Less Is More

Here's another birthday cake requested by a male guest. I was informed that the cake would be for two people.  I figured a one pound cake would suit them just fine. The flavor? The person in charge of guest relations let me decide. That was easy. My go-to chocolate cake recipe has gotten rave reviews. I thought it would be the best option.

Chocolate Overload Cake

Many children are naturally chocolate lovers. When a guest's son celebrated his sixth birthday at the resort, I made a cake that I thought would best suit this little boy's birthday celebration. I baked a cake loaded with chocolate. It was a hit!

White Chocolate And Raspberry Cake

White chocolate and raspberry cake is this year's favorite.  Since I made it for  a couple  on their wedding day, it has become the most requested cake.  

I didn't have all the things called for in the original recipe which made me do a bit of tweaking.  I normally use medium size eggs in baking. That went to my batter in place of large eggs.  I made my own self-raising flour because it's way cheaper than buying the original. Here in the tropics, getting access to fresh raspberries is impossible. I used frozen raspberries instead. Some suggests not to defrost frozen raspberries if used in baking. As for me, I  let it thaw  and leave in a strainer to drain all the liquid before adding it to the batter. This has always work for me.

The cake peaked while baking. I got rid of the dome (which I happily munched after everything is set) before filling and frosting the cake with vanilla butter cream. I can say this is one of the nicest cakes I made. Try it for yourself.

Post Birthday Celebration

It was my birthday. I went to Bangkok to be with  friends and family as I did not want to celebrate it on the island alone. I invited everyone  for a meal  but not all of them could come. A  few days past my birthday, a friend who missed the gathering, rang me up and asked if  me, my sister and cousin could join him for lunch. It was his treat to celebrate my birthday. My sister was still down with the flu so only me and my cousin were able to meet him.

On my cousin's recommendations, we went to this place called On The Table - a Japanese Cafe serving both Italian and Japanese food at their The Mall Bangkapi outlet. It hasn't been that long when she and my sister discovered the cafe. They have visited it a few times already. She loves the food.  Now, she couldn't wait for us to try it out.

China White Thai-Chinese Restaurant On My Birthday

It's the time of the year again when I celebrate another year added to my life. It's a time when I get to break free from work and reward myself for working hard. My birthday is a national holiday in Thailand. I took the opportunity to fly back home to Bangkok and gather my family and friends who all had a day off of work  for a celebration.

I made a last minute decision to do it at the restaurant instead of hosting  a party at home. It would be less hassle for me. Besides, I really needed a good rest.  I chose a restaurant called China White at Central World. They serve hawker-style Thai-Chinese fusion dishes. I've been there numerous times. They have good food and the price is inexpensive. The service can be really bad during busy hours so I suggested we go there way  before lunch time.

Vertigo at Banyan Tree Hotel, Sathorn

Wild Asian Mushroom and spinach cannelloni,creamed lentils,roasted vine tomatoes 

My sister and cousin's birthdays are in February. Due to a sluggish economy, they both think a combined birthday celebration is a wise thing to do.  This year's gathering was special because a family friend who's turning the big 7-0 in a few months had decided to have a joint birthday celebration with the girls. He offered to treat us for dinner.  On his recommendation, we agreed to have a roof top dining at Vertigo, located on the 61st floor - Banyan Tree Hotel, Sathorn. A girl friend and I were fully aware of its  pricey dishes having been there once before. When the other girls found out about it, they were reluctant to go. We tried to talk him out of it but to no avail.

Latitude Lounge and Bar at Banyan Tree Hotel

My friends and I arrived early for our Sunday dinner at Banyan Tree Hotel. The restaurant where we made reservations would not be opened til 6 in the evening so we had plenty of time. We were all sitting at the lobby and thought it was not the best place to kill time. A friend who was a frequent visitor to the hotel suggested we check out Latitude Lounge and Bar  located on the 52nd floor.

The panoramic view of the city captivated us all and we soon agreed to stay a bit longer. The bar serves a wide array of cocktails, spirits and non-alcoholic drinks. We ordered  drinks and took a lot of photos.

Celebrating Irene's Birthday at SEE 180, Sukhaphiban 3

I haven't been on much lately. With all the work at the hotel plus the time I consume commuting to work every day, I can barely get time to keep my dear readers posted. Pardon my late entries.

Two weeks ago,  I got invited to Irene's birthday dinner. She took the group  to a restaurant in a gated community not far from home. In the middle of the whole area is an artificial lake.  It was an intimate venue for the occasion attended by her close friends.

Philippine Trip - Mommy's Birthday

Birthday cupcakes and cake I made for Mommy

The main reason of my trip to Philippines last Christmas was to attend Mom's birthday celebrations. Her birthday is the day before Christmas and it is an opportune time to share her blessings to others. Every year, she gives away 5 kilograms of rice to widows and widowers in the church and her community.

Originally, we planned to have her gathering at a park on a hill.  We changed it the last minute because most of her guests were older and were too weak to hike. Mom's favorite color is purple so my sister decorated the venue with purple and white balloons. I made cupcakes and cake frosted with purple butter cream.  Here are the highlights of her birthday gathering.

Ainsley Quinn's Minnie Mouse Themed Party

Last weekend I got invited to a relative's birthday party. I made  Minnie Mouse cake for the little girl. The venue was at a clubhouse outside Bangkok. My sister, my cousin, her daughter and I left home late due to heavy rain. The party was about to start when we got there. As soon as we entered the building, the aroma of Filipino food caught my attention. I walked straight to the table full of food and started clicking my camera.

Chicken sausage and marshmallow

Minnie Mouse Cake for Ainsley Quinn's 6th Birthday

Ainsley Quinn turned six. Her mother Joy requested me to make Ainsley's favorite Minnie Mouse cake as she was going to have a Minnie Mouse themed birthday party.

My Birthday Dinner at Pizzeria Limoncello on Sukhumvit 11

This is a delayed post. I had been meaning to post this since yesterday but I couldn't as I was busy. Friends are in Bangkok for a conference. I went to meet them at their hotel last night and came home really late. Today is their last day in the country. They wanted to buy  gifts for family and friends back home. Since it's my day-off  I volunteered to take them shopping.

My birthday was on Tuesday.  I had nothing special planned. Originally, my plan was to host dinner at home. I have been working overtime since the supervisor resigned. (No, I am not the replacement but we have more work now that we have less staff). I have been making a lot of orders. In fact I  worked 6 days the week before to make the cakes a friend ordered.  A break from laborious work was all I needed -even for just one day-  so I cancelled my initial plan. Besides, it's my birthday so I deserve to relax.

Jaeng's Birthday Dinner at Aroi NaeNon

Thai cuisine can be classified into four different types- the Northern and Northeast (Isan), Central and Southern cuisine. Food and cooking techniques from these four regions are influenced by the neighboring countries and regions.

Isan Food is the most popular among those regional cuisine. It is also my favorite. My colleagues are all from the Northern region of Thailand. We literally eat Isan food three to four times a week. They are amazed at how well  my stomach has adapted to Isan food.

Last night, I was invited to a birthday dinner of a friend. It's not her birthday til tomorrow but we had an early celebration as she's going back to her hometown in Chiang Mai for the school break. She took us to Aroi Nae non (Surely Delicious) on Ladprao 1. Guess what we had? Isan food!! Everyone was happy.

Charlie Brown on Sukhumvit 11

Mexican food had been the subject of conversation for many months among my circle of friends. There is one place foreigners frequent on Sukhumvit Road so Mags suggested we go. Due to our schedule differences going Mexican with every one in our group seemed impossible.

Then came the big day, the 13th anniversary of Mag's 25th birthday. Figure that out! It didn't take much convincing when Mags said we  celebrate it at Charlie Brown Mexican Restaurant on Sukhumvit 11. The six of us went.

We were greeted by David, the manager of the restaurant, as we arrived. The tables were booked. We were told. We didn't know that booking was necessary before going there but the manager was kind enough to give us a table. We were ushered to our seats after David and a waitress put two tables together.

We ordered drinks and while sipping them, we busied ourselves discussing what to eat. After a long conference, we hailed a waiter to order.

Nachos were served first. Only after a few moments of munching nachos, there came the parade of the entrees. People looked in amazement when our orders arrived.  All main dishes were served with Mexican rice and refried beans.

 A toast for the birthday girl!

My Birthday Celebration

When a family friend learned of my birthday last weekend, he didn't hesitate to take my family to eat at his favorite restaurant he'd been raving about. I can't remember how long ago I had Mediterranean food. But I do remember how good it was. So when he said we're gonna go to Beirut Restaurant in Ploenchit, I did not protest.


We started with Greek Salad - Lettuce, black olives, tomatoes,cucumber, and Feta cheese.