lunch, we no longer sampled the food of Mr. J and instead spent most of our time choosing what overpriced memorabilia Murtle ought to buy. In the end, Murtle opted to be the proud owner  of a  Mr. J keychain which easily broke after a few months use. (fan trap alert!!!)

Regardless, I’m sure Murtle considered going to Mr. J as one of the most memorable moments of the trip.

Mr. J has three branches in Taiwan. The branch we visited was just 10 minutes away from Taipei 101 via cab.

Korean Food at Ara

Ever since the Kashmir failure, I've been apprehensive to try any restaurant Murtle recommends.

I believe in second chances lol though and decided to give Ara, a Korean restaurant Murtle frequents a try.

Ara can seat a ton of people so securing a private room for our group was not a problem.

 Private Area

We Are Ready

Free Appetizers

I prefer Ye Dang's appetizer spread.

Beef Sashimi

Fresh and  tasty. Not for everyone though.

Jap Chae

I loved the consistency of the noodles.

Beef Ribs

Very flavorful. Too bad it arrived on our table a bit cold.

Pork Ribs

Again, a bit cold when  it arrived but flavors were wonderful and meat was tender.

Accommodating Server Who Cut All Our Meat Orders

Bibimbap

More vegetables than meat so I didn't care for this.

Free Dessert

Cold food notwithstanding, Murtle got it right recommending Ara for an enjoyable, reasonably priced Korean experience.

Our friend Norbert also made everyone happy at the end of the evening by announcing that dinner's on him as a VERY late birthday treat. 

Thanks Norbert!

Ara Korean Restaurant is located at 7232 Malugay St. Bel-Air. Makati. For more information, contact 8171206.

Murtle and Me at CBD

Murtle joined me for lunch at Ayala Triangle Gardens during a hump day work day.

Restaurants fill up fast during the lunch hour and we ended up at Cheesesteaks, Burgers, and Drinks or CBD.  CBD opened a month ago and is operated by the same group that owns Tender Bobs.

Latest Ayala Triangle Addition

 Inside

Lunch Crowd Lining Up

How Convenient

Murtle and I Shared:

Curly French Fries (60php)

Very crunchy though something's missing...

Chicken Buffalo Strips 10pcs. (285php)

We ordered the buffalo strips spicy and it thankfully came out perfect with the spice level just right. Especially good once dipped in the blue cheese sauce. A good alternative to regular chicken wings.

CBD Classic Burger (135php)

The sweet bun complements the strong beef flavors of the patty. Also perfectly cooked keeping the burger moist and juicy. Shoestring fries are addictive. Worth every penny!

CBD is good enough for a quick lunch fix during a work week.

Cheesesteaks, Burgers, and Drinks is located at Ayala Triangle Gardens Makati City. For more information, contact 8392882. 

What Has Happened To Din Tai Fung?

I had my first taste of Din Tai Fung during a Taiwan trip in 2006. The whole experience is now a blur but I have always remembered that we had the pleasure of eating at Din Tai Fung. It’s where  my obsession for xiao long bao actually started.

Exquisite

Fast forward to 2008 in Singapore where I saw a Din Tai Fung branch in Wisma Atria.

There's always a line outside Din Tai Fung

I didn’t let the opportunity pass and had to be reunited with the best xiao long baos I’ve had.

Ready for Action



For an Enhanced Eating Experience

Dipping Sauce

Reunited and It Feels So Good

It was as good as I remembered it to be with the stock being so flavorful. What’s more amazing is how the thin skin of the xiao long bao managed to hold all its soupy goodness. It's everything I want a xiao long bao to be and more!

Last year in HK, we also dined at Din Tai Fung in Silvercord.

Longer lines in HK

I unfortunately found the HK xiao long baos inferior when compared to its Singapore counterpart. The expected flavors of the soup of the xiao long bao were nowhere to be found. It left me so disappointed that I vowed to never step foot on another Din Tai Fung branch in Hong Kong.

Looks Better than It Tastes

This year, when I learned that Murtle was going to Singapore, I had a list of food items that I asked her to buy for me. Of all the things on the list, the one thing she managed to bring home was Din Tai Fung xiao long bao.

The world famous dumpling

I wasn’t able to give the xiao long baos a try the night Murtle landed so it was frozen first.

It goes downhill from here

This is how it looks like after steaming.

Looks Promising...

Unfortunately, the xiao long bao didn’t taste as good as I remembered it to be. Similar to the HK experience, the xiao long bao was lacking the rich soupy goodness I remember it having. It was a second rate version of its old self. This is all too bad as Murtle took home 50 pcs. Ack!

I now wonder if the quality of Din Tai Fung's xiao long bao has generally deteriorated or this latest experience should not count as the xiao long baos were in transit for four hours after all.

Has Din Tai Fung lost its magic? The jury's still out! I will try to find out the next time I’m abroad.

Din Tai Fung has branches all over Asia. For more information, visit, www.dintaifung.com.tw/en/index.asp .

Murtle Eats Her Cakes

It was Murtle’s birthday and in our household, birthdays aren’t complete without cakes.

This year, Murtle had two cakes. A White Toblerone Cheesecake from Apartment 1B and a Red Velvet Cake from Karen’s Kitchen.

Let’s start with the cake I suggested Murtle to order.

Apartment 1B's White Toblerone Cheesecake (1200php)

Murtle and I first had a piece of this cake years ago. I remember it being sinfully delicious that one slice is almost not enough. After eating Delize’s White Chocolate Cheesecake though, it's apparent that Apartment 1B’s White Toblerone Cheesecake pales in comparison. It's simply no match for what I consider as the best cheesecake in town.

The main problem I had with the White Toblerone Cheesecake is the scarcity of actual Toblerone pieces. Based on my portion, each slice only had a single bite-sized portion of Toblerone. Surely, not enough for a cake touted as a Toblerone cake! While I would still recommend indulging in this cake after a meal in Apartment 1B, I would not make an effort to go to Apartment 1B just for this cake.

Murtle also got a red velvet cake from a friend. This came as no surprise as Murtle simply adores red velvet cakes.

Karen's Kitchen Red Velvet Cake

Admittedly, I'm not fond of red velvet cakes because I often find the overall taste too artificial for my liking. Thankfully, it was not the case this time. Karen not only managed to preserve the real flavors of the cake, but also made sure that it was soft and moist. This was airy and light with the sweetness level just right. Murtle even said that she now prefers this Karen’s Kitchen's creation over Cookbook Kitchen’s version which used to be her favorite.

Good thing Karen’s Kitchen delivered another sensational cake as it made Murtle forget about the Toblerone disappointment.

Apartment 1B is located at One Lafayette Square G/F Unit 1-B 132 L.P. Leviste cor. Sedeno St., Salcedo Village Makati. For more information, call 843-4075.

Karen’s Kitchen is located at 107B, #210 Zodiac St. Palm Village, Makati. For more information visit: http://www.karenskitchen.com.ph/